Acts 18 - Continued Travels and New Friends

"Do not be afraid; keep on speaking and do not be silent.  For I am with you and no one is going to attack and harm you." (verses 9-10)
That must have been a pretty cool message for Paul to receive, particularly with all he's gone through to this point.  Staying in Corinth for 18 months is hardly the picture I usually have when I think of Paul's many travels.  While 1 1/2 years isn't a lifetime, it hardly matches the wandering, always on the move man I think of when I read about Paul's life.  He was willing to settle in and put down some roots when he knew that was the calling. 

The courtroom scene in verses 12-17 is better than anything I've ever seen on TV.  Crazy stuff.

Then in verses 18-27 we learn a little bit about Priscilla, Aquila and Apollos.  While we don't get to see them really at all after chapter 18, we learn from Paul's letters (mostly 1 Corinthians) that these were significant partners with him in the sharing of the Good News.

Acts 17 - Paul Keeps Rocking

Paul continues to travel, and with plenty of help from his friends, he's continuing to spread the Gospel.  Amphipolis, Apollonia, Thessalonica, Berea and Athens are the stops in this chapter.  Similar to previous chapters, he is playing to mixed crowds.  Some of the people are persuaded and join Paul and Silas.  Some of the people are jealous, round up some "bad characters", and start riots in the city to be blamed on Paul.  Not content with driving them out of Thessalonica, they chase them to Berea, "agitating the crowds and stirring them up."

Through all of this, I keep being impressed by Paul's attitude.  He takes everything as it comes.  There is no hint of discontent, even as people as doing everything they can do to undermine his life's work.  He goes where God leads, shares the message, and deals with whatever comes as a result. 

On another note, an understanding of the events in Acts 17 makes reading through 1 Thessalonians 2-3 much more meaningful.  You can understand the disappointment Paul felt that he was forced to leave them before he was ready.  You can celebrate with him when he receives the report that despite his premature exit, they are flourishing as a church.  The next two chapters in Acts have Paul visiting Corinth and Ephesus.  I look forward to taking a fresh look at the letters to the Corinthians and Ephesians after taking a much closer look at the events in Acts 18-19.

Finally, it's fun to read about Paul's time in Athens.  I don't know about you, to me this feels like worlds colliding.  I think about all the Ancient Greece stuff you learn in school (philosophy, mythology, etc.), and don't really associate it with any of the characters from the Biblical narrative.  It's wild to think about Paul wandering around Athens, all by himself, drinking it all in and wondering, "How do I share the Gospel here?  I've never seen anything quite like it."  Paul writes in 1 Corinthians about becoming all things to all people, and I wonder how much experiences like he had in Athens inspired that kind of thinking.

Acts 16 : Paul -- The Model of Consistency

In Acts 16 we get a look at some of what makes Paul so outstanding.  First, traveling to visit believers in various towns, things are going pretty well.  "The churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers". (v. 5).  Later we see some of Paul's sensitivity to the Spirit.  Somehow kept by the Spirit from entering a place called Bithynia, Paul and his colleagues continue on, perhaps a bit puzzled, but otherwise undeterred.  When Paul has a vision that calls him to nearby Macedonia, he goes immediately. 

Trouble comes their way in the Macedonian city of Philippi, as Paul and his assistant Silas wind up jailed for driving an evil spirit out of a slave girl.  Paul's attitude throughout -- through beating and imprisonment, is unreal.  His focus on the message he exists to proclaim is unwavering.  And no hint of self-pity or fear of any kind. 

Paul's reaction when his release is announced is interesting.  His "don't you know who I am?" speech (vs. 37)  even seems a little out of character, at least to me. 

Can't wait to dive into chapter 17 next week.

Acts 15 -- The Heart of the Matter

The Council at Jerusalem must have been an incredible scene.  It has a similar feel to the American Constitutional Convention or something like that -- with even more at stake.  I can't imagine how cool it must have been to hear James speak up and deliver the eloquent and to the point speech that we read in verses 13-21.  Keeping it as simple as possible, a letter to the new Gentile believers gets delivered and they are instructed on four points.  Bam.  There it is.  "You will do well to avoid these things.  Farewell." (verse 29)

The chapter ends on a seemingly ugly note as the missionary dream team of Paul and Barnabas is split up.  I believe it's clear that God's design is never that relationships be fractured and that Christian friends go their separate ways (Paul writes of the need for harmony in the Body of Christ), and yet God is going to use this for His glory.  Nothing that happens in our lives is useless...God can use any difficulty or hardship to accomplish something lasting and beautiful.