As we walk this path with Jesus, we are going to see lots of things.
Miracles. Some flat-out incredible things that only God could be responsible. Most of us should have a list of things that we could report, if necessary, and share what God has done for us and with us.
Riots. Sadly we have seen many of these in our lifetimes and it's probably not over either.
There have been times where if people don't get exactly what they want, the way they want it, the reaction can be devastating.
What will we see as we enter Acts 19 this morning? Lets read ahead before any more commentary is given.
The bringing of the Holy Spirit upon the hearts and minds of mankind is truly a miracle that only God could account for the happenings that have changed nations and caused movements and revival. If we have little to no understanding of theological things, then perhaps the only item we can truly make sense of is the fact that we are sinful people. Human beings are born with a bent toward doing what is wrong. God, naturally and supernaturally, is holy. The two don't mix. Oil and water. Peanut butter and pickles. Jesus and Satan. The two just do not under any circumstances go together.
What might be even stranger, especially in our modern situation, is that there are some who have not heard about the coming of the Holy Spirit. Lets take into account the timeframe of which Acts 19 is happening. It is early in the church's history, Much of the letters, as we know them, are still being written down and it will be a few centuries before anyone takes the time to decide and ratify that these books belong to what will be called the "New Testament". What they have to go on is word of mouth. Teachings happened in person. People, if they were fortunate enough, had scripture written on scrolls and even those travelled from place to place or the people went from here to there in order to worship and hear the words read aloud. Quite simply, Apollos hadn't been in the right place at the right time to learn and experience the coming of the Holy Spirit. It had not been explained to him yet. And, so, he teaches and shares what he does know. It is a testimony to all of us who think they have nothing to share and no gifts to put forth into the word and harvest for the Kingdom. Of course we do! Share what you know. "Always be ready to give an account of the hope that lies within you." In the fashion that Paul shares his account with the Corinthians, what Apollos does is in keeping with what the Apostle suggests. "Apollos planted, I watered, but God gave the growth." Apollos sets up and put a firm foundation down for Paul to come along and explain what he knows about the Good News and God causes the whole field of souls to grow and understand.
If the Gospel were approached with such reverence, if we could get a grip on how to hold up the name of Jesus as we see here in Acts 19, then we might see the same things happening all across the country. Jesus needs to be front and center in all of our hearts. An excellent example is made of the sons of the Jewish Priest, Sceva, Jesus is not just some name or word that we can take and use as we please. Jesus is the Son of God and this royalty, this person, this governmental authority wants to come and live in our hearts and lives to change us, transform us, into the children God wants us to be. If we could grasp that, get our hearts and minds around the fact that Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords in a very personal sense. Then other people will also. "And the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor"
Why do riots happen? I'm sure each one has a unique set of circumstances that surround it. But, as we take the time to look at the central nature of what is going on we will see a very similar theme. There is usually a disconnect from truth and reason. There is usually desperate circumstances that drive people to take desperate measures. There is fear and anger boiling over. All of those can be seen in this last piece from Acts 19.
Someone dreams up the idea that because Paul and his crew are preaching the Gospel that it will affect their livelihood and careers. These iron workers have made statues and what not for many years in support of their Greek god, Artemis. My first thought was this, "Why couldn't they see the possibilities for growth and expansion into this new faith? Why couldn't they see a way for revenue from supporting this new faith?" Make symbols and representation that fit into the Christian worship service. Sometimes we get so plugged into a certain direction for our work and our careers that we cannot see the open door to new ways of support. Sometimes all it takes to make people afraid is the simple fear that they might lose their job. And the worst happens here in Ephesus. (v 32 "Most did not even know why they were there") Can't help but wonder if some of those marches into Washington DC or through a shopping plaza in Minneapolis, burning businesses to the ground, included some of the same.
Another factor this comes with misunderstanding other people is racial tension. Not only is there fear of losing their careers, but add to that a bias put on tensions between cultures and religious influences and we have a hot bed of riot action on the way. It has happened over and over again down through the years this earth has spun around the sun. These people are Jews and they only believe in one God. These are Greeks and the believe in Zeus, Artemis, Ares, and a whole lot of others. As we have mentioned in previous chapters, those who have been taught to listen and take the time to understand, will do so. Those who have been taught to be fearful, who have been influenced by anger and stress, will fight and riot and burn buildings to the ground. As we have made note of in previous chapters, I cannot help but see true parallel between what happened in Ephesus all those centuries ago and what we have seen happen right here in our own country just in the last decade. "Cooler heads prevail". Thank goodness for the city clerk! While he doesn't seem to be following in the Way, he does have a good head on his shoulders. God promised Paul in the last Chapter that he would not allow harm to come to him. God can use whoever he wants whenever he wants and I see God using that city clerk to de-escalate a tumultuous situation here. God bless the peacemakers.
What else can be said about the Way?
Will you and I hang onto what we know about Jesus Christ despite what the world thinks it understands about God? Will we shift and shake our beliefs to meet up with the world on their terms? Or, will we try to bring people closer to Jesus despite what the outcome might be? It might not be pretty. It might not go easily. Conversations might turn to arguments which lead to bloody fists and and handcuffs. Let us pray it does not. Lets us soak those conversations and those moments in prayer so that God can lead us to a fruitful harvest of souls coming to Jesus.
The harvest is here.
Comments
Post a Comment