Be Still And Know

Acts 18:9–10 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told him, “Don’t be afraid! Speak out! Don’t be silent! For I am with you, and no one will attack and harm you, for many people in this city belong to me.” Throughout the Bible we hear God telling people not to be afraid. When God made a covenant with Abram, the father of the nation of Israel, he spoke to him in a vision and said: “Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great” (Genesis 15:1). Later, we meet Joshua after the death of Moses and God said to him: “This is my command – be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). Much later, we hear the angel telling a young girl called Mary that she should not be afraid when she is told that she will bear the Son of God (Luke 1:30). The command not to be afraid reminds us how damaging fear can be. God knows that we cannot be effective in serving him unless we overcome the problem

Acts 17:32–34 When they heard Paul speak about the resurrection of the dead, some laughed in contempt, but others said, “We want to hear more about this later.” That ended Paul’s discussion with them, but some joined him and became believers. Paul received a complete range of reactions to his speech to the Areopagus. Some laughed, others wanted to hear more and yet others became believers. Those who laughed with contempt found the idea of the resurrection absurd. It is never pleasant to be laughed at, but Paul knew that the Christian message will always seem ridiculous to some people. He spoke about this at length when he wrote to the church in Corinth. If you have a partner, children or colleagues who find your faith a complete joke it is very tiring and discouraging. I pray that you will find grace and strength to cope, and also Christian friends who can support you. Other people were sufficiently stimulated by Paul’s message to want to hear more from him at a later date. When people first hear the

Acts 17:22–23 Paul, standing before the council, addressed them as follows: “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way, for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’” Paul must have been delighted to get an opportunity to speak to the council, which was known as the Areopagus. This was a highly respected body, which brought together the leading thinkers of Athenian society. I love the graciousness and sensitivity of Paul’s approach to them. He wanted to build a bridge with these learned people. He observed that he had been looking around the city and noticed that they were very religious. They would have loved that. But he went further, remarking that he had come upon one particular altar “To an Unknown God.” I am sure that his hearers were flattered by the care with which Paul had surveyed the situation and they were all ears. If we are to speak compellingly to our society, we too need to build a

Acts 17:17–18 [Paul] went to the synagogue to reason with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and he spoke daily in the public square to all who happened to be there. He also had a debate with some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. We have much to learn from Paul. When he went to a new place it was his usual practice to make contact first of all with those attending the synagogue. There he found not only Jews but also people who were interested in the faith who hadn’t made a full commitment. It was clearly a good place to talk about his faith and he was ideally qualified to speak with understanding to both Jews and Gentiles. But he didn’t leave it at that. He also went regularly to the public square. That was a more random activity and I love the way that Luke records him meeting those “who happened to be there”. And, as if that wasn’t enough, he also entered into lively debate with the philosophers. The Stoics taught the development of self-control as a means of overcoming destructive emotion

Acts 17:16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city. We have no reason to think that Paul intended to spend time in Athens. He was merely there for a few days while he waited for Silas and Timothy to catch up with him. The threats to his safety had got too serious in Berea and so he had been escorted down south to the relative safety of Athens. He needed a good break after the dangers and pressures of the recent months of ministry. But Paul wasn’t one for holidays and so he spent his time walking round the city reflecting on all that he was seeing. Politically Athens had become far less significant than it had been in the past, but it was still a leading centre of culture. It was famous for its sculpture, literature and philosophy and Paul was clearly fascinated by all that he saw, but was also deeply troubled. The city was full of temples and images of pagan gods and Paul, who had been brought up as a very strict Jew, was distresse

Acts 17:11 The people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth. Every preacher and Bible teacher longs to meet people like these Bereans! They were really open to the Christian message but they didn’t simply accept everything that Paul and Silas had to say. They looked carefully at the Old Testament scriptures to make sure that what they had been taught was right. Having been a preacher and Bible teacher for many years I can’t tell you how much I love it when people question what I’ve said. Although I will always seek to write and preach carefully, I’m far from perfect, and I need to be kept on my toes. I find it really exciting when I hear that people are seriously studying scripture and reflecting on what it means. I almost always learn more when people ask questions. If these daily notes help to interest you in God’s word that’s great, but don’t

Acts 16:25–26 Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. The ministry of Paul and Silas in Philippi soon hit the buffers when they healed a slave girl who was a fortune teller. She had made good money for her owners until she was healed. They were furious when they realised that their source of income had disappeared. They dragged Paul and Silas into the marketplace, where they got the support of the magistrates to beat and imprison them (vv16–24). I wonder how you or I would have responded to this. Paul and Silas had been severely flogged and must have been very injured and bruised. Having had a very specific call from God to serve him in this Macedonian area, they could have felt very let down by him too. But, instead, they were in a top security prison cell praying and singing hymns to God! To cap it all, the prison was suddenly shaken by an earthq

Acts 16:15 [Lydia] and her household were baptised, and she asked us to be her guests. “If you agree that I am a true believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my home.” And she urged us until we agreed. Paul’s first convert in Europe was a businesswoman. Lydia came from what we now know as western Turkey and was a dealer in the purple cloth that her home area was famous for. As Paul travelled around, he normally began his ministry in a synagogue, but it would seem that there wasn’t one in Philippi. So he went to the river where he met up with a group of women who met together to pray. As Paul spoke with them, Lydia responded to his message and was baptised. It is fascinating to see that her first response was to offer hospitality, and it seems that she was very insistent. Hospitality was crucial for the early Church because there were no Christian buildings for many years. The only way they could meet was if people generously opened up their homes. Our homes are interesting places aren’t th

Acts 16:9–10 That night Paul had a vision: A man from Macedonia in northern Greece was standing there, pleading with him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” So we decided to leave for Macedonia at once. We should never put a limit on the ways in which God might choose to speak to us. Yesterday we saw God putting a block on Paul’s plans. But in today’s passage he makes it crystal clear where Paul should go next. In a vision Paul saw a man from Macedonia pleading with him to go and help. We receive no information about what this vision was like, although we might presume that it was while Paul was dreaming. I wonder how you interpret your dreams. Much of the time dreams are, in my experience, extraordinary and impossible to unravel. If I can remember mine at all beyond breakfast they still don’t seem to have any lasting significance. But dreams play an important role in many parts of the Bible and so we should definitely be open to the possibility that they can, from time to time, reveal God’s plans to

Acts 16:6 Next Paul and Silas travelled through the area of Phrygia and Galatia, because the Holy Spirit had prevented them from preaching the word in the province of Asia at that time. This is a remarkable moment. Paul clearly had a carefully worked out plan for his missionary journey but, at the same time, was intensely sensitive to the guidance of the Spirit. Here we meet him in what we now know as central Turkey heading towards Ephesus, but then the Spirit prevented him from going in that direction. So, he then set off north until, in verse seven, the “Spirit of Jesus” told them not to enter Bithynia. We have no idea how Paul received this guidance. Perhaps it was through a dream or a word of prophecy. We don’t know and, what is more, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that Paul was ready to go wherever the Lord led him, and he was eager to respond immediately to the breath of the Spirit. Planning is good. It is wise to think through plans for the future whether we are thinking about family holid

Acts 16:2–3 Timothy was well thought of by the believers in Lystra and Iconium, so Paul wanted him to join them on their journey. In deference to the Jews of the area, he arranged for Timothy to be circumcised before they left, for everyone knew that his father was a Greek. This is a fascinating moment. Paul had just come away from the Council of Jerusalem where the decision had been clearly made that it was unnecessary for Christians to obey all the Jewish law. He, more than anyone, passionately believed that it was not necessary for men to be circumcised and in his letters he was scathing of those who insisted on it. So why did he insist that his new companion, Timothy, should go through a ceremony which he believed was entirely unnecessary? The answer is clearly that he believed that their priority was to preach the gospel and that they must ensure that nothing got in the way of that. If Timothy was to work effectively among Jews then it would be much more helpful if he were circumcised. Timothy’s mo

Acts 15:37–39 Barnabas…wanted to take along John Mark. But Paul disagreed strongly, since John Mark had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in their work. Their disagreement was so sharp that they separated. This verse highlights a painful moment, but I’m so glad that Dr Luke recorded it. I am sure that he could quite easily have airbrushed it out of his account, but he didn’t. Paul and Barnabas fell out over taking John Mark on the next missionary journey. It’s impossible for us to know exactly the reason for this, although we do know that Paul was disappointed by the way that John Mark had deserted them on the first missionary journey. Because we know that Barnabas was a great encourager, it is easy to presume that he was all for giving John Mark a second chance. But there may well have been other factors of which we know nothing. The fact remains that they split up. Splits are never easy. Even when there is a speedy reconciliation, the pain of separation is real and lingerin

Acts 15:28 “For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay no greater burden on you than these few requirements.” It would be difficult to exaggerate the importance of the Council of Jerusalem that we read about in Acts 15. The early Church had hit upon a massive problem and needed to find a way to resolve it. When the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Day of Pentecost, it came upon a huge gathering of Jews and so the first Christians brought with them the richness of their Jewish traditions. However, very quickly, the gospel spread to people from a non-Jewish background. This set up enormous tensions because there were many Christians from a Jewish tradition who believed that non-Jews were welcome to Christian faith on the condition that the men were circumcised and that they all abided by Jewish law. The Council had to work out what to do, and it came to the peaceful and clear conclusion that those from a non-Jewish background did not need to accept all the law. They were simply urged to ac

Acts 14:23 Paul and Barnabas also appointed elders in every church. With prayer and fasting, they turned the elders over to the care of the Lord, in whom they had put their trust. Paul’s first missionary journey is incredibly impressive. Having been nearly killed in Iconium, Paul and Barnabas went on to Lystra where the situation went from them being adored to Paul being stoned so badly that some people thought he was dead (vv19-20). However, he summoned the strength to go on to Derbe where he and Barnabas preached and got a wonderful response. Then with massive courage, they headed back to Lystra and Iconium in order to strengthen the believers and appoint elders. They knew that, if these young churches were to flourish, they would desperately need leadership. As we read about the amazing growth of the early Church, there is no question that leadership was an integral part of God’s plan. And the Church today it is no different. Good, godly, leadership is vital in every age and so it is important to

Acts 14:14–15 When the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard what was happening, they tore their clothing in dismay and ran out among the people, shouting, “Friends, why are you doing this? We are merely human beings—just like you!” After Paul and Barnabas were rudely bundled out of Iconium, they fled 19 miles south to the small Roman city of Lystra, perhaps assuming that due to Paul’s status as a Roman citizen they would receive more respect there. While there, a man who had been lame from birth was healed and the people were so excited that they concluded that Paul and Barnabas must be gods (vv8–13). The missionaries were slow to understand what was going on because the people were speaking in their own local language. Things went from bad to much worse when the priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, turned up with bulls and wreaths in order to offer sacrifices to Paul and Barnabas. Paul was determined to put the matter straight as soon as possible. He was clearly horrified to be thoug

Acts 14:2–3 Some of the Jews, however, spurned God’s message and poisoned the minds of the Gentiles against Paul and Barnabas. But the apostles stayed there a long time, preaching boldly about the grace of the Lord. Paul and Barnabas were having an amazing time on their first missionary journey. A large number of people were becoming followers of Jesus. At the same time, they were meeting fierce opposition. At Iconium, in central Turkey, the mob was stirred up against them and, after a while, the situation became so dangerous that they fled the city. There was every possibility that they were going to be stoned to death (vv5–6). But I love the fact that, amidst the intensity of the opposition, their message was one of grace. It must have been very tempting for them to turn on the crowd and to deliver a message of judgement and condemnation. But they chose to speak about the grace of the Lord. Grace is a dominant theme in Paul’s ministry. In Ephesians 2:8 he wrote: “God saved you by his grace when you b

Acts 13:5 There, in the town of Salamis, they went to the Jewish synagogues and preached the word of God. John Mark went with them as their assistant. This verse describes the start of the first missionary journey. It was an incredibly important moment for the Christian gospel and it started on the island of Cyprus. Saul (who suddenly became known as Paul) was happy to preach about Jesus anywhere, but it was his usual practice to start in the synagogue and work outwards from there. I find it fascinating that, on this most sensitive of missions, he and Barnabas took young John Mark with them. John Mark is first introduced in the previous chapter. He was clearly well known to Paul and Barnabas, but it was a major initiative to take him on this strategically important missionary journey. You can think of many reasons why it might not be wise to take a young and inexperienced person on such a crucial mission. But they were convinced that his presence was important. It’s impossible to know exactly why they

Acts 13:2–3 One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Appoint Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them.” So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands on them and sent them on their way. Acts is often referred to as the Acts of the Apostles. A much better title for it would be the Acts of the Holy Spirit. Important as the apostles undoubtedly were, they were powerless without the Spirit. Nothing got going until the Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost and, as history unfolded, the power, wisdom and guidance of the Spirit shaped every step of the journey. Here in chapter 13, we come to a decisive moment as the Spirit tells the church to set Barnabas and Saul apart for a new ministry. Nothing has changed. The church today still completely relies upon the Spirit, but his guidance isn’t automatic. It is perfectly possible for a church to be driven by tradition, human plans and budgets. It is only as a church intentional

Acts 12:14–15 When she recognised Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the door, she ran back inside and told everyone, “Peter is standing at the door!” “You’re out of your mind!” they said. When she insisted, they decided, “It must be his angel.” What do you expect to happen when you pray? Does it occur to you that God might dramatically and immediately answer your prayer? Clearly, that thought hadn’t occurred to this fervently praying group! Peter, the leader of the church, had been imprisoned by King Herod and the church was understandably scared. It is not surprising that they met together to pray passionately for Peter’s release. But when Peter turned up at their front door, they were quite sure that it couldn’t possibly be him. Rhoda, the servant girl who had answered his knock at the door, clearly grasped the situation and was so overjoyed that she forgot to open the door! When she informed the praying friends, they were, at first, incredibly rude to her, suggesting that she

Acts 12:11 Peter finally came to his senses. “It’s really true!” he said. “The Lord has sent his angel and saved me from Herod and from what the Jewish leaders had planned to do to me!” At this time the early Church was growing fast and this was making King Herod increasingly nervous. He was determined to tighten the screws and so he arranged for the killing of James, the brother of John. This went down very well with the Jews and so he decided to arrest Peter, the leader of the Church, and kept him under the closest possible surveillance. He was guarded by four squads of four soldiers each, and chained as he slept between two guards. King Herod must have assumed that nothing could possibly go wrong, but he hadn’t taken God into account! That night, an angel woke Peter up and led him out of the prison (vv6-10). Not unreasonably, Peter first assumes that his dramatic rescue is a wonderful dream. But, as our text reveals, he suddenly realises that he really has been set free! Now he has to reckon with th