Acts 19:11-20
According to the book of Acts, God was at work though Paul in powerful ways. Many were healed in the name of Jesus Christ and many more came to hear of these miracles. So profound was the effect upon the city of Ephesus that even some non-believers set out to heal in the name of Jesus. In one notable case seven brothers confronted a man possessed by a demon. But as Acts tells us, “the evil spirit said to them in reply, ‘Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?’” (Acts 19:15). Then the one in whom the spirit resided overcame all of the brothers who fled the house “naked and wounded” (v.16). Clearly, it wasn’t enough to toss around the name of Jesus like a magic charm. It wasn’t enough to follow certain protocols, certain rituals, certain formulas. Even an evil spirit could tell the difference between those who were committed to Jesus Christ and those who were not. The seven brothers were left naked, Acts tells us, which I think symbolizes the fact that their deceit had been uncovered. They were frauds, and now the whole community could see it.
This story deserves our attention. If we are to truly change the world, if we are to confront evil and overpower injustice, if we are to speak truth to the powers, we must do so, not simply in the name of Jesus Christ, but as those who believe Jesus Christ to be the Son of God, Lord and Savior, God with us. We must work for God and not expect God to somehow work for us. We must set aside empty ritual and accept the fact that faith is hard work. If we do these things we will be amazed by what God is doing. Otherwise, we may find ourselves revealed for who we are: nothing more than divine name-droppers.
Prayer: Lord, give us faith by which to serve you, that in all things your will may be done. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Showing posts with label Acts 19. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Acts 19. Show all posts
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
What You Don’t Know That You Don’t Know
Acts 19:1-10
It was in Ephesus that the Apostle Paul encountered some disciples whose knowledge of the faith was limited. “(Paul) said to them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?" They replied, ‘No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit’” (Acts 19:2). According to Acts, Paul quickly shared the gospel with them, and when they were baptized in the name of Jesus “the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied - altogether there were about twelve of them” (v. 6b-7).
It seems significant that the number of these “disciples” was twelve. That of course is the number of the original disciples called by Jesus. It is also the number of the tribes of Israel. The number twelve also shows up in accounts of the feeding of the five thousand as the number of baskets needed to collect the leftovers (Matthew 14:20, and John 6:13). This is a fairly common number associated with the Christian faith, and not to oversimplify the point, but when the author of Acts tells us there were “about twelve” of these disciples it would seem to indicate that they, as a group, are representative of the gospel enterprise as a whole, all those who have been called, set aside, and tended to by God through Jesus Christ. In other words they represent you and me as people of faith. If this group of twelve had more to learn about what they believed (in their case, the existence of the Holy Spirit), then it appears that all of us have more to learn.
What is it that we need to know? Sometimes the only way to answer that question is to pay attention. A friend of mine is fond of saying, “It’s amazing what you know that you didn’t know you knew.” The reverse of that would also be valid: it’s amazing what we don’t know that we don’t know. The best way to deal with this lack of knowledge is to study, and to ponder, and to pray, and to share, and to consider, and to ask, and to compare notes, and to attend church and Sunday school, and to read, and to reflect, and to do all sorts of other things in order to learn what it is we didn’t know we didn’t know. Then we, like the twelve disciples of Acts 19, may live more fully for God because we, like them, will have more of the tools we need to do the work of God’s reign.
Prayer: God, help us to open our hearts and minds to your word, humbly receiving its truth for our lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
It was in Ephesus that the Apostle Paul encountered some disciples whose knowledge of the faith was limited. “(Paul) said to them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?" They replied, ‘No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit’” (Acts 19:2). According to Acts, Paul quickly shared the gospel with them, and when they were baptized in the name of Jesus “the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied - altogether there were about twelve of them” (v. 6b-7).
It seems significant that the number of these “disciples” was twelve. That of course is the number of the original disciples called by Jesus. It is also the number of the tribes of Israel. The number twelve also shows up in accounts of the feeding of the five thousand as the number of baskets needed to collect the leftovers (Matthew 14:20, and John 6:13). This is a fairly common number associated with the Christian faith, and not to oversimplify the point, but when the author of Acts tells us there were “about twelve” of these disciples it would seem to indicate that they, as a group, are representative of the gospel enterprise as a whole, all those who have been called, set aside, and tended to by God through Jesus Christ. In other words they represent you and me as people of faith. If this group of twelve had more to learn about what they believed (in their case, the existence of the Holy Spirit), then it appears that all of us have more to learn.
What is it that we need to know? Sometimes the only way to answer that question is to pay attention. A friend of mine is fond of saying, “It’s amazing what you know that you didn’t know you knew.” The reverse of that would also be valid: it’s amazing what we don’t know that we don’t know. The best way to deal with this lack of knowledge is to study, and to ponder, and to pray, and to share, and to consider, and to ask, and to compare notes, and to attend church and Sunday school, and to read, and to reflect, and to do all sorts of other things in order to learn what it is we didn’t know we didn’t know. Then we, like the twelve disciples of Acts 19, may live more fully for God because we, like them, will have more of the tools we need to do the work of God’s reign.
Prayer: God, help us to open our hearts and minds to your word, humbly receiving its truth for our lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Friday, August 5, 2011
What Everybody Knows
Acts 19:21-41
“…Who is there that does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the temple keeper of the great Artemis and of the statue that fell from heaven” (Acts 19:35)? This is what the town clerk of Ephesus said in order to avoid a riot among silversmiths and others. The crowd had gathered to oppose Christians who were drawing adherents away from the worship of the goddess Artemis and cutting into the sales of handmade idols. What a profound question, though, to ask of the contemporary world. Who is there that does not know…Justin Timberlake, or Yao Ming, or Nike footwear, or Coka-cola, or Renaldo, or Barak Obama, or Silvio Berlusconi, or Michael Jackson, or (fill in the blank)? Who is there who can avoid the latest media frenzy, or the latest fashion craze, or the latest political scandal? Who is there that is not under pressure to conform with their own culture?
And who is there that does not know Jesus Christ, or the work that God is doing in our world through people of faith, in good times and bad, in seasons of want and of plenty, in the roughest neighborhoods of the poorest countries and the most affluent compounds of the world? The truth is that many may know about God, about Jesus, about the Way, but in our world the faith is one of many factors that strive for attention, and I would suggest it has always been that way. There are always other voices calling to us, other personalities appealing to us. Contestants for our attention seem to drop from the skies on a daily basis. How challenging it is to stay focused on the heart of the matter. How difficult it is to remain steadfast in the faith.
Personally, I can’t wait for the American football season to begin. I’m a huge fan. But I know that on any given day I have to make a choice between football and my faith in God. It isn’t always easy, I’ll admit, but it is something that I need to do because it is what is right and, just as importantly, it is what is best for me. In a world full of attention-grabbing headlines and outrageous antics the gospel of Jesus Christ may seem pale by comparison. Yet the call to remain steadfast in faith is one that we simply must accept with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, because there is no real meaning to life in a consumer-driven culture of fame and notoriety, but there is eternal hope in the God who calls to us.
Prayer: Lord, may your voice be the only one we hear, and may you be the only light on which we focus, that our lives may have the meaning that you alone can give. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Burning For the Lord
Acts 19:11-20
Book burning is almost always a bad sign. It is generally associated with close-minded, intolerant folks. Historically this sort of thing has run the gamut from German Nazis burning “offensive” material to an awkward moment in 1979 when a Major League Baseball game in Chicago was forfeited during Disco Demolition Night. But our reading from Acts today speaks of book burning in positive terms, as an indication of the profound effect the gospel was having, especially in Ephesus. There Paul was evangelizing with such power that even some who had previously believed in magic were converting to Christianity. “Also many of those who became believers confessed and disclosed their practices. A number of those who practiced magic collected their books and burned them publicly; when the value of these books was calculated, it was found to come to fifty thousand silver coins” (Acts 19:18-19). The big difference between what happened in Ephesus and other such demonstrations is that it was the owners of the books themselves who were burning them. They had become so committed to the new faith that they were willing to sever all ties with their previous beliefs, a sort of reverse idolatry.
By no means do I recommend or support the burning of books or other material. But I do wonder which of our possessions––or our perspectives––might make the biggest blaze were we to dispose of them in such a way. What is standing most firmly between us and God? What is most severely hampering our ability to respond to God’s will? Are we willing to build a “spiritual fire” in which to leave these factors behind? I think it is well worth the thought, because no matter what value the culture may place on our idols, if they keep us from a full relationship with God they are truly worthless.
Prayer: Lord, help us to let go of anything that stands between us and you, and help us to live according to your will at all times. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Friday, September 24, 2010
A Clash of Cultures
Esther 8:1-8, 15-17
Acts 19:21-41
Luke 4:31-37
The continuing story in the book of Esther shows how the queen’s actions helped to save her people from destruction. In a clash of wills between Esther and Haman, she was more than up to the challenge. But this is not the only clash we read about today. Our reading from Luke this morning tells the story of Jesus healing a man who is possessed. “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?” shouts the demon. “Have you come to destroy us?” (Luke 4:34). Indeed he has, and Jesus proceeds to send the demon away from the man. The crowd that witnessed these events was amazed. Clearly Jesus was up to the challenge of healing and casting out the powers of evil.
The Esther and Luke accounts are insightful, but it is in Acts that today’s scriptures “quit preaching and go to meddling.” The silversmiths of Ephesus and all the artisans who made their living from the temple to the Greek goddess Artemis were distressed by the words and actions of Paul and his followers. They could tell that if everyone became Christian and gave up idol worship there would be no more business for them. And this is where the clash of ideals really hits home in our case because in our world today there are any number of situations where the Christian faith calls us away from our chosen lifestyles, from our business practices, from our interests and proclivities. It may be as simple as a desire to play golf on Sunday mornings, or as complicated as earning a paycheck from a corporation that uses questionable business practices. If everyone was a Christian, or rather, if everyone looked at life from a Christian perspective and lived by Christian teachings a wide range of human activities would have to be reexamined. The choices we make politically, the products we buy at the store, the programs we watch on TV, the way our society embraces sports, the love of money and success, the unbridled lust and desire that guide so many of us, all of these and so many more demand our attention. If what Paul says is true, if what the Bible says is true, then there are a number of changes that really need to take place in our lives and in our world. The clash of cultures is very telling. Jesus’ lordship means nothing if it is not total. The question is, whose side are we on, and what are we willing to do about it?
Prayer: Lord, help us to let go of our idols and to focus our lives on you so that we may live in faithful obedience. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Acts 19:21-41
Luke 4:31-37
The continuing story in the book of Esther shows how the queen’s actions helped to save her people from destruction. In a clash of wills between Esther and Haman, she was more than up to the challenge. But this is not the only clash we read about today. Our reading from Luke this morning tells the story of Jesus healing a man who is possessed. “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?” shouts the demon. “Have you come to destroy us?” (Luke 4:34). Indeed he has, and Jesus proceeds to send the demon away from the man. The crowd that witnessed these events was amazed. Clearly Jesus was up to the challenge of healing and casting out the powers of evil.
The Esther and Luke accounts are insightful, but it is in Acts that today’s scriptures “quit preaching and go to meddling.” The silversmiths of Ephesus and all the artisans who made their living from the temple to the Greek goddess Artemis were distressed by the words and actions of Paul and his followers. They could tell that if everyone became Christian and gave up idol worship there would be no more business for them. And this is where the clash of ideals really hits home in our case because in our world today there are any number of situations where the Christian faith calls us away from our chosen lifestyles, from our business practices, from our interests and proclivities. It may be as simple as a desire to play golf on Sunday mornings, or as complicated as earning a paycheck from a corporation that uses questionable business practices. If everyone was a Christian, or rather, if everyone looked at life from a Christian perspective and lived by Christian teachings a wide range of human activities would have to be reexamined. The choices we make politically, the products we buy at the store, the programs we watch on TV, the way our society embraces sports, the love of money and success, the unbridled lust and desire that guide so many of us, all of these and so many more demand our attention. If what Paul says is true, if what the Bible says is true, then there are a number of changes that really need to take place in our lives and in our world. The clash of cultures is very telling. Jesus’ lordship means nothing if it is not total. The question is, whose side are we on, and what are we willing to do about it?
Prayer: Lord, help us to let go of our idols and to focus our lives on you so that we may live in faithful obedience. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Finding the Spirit
Note: The readings in today's blog are actually those intended for yesterday, September 21, 2010. I apologize for getting a day ahead of myself.
Acts 19:1-10
Luke 4:1-13
There is no formal Doctrine of the Trinity to be found in scripture. Even Paul makes no real effort (that we know of) to define how God can be three persons and yet One. But our readings today from Luke and Acts attest to the importance of taking the entire witness of scripture into account, especially when it comes to the work of God. Luke tells us that Jesus, though the Son of God, is nonetheless guided by the Holy Spirit. “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness…” (Luke 4:1). In Acts, “(Paul) said to them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?’ They replied, ‘No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit’” (Acts 19:2). As Luke and Acts are believed to have been written by the same person, we can see that the writer has a very strong sense of God’s work through the Spirit. It is a form of guidance for Jesus as well as a sense of purpose. The Spirit is also a conveyor of gifts to those who would follow God in Christ. One does not know God fully until one knows of the Holy Spirit, and one is enabled to endure when one trusts in the same Spirit.
I know that in my own life it is very easy to focus on God in fairly narrow terms. I lose track of the full majesty that God demonstrates when I think only in terms of God the Creator, or of Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior. There are so many ways that God has chosen to be known by people and none of them is more appropriate than any of the others. In this way our relationship with God resembles a balance diet. Without drawing on all three aspects of God’s person we may suffer a spiritual deficiency, or be too limited in our perception of the glory of God and therefore not able to respond to God’s claim on our lives as fully as we should.
One way to challenge our limitedness is to intentionally address God in a variety of ways over the course of a day or week. If we only ever pray to God as ”Father” or “Lord” or “Savior” we may be missing out on many other ways that grace is manifest in our lives. We may be missing out on a balanced spiritual diet.
Prayer: O, God, great Three-in-One, bless our lives with better vision, that we may see you at work in the world more clearly and that we may be able to follow you more steadfastly. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Acts 19:1-10
Luke 4:1-13
There is no formal Doctrine of the Trinity to be found in scripture. Even Paul makes no real effort (that we know of) to define how God can be three persons and yet One. But our readings today from Luke and Acts attest to the importance of taking the entire witness of scripture into account, especially when it comes to the work of God. Luke tells us that Jesus, though the Son of God, is nonetheless guided by the Holy Spirit. “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness…” (Luke 4:1). In Acts, “(Paul) said to them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?’ They replied, ‘No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit’” (Acts 19:2). As Luke and Acts are believed to have been written by the same person, we can see that the writer has a very strong sense of God’s work through the Spirit. It is a form of guidance for Jesus as well as a sense of purpose. The Spirit is also a conveyor of gifts to those who would follow God in Christ. One does not know God fully until one knows of the Holy Spirit, and one is enabled to endure when one trusts in the same Spirit.
I know that in my own life it is very easy to focus on God in fairly narrow terms. I lose track of the full majesty that God demonstrates when I think only in terms of God the Creator, or of Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior. There are so many ways that God has chosen to be known by people and none of them is more appropriate than any of the others. In this way our relationship with God resembles a balance diet. Without drawing on all three aspects of God’s person we may suffer a spiritual deficiency, or be too limited in our perception of the glory of God and therefore not able to respond to God’s claim on our lives as fully as we should.
One way to challenge our limitedness is to intentionally address God in a variety of ways over the course of a day or week. If we only ever pray to God as ”Father” or “Lord” or “Savior” we may be missing out on many other ways that grace is manifest in our lives. We may be missing out on a balanced spiritual diet.
Prayer: O, God, great Three-in-One, bless our lives with better vision, that we may see you at work in the world more clearly and that we may be able to follow you more steadfastly. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Prevailing Mightily
Note: The readings on today's blog are actually the readings for tomorrow, September 23, 2010. I apologize for getting ahead of myself.
Acts 19:11-20
Luke 4:14-30
Today’s readings from Acts and Luke stand as brackets on either side of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Before his passion Jesus teaches with “gracious words in Nazareth (Luke 4:22). Not only does he lay claim to the prophecy of Isaiah as his own ministry, but he goes so far as to proclaim that “today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (v. 21). This is the speech of one with authority and with power. Later, when the crowd has become enraged and would throw him off of a cliff, Jesus “passed through the midst of them and when on his way” (v. 30). Here, too, Jesus displays his God-given authority. After his resurrection and ascension, even after Pentecost and the birth of the church, Jesus is still one with authority and power. According to Acts in Ephesus “the word of Lord grew mightily and prevailed” (Acts 19:20). Paul may be an instrument of this work, but Jesus is the one who grants the actual healing. The events of Holy Week and Easter have in no way diminished Jesus’ ability to change lives and to make the truth of God’s reign known.
But the stories from Acts are so old. Much of what we read there seems implausible to modern readers, if not impossible. Can Jesus Christ really make a difference today? Is the ministry as defined by Isaiah still in effect? Or have the power and authority of Jesus weakened until they no longer really exist? I understand questions like these. And I don’t blame the people who ask them. But I also believe that the grace of God in Jesus Christ is an active presence in the world today and that it appears in a multitude of ways. Imperfect people like us, and even the imperfect communities of faith to which we belong, demonstrate the work of God through Jesus Christ in extraordinary ways. The challenge is to keep our eyes on what God is doing in and through the world, and not to get bogged down by the disappointments and the failures. This is easy to say, I know. But the challenge of discipleship is to believe that Jesus Christ is at work even now and to seek ways to be involved in that work never giving up hope in the one who died to set all people free from sin and death. Whether it be in Luke’s gospel or from the pages of Acts, the Jesus we encounter in scripture is the same Jesus who is loose in the world today and in whom we find hope and healing. Jesus is prevailing mightily in our world and will continue to do so.
Prayer: Lord, when our confidence fades and our hope seems lost, remind us that your power and might are still present to us and help us to live into your coming reign. Amen.
Acts 19:11-20
Luke 4:14-30
Today’s readings from Acts and Luke stand as brackets on either side of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Before his passion Jesus teaches with “gracious words in Nazareth (Luke 4:22). Not only does he lay claim to the prophecy of Isaiah as his own ministry, but he goes so far as to proclaim that “today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (v. 21). This is the speech of one with authority and with power. Later, when the crowd has become enraged and would throw him off of a cliff, Jesus “passed through the midst of them and when on his way” (v. 30). Here, too, Jesus displays his God-given authority. After his resurrection and ascension, even after Pentecost and the birth of the church, Jesus is still one with authority and power. According to Acts in Ephesus “the word of Lord grew mightily and prevailed” (Acts 19:20). Paul may be an instrument of this work, but Jesus is the one who grants the actual healing. The events of Holy Week and Easter have in no way diminished Jesus’ ability to change lives and to make the truth of God’s reign known.
But the stories from Acts are so old. Much of what we read there seems implausible to modern readers, if not impossible. Can Jesus Christ really make a difference today? Is the ministry as defined by Isaiah still in effect? Or have the power and authority of Jesus weakened until they no longer really exist? I understand questions like these. And I don’t blame the people who ask them. But I also believe that the grace of God in Jesus Christ is an active presence in the world today and that it appears in a multitude of ways. Imperfect people like us, and even the imperfect communities of faith to which we belong, demonstrate the work of God through Jesus Christ in extraordinary ways. The challenge is to keep our eyes on what God is doing in and through the world, and not to get bogged down by the disappointments and the failures. This is easy to say, I know. But the challenge of discipleship is to believe that Jesus Christ is at work even now and to seek ways to be involved in that work never giving up hope in the one who died to set all people free from sin and death. Whether it be in Luke’s gospel or from the pages of Acts, the Jesus we encounter in scripture is the same Jesus who is loose in the world today and in whom we find hope and healing. Jesus is prevailing mightily in our world and will continue to do so.
Prayer: Lord, when our confidence fades and our hope seems lost, remind us that your power and might are still present to us and help us to live into your coming reign. Amen.
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