Month: August 2015

Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.
Acts 17:10-11

The record of Paul’s ministry while in Thessalonica can be found earlier in this chapter. We see in Act 17:2-3 that he “for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, ‘This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.’ ” The apostle had not merely given them his opinion concerning the Lord Jesus, he had backed up his words with the Scriptures. He had told them what God said! Such is the responsibility of every teacher claiming to represent the Lord. I keep the following text on the wall of my office as a reminder of what God has called me to do: “Son of man, receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears. And go, get to the captives, to the children of your people, and speak to them and tell them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD,’ whether they hear, or whether they refuse.” (Eze 3:10-11) My job is to cry out in prayer to the Lord each week as I study the Scriptures and ask Him what He would have me to say, and then when He reveals Himself through His word to me, I am to speak it with no thought of how it might be received. I should tell the souls entrusted to my care, “Thus says the Lord GOD…”

So, we’ve considered the preacher’s responsibility, but what about those who hear his words? What made the Bereans “more fair-minded” (or “more noble” as some translations read) than those of Thessalonica? Our text makes two points which highlight our individual responsibility as we hear anyone who claims to speak on God’s behalf.

1) They received the word with all readiness

Those of Berea had prepared their hearts to hear the word of God. They were of a ready mind. Our hearts and minds must likewise be prepared when we hear the word of God declared. Many people benefit little from the teaching of the word because there has been no personal preparation before the message begins. It’s not just the preacher’s job to prepare before Sunday morning gets here! Rom 12:1-2 instructs believers to “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God…And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God”. As we die daily, mortifying the deeds of this flesh (Col 3:5), and walk in conformity to the Son of God rather than this present world, we prepare ourselves to know the mind and will of God. How did Paul and Silas know to not flee when the doors flew open and their chains fell off in Act 16:26-28? Because they were busy preparing their hearts to know the will of God in v. 25 by praying and singing hymns to God! Likewise, these in Berea were best equipped to recognize Paul’s words as truth because they made their hearts ready.

2) They searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so

How I wish that those who sit in pews across this land would follow the Bereans’ example! I am amazed at the false doctrine that the masses swallow down today. 2Ti 3:13 makes it clear that “evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.” How do we prepare ourselves to recognize error from truth? The rest of the chapter tells us:

But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2Ti 3:14-17)

Our best line of defense is to obey the word of God and be diligent students of it. If a man claims to be speaking on God’s behalf, then what he says better be backed up by the inerrant word of God. That doesn’t simply mean that he quotes the Bible. Remember, when Satan tempted Christ, he quoted Scripture multiple times. But, Jesus wasn’t fooled by this deception because He knew the word of God as well and understood that the devil had taken the Scripture out of context. He combated Satan’s lies by quoting the Bible back to him! We are warned in 1Ti 4:1 that “in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons…” May we guard our hearts against such deception by remaining faithful in prayer and study of the word so that we are able to distinguish between truth and error.

Jamie

And when it was day, the magistrates sent the officers, saying, “Let those men go.” So the keeper of the prison reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go. Now therefore depart, and go in peace.” But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us openly, uncondemned Romans, and have thrown us into prison. And now do they put us out secretly? No indeed! Let them come themselves and get us out.” And the officers told these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans. Then they came and pleaded with them and brought them out, and asked them to depart from the city. So they went out of the prison and entered the house of Lydia; and when they had seen the brethren, they encouraged them and departed.
Acts 16:35-40

When I first read this passage, Paul seemed a bit out of character. After all, he’s the apostle who wrote, “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.” (Col 3:12-13) Was Paul holding a grudge here? Was he stubbornly demanding an apology before he would yield? Where was that spirit of kindness, humility, and meekness? We must remember that this account in Acts follows immediately after a selfless act of love by Paul and Silas. They had refused to consider their own lives when God opened the prison doors, but instead, out of love and care for the soul of a jailer who had shown them no kindness, they remained captive in the prison when they could have been free (see the previous post if you missed it). Paul hasn’t somehow become bitter in this short period of time. There was more at stake here than what may at first be apparent.

In 2Co 4:12, 15, Paul explained to the Corinthian church that “death is working in us, but life in you…For all things are for your sakes…” He acknowledged that His life was being continually given for the benefit of the church. He lived what he taught in Gal 6:10: “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.” It is this burden for the brethren, present and future, that prompted Paul’s actions in our text. He knew he would soon be leaving Philippi, but believers like Lydia and the recently-saved jailer would remain. They would share the word of God with others, and the church in Philippi would grow as more souls were saved. Paul was doing all he could within the confines of the law to insure the safety of the brethren there. These leaders would think twice before treating Christians unlawfully in the future. The apostle’s actions once again showed a concern that went beyond himself.

I can’t help but see a parallel between this account and the present circumstances in which believers may find themselves today in a society that is growing increasingly hostile toward Christianity. We should likewise have a view towards the brethren that may come after us as we live out our faith before men. When Paul refused to leave initially, he was risking personal injury. The easy thing to do would have been to quietly sneak away from his cell when released. After all, they had already ignored the law, beating Paul and Silas and throwing them in prison! What if the leaders had decided to secretly put him to death rather than risk the Roman authorities ever finding out about their mistreatment of this Roman citizen? But, instead of fearing what they might do, the apostle took a bold stance by pointing out their wrongdoing in the hopes of preventing such actions against fellow believers in the future.

In speaking out, Paul lived what he instructed the Ephesians to do in Eph 5:11 : “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.” By exposing their crime, he did what was best for the souls of these leaders. They needed salvation, and salvation begins with repentance from sin. The first step to recovery for any lost man is to recognize his sin and understand he is in danger of judgment. That’s exactly what they had become aware of when Paul challenged their sinful practices. As we have opportunity, may we also through lawful actions use the influence we have to expose error and protect future Christian generations. We find this same care for future believers in Christ’s intercessory prayer to the Father in Joh 17. Certainly, His heart was toward the disciples that were presently with him, but He added in Joh 17:20, “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word…” Thank God that he also cared for us–those who would believe the gospel hundreds of years later! May we like our Lord be burdened for the church, both present and future, above ourselves.

Jamie

 

But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.”
Act 16:25-28

There was no lawful reason that Paul and Silas should be imprisoned in our text today. Rather than committing a crime, they had actually aided a young woman by setting her free from the demon which possessed her. We are becoming increasingly aware in this present day that, in a fallen world, the righteous may be held captive for doing good while the wicked go free; however, though these men were in physical bonds, it’s clear that their souls were at liberty! As they prayed and sang praises to God, the Lord sent an earthquake to loose their chains and fling the prison doors open. But, did you notice the valuable lesson we learn from their reaction to this event?  Just because God opens a door doesn’t mean we should walk through it! Paul and Silas did not flee when the door opened because their focus was not upon themselves. They had prepared their hearts in prayer and praise, and they were more concerned about God’s glory and the souls of those around them than their personal discomfort.

Over the years, I’ve seen men remove their families from solid gospel ministries saying, “God opened a door. We don’t know where we’ll go to church, but this is just too good of an opportunity to turn down.” Ever heard something like that? Sometimes, the “open door” is not there because it’s best for us to embrace that opportunity but rather to test our hearts to see if we want God’s will or our own. Lot had an open door in Gen 13 to choose the well-watered plain of Jordan, but we never read of him inquiring of the Lord as to whether it was best for him and his family to dwell in that plain and pitch his tent toward Sodom! You see, too many fail to ask why they would walk through the open door. What’s the motivation? Is it for God’s glory? Is it best for the souls affected by that decision? In 2Ch 32:31, Hezekiah had an opportunity to reveal the greatness of his kingdom to the “ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, whom they sent to him to inquire about the wonder that was done in the land”, but it says that “God withdrew from him, in order to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart.” In Isa 39, we find out that Hezekiah in his pride showed these ambassadors all the treasures of his house. Isaiah said the result would be that eventually every bit of it would be carried away to Babylon and that Hezekiah’s sons would be eunuchs in the palace there.

Let me warn you, when an open door presents itself, Satan will always encourage self-centeredness and whisper that God has provided this for you. After all, you ought to have it, right? Don’t you deserve it? My advice is, when God opens a door, don’t presume. Ask Him if you should walk through it. Will walking through it best honor Him?  When King Saul wandered into a cave in which David and his men were hiding, his men in essence told David, “God’s given you an open door! He’s delivered your enemy into your hand.” (1Sa 24:4) Hadn’t God promised David he would be king? Hadn’t God rejected Saul? But instead of taking Saul’s life, David was more concerned about glorifying God and respecting this man God had placed in authority over him than he was about his own personal suffering. He said, “The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the LORD’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD.” (v. 6) This selfless act had a tremendous effect upon Saul who for a season stopped pursuing David and even confessed to David, “You are more righteous than I; for you have rewarded me with good, whereas I have rewarded you with evil.” (v. 17)

When we don’t walk through that open door which would relieve our suffering because it’s more glorifying to God and better for the souls of others, men are affected by such a witness. Just because we have liberty to do something, doesn’t mean we should. The apostle Paul wrote in 1Co 9:19: “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more.” We’d have no hope at all if Christ had gone through the open door offered Him in Mat 26:53. Jesus rebuked Peter, who had tried to rescue Christ from the mob sent to take Him, and then revealed, “Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?” Christ had an open door to escape the suffering of the cross, but He cared much more about His Father’s will and our souls than to walk through that door! In like manner, Paul and Silas, knowing the jailer would lose his life if they escaped, cared more for him than their own freedom. What an affect this witness had upon the jailer and his entire house who were saved as a result of their selfless act of love! Let us likewise prayerfully consider every door the Lord opens.

Jamie