4 posts categorized "Summer Study on Paul"

Bold Speech in Our Homes

Dear friends, Paul 2

It's Ann here, and today we’re looking at our final story in Paul’s life. A story about Bold Speech.

Yep, Bold Speech! 

It’s funny to talk about bold speech here in our community because a motto of our ministry, for years, has been ‘Winning him without words’. Most of us will know that motto comes from 1 Peter 3:1 which encourages believing wives to focus on good conduct rather than being too pushy towards their husbands on the matter of conversion.

Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives (1 Peter 3:1, NKJV).

The essence of that scripture is perhaps that the believing spouse should focus on their own conduct and heart. And I think that is the journey we've been on in this community -- A helpful journey. I can certainly see how it helped in my own marriage. But, alongside that there is a place for bold speech in our home. And I do wonder if God is taking us in that direction more. We’ve just got to learn to speak when the Holy Spirit says, that’s all.

After converting to Christianity, Paul spent three years quietly with Jesus (Galatians 1:18). I imagine much of that time was spent delighting in his Savior, but there was also a deep time of learning. An equipping. An absorption of truth. And then he came out.

To everything there is a season and a purpose under heaven. While away with Jesus it was mostly not Paul's time to speak. Afterwards, it was.

After coming out, one of the first things we see Paul do is publicly speak out in a very difficult situation. It is right at the beginning of his ministry, in Acts 13:4-12, and he is to speak a hard word of truth. It wasn't something fluffy and feel-good at all. No, instead he was to call out and curse a false prophet. Not just that, the guy was a sorceror. Gulp!

Paul had everything he needed, though: He had a close relationship with Jesus, and He had the Holy Spirit. The false prophet’s name was Elymas. And he was actively in full swing, deceiving those in authority. Paul arrived, and took a careful look. I can imagine this was a longggg, drawn-out look; a look where he narrowed his eyes, watched for a while, and gave space for the Holy Spirit to whisper to him.

He might have said quietly, "Lord, I think this is what you're asking me to say. Can I just check this is right?" Then he might have waited a while.

Finally, this:

Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, ‘O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?

And now indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.” And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. (Acts 13:9-11, NKJV)

Not easy to do. But Paul seems so strong. I imagine his strength to be a quiet confidence, the kind that comes from Jesus.

For when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:10, NKJV).

Anyway, in this situation the Holy Spirit asked him to stand up and speak specific words. And Paul continued to do that in his ministry, as we see in his letters to various churches. Whether or not Paul was a natural out-spoken sort didn't matter. It was the Spirit of Christ working in him. Boxing gloves

I suppose the lesson here is that God does usually ask us to be warm and gracious to people, but sometimes he does the opposite and asks us to speak direct truth into a situation of deception. This might even happen in our marriage. Either way -- Wherever we are at with this -- We must speak when the Holy Spirit nudges us to, and in the manner he asks us to.

Next week I'll share a journey I'm having with 'bold speech' in my own home. But for now perhaps we can share in the comments: Have you been bold by speaking out in your home about something lately? 

Much love,

Ann


Are You Fighting the Right Battles?

Hi SUM family, Ann here. Paul 2

What a treat to have Martha write for us on Monday -- Thank you, Martha! And, phew, the titles of our latest blog posts may look like we're being challenging. Are you kicking against the goads? was Martha's post. Now, mine is titled: Are you fighting the right battles? That said, the Apostle Paul was convicting; so, I guess a study about him will lift our game.

Nothing wrong with that! In fact, I always think that's a sign of a good church, if people are challenged to better discipleship.

So, yes, are we fighting the battles God wants us to fight? Are we putting our energy into the right places?

In the Book of Acts, there is a story where Paul was forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the Gospel in a particular place, Bythnia. Paul wanted to go there -- He had huge passion and truth to share. Surely the people of Bythnia needed him ...? And yet he was forbidden. Why? Only God knows. 

Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bythnia, but the Spirit did not permit them.

So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas.

And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the Gospel to them. (Acts 16:6-10, NKJV)

We don't know what would have happened if they had gone to Bythnia. It's like a movie plot where Bythnia is the mysterious path not taken. What we do know is what happened in Macedonia: They met a lovely lady, Lydia, in Philippi, and baptized her and her household (Acts 16:11-15). Angels would have sung at that! Perhaps they were always meant to meet Lydia. What's more, they had their massive Midnight Hour miracle, where they were broken out of prison and the jailer's household was saved too (Acts 16:25-34). Yes, the power story that Lynn told last week about Paul and Silas happened in Macedonia. If they had gone to Bythnia .... Well, we would never have had that story. But they did go, they obeyed God, and these salvations occurred.

Hallelujah to that! And, Lord, help us to listen to your voice carefully.

I believe this story is relevant to the craziness we find ourselves in today. Right now, there are all kinds of battles we can fight, all kinds of things we can speak to. But where and how does God want us to speak or act? Some of us might be called to one battle, others to another. But, we must keep listening to him.

I suppose it's a little like Peter who gets told by Jesus, after the resurrection, what his commission is to be. Jesus specifically tells him that he will die a hard death. Peter turns and gestures towards the other close disciple, John, "But what about him?" Jesus's reply is this: "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me." (John 21:21-22). In other words, you do your bit; and your bit might look different to someone else's.

There are only so many hours in the day. Who knows, there could be a Lydia waiting around the corner for us, but if we're too busy throwing ourselves into 'Bythnia' rather than 'Macedonia', yikes, we might miss it!

I guess, then, this whole story says this: In doing good works for Jesus, I must pay careful attention to where he wants my energy, and walk that particular path.

Then -- if I do -- I will say this with joy:

“Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.” (2 Corinthians 2:14, NKJV)

My friends, in the comments, perhaps we can share where we feel God might be asking us to put our energy/words at the moment? And where he is asking us not to go? 

Much love to you all,

Ann


How to Convey Our Personal Testimony

Hi SUM family, Ann here! Paul 2

How often do you tell your conversion testimony to unbelievers? 

If you do it often, how do people react? 

Me: I try. But writing today's post has got me thinking a whole lot more about this. Specifically, it's been making me think about how to tell a testimony effectively.

In the Book of Acts, there is a critical moment where Paul role-models how to tell a testimony. It's the end of his ministry, he's an older man, and he just goes for it. It's a wild, hair-raising story of how he became a Christian. 

"Paul, you are beside yourself, much learning is driving you mad!" Someone shouts on hearing it (Acts 27:24).

"I am not mad..." answers Paul, respectfully.

We see him tell his testimony twice in quick succession: The same story, the same details, same manner of telling it. You might like to read both versions in Acts 22:1-21 and 26:4-23, they're pretty short passages. 

This is all so far so good. What a wonderful testimony Paul has been given! But do they all fall over in amazement and think it's wondrous? Nope! 

When Paul stands up in front of a mob of Jews in Jerusalem, he starts by saying, "I am a Jew ... I used to persecute Christians too ..." before launching into his story about how Jesus completely changed him.

"And they listened to him until this word, and then they raised their voices and said, "Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he is not fit to live!" (Acts 22:22-23, NKJV)

Not fit to live? Yikes.

After that, he quietly has the opportunity to tell his testimony to Felix, a Roman Governor of Caesarea. We don't see Paul tell the testimony here; the Book of Acts just says they talked. Felix is initially open, but then:

Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, "Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you." (Acts 24:25, NKJV)

The cross makes people feel convicted, uncomfortable. They want it to go away for a while until they have a 'convenient time.' Go away. Go away.

Undeterred, Paul has a cast-iron spirit, and he will not curl up into a defeated ball. No, he is fighting fit and ready to speak all over again. The final re-telling of the testimony is to Caesarea's new governor, Festus, and the visiting King Agrippa. Paul tells the testimony and it is Festus who shouts out:

"Paul, you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad!"

But he (Paul) said, "I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak the words of truth and reason." (Acts 26:24-25, NKJV)

BUT, here comes the kind of response that makes it worth the while:

Then Agrippa said to Paul, "You almost persuade me to become a Christian." (Acts 26:28, NKJV)

'Almost persuade me' is not a bad response. What if King Agrippa were to then hear ten more testimonies like this, from ten different Christians? Would he then cross the line into belief? Perhaps so. And that is what makes our testimony-telling important.

I titled this post, How to convey our personal testimony, because we can look at how Paul did it. Here are some key points:

  • He told his audience how he was similar to them.
  • He described what he used to be like.
  • He referred to witnesses who could attest to who he used to be.
  • He described the supernatural encounter that changed his mind
  • He described in a sentence the Christian faith. "Arise, be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord"

And, finally, he did not give up. 

My friends, all of this is making me think about prepping and practicing my own conversion testimony a little more deliberately, using the above points, and thinking a bit more carefully about what kinds of places I am to speak it out. Even at a party, or when having a casual chat with an unbelieving friend.

What do you think about this topic of personal testimony? Let's chat in the comments!


Saint Paul -- What a Man!

Dear friends,Paul 2

Welcome to our Summer Bible Study on the Apostle Paul! It's Ann here, and I can't wait to dive in to some of his stories, taking a leaf or two out of his book.

Somewhat ironically, only this past Saturday I had a more difficult time as a Christian than I've had in a while. I spent the evening with a crowd of unbelieving friends, and loneliness crept up on me. That night I lay in bed thinking:

"Being a Christian is hard core, and there are spiritually some very hard places." 

Well, the Apostle Paul specialized in the 'hard-core' places, and he did it so well for the rest of us. I'm sure when he was in prison for the Gospel it wasn't easy.... But his faith enabled him to write positive letters to the church, showing us how to do this thing well.

In today's post we're just looking at an introduction to Paul; but there's so much to his life that I can't do him justice in 750 words. Instead, then, I'll start with his most honored moment:

Paul was martyred for the Gospel. 

“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all those who have loved his appearing.” (2 Tim 4:6-8)

Not long after he wrote the above, he was beheaded in Rome (as best we know). In dying that death, he joined the other apostles, also likely martyred*. Their blood formed a foundation of courage and truth for the church. 

How on earth could Paul have been strong enough to walk into this? He knew it was coming, and said 'yes'. Well, Jesus equipped him. Part of this equipping was that Paul knew what was true. Just like we -- the SUM community - learn to do. In Paul's case, he had encountered Jesus and experienced the miraculous repeatedly (in the book of Acts). He'd also put up with so much hassle during his years of ministry that he became the ultimate in resilience:

"Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches." (2 Corinthians 11:24-28)

My friends, I have to say this made me feel a whole lot better about my lonely Saturday night with unbelievers! Emotionally difficult, yes; but Paul went through worse. Therefore, so can I.

We read about Paul's life in the book of Acts; but his character and life also ooze out of his epistles in the New Testament. Fourteen out of the 27 New Testament books were likely written by him and they add brushstrokes of color to the main story in Acts. Fate of the apostles

Interestingly, Paul was a blend of different cultures. A heftily educated Pharisee, he was also a Roman Citizen, and entrenched in Hellenic/Greek culture. Coming originally from Tarsus in modern-day Turkey, he went all over the place for the Gospel, and his mixed background meant he could speak easily to a range of different audiences, opponents, and friends.

Those influencing skills were needed: His two primary issues were godlessness and doctrinal error. He tackled those two things in truth and love while dealing with tremendous opposition.

So yes, what a man. And can this help us navigate the hardship of a SUM? I believe for sure that we can get strength from his story.

Here's a question for today: What is your environment like? What kinds of people are in your sphere of influence? 

Nice chatting! Lynn will be here on Wednesday to continue the study.

Ann

* Sean McDowell (2008). The Fate of the Apostles: Examining the Martyrdom Accounts of the Closest Followers of Jesus.