Romans 14:5-15:13

*note: I usually try to send out devotional thoughts that can be read in 10 minutes or less, but I have not had that luxury in this instance. If you have time to read this, it certainly proved helpful to me and I think you will be blessed. If not, please know that I completely understand.

 

    One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

 

    For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. It is written:

 

  " `As surely as I live,' says the Lord, `every knee will bow before me;every tongue will confess to God.' "

 

        So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.

 

    Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died. Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.

 

    Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.

 

    So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

 

    We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: "The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me." For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

 

    May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

    Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God's truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy, as it is written:

 

  "Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to your name."

 

        Again, it says,

  "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people."

 

        And again,

  "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and sing praises to him, all you peoples."

 

        And again, Isaiah says,

  "The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him."

 

    May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

Paul introduces another example of a disputable matter in Romans 14:5. Some believers regard one day as particularly sacred, while other believers live as though every day is equal. Presumably, those who regard one day as sacred would be the weaker-faith Christians because it was those with a more limited view of food who were regarded as having weaker faith in the first example. At this point, though, Paul incredibly states that “Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind” (Rom. 14:5). Most people would try to solve disputes by entering their own positions into the fray, so we might expect Paul to tell us which belief is right and which is wrong. Paul, though, does not seem to be concerned with guiding believers into factual correctness. In disputable matters, Paul wants believers to hold a position, and to hold it firmly. He wants believers to have reasons for their disputable beliefs and to live those beliefs with firm conviction. But he is not concerned that all Christians follow the same convictions! He is much more concerned with relational correctness.

Relational correctness is again tied to the Lord. Paul writes that each believer lives as he does to serve the Lord, whether he regards one day as special, eats meat, or abstains from meat (Rom. 13:6); whatever behavior the disputable matter leads toward, believers are able to pursue lives dedicated to God. Paul proves this more firmly by comparing the responses of those who eat meat and those who eat only vegetables: both give thanks to God for their provision (Rom. 13:6). When Paul writes in Romans 13:7-8 about “us” and “we,” his words refer to believers. He includes all believers in these statements: no believer lives only for himself or even dies only for himself; every believer lives and even dies for the Lord. The reason is simple: every believer belongs to the Lord (Rom. 14:8). This is another way of saying that each Christian is accepted by God. In disputes over issues that are not clearly matters of righteousness and unrighteousness (this may be another and better way to describe disputable matters, since they may involve clear truth that is simply misunderstood), believers must keep hold of the truth that all who believe in Jesus belong to Him. Judging each other’s perceived flaws is, therefore, the same thing as judging Jesus’ choice of a particular believer to be His. When believers do not understand why or how Jesus would accept another person, and yet know that Jesus has accepted her, believers are bound to turn from accusations and judgments to harmonious mutual acceptance as they await the day they will finally and fully understand God’s gloriously inclusive acceptance of people with all kinds of “disputable” beliefs and behaviors. All of this is necessary because all believers belong to the Lord in all that they do. Jesus has laid claim to all believers despite all their imperfections.

Paul wants believers to understand how profoundly important it is that believers belong to the Lord. He writes that it was precisely so that Jesus could own all believers – so that He could be their Lord in life and in death – that Jesus died and rose again (Rom. 14:9). The one act in history that most profoundly demonstrates God’s love and power is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And the reason Jesus manifested so much power and love was precisely so that He could be Lord, the one to whom all authority in heaven and on earth is given. It is Christ’s judgment seat rather than ours, therefore, that counts (Rom. 14:10). This is the explicit testimony of the Scriptures, as Paul demonstrates with a quotation from Isaiah 45:23 (Rom. 14:11). Paul’s Scriptural citation demonstrates that all people, including believers, will be called to give an account of themselves to God (Rom. 14:12); it had always been God’s expressed aim. So believers should understand that this is precisely why they must not judge each other; the greatest judge will one day hold court, and in His presence all His people will stand uncondemned. In view of that day, what can believers say against each other when their disputes involve disputable matters, even now before that great day arrives? There is no basis for such divisions and judgments (Romans 14:13).

Instead of judgments, Paul presses for an alternative way of living. This alternative way is to determine not to harm a brother (Rom. 14:13). To explain this more clearly, Paul becomes more explicit about his statements to this point. Before Paul had avoided taking sides in the debates over food and other matters; his focus had not been on resolving the debates, but on calling for unity. Now, however, Paul needs to give clear instructions on how to seek unity within a mixed body of believers, some having strong faith and some having weak faith. To do this, Paul has to be explicit about the truth in such situations. And the truth, he writes, is that “no food is unclean in itself” (Rom. 14:14). But before believers with strong faith rush to the conclusion that they ought not only to continue their eating habits, but also to urge weak-faith believers to join them (now with a loving, uncontemptuous attitude, of course), Paul quickly pens another truth: “But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean” (Rom. 14:14). In other words, Paul’s answer to the question, “Is it good to eat meat?” is, “Yes and no.” In reality, those who thank God for the meat they eat can and do eat freely, without fear of judgment. However, any person who were to eat meat thinking he was sinning and unable to thank God with a free conscience should fear judgment. For the one, eating meat is good. For the other, eating meat is bad. But this is merely at the personal level.

Paul’s alternative way of living takes the question, “Is it good to eat meat,” and all such disputable matters, beyond the personal level. These matters are beyond the personal level because Paul calls believers to live in community without judging one another, not to avoid judging one another by avoiding keeping away from each other. In other words, nothing is “just personal.” Everything affects others. Paul has already said that in a community setting believers are to think about each other in a new way; both parties should see each other as “Accepted by God” and “Belonging to Christ,” and should therefore stop judging each other. It is entirely possible that believers might do this by Christ’s grace; they might see each other as Christ’s and set aside their differences enough to stop judging each other. But seeing each other as Christ’s accepted people is not the same thing as seeing each other’s activities as good. So Paul moves the discussion at this point beyond the question of how to regard believers who live differently; the question is now how to behave around believers who live differently.

For Paul, believers’ behaviors should be marked by love for one another as much as their thoughts about each other should be marked by love. This is why the first behavioral principle Paul pens describes a behavior that is not loving: one believer distressing another by what she eats (Rom. 14:15). At this point, Paul’s instructions fall squarely on the shoulders of the strong-faith believer, not the believer with weak faith. It must be so; it cannot be the other way. The strong-faith believer is the only one who can distress a brother by what she eats, because the strong-faith believer willingly eats anything that the weak-faith brother eats. It is when the strong-faith believer eats food that another believes is sinful to eat that distress comes. It could be argued that it is distressing to the strong-faith believer to abstain from foods she enjoys. However, the distress is of a different nature: the weak-faith believer’s distress is bound up in the thought that a fellow-believer is sinning against the Lord; the strong-faith believer’s distress has nothing to do with sin, but only with missed pleasure and personal good. Paul is concerned here not with personal good, but with community good. So the behavioral responsibility Paul has begun to teach is and can only be for strong-faith believers to shoulder.

But so far Paul has not said what a strong believer is to do; he has only said that distressing a brother’s conscience by eating certain foods is unloving. He reinforces this point, almost ironically commanding the strong not to destroy brothers for whom Christ died by eating things that are, in fact, good to eat (Rom. 14:15). Again, Paul writes, “Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil” (Rom. 14:16). This is precisely what would happen if one believer destroyed another by continuing to eat what he pleased; he might well win the battle for factual truth and personal freedom, but his unloving, destructive behavior would be spoken of as evil by all who knew the devastation it caused.

These two commands against destroying fellow-Christians by eating certain foods are grounded again in God and His kingdom. God’s kingdom is not essentially about what people eat and drink; instead, its essence is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17). Paul is charging strong believers with looking to the one they believe in and remembering their priorities. As servants in God’s kingdom, have they been charged primarily with getting people to eat and drink the right things, or with sustaining a kingdom in which all God’s servants live righteous, peaceful, and joyful lives that are united by the one Holy Spirit? The priority is clearly on living harmoniously, joyfully, and righteously in God’s kingdom with other believers. “Anyone who serves Christ in this way,” Paul writes, “is pleasing to God and approved by men” (Rom. 14:18). Such a person is pleasing to God because her priorities are straight. At the same time, she is approved by men because she does not live in such a way that they see her as sinful.

In light of this, Paul’s positive command is: “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification” (Rom. 14:19). This positive command is much more demanding than any of the negative commands he has expressed. To avoid one or two bad things requires only a little effort now and then; to obey this command requires effort around the clock. This command applies both to strong- and weak-faith Christians. But in the context it presupposes that weak-faith Christians are already making every effort to attain peace and mutual edification just by restraining themselves from making judgments against strong-faith Christians whose behavior they see as sinful. Just by obeying Paul’s command in Romans 14:1-13a to accept and not judge other believers over disputable matters, weak believers have begun to put more effort, ironically, towards peace and mutual edification than strong believers. So when Paul commands every effort to be made toward peace and edification, the command is primarily addressed to strong believers.

What does it look like for a strong believer to make every effort toward peace and edification? First, it means not destroying a fellow-believer, God’s work, for the sake of food (Rom. 14:20). Paul reiterates that all food is clean, but that eating food that harms someone else spiritually is evil (Rom. 14:20). By contrast, behavior that is good is to avoid causing a brother to fall into sin, whether it means not eating meat, not drinking wine, or anything else (Rom. 14:21). For a strong-faith Christian to fully obey Paul’s command to make every effort toward peace and edification therefore means to abstain from enjoying something in his life that is spiritually clean and personally beneficial because of a priority to help a fellow-Christian benefit from righteous, peaceful, and joyful life in the Holy Spirit. It is to obey the Golden Rule, doing to others what a person would want done to himself in the same circumstances (Matt. 7:12). It is to love a brother.

Paul’s next word likely applies to both weak- and strong-faith Christians: “So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God” (Rom. 14:22). This does not seem to be an absolute prohibition like the command not to destroy God’s work for the sake of food. Paul himself has just stated plainly what he believes about whether all food is clean to eat or not (Rom. 14:14, 20). When such disputable matters arise, therefore, it is at least somewhat important that a person who understands the truth should speak the truth. Still, the prohibition here has force. Paul is writing to believers who have already aired their opinions, and have probably done so more than once. Both weak and strong believers know that to open their mouths and speak their minds will tempt someone else to argue or will reinforce a division that should not exist. In a situation like this where everyone knows what issues get debated hotly, Paul’s command of silence is another practical application by which both strong and weak believers can “make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification” (Rom. 14:19). Both strong and weak believers can be content with silence, because neither of their opinions approves of actual sin; both of them are approved by God for seeking holiness through Christ and through obedience to Him, and therefore both receive God’s blessing (Rom. 14:22).

Paul also pens a stern message, a warning for weak believers and a reminder for strong believers: although none of them is condemned by his opinion on the matter so long as he does not cause division, the man who condemns eating meat does face judgment if he eats it (Rom. 14:23). This is not a warning for the strong because they cannot face this judgment; they both approve what is good and can partake of it with a clear conscience. But it is a reminder to them that enjoying something clean could lead to a brother’s downfall. On the other hand, this is more than just a reminder for the weak; it is a warning to him, because deliberately choosing to do what he condemns is sinful and worthy of judgment. It is worthy of judgment because such behavior by him does not come from faith (Rom. 14:23). Faith is first of all a belief that Jesus is the Lord (Rom. 10:9; cf. Acts 2:36), and for a believer to act in a way that he believes would displease the Lord is a behavior than denies Jesus’ sovereignty. It is an act of rebellion, which is why Paul can write, “Everything that does not come from faith is sin” (Rom. 14:23). So this is a warning for the weak. Weak though they may be, they should not violate what they believe to be Jesus’ will, even when they see other believers doing so. Such actions are rebellious and lead to judgment.

Paul has another message for strong believers, too: “We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves” (Rom. 15:1). This is just a repetition of what Paul has already said, but it has been stated in a new way that reinforces their call to active compassion for weaker brothers. Bearing with weaker brothers clearly means more than simply accepting them without contempt, because Paul writes that he and other stronger brothers are “not to please ourselves.” Paul issues a call to behavioral change that takes the form of self-restraint in terms of the choices made when selecting food or a drink or some other aspect of life. In addition to the self-restraint, Paul offers a goal: “Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up” (Rom. 15:2). This self-restraint has a higher purpose than mere lack of offense; that higher purpose is to build up fellow believers in the kingdom of God whose essence is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

To encourage the strong believers, Paul again appeals to Christ and to Scripture. Christ set the example of behavior that was not designed with His own pleasure in mind (Rom. 15:3). The Scriptures had said He would do just this, taking insults intended for other people on Himself (Rom. 15:3). Paul points the strong believers to this passage because it was written to teach them, and its purpose is to give them hope through its encouragement as they endure the pain of self-restraint (Rom. 15:4).

Paul concludes with a prayer that God would grant the Romans a spirit of unity to glorify Him together (Rom. 15:5-6), a repeated call to mutual acceptance (Rom. 15:7), a picture of Christ serving Jews for the sake of Gentiles confirmed by the Scriptures (Rom. 15:8-12), and a prayer that God would fill the Romans with joy, peace, and hope. Clearly, a united kingdom and family is important to God. And in Romans 14, Paul taught how God intends for such unity to be accomplished. The first step is for all parties involved in a disputable matter to accept one another as people accepted by their mutual King. The second step is for all parties involved to do everything possible to seek peace and mutual edification. For both strong and weak believers, this means keeping one’s mouth shut in situations where opening it will cause division. For strong believers, this additionally means abstaining from personal benefit for the sake of corporate benefit. For all, there is a King who has led the way, and He has left Scriptures behind to encourage His people. He promises a kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy for those who endure and keep their hope in Him.

 

Father, thank You for teaching us our priorities. Help me when I am among the weaker brothers to discern when an issue is debatable. Help me both to accept as fellow servants in Your kingdom those who seem to be sinning and to keep my mouth shut to avoid divisiveness. Help me also when I am among the stronger brothers. Help me when I learn that weaker believers believe I am sinning to accept them, treating them with respect and not contempt. Help me to keep my mouth shut to avoid division, and help me to quickly and joyfully accommodate my brothers, abstaining from things I personally enjoy to pursue community life together with them in Your kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy. Please give me the endurance I will need, and continue to encourage me through Your Scriptures – and not only me, but all my fellow believers, too. Give us hope as we look to Jesus Christ, our Lord, our Savior, and our example.

 

Romans 14:1-4

Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

Just prior to Romans 14, Paul says, “Let us behave decently, … not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature” (Rom. 13:13-14). It is not surprising, then, that much of Romans 14 and some of Romans 15 instructs believers in how to behave decently rather than in dissension and jealousy.

Paul tackles dissension in Romans 14:1. Rather than division, the command is to accept. The person to be accepted is “him whose faith is weak.” The way this acceptance works itself out is by not “passing judgment,” and the specific instances in which believers are not to pass judgment are in the case of “disputable matters.” So this command applies specifically to people of strong faith. The command is not a prohibition of all judgment. Rather, it is a challenging command, because it requires a person who is strong in faith to be strong also in discernment, strong enough to know which issues are “disputable” and which are not.

However, Paul does not give only a command. He illuminates his meaning. Romans 14:2 sets up an example situation in which this principle may be applied. The example has to do with what a person eats. According to Paul, a person with strong faith eats “everything.” By contrast, a man whose faith is weak eats “only vegetables.” This example helps us to understand Paul’s definitions of “strong” and “weak” faith. It seems from this example that a strong faith allows a person to participate more broadly in the available opportunities and options, but that a weak faith restricts a person’s personal freedom to partake of certain aspects of life – in this case, food.

In the situation just described, the person with strong faith is not to regard his weaker-faith brother with contempt (Rom. 14:3a). Such a situation involves a disputable matter, though the text does not at this point explain what the dispute might involve. Obviously, almost any matter is disputable in some sense. Any time two people disagree about how to behave, each believing she is right and the other is wrong, there is dispute. But some matters ought not to be disputable. Murder, for instance, ought to be clearly wrong in the minds of all. The fact that someone chooses to believe murder is sometimes right does not make this issue disputable; murder remains indisputably wrong. People might be expected to sustain a reasonable and legitimate contempt toward a person who continually argues against the truth that murder is wrong. But Paul writes that there is no place for a strong-faith believer to show contempt toward a weak-faith believer over such disputable matters as whether to eat everything or only vegetables.

At the same time, Paul begins to address the weak-faith Christian’s proper response; he should not judge the person who eats everything (Rom. 14:3). This judgment is likely tied to the jealousy Paul wrote about in Romans 13:13. Jealousy is sometimes a desire to have what another has, or to do what another does. But this sense of jealousy derives from an even more tightly defined understanding of jealousy, an understanding which sees jealousy as that by which a person claims and guards the things that rightly belong to him. This sense of jealousy is seen, for instance, in Exodus 20:5, where God says, “You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God…” God is not jealous in the sense we usually think of; He does not want something that rightly belongs to another person. Instead, God is jealous when what is properly His is given to someone else. He claims and guards worship as an honor that should be given to Him alone because it is intended for Him alone. In this sense, a Christian whose faith convinced him that he should only eat vegetables might look at a fellow-believer with jealousy. This jealousy would come as a judgment against the fellow-believer, for it would declare that he was being unfaithful to God by eating “everything” rather than limiting himself to vegetables. Rather than allowing a weak-faith believer wrongly to sustain such a jealousy to uphold God’s honor against a fellow-believer, Paul commands those who are weak in faith not to judge those who live more freely than themselves.

Paul’s basis for these statements is simple: “God has accepted him.” To a believer with weak faith, passionately jealous for God to be appropriately obeyed and tempted to judge a brother who eats “everything,” the simple statement “God has accepted him” should be sufficient to halt his judgments. If God has accepted this person who consistently eats foods that “should not be eaten,” then as Paul writes in verse 4, “Who are you to judge [God’s] servant?” Because the statement “God has accepted him” follows not only Paul’s command toward weak-faith believers but also toward strong-faith believers, it is almost certainly the basis also for the command that those who are strong not look down on those who are weak. Believers both of strong faith and of weak faith, when in disagreement, should view each other first of all as people whom God accepts. When believers look at each other with this amazing truth in mind, disagreements may not disappear, but judgments do. Rather than looking at each other’s disputable activities to figure out who is acceptable before God, their focus is to be on God: “To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand” (Rom. 14:4).

Father, thank You that Your acceptance is more important than any differences between those You have accepted, those who believe in Jesus Christ. Thank You for urging us to love each other deeply enough to put up with differences – differences that feel significant to us. Thank You that because of You and Jesus Christ, Your Son, believers can look at each other and see people “Accepted by God.” Because each of my fellow believers is “Accepted by God,” I know that they should also be “Accepted by Me.” I cannot reject people God accepts. Forgive me for the times I lean towards rejecting brothers, and teach me and all believers to accept one another, despite all our flaws and misunderstandings.

*note: I’m taking a break for a little while from Acts to explore Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8.

Acts 16:19-24

Macedonia, part 3

 

    When the owners of the slave girl realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. They brought them before the magistrates and said, "These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice."

 

    The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

 

What else did God have in store for Paul and his companions there in Macedonia? They had led Lydia and her household to the Lord. They had freed a slave girl from her spiritual oppression. Surely they would be highly respected as people realized that the hand of God was on their ministry! Surely the Philippians would now listen carefully to the gospel message!

 

Actually, no. Rather than being greeted as the representatives of Jesus Christ, the great liberator, Paul and Barnabas found themselves dragged before the authorities, beaten, and thrown into the deepest part of the prison, their feet in stocks.

 

The nations often do not appreciate Jesus Christ’s servant-liberators. People like things the way they are. The slave girl’s owners liked making money, for instance, more than they cared about the slave girl. Had the girl been one of their daughters, these men would probably have been thrilled to see her set free from an evil spirit. But this girl was “just” a slave. All that mattered to them was the money she brought them. As Christians, we have to understand that freeing people to serve Jesus Christ is offensive to other people – to people who benefit from the sinful, cursed way things are.

 

Such people will be angry. Angry enough to hurt us, Jesus’ servants. Ironically, in this case the liberators were thrown in prison.

 

Father, people around us don’t get it. They don’t understand Your power. They don’t understand Your love for everyone, Your desire for men and women all over the world to be free to serve You. They don’t realize that You are able to free people from all kinds of oppression – demonic/spiritual oppression, man-made slavery, man-made imprisonment. But You are the great liberator, and You care for Your servants. Help us, Your servants. Help us to faithfully reach out and do Your will, setting other people free. Even when we are attacked and hurt, even when we seem to be bound by the most powerful human institution we know – the government – help us to be faithful. You, our God, are the liberator. As Your servant liberators, help us trust that You will do for us what You do through us. Help us to trust that You will overcome all oppression and set us free to serve You.

 

Acts 16:16-18

Macedonia, part 2

 

    Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved." She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!" At that moment the spirit left her.

 

What else happened in Macedonia? Well, as Paul and his companions continued to minister there in Philippi, they met a girl – a unique girl. She had a future-telling spirit and she was a slave whose spirit-driven abilities made money for her owners.

 

When this girl met Paul and his companions going to the place of prayer, she followed them – for days. She would find them, follow them, and announce to all who could hear that Paul and his companions were God’s servants, telling people the way of salvation.

 

Ironically, this girl herself didn’t know the way of salvation. She was bound more tightly than most people. Not only was she bound by her own sinful ways, but she was in the grip of an evil spirit, controlled by another person. She was also owned by men who delighted to make money off of her oppression. Rather than seeking her good and trying to deliver her from the evil spirit, her human owners made a profit off of her. She was bound by her own sins, by an evil spirit, and by men. Yet this slave girl cried out that people could find the way of salvation through Paul’s message.

 

It may have been this very thing that frustrated Paul so much. The text doesn’t say. But without anyone bringing this girl for freedom and spiritual relief, the way so many people were brought to Jesus to have demons cast out – without being asked, Paul turned to the spirit and said, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” And the spirit left her.

 

Luke doesn’t tell us whether this girl found salvation from her own sins or whether her owners ever set her free. But through Paul, Jesus saved her from the spirit that plagued her. She lost an ability that many of us at some time have wished for – telling the future – but she gained the freedom to be herself again. She gained the freedom to see through her own eyes and hear through her own ears. She gained the freedom to encounter life-transforming truth rather than to be blinded by Satan’s lies. She gained the freedom to have faith. Her human owners could still control her physical activities, but she was now free spiritually to be adopted by God through faith in Jesus Christ. I hope she came to know Jesus as Lord and Savior so that she was saved from her own sins. To some extent, at least, she was introduced to the way of salvation that she had been telling everyone else to find out about. She was saved from an evil spirit.

 

Father, may we also be troubled by people testifying that we bear the message of Jesus’ salvation when those very people haven’t been saved. May we long to see them saved. May we hear from You. Teach us what to say and what to do so that people see that Jesus really saves. Set people free from human oppression. Set people free from evil spirits. Most of all, set people free from their own sins so that they never face God’s wrath. Those of us who are free from our sins and have a relationship with You can look forward to a day when neither men nor spirits will oppress us ever again! Thank You for saving me.

 

Acts 16:11-15

Macedonia, part 1

 

Therefore putting out to sea from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and on the day following to Neapolis; and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia, a Roman colony; and we were staying in this city for some days. And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to a riverside, where we were supposing that there would be a place of prayer; and we sat down and began speaking to the women who had assembled. And a certain woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul. And when she and her household had been baptized, she urged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay." And she prevailed upon us.

 

Since Scripture points out that Paul and his companions travelled to Macedonia specifically because God directed them to do so through Paul’s vision, I think it’s worth noting the things that happened in Macedonia.

 

It only took 2-3 days after the vision for Paul and his companions to arrive in Philippi, a leading Macedonian city. It was in Philippi that they met Lydia.

 

I think it is worth pointing out how they met her. They met her by trying to find a place of prayer. Often, we do our witnessing by looking for people who don’t care about worshiping God. Paul and his companions deliberately looked for people who were trying to worship God. Their aim was to help these people learn how to worship God rightly, recognizing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Lydia was one of these people, a woman who had gathered near a riverside for prayer.

 

Paul spoke. The Lord opened the heart of this God-worshiper, and she responded. She and her household were baptized. Again, I think that’s important to notice. Lydia wasn’t alone. She probably wasn’t a single woman. I’m not sure why this passage of Scripture points out that Paul and his companions spoke specifically with a group of women; perhaps they were there without their families, or perhaps they were the most responsive group that day. Lydia may have responded and then gone and persuaded her family to come hear Paul’s words, too. These women, and this Lydia in particular, were pivotal in the events of the day. But they were not alone, at least not by the end of the day. We know at least that Lydia’s household heard and believed the good news. They were all baptized!

 

There was an immediate sense of family. Lydia understood that she was now linked through Jesus Christ to Paul and his companions. They were united by Christ, these Macedonians and these Jews. Lydia urged them to stay at her house (presumably with her whole family), and because Paul and his companions now knew Lydia to be joined to them by Christ, they accepted.

 

Father, thank You for calling Paul and the rest of them to Macedonia through a vision. Your work is evident. You opened Lydia’s heart to respond to the good news, and her household was saved from judgment along with her. You also demonstrated again that You are the Great Uniter. People who before would not have associated with each other for anything other than business are now treating each other like family. The wall of hostility between them has been abolished, replaced by unity through the same Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Thank You that Your guidance is always good, always faithful, always trustworthy, always effective in accomplishing Your purposes. Thank You for this example You gave us in Philippi.

 

Acts 16:1-5

Note: This one got a little long. There’s a summary if you only want to read that.

 

  And he came also to Derbe and to Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek, and he was well spoken of by the brethren who were in Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted this man to go with him; and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. Now while they were passing through the cities, they were delivering the decrees, which had been decided upon by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem, for them to observe. So the churches were being strengthened in the faith, and were increasing in number daily.

 

To be or not to be… circumcised?

 

I thought the question was already decided. Circumcision was Christian requirement for Gentiles. Gentiles did not need to be culturally Jewish to follow Jesus.

 

But when Paul came to Derbe and Lystra, met Timothy, heard good reports about him, and decided to bring him along on the journey, he circumcised Timothy. Why? The apostles and elders in Jerusalem had specifically decided not to require circumcision, saying that it was “a yoke neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear” (Acts 15:10) and that “we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God” (Acts 15:19). Being circumcised anytime is not a pleasant thing, but being circumcised as an adult takes a lot of motivation and commitment to something! So the apostles had decided that circumcision was not necessary. Why was Paul having Timothy circumcised?

 

The text says Paul circumcised Timothy “because of the Jews who in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek” (16:3). Again, this seems odd. In Galatians, Paul warns the Gentiles, “If you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all” (Gal. 5:2). He is specifically fighting to keep the Jews from having too much influence over Gentile Christians. But here he circumcised Timothy because of the Jews. Was it a mistake?

 

I don’t think so. Here’s why. Timothy’s mother was a Jew. It was his father who was a Greek, a Gentile. Because Timothy was part Jew, part Gentile, the Jews in the area were probably watching Timothy closely as he grew up to see whether he would be committed to the Jewish God or not – whether he would identify with the Jewish God or with the pagans’ gods. He was well-spoken of and a disciple of Jesus Christ. If he had been pure Greek, Paul probably would not have circumcised. But Timothy, being part-Greek, part-Jew, was in a unique category, and it was important that he live in a way that plainly told the Jews that he was committed to the Jewish God. To the Greeks, it may have already been obvious. But to the Jews, even if Greeks got to avoid circumcision, it was important that Jews demonstrate their Jewish identity. If they did not, their commitment to God was in question.

 

Ironically, after being circumcised Timothy went with Paul, “delivering the decrees which had been decided upon by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem for them to observe.” These decrees did not include circumcision. But I think Timothy’s circumcision was probably a good thing for both Jews and Gentiles, even as he told Gentiles they didn’t need to be circumcised. Jews would hear Timothy speaking about freedom from circumcision alongside of Paul, but would know that both these men were circumcised. So Jews would be challenged to be as openhearted toward the Gentiles as their Jewish brothers were being. And Gentiles would hear the message from two committed Jews, men who were both circumcised. So Gentiles would know that the Jewish church as a whole had actually agreed to their freedom from circumcision (If Timothy had not been circumcised, the Gentiles and Jews might have been tempted to think that the Jewish Paul had simply been influenced by his affection for Gentiles because he left a part-Jew, Timothy, uncircumcised. To Jewish Christians, it made no sense not to be circumcised because they were still Jews.).

 

Summary:

There is, in a sense, freedom for Jews, too. Jews do not have to feel bad about circumcision or about following the law of Moses once they become Christians. It is a part of their cultural heritage and a part of their heritage that comes from God. Jews are allowed to maintain their identity as Jews so long as they understand that a relationship with God comes not by being Jewish and not by keeping the Mosaic law perfectly, but by faith in Jesus Christ. Jews are still free to be Jews, and need to see that being Jewish is not rejected by Paul or any of the other apostles – so Timothy was circumcised even while Gentiles were being told that they did not have to become Jews to be Christians.

 

Father, thank You. Thank You for not putting anyone – Jew or Gentile – to shame for being raised in a certain culture. Thank You that I can enjoy being American, for instance. At the same time, You make it clear that no one comes to You because of nationality. Each nation and culture is full of people, sinful people, and rather than rejecting culture, you reject sins. So help us all to recognize that we cannot earn our way into Your presence by being perfectly Jewish, Greek, American, or any other nationality. Being the ideal patriot while disobeying You is still death. But all of us can come to You through faith in Jesus Christ and be accepted. We do not have to reject our whole way of life – only our sins. Thank You for being so gracious to all of us, Jews and Gentiles.

 

Acts 15:36-41

Acts 15:36-41

 

    Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing." Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

 

Unity… Divergence… Commendation and Strength?

 

This is one of the passages I don’t understand very well. I mean, I get the story. I just don’t understand how it applies to Christian life. It starts off great. Paul and Barnabas want to go back to all the churches they planted just to be there for them and see how they are.

 

But then there’s an argument over whether to take Mark or not. Barnabas wanted to, but Paul thought it was unwise. Why? He had deserted them early on in the last trip and had not continued with them in the work. Has Paul labeled Mark as a deserter with no hope for remedy? Does he think it is pointless for Mark to go on a trip intended to encourage all the churches when Mark doesn’t already have a relationship with most of them? Regardless, this turned out not to be just some little discussion. Barnabas really wanted to take Mark, and Paul really thought it was unwise. The end result was that these two men didn’t even set out together! Barnabas went one way. Paul went another. I’m left wondering, How could a division between Barnabas and Paul have been encouraging to the churches they planted? Did they somehow avoid telling the churches why they weren’t together this time? “Why isn’t Barnabas with you, Paul?” “He… umm… decided not to visit you. We split up to cover all the churches more quickly.” Obviously, I hope that they were more honest with the churches than that. But the answer, “He and I wanted to encourage you together, but we split up because I wasn’t willing to travel with Mark,” doesn’t sound like it would have been all that encouraging to these new churches. Our founders couldn’t work through a disagreement? How can we hope to get past our differences?

 

But it says that when Paul left, he went commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches. Commended. But not commended in himself. Commended to the grace of the Lord. It doesn’t sound like Paul was commended for being right in the whole situation. Instead, the brothers entrusted Paul to the Lord’s grace. After this whole divisive situation, Paul needed the Lord’s grace to be able to move forward and minister.

 

We all need God’s grace. We need His grace all the time. This passage doesn’t tell us all the details. But we know that after Barnabas and Paul’s argument, at least one of them, Paul, turned to his Christian brothers, and they asked the Lord to be gracious toward Paul before he set out to encourage the churches. The result was that Paul, a recipient of Jesus’ grace, strengthened the churches he visited – undoubtedly by that same grace.

 

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit – I need Your grace today. I know my heart, and I tend to be divisive. I tend to be eager to follow through on my ideas, but slow even to listen to others’ ideas. I am eager to have my own way, but slow to see through someone else’s eyes. I need Your grace. I need You to give me patience, kind words, a loving heart eager to bless others. I need You to give me wisdom. I need You to give me words that point others to the good news of Jesus Christ and our unity in Him, replacing my words that want people to conform to me. I need You to give me a heart that appeals to You, a heart that seeks You out and leads others to seek You out for guidance and direction and unity. I need You to give me a heart that prays continually. I need Your grace both to keep me from doing hurtful things and because I have done hurtful things. Only by Your grace will Your churches be strengthened through me or anyone else. Give me Your grace today, please. I need You.

 

1 Corinthians 13

I’ve been praying a lot about love lately. One of my number one frustrations is the lack of love I see everywhere, but mostly the lack of love I see flowing from myself. And so I have turned to this chapter for insights. I have been asking God to guide my prayers for increased love through His words in this chapter. Here are some of the truths I am learning more deeply:

 

• Love is more important than amazing spiritual gifts. Some of today’s church is driven by spiritual gifts. Some of today’s church rejects the spiritual gifts. But I have never been to a church that doesn’t value something about spirituality. Some churches could do away with everything except amazing preaching – they’ve gotta have it. Other churches emphasize prayer and answers to prayer. Some focus on deep, deep faith. According to this chapter, it doesn’t matter what the spiritual focus is: if love is absent, everything else is worthless.
• Love is more important than amazing accomplishments. You would think that giving all my possessions to feed the poor is love. But Paul says no, not necessarily. It can be an event, an activity done without love to prove my own goodness. Without love, it’s no good! And the same goes for self-sacrifice. I might be faithful in the face of severe persecution without love for the people persecuting me. Worthless! I could build a $10 million church building for God’s people. I could eradicate poverty. But that’s not necessarily love. My actions and accomplishments may look like love. But this chapter reminds me that love is more than doing good things. Love is about my concern for other people, the way I value and honor them, the hope I have for them, my desire to see them healthy and secure and righteous. If I do good without caring for people like this, it’s worthless.
• Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. All of these things sound great. Until the end, where it says that love never fails. Love never fails to be patient, kind, without envy or boasting or pride. Love never fails to be polite, without selfish ambition, SLOW to anger (really, really slow), forgetting wrongs. Love never applauds evil, never struggles against truth. Love never fails to protect, never fails to trust, never fails to hope, never fails to persevere. Never. That’s not me. I fail all too frequently. I’ve failed today a couple of times. I really, really need to grow in loving people.

 

Father, teach me and all Your children that this very simple thing is the most important. We need to love absolutely! Without fail! Father, forgive us. We fail so often. I fail so often. Forgive me. Thank You for loving me this way. For being patient and kind toward me, even when I have been spiteful or apathetic. Thank You for not boasting or being prideful. Although You deserve all honor and glory, and You have said so honestly, You also humbled Yourself by allowing Your own glorious Son to live as a man and be killed by men – without lifting a finger against us. Thank You for not being rude toward me and insulting me, though I deserve Your insults. Thank You that You are not a self-seeking God, but that You have sought Your Son’s good and have glorified Him by making Him the Redeemer of all creation. Thank You that in this way You have also sought my good, bringing me into Your family to share in Your glory rather than hoarding it all to Yourself – as You deserve. Thank You that You have been slow to anger with me, that You have not kept a record of my wrongs. Thank You that You do not want me or anyone else to perish because You do not delight in evil. Thank You for rejoicing in the truth and proclaiming it so freely – the truth that You save people. Thank You for always protecting, always trusting (probably not me, but Your Son, and me in Him), always hoping, and always persevering. Thank You for putting up with me gladly. You are truly love. Conform me.

 

Acts 15:22-35

    Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, two men who were leaders among the brothers. With them they sent the following letter:

 

The apostles and elders, your brothers,

 

To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia:

 

Greetings.

 

    We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul-- men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things.

 

Farewell.

 

    The men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter. The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message. Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers. After spending some time there, they were sent off by the brothers with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them. But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord.

 

What an encouraging message! The Gentiles would not be asked to act like Jews in almost any areas at all. No radical custom change – from Gentile to Jew – was required to follow Jesus. Instead, Jews and Gentiles alike were called to conform to Jesus Himself.

 

Why? “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements.” It is fairly easy to see where the apostles and elders get the “us” part of this statement. But what about the “Holy Spirit” part? How can they be so sure that the Holy Spirit is in agreement with their idea?

 

First, they had the Holy Spirit’s evidence that God was accepting people – Gentiles – without those Gentiles ever having become Jews (Acts 15:7-12). Second, they had the Holy Spirit’s words announcing to them that God was rebuilding David’s fallen tent and was including Gentiles – and they had seen God doing this without turning Gentiles into Jews (Acts 15:15-18). Because they had heard the Holy Spirit’s words and seen His activity among the Gentiles, they could authoritatively say that the Holy Spirit was calling Gentiles to God as Gentiles, not as Jews.

 

Father, thank You that we can always make our decisions with guidance from You. You have spoken, and we have Your words with us. Help us to listen to them. You have initiated and acted in our lives. Help us to open our eyes and follow Your guidance. Thank You that You showed Your Jewish people Your grace toward us Gentile people. Thank You that they saw, they listened, and they followed Your lead. Thank You, because now we Gentiles can follow Your lead, too. You are good!