1a. The Bema leads us to prepare ourselves a. in Liberty (Rom. 14:4)

    What is the Bema Judgment Seat? In the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the "bema" was the wooden pulpit on which Nehemiah stood from morning to midday when he read the Scriptures to the Hebrew people. 

    In Rome, it was the platform on which the judge of the games would sit not only to oversee the start and finish of a race but also to award the prize to the victor (anyone ever see Ben-Hur?)

    In Jerusalem, when Pontius Pilate sat down, the Greek word bema was used in both Matthew and John to refer to location of his rendering of the verdict against Christ.

   In Corinth, Paul was brought before Gallio at the bema. See video

   In Philippi, Paul was beaten before the bema.

   And in Veria (called Berea in the Bible), there are bema steps that led to the synagogue. If you have ever heard of a Berean Church, it is named in honor of the people of this city who were more noble than those who were in Thessalonica as they consulted with the Scriptures daily to see if what Paul and Silas was preaching was true. See video

   In Caesarea, Festus sat on the bema seat as Paul made his arguments for Christ. Upon a bema seat, judgments were rendered, and exonerations were granted.

    So, if Christ was judged at a bema seat,
       if Paul was unfairly punished at a bema seat,
        if Gallio and Festus and others unfairly rendered unjust verdicts 
against Paul,
  against Jason, a believer in Thessalonica,
    against Sosthenes in Corinth,

 then why would Paul use this term to refer to the judgment seat of Christ for Christians?

   It is because there is coming a day in which the true and righteous and holy God will bring all of us who go by the name of Christ, who are believers who are true saved by grace through faith Christians, God will bring us before the bema steps of Christ and call us to give an account of what we have done here on earth with that saving faith. God will call us to see our works both good and bad and be judged according to them. 

1. The bema seat of Christ reminds us to prepare ourselves. Romans 14:9-11
  ⁹ For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.  ¹⁰But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the bema, the tribune, the judgment seat of Christ. ¹¹ For it is written: ​​“As I live, says the LORD, ​​ every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.”

There are three subpoints to this call to prepare ourselves that we should remember, the first given today and two more to be shared in the next post.

a. Don’t judgmentally mettle in matters that don’t matter. Instead, have liberty. (Romans 14:1). 

    If you were to read this entire passage of Romans 14, beginning in verse 1, you will see that Paul is urging the Roman church to not dispute over questionable things and not to judge brothers and sisters in Christ on issues that are not important,
            that are not a matter of heaven or hell,
                        that are not crucial issues of salvation.

    Romans 14 could be divided in three parts: “The Law of Liberty”, “The Law of Lordship”, and “The Law of Love”. 

     Look at 14:1. “Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things.” 

    We as a group of 17 Protestants, spent the week in Greece, home of the Greek Orthodox church, with a tour group of members of the Roman Catholic Church.

     We had a marvelous time and chose not to meddle in matters that didn’t matter, but instead we rejoiced in the things that united us in Christ. We were united under the law of Liberty!

    All Christians will be brought before the bema seat of Christ and He will sort things out. I believe this will happen immediately after the rapture of the church. You may say, “Pastor Tim, why do you think it will be then?” 

    Revelation 22:12 says,  ¹² “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to everyone according to his work. ¹³ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”

     Notice that Jesus does not say he will reward us because of our work, but according to our work. This is a repeated theme for the bema seat judgment for Christians. Immediately after we are caught up together with Christ, all Christians will be judged according to our works for our rewards, not to determine our eternal resting place in heaven or hell, but to reveal our rewards we will have in heaven. 

    The voice of the angel and the trumpet of God will sound and we who are true believers in the faith will be forever with Christ. Nine times in the Sermon on the Mount of Matthew 5 through 7, Jesus spoke directly about rewards and stated that the faithful and righteous Judge will reward us for our efforts here on earth. That may not be your motivation to do good deeds on earth, but it is marvelous that God will remember and reward our efforts!

    You see, we are saved by faith alone, but saving faith is never alone. Paul said we are saved by grace through faith and not of works, but in verse 10 of Ephesians 2 states that we are the "workmanship of God created in Christ FOR GOOD WORKS." 

We are saved by faith alone, but saving faith is never alone. We will see more about this tomorrow! But for today, let us remember that 

The bema seat of Christ reminds us to prepare ourselves,
and we should not mettle in matters that don’t matter. 

Instead, have LIBERTY.

Building a house -- with wisdom

Parenting is tough stuff. I know in part after raising four kids. And now I see from a distance our sons and daughters-in-law raising my grandchildren.

How do you build a house, a future of adults from the precious gifts of children in the present?

My grandchildren left our house yesterday (sorry Melissa, I keep saying my grandchildren). This morning I opened my Bible to Proverbs 24 and my heart was filled with prayers for our own sons who are now fathers. I prayed for our daughters-in-law who celebrated Mother’s Day yesterday. And a prayed for the future of my grand-kids (oops, I did it again).

“By wisdom, a house is built,” Proverbs 24:3 says, “and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.” Proverbs is filled with wisdom. Ten chapters earlier, Proverbs 14:1 says, “The wise woman builds her house…” and as a rule, women have the greater degree of wisdom in regard to raising a family (and I might add a wise husband would prove his own wisdom by admitting that!). When the book of Proverbs personified wisdom, the writer used the feminine pronoun to embody wisdom (Prov. 3:13-20, 4:7-9).

I find it amusing that the next time wisdom is mentioned in Proverbs 24 is two verses later when the writer is describing battles and war. “The wise prevail through great power and those who have knowledge muster their strength. Surely you need guidance to wage war, and victory is won through many advisers,” Proverbs 24:5-6 says. Undoubtedly, the writer is speaking of actual battles and war, but as I recall the battlefields of life often occur within a home.

So, what is wisdom? What is understanding? How do we acquire knowledge so that the rooms of our homes and more importantly the hearts of our children can “be filled with rare and beautiful treasures”?

Heart wisdom. Wisdom is not just in the mind, but in the heart and in the practice. It is not just the knowledge of what to do, but the desire of doing it and the actual implementation of that wisdom. Many times “wisdom” is translated as a “skill”, a finely honed practice of a craft. Exodus 31:6 reads in the King James this way, “in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom.” If your heart is wise, God will place wisdom, and the ability to carry it out. The New American Standard Bible even translates “wisdom” in this verse as “skill.” “…in the hearts of all who are skillful I have put skill, that they may make all that I have commanded you.”

Life wisdom. Wisdom comes from life experiences and the longer the life, the more experience we have. Job 12:12 says, “Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?” I have found that good judgment comes from experience and experience comes from bad judgment! I have learned more from my mistakes than my successes. Eyes may roll when an older person begins with “Well in my day…” Nevertheless, I will attest that eyes shouldn’t roll, but rather widen with anticipation, and it wouldn’t hurt for ears to listen and hearts to learn from the experiences which life brings. No degree or diploma sounds louder than the school of hard knocks!

Fear brings wisdom. Fear of the Lord is different than earthly fear. My name, Tim, means fear but my full name means “fear of God.” To fear God means to honor God with reverence and respect. I may “fear” the radar gun when held by the highway patrol, not because I respect it or even the officer who holds it, but because I value my pocketbook. But to honor and respect God is to value the good that He brings, in and of Himself. Psalm 111:10 says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.”

Humility brings wisdom. Pride brings disgrace, but humility bring wisdom, Proverbs 11:2 says. A wise person seeks wisdom, but a foolish person shuns it. Ecclesiastes 7:19 states that “Wisdom strengthen the wise.” Proverbs 9:9 says, “Instruct the wise, and they will be wiser still.” I quote Scripture because the Word of God is what contains wisdom, not my words.

Correction brings wisdom. Sometimes a verbal warning is enough to bring wisdom, but most of the time, it is the “rod of correction” which gets our utmost attention. Proverbs 29:15-17 says, “A rod and a reprimand impart wisdom, but a child left undisciplined disgraces its mother. When the wicked thrive, so does sin…Discipline your children, and they will give you peace; they will bring you the delights you desire.”

God gives wisdom. Ultimately, it is God who brings wisdom. There are too many verses in the Bible to list that truth, but James 1:5 perhaps says it best. “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” Proverbs 2 also says “The Lord gives wisdom.” I ask God for wisdom for myself, for my children, and for my church, for He alone is the perfect house-builder. And I ask for wisdom for MY grand-kids!

"John One Day" now in book form

Hardcover jacket 

The best places to order are 

1) https://bit.ly/timothyoneday -- Outskirts  10 to 50 % discount
2) https://bit.ly/barnesoneday -- Barnes & Noble list price
3) https://bit.ly/johnoneday -- Amazon, free shipping for prime members but $3 over list price!(?) IDK why.

Preview book at https://johnoneday.blogspot.com/
or 

https://bit.ly/gospelofjohnoneday

For years, Christians have told new believers to begin reading the Bible with the gospel of John. But without a good study companion for the new believer, the fourth gospel might be a little overwhelming. Finally, there is now a daily devotional of the beloved gospel with new believers specifically in mind! This "basics for believers" study will inspire and encourage all believers, no matter where they are in their Christian journey.

This seven week journey consists of 98 devotionals which author Timothy McKeown has written (and rewritten) for more than thirty years. And yet, the inspired word of God never grows old.

The gospel of John is the deepest of all of the gospels and perhaps the most contemplative of all of the books in the New Testament. This devotional book is designed for new believers and young disciples to dig deeply into the most reflective of the four gospels. Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell what Jesus did, but the primary concern of John, "the disciple whom Jesus loved," is to tell what Jesus taught--and why. The Beloved Apostle only included a few of the miraculous signs which Jesus performed, but each one is strategically included for one primary purpose: "But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name." (John 20:31, NKJV)

"From the beginning, my desire has always been for new believers to study this amazing story of Christ on a daily basis, in short devotionals of 500 words or less," explains Pastor Tim McKeown, who began writing these lessons as a young youth pastor in seminary. "I have also put some things in this devotional that I hope will inspire the more mature Christian. My goal is to help new believers grow and for the seasoned believers to grow deeper from this enlightening gospel."

The Bible and especially the gospel of John is as unfathomable as the ocean's depths, where scientists may never cease to explore but also as inviting as the coastal shore, where even the smallest of children may play. The apostle wrote this gospel as the sole surviving apostle, with a purpose as straight and strong as the Master he first met when he was a young fisherman. That purpose was that readers and hearers of the gospel would place their trust squarely in and on the Lord Jesus Christ for their eternal life. John even defines what "eternal life" is by quoting Jesus who prayed in John 17:3, "Now this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent" (NIV).

If you are ready to grow deeper, to have that eternal life, let us walk together through this gospel journey, one day at a time, and learn the depths of eternal life; that is, knowing God and Jesus Christ. May this devotional book be as much of a blessing to you as the Gospel of John has been to so many over the years.

When God says "No"

     Do you ever want to go one way and the Lord leads you another way? Maybe it’s your background, your environment, even your own limitations that keep you from going the way you want to go. It could even be even sinful experiences either your own, or what others have done against you that thwarts your plans.

    God’s answers of “no” are probably more common in the Bible that God’s answers of “yes”. Perhaps one of the most obvious examples of this is Paul’s second missionary journey. It begins with a “sharp contention” (Acts 15:39) between Paul and Barnabas over whether John Mark is to go with them. Barnabas retraces their first route while Paul journeys the reverse course, to Cilicia, Derbe, Lystra, and Iconium. Their goal was simply to return to the churches they established on the first journey and “see how they were doing” (Acts 15:36).

    Twice the Holy Spirit constrained Paul, Silas and Timothy. First, they were forbidden to preach in Asia. Then, “the Spirit did not permit them” to go to Bithynia (see Acts 16-6-7).

    So, what did Paul do? Did he give up and go home? No. Did he blame others like Barnabas or have self-doubts about his stubborn contention over John Mark? Maybe. Did he keep going until he heard the call of God? Absolutely. “We sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them” (16:10).

    One of the most common reasons people stop serving the Lord is when God puts what we think are road blocks on our plans. Paul’s original plan appeared to go clockwise like he did on his first journey then circle back to Antioch (Syria). Instead, the Holy Spirit led them not to a dead end, but to a detour from Paul’s plans and a call to the Lord’s plans.

    Like Paul and probably like you, I’ve had the Lord change my plans. God’s changes are not God’s cancellations, but course corrections. The Spirit’s detours are not dead ends, but new, better destinations. Sure there were imprisonments and beatings along the way, but there were also conversions and eventually Paul ended up in at the Areopagus, conferring and convincing the philosophers of Athens.

    God’s delays and detours are not His denials. Keep listening for God’s Macedonian call for your life.

After the first missionary journey

   ¹⁵ Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.” ⁶ The apostles and elders met to consider this question....

¹² The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. ¹³When they finished, James spoke up. “Brothers,” he said, “listen to me. ¹⁴ Simon has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles. … ¹⁹ “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. ²⁰ Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.

Acts 15:5-6, 12-14, 19-20 

    Inevitably, there will be division as a result of ministry. But there does not need to be needless division, and today we will see the necessity of unity within the ministry.

    When I led mission trips with the youth, I would tell them that we need to remember two truths:

     Truth #1 There is a God!

     Truth #2 I am not Him!

    By that, I meant that there is an order to everything, and God is not a God of disorder. 1 Corinthians 14:33 (NIV) says, “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.” The Greek word for disorder is confusion, tumult, unquietness. In order to avoid disorder, we must submit to God and His plan so that things will work harmoniously and in unity. Part of submitting to God means that we must graciously submit to one another in love (“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” --Ephesians 5:21).

    What does that have to do with today’s passage? A lot. Read in verse 2 that Paul and Barnabas “had no small dissension and dispute” with some other Christians. Verse 7 says there was “much dispute” on the issue of whether Gentile converts to Christianity had to follow the Jewish custom of circumcision.

    Undergoing circumcision in order to become a part of the church was, to put it mildly, no small commitment. Give me a baptistry of water any day!

    An interesting point to observe is that both sides of the issue were fervently presented. Yet when the ruling came, there was great unity within the church. There is obviously a lot of discussion which was left out here. It appears that those in disagreement felt it was more important to be united than to be defiant! The spirit of unity and submission is obvious. 

    The key word for today is unity, but the key word behind unity can be found in verse 11: grace. Grace is normally defined as “unmerited favor” or “an undeserved gift” (I like to remember it as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense). We are saved by God’s grace. Therefore, why should we fight and have disunity within the body? We are saved by grace, but the letter from the “Jerusalem Council” added other stipulations for new believers, especially Gentiles.

    The first and second things listed (Idolatry, sexual immorality) would affect the believers’ witness with the pagan world. The last two things listed (eating strangled animals and consuming blood, NLT) would affect the believers’ witness with non-Christian Jews. The four prohibitions are NOT requirements for salvation; there is nothing other than or in addition to the grace of God which saves us. These prohibitions at the time were given because there are things we do and should not do after our salvation that will help us serve as good witnesses.

Pray now that we all be of one accord and of one mind in following the leadership of God through our authorities.

First Missionary Journey, part 9--"I was wrr--"

¹ Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” ² This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. ³ The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad. ⁴ When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.

Acts 15:1-4

Do you remember Fonzie from Happy Days. The super cool, leather-jacketed, motor cycle-riding, supposed tough guy who was the envy of all the guys and the dream of all the girls?  I remember a particular episode in which he had to admit he was wrong, but he just could not put those three words together, “I was wr…” he stammered as he tried to apologize to Richie Cunningham. But something kept getting caught in his throat. Another time he tried to say he was sorry but that too just couldn’t come out.

It is never right to be wrong but it is even wronger to be wrong and not admit it. And it is more wronger to not admit your error, apologize for it, and make it right. And perhaps it is the most wrongest of all is to not learn from your wrongs. (Did I say that right? Rightly? Let’s just go with it.)

A few days ago, I was wrrr... a little less than accurate, to say Peter was in Galatia when he was confronted by Paul for not accepting the Gentile believers (see Part 7). It is recorded in Galatians 2:11-21, but it clearly happened in Antioch. More than likely, the incident occurred right here at the beginning of Acts 15. (Actually, I intentionally made a mistake so that I could come back to it and use it as an illustration of admitting when you are wrong…Yeah…riiiiight!… but again, let’s just go with this too!!)

Peter was wrong. So many people identify with Peter, not because he was never wrong, but because he, like so many of us, was wrong so many times. He who literally rebuked Lord with the words, “No, Lord!” (Matthew 16:22) would again say those same words again when he saw a vision of unclean foods and told by God to kill and eat (Acts 10:14). “Never, Lord!” Peter had protested. But that was not the last mistake he would make.

Paul wrote about the incident in Galatians 2, but maybe Luke didn’t want to rub it in and did not record the event in Acts. Peter and even Barnabas was carried away with the hypocrisy in Antioch by not eating with Gentiles when those from Jerusalem came.

Paul however would have nothing to do with the hypocrisy. Even though Peter had been with Christ during his earthly ministry, was an eyewitness to the resurrection, and even led the centurion Cornelius to Christ in Caesarea, Paul stood up to Peter before them all and said, “If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews?”(Galatians 2:14b). 

Peter was wrong, but he wasn’t “wronger than wrong”. By the time they went from Antioch back to Jerusalem in Acts 15, notice how Peter not only changes his tune, but he is singing in harmony with Paul before all of the leadership there. His words sound a lot like those which Paul had said to him!

“Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.” (Acts 15:10-11)

Compare those words of Peter with the words Paul had used to rebuke Peter. “If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews? We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.” (Galatians 2:14b-16)

John Maxwell said, 

“A person must be 

big enough to admit his or her mistakes, 

smart enough to profit from them, and 

strong enough to correct them.” 

(Okay, I’ll admit that sounds better than my “wronger” quote.) Peter not only admitted his umpteenth mistake, but he learned from it and publicly corrected it.

Don’t be a Fonzie! Practice with me in saying, (1, 2, 3)“I was wrong.”
“I am sorry.”
“Let me make it right.”

“Aaaayyy” Now that sounded pretty cool!

First Missionary Journey, Part 8--Pain goes away (sort of)

    This is the last devotional from Paul’s first missionary journey with Barnabas. As we prepare to follow the Apostle Paul’s footsteps, I hope these build your spiritual anticipation and prepare your hearts for our journey together…

     In learning to be a parent or at least a dad, there are some phrases we just had to learn, like “Don’t make me turn this car around” and “When I was your age…”.

     And this one which applies to our devotional for today. “Just think how good it will feel when it stops hurting.”

     That phrase really doesn’t help, especially when you just now hit your thumb with a hammer, but another thing I would say as a Dad was, “Pain goes away”. Not always, but at least over time, the pain doesn’t throb quite as much.

     Paul and Barnabas were finishing up on their first missionary journey and were about to return to Antioch in Syria. Read the following:

²¹ And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch (in Pisidia, modern day Turkey --TM), ²² strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” ²³ So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed. ²⁴ And after they had passed through Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia. ²⁵ Now when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia. ²⁶ From there they sailed to Antioch (that is in Syria, where they began their journey --TM), where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work which they had completed. ²⁷ Now when they had come and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. ²⁸ So they stayed there a long time with the disciples.

     The two went back through the same cities where they had previously been persecuted and then ultimately back to Antioch in Syria, and told about the “tribulations” but also about the victories. Despite all of the hardships, the overarching theme of their report seemed positive especially as they shared about the door of faith that had been opened to the Gentiles.

     Many years later, the apostle John would quote Jesus as saying, “A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.” John 16:21

     On Sunday, Randy preached on the hardships and the love of God. Probably the most remaining images was of the child who was malnourished and then recovered. There are many hardships in our lives, some almost unimaginable except for the sustaining grace of God. I cannot imagine what it must have been like for Paul to be stoned and then return to the same city. What would it have been like to call down blindness onto a false prophet? What must it have been like be followed and chased down by opposing people with the same zeal against Christians that Paul once had?

     There is a song Elvis sang (others sang it too but I love Elvis’s gospels)

I'm gonna meet God the Father and God the Son

Yes, I'm gonna meet God the Father and God the Son

Well, well, well, well

I'm gonna sit down and tell Him my troubles

About the world that I just came from

That's when we walk on that milky white way

Oh Lord, one of these days

     No, I don’t really ascribe to the questionable theology in some of the those old songs but I sure do appreciate and empathize with the sentiments. There is something beautiful about God collecting all of our tears and placing them in a bottle. ^8​You number my wanderings; ​​Put my tears into Your bottle; ​​Are they not in Your book? ⁹ ​​When I cry out to You, ​​Then my enemies will turn back; ​​This I know, because God is for me. ¹⁰ ​​In God (I will praise His word), ​​In the LORD (I will praise His word), ¹¹ ​​In God I have put my trust; ​​I will not be afraid. ​​What can man do to me? (Psalm 56:8-11)

     And there is something in the Bible that says God Himself will wipe away our tears. “for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 7:17)

     Hebrews 12:2 said even Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, endured the cross, despising the shame, all for the joy that was set before Him.

     Hmmm. Maybe the psalmist, the apostles John and Paul, Elvis and even Dads know what they are talking about. Maybe the joy will make it feel so good when the pains of this world finally go away. 

First Missionary Journey, part 7

¹³ You know that because of physical infirmity I preached the gospel to you at the first. ¹⁴ And my trial which was in my flesh you did not despise or reject, but you received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ What then was the blessing you enjoyed? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me. ¹⁶ Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?

Galatians 4:13-16

      Following up on the previous devotional (#6) from Acts 14, Paul and Barnabas spent about three years on their first missionary journey. They spent a “long time” (Acts 14:3) in the Galatia area, despite Paul’s being stoned almost to death. While there, Paul was likely sick with some affliction, as indicated in the above passage from Galatians chapter 4. 

  Look at the Google maps of the first missionary journey to Lystra, once they reached modern-day Turkey. The missionary duo ascended up to nearly 6,000 feet elevation in the mountainous region (see left chart, showing the altitude, created from Google Earth). The grueling 350 miles travel by foot was only exasperated by Paul’s sickness, yet he remained faithful and bold.

     It was also during this stay that another incident occurred which is not recorded in Acts. Peter (called “Cephas” in Galatians 2) along with men associated with the Lord’s half-brother James came from Jerusalem and demonstrated some legalism by their not sitting with non-Jewish believers.

¹¹ Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; ¹² for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. ¹³ And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.

¹⁴ But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, “If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews?

Galatians 2:11-14

     Paul’s courageous stand in support of the Gentiles of Galatia, his tenacity despite physical sickness, and his being stoned by the people of Lystra, all of these things endeared Paul to the believers in this area.

     It will be helpful to brush up on your Greek Mythology before we head over to Greece and Turkey. The Apostle Paul breathed and moved among the Greek god atmosphere, and while we think we live in increasingly pagan surroundings, imagine the boldness of Paul bringing Christianity to the Roman empire. He not only faced down historic and embedded Greek and Roman mythology, he also contended with the contemporary cult of forced worship of the Roman emperor. And still battled his own Jewish adversaries to boot.

     Acts 14 is an excellent case in point of knowing Greek history. Indulge yourself to recall a lesser known mythological story, (taken verbatim from greekmythology.com)

Philemon and his wife Baucis were an old couple that appeared in a myth that is lesser known among those of Greek and Roman mythology. They lived in the region of Tyana, which may have been in Phrygia. The gods Zeus and Hermes (or Jupiter and Mercury in Roman mythology) had been disguised as peasants and asked for a place to spend the night; all the inhabitants of Tyana rejected them. They finally reached the poor cottage of the old couple, who unlike their rich neighbors accepted them graciously and offered them the best hospitality they could with their simple means.

While eating, Baucis saw that the wine pitcher was still full despite having served their guests numerous times, and realized that the two guests must have been gods. She mentioned it to her husband and the two of them started apologizing for not having anything better to serve them.

They then decided to kill the goose that they had as a guardian pet, but when Philemon tried to catch it, the goose ran in Zeus' lap. The god said that there was no need to slay the goose; instead they should pack up their few belongings and leave their cottage, because they would destroy the whole town for the lack of hospitality of its residents.

The couple followed the gods to the nearby mountain, from where they saw that the town had been destroyed by a flood; where their cottage once stood, now lay a glorious temple. The couple asked that they serve as guardians of the temple and Zeus accepted; they also asked that when it was time for one of them to die, that the other would die as well.

So, when their time was due, Zeus gave them their wish and transformed them into an intertwining pair of trees, an oak and a linden.       .

    The area of Tyana in Phrygia (the setting of the Greek Myth of Zeus and Hermes coming down) is only 150 miles from Lystra. What I find fascinating is not only did Paul and Barnabas become the objects of worship from the people, but how quickly it turned to a "lack of hospitality" of its residents. That was the very point of judgment according to the pagan myth!!

        If there was a theme from today’s devotional, it would be stand strong despite physical affliction (Paul’s illness), Christian legalism (Cephas and those from James in Jerusalem), and pagan opposition (Greek mythology).

First Missionary Journey, Part 6

⁸ And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who had never walked. ⁹ This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, ¹⁰ said with a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet!” And he leaped and walked. ¹¹ Now when the people saw what Paul had done, they raised their voices, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” ¹² And Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. ¹³ Then the priest of Zeus, whose temple was in front of their city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, intending to sacrifice with the multitudes.

¹⁴ But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard this, they tore their clothes and ran in among the multitude, crying out ¹⁵ and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them, ¹⁶ who in bygone generations allowed all nations to walk in their own ways. ¹⁷ Nevertheless He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.” ¹⁸ And with these sayings they could scarcely restrain the multitudes from sacrificing to them.

¹⁹ Then Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there; and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. ²⁰ However, when the disciples gathered around him, he rose up and went into the city. And the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.

Acts 14:8-20

As we prepare for our journey, I am sending out devotionals about the first missionary journey, in which Paul visits places we won’t go to but I hope this prepares us in visiting Athens, Greece and Turkey.

If these devotionals are helpful to you, reply back to me if you don’t mind, because a little bit of affirmation every once in a while never hurts anyone … but as we will see in today’s reading with Paul and Barnabus getting mistaken as being the gods Zeus and Hermes, too much affirmation can hurt  … a lot!

     In our previous devotional we saw the boldness of Paul and Barnabas. N.T. Wright says in his 2018 book Paul—A Biography that the controversial apostle was high maintenance as a friend, but also high value.

“He will say boo to every goose within earshot and all the swans as well … He tells the ship owner where he should and shouldn’t spend the winter and then says ‘I told you so” when it all goes horribly wrong … As a companion, he must have been exhilarating when things were going well and exasperating when they weren’t.”

     Not only did he and Barnabas continue in boldness, he for the first but not the last time suffers physical harm for the gospel. But with persecution, they find success. God allowed the two missionaries to find a grandmother in Derbe named Lois who came to Christ, along with her daughter, Eunice. Oh, yes, Lois also had a grandson, likely just a teenager then, and she made sure that they all grew strong in their faith. That teenaged grandson’s name was Timothy.

     I believe Paul found Eunice and Lois and Timothy the first time because decades later, Paul reminds Timothy what he went through.

¹⁰ But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, ¹¹ persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra—what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. ¹² Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.... ¹⁴ But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, ¹⁵ 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.

 (2 Timothy 3)

     What I find so amazing and powerful about the opposition that the missionary duo faced is that they were able to shake the dust off their feet and go on FILLED with joy and FILLED with the Holy Spirit. Hardships and struggles are not signs we are outside of God’s will, they are His signals that we are in good company, right along with Christ.

--If we face opposition, rejoice because you are about to find a Timothy.--

     Jesus is recorded as commanding four times in three synoptic gospels to shake the dust off the feet (see Luke 10:10-11 and Matthew 10:14, Mark 6:11, Luke 9:5). Clement of Alexandria (who lived from 150 to 215 A.D.) said that Barnabas could have been part of the 70 who were “sent out” (in Greek “apostle”) in Luke 10:1. Paul and Barnabas are called apostles in Acts 14:4. An apostle was one who was “sent out” as a witness of Christ and, according to Acts 1:22, “a witness with us of His resurrection.”

     In Acts 4:36, we see that Barnabas’ real name is Joses and while that was a common name, one of the several Marys who were at the tomb was called “Mary, mother of Joses” (Mark 15:40). If Barnabas is the same as Joses whose mother was at Christ’s burial, Clement of Alexandria could very well be correct that Barnabas was part of the original 70 “sent out ones” of Christ and indeed be an “apostle” who was commissioned by Jesus Himself. No wonder Barnabas and Paul were so bold.

     When we spend time reading of the Old and New Testament saints, we too will grow bold despite opposition.