Acts 20:1-16

We’re a bit chronologically challenged with today’s reading. In The Chronological Study Bible the first three verses in chapter 20 fall between I and II Corinthians. That is, Paul was on the move from Ephesus (after the “Demetrius silversmith” riot in Acts 19) to Macedonia (Thessalonica, Philippi) where he presumably wrote II Corinthians, then on to Corinth, from where he wrote Romans. We now have him leaving Corinth and going back through Macedonia, then by way of Ephesus traveling to Jerusalem.

Sopater the Berean, son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy; and the Asians, Tychicus and Trophimus. (v. 4) For our purposes the individual names are not so important; however, what we need to know is that Paul now has traveling companions from Achaia, Macedonia, Galatia, and Asia as he is carrying funds for the relief of the believers in Jerusalem.

These went on ahead and were waiting for us at Troas, but we sailed away from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days we came to them at Troas, where we stayed for seven days. (vv. 5-6) We have another set of “we” pronouns here, presumably Luke reflecting himself. In these two verses it is Luke traveling with Paul. Later in verses 13 and 14 the “we” is Luke without Paul. Then we pick up Luke and Paul together again in verse 15. So in summary, the “we/us” pronouns are Luke and Paul, except in verses 13 and 14.

A bit of geography… In verse 6, Philippi is at the northeastern tip of Macedonia (modern-day Greece) while Troas is at the northwestern tip of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). Assos is about 20 miles south of Troas by land, but 40 miles by sea. From Assos the disciples hugged the coast of Asia Minor, moving between and around the islands (Chios and Samos, v. 15). Finally, Miletus (v. 15) is about 30 miles south of Ephesus. Presumably Paul did not want to go directly to Ephesus – too many friends there who would have taken up too much time with him visiting them all (v. 16).

Slava Bohu!

Romans 16:17-27

So today we finish Romans! We’ve been just four days short of three months in I and II Corinthians and Romans, Paul’s longest letters. Tomorrow we move back to Acts for a bit. It’ll be a nice change!

Scholars believe that Paul wrote Romans from Corinth. Recall that he had spent 18 months there on his second missionary journey and was now visiting them on his third, so Paul had a lot of friends in Corinth. This we can see, in part, from the number of people who along with Paul send greetings to the Roman church. Two of these, Tertius and Quartus are apparently slaves. Their names mean third and fourth, a common naming process among slaveholders in Rome.

I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. (v. 17) My first thought on reading this verse had to do with discussions among believers that sometimes get quite animated – heated, even! And while generating ill will among believers is not good, Paul here is speaking of divisions and obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught. That is, he is not ruling out disagreements among believers as to Scriptural interpretations or institutional structures or whatever else is of lesser consequence. He is concerned with doctrinal matters, as we should be also.

Unfortunately we are prone to disagreements resulting from confusions over interpretations, as in what does Scripture say or what does that sentence/paragraph mean? For example, sprinkling or immersion baptism…?? Churches split over issues like this! We need to be careful! In our own recent change from two services to one a substantial number of people moved on to other churches, and we are sad to see them go. However, there are still a number of people who are still with us who may quietly disagree with how we are doing things. And I daresay that each and every one of us has a suggestion as to how to make things better! But better for whom? As I posted a few days ago, we need to be less concerned with what we like or dislike and more concerned with how to bring non-believers into the fold. And in all things let’s not …cause divisions and create obstacles…!

Slava Bohu!

Romans 16:1-16

Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well. (vv. 3-4) Prisca (Pricilla) and Aquila, Aquila and Prisca. Yeah, another day of tying things together! We met back in Acts 18. They were tentmakers in Corinth and Paul stayed with them. Then he took them to Ephesus with him and they stayed there while he went on to Jerusalem. Now we find them in Rome. So, Corinth, Ephesus, Rome…! Three of the leading churches in the northern Mediterranean world, and Prisca and Aquila are tied to all three!

But there is also another aspect of their ministry that shows up in today’s reading. Verse 5a says Greet also the church in their house. Paul is writing to the Romans, so Prisca and Aquila have a church meeting in their house in Rome. What’s interesting about this item is that I Corinthians 16:19 also recognizes that Aquila and Prisca host a church that meets in their house: The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house. Here Paul is writing to the Corinthians (in Greece/Achaia) from Ephesus/Asia with a note of greeting from the Prisca/Aquila house-church in Ephesus. Beyond those two recorded house-churches in Rome and Ephesus, I have no doubt that Aquila and Prisca also hosted a house-church in Corinth. No wonder …all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks [for them] as well!

Finally, Prisca and Aquila are mentioned one more time in Paul’s letters, in II Timothy 4:19. What a ministry they must have had!!

Slava Bohu!

Romans 15:22-33

…I have so often been hindered from coming to you. (v. 22b) Way back on March 31 I posted that Paul had gone south from Thessalonica to Berea, then on to Athens and Corinth. He was being hassled by Jews in Thessalonica, so much so that The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea… (Acts 17:10) I had argued that Paul’s original intent may have been to continue west on the Egnatian Way so as to go to Rome, bypassing Achaia totally, and this may have been one of those times when he was hindered from going to Rome. We’ll never know – it was a big maybe on my part!

At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints. For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem. (vv. 25-26) It’s so nice to tie things together. We have been reading in I and II Corinthians about this collection in Thessalonica, Philippi, and Corinth for the relief of the Jerusalem Christians. Now we see mention of it here in Romans and we already knew about it. Nice…

Finally, Paul is asking for prayers by the Roman Christians …that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea… (v. 31a) That did not happen. We will soon learn that he was arrested in Jerusalem because of an altercation with the unbelieving Jews and that he was held in custody for his own protection. He finally did get to Rome, but as a prisoner. So, his prayer request did not get answered in the way Paul had intended. The Holy Spirit had other plans.

Slava Bohu!

Romans 15:14-21

…thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation… (v. 20) So often I look for Paul’s writing with application to our own times. Sorry, not this time! In our sharing of the Gospel, every one of us (except maybe someone like Bethany Tennent) is building on someone else’s foundation! Thankfully we have thousands, millions even, who have gone before us and shown us the way to speak the Gospel to unbelievers. Still, however, we need to rest in the Holy Spirit – trusting that He will guide us with words to speak when opportunities arise.

…the grace given me by God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. (vv. 15b-16) Paul is drawing on his Jewish heritage here, essentially linking himself to the Jewish priests who offer animal sacrifices in the temple for the forgiveness of the sins of the Jewish people. In similar fashion, Paul is seeing himself in the role of a priest, but offering the Gentiles as a “human sacrifice”, praying that this sacrifice will be acceptable to God. I can imagine that this “human sacrifice” of the Gentiles is MUCH more pleasing to God than all the animal sacrifices for thousands of years! I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. (Luke 15:7) GLORY!!

Slava Bohu!

Romans 15:1-13

I am amazed at Paul’s command of Scripture. In a span of just four verses (9b-12) he quotes from II Samuel, Deuteronomy, Isaiah, and twice from Psalms. Understand, folks, he did not have Google to search electronically for “Gentiles”. He KNEW where to find those specific verses. Amazing!!

We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. (v. 1) “…not to please ourselves.” I thought about this concept over and over when we were a two-service congregation. Was our church service supposed to be about making ourselves happy or about bringing in new people? Now, frankly, I don’t know whether outsiders (especially younger singles and families) would more appreciate the contemporary music of the second service or would prefer the traditions and structures associated with the first service (as I have seen quoted from sources outside our congregation). But the point to be made is that we should have been tailoring our services toward bringing in those outsiders – whatever form that might have taken. So even now, down to one service, if there’s something we don’t like we need to ask ourselves whether it’s our preferences that dominate or our outreach.

For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” (v. 3) Those of you who are reading from the ESV translation (the one we use most often at St. Andrew’s) have lower-case letters on “himself”, “you”, and “me”. In general the ESV does not capitalize pronouns referring to God – to any of the three persons – and I think that’s unfortunate. I suppose the intent is to not bias the reader, but I disagree. If you go back to the Isaiah quote in verse 3, the “you” in that verse refers to God and the “me” refers to his “suffering servant”. Paul identifies the suffering servant as Jesus and the quote with capital letters makes complete sense. So, read the NASB, the anointed version, complete with Deific pronouns capitalized…!!

Slava Bohu!

Romans 14:14-23

It’s a simple statement, but I love Paul’s wording: Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died. (v. 15b) If our “liberty” in our behavior creates friction with another brother or sister, it’s better not to exhibit that liberty. I was trying to think of an example and came up with one related again to my politics post from yesterday – and our own current political climate. Beyond just being and voting Democrat or Republican, there are people out there who are absolutely in love with or who absolutely hate President Trump or past-President Obama. But one person’s visible and vocal liberty in loving Trump (or Obama) can cause another person’s blood to boil because of their disgust with Trump’s (or Obama’s) person or policies. Better to just be silent about your politics if you know it’s going to create friction with someone else. Reasoned discussion, yes, but poison politics, no.

Slava Bohu!

Romans 14:1-13

Paul could easily be talking to us today in today’s reading. Initially I was thinking Democrat-Republican policy fights and name-calling at the national and state level. Then I thought of our own Men’s Group Bible Study, how our discussions have sometimes gotten heated over politics – unfortunately, more often than not, way off topic. But those divisions clearly exist in our own St. Andrew’s congregation. There are good arguments on both sides and good debates could be had, but (again, unfortunately) party loyalty and television sound bites tend to triumph over reasoned discussion.

But then I thought further of our first service / second service history and the challenges we faced when we went to a unified service. There were first-service people who would never attend at 11:00 and second-service people who would never go to the 9:00 am service. Some people don’t like guitars and drums, while others don’t like vestments and choirs. But these are “earthly” matters – we Christians disagree on so many things. My Study Bible had a good quote: “Christians do not agree on all matters pertaining to the Christian life, nor do they need to.” Finally, Paul says it best, I think, in his closing statements: But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God… So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this—not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way. (vv. 11-13, NASB)

Slava Bohu!

Romans 13:8-14

Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. (v. 11) I think Paul is speaking directly to today’s Christian church – it truly is time to wake up!! We’ve been slumbering long enough and the “world” has taken hold of us. This verse hits home for me this time more than in the past. I think it’s the result of Archbishop Beach’s two recent posts, “Wake Up, America!” and “Stand in the Gap”. Those talks were eloquent, moving, and forceful. Again, if you have not listened to both of these posts and would like to, send me a note an I will make them available for you.

Slava Bohu!

Romans 13:1-7

A reading so appropriate for today’s political climate… I was particular taken by today’s last verse: Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. (v. 7) I have no problem paying what is owed. Our tax filing deadline is ten days away and Carol and I are owing multiple thousands. Naturally we try to diminish our tax bill, but always legally. So taxes and revenue due as owed.

My difficulty comes with the respect and honor “payments”. Going back some 40 or 50 or even 60 years, both sides of the political fence have had substantial difficulties with this particular president or that particular senator or representative. And then when that position flips, those same partisan voters are elated that their men or women have been elected and things are right again. How do I know this? It’s exactly how I feel. For these many years I have been troubled during some administrations by who was serving as our president and then elated in other administrations by who was serving as our president. And it will happen again this November when the votes are counted – I’ll either be deeply troubled or joyfully elated. My academic job forced me to stay on top of the news, especially the economic issues and policies being put forward by either side, so I have some justification for my feelings.

HOWEVER, my feelings should not stand in the way of my praying for whomever is in power. Paul says explicitly, earlier in today’s reading, “For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” (v. 1b) God knows specifically who and why these persons are in power. We cannot question His authority. So it is incumbent on us to pray for those in power. But I have a hard time praying and leaving my biases behind!!

Slava Bohu!