Philemon and Onesimus, Philemon 1, written by Pastor Steve

Philemon & Onesimus

Philemon and Onesimus conclude our Summer of Scripture series, and that’s good because these two are perhaps two of the least known characters in the New Testament! But, they do present us with a really interesting personal exchange from the life of Paul.

Onesimus was a slave of Philemon. And Philemon had somehow become a Christian under Paul’s influence. Onesimus, it seems, had also become a Christian, and at some point, Onesimus had run away and joined Paul. He had served Paul as a runaway slave while Paul was in prison, but in the context of the ancient world that presented a problem for both Paul and Onesimus. Paul was harboring a fugitive slave, and Onesimus, if he returned, would probably be executed. So what was Paul to do?

Paul decided to do what Paul did best – write a letter! He wrote to Philemon and he essentially told Philemon to accept Onesimus back no longer as a slave but as a brother in Christ. Actually, Paul told Philemon to welcome Onesimus as Philemon would welcome Paul. It’s a fascinating letter, because you can tell that Paul really is laying a guilt trip on Philemon if he decides not to do what Paul asks!

But the letter of Philemon is also important because it lifts up an essential characteristic of Paul’s theology: in Christ, all of our human relationships are redefined and put into perspective. In other letters, Paul has asserted that in Christ human distinctions are no longer the deciding factor in determining who we are and how we relate to one another: neither Jew nor Greek; neither slave nor free; not even male or female. Modern readers often criticize Paul for not condemning some of these distinctions (for example, slavery.) But in the context of the first century, what Paul said was extraordinary. Paul asserted, for example to Philemon, that Onesimus was no longer just a slave but a brother in Christ. And being a brother in Christ, whether slave or free, was the determining factor in how Philemon should treat Onesimus. (That theology, conveniently, was ignored by people who later used the Bible later to justify slavery.)

So Philemon and Onesimus remind us, as we conclude our Summer of Scripture, that in Jesus, we have a new relationship not only with God, but with each other. Jesus calls us together to be new people who, regardless of what else may be true about us, are first and foremost brothers and sisters brought together by his death and resurrection.

1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,^*

To Philemon our dear friend and co-worker, ²to Apphia our sister,^* to Archippus our fellow-soldier, and to the church in your house:

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Philemon’s Love and Faith

4 When I remember you^* in my prayers, I always thank my God ⁵because I hear of your love for all the saints and your faith towards the Lord Jesus. ⁶I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective when you perceive all the good that we^* may do for Christ. ⁷I have indeed received much joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, my brother.

Paul’s Plea for Onesimus

8 For this reason, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do your duty, ⁹yet I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love—and I, Paul, do this as an old man, and now also as a prisoner of Christ Jesus.^{* 10}I am appealing to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment. ¹¹Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful^* both to you and to me. ¹²I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you. ¹³I wanted to keep him with me, so that he might be of service to me in your place during my imprisonment for the gospel; ¹⁴but I preferred to do nothing without your consent, in order that your good deed might be voluntary and not something forced. ¹⁵Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back for ever, ¹⁶no longer as a slave but as more than a slave, a beloved brother—especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

17 So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. ¹⁸If he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. ¹⁹I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will repay it. I say nothing about your owing me even your own self. ²⁰Yes, brother, let me have this benefit from you in the Lord! Refresh my heart in Christ. ²¹Confident of your obedience, I am writing to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say.

22 One thing more—prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping through your prayers to be restored to you.

Final Greetings and Benediction

23 Epaphras, my fellow-prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you,^{* 24}and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow-workers.

25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

Lydia, Acts 16:11-15, written by Jon Conary

This is a fascinating set of five verses. It is part Travelogue (verses 11 and 12) describing how Paul and his companions made their way from Troas to Philippi, part stranger in a strange land, and then part intersection between Paul the apostle, Lydia the business woman, and the Holy Spirit.

I assume that many individuals that have lived and traveled outside their native country can identify with Paul in verse 13. After "days" of contending with a "foreign" culture and language, Paul and his companions sought a place of prayer. A place to recharge their spiritual batteries, perhaps a place to talk to each other in their native tongue, or to "let their guard down" and be themselves. When they come to the place they seek there are women there. There is no description of what the women are doing (washing clothes, bathing, seeking some "peace and quiet"), just that they are there. And one of them, a business woman named Lydia, listened to Paul and his companions. Again, what Paul and his companions were saying is left to our imagination. Were they praying for the people of Philippi? Were they conducting a worship service? Were they talking of activities back home? Were they sharing some of their previous experiences or some of the stories of Christ that they knew and that brought them comfort or inspiration? And god was there. Lydia not only listened but heard "what Paul said." She and her household were baptized. And an act of hospitality occurs. "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home." And she prevailed upon us.

Acts 16:11-15

The Conversion of Lydia

11 We set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, ¹²and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district^* of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city for some days. ¹³On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. ¹⁴A certain woman named Lydia, a worshipper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. ¹⁵When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, ‘If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.’ And she prevailed upon us.

Agrippa, Acts 25-26, written by Zoe Junghans

Agrippa’s story is an example of God working in someone’s life and their response to Him.

The first thing that stood out to me when I read this passage was Paul. Shackled in chains and shouting out the Gospel to high ranking Roman officials, Paul must have seemed a little strange to Agrippa. Here is a man who appears to be a fugitive, and he is calling Agrippa to believe the good news and change his life forever. Yet God is working through Paul. Agrippa’s story reminds us that God works in our lives in ways we could never expect. God worked through a criminal’s testimony to try to touch Agrippa’s life. How is he trying to touch your life? So many times we lose sight of the fact that God is everywhere, working in everything we do and everyone we meet. And when we close our eyes by only expecting Him to work in certain ways or in certain people we miss countless opportunities to grow closer to Him.

Also, when I looked into Agrippa’s history I discovered that as his full name, Herod Agrippa II, suggests, he was a member of the same Herod family that appears throughout the New Testament. This is the man whose great uncle beheaded John the Baptist and tried Jesus and whose great great uncle had attempted to kill the infant Jesus by ordering the death of thousands of children in Bethlehem. However, none of this matters to God. It does not matter what kind of family Agrippa comes from or what the people in his family have done, God does not make judgments like that. God gives Agrippa a chance to believe and turn his life around because He loves him. And God gives each one of us a chance as well.

Finally, Agrippa is faced with a decision of whether or not to believe. Based on his response at the end of Paul’s testimony, “Are you so quickly persuading me to become a Christian” we know that he chose not to believe. We don’t know why Agrippa made this decision and we never will. Maybe he truly did not believe or maybe he just did not want to. The fact that the high ranking Roman official, Festus, sitting next to Agrippa had just called Paul and his testimony crazy, may have caused Agrippa to choose to let his acceptance in the Roman Empire be more important than a relationship with God. Unfortunately we try so hard to be accepted by others; sometimes we throw away the only acceptance that will ever matter, God’s.

I believe that we can all relate to Agrippa’s story. We will all have times in our lives when God calls us to do something and we refuse for whatever reason. But that’s not the end. Just because Agrippa chose not to believe does not mean that God just gave up on him. And, just like Agrippa, God will never give up on you.

Acts 25-26

Paul Appeals to the Emperor

25Three days after Festus had arrived in the province, he went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem ²where the chief priests and the leaders of the Jews gave him a report against Paul. They appealed to him ³and requested, as a favour to them against Paul,^* to have him transferred to Jerusalem. They were, in fact, planning an ambush to kill him along the way. ⁴Festus replied that Paul was being kept at Caesarea, and that he himself intended to go there shortly. ⁵‘So’, he said, ‘let those of you who have the authority come down with me, and if there is anything wrong about the man, let them accuse him.’

6 After he had stayed among them for not more than eight or ten days, he went down to Caesarea; the next day he took his seat on the tribunal and ordered Paul to be brought. ⁷When he arrived, the Jews who had gone down from Jerusalem surrounded him, bringing many serious charges against him, which they could not prove. ⁸Paul said in his defence, ‘I have in no way committed an offence against the law of the Jews, or against the temple, or against the emperor.’ ⁹But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favour, asked Paul, ‘Do you wish to go up to Jerusalem and be tried there before me on these charges?’ ¹⁰Paul said, ‘I am appealing to the emperor’s tribunal; this is where I should be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you very well know. ¹¹Now if I am in the wrong and have committed something for which I deserve to die, I am not trying to escape death; but if there is nothing to their charges against me, no one can turn me over to them. I appeal to the emperor.’ ¹²Then Festus, after he had conferred with his council, replied, ‘You have appealed to the emperor; to the emperor you will go.’

Festus Consults King Agrippa

13 After several days had passed, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to welcome Festus. ¹⁴Since they were staying there for several days, Festus laid Paul’s case before the king, saying, ‘There is a man here who was left in prison by Felix. ¹⁵When I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me about him and asked for a sentence against him. ¹⁶I told them that it was not the custom of the Romans to hand over anyone before the accused had met the accusers face to face and had been given an opportunity to make a defence against the charge. ¹⁷So when they met here, I lost no time, but on the next day took my seat on the tribunal and ordered the man to be brought. ¹⁸When the accusers stood up, they did not charge him with any of the crimes^* that I was expecting. ¹⁹Instead they had certain points of disagreement with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, who had died, but whom Paul asserted to be alive. ²⁰Since I was at a loss how to investigate these questions, I asked whether he wished to go to Jerusalem and be tried there on these charges.^{* 21}But when Paul had appealed to be kept in custody for the decision of his Imperial Majesty, I ordered him to be held until I could send him to the emperor.’ ²²Agrippa said to Festus, ‘I would like to hear the man myself.’ ‘Tomorrow’, he said, ‘you will hear him.’

Paul Brought before Agrippa

23 So on the next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp, and they entered the audience hall with the military tribunes and the prominent men of the city. Then Festus gave the order and Paul was brought in. ²⁴And Festus said, ‘King Agrippa and all here present with us, you see this man about whom the whole Jewish community petitioned me, both in Jerusalem and here, shouting that he ought not to live any longer. ²⁵But I found that he had done nothing deserving death; and when he appealed to his Imperial Majesty, I decided to send him. ²⁶But I have nothing definite to write to our sovereign about him. Therefore I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that, after we have examined him, I may have something to write— ²⁷for it seems to me unreasonable to send a prisoner without indicating the charges against him.’

Paul Defends Himself before Agrippa

26Agrippa said to Paul, ‘You have permission to speak for yourself.’ Then Paul stretched out his hand and began to defend himself:

2 ‘I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, I am to make my defence today against all the accusations of the Jews, ³because you are especially familiar with all the customs and controversies of the Jews; therefore I beg of you to listen to me patiently.

4 ‘All the Jews know my way of life from my youth, a life spent from the beginning among my own people and in Jerusalem. ⁵They have known for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that I have belonged to the strictest sect of our religion and lived as a Pharisee. ⁶And now I stand here on trial on account of my hope in the promise made by God to our ancestors, ⁷a promise that our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly worship day and night. It is for this hope, your Excellency,^* that I am accused by Jews! ⁸Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?

9 ‘Indeed, I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things against the name of Jesus of Nazareth.^{* 10}And that is what I did in Jerusalem; with authority received from the chief priests, I not only locked up many of the saints in prison, but I also cast my vote against them when they were being condemned to death. ¹¹By punishing them often in all the synagogues I tried to force them to blaspheme; and since I was so furiously enraged at them, I pursued them even to foreign cities.

Paul Tells of His Conversion

12 ‘With this in mind, I was travelling to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests, ¹³when at midday along the road, your Excellency,^* I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and my companions. ¹⁴When we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew^* language, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It hurts you to kick against the goads.” ¹⁵I asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The Lord answered, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. ¹⁶But get up and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you to serve and testify to the things in which you have seen me^* and to those in which I will appear to you. ¹⁷I will rescue you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you ¹⁸to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”

Paul Tells of His Preaching

19 ‘After that, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, ²⁰but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout the countryside of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God and do deeds consistent with repentance. ²¹For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. ²²To this day I have had help from God, and so I stand here, testifying to both small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would take place: ²³that the Messiah^* must suffer, and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles.’

Paul Appeals to Agrippa to Believe

24 While he was making this defence, Festus exclaimed, ‘You are out of your mind, Paul! Too much learning is driving you insane!’ ²⁵But Paul said, ‘I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking the sober truth. ²⁶Indeed the king knows about these things, and to him I speak freely; for I am certain that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this was not done in a corner. ²⁷King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.’ ²⁸Agrippa said to Paul, ‘Are you so quickly persuading me to become a Christian?’^{* 29}Paul replied, ‘Whether quickly or not, I pray to God that not only you but also all who are listening to me today might become such as I am—except for these chains.’

30 Then the king got up, and with him the governor and Bernice and those who had been seated with them; ³¹and as they were leaving, they said to one another, ‘This man is doing nothing to deserve death or imprisonment.’ ³²Agrippa said to Festus, ‘This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to the emperor.’

Priscilla and Aquila, Acts 18, written by Lori Kohne

Priscilla and Aquila were husband and wife. There are two things of importance about Priscilla and Aquila. They were a strong couple. They operated as a unit, as one and as a result you will never find they mentioned separately in the bible. They were spiritually educated by Paul and went on to spiritually educate many people including Apollos.

Priscilla and Aquila were very instrumental in the early church. They were tentmakers which enabled them to work anywhere and as a result they were able to travel to help spread the gospel. They opened two home churches first in Ephesus and then later in Rome.

We can learn from Priscilla and Aquila. They symbolize that sometimes we are more powerful and effective as a christian team than as individuals. They also used their home to help educate people. Do you have a strong christian home? Is your home helping to raise a christian family and how is it influencing your friends and extended family?

Acts 18

Paul in Corinth

18After this Paul^* left Athens and went to Corinth. ²There he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul^* went to see them, ³and, because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them, and they worked together—by trade they were tentmakers. ⁴Every sabbath he would argue in the synagogue and would try to convince Jews and Greeks.

5 When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with proclaiming the word,^* testifying to the Jews that the Messiah^* was Jesus. ⁶When they opposed and reviled him, in protest he shook the dust from his clothes^* and said to them, ‘Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.’ ⁷Then he left the synagogue^* and went to the house of a man named Titius^* Justus, a worshipper of God; his house was next door to the synagogue. ⁸Crispus, the official of the synagogue, became a believer in the Lord, together with all his household; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul became believers and were baptized. ⁹One night the Lord said to Paul in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent; ¹⁰for I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to harm you, for there are many in this city who are my people.’ ¹¹He stayed there for a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

12 But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal. ¹³They said, ‘This man is persuading people to worship God in ways that are contrary to the law.’ ¹⁴Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to the Jews, ‘If it were a matter of crime or serious villainy, I would be justified in accepting the complaint of you Jews; ¹⁵but since it is a matter of questions about words and names and your own law, see to it yourselves; I do not wish to be a judge of these matters.’ ¹⁶And he dismissed them from the tribunal. ¹⁷Then all of them^* seized Sosthenes, the official of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal. But Gallio paid no attention to any of these things.

Paul’s Return to Antioch

18 After staying there for a considerable time, Paul said farewell to the believers^* and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had his hair cut, for he was under a vow. ¹⁹When they reached Ephesus, he left them there, but first he himself went into the synagogue and had a discussion with the Jews. ²⁰When they asked him to stay longer, he declined; ²¹but on taking leave of them, he said, ‘I^* will return to you, if God wills.’ Then he set sail from Ephesus.

22 When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem^* and greeted the church, and then went down to Antioch. ²³After spending some time there he departed and went from place to place through the region of Galatia^* and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.

Ministry of Apollos

24 Now there came to Ephesus a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria. He was an eloquent man, well-versed in the scriptures. ²⁵He had been instructed in the Way of the Lord; and he spoke with burning enthusiasm and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. ²⁶He began to speak boldly in the synagogue; but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained the Way of God to him more accurately. ²⁷And when he wished to cross over to Achaia, the believers^* encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. On his arrival he greatly helped those who through grace had become believers, ²⁸for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the scriptures that the Messiah^* is Jesus.

Barnabas, Acts 11:19-30, 13:1-14:28, written by Pastor Sarah

Acts 11:19-30

The Church in Antioch

19 Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that took place over Stephen travelled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, and they spoke the word to no one except Jews. ²⁰But among them were some men of Cyprus and Cyrene who, on coming to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists^* also, proclaiming the Lord Jesus. ²¹The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number became believers and turned to the Lord. ²²News of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. ²³When he came and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast devotion; ²⁴for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were brought to the Lord. ²⁵Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, ²⁶and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for an entire year they associated with^* the church and taught a great many people, and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called ‘Christians’.

27 At that time prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. ²⁸One of them named Agabus stood up and predicted by the Spirit that there would be a severe famine over all the world; and this took place during the reign of Claudius. ²⁹The disciples determined that according to their ability, each would send relief to the believers^* living in Judea; ³⁰this they did, sending it to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.

Acts 13:1 - 14:28

Barnabas and Saul Commissioned

13Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a member of the court of Herod the ruler,^* and Saul. ²While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ ³Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

The Apostles Preach in Cyprus

4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia; and from there they sailed to Cyprus. ⁵When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John also to assist them. ⁶When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they met a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet, named Bar-Jesus. ⁷He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and wanted to hear the word of God. ⁸But the magician Elymas (for that is the translation of his name) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith. ⁹But Saul, also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him ¹⁰and said, ‘You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? ¹¹And now listen—the hand of the Lord is against you, and you will be blind for a while, unable to see the sun.’ Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he went about groping for someone to lead him by the hand. ¹²When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was astonished at the teaching about the Lord.

Paul and Barnabas in Antioch of Pisidia

13 Then Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. John, however, left them and returned to Jerusalem; ¹⁴but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. ¹⁵After the reading of the law and the prophets, the officials of the synagogue sent them a message, saying, ‘Brothers, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, give it.’ ¹⁶So Paul stood up and with a gesture began to speak:

‘You Israelites,^* and others who fear God, listen. ¹⁷The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. ¹⁸For about forty years he put up with^* them in the wilderness. ¹⁹After he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance ²⁰for about four hundred and fifty years. After that he gave them judges until the time of the prophet Samuel. ²¹Then they asked for a king; and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, who reigned for forty years. ²²When he had removed him, he made David their king. In his testimony about him he said, “I have found David, son of Jesse, to be a man after my heart, who will carry out all my wishes.” ²³Of this man’s posterity God has brought to Israel a Saviour, Jesus, as he promised; ²⁴before his coming John had already proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. ²⁵And as John was finishing his work, he said, “What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but one is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of the sandals^* on his feet.”

26 ‘My brothers, you descendants of Abraham’s family, and others who fear God, to us^* the message of this salvation has been sent. ²⁷Because the residents of Jerusalem and their leaders did not recognize him or understand the words of the prophets that are read every sabbath, they fulfilled those words by condemning him. ²⁸Even though they found no cause for a sentence of death, they asked Pilate to have him killed. ²⁹When they had carried out everything that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. ³⁰But God raised him from the dead; ³¹and for many days he appeared to those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, and they are now his witnesses to the people. ³²And we bring you the good news that what God promised to our ancestors ³³he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising Jesus; as also it is written in the second psalm,
“You are my Son;
today I have begotten you.”
³⁴As to his raising him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way,
“I will give you the holy promises made to David.”
³⁵Therefore he has also said in another psalm,
“You will not let your Holy One experience corruption.”
³⁶For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, died,^* was laid beside his ancestors, and experienced corruption; ³⁷but he whom God raised up experienced no corruption. ³⁸Let it be known to you therefore, my brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you; ³⁹by this Jesus^* everyone who believes is set free from all those sins^* from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. ⁴⁰Beware, therefore, that what the prophets said does not happen to you:
⁴¹ “Look, you scoffers!
Be amazed and perish,
for in your days I am doing a work,
a work that you will never believe, even if someone tells you.” ’

42 As Paul and Barnabas^* were going out, the people urged them to speak about these things again the next sabbath. ⁴³When the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.

44 The next sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.^{* 45}But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy; and blaspheming, they contradicted what was spoken by Paul. ⁴⁶Then both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, ‘It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken first to you. Since you reject it and judge yourselves to be unworthy of eternal life, we are now turning to the Gentiles. ⁴⁷For so the Lord has commanded us, saying,
“I have set you to be a light for the Gentiles,
so that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.” ’

48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and praised the word of the Lord; and as many as had been destined for eternal life became believers. ⁴⁹Thus the word of the Lord spread throughout the region. ⁵⁰But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, and stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their region. ⁵¹So they shook the dust off their feet in protest against them, and went to Iconium. ⁵²And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Paul and Barnabas in Iconium

14The same thing occurred in Iconium, where Paul and Barnabas^* went into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks became believers. ²But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. ³So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who testified to the word of his grace by granting signs and wonders to be done through them. ⁴But the residents of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, and some with the apostles. ⁵And when an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to maltreat them and to stone them, ⁶the apostles^* learned of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding country; ⁷and there they continued proclaiming the good news.

Paul and Barnabas in Lystra and Derbe

8 In Lystra there was a man sitting who could not use his feet and had never walked, for he had been crippled from birth. ⁹He listened to Paul as he was speaking. And Paul, looking at him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, ¹⁰said in a loud voice, ‘Stand upright on your feet.’ And the man^* sprang up and began to walk. ¹¹When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, ‘The gods have come down to us in human form!’ ¹²Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. ¹³The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city,^* brought oxen and garlands to the gates; he and the crowds wanted to offer sacrifice. ¹⁴When the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting, ¹⁵‘Friends,^* why are you doing this? We are mortals just like you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. ¹⁶In past generations he allowed all the nations to follow their own ways; ¹⁷yet he has not left himself without a witness in doing good—giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, and filling you with food and your hearts with joy.’ ¹⁸Even with these words, they scarcely restrained the crowds from offering sacrifice to them.

19 But Jews came there from Antioch and Iconium and won over the crowds. Then they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. ²⁰But when the disciples surrounded him, he got up and went into the city. The next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe.

The Return to Antioch in Syria

21 After they had proclaimed the good news to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, then on to Iconium and Antioch. ²²There they strengthened the souls of the disciples and encouraged them to continue in the faith, saying, ‘It is through many persecutions that we must enter the kingdom of God.’ ²³And after they had appointed elders for them in each church, with prayer and fasting they entrusted them to the Lord in whom they had come to believe.

24 Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. ²⁵When they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia. ²⁶From there they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work^* that they had completed. ²⁷When they arrived, they called the church together and related all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith for the Gentiles. ²⁸And they stayed there with the disciples for some time.

Ananias, Acts 9:1-18, written by Pastor Steve

Often in life, finding a way forward requires thinking and acting “outside the box.” That is, we need to go in a direction or act in a way that we’ve never even considered before. And that can be tough, not only because things “outside the box” can be unimaginable, but because we recognize the dangers and the reasons that some things are usually kept outside of our boxes!

In today’s story, Saul (later called Paul), had seen a vision of Jesus on the road to Damascus (the one in present day Syria, not the one on the border of Montgomery and Frederick counties!). At the time, Saul was a dangerous guy. He had violently persecuted Christians in Jerusalem, and now he was on his way to Damascus with authority to arrest Christians there and bring them back for persecution by the Temple authorities.

Saul was the last guy you wanted to be around if you were a Christian. He was definitely outside the box, and that’s what Ananias says when he has a vision of Jesus who tells him to go and pray over Saul. Yet Jesus tells Ananias that Saul is going to be one of the ways that Jesus will make his name known. Saul, ironically, is one of the ways forward. God is thinking and acting outside the box!

The really remarkable thing is that Ananias is willing to go along with it! Ananias has no idea (and neither does Saul/Paul) exactly what Jesus has in mind or how God will make it all work out. But when Jesus tells Ananias that the way forward means thinking and acting outside the box, Ananias has the faith and courage to do it.

And as modern Christian disciples, sometimes that’s the biggest challenge for us. We know how things have been done in the past and the ways that we’ve been able to make things work for us. But moving forward often means thinking and acting outside the boxes of our comfort zones. And the example of Ananias shows us that sometimes, following Jesus means living outside of our boxes, and that when we’re willing to follow Jesus “outside the box”, God can do great things with us.

The Conversion of Saul: Acts 9:1-18

9Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest ²and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. ³Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. ⁴He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’ ⁵He asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The reply came, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. ⁶But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.’ ⁷The men who were traveling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. ⁸Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. ⁹For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

10 Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, ‘Ananias.’ He answered, ‘Here I am, Lord.’ ¹¹The Lord said to him, ‘Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. At this moment he is praying, ¹²and he has seen in a vision^* a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.’ ¹³But Ananias answered, ‘Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem; ¹⁴and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name.’ ¹⁵But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; ¹⁶I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.’ ¹⁷So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul^* and said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ ¹⁸And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized,

Philip, Acts 8:4-12, 26-40, written by Chris Schaefer

The premise of Philip’s story in Acts sounds like the set-up for a ridiculous joke; “So an Apostle‘s assistant, a magician, and a eunuch walk into Samaria…”. The cast of characters is fantastic, and already in the second paragraph, one is almost lead to anticipate a miracle rich stand-off between God’s messenger and Harry Potter. The great thing about Philip’s story, though, is not the inevitable 3D movie interpretation, but rather the genuine faith issues that emerge, and the rather incredible ways showcased that God works through those who believe.

Philip had just recently been chosen as one of seven men to assist the original 12 disciples in their growing list of responsibilities. These men were scattered about to help spread the story of Jesus, and in his first stop, Philip heads to Samaria to preach the good word, cast out demons, and heal the paralyzed and lame (not too shabby for a first timer). Philip’s arrival and eventual success and acceptance in Samaria comes on the heels of a popular magician, named Simon, who previously had captured the attention of the people who lived there with his show. Both Philip and Simon performed awe-inspiring tasks, seemingly impossible for an everyday Samarian, and in both cases the residents believed they performed under the authority of God. The difference between Philip and Simon the magician, though, appears to be substance. After the smoke of Simon had cleared, Philip had the power and the authority of the word that really spoke to the people, and in this instance, it lead to the conversion and baptism of many who heard him speak. And this was just his first stop…

Philip is then called by an angel to head out on a wilderness road en route to Gaza. On his way he encounters the treasurer court official to the Queen of Ethiopia, who is returning from worshipping in Jerusalem, and is attempting to figure out what Isaiah was all about (good luck with that one!). The court official also happens to be a eunuch; a fact that could carry a variety of meanings in a Biblical context, and one that initially sort of distracted me from the multitude of impressive other titles this man carried, but I believe the ultimate inference is that in serving a female queen, his status of being a eunuch would indicate loyalty, trustworthiness, and service. The angel gives Philip a little nudge to go talk to the official and offer to help explain Isaiah’s scripture. The quoted Isaiah passage includes some remarkable imagery of a man who is like a lamb willingly offering up himself to the slaughter, and thereby dying through injustice, but more importantly, humility. Philip then discusses with the official how this verse applies to the good news about Jesus. The official is so moved, he requests to be baptized on the spot. Philip obliges, and in an awesome display of the power of God (and not a magic trick) Philip is whisked away to his next mission in the service of the Lord.

I think its important to remember that most people in their journey of faith most likely will not encounter such flash and perfect timing as Philip. He was given a special calling not just by God, but by people on earth. Although he was able to perform tasks with a seemingly magical quality, he had the grounding truth of Jesus and the authority of God which trumped any sort of trick he may have had up his sleeve. The people Philip served in this story ultimately responded to the genuine reality and substance of what Jesus has to offer. Although the idea of having special powers ordained by God might seem a highly desirable holy gift, we’ve already been given the ultimate power in his word and truth, and in any effort to discern what types of gifts we already do possess, that should rank up at the top.

Acts 8:4-12, 26-40

Philip Preaches in Samaria

4 Now those who were scattered went from place to place, proclaiming the word. ⁵Philip went down to the city^* of Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah^* to them. ⁶The crowds with one accord listened eagerly to what was said by Philip, hearing and seeing the signs that he did, ⁷for unclean spirits, crying with loud shrieks, came out of many who were possessed; and many others who were paralysed or lame were cured. ⁸So there was great joy in that city.

9 Now a certain man named Simon had previously practised magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he was someone great. ¹⁰All of them, from the least to the greatest, listened to him eagerly, saying, ‘This man is the power of God that is called Great.’ ¹¹And they listened eagerly to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. ¹²But when they believed Philip, who was proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch

26 Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Get up and go towards the south^* to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ (This is a wilderness road.) ²⁷So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship ²⁸and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. ²⁹Then the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go over to this chariot and join it.’ ³⁰So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ ³¹He replied, ‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’ And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. ³²Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this: ‘Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter,
and like a lamb silent before its shearer,
so he does not open his mouth. ³³ In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who can describe his generation?
For his life is taken away from the earth.’ ³⁴The eunuch asked Philip, ‘About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?’ ³⁵Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. ³⁶As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, ‘Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?’^{* 38}He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip^* baptized him. ³⁹When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. ⁴⁰But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.