"For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he would not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hurrying to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the Day of Pentecost." (Acts 20:16)
Wait! Paul acted like this, "....hurrying to be..," some place just to mark an anniversary?!? How very un-spiritual of him, a waste of "support money."
Un-spiritual? When I read this yesterday, I thought of our "hurrying to be at" Wittenberge, Germany, on October 31, the 500th anniversary of Luther's posting there of the 95 Thesis on the church building door. This has to rank as one of the "top 5" historical events in the Church, and as a theologian, it is very important to me.
Un-spiritual? Last week when I was in DC, I visited the man with whom I used to spend the most time praying during those weekly times there. I had not seen him for quite a while, and some things had changed in his life situation. We talked and later had dinner together, enjoyed fellowship. We did not spend a lot of time in prayer. Shame on us.
Un-spiritual? I had lunch with a pastor friend of ours who had been my in-laws' pastor for many years. He is 83 and still goes to church camps and cooks for the camp. He was an avid fisherman. We talked of some of his fishing excursions to Canada, etc., even my motorcycling. And we talked of our Lord Jesus, his mercy and care for us in the loss of our sons, and just the goodness of Jesus to us. I often wonder if we might be better company to other Believers, and better, "fishers of men," if we were more like "men," you know, as Jesus was in all those dinner parties He went to.
Wouldn't it be better for all to read the Bible without those preconceived, religious glasses as to how Followers of Jesus should live their daily lives? People would be more prone to see things they never saw, to see the "day-to-day" life of the Early Church closer perhaps to what it really was rather than what our 21st Century evangelical/charismatic glasses allow us to see. Maybe we could see Paul sitting with the others while making tents. Now most religious people imagine Paul sitting there endlessly quoting Scripture, speaking in tongues, singing, teaching the "deep things of God," an endless chatter of "spirituality." Really? You don't think he ever would have stooped so low as to talk of the sports events in the arenas, which, by the way, he used as illustrations in his teachings many times? He just may have reminisced about the time they were seeking the Lord's guidance as to where to "minister" next, and missed it twice. He may have even laughed at himself.
Father, in Jesus' Name, I pray that my life manifests Your Life. Amen.
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October 28-November 15, 2017, "hurrying to be at" 500th Anniversary of the "Reformation."
Wait! Paul acted like this, "....hurrying to be..," some place just to mark an anniversary?!? How very un-spiritual of him, a waste of "support money."
Un-spiritual? When I read this yesterday, I thought of our "hurrying to be at" Wittenberge, Germany, on October 31, the 500th anniversary of Luther's posting there of the 95 Thesis on the church building door. This has to rank as one of the "top 5" historical events in the Church, and as a theologian, it is very important to me.
Un-spiritual? Last week when I was in DC, I visited the man with whom I used to spend the most time praying during those weekly times there. I had not seen him for quite a while, and some things had changed in his life situation. We talked and later had dinner together, enjoyed fellowship. We did not spend a lot of time in prayer. Shame on us.
Un-spiritual? I had lunch with a pastor friend of ours who had been my in-laws' pastor for many years. He is 83 and still goes to church camps and cooks for the camp. He was an avid fisherman. We talked of some of his fishing excursions to Canada, etc., even my motorcycling. And we talked of our Lord Jesus, his mercy and care for us in the loss of our sons, and just the goodness of Jesus to us. I often wonder if we might be better company to other Believers, and better, "fishers of men," if we were more like "men," you know, as Jesus was in all those dinner parties He went to.
Wouldn't it be better for all to read the Bible without those preconceived, religious glasses as to how Followers of Jesus should live their daily lives? People would be more prone to see things they never saw, to see the "day-to-day" life of the Early Church closer perhaps to what it really was rather than what our 21st Century evangelical/charismatic glasses allow us to see. Maybe we could see Paul sitting with the others while making tents. Now most religious people imagine Paul sitting there endlessly quoting Scripture, speaking in tongues, singing, teaching the "deep things of God," an endless chatter of "spirituality." Really? You don't think he ever would have stooped so low as to talk of the sports events in the arenas, which, by the way, he used as illustrations in his teachings many times? He just may have reminisced about the time they were seeking the Lord's guidance as to where to "minister" next, and missed it twice. He may have even laughed at himself.
Father, in Jesus' Name, I pray that my life manifests Your Life. Amen.
************************
October 28-November 15, 2017, "hurrying to be at" 500th Anniversary of the "Reformation."
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
Hebrews 12:2
Hebrews 12:2
