Good morning to all on this 1st Sunday of May. Waine and I are in Thomaston and are preparing to leave for Vancouver tomorrow so please pray for our traveling mercies. Spring has finally SPRUNG in Georgia. It is consistently in the 70's during the day and it doesn't get dark until 7:30 PM which means I can come from the office and still enjoy some day light. Ms. Bertha is chomping at the bit to get her garden planted but some of the renovations we are doing to the house is interfering.
I am continuing my journey in Acts 18: 1 -28 :After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks. When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. But when they opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized. One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God. While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews of Corinth made a united attack on Paul and brought him to the place of judgment. “This man,” they charged, “is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law.” Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to them, “If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you. But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law—settle the matter yourselves. I will not be a judge of such things.” So he drove them off. Then the crowd there turned on Sosthenes the synagogue leader and beat him in front of the proconsul; and Gallio showed no concern whatever. Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sisters and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchreae because of a vow he had taken. They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. But as he left, he promised, “I will come back if it is God’s will.” Then he set sail from Ephesus. When he landed at Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch. After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and traveled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples. Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately. When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. For he vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah." Amen and may God add a blessing to the reading and hearing of His Word.
As you can see, Paul had enough of these Jews you continued to deny the existence of Christ and he made a conscious decision to begin to preach the Word to the Gentiles. This was God's plan all along and God works through people like Paul and like you and me. All of the disciples were Jews looking for their Messiah. They understood the Mosaic laws and understood that they were the "seed" through lineage that was promised and fulfilled through Abraham. God had a MUCH GRANDER plan however. God's plan was that all would come to benefit from the salvation made possible by the sacrifice of Christ and He had to use the believers who were at hand --which is this case were Jews for Jesus. God's plan was to use the belief of the Jewish Christians to lead the Gentiles to the same salvation through Christ. God's timing is always impeccable and His plans are far in away more advanced than our tiny minds can even comprehend. What He is also telling us is that we should not waste our time with folk who continue to deny the power and majesty of God. It is our job to preach the Gospel and its the job of the Holy Spirit to convict and convince which He cannot do until the Word of God has been provided to the blind and unknowing. So we are the SOWERS and once we sow the seed we are not to quarrel and once we sense that we are preaching to the closed hearted, we are to move on. It is a privilege to be part of the Body of Christ and we don't have to beg or plead for others to come to know the God we love and serve. Everyone of us will have a day of atonement and reckoning. It hurts my heart that some of my loved ones have rationalized that there is no God when the evidence is all around them. That is just what Satan wants. When all else has failed continue to pray for the lost and then move on which is what I do daily. God is able to soften hearts and change minds; He is able to humble even the most proud and arrogant if the seed of His Word as been planted. Be Sowers today for this lost world we live in.
Now may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.
Stephanie
No comments:
Post a Comment