Acts 15:36-16:5

Back to Acts! I’ve always been troubled by Paul and Barnabas separating over the issue of John Mark going along. But you may recall that Barnabas was John Mark’s cousin (Colossians 4:10, translated as uncle only in the KJV), so family ties would have prompted Barnabas to have Mark along. And as I ponder this further, I always remember Barnabas as an encourager; even his name translates as the “Son of Encouragement” (Acts 4:36). So I see that Barnabas wants John Mark to go along as an encouragement to this young missionary. But Paul is adamant against him going along and they separate. But in fact, even as our Men’s Group split into a Versailles group and a Keene group and each group added new members, so Paul and Barnabas going different directions meant a doubling of missionary activity. So, not all bad…

And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches. (v. 41) Syria is the region where the major city Antioch was located, inland from the east-northeast coast of the Mediterranean sea. Cilicia is the region where Tarsus (Paul’s hometown) was located, on the north-northeast coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Paul and Silas walked through these regions on their way to the cities in Asia Minor that Paul had visited on his first missionary journey. The verse cited above mentions them strengthening the churches along the way, but we have no mention of any of Paul’s earlier missionary activities in Syria and Cilicia. Still, it could have been other missionaries or Paul on his own missionary activity. It’s interesting that Paul and Silas likely traveled to and through Tarsus on their way to Derbe and Lystra, but there is no mention of Paul’s hometown in this passage.

Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. (v. 3) I imagine you wonder, along with me, as to why Paul had Timothy circumcised when the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15) said there was no need for Gentiles to be circumcised. But Timothy’s parents were Jewish and Greek, so he did not fall fully into either camp. My Study Bible suggested that it was for the sake of expediency, so that Paul’s work among the many Jews in that region would be more effective.

As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. (v. 4) There has been a lot of discussion among Bible scholars as to when the Jerusalem Council met. I won’t go into all that, but it seems clear from this verse that the Council met sometime between Paul’s first and second missionary journeys. If Paul is bringing the decisions of the Council to these cities, there is a clear suggestion that he had not had those decisions the first time he visited these cities. Small point…

It’s nice to be back in Acts!!

Slava Bohu!

James 5:12-20

So today we finish James. It’s been a good ten days!

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him… (vv. 13-14) How fitting are James’ words for the current time in which we live! There are probably a number of people in our church who are “suffering” to some degree, maybe laid off from work or frustrated being homebound. I don’t know of anyone sick. And I hope that most of you are cheerful. Whatever our situations, our elders are taking James’ words to heart. Our church leadership team has taken it upon themselves to check on everyone in our congregation. They have divided up our church directory, everyone they can think of, and are making phone calls at least once a week checking up on our corporate welfare. They’ve got a series of questions to ask to guide their conversations and, at a minimum, will be praying for our welfare. So if you haven’t already, you’ll soon be getting a phone call. And if you don’t get a call by the end of this week, let me know and I’ll check up on it for you.

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. (v. 16) I’ve been attending our 12-Step group, Freedom Road for the past two years. AA seems to have taken James to heart. They are big on confession, with mentoring. They would maintain that it is difficult for an alcoholic to go “cold turkey” without someone to walk alongside, encouraging them as they go. And no, their success rate is far short of 100%, but their program seems to work better than anything else out there. A first cousin to this confession and mentoring that we emphasize in many of our small groups is accountability – again, a one-to-one or one-to-a-group responsibility that a person places on himself or herself to stay on a right path, for whatever issue has been troubling them. It’s a good model to follow. I would hope that each of you is accountable at some level to another person or to a larger group. It’s a good discipline to own.

Slava Bohu!

James 5:1-11

Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged… (v. 9) The word “grumble” is also translated “complain” in the NASB and the NKJV. I had never noticed this before, that our grumbling/complaining against one another will be held against us, will be judged. I think James is speaking specifically about grumbling/complaining “within the body” – wherein lies that judgment. So does that free us up to grumble and complain “outside the body”? No judgment there…? Maybe, maybe not… But what gain is there for us to grumble and complain about anything, inside or outside “the body”? James suggests patience instead of grumbling and complaining. In fact, he mentions patience in three verses – vv. 7, 8, 10. I think he is trying to make a point!

James distinguishes between patience and endurance (v. 11). Yes, there is a difference! My Study Bible makes the point that Job endured, but he was certainly not patient! Paul lists patience as a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22), so we have it as a praiseworthy virtue. But endurance (also translated perseverance and steadfastness) is also highly regarded. One source I found online lists ten occurrences in the Epistles where the writer encourages endurance (https://walkinlove.com/blogs/walk-in-love/10-bible-verses-about-endurance). In fact, you may recall that James begins this Epistle with a call for endurance (James 1:2-4). So, it looks like we may get a pass if we are a bit impatient – so long as we endure those difficulties set before us. Just kidding. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit. Seek it.

Slava Bohu!

James 4:11-17

Today’s topics: Judging, boasting, “profiteering” (v. 13, “…spend a year…trade…profit…”)… Judging and boasting are fairly clear to us, I think. But this “profiteering” item made me wonder what James meant by that. I think it’s more than simply being an entrepreneur. I think it’s going off on our own, making our own plans, seeking an advantageous situation in “this world” (possibly at the expense of others?), and not seeking the Holy Spirit as to where we should go or what we should do. We admire the entrepreneurial spirit here in the USA and, fundamentally, it’s what leads our economy. But there are right and wrong ways to be entrepreneurial. Taking advantage of others’ misfortunes is wrong. But serving society as one moves forward is quite another. I have three cases in mind – Todd, our daughter Rachel, and our son-in-law Junior.

Todd has his own financial services business. He’s had this business all along, but only as an aside; he was working full time for the state until the change in governors left him without a job. So now his business is full time self-employment. I expect Todd to be market-oriented in how he charges for his services, but I also know that he will be fair and that he will work hard for his clients to do the best he can for them. He has already sent a note to everyone that we have listed in our church directory advising them of tax implications of this current Covid-19 situation. He is performing a service that people need; he is an entrepreneur, but not a profiteer!

Rachel owns her own flower shop – now six years successful. She loves what she does and her clients love her work. Much of her revenue comes from weddings, and she is always concerned to offer brides (and their mothers!) the most beauty and the best value that she can find for them. She also has funerals and again is concerned to suggest the proper arrangement in keeping with the somber tone for some or the resurrection theme for others. She also gets orders for flower arrangements for birthdays, anniversaries, and general occasions, again offering her clients the most beauty for the best value. Finally, she has hired a part-time worker, Grace who will be full-time in a few weeks when Rachel delivers our first granddaughter. And with this Covid-19 situation, Rachel is committed to keeping Grace employed so she does not lose her only income. Again, like Todd, Rachel is performing a service that people need; she is an entrepreneur, but not a profiteer!

Finally, Junior wants to start his own business. He currently has a full-time position, but truthfully at a lower wage than his abilities warrant. Junior is a repair person – he repairs appliances, computers, cell phones, televisions, flat screens, whatever. In our throw-away society, many (most?) of us simply buy new equipment when our old stuff fails. However, not everyone can afford this throw-away lifestyle; repairs are cheaper than new equipment and this is the client body that Junior hopes to serve. He will profit, but not excessively so. A large part of his motivation to own his own business is to let our daughter, Nancy, quit her high-stress job and become a stay-at-home mom. So he is now self-employed, part-time, and waiting for a time, like Todd, when he can afford to go out on his own.

Most of us are not profiteers – but there’s more than just our finances. We might be profiteers in some other sense – maybe working on our own efforts and not giving the Lord our most beautiful selves to HIS service and not trusting Him for the value that only He can give. If we’re to profit from knowing our Lord, let’s trust Him to invest us in His most profitable venture and serve Him to the best of the abilities that He has given us. His resources, His grace, His working through us…! GLORY!

Slava Bohu!

James 4:1-10

The ESV titles today’s reading, “Warning Against Worldliness”. With that in mind, verse 5b struck me when I read it in the NKJV: The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously. This verse is translated very differently in the ESV and the NASB. Not knowing which is the more correct, I liked the sense in which the NKJV pitches this verse – that the Holy Spirit within us is jealous of our affections for the world around us! James follows that thought up with an uplifting verse, But He gives more grace. (v. 6a) If the Holy Spirit within us is jealous for our love, God grants us more grace so that we might have a greater sense of the Holy Spirit within us and yearn more for Him. It’s hard for me to imagine God jealous for my love!

My Study Bible guided me a bit on verses 8-10, herein edited to highlight the commands: Draw near to God … Cleanse your hands … purify your heart … Be wretched and mourn and weep … Let your laughter be turned to mourning… Humble yourselves before the Lord. Pull all these commands together and it becomes a serious call to repentance! If the world is our lover, we need to repent.

Slava Bohu!

James 3:13-18

But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. (v. 14) As I first read this verse I immediately thought of politicians (across the board, some more than others) boasting about their accomplishments and either outright lying or stretching the truth or cherry-picking data to show the results they want us to see. I don’t know about the jealousy part, but clearly selfish ambition (reelection, personal advancement) contribute to their boasting and lying.

Then I let James’ words come a little closer to my own life – more personal. Again, I’m not sure about the jealousy; I’m too blessed in so many ways that I don’t see envy as a problem for me. But the selfish ambition – the NKJV translation says “self-seeking” – too true for me! And boasting… Way long time a problem for me and still a problem today. Years ago when I was a graduate student the leader of our Bible Study, a dear friend, counseled me about “tooting my own horn”. That pattern goes back to my childhood; there was clearly some personal motivation that kick-started it, but boasting and conceit were serious problems that finally began to diminish when I came to the Lord – but even then, I spent many years in the Lord before I began to see the Holy Spirit working in me to deal with those problems. Even today those issues remain, with my still wanting to be noticed for my accomplishments, for anything good that I have done. I am too fond of “the praise of men” (John 12:43). I battle constantly with my need for approval by others, even though it should be enough that the Lord loves me…!!

Verse 17b, here edited, offers an interesting list of traits in believers who seek “wisdom from above”: …pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable, merciful, fruitful, impartial, sincere. Many of us have memorized Paul’s fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23); I’ve never heard James’ list cited, but it certainly is worthy! Makes me (and you?) want to seek more of that “wisdom from above”…!!

Slava Bohu!

James 3:1-12

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. (v. 1) Often we are asked to upgrade our passwords to include an upper case letter, a lower case letter, a number, and a special character. Some time ago I found an ideal mix of these four attributes – Bible verses. I recently used Hebrews 10:24, our “gathering” verse. You should consider using some of your own favorite verses. Soon I will be adding the verse quoted above, James 3:1, as one of my major passwords. James 3:1 is a verse that I have long considered during my university days and to which I hearken to in leadership roles I have at St. Andrew’s. I don’t want to be found guilty of misleading others. With respect to RTB, I think I may have posted something a few weeks ago – that I try to be careful not to make any questionable statements on my RTB posts, unless I have external citations or I qualify them as personal opinions. And if I ever go too far, I hope that you would call me on it.

Today’s passage about the tongue rings true – with very little commentary needed. The one thing that I noticed new this morning is in verse 6: The tongue is … set on fire by hell. I left out the middle words in that verse to focus on only one item, that our tongue is the devil’s playground. It makes me want to be extra cautious about whatever I might say, verbally or in writing. Let’s be careful, folks.

Slava Bohu!

James 2:14-26

But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. (v. 18) James is distinguishing between two kinds of faith, one without works and one with works. My Study Bible refers to the former, faith without works, as an “intellectual assent to certain truths”. Two verses later James says that …faith apart from works is useless. (v. 20b) I find it hard to imagine faith without works. For years I’ve been telling our Avanza kids, “…we want you to know Him, love Him, and serve Him. The more you know Jesus, you can’t help but love Him, and the more you love Him, the more you will want to serve Him by serving others in His name.” I just can’t see someone claiming faith and not wanting to serve. That seems to me, very weak faith – maybe even “lukewarm”.

I understand James’ reference to the latter, faith with works, to mean faith demonstrated by works. My Catholic roots run deep and I do not claim to know or understand all their theology, but I do not believe that they are saying that we are (or can be) saved on the basis of our works alone. My sense is that their faith is James’ “faith with works”. Immediately Catholic hospitals come to mind. Hospitals today may be big money makers, but Catholic hospitals were founded first and foremost to serve – to heal and to comfort. I also think of Catholic missionaries. It seems to me that many Protestant missionaries today have a full focus on preaching the gospel to the unreached. Early Catholic missionaries, on the other hand, went to the unreached to establish clinics and schools, to heal and to teach. They built their own chapels for their services and would encourage their patients and their students to come to their services. But they came to the unreached, first and foremost, to serve – not to preach.

None of the above is meant to diminish Protestant missionary activity. I love what the Petersons are doing in Egypt and what Mark and Tomi Bruner were doing with Podskali in Czechia. And while the Shirkeys, the Harkonens and Bethany Tennent are clearly Gospel-focused, they are all doing admirable work! Not everyone is called to medical or educational service. Bethany, especially, has everyone’s highest admiration! What a life she has cut out for herself – in my opinion she is honoring our Lord at the highest level of service!

I fully agree with James. Our faith is most manifest to the world around us in both our walk and our talk. If we never speak to others of what God has done for us, we are missing the opportunity to lead others to Him. But if all we do is talk, I’m not sure that unbelievers will want to listen. So, go forth – walk and talk!!

Slava Bohu!

James 2:1-13

Mercy triumphs over judgment. (v. 13) Because this is true we have hope of eternal life. Without mercy we are damned to hell because we, ourselves, can never pay the debt for the sins we have committed. Period.

I mentioned two days ago about James’ discussions of the rich and the poor. Here we have it played out in today’s first seven verses. Yet as a society we do tend to honor the rich and powerful. And it’s not just our American society. Carol and I have seen it firsthand when we lived in Slovakia in 04/05 and again in 09/10. Even though we were living and working among them (and were not just tourists) we were always treated with extreme graciousness, much more than our positions warranted. And I’m sure Debbie saw the same thing in Uganda last summer. Yes, she was an emissary for St. Andrew’s, and St. Andrew’s has been supporting them with thousands of dollars a year since 2004. Still, I daresay, Debbie and Julie were also treated with extreme graciousness – the best seats, the best food, the warmest welcomes. No doubt, knowing Debbie and Julie, they deserved it!! Again, still, the point is made, we honor the rich among us.

But let me back off that position a bit and look at another side of St. Andrew’s – Avanza! Here we find ourselves, probably more than 50 volunteers in the past seven years, serving the poor among us. It’s a small thing and we wish it could be bigger, wishing that we could get more to church on Sundays. But it’s St. Andrew’s reaching out in some small way – and with other ministries too.

Verse 13a: For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy.

Slava Bohu!

James 1:12-27

Hearing, speaking, doing. Each of these activities is mentioned more than once in today’s reading. Hearing is mentioned four times (vv. 19, 22, 23, 25); speaking is mentioned twice (vv. 19, 26); and doing is mentioned four times (vv. 22, 23, 25, 27). In addition, hearing precedes both speaking and doing (see especially verses 19 and 23). Which makes me think more about David’s continuing call to silence for those of us at St. Andrew’s. I confess that I have not been practicing silence as David has suggested, but I think I should. Silence and hearing before speaking or doing – a good plan.

But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin… (vv. 14-15) The NASB translates “desire” as “lust”. Unfortunately, lust more often is associated with sexual thoughts. But on the other hand, lust is a much stronger word than desire – and if we thought of our own personal temptations as lust instead of desire, it might help us to battle more forcefully with those trials and to seek the Holy Spirit’s intervention on our behalf. Strange, but reasonable…!

Slava Bohu!