Tawa Baptist

Tongues & Ears

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:10c and 14:1-25

Video Link: https://youtu.be/ibVvwZdyxMg

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • The gift of tongues
  • The gift of ears (interpretation)
  • The gift of making sense
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Today I thought we could start with a little experiment. How many of you here can roll your tongue into a tube shape, like this? Give it a try.

Apparently, the ability to roll your tongue is a genetic trait. You either have the gene, or you don’t. If you cannot roll your tongue, then don’t feel bad. There is no shame in it. You are not less in any way. Rolling your tongue does not make you a better person; it is simply a mildly entertaining party trick. You would not choose your friends based on whether they could roll their tongue or not.

In First Corinthians 12, Paul lists nine spiritual gifts. Paul’s list is not exhaustive; it is an ad hoc sample. So far, we have heard about the gifts of wisdom and knowledge, as well as faith, healing and miraculous powers. Last week we heard about the gifts of prophecy and discernment, but this week we focus on the gifts of tongues and their interpretation.  

The gift of tongues:

Some of the Corinthians believed if you could speak in tongues then you were incredibly spiritual. And conversely, if you did not speak in tongues then you were a second-class Christian.

For these Corinthian believers the ability to speak in tongues was the Everest of spiritual gifts, there was nothing higher in their minds. If exercising spiritual gifts had been an Olympic sport, then those who spoke in tongues would have got the gold medal every time.

This thought is wrong of course. In some ways, the gift of tongues is like being able to roll your tongue. It does not make you superior. Just as you would not judge a person’s character based on whether they could roll their tongue, so too you would not judge another person’s commitment to Jesus based on whether they spoke in tongues.    

It appears some of the Corinthians may have been using the gift of tongues like a party trick (to show off) during their gathered worship. In First Corinthians 14, Paul seeks to correct the exaggerated importance the people of Corinth had placed on speaking in tongues. From verse 1 we read…

Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. 2 For anyone who speaks in a tonguedoes not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit. 3 But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort. 4 Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. 5 I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be edified.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

Before we dive into the detail of Corinthians 14, we should probably clarify what Paul means by speaking in tongues? In his book, ‘I Believe in the Holy Spirit’, Michael Green gives this definition: “Tongues is the ability to speak in a language that the speaker has not learnt and does not understand…”

The language may be a human language unknown to the speaker, or it could be a spiritual language, maybe the tongues of angels. Either way it sounds like gibberish to anyone listening. Tongues is (for most people) unintelligible.

However, it is understood by God. Indeed, tongues is given by the Holy Spirit so people can speak to God. Far from being a cheap party trick, tongues is a deep form of prayer and praise to God. To speak in tongues is to engage in a kind of intimate communion with the Lord.   

Paul draws a contrast between prophecy and tongues. With prophecy, God is speaking directly to people. Whereas with tongues, the individual is speaking directly to God. Prophecy is meant for people and tongues is meant for God.  

So did Jesus pray in tongues? We do not know. We do know Jesus went off to spend time alone in prayer with God, but we cannot be sure if tongues was ever part of his personal devotional time. Maybe it was. But then again, perhaps Jesus enjoyed a different kind of communion with God the Father?

In Mark 16, after his resurrection from the dead, Jesus did predict that some of his followers would speak in strange tongues. This in fact happened shortly after on the day of Pentecost. In Acts 2 we read…

2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tonguesas the Spirit enabled them.5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans?  8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 

At Pentecost the apostles spoke to God in languages they had not learnt and did not understand. On this occasion the people who heard them could understand because the tongues were spoken in their native language.

There have been some occasions in more recent times when people have spoken in tongues and someone from another culture recognised the words from their own language. But that does not always happen. The gift of tongues is not always given in a human language.

Returning to First Corinthians 14, for Paul, the gift of prophecy was more valuable than tongues, because prophecy edifies the whole church, whereas tongues (without interpretation) only edifies the individual believer.

The word edify simply means to build up or strengthen. In what sense does speaking in tongues edify the one speaking? Well, Paul does not go into details on this point, which means we are left to our own experience.

In his commentary on Corinthians, David Prior suggests some possible benefits of speaking in tongues during your private devotions. These include a particular sense of God’s presence (that feeling of closeness with God), relaxation from tension, strength to cope with pain, and experiencing a greater freedom in your prayer life (being able to praise God with free abandon). [1]  

I know one pastor who uses tongues to prepare himself for spiritual ministry. It’s a way of getting into the zone. For him, speaking in tongues is like a warm-up exercise before taking to the field or its like tuning into God’s frequency so he can better hear what God might be saying.

Others believe there is a psychological benefit to speaking in tongues. Morton Kelsey (a theologian and psychotherapist) writes: “Speaking with tongues is one evidence of the Spirit of God working in the unconscious and bringing one to a new wholeness, a new integration of the total psyche, a process which the church has traditionally called sanctification.” [2]

He may be right. To use the Russian dolls metaphor, with tongues one of the deeper parts of yourself may be talking with God and in the process being reconciled to one of the other parts of yourself.  

This is not to say that speaking in tongues should be accepted blindly or without caution. There is a demonic counterfeit to speaking in tongues. Pagans have their own version of tongues, which does not involve praising God.

How then do we know if the tongue we are speaking is genuine or on the level? How do we know we are not just spouting gobbly gook or even worse, cursing God? Well, like any of the spiritual gifts, tongues is exercised by faith.

If you love Jesus, if you are directing your spirit toward God in an attitude of prayer and praise, when you speak in tongues, then you can trust the Holy Spirit in good faith. As Paul says in his letter to the Romans…

26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

If speaking in tongues edifies you personally, if you find it helpful in your private devotions, then you are probably on the right track.

There was quite a damaging heresy circulating during the second half of the 20th Century that unless you spoke in tongues you did not have the Holy Spirit and therefore were not a real Christian. This is complete rubbish.

Just because some Christians speak in tongues, it does not automatically follow that all Christians must speak in tongues. As Paul writes in First Corinthians 12…

4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord… 

So, if you don’t speak in tongues, then don’t worry. There is more than one way to pray and serve God. Find your way.

The gift of ears:

I started the sermon this morning by asking whether you could roll your tongue. Apparently, most people can roll their tongues, upwards of 65% of the population in fact.

But what about wiggling your ears? How many of you can move your ears independently, without touching them with your hands? Give it a go.

According to the internet, only 20% of the population can wiggle their ears. And, like rolling your tongue, it is a genetic trait. You either have the gene or you don’t.

Again, there is no shame in not being able to wiggle your ears. You are not inferior in any way if you cannot wiggle your ears. Your value as a human being comes from being made in the image of God, not ear wiggling.

Now at this point you might be wondering, ‘I thought today’s message was about tongues. Why is he talking about ears?’

Well, the spiritual gift of interpreting tongues is really the gift of ears. Technically, the Bible does not use the phrase, ‘the gift of ears’, but in practical terms Paul is saying the church at Corinth need to use their ears more than their tongues. Tongues need interpreting in gathered worship.

Not only do ears enable us to hear, so we can understand, ears also help with balance. The Corinthians had got the spiritual gifts out of balance. Paul wanted to restore the balance.

What exactly is the gift of interpretation then? Well, the interpretation of tongues is not a literal word for word translation. Anyone who speaks more than one language knows that a particular word in one language do not always have a corresponding word in another language. Often you have to go with a word that approximates the meaning as closely as possible.

The one giving the interpretation, therefore, is summarising; giving a kind of paraphrase which communicates the sense of what the Spirit is saying. 

Another thing to note is the interpretation is usually related to God’s response. It is not necessarily a translation of what the speaker said in tongues.

Tongues is an effusion of prayer and praise to God and interpretation is hearing God’s response to that. This means the interpretation of tongues is effectively a form of prophecy and as a form of prophecy it needs to be tested by the community of believers.

The interpretation of tongues and prophecy both require the gift of ears.

You cannot give an interpretation or a prophecy without first hearing from God.

Paul takes some time to emphasise the importance of the gift of ears.

From First Corinthians 14, verse 6 we read…

6 Now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction? 7 Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the pipe or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in the notes? 8 Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle? 9 So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air. 

In these verses Paul compares speaking in tongues with the sound a musical instrument makes. Music is its own kind of language (music speaks to our spirit) but for the language to make sense the notes need to be arranged properly.

Speaking in tongues without interpretation (in the context of gathered worship) is like playing an instrument without distinct notes. It is both unpleasant and pointless for those listening.

Kenneth Bailey observes how the pipe and the harp are instruments that invoke tranquillity and soothe the troubled soul. They bring peace and harmony.

By contrast a trumpet directs the troops in the midst of battle… How disastrous, if at the critical moment, the troops did not know whether to advance or retreat. [3]

The gift of ears, to interpret God’s response to tongues, should bring peace to the troubled soul. Likewise, the gift of ears to hear a word of prophecy from the Lord, should give clear direction so the church knows what to do in the spiritual battle we find ourselves in.

Okay, to recap so far: The gift of tongues is best exercised in private devotions for the edification of the individual. But if tongues are spoken in the context of gathered worship, then there needs to be someone present with the gift of ears to interpret.  

Following this line of thought, what is said in gathered worship needs to make sense if it is to build up the church and glorify God. 

The gift of making sense:

Some people think spiritual gifts are a bit woo woo, a bit flaky, a bit out there.   

They imagine a massive divide between things cerebral and things spiritual.

For them, spiritual stuff is intellectually soft or irrational. Chalk and cheese.

But this is not how Paul saw it. For Paul, it wasn’t either / or. It was both / and. Mind and Spirit.

Embracing the gifts of the Spirit does not mean discarding rational thought. We are to love and worship God with our whole selves. As Paul writes in verse 15…

So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding.

We need to remember our purpose. One of the main purposes of gathered worship is to edify the church. As we read in verse 12: Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church.

To paraphrase Gordon Fee: The point of corporate worship is not personal experience. The point is building up the church.[4]

This means when we come together to worship God on a Sunday, we don’t go into our own little bubble for a private emotional experience. No. We are mindful of God and of those around us. We are thinking ‘we’ not ‘me’.   

When gathered worship helps others in their faith, when it creates connections and strengthens unity, then we put a smile on God’s face.

Gathered worship is like playing a team sport. When you are on the field you have your eyes on the ball and on your team-mates. If you have the ball, you look around to see who you might pass to. And if you don’t have the ball, you think about how you can support your team-mate who does have the ball.   

And if your team-mate drops the ball or misses the goal, you don’t shower them with criticism and contempt. You lift them up with your words and reassure them they are still part of the team.

Off the field you might have your own individual training programme to improve your fitness and performance, but on the field, you stay in your position ready to play the part the team is relying on you for.

Glorifying God in our gathered worship goes hand in hand with edifying the church. With this in view Paul reminds his readers to be aware of those on the fringes who may be watching our worship. From verse 23 we read…

23 So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind? 24 But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, 25 as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”

Not everyone who comes to church on a Sunday is a committed Christian. Some may be interested in Christianity and are here to check it out. If we act a bit too strange or use language which excludes those on the margins, well that does not glorify God. That potentially turns people away from Jesus.

Having said that, I don’t think anyone could accuse this congregation of being too woo woo. If anything, we could probably afford to be a little less reserved in our worship.  

Conclusion:

This morning we have learned about the gift of tongues, the gift of ears and the gift of making sense.

The gift of tongues can be helpful in one’s private devotions, but in gathered worship tongues needs the gift of ears. Tongues needs to be interpreted.

In line with this thinking, what is said in gathered worship needs to make sense if it is to build up the church and glorify God.  

Let us pray…

Gracious God, bring the understanding you want to edify the church and glorify yourself. Through Jesus we pray. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
  2. Can you roll your tongue? Can you wiggle your ears? Whether you can or can’t, what difference does this make to you?
  3. What is meant by speaking in tongues? How is this different from prophecy or any of the other spiritual gifts? Why does the Holy Spirit give the gift of tongues? What purpose does it serve?
  4. Do you speak in tongues? If so, is this helpful to you? In what way? If not, how do you commune with God?
  5. What is the gift of interpretation? Why is the gift of interpretation important?
  6. What is the purpose of gathered worship? Why is it important that what is said in gathered worship makes sense?
  7. Where is your mind when you are worshipping God? How might we hold together the mind and the spirit in our worship?

[1] Refer footnote in David Prior’s commentary on First Corinthians, page 240.

[2] Morton Kelsey, ‘Speaking with Tongues’, page 222, quoted in David Prior’s commentary, page 246. 

[3] Refer Kenneth Bailey’s book ‘Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes’, page 393.

[4] Refer Gordon Fee’s NICNT, 1 Corinthians, page 667.

Tawa Baptist

Prophecy & Discernment

Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 12:10b and 14:29-33 and Isaiah 50:4-8

Video Link: https://youtu.be/wI5nRcJp3fM

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Prophecy
  • Discernment
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

On the wall in the Sprig & Fern (here in Tawa) they have a daily word puzzle on the blackboard. The board is divided into nine squares with a letter in each square. The letters are jumbled. The goal is to rearrange the letters to spell a word.

Last time we were there the letters spelled ‘bumblebee’. The three e’s and three b’s made it quite tricky. Because it’s a Sunday morning and because I’m kind, I have set something a little less challenging. What word can you spell with the letters: R T S I P L A U I ?

To give you a clue, our current sermon series features this word. [Wait]

That’s right, ‘spiritual’, as in spiritual gifts.

In First Corinthians 12, Paul lists nine spiritual gifts. Paul’s list is not exhaustive; it is an ad hoc sample. Today we continue our series on spiritual gifts by focusing on the gifts of prophecy and discernment. From First Corinthians 12, verse 7 we read…

7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits…

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

Prophecy:

Here’s another word jumble for you. What nine-letter word do the letters: R T P E P O H C I spell? Again, the clue is in today’s sermon. We are focusing on one of these spiritual gifts this morning. [Wait] That’s right, ‘prophetic’.

Prophetic is the adjective and prophecy is the noun. I had to go with prophetic because prophecy only has eight letters. As I said earlier, one of the spiritual gifts we are looking at today is the gift of prophecy. So what is prophecy?

In the Bible, prophecy is a direct message from God for a particular situation, and a prophet is someone who can conveys a message from God. With prophecy, God is communicating directly with people, through people. 

Often the prophet communicates God’s message using words, like when Jesus told his disciples plainly that he would be handed over to the authorities to be killed, then on the third day be raised from the dead. Or when Isaiah predicted the return of the exiles using poetic words and parables.

If the circumstances of the world in which we live look like a jumble of misplaced letters, the prophet is divinely inspired to rearrange the letters into a word which makes sense of a particular situation.

Other times though, when words don’t seem to penetrate the hardness of people’s hearts, the prophet communicates God’s message using signs, like when Jeremiah wept for Jerusalem as a sign of the city’s coming destruction. Or when Jesus cleared the temple of merchants and money changers. That sign conveyed the message that God was not happy with how corrupt the temple system had become.

We could say the prophet is like a sign language interpreter. Unlike most people, who are deaf to God’s word, the prophet can hear God’s voice and communicate what God is saying in a language the rest of us can understand.    

Divinely inspired prophecy is timely. Messages from God are usually relevant to some issue in the present, but at the same time, the message draws on God’s saving activity in the past and has real implications for the future.

For example, when Jesus fed the 5000 in the wilderness, he was making a prophetic statement which was timely. The feeding miracle reminds us of the past when Moses led the people of Israel through the wilderness after their exodus from slavery in Egypt. But it also says something vitally important for the present and the future: Jesus is the new Moses who comes to enact a new kind of exodus, setting people free from slavery to sin and death.  

The Bible is peppered with prophets, both men and women from the Old and New Testaments. People like Miriam and Moses, Deborah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Jonah, Huldah, Daniel, Simeon and Anna, John the Baptist and the daughters of Philip the evangelist, to name just a few.

Sometimes the message from God was a word of judgement (a warning to repent) and other times it was a word of hope (an encouragement that salvation was coming).

Isaiah had this to say about prophecy…

4 The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed. 5 The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears;

These verses tell us the prophetic message comes from the Lord God Almighty. It is not something the prophet dreams up themselves. The prophet spends time listening to God in order to understand what God wants them to say. 

We also note the purpose or Kaupapa of prophecy: to sustain the weary.

In the context of Isaiah, the weary are most likely those who are oppressed by injustice and exhausted from the suffering caused by wrong-doing. The weary are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.

When the weary hear the prophet say that God is going to bring an end to injustice and judge the oppressor, this gives the people hope and strength to endure.

We should not miss the fact here that prophecy is a double-edged sword.

The same word that sustains the weary also rebukes the powerful. A word of hope for one is a word of judgment for another.

Isaiah goes on to say…
I have not been rebellious, I have not turned away. 6 I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting. 7 Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame. 8 He who vindicates me is near.

These verses show the courage and obedience of the prophet in declaring God’s message to a hostile audience. You see, the prophet has a choice.

The prophet has some say over when and how they communicate the message God has given them.

Of course, when you speak truth to evil people, you can usually expect some push back. The prophet’s message is not benign or ambiguous. The oppressor understands clearly what the Lord is saying through the prophet and the prophet suffers for their obedience in speaking the truth. You need a thick skin to be a prophet.

Whatever suffering and humiliation the prophet may endure, they know in their heart of hearts that God is near. A specific word from the Lord makes God’s presence felt. The prophet has complete faith in God to vindicate them by making their message come true.

These verses from Isaiah are talking about Jesus. Jesus is the greatest of all the prophets, for Jesus fulfils the law and the prophets. Jesus set his face like flint as he confronted the corrupt religious leadership of his day and went to the cross in obedience to God the Father. And God vindicated Jesus by making his words come true and raising him from the dead.

Okay, so if prophecy is a direct message from God, then does that mean preaching is prophecy? Is what I’m doing now a prophetic message from the Lord for you? Well, preaching and teaching from the Bible can sometimes be prophetic, but not usually.

Often you listen to a sermon and go away thinking, that was interesting. I now have a better understanding of what that passage of Scripture means and how it applies to my life. The sermon is helpful, and it nourishes your faith, but it does not necessarily contain a direct prophetic word for your specifically.

Occasionally though you will listen to a sermon and something in the message, maybe an illustration, maybe a verse of Scripture or a particular phrase, whatever it is, resonates with you at a deeper more personal level. Perhaps it comforts you or maybe it cuts you to the core. Either way, something in your spirit knows that God’s Spirit is communicating with you directly.       

You might go away from the sermon thinking the preacher had some kind of inside knowledge on your life. How did they know?  

Let me reassure you, I am not a prophet. I do not know what goes on in your life beyond what you share with me. Even then, I don’t remember everything you tell me. My experience in life is different from yours and so the connections I make with Scripture are likely to be different from the connections you make.

Besides, I don’t target individuals in my preaching. That is not who I am.

Having said that, God does know what is going on in your life and he may well speak to you personally through the sermon, without the preacher being aware of it. In that situation the sermon has become a prophetic word for you. If that happens you need to listen and ask God to confirm his message.

Jesus’ preaching often had a prophetic quality. I think of the sermon on the mount when Jesus gave us the beatitudes. Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted. And so on. Talk about words to sustain the weary.   

Okay, to recap so far, prophecy is a direct message from God for a particular situation. Prophets communicate God’s message using words and signs. Divinely inspired prophecy is timely. And prophecy is a double-edged sword; it sustains the weary with hope and it convicts the oppressor with judgement.   

The implication here is that a genuine word of prophecy is life giving.

As Jesus said, people cannot live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.   

By the same token, false prophecy can be extremely harmful. And so prophecy needs discernment.

Discernment:

Here’s another word to unscramble. (This one comes with a picture clue.)

What two words can you make with the letters R T S E U S Q E A? (Wait)

That’s right, Set Square.

A ‘set square’ or simply a ‘square’ is used by carpenters and engineers to check whether something is square. If the angle is not straight or true, the set square will reveal this. It will also show you when the object you are measuring is true.

Some tools get the job done. Hammers, screwdrivers, saws, they all make stuff happen. Other tools, like set squares, measuring tapes and spirit levels are needed to ensure the job is done properly.  

Prophecy is like a hammer or a screwdriver or a saw. Prophecy makes things happen. Discernment is more like a set square or a spirit level or a measuring tape. Discernment is needed to check how true the prophecy is. Discernment tells you whether you can rely on the prophecy or not. Prophecy needs discernment.

In First Corinthians 12, verse 10, Paul lists the spiritual gift of distinguishing between spirits alongside the gift of prophecy. Distinguishing between spirits is about discerning the spiritual origins of something. It’s about measuring whether or not something is from the Holy Spirit or the human spirit or an evil spirit.  

For example, in Matthew 16, Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do you say I am?”

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 

Here Jesus exercises the gift of discernment. Jesus distinguishes between spirits. He identifies Peter’s statement as coming from God the Father in heaven.

Just a few verses later, Jesus goes on to say he must suffer and die and on the third day be raised to life.

22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”

23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

Once again Jesus exercised the gift of discernment. Jesus distinguished the origin of the spirit. Peter’s words on this occasion did not come from the Holy Spirit. Peter may have meant well, but he was not aware that his good intentions were tempting Jesus to disobey God the Father.

Years ago, when I was training for ministry in Auckland, I asked my mentor, Walter Lang: what is the most important spiritual gift for a pastor to have? Walter had served as a church minister for 40 years. Quick as a flash, Walter said, ‘discernment’.

I knew Walter from his time at Hamilton Central Baptist in the 80’s. In those days during worship, people would come out with a prophecy or a word of knowledge. Mostly, these words were encouraging or at least relatively benign. But there were one or two occasions when Walter had to stand up and say, ‘No, that was not from the Lord.’ Like prophecy, exercising the gift of discernment requires courage.

However, discernment is not just an individual gift. It is a shared gift. Discernment is like a measuring tape; just as you often need two people to hold the tape, one at each end, so too you need more than one person to discern the truth.

Walter recommended I share matters for discernment with others in church leadership, rather than trying to solve everything on my own.     

In First Corinthians 14, Paul gives his readers some practical instructions for the handling of prophecy in gathered worship. From verse 29 we read…

29 Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. 30 And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. 31 For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. 32 The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. 33 For God is not a God of disorder but of peace…

Verse 29 talks about weighing the words of prophecy carefully. The Greek word translated as weighing carefully comes from the same word used in chapter 12 for distinguishing between spirits. It means to discern or judge rightly. [1]

The point is, we should not blindly accept all prophecy. The Spirit filled community of believers need to weigh and test prophecy to determine if it is true.

In verse 31, Paul talks about the purpose of prophecy being to instruct and encourage everyone in the church. Prophecy should edify and build up the community of faith. This echoes Isaiah’s thought that a word of prophecy sustains the weary.   

David Prior suggests several criteria for discerning whether or not a word of prophecy is legit… [2]

Firstly, does it glorify God? A genuine prophetic word turns our hearts and minds toward the goodness of God; it makes God larger (or more real) in our awareness. But if the word spoken promotes someone or something else over God or makes God smaller (or less real) in our minds, then it is not from the Holy Spirit.

Another question to ask in the discernment process is: Does the prophecy align with Scripture? For example, if someone says Jesus will return at such and such a time, we know the prophecy is false because Jesus said no one knows the day or the hour of his return. But if someone brings a word to encourage the church to act with justice and generosity to the poor, then we know it is in line with Scripture.  

We might also ask: Is the speaker in control of themselves? In First Corinthians 14, Paul instructs prophets to wait their turn and conduct themselves in an orderly way. If the speaker is unwilling to listen to others in the church, if they insist on talking over others, if they are ranting or manic, then what they have to say is not likely to be from the Holy Spirit.

Does the prophecy build up the church? In other words, does the message spoken encourage and help other believers? Does it strengthen faith in Jesus and calm fear? If the word spoken undermines the unity of the church or causes people to mistrust each other, then it is not from the Holy Spirit.

I would add one other test and that is the test of peace. Let peace be your guide. By peace, I mean a sense of rightness, a certain resonance that what is being said rings true, even if it is a bit challenging or confronting.

If you have a check in your spirit, a little red flag in the back of your mind, that you cannot quite put your finger on, then listen to your instinct. It could one of two things…

Either the prophecy is true and the problem is with you, in which case peace is found by accepting the prophecy and obeying God. Or the prophecy is false and the Holy Spirit is warning you to steer clear of it, in which case peace is found by rejecting the false prophecy.

If in doubt, ask God to reveal whether the problem is with you or the prophet. He will answer a prayer like that.

Conclusion:   

Hearing from God is vitally important for Christian faith. Prophecy is one of the ways we hear from God. However, prophecy needs discernment. The gifts of prophecy and discernment function best in community with other believers. So…

24 …let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

There is a lot more we could say about prophecy, but that is enough for now.

Let us pray…

Gracious God, thank you for the many ways you speak to us. Fill us with your Spirit that we may hear you more clearly and obey you more faithfully. Through Jesus we pray. Amen.   

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. What stands out for you in reading these Scriptures and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
  2. What is prophecy? What is the purpose of prophecy? Why is prophecy important?
  3. How might a prophet receive a message from God? How did prophets in the Bible communicate God’s message?
  4. Have you ever received a prophetic word, either for yourself or for someone else? What was the word? How did this word come to you? What did you do about it?
  5. Discuss / reflect on the relationship between the gift of prophecy and the gift of distinguishing between spirits. Why does prophecy need discernment?
  6. How might we discern whether a prophesy is from the Holy Spirit or not?
  7. Why is it important to exercise the gifts of prophecy and discernment in the context of Christian community?  

[1] Refer Gordon Fee’s NICNT, First Corinthians, page 596.

[2] Adapted from David Prior’s commentary on First Corinthians, page 251.

Tawa Baptist

Faith, Healing & Miracles

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:9-10a

Video Link: https://youtu.be/XLsvppBdCtQ

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • The gift of faith
  • The power of faith
  • The obedience of faith
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Three weeks ago we began a new sermon series on spiritual gifts. Spiritual gifts are like tools, given by God to help the church. We need a variety of different tools because not every job is the same. A hammer is good for driving in nails but you need a screwdriver to work with screws.

Steve, the clock maker, in the TV show The Repair Shop, sometimes uses tools handed down to him from his grandfather. More than once, I’ve heard him say how working with these tools is like holding his grandfather’s hand.

Working with the gifts of the Spirit is a bit like holding the hand of God our heavenly Father. It is not something to be afraid of. It is a warm connection.

In First Corinthians 12, Paul lists nine spiritual gifts. Paul’s list is not exhaustive; it is an ad hoc sample. There are any number of ways in which the Holy Spirit equips the church. Today we continue our series on spiritual gifts by focusing on the gifts of faith, healing and miraculous powers. From First Corinthians 12, verse 7 we read…

7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers…

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

Three weeks ago, we heard about the gifts of wisdom and words of knowledge. Our primary focus this morning is the gift of faith. However, it is difficult to talk about faith without also including the gifts of healing and miraculous powers. These three go together; they feed and nourish each other.

The gift of faith:

Let us begin then with the gift of faith. What is faith? Well, at its heart Christian faith is the capacity to trust in Jesus. For example, trust in Jesus’ righteousness. Trust in Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. Trust in Jesus to provide for our needs. Trust in Jesus to justify us.

Faith for Christians is like rope for a mountain climber. Just as a climber trusts their rope to hold them, so too we trust Jesus to keep us from falling.

Or faith is like an oxygen tank for a scuba diver. Faith in Jesus keeps us alive when we are overwhelmed and feel like we are going under.

Faith might also be compared to a key. Faith unlocks the door to peace and it locks the door against fear and anxiety.  

Okay, so that is faith in a basic sense, but is that what the apostle Paul means by the gift of faith? Most people agree Paul has something more in mind here than basic faith in Jesus. The gift of faith refers to industrial sized faith.

To paraphrase one commentator, the gift of faith is a heroic belief in the supernatural, an unshakeable inner assurance that God can overcome any difficulty. [1]

The faith to move mountains, not just climb them. The faith to part the sea, not just swim underwater. The faith to mend broken relationships and end wars, not just calm our personal angst.   

Or to put it in more poetic terms: ‘Faith is the bird that knows the dawn and sings while it is still dark’. [2] This is the kind of faith that steadfastly believes God can make good things happen, even when there is no evidence to support belief.  

In Luke 7 we read about the faith of a Roman Centurion. This army officer had a servant who was gravely ill and about to die, so the Centurion sent messengers asking for Jesus to come and heal his servant. From verse 6 we read…

Jesus was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. 7 That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” 10 Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.

Apparently, the Centurion had the gift of faith. This Roman army officer had a heroic belief in the supernatural, an unshakeable inner assurance that Jesus can overcome any difficulty. The Centurion knew the dawn was coming with Jesus and his faith sang while it was still dark.

George Müller was another man who had the gift of faith. George lived in England during the 19th Century. He cared for more than 10,000 orphans throughout his lifetime and provided Christian education to more than 120,000.

According to Wikipedia, Müller never made requests for financial support, nor did he go into debt. Many times, he received unsolicited food donations only hours before they were needed to feed the children, further strengthening his faith in God.

If the orphans had a need, Müller prayed in faith that God would provide and God did provide. On one occasion, thanks was given for breakfast when the pantry was empty. As they finished praying, the baker knocked on the door with enough fresh bread to feed everyone, and the milkman gave them fresh milk because his cart had broken down in front of the orphanage.

In his diary entry for 12 February 1842, George Müller wrote: “A brother in the Lord came to me this morning and, gave me two thousand pounds for furnishing the new Orphan House … Now I am able to meet all of the expenses. The Lord not only gives as much as is absolutely necessary for his work, but he gives abundantly. This blessing filled me with inexplicable delight.”

George Müller had the gift of faith. What we notice here is that faith produces more faith, and delight. Faith is like a seed; even a little can bear far more fruit than one expects or imagines.

The power of faith:

Okay, so the gift of faith is something more than the basic faith needed for salvation. The gift of faith acts as a channel or a vessel for the power and provision of God.

If we think of the power of God like water, then the gift of faith is like a fire hose which carries and directs the water of God’s Spirit.

Or if we think of the power of God like wind, then the gift of faith is like the sail which catches the wind of God’s Spirit moving us where God wills.     

The gifts of healing and miraculous works are practical expressions of God’s power. What then does Paul mean by the gifts of healing and miracles?

Well, healing is just what it sounds like, the restoration of good health for body, mind, soul and spirit.

In the ancient world, people did not have the medical knowledge that we have. There were no anti-biotics, no immunotherapy and no ultra-sounds. They did not have much in the way of painkillers either. Therefore, the sort of healing in view in Corinthians 12 is most likely the kind that comes by divine intervention.  

That said, we would not want to exclude medical science. Advances in medical research are one of the ways God continues to heal people today. We don’t have to choose between faith and science.

We accept what medical science has to offer and we pray for God to heal at the same time. Sometimes God heals using science, sometimes he heals by supernatural means and often by a combination of both.  

Miraculous powers cover a broad variety of supernatural phenomena.

Like when Jesus walked on water or turned water into wine or cast out evil spirits or multiplied the loaves and fishes. Or when Paul was bitten by a poisonous snake on the Island of Malta and suffered no ill effects. Or when Elijah raised the widow’s son from the dead.

With each of these demonstrations of miraculous power, God is glorified. Indeed, that seems to be the point of miracles, to make people more acutely aware of the presence and goodness of God. Miracles have the power to inspire faith; to support people to believe in Jesus.       

When I was about 14, I started to experience problems with my back. There were times when I could not move without spasms of pain shooting through my body. We were living on the DPB (a social welfare benefit) at the time so no money for doctors or physios.

We had recently become Christians, so my mum asked for someone to come and pray for me. When the faith healer came, they found me lying still, flat on my back on the floor, the only position that gave any sort of relief.

As this person prayed for me, my surroundings faded out of focus and I felt like I was floating upwards into a different realm. I won’t try to explain what happened while I was out of my body. Some things are just between me and God.

After a while, I’m not sure how long, I became aware I was floating down again. I have never felt so relaxed, so at peace. When I came to my senses once more, the pain in my back was gone. I had been healed, supernaturally I believe.

I tell you about my experience for a number of reasons. Firstly, to show that God still works in miraculous ways today. But also to illustrate the faith connection. You see, it was not so much my faith which channelled the healing, it was the faith of others; in particular the faith of my mother and the person who prayed for me.

I was not against being prayed for, but by the same token, I was not in a position to get up and walk away either. I was like the paralysed man who was healed by Jesus after being lowered through the roof of a house by his friends. It was the friends’ faith which Jesus noticed.

Returning to the healing story in Luke 7; it was not the faith of the servant that channelled God’s healing power. It was the faith of the Centurion and the faith of Jesus.     

Now for the sake of perspective, it needs to be acknowledged that as painful and debilitating and frustrating as a sore back can be, there are worse things that can happen to you. Indeed, I have endured much worse.

So you might wonder, why did God heal my back? Why not tackle the bigger stuff? Why does the Lord of the universe not intervene in a miraculous way to end the suffering in Gaza or Ukraine or domestic violence in New Zealand?

Well, God has intervened to save the world in the person of his Son, Jesus.

The day is coming when Jesus will return in glory and God’s kingdom will be realised in its fullness on earth.

As we read in Revelation 21: He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

That is the Christian hope. In the meantime, we wait in the in-between. And as we wait, every now and then, by God’s grace, we catch a glimpse of heaven, as I did. The healing of my back may seem small and inconsequential, but we should not despise small things. We thank God for whatever grace we receive.  

Now in talking about the relationship between faith and miracles we need to be careful. Many of us here have ridden the roller coaster of praying earnestly for someone, believing wholeheartedly that God could and would heal them, only to feel disappointed when our prayers appeared to make no difference.  

I am not suggesting that all unanswered prayer is due to a lack of faith. Sometimes it might be, but not necessarily.

If the wind of God’s Spirit is not blowing, then raising the sail of faith is not going to make much difference. Or if the water tap of God’s Spirit is turned off, then the hose of faith cannot put out the fire.

C.S. Lewis once said, ‘Miracles are for beginners.’

A baby needs milk, but as the child grows the parent weans the child off breast milk and introduces solid food. It’s similar with the Lord. When we are young in the faith, God may give us special experiences of himself. But as we grow, God sometimes says ‘no’, to our requests. God wants us to learn to trust him, not the miracles.

There is a sequel to my back healing story. For 24 years my back was fine.

But then, around the age of 38, the trouble with my back returned. It started again when I was preparing a sermon series on the suffering of Job. 

This time I did not receive supernatural healing for my back. These days I manage my back pain through a combination of better posture, targeted exercises and going to the chiropractor.

I am thankful for God’s gift of miraculous healing when I was 14. The memory of that experience is precious to me. It nourishes my faith still. But I am also thankful that God says ‘no’ to me sometimes. God’s ‘no’ is still a gift, just in a different form. I have learned to take better care of my body, and I have gained a quantum of understanding for others who live with far worse pain.

We need to remember, God is free not to intervene in miraculous ways if he chooses. And God’s choice may have nothing to do with how good or bad we are or how much faith we have.

God is not a puppet with strings we can pull to get what we want. He is not a genie in a bottle that we can release by faith to get our three wishes. Yes, God cares for us, but ultimately, we are his servants, we live for him.

In many ways, it takes more faith to live with powerlessness and vulnerability, than it does to perform miracles.

Even the apostle Paul (who had far greater faith than most people) lived with unanswered prayer. In Second Corinthians 12, Paul talks about his ‘thorn in the flesh’. From verse 8 we read…

8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me… For when I am weak, then I am strong.

The point is: healing and miraculous powers are not the proof of faith. Obedience to Jesus is the proof of faith.

If faith is the root, then obedience is the fruit. Or if faith is the sail that catches the wind of God’s Spirit, then obedience is the rudder which steers the ship in the right direction. Or if faith is the hose that channels the water of God’s Spirit, then obedience is using the hose to fight the fire.

The obedience of faith:

Sometimes God gives people the faith to move mountains, and as thrilling as that might be, what really matters to the Lord is our obedience.

In Matthew 7 Jesus talks about the obedience of faith, saying:   

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

With Christian faith, the question is not: how many miracles can I perform?

The question is always: what does God want me to do? We know what God wants us to do. He wants us to love him, love our neighbour and love ourselves.

Maybe God wants you to show kindness to that irritating person at work or school. Maybe God wants you to listen more or learn patience. Maybe God wants you to forgive your neighbour for dumping their rubbish in your backyard. Maybe he wants you to do something quite ordinary but at the same time socially risky, like owning up to the fact that you go to church on Sundays.

Do justly, love mercy, walk humbly. Ordinary acts of obedience matter more to the Lord than performing spectacular miracles. 

When we think of about the obedience of faith, Noah comes to mind.

God asked Noah to build a huge boat because an unprecedented flood was coming. It took Noah and his sons literally decades to build it.

You can imagine what the neighbours thought. Sniggering behind Noah’s back, “There’s that crazy Noah again. Wish he would give the hammering a rest. Might have to call noise control, again.”       

It would have been much easier and less humiliating for Noah if God miraculously made the ark appear overnight. But God did not do that.

Noah had to build the boat himself by hand. Noah’s obedience of faith was the manual labour of a lifetime.

No one had more faith than Jesus. No one performed more miracles than Jesus. No one was more righteous than Jesus. No one had a closer relationship with God the Father than Jesus. And yet God did not always give Jesus what he asked for.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, the night before his crucifixion and death, Jesus prayed: Abba, Father, everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.

God did not take away the cup of suffering from Jesus, but Jesus still obeyed God in faith. Jesus had the faith to embrace the powerlessness of death on a cross. Through Jesus’ obedience of faith, we are made right with God.

And for his part, God did not abandon Jesus to the grave. God raised Jesus to eternal life on the third day.

Conclusion:

This morning we have talked about the gift of faith, the power of faith and the obedience of faith.

Faith in Jesus is how we relate with God. Faith in Jesus is how we channel the miraculous, healing power of God. And faith in Jesus is how we obey God.

May the Holy Spirit strengthen our faith as we wait for the dawn of the new day. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
  2. What is Christian faith, at its heart? What does Paul mean by the gift of faith? How is the gift of faith different from basic faith? 
  3. Can you think of times in your own life when God has gifted you with faith? What happened?
  4. Discuss / reflect on the relationship between faith and miraculous powers. 
  5. Have you witnessed or experienced the gifts of healing and miraculous powers? If so, how? What happened?
  6. Discuss / reflect on the relationship between faith and obedience. Why is obedience necessary to faith?
  7. Has God ever said ‘no’ to you, even when you asked in faith? How did you feel at the time? Looking back, why do you think God said ‘no’ to you? 

[1] Refer Moffatt’s commentary on 1 Corinthians, page 181.

[2] Quoted in David Prior’s commentary on 1 Corinthians, page 204.

Tawa Baptist

The Holy Spirit – by Peter Barnett

Have you ever felt the Wellington wind on your face? …Of course you have!  We all have!

You can’t see it, but you know it’s there. You see its effects — trees bending, waves crashing, umbrellas turning inside out, even the way it nearly knocks us over outside here on the Main Road. That’s often how people think of the Holy Spirit — unseen, powerful, a kind of force in the background. But is that all The Holy Spirit is?

Many, maaaany years ago, (back in the 1970s), I had a workmate. I often shared meals with his family, and we became good friends. But over time, Jehovah’s Witnesses began visiting his home. His wife became deeply involved, and before long, my workmate was drawn in too.

Because I was a Christian, our conversations often turned into debates. And one of the topics that kept coming up was the Holy Spirit.

Jehovah’s Witnesses see the Holy Spirit as nothing more than an impersonal force, like electricity, or gravity. They reject the Trinity altogether, saying it’s unbiblical or even pagan. For them, God or Jehovah is supreme, Jesus is acknowledged as a creation of God, and the Spirit is simply His power at work. 


That made me wonder: how many people today — even in our churches — have a clear picture of who the Holy Spirit really is? So, who is the Holy Spirit?

The truth is, there are many different ideas. Judaism insists on the Shema: “The Lord is one.” Islam recognises the Spirit, but not as we do. Let me just take a few minutes to dive into these ideas a little more.


Judaism and the Spirit

In Judaism, the Shema is absolutely central:

Deut. 6:4 says: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one” 

Devout Jews recite this morning and evening — it’s almost their declaration of identity.

So you can imagine, any talk of God being “three-in-one” feels to them like a betrayal of God’s oneness. To Jewish ears, the Trinity sounds like polytheism — as if we were worshipping three gods instead of one.

Now, in the Hebrew Scriptures, the Spirit — Ruach Elohim — certainly appears. In Genesis 1:2, the Spirit of God hovers over the waters of creation. Throughout Judges and Kings, the Spirit comes upon people like Samson or David to empower them. But Jewish teaching doesn’t treat the Spirit as a separate divine Person. Instead, He’s usually understood as God’s power or presence at work in the world.

So when Christians say, “The Holy Spirit is God Himself, personal and active,” that’s a radical difference.

Can you see why the idea of the Trinity is such a stumbling block for them?

Islam and the Spirit

Islam also acknowledges the Spirit — but very differently. The Qur’an speaks of Ruh al-Qudus (the Holy Spirit) and Ruh Allah (the Spirit of God). But in Islamic teaching, the Spirit is not God, nor a person within God.

Some Muslims believe this “Spirit” is actually another name for the angel Gabriel. Others see the Spirit as God’s life-giving breath, as when Adam was created.

And just as in Judaism, Islam strongly rejects the Trinity. The Qur’an says: “Say not ‘Three’ — desist. Allah is but one God.”

So while Judaism and Islam both acknowledge the Spirit in some form, their understanding is very different from the biblical picture. Can you see how different this is? The Spirit is not a distant force, or remote entity, but He is the very presence of God living in us. We proclaim the Spirit as fully God — personal, active, and living in us today. 

These alternate views of the Spirit aren’t just ancient or foreign. Even among Christians today, confusion about the Spirit is common.

The 2022 American LifeWay “State of Theology” survey reports that 55 percent of evangelicals in America believe the Holy Spirit is just a force. I’m not aware of a similar survey for New Zealand — but it raises the question: What might the numbers look like here among our Christian communities, or in fact, here in our church?

This isn’t just a modern misunderstanding. In the 4th century, leaders like Saint Basil of Caesarea wrote entire books defending the Spirit as fully God, co-equal with the Father and the Son.


So let me ask: what about us? Do we see Him as a power… or as a person?

The Scriptures are clear. The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity — fully God, not a “some-thing,” but a “some-one.”

Jesus Himself promised the Spirit. In Acts 1:4–5 He told His disciples,

“Wait for the gift my Father promised… you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit.”

And at Pentecost that promise came… A rushing wind… Tongues of fire. Suddenly the disciples were empowered. From that moment, the Spirit’s work was unleashed in a new and powerful way.

The Bible describes Him as breath, wind, fire — but He is more than a symbol… He speaks. He can be grieved. He teaches, comforts, convicts, and guides. He has a mind and a will. In Greek, He is called the Paraclete — the one who comes alongside us, like an advocate or helper. 


Isn’t that good news? Jesus has not left us friendless. His Spirit lives in us.

How does He guide us?

So, how does He guide us?

Think of Paul in Acts 16. He and his companions planned to preach in Asia, but the Holy Spirit stopped them. Then Paul had a vision of a man from Macedonia, pleading, “Come and help us.” The Spirit was leading them step by step.

Have you ever had your own plans interrupted, only to find God had something better in mind? The Spirit guides us too. Sometimes it’s through Scripture, when a passage suddenly comes alive. Sometimes it’s that “still small voice” prompting us. Sometimes it’s through another person’s encouragement, or even a dream or vision. In all these circumstances it’s essential they align with God’s word. 

He brings peace in the middle of storms. He stirs us to acts of kindness. He gives spiritual gifts — wisdom, healing, prophecy — and produces His fruit in us: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

I’ll never forget a service with Father John Rea, a Catholic priest who travels New Zealand holding healing meetings. Christians from many denominations around Tawa met in the Linden Community Centre. There were Catholic, Anglican, Baptist — it didn’t matter.

What mattered was the Spirit’s love binding us as one. It was so strong I just wanted to hug everyone. That’s the Holy Spirit — breaking down barriers, creating unity, pouring out God’s love.

How should we respond?

So, how should we respond?

The Holy Spirit is a gift. Not something we earn or merit, not something we buy. If we trust Jesus, the Holy Spirit lives within us.

But here’s the question: are we listening to the Spirit? 

Jesus said in John 10:27

“My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”

So do we hear His voice? Do we follow His lead?

Friends, we are privileged to live in this era of the Spirit’s work. He comforts us, empowers us, draws us closer to Jesus. He whispers in our hearts, nudges us into obedience, and transforms us from the inside out. So let’s be attentive. Let’s be sensitive. Let’s be willing to follow wherever He leads.

The Holy Spirit speaks. The only question is: are we listening?

Tawa Baptist

An Inside Story – by Neville Gardner

A couple of years ago, in the rather isolated village of Hrastovlje, in western Slovenia, Nicky and I were shown a building that looks like a small castle with a tower. Close up, it looked a bit forbidding, but after we got through the gateway, we could see that the tower is actually attached to a very plain little Christian church. No-one’s sure when the church was built, but probably in the thirteen or fourteen hundreds. The tower was added later. The castle-like wall was built in 1581, to give villagers a refuge from Turkish invaders.

The church is nothing to look at on the outside, but as soon as we got inside, it was obvious why my sister-in-law, who grew up in the area, wanted us to see it. Just about every part of the interior is covered by colourful frescoes painted in 1490 – we know the date because the artist signed and dated them. The pictures are mostly scenes from the Bible, aimed at telling the stories to a mainly illiterate congregation.

These frescoes were once doubly hidden – not only inside a nondescript building, but at some time long ago they were completely hidden by a thick layer of white plaster. They were only rediscovered in 1949.

So my first impression of the church, from the outside, was one of disappointment. But this was a case of “appearances can be deceptive.” It was only on looking inside that a beautiful treasure was revealed.

The phrase “appearances can be deceptive” can apply to people too.

Relating to people, the term ‘appearance’ covers a wide range of things – the way a person is dressed, things they own or don’t own, things they say and the language they use, their apparent age or culture, their manner (such as being talkative or quiet, rude or polite, using facial expressions and hand gestures) and so on.

When we meet a person for the first time, we sometimes let their appearance either encourage us to get to know them, or put us off. Perhaps we try and get to know them whatever their appearance.

Imagine a conversation going on between two people next Sunday at church.

“Did you hear the sermon Neville gave last week?”

“No. I’m new here, which one’s Neville?”

“Oh, he’s tall, bald and wears glasses. Probably in his late 60s and has an English accent.”

“Thanks, I should be able to spot him.”

The facts of this description are probably quite accurate. ‘Tall, bald and glasses’ are obvious features about my external appearance. Late 60s and English accent – they are both part of my appearance too, but they could lead to questionable judgements about the inner person. Someone in their late 60s might be expected to have certain attitudes and prejudices associated with their age, which they may be judged on. An English accent might suggest a particular cultural background, and all that implies. You’d need to look past these appearances to get to know me and be able to judge my real character. That’s just an example, not a challenge!

The Bible has many examples of how God looks beyond external appearances to see the heart of the person beneath the skin. Obviously we can’t see as God sees, but we can learn from some of the things he looks for.

For example, in 1 Samuel 16: 6-7 we read of how God wanted to replace Saul as king of Israel, because of his disobedience. He sent Samuel to Bethlehem to search among the sons of Jesse. When he arrived in Bethlehem:

“Samuel noticed Eliab and said to himself, “Surely, here before the Lord stands his chosen king.” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t be impressed by his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. God does not view things the way people do. People look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

After God had rejected seven of Jesse’s sons, his youngest son, David, was brought in from looking after the sheep. God looked into David’s heart and chose him to be anointed.

The Israelites hoped God would pick a strapping hero, a brilliant and successful person. But God chose ordinary David for the potential he saw in his heart. We know that David went on to do great things, and very bad things too. But God had chosen him for his nature – at heart, he was devoted, obedient and thankful to God.

Some key words from the passage are “God does not view things the way people do. People look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

People look at the outward appearance – it’s what they do.

God looks at the heart – it’s what He does.

So what are some of the things God looks for in our hearts?

Here are just a few to give us an idea.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” Matthew 5:8

  • God looks for a pure heart, free from sin and devoted to Him.

In Acts 15:8-9 we read: “God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted the Gentiles by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.”

  • God looks for a genuine faith in Him, regardless of ethnic origins.

Romans 12:1-2 urges believers to “offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”

  • God looks for sincere worship.

John 7:24 says: “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with righteous judgment“.

  • God looks for discernment, through truth and righteousness.

That’s just a small selection. Much of what God looks for is concerned with the relationship between God and that person. And that’s not for us to know, and even less to judge. We cannot look at the heart in the way that God does.

But we can still make the effort to go beyond appearances. I think we tend to look for two main categories of things – character and needs. We look for character traits that affect our relationship with the person, even if it’s a fleeting one. We might look for honesty, integrity, compassion, kindness, fairness and trustworthiness. And people look for the same things in us too. By looking beyond appearances, we can also get to understand people’s needs that are not obvious on the surface, or that we miss because of our initial judgements.

This is not to say that we should totally ignore appearances. After all, Jesus showed that he cared about physical appearances when he healed people of various diseases and disfigurements, although even then the results were often internal as well.

Proverbs 27: 19 sums this up – “As in water the face is reflected as a face, so a person’s heart reflects the person.”

Jesus knew what it was like to be misjudged because of his appearance. He didn’t have the appearance of the powerful king the Israelites were expecting. So he was continually having to prove who he was, that his authority came from within, not from what he looked like. Jesus often wanted people to look for his inner self.

Getting people to look at his inner being was a hard lesson that did not always sink in. Towards the end of his ministry on Earth, Jesus’ disciples looked for reassurance about what was going to happen next.

In John 14:8-10 we read that

“Philip said “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be content.” Jesus replied, “Have I been with you for so long, and you have not known me, Philip? The person who has seen me has seen the Father! How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me?”

In other words, Philip had not really looked beyond appearances.

Jesus wanted people to see his inner self, but not all humans are so open. Many people have barriers which can prevent or delay others moving beyond appearances. These could be barriers of language, culture or social difference, or they could be things like shyness, rudeness, poor social skills, anxiety, the need for privacy. Some people even go so far as to deceitfully create false impressions, with the aim of causing harm.

As part of the Sermon on the Mount, (Matthew 7: 15), Jesus warned “Be on your guard against false prophets; they come to you looking like sheep on the outside, but on the inside they are really like wild wolves.” We should look out for people, not just false prophets, who appear harmless on the outside, but are actually dangerous and deceitful inside.

Jesus encountered many barriers like this. He had constant run-ins with the Pharisees, who were an influential group big on tradition and external display, rather than on inner belief.

Jesus didn’t hold back when he said

“Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs that look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of the bones of the dead and of everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you look righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” Matthew 23: 27-28.

As well as encouraging us to look out for hypocrites and wolves in sheep’s clothing, Jesus modelled other ways to look at the heart rather than the appearance. And what we do with what we find there.

Just for example, Mark 12 41-44 tells us

“Then Jesus sat down opposite the offering box, and watched the crowd putting coins into it. Many rich people were throwing in large amounts. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, worth less than a penny. He called his disciples and said to them, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the offering box than all the others. For they all gave out of their wealth. But she, out of her poverty, put in what she had to live on, everything she had.”

One thing he was saying was not to look at and judge the appearance of a small offering, but consider the sacrifice and heart behind it.

In John 4 we read of an encounter between Jesus and a Samaritan woman at a well. She was a female in a society that held women in disregard, she was from a culture despised by Jews and she lived in shame, a social outcast. Outer appearances did not look good. But Jesus looked at her heart, spoke with her and offered eternal salvation. She went on to give testimony to her whole town.

Verse 27 tells us “And at this point His disciples came, and they marvelled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why are You talking with her?””

The disciples looked at the appearance, but did not think to look any further.

This reminds me of a news item I saw a couple of weeks ago. Georgia Evans was playing rugby for Wales in the Women’s Rugby World Cup. During the competition she was subjected to considerable online abuse – not for her playing, but for her appearance on the field. Her reply was “The bows in my hair, the eyelashes and full-face makeup I choose to wear – none of that affects my ability, passion or fight for this game.”

That’s just the attitude we’ve been talking about in Christians – look past the appearance at the passion, the belief.

I said earlier that what God finds in a person’s heart is part of a relationship that we are not meant to see. It’s okay to keep this inner self hidden from other people, if that’s what we want, but there is one thing that God does want other people to see in our hearts.

God wants people to see our belief in Him, to see our Christianity. In fact, Jesus tells us that people shouldn’t have to see into our hearts – our faith and Christianity should shine out anyway.

In Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus said

“You are like light for the whole world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a bowl; instead it is put on the lampstand, where it gives light for everyone in the house. In the same way your light must shine before people, so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.”

So, people shouldn’t have to look inside us to see that we are Christians, that should be part of our outer appearance.

In some parts of the world, shining out your Christian belief can get you into serious trouble. That’s not the case here in New Zealand, for which we are thankful, but there is a level of opposition to Christianity. There are many people who love God, but for various reasons tend to shy away from revealing this to strangers. There are also people who are happy to walk into a room of strangers and almost the first thing they say is “Hi, I’m a Christian.”

Whatever we feel comfortable with (or sometimes not!), God expects other people to be able to recognise us as Christian by the way we live our lives. We shine our light by exemplifying the Christian qualities of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These are all aspects of character we can develop through the presence of the Holy Spirit. We can also shine our light when God calls us to use the spiritual gifts He has given us – and again, we have the Holy Spirit to help us do that.

And we need to show those qualities all the time, not just when we feel like it. In that sense we are lamps on a lampstand, shining continuously – not like lamps totally hidden under a bowl, or even lamps under a colander letting bits of light leak through the holes, and definitely not like a torch, switched on and off to suit.

How much is being a Christian part of your external appearance, as well as your inner character?

I’d like to finish by going back to the decorated church in Slovenia. There is a sequence to the frescoes, and they end with what is known as ‘The Dance of Death.” There are eleven skeletons, each leading a person towards an open grave. There’s a child, a man with a wooden leg, a young man, moneylender, merchant, monk, bishop, cardinal, queen, king and a pope.

The message of this image is simple – When God looks in our hearts, we are all equal in his eyes, regardless of appearance or how important we think we are in our worldly life.

Tawa Baptist

Wisdom & Knowledge

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:8

Video Link: https://youtu.be/NW9ykX-QVGk

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • The gift of wisdom
  • Words of knowledge
  • Knowledge needs wisdom
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Both my grandfathers had a shadow board for their tools. A shadow board is normally hung on a wall in a garage with an outline of the tools on it so you can see where the tools go and whether a tool is missing.  

My shadow board is much less impressive than my grandfathers’ ones. The tools that get used often look in good condition. But the tools I don’t use all that much have gathered a bit of rust over the years.

Today we begin a new sermon series on spiritual gifts. Spiritual gifts are like tools, given by God to help the church. Different jobs require a different tool. Of course, if we don’t use the tools God provides, they tend to gather rust.  

Over the years, I have not paid much attention to the topic of spiritual gifts in my preaching. This series is overdue. My aim is simply to explore what the Bible says about the gifts of the Spirit and let God do with that whatever he wants.

In First Corinthians 12, Paul lists nine spiritual gifts. Paul’s list is not exhaustive; it is an ad hoc sample. There are any number of ways in which the Holy Spirit equips the church. We come across other spiritual gifts in other parts of the Bible too. I’m starting with Corinthians 12 because that’s as good a place as any to start. From verse 4 we read…

4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.

5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

Our message today does not cover all those verses. I read that passage from Corinthians 12 to give you some context. In a nutshell, what Paul is saying here is this: the one Holy Spirit of God distributes a variety of different gifts for the common good of the church and by extension the world.

So, as we consider each of these gifts over the coming weeks, we need to keep that in mind. There are many gifts which all come from the one Spirit to be used for the common good.

Our sermon today focuses on the first two gifts in Paul’s list: wisdom and knowledge, or more accurately the word of wisdom and the word of knowledge. We will begin with the gift of wisdom, before considering the word of knowledge.

The gift of wisdom:

Wisdom is slightly different from knowledge. Knowledge is about knowing facts and information. While wisdom is about how you handle life and people. True wisdom always serves justice, the kind of justice that leads to genuine peace.

King Solomon was known for his wisdom. He asked God for wisdom and God gave it to him. Earlier in the service I read an account of Spirit inspired wisdom from First Kings chapter 3.

Two women were living in the same house. Each of them gave birth to a baby just days apart. One of the babies died during the night. Now the two women were arguing over whose was the living child. They wanted Solomon to decide.

When Solomon ordered the child to be cut in two, one of the women said to the king, “Please, your majesty, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!”

But the other said, “Don’t give him to either of us; go ahead and cut him in two!”

Then Solomon gave his ruling: “Do not kill the child. Give him to the first woman; she is his real mother.”

That is an example of the spiritual gift of wisdom. Solomon knew how to handle the situation so that justice was done and peace was restored.  

Some people think of the gifts of the Spirit like a superpower. You know, Superman has the ability to fly, Wolverine can recover from mortal wounds, and Spiderman climbs buildings and spins webs.

But with spiritual gifts it’s different from that. The gift is not necessarily your possession to keep forever. It’s not a power you can pull out to use whenever and however you want. The exercise of a gift depends on the presence and activity of the Holy Spirit, more than it does us.

The Spirit of God clearly gave Solomon wisdom to deal with certain problems, but the king did not always act with wisdom. He did a lot of things that were unwise, including marrying hundreds of women and oppressing his own people with heavy taxation.

Spiritual gifts are not a reward for good character. The Spirit is pure and holy, but the gifts are given to imperfect human beings, and we are full of contradictions.

We find another example of Spirit inspired wisdom in Mark 12, when Jesus responds to some Pharisees who try to trap him in his words…

The Pharisees begin by flattering Jesus. They say: “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You are not swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.

Then, after coating the bait in honey, they ask: “Is it right to pay the imperial taxto Caesar or not?” 15 …But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.”

16 They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”

“Caesar’s,” they replied.

17 Then Jesus said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” And they were amazed at him.

Jesus exercised the gift of wisdom by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit enabled Jesus to see what was really going on and gave him the right words to handle his opponents, without getting himself into trouble.

Not sure about you, but I don’t usually think of the wise thing to say until a few days later. The wisdom of hindsight is not the same as the wisdom the Spirit lends in real time.

Okay, so there’s a couple of examples of what Paul means when he writes about the gift of wisdom. What about the word of knowledge? What does that look like?    

The word of knowledge:

Some of you probably watch the Chase on TV 1 before the six o’clock news. Although the Chasers have a great general knowledge, they are not exercising the gift of knowledge when they play the Chase. The kind of knowledge Paul has in mind here is not acquired by reading books.

In Corinthians 12 the gift of knowledge probably refers to a supernatural endowment of factual information, that could not otherwise have been known without the Spirit’s help. [1]

Last Wednesday the photocopier in the church office was playing up. I opened the copier door to find a paper jam. Now you have to be very careful when removing paper jams because, if you rip the paper, it can be very difficult to get all of it out. You need to take it slow and remove the paper in one piece.

There I was carefully removing the paper when I noticed a component of the hardware was not sitting right. It was loose. I tried to put the component back properly, but it would not stay in place.

After a few failed attempts I began to feel a bit annoyed. I had a lot to do and did not need another hold up. I wish I could say my first thought was to pray, but it wasn’t.

Eventually though, after taking a few deep breaths, I did pray. My prayer went something like this: ‘God, please help me to see the problem’. No sooner had I prayed and a thought came into my mind: ‘You are looking at the wrong end. Look at the other end.’

So, I turned the component over and noticed a piece of plastic was missing. The component would not sit right because the piece of plastic which held it in place was broken. The copier repair guy had to come and replace the part.

The information I needed to remove the paper jam did not come by a word of knowledge. I learned that knowledge through previous experience.

But the information I needed to identify the problem with the hardware, that came the moment I prayed. Was the thought that came to mind as I prayed a word of knowledge or was it just common sense? I’ll let you decide.

What about when you lose your keys and after rushing around for 20 minutes in a panic, you finally pray (in desperation) for God to help you. Then, within seconds, you are reminded of where you left your keys. Is that a word of knowledge or just blind luck? I’ll let you decide.  

We come across people giving words of knowledge in the Bible quite a bit.

Like when Jesus was talking with the Samaritan woman at the well, in John 4. Without knowing the woman at all, Jesus received a word of knowledge that she had been married five times and the man she was currently with was not her husband.

This word of knowledge established Jesus’ credentials as a prophet and helped the woman to trust Jesus.

But it seems Jesus did not always possess this kind of supernatural knowledge. On a different occasion, when a woman with a bleeding complaint touched the fringe of Jesus’ cloak, Jesus knew power had gone out from him, but he did not appear to know who had touched him. He kept looking around and asking, ‘Who touched my clothes?’

We come across another instance of a word of knowledge in Acts 10. From verse 19 we read: While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three men are looking for you. So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them.”

Peter obeyed the Spirit and went with the men who took him to the home of Cornelius the Roman Centurion. Through that word of knowledge, Peter was directed by the Spirit to preach the gospel to the gentiles with the result that Cornelius and his household believed in Jesus and were saved.

You may be wondering, how do we know when a word of knowledge is from the Holy Spirit? How can we tell the difference between the Holy Spirit’s thoughts and our thoughts? Well, in John 16, Jesus said this…

13 …when the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 

These verses show us that a Spirit inspired word of knowledge is true and it glorifies Jesus. If a word of knowledge proves false or if it does not glorify Jesus, then it is not the real deal.

We could add a third test also. In Corinthians 12, Paul says the gifts of the Spirit are given for the common good. Therefore, we need to ask if the word of knowledge serves the common good. Is it helpful to others in the church?

We know a word of knowledge is genuinely Spirit inspired when it is true, it glorifies Jesus and it serves the common good.    

The problem with these tests is that the results may only be known after the fact. How did Peter know the word of knowledge he had received was true beforehand? Indeed, how can we be confident to act on a word of knowledge?

Hmm. I expect this kind of sensitivity to the Spirit is developed through faith and experience. Peter was able to recognise a genuine word of knowledge because he knew the Holy Spirit personally. He spent time in prayer and study of the word, so he was tuned in to the Spirit.

Ultimately though, Peter had to take a step in faith and act in obedience to the word of knowledge he was given. Proof follows obedience.

Knowledge needs wisdom:

Although Paul lists the gifts of wisdom and knowledge separately, they tend to work better together. Wisdom and knowledge need each other like a right hand needs a left hand.

Have you ever tried to cut a piece of steak with just one hand? It’s really difficult. You need both hands; one to hold the steak with a fork and the other to cut the steak with a knife.

What about tying your shoe laces with one hand? How hard would that be?

You need two hands to tie laces. Knowledge needs wisdom like the left hand needs the right hand.

You may know the story of David and Bathsheba. While Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah, was away fighting in the war for Israel, David slept with Bathsheba and Bathsheba got pregnant. Wanting to hide what he had done, David arranged to have Uriah killed on the front line, making it look like Uriah was just another casualty of war.

But the thing David had done displeased the Lord. God, in his justice and mercy, could not turn a blind eye to David’s abuse of power. Therefore, the Lord sent the prophet Nathan to confront David over his sin.

This means Nathan must have received a word of knowledge from the Lord. How else would the prophet know David had committed adultery and murder? David had kept his wrong doing well hidden.

Knowing this inside information about David was one thing, but communicating it to David, without getting his head chopped off, was another thing altogether. David was a soldier king, he was a man of power and violence, and he had a lot to lose. Nathan needed to approach David with wisdom.

In Second Samuel chapter 12, we read the wise way in which Nathan handled the king. Nathan began by telling David a parable…      

When Nathan came to David, he said, “There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, 3 but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him. 4 “Now a traveller came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveller who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.” 5 David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die! 6 He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.”

7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! 

Nathan then went on tell the king how God was not pleased with the way David stole Uriah’s wife and had Uriah killed. Nathan also spelled out the consequences for David. The king would reap what he sowed.

To his credit, David admitted his fault and the Lord took away David’s sin, but he did not take away David’s consequences.

Conclusion:

A word of knowledge from the Lord is always true and truth is sometimes difficult to receive. A word of knowledge needs to be given with wisdom.

Let us pray. Gracious God, thank you for the gifts you bestow. Help us to tune in to the truth of your Spirit, to be quick to listen and faithful to obey, for the glory of Jesus and the common good of your people. Amen.  

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. What stands out for you in reading these Scriptures and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
  2. Why does God give spiritual gifts to people?
  3. What does Paul mean by the gift of wisdom? How is the gift of wisdom different from the word of knowledge? How do we see the gift of wisdom at work in the Bible?
  4. What does Paul mean by a word of knowledge? How is a word of knowledge different from general knowledge or learned knowledge? Have you ever received a word of knowledge? What happened?
  5. How do we know when a word of knowledge is from the Holy Spirit? How might we tune into the Holy Spirit?
  6. Discuss / reflect on the interaction of wisdom and knowledge in the story of Nathan confronting David. Why does knowledge need wisdom?

[1] Refer Gordon Fee, ‘NICNT, The First Epistle to the Corinthians’, page 592.

Tawa Baptist

Paul’s Parenting

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 2:7-12

Video Link: https://youtu.be/-WsJU41EXAg

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Paul’s love
  • Paul’s model
  • Paul’s coaching
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Today is Father’s Day. You might wonder when and where Father’s Day originated. Well, it depends on what part of the world you come from.

The Eastern Orthodox church has been celebrating Father’s Day for centuries. However, in their tradition it is not a celebration of your own dad. It is called Sunday of the Forefathers and commemorates the ancestors of Christ, listed in Jesus’ genealogy near the beginning of Matthew and Luke’s gospels.

In the Catholic countries of Europe, Father’s Day has been celebrated since the 1500’s. Although again, it’s different from the way we celebrate Father’s Day. The focus is on Joseph, the step-father of Jesus.

Our modern version of Father’s Day, which is about honouring our own dads, comes from a movement among Christian women in early 20th Century America.

Saint Matthews Church in Auckland first celebrated Father’s Day, as we know it, in 1929. By the early 1930’s other kiwi churches began adopting it as well.

People these days have mixed feelings about Father’s Day. For some it is a day of joy and coming together as a family. For others it is a day of sadness or regret, perhaps a day to avoid coming to church.   

Our reading this morning comes from First Thessalonians chapter 2, verses 7-12. In this passage, the apostle Paul describes his parenting style. From First Thessalonians 2, verse 7, we read…

7 … Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, 8 so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well. 9 Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you. 10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. 11 For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, 12 encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

As I said earlier, in this reading Paul describes his parenting style. But before we get into the detail, I need to clarify; there is more than one way to be a parent.

The weight of Biblical and historical evidence strongly suggests the apostle Paul did not have a wife or biological children. Paul chose singleness as this freed him to do the work of an apostle. Although Paul did not have children of his own, he was a spiritual parent to many.

In First Thessalonians chapter 2, Paul is not giving advice to parents specifically, although what he writes here is helpful to parents. Rather, Paul is describing how he was a like a mother and a father, in a spiritual sense, to the new believers in Thessalonica.       

There is more than one way to be a parent. Like Paul, you may not have children of your own, but if you provide pastoral care for others, then you are a spiritual parent to those you care for.

Maybe you serve as a leader in kids’ church or youth group or run a Bible study, or otherwise support, nurture, feed and protect someone in their faith. This sermon is for you, as much as it is for mums and dads with young children at home.

Three verbs to describe Paul’s parenting style: love, model and coach.

Paul loved the Thessalonians. He modelled a good example for them. And Paul coached the Thessalonians in the Christian faith. Let us begin with love, because that is a very good place to start.

Paul’s love:

The Sound of Music tells the story of a young woman, Maria, who is sent to be a nanny for seven children who have lost their mother.

The children’s father, Captain Von Trapp, is a retired naval officer and a strict disciplinarian. He controls his children with a whistle. Since loosing his wife, the captain has become distant and cold. Fraulein Maria is quite the opposite.

She is kind and warm, fun but also firm. 

One of my favourite scenes in the movie is when Fraulein Maria has a stand-up argument with Captain Von Trapp in which she tells him off for being such a grump. Maria says to the captain…

Maria: Children can’t do all the things they’re supposed to if they have to worry about spoiling their precious clothes.

Captain: They haven’t complained yet.

Maria: Well, they wouldn’t dare! They love you too much. They fear you too much!

Captain: I don’t wish you to discuss my children in this manner.

Maria: Well, you’ve got to hear from someone! You’re never home long enough to know them.

Captain: I said I don’t want to hear anymore from you about my children!

Maria: I know you don’t, but you’ve got to! …Friedrich, he’s a boy, but he wants to be a man and there’s no one to show him how.

Captain: Don’t you dare tell me about my son.

Maria: Brigitta could tell you about him if you let her get close to you. She notices everything… And Kurt pretends he’s tough not to show how hurt he is when you brush him aside, the way you do all of them… and the little ones just want to be loved. Oh, please, Captain, love them! Love them all!

Eventually, Captain Von Trapp comes round to seeing it Maria’s way. Through love and music, something inside the captain is healed and the father is restored to his children once more.  

In verse 7 Paul describes his way of relating with the Thessalonians. Paul is much like Fraulein Maria. Paul says: Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, 8 so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.

There is a real tenderness in Paul’s words here. The Thessalonian believers were brand new Christians, toddlers in the faith. Paul, Silas and Timothy cared for their spiritual needs like a mother nursing young children.

One of the characteristics of a true parent is that they know their children and the child knows them as well. Personal knowledge goes hand in hand with love. One of Fraulein Maria’s points was that Captain Von Trapp did not know his children and they did not know him. There was a distance between them.

This was not the case with Paul, for he not only shared the gospel with the Thessalonians; he shared his very life with them. They knew him as a real person and he knew them as a mother knows her children.    

Love, in a Christian understanding, is a commitment to another person’s wellbeing. Love is not out for what it can get. Love wants to give.  

In verse 9 we see the evidence of Paul’s love. Paul, Silas and Timothy worked night and day to support themselves in order not to be a burden to anyone while they preached the gospel to the Thessalonians. Paul’s love was the real deal.

We are talking about Paul’s parenting. Paul loves the Thessalonians like a mother and one of the ways he expresses that love is by modelling a good example for them.

Paul’s model:

Years ago, before we had children, Robyn and I had a dog, a little Jack Russell we called Chip. He was a good-natured dog, full of beans.

Chip had been abused as a pup by his previous owners and consequently would hide under the house if he could, whether he was in trouble or not. Although we were quite soft with Chip, his first owners had left an impression of fear on him by the way they had behaved.

I remember one sweltering hot summers day in Papamoa, when a swarm of flies came into the house. I rolled up a newspaper and went around swatting the insects. After a few minutes, we noticed Chip was cowering under a chair.

The poor little dog was trembling all over, scared out of his wits.

I had never used a newspaper on Chip, but we guessed his original owner had. Swatting the flies seemed to trigger Chip’s PTSD. I quickly stopped my fly killing spree and gave Chip a cuddle to calm him down and show I wasn’t angry.     

The model Chip had been given, as a young pup, was one of cruelty and anger. Consequently, he lived in fear and interpreted otherwise benign actions as a threat.

People and dogs are similar in that both are shaped by the example they are exposed to. If a child is given the model of fairness, consistency and kindness, they will learn to feel secure and be more likely to make better choices in life.

But if a child is treated like Chip was as a puppy, well they need to be shown a better model.  

In verse 10 of Thessalonians 2, Paul writes: You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed.

Paul is talking here about the example he modelled for the Thessalonians.

Holiness is about being whole, being one, having integrity, being the same on the inside as you are on the outside. Righteousness is about relating to other people in a right way and being blameless is about doing no harm.

The three go together. They speak of treating God and the people around you with fairness and respect. Paul provided a good model for the Thessalonians in the way he lived his life and related with others.

Paul’s model, his regular pattern of behaviour, created a pathway for the young Thessalonian believers to follow. They learned how to be Christians by imitating Paul.

So, when Paul was abused or treated unfairly because of his testimony for Christ, they learned how a Christian responds in a situation like that, by observing Paul’s example. Paul did not retaliate with violence. But he did defend himself with words of grace and truth.

The question for us is this: What are others learning about Jesus from our example? Are they learning Jesus is someone to be trusted? Or are they put off by our example?

This question applies whether we have children of our own or not.

If you are a leader in kids’ church or youth group, know that the children and young people you work with are watching your example and learning from you. Some will be leaders themselves in another 5 or 10 years.

For those of you who are a bit older and maybe have less energy to serve in programmes these days, let me ask: what are those in their 30’s or 40’s or 50’s learning about Jesus from the way you live your life and relate with others?     

The older people in our congregation model a wonderful example of what it looks like to provide pastoral care and support for one another. You check in on your neighbours, your church attendance is great, you have lunch together regularly and you pray for others.

We are talking about what it means to parent well, whether you have kids of your own or not. Paul loved the Thessalonians. He modelled a good example for them and Paul coached them.

Paul’s coaching:

Being a father is a bit like being a coach. The coach does not do everything for his players. He teaches them to do things for themselves. After all, the coach cannot be on the field with the players. He can only watch and cheer from the side lines.

Like a coach, a father believes in his children. You show your kids you believe in them by trusting them with responsibility; this builds confidence. Giving kids responsibility is a bit like adding salt to food. Too much and you ruin the meal. Too little and the meal lacks taste. A father’s trust ought to bring out the best in his kids.

One of the most important roles of a father is to be there for their children, in a good way, to remind them they are not alone. Like a coach, a father comes alongside his kids when he is needed, to lend strength and understanding.

Or simply to share the experience.   

The right kind of fatherly presence is like being handed a torch when you are lost and in the dark. It is light for your mind.

The right kind of fatherly presence is like coming inside to sit by a fireplace when you have been outside in the freezing cold. It is warmth for your spirit.

The right kind of fatherly presence is like being served your favourite home cooked meal when you are famished. It is nourishment for your soul.

The right kind of fatherly presence is like crawling into a freshly made bed at the end of the day when you are exhausted. It is rest for your whole being.      

Who is there for you, when you need it? Who can you be there for? 

From verse 11 Paul says: For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, 

Notice here that Paul dealt with each of the Thessalonians personally.

Paul came alongside them and got to know each one in a fatherly way.

How do fathers come alongside their children? How do they get to know them? By playing with them of course. The father / child relationship is not a formal relationship. It is a fun relationship. The father / child relationship is not an awkward or cold relationship. It is an affectionate, warm relationship.

By the same token, the father / child relationship is not a permissive relationship, in which the child can do whatever they want. It is a safe relationship, in which the father protects the child by putting reasonable boundaries in place.     

The next thing we notice (in verse 12) is the three verbs Paul uses to characterise the way in which he relates as a spiritual father to his Thessalonian children: encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God…

There’s quite a bit of overlap with encouraging, comforting and urging.

They are not three separate things. They offer three lenses on the same thing.

Encouraging, comforting and urging are done by teaching, believing in and being there.

To encourage literally means to put courage into someone. Children need courage to face the world; they don’t need fear. We put courage into children by speaking good words into their life and soul.

We also put courage into children by believing in them; trusting them with an appropriate amount of responsibility (when they are ready for it) and rewarding them when they do well.

Children need comfort from their fathers too. Comfort is not about spoiling your kids. Comfort is about showing kindness and tenderness, especially when a child has gone through a hard time. We comfort children by being there for them, being reliable. This makes our kids feel less alone, more brave.

Setting reasonable boundaries also creates a sense of security and comfort.

Last Friday’s Our Daily Bread devotional talked about boundaries. Elisa Morgan writes…

“A team of landscape architects studied the effects of providing fencing around a preschool playground. On playgrounds without fences, children tended to gather close to the school buildings and their teacher and didn’t stray away. But on fenced-in playgrounds, they enjoyed the entire area. The researchers concluded that boundaries can create a greater sense of freedom.”

Urging is about pointing children in the right direction, teaching them to find the right path for themselves. Urging is quite different from controlling or forcing or driving. Urging is about providing internal motivation to achieve a particular goal.

One of the best ways to urge children in the right direction is to tell them stories. Stories of redemption and hope. Stories where the hero wins against the odds. Stories that motivate the child to live the values of God’s kingdom. Gospel stories.  

The main goal with all of this is to live lives worthy of God. In other words, practice justice, mercy and humility. Practice living now how you will one day live when God’s kingdom is realised in its fullness. 

Conclusion:

Whether you have natural children of your own or not, you can still be a parent to others in the faith by loving them, modelling a good example and coming alongside to provide comfort and encouragement.

Let us pray…

Father God, we thank you for loving us. Lord Jesus, we thank you for modelling the best example for us. And Holy Spirit, we thank you for coaching us to live lives worthy of God. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
  2. Discuss reflect on the various ways one can be a parent. In what ways have you been a parent to others?
  3. What might love look like in a parenting relationship?
  4. Why is the example we model for others important? What example did Paul model for the believers in Thessalonica? What are others learning about Jesus from your example?
  5. How might we come alongside someone and get to know them?
  6. In the context of 1 Thessalonians 2, what does it mean to encourage, comfort and urge others in the Christian faith? How might we do this?
  7. Who has God used to encourage, comfort and urge you? Give thanks for them. Who can you encourage, comfort and urge to live a life worthy of God?    
Tawa Baptist

Paul in Rome

Scripture: Acts 28:16-31

Video Link: https://youtu.be/VwbRDZnsO7g

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Paul’s perseverance
  • Israel’s denial
  • Jesus’ sovereignty
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

You may have heard of the phrase, “Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more.”

This comes from William Shakespeare’s play, Henry V, in a scene where the king rallies his troops to attack through a gap in the city walls of Harfleur. It is a call to action in the face of overwhelming odds. It means, ‘let us try one more time’. “Once more unto the breach…” is about perseverance and not giving up.   

In Shakespeare’s play, the king ends up defeating his enemies despite being greatly outnumbered.

Today we conclude our three week series in the book of Acts in support of the Arotahi Renew Together campaign. Arotahi is the missions arm of New Zealand Baptists. Once a year we renew our commitment to pray for and support the work of spreading the gospel in New Zealand and overseas. 

Two weeks ago we heard about Paul in Athens. Then last week we learned about Paul’s mission in Ephesus. This week’s sermon focuses on Acts chapter 28, where we find the apostle Paul in the capital city of Rome, under house arrest.

After the better part of 30 years, Paul is still persevering in proclaiming the gospel. Time and time again he faces opposition, but every time he obeys the call of King Jesus, once more unto the breach dear friend, once more.

From Acts 28, verse 16, we read

16 When we got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him. 17 Three days later he called together the local Jewish leaders. When they had assembled, Paul said to them: “My brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or against the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. 18 They examined me and wanted to release me, because I was not guilty of any crime deserving death. 19 The Jews objected, so I was compelled to make an appeal to Caesar. 

I certainly did not intend to bring any charge against my own people. 20 For this reason I have asked to see you and talk with you. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain.” 21 They replied, “We have not received any letters from Judea concerning you, and none of our people who have come from there has reported or said anything bad about you. 22 But we want to hear what your views are, for we know that people everywhere are talking against this sect.” 23 They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. He witnessed to them from morning till evening, explaining about the kingdom of God, and from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets he tried to persuade them about Jesus. 24 Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe. 25 They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your ancestors when he said through Isaiah the prophet: 26 “‘Go to this people and say, “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.” 27 For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ 28 “Therefore I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!” 29 After he said this, the Jews left, arguing vigorously among themselves. 30 For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. 31 He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

This morning I want to highlight three things from these closing words in the book of Acts: Paul’s perseverance, Israel’s denial and Jesus’ sovereignty.

Let us begin with Paul’s perseverance.

Paul’s perseverance:

One day a farmer’s donkey fell down an unused well. The farmer could not think of any way to get his donkey out and did not care much for the donkey anyway, so he decided to bury the poor animal where it had fallen.

As he started shovelling dirt into the well, the donkey cried in distress, but before long the crying stopped. After about 20 minutes of backfilling the farmer took a break and looked into the hole to see his progress. To his amazement the farmer saw the donkey had not been buried.

With every shovelful of dirt that hit his back the donkey would shake it off and take a step up. The farmer kept shovelling and soon the donkey was able to step out and walk away. [1]

Paul was a bit like the donkey. He was in a hole so to speak, chained to a Roman guard under house arrest. The Jewish religious leaders of Jerusalem had kept throwing dirt on him. They wanted to bury him. But with each shovelful Paul shook it off and took a step up. Paul did not give in, he persevered.

You may be wondering how Paul came to be in Rome under house arrest.

Well, after a fruitful time in Ephesus, Paul made his way to Jerusalem. The Jews there plotted against him and he was arrested. Paul stood trial in Jerusalem and then later in Caesarea.

The Jewish leaders were trying to use the Romans to execute Paul, much like they used Pilate to execute Jesus. But none of the charges against Paul would stick. The Romans found Paul innocent

Due to a corrupt governor, however, Paul remained in prison in Caesarea for two years, after which he stood trial before the Romans yet again. To avoid being handed over to the Jews, Paul was forced to appeal to the Emperor. That meant being transported to Rome by ship.

The journey from Caesarea to Rome was fraught with difficulty. Paul’s ship was wreaked in a storm and the passengers and crew were forced to swim ashore on the island of Malta. They were stranded on Malta for three months before boarding another ship to Italy.

When Paul eventually did arrive in Rome, he was allowed to stay in a rented house, chained by the wrist to a Roman soldier 24-7. The guards took it in shifts to mind Paul. Paul had a captive audience. I’m sure every one of those guards heard the gospel about Jesus.     

Just three days after arriving in Rome, Paul called together the local Jews to explain why he was there. Paul wanted to reassure them that he did not mean them any harm. He was there because he was compelled to appeal to Caesar to save his own life.

The Jews were probably relieved to hear this. Some years earlier the Emperor Claudius had temporarily banned all Jews from living in Rome because of disputes between the Jews and Christians. Paul wants the Jews to know he is not there to make trouble for them.  

Paul is also keen to talk with people about the hope of Israel. The hope of Israel is code for the Messiah. Paul wants to share the good news about Jesus the Messiah.

Now when you think about all that Paul has suffered because of the Jews,

all the dirt they had thrown on him, all the floggings he endured, all the false accusations and trials, not to mention all those years in prison, it is a wonder that Paul would risk even more rejection by setting up a meeting with the Jews of Rome. Who knows what people had been saying about him behind his back.

Jesus teaches us to turn the other cheek and forgive others as often as they need it. The Jews had not sought Paul’s forgiveness and yet he shakes off their condemnation and continues to face them with grace and courage. Paul perseveres in his love for those who mean him harm. He keeps on trying to reach his fellow Israelites with the truth about Jesus.

In reply, the Jewish leaders said they had not heard any bad reports about Paul. This seems unlikely. Some commentators think the Jews here were pretending to be ignorant about Paul because it was politically expedient. If the Jews started throwing more dirt on Paul and Paul gained a favourable hearing from Caesar, they might be expelled from Rome again or worse.

The Jews arranged to meet with Paul on a certain day to hear what he had to say. Even more people turned up the second time. Paul talked with them all day about the kingdom of God. He tried to persuade them that Jesus is the Messiah using the common ground of the Hebrew Scriptures.    

Some were convinced by Paul, others would not believe. As usual the gospel about Jesus confronts people with the truth; it compels people to choose. Will we accept the reality of our situation or will we live in denial of the problem.

Israel’s denial

In 1915 the Mexican boll weevil came to Alabama and destroyed 60% of the cotton crop. In desperation the farmers turned to planting peanuts and then diversified into other crops. The diversification saved the local economy.

Had it not been for the boll weevil, the farmers may not have stumbled across a better crop. In gratitude, the people of the town put up a statue of the boll weevil together with a plaque which reads: “In profound appreciation of the boll weevil and what it has done as the herald of prosperity.”

Personally, I think the boll weevil got too much credit. It was really the people’s willingness to face the reality of their situation that saved them. Had the farmers denied there was a weevil problem and refused to change from planting cotton to growing peanuts, the people would have been ruined.

To those Jews who rejected his message about Jesus, Paul quoted the prophet Isaiah…

26 “‘Go to this people and say, “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.” 27 For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’    

These verses from Isaiah are talking about Israel’s refusal to believe.

The prophet is saying the people are living in denial of reality. They have closed their hearts and minds to the truth of the situation.

Unlike the cotton farmers of Alabama, they don’t want to admit they have a problem. But if they did, God would heal them.

So what exactly is the problem Paul’s compatriots are denying? The problem is this: they killed Jesus, God’s Messiah. To admit that Jesus is the Messiah is to admit they got it terribly wrong when they crucified Jesus.

As painful as the Jews’ rejection of Jesus is, Paul sees an opportunity for those outside of Israel. Pauls says: “God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!”  

When Paul tells his fellow Jews they are living in denial of the Messiah, they leave arguing vigorously among themselves. Clearly, Paul’s words have hit a raw nerve. They know Paul is right, but they don’t want to admit it.   

Now at this point I need to say that Israel do not have the monopoly on denial. We are all prone to denial in our own way, regardless of our cultural heritage.

Indeed, when we find ourselves protesting too much, that is often a sign that we are denying an inconvenient truth about ourselves.

So what is the cure for the blindness of denial? Well, for the cotton farmers it came in the form of the boll weevil which destroyed their crops. Sometimes God’s cure for stubborn denial is suffering and loss. The kind of suffering that wakes us up to the reality of our situation. The kind of loss that makes us aware of our need for God.

Jesus said, blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

The poor in spirit are those who are at the end of their rope. They have suffered loss and humiliation. They are under no illusions about the reality of their situation. They have been cured of their denial and they know their need for God’s grace.  

You see, to be able to enjoy a meal, you must first become hungry. To be able to receive the salvation God offers, your hands must first be empty. To be able to experience the good news of Jesus, you must first face the bad news about yourself and the world. I wish there was an easier way, but there isn’t.   

The other thing we note here is that there are limits to Paul’s perseverance.

As much as Paul valiantly attempts to reach his own people time and time again with the gospel, if the Jews in a particular place refuse to believe, if they persist in their denial, Paul shakes it off and moves on to those who will listen.

Okay, so we have heard about Paul’s perseverance in reaching people with the gospel. And we have heard about Israel’s denial of Jesus the Messiah. What about Jesus’ sovereignty. How does that fit with today’s reading.

Jesus’ sovereignty:   

A sovereign is a king, a ruler. Someone with power and authority to reign.

One of the undercurrents running throughout the book of Acts is the idea that Jesus is sovereign; he is in control of the events that transpire. Nothing hinders Jesus’ purpose of salvation.

This idea of Jesus’ sovereignty may be lost in translation for us. For us a sovereign is someone like Queen Elizabeth or King Charles. A figure head, a wealthy monarch with no real power. But Jesus is not a King like that. Jesus is more than a figure head. Jesus has real power. Power over life and death. Power to heal, deliver and redeem.  

Again, we should not confuse Jesus’ power with the kind of political power we are familiar with. Political leaders in our world tend to use a carrot and stick approach to get what they want. Carrots represent rewards and the stick represents punishments; things like tariffs and tanks.     

Jesus does not exercise his power in the same way earthly rulers do. Jesus does not coerce or manipulate people. Jesus’ power often flies under the radar; it operates at a deeper level. Jesus, the King in heaven, exercises his power on earth through the Holy Spirit at work in and among human beings.

In the freezing waters around Greenland there are countless icebergs. Some are small, others large. If you watch them carefully, you notice that the smaller ice floes often move in one direction, while the big ones flow in another direction.

Surface winds drive the little ones, whereas the larger icebergs are carried along by deep ocean currents.

When we consider all that Paul suffered and indeed when we consider our own trials and tragedies, it may be helpful to see our lives as being subject to two forces: surface winds and deeper ocean currents.

The surface winds represent that which is changeable, unpredictable and distressing. The manipulations of men and the wielding of political power for example. Or the slings and arrows of personal misfortune and poor health.

But operating simultaneously, with the gusts and gales, is another more powerful force. The sure movement of God’s wise and sovereign purpose.

The deep flow of his unchanging love. [2]     

In the book of Acts we see both the surface winds of human opposition and the deeper movement of God’s Spirit.

Right at the beginning of Acts, the risen Jesus made plain the sovereign movement of God’s plan of salvation, when he said to his apostles…

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.    

The book of Acts starts in Jersualem and finishes in Rome, the capital of the empire. And from Rome the gospel moves outward to all corners of the earth.

The deeper current of God’s love and Spirit carries the gospel message to the whole world.

Paul had no control over how people responded to his preaching about Jesus. Some believed, others did not. Some reacted violently, with the result that Paul found himself standing trial before the authorities.

These negative reactions were surface winds, which the Spirit of God was able to use in service to Jesus’ sovereign purpose. Every time Paul stood trial, whether before a Roman official or the Jewish leadership, he gave his testimony about Christ. Paul spoke gospel truth to those in power.

Paul’s two years under house arrest in Rome was not wasted time. During those years Paul wrote letters to the Philippians, the Ephesians, the Colossians and to Philemon. These letters are still with us today and contain some of our richest insights about Jesus and his purpose. In Philippians Paul writes…

I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.

The fickle surface winds of human opposition do not alter the deep movement of Jesus’ sovereign purpose.

Conclusion:

The book of Acts finishes on a note of triumph: 30 For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. 31 He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!

Paul may have been a prisoner, but the sovereign purpose of Jesus remained free and prospered.

Let us pray…

Gracious God, give us strength to persevere in your purpose for us. Give us grace to face the truth without denial. And when we feel buffeted by the surface winds of trial and opposition, keep us mindful of your deeper sovereign purpose. Through Jesus we pray. Amen.  

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
  2. Why did Paul persevere is the face of opposition and hardship? When did Paul stop persevering and move on to tell others about Jesus? How might we know when to keep persevering and when to shake it off and move on? 
  3. How did God use Paul’s trials and suffering to forward the work of the gospel?
  4. Why did the Jews have such a difficult time accepting Paul’s message that Jesus is the Messiah?
  5. What is denial? How might we know we are in denial about something? Have there been times in your life when you struggled with denial? What happened? How did God deliver you?
  6. Discuss / reflect on Jesus’ sovereignty. How is Jesus’ power different from earthly rulers’ power?
  7. What surface winds of difficulty and opposition have you experienced lately? Can you discern Jesus’ deeper sovereign purpose at work in your life? If so, how? 

[1] Adapted from a story in J. John and Mark Stibbe’s book, ‘A Barrel of Fun’, page 116.

[2] Adapted from an excerpt in J. John and Mark Stibbe’s book, ‘A Barrel of Fun’, page 194.

Tawa Baptist

Paul in Ephesus

Scripture: Acts 19:1-12

Video Link: https://youtu.be/k3K5R935iaQ

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Christian initiation
  • Evangelism strategy
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

In his book, ‘That they may have life’, Sri Lankan pastor, Daniel Niles writes: “Evangelism is witness. It is one beggar telling another beggar where to find food.”

Evangelism comes from a Greek word meaning ‘good news’. For Christians evangelism is telling others the good news about Jesus Christ. Evangelism can be as simple as one person telling another person how Jesus has helped them.

Evangelism is as necessary for life and survival as eating food. Evangelism is not a top-down thing, it’s a side-by-side thing. Those who do the evangelising are not better than those being evangelised, both need the bread of salvation.

Evangelism can be quite challenging in our society because most people do not think of themselves as beggars. Most people are not aware of their spiritual need.      

Today we continue our three week series in the book of Acts in support of the Arotahi Renew Together campaign. Arotahi is the missions arm of New Zealand Baptists. Once a year we renew our commitment to pray for and support the work of spreading the gospel in New Zealand and overseas. 

This week’s sermon focuses on Acts chapter 19, verses 1-12, where we learn how the apostle Paul did evangelism in the city of Ephesus. From Acts 19, verse 1, we read…

While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit whenyou believed?”

They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

3 So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”

“John’s baptism,” they replied.

4 Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tonguesand prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all. 8 Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. 9 But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10 This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord. 11 God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

There are two halves to our message today. In the first half we consider Christian initiation; that is, what’s involved in becoming a Christian.

And in the second half we observe Paul’s strategy of evangelism; in other words, how Paul went about reaching people with the gospel of Jesus. We begin with Christian initiation.

Christian Initiation:

For seeds to germinate they need the right amount of four things: water, oxygen, temperature and light.

Water is essential for seed germination. A baptism in water softens the seed so it swells and ruptures. Most seeds need to absorb between 25% and 50% of their weight in water before they will germinate.

Oxygen provides the energy the seed needs to grow. If seeds are planted too deep in the soil, they might not get the oxygen they need to sprout.

The temperature has to be right too. Different seeds germinate at different temperatures, but most activate between 16 and 25 degrees Celsius.

The fourth requirement for seed germination is the right amount of light or, in the case of some plants, the right amount of darkness.

In the same way the germination of a seed involves the right amount of water, oxygen, temperature and light, so too Christian initiation involves four things: repentance, faith in Jesus, baptism in water and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Repentance means turning away from sin. Repentance is a change of mind that leads to a positive change in behaviour. Repentance is when we stop walking away from God and start walking towards him.

Faith in Jesus means trusting our lives and our eternity to Jesus. Believing in his death and resurrection. Relying on Jesus’ righteousness and not our own. Holding to the sure hope that Jesus will save us.

Faith in Jesus is made possible by the work of the Holy Spirit. Without God’s Spirit, we cannot truly believe in Jesus or start walking toward God.

Baptism in water is an outward and visible sign of our faith in Jesus.

Water is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. To be baptised then is to signify that you have begun to follow Jesus with the help of the Holy Spirit.     

In the New Testament, repentance, faith in Jesus, baptism and the Holy Spirit are always present when someone becomes a Christian. The order in which these things happen may vary, but all four belong together when it comes to Christian initiation.

When Paul arrived in Ephesus he found some disciples. As he talks with them Paul notices something is off. These men seem to be missing something.

So Paul asks them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit whenyou believed?”     

They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

Now, that cannot be right. The Holy Spirit is mentioned many times throughout the Hebrew Scriptures and during his earthly ministry Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to his followers. Clearly, there is a gap in these disciples’ understanding of what it means to follow Jesus.

Paul knows that no one can truly believe in Jesus without the Holy Spirit, so he asks, “Then what baptism did you receive?”

“John’s baptism,” they replied. Now everything becomes clear. They are not disciples of Jesus; they are disciples of John the Baptist. 

 Paul explains, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”

These 12 men could not have been Christian before meeting Paul, because they had not believed in Jesus up to that point. They were aware of their sin and committed to repentance, but they did not know Jesus personally, through the Holy Spirit.  

From verse 5 we read: 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tonguesand prophesied.

As I understand it, the Ephesian disciples received the Spirit and believed in Jesus on the same day they were baptised. When Paul laid his hands on them to baptise them in water, they received the Spirit as a gift from Jesus.

How were you initiated into the Christian faith? As I reflect on the Ephesians’ experience, I’m conscious of how different it was from my own experience of Christian initiation. When I came to faith in the early 1980’s, there seemed to be three stages to becoming a Christian.

Praying the sinners’ prayer and asking Jesus into your heart, stage one.

Then, after some time had passed, getting baptised in water, stage two.

And then after some more waiting, being prayed for to receive the Holy Spirit.   

Others of you may have a had different experience again. Perhaps you were baptised as a baby, then later confirmed your faith in Jesus as a young person.   

This idea of Christian initiation involving two or three separate events over a period of years was a foreign concept to Paul and the other apostles. Must Christian initiation conform to the pattern we read of in the book of Acts?

Hmmm. We should not be too dogmatic about how the Spirit of God brings people to faith in Jesus. The Holy Spirit does not have to conform to our rules and formulas. Our part is to be open to the work of the Spirit and to trust and obey Jesus out of love for God.

What we can say with confidence is that Christian initiation, both now and then, involves repentance, faith in Jesus, baptism in water and the gift of the Holy Spirit. But the order and timing may vary from person to person. Are any of these four aspects missing for you? What might God be saying?

Another question we may stew over is how do we know we have received the gift of the Holy Spirit? Repentance can be measured and baptism in water can be seen, but it may be more difficult to sense the Spirit.

Verse 6 says the Ephesians spoke in tongues and prophesied when they received the Holy Spirit. Does that mean tongues and prophecy are the signs you have received the Spirit? Well, they can be. But not always.

The Holy Spirit gives all sorts of different gifts. Not everyone who receives the Spirit speaks in tongues or utters words of prophesy like the Ephesians did.

So if you don’t speak in tongues, then don’t worry. The Spirit may give you assurance of your salvation in other ways. Some may feel their heart strangely warmed. Others may be filled with a profound sense of peace.

For me, the Spirit sometimes comes with tears. It is the feeling of being overwhelmed by grace. Humbled by God’s goodness so I cannot talk. Speechless in the presence of the Lord.

Whether you have had a special experience or not, the primary sign of the Spirit is faith in Jesus. You know the Holy Spirit has been given to you when you trust in Jesus. The Spirit makes Jesus close and real.

The question remains for each one of us, do we believe in Jesus? Believing in Jesus is not just a one-off event. Faith in Jesus is on-going, the journey of a lifetime. Therefore, we need to go on being filled with the Holy Spirit to keep faith with Jesus. Don’t stop believing.   

Evangelism strategy:

Okay, that is Christian initiation. Now let us consider Paul’s strategy for evangelism. How did Paul share the good news about Jesus with the people of Ephesus?

You’ve probably heard of the story of the three little pigs. You know the one. The first pig built his house out of straw and the big bad wolf blew his house down and ate the little pig. The second pig built his house out of sticks and the wolf blew his house down and ate him too.

But the third little pig built her house out of bricks and no matter how much the wolf blew, he could not blow her house down.

I suppose the moral of the story is this: to keep the wolf from your door you need to be prepared. It may take longer to build your house out of bricks and it may cost more, but it will be worth it in the end.

In line with the wisdom of being prepared, there’s a Chinese proverb which says: “If you are planning for a year, plant rice. If you are planning for a decade, plant trees. If you are planning for a lifetime, educate people.”

When Paul went about evangelising, he planned for a lifetime. Paul invested a lot of time and energy educating people in the way of Jesus, so their faith would be brick house strong, built to last.

When Paul arrived in Ephesus, he started in the Jewish synagogue. Paul spoke boldly about the kingdom of God, using reason to persuade people that Jesus is the Messiah and therefore people should repent and believe in him.

Starting with the Jews was good evangelism strategy. There was already common ground; Paul did not have to start from scratch. Jesus and Paul were both Jewish and the Hebrew Scriptures point to Jesus.    

Despite the common ground though, some of the Jews refused to believe Paul’s message and started to bad mouth the Way. The Way is code for the way of Christ. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Jesus the Son.

Being maligned and rejected by his own people grieved Paul deeply. It was no easy thing for him walk away. In Acts 20, verse 19, Paul says of his time in Ephesus: “I served the Lord with great humility and with tears, although I was severely tested by the Jews”. 

When Paul’s evangelism was rejected, Paul did not waste energy fighting those who were entrenched and stuck in their ways. He left the synagogue and took the disciples he had baptised with him.

Paul then carried on educating people about Jesus and the kingdom of God in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. This lecture hall was neutral ground. It was a public space that anyone (Jew or Greek) could access.

Paul did not just give lectures though. Paul held discussions, he dialogued with people, using reasoned arguments to educate and persuade. The Alpha Course is a contemporary version of evangelism modelled off Paul’s strategy of reasoned discussion and persuasion. Alpha is worth doing.

Not everyone goes down the Alpha path though. Some come to faith in Jesus after hearing an emotional appeal. The music plays, the smoke machine purrs, the mood lighting comes on and the speaker pulls on everyone’s heart strings (or guilt strings). Then, in the heat of the moment, people come forward to make a commitment to Jesus.

These sorts of emotionally based commitments don’t usually last, unless followed up by someone who intentionally comes alongside the new believer to nurture and disciple them.   

Paul did not build his house with the straw and sticks of raw emotion and stage tricks. Paul built his house with the bricks and reinforcing steel of sound argument and truth. Paul planned for a lifetime.

Verse 10 tells us; this went on for two years so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.       

Ephesus was like a hub for the province of Asia in the first century. People from the surrounding towns came to Ephesus to do their shopping, visit their family or watch the games. While in Ephesus they got to hear the gospel through Paul.

Some took what they heard back home with them. And so the gospel spread by word of mouth.  

In Acts 20, verse 20, we learn that Paul also went house to house telling people to repent and have faith in Jesus. A strong work ethic was woven through Paul’s evangelism strategy. And the Spirit of God was clearly with Paul, upholding and empowering him every step of the way.

In verses 11 and 12 of Acts 19, we read how God did extraordinary miracles through Paul. The people of ancient Ephesus were spiritually aware. Some dabbled in magic and the occult. When people saw the power of God to heal and deliver, many turned away from sorcery and the dark arts to follow Jesus.

The miraculous signs and wonders done by God, verified Paul’s gospel message as authentic and true. If you read on in Acts 19 you will see how Paul’s evangelism eventually divided the city. People were confronted with the truth about Jesus and had to choose a side. Evangelism takes ground for God’s kingdom.

Although it is not covered in our reading today, an important part of Paul’s evangelism strategy was establishing an organisational structure to take care of the young church after he was gone. In Acts 20 we learn that Paul had appointed pastors and elders to protect and care for the new believers.

In verse 28 Paul says to the elders of the church at Ephesus: Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. 

Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.

Perhaps the most important part of any evangelism strategy is love. Persuasive arguments and intelligent apologetics only get you so far. If we do not love the people we are trying to reach, the message won’t sound true.

Paul’s love for the Ephesians and their love for him is evident in Paul’s farewell speech to them in Acts 20. From verse 37 we read: They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. 38 What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. 

Conclusion:

Paul’s Herculean efforts of evangelism are intimidating. It may feel like too much of a leap to try and imitate Paul exactly. Let me offer a few practical strategies for evangelism which most Christians can attempt…

Look for people of peace. That is, people who are open to talking about faith and friendly in their attitude to things Christian. Paul started with the disciples of John the Baptist, people of peace. He did not start with the witches and gangsters of Ephesus.    

Pray for someone who does not yet know Jesus. Pray for them by name, daily, that the Holy Spirit would make Jesus close and real for them.

Know what you believe. Educate yourself. Read your Bible and think about how Jesus has been good for you personally. Be ready, prepared to talk about what Jesus means to you and what you really believe.

Love others. To love others means being kind and fair.  Listening generously. Showing up when you are needed. Doing no harm. Being patient and respectful.

And when you are given the opportunity to talk about Jesus, be brave without being arrogant. Don’t be ashamed or embarrassed. Be straight up. Own your faith with humility. Stand by it and trust your testimony to the Holy Spirit.

Let us pray…    

Gracious God, you love those who don’t yet know you. May the good news about Jesus be real for each of us, personally. Give us wise words and a winsome Spirit to tell others about Christ. Glorify yourself we pray. Amen.   

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
  2. Who first told you about Jesus? How did they do this?
  3. What is evangelism? Why is evangelism important?
  4. How were you initiated into the Christian faith? Are any of the four aspects of Christian initiation missing for you? If so, which aspect(s)? What might God be saying to you?
  5. How do we know we have received the gift of the Holy Spirit? How does the Spirit make Jesus close and real for you?
  6. Discuss / reflect on Paul’s evangelism strategy in Ephesus.
  7. What can you do to share the love and truth of Jesus with others?
Tawa Baptist

Paul in Athens

Scripture: Acts 17:22-34

Video Link: https://youtu.be/mhKLM8nneqs

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Context
  • Ignorance
  • Orthodoxy
  • Conclusion – Response

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

What would you say if someone asked you to explain your faith? What are the most important things to communicate and what is your best point of connection, the way in, so your listeners can hear and understand?  

Today we begin a short (three week) series in the book of Acts in support of the Arotahi Renew Together campaign. Arotahi is the missions arm of New Zealand Baptists. Once a year we renew our commitment to pray for and support the work of spreading the gospel in New Zealand and overseas.  

This week’s sermon focuses on Acts chapter 17, verses 22-34, where the apostle Paul is asked to explain the Christian faith to a group of intellectuals who know nothing about Jesus or the Bible. From Acts 17, verse 22, we read…

22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you. 24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ 29 “Therefore, since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.” 32 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” 33 At that, Paul left the Council. 34 Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

Context:

Screws come with a variety of different heads. It’s no good trying to use a flat head screwdriver on a Philips screw. You’ll just end up wreaking the screw.

A Philips screw needs a Philips screwdriver. You need to use the right tool for the job.

The first thing Paul does when he comes to Athens is look and listen. He walks around the city and gets a feel for the culture. He seeks to understand the context, the people and the place. What type of screw head (metaphorical speaking) does the city of Athens have?    

Well, the city of Athens was full of idols, statues of wood and stone which people worshipped. Most of the people of Athens had no background in the Hebrew Scriptures and no real understanding of the God of Israel, much less any knowledge of the person of Jesus or the work of the Spirit.

Just as it won’t work to use a flat head screwdriver on a Philips screw, so too in the city of Athens it won’t work to explain the gospel using Old Testament symbols. Paul can see this and adapts to his context, presenting the gospel in a way which connects with his listeners, without compromising the truth.

Athens was made famous by men like Socrates and Plato and Aristotle. The sort of old guys you might study in a Classics class at university. So Paul uses the screwdriver of logic and philosophy to reason with the people of Athens, much like Socrates did before him.        

In verse 18 we read how a group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began debating with Paul in the marketplace. We might think of these philosophers like professors or university lecturers.

Epicureans believed the gods existed but were remote and uninterested in human beings, so there was no need to worry about them. For Epicureans all life is random, determined by chance. They did not believe in the after-life nor in a day of judgement.

The Epicureans believed in enjoying pleasure and escaping the pains and stresses of this life. They did this by not caring too much about anything.

They reasoned, if this life is all there is, then it’s best to avoid suffering by disengaging and not getting carried away by your passions.  

Stoics had a different philosophy. They believed the universe was god and that all life was fated or predetermined by the universe, so nothing happened by chance. In their minds the universe had everything rigged.

Stoics thought you cannot change the hand you are dealt, so the best thing is to submit to your fate. For stoics, enduring pain with a stiff upper lip was virtue and hope was folly.

Stoic philosophy probably had a greater influence on first century Athens than Epicureanism. These days we still see traces of Stoic and Epicurean belief in secular society.

Both these schools of thought are a long way from the Jewish / Christian understanding of a just and compassionate God who cares deeply about his creation and intervenes to save people.

These learned men of Athens had not heard the gospel before. Paul’s ideas were all new to them. Some were curious. Others may have viewed Paul as entertainment. So they invited Paul to the Areopagus (also known as Mars Hill) to hear what he had to say.  

Paul selects the right screwdriver. Paul begins with something familiar in their context, an altar to an unknown god.

Many in the ancient world lived in fear and anxiety of what the gods might do to them. So, as a kind of insurance policy against unintentionally offending a god they did not know about, the Athenians put up an altar to an unknown god, to cover all their bases.

Ignorance:

Paul does not flatter his audience in any way. He points out that their worship of an unknown god is evidence of their ignorance and therefore of their need to learn. It’s a brave man who tells a group of intellectuals they are ignorant.

But in a way this builds trust. Paul’s listeners would likely smell a rat if Paul was too smooth or complementary.

Sometimes we Christians can be too nice, too accommodating, too eager to please people of other faiths or no faith. But not Paul. The apostle is respectful of others but also confident of what he believes. He is humble, without pandering to people’s egos. Grace and truth, that’s the Spirit of Jesus.  

The philosophers of ancient Athens were ignorant and pretending otherwise is not going to help. Paul means to give them a better understanding of God.     

A couple of weeks ago our gas heater stopped working at home. We have had this heater for over 20 years. We know how it is supposed to sound when you turn it on. This time it made a different sound. I guessed it was a problem with the ignition, but I wasn’t sure.

I’m not an electrician or a gas fitter. I’m ignorant about the inner workings of our gas heater. I could have blindly experimented with the wires to try and fix it myself but decided not to take the risk of blowing myself up. Instead, I phoned Fergus and he took a look.

Turned out my instinct was right; it was a problem with the ignition. One of the wires had come loose and needed to be reconnected.

Now the heater is working again. I did not know which wire to look for or where to reconnect it, but after seeing Fergus fix it, I have the right knowledge. Not that I’m ready to give up preaching and become a gas fitter. Please don’t ask me to fix your heater. Call Fergus, he’s the expert.  

The people of ancient Athens knew that things were not right with the world. They correctly guessed the problem was spiritual, something to do with humanity’s relationship with God.

But they did not have the right knowledge. They were ignorant. They were groping in the dark, experimenting with different spiritual wires or connections to see what might work. The result was hit and miss, mostly miss.

Paul was like a spiritual gas fitter for the Athenians. Paul could see the problem and knew how to make the right connection with God, through Jesus. 

Orthodoxy:

You may have heard of the word orthodoxy. Orthodoxy comes from two Greek words. Ortho meaning right or true, and doxy meaning praise or worship. Therefore, orthodoxy means right praise or true worship.

As religious as they were, the Athenians’ praise and worship of God was not right or true. They had got their wires crossed so there was no real connection with God and consequently no warmth.

Paul is trying to help his listeners to realise God’s goodness and love so they can praise God in an orthodox way, in a way that is right and true.

The unknown god serves as a segue to talking about God almighty, the Lord of heaven and earth.  

In verse 24 Paul says, The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands.

Paul is correcting the Stoic belief here that the universe is god. The universe is not god. God created the universe but he is not the same as the universe.

Given that God created the universe he must be bigger than the universe and therefore cannot be contained in a temple built by human hands.

Scientists are not sure how big the universe is. From what we can see so far, it appears to be about 93 billion light years across. But there is probably more to the universe than we can see. How big is your vision of God?  It’s probably too small. We cannot put God in a box.

Paul goes on to say that God our creator gives life and breath and everything else we need. In other words, we depend on God’s goodness, whether we know it or not. God sustains our lives. He does not need anything from us.

This means we cannot domesticate God. We cannot tame him or bring him under our control.

In verses 26-27 Paul makes the point that God is involved with his creation, steering the course of history. Indeed, God is near to us. This corrects the Epicurean idea that the gods are distant and uninterested in human affairs.

Our lives do not unfold at the whim of randomness and chance. God has a plan and he is in control.

God’s plan and control of human history is not the same as the Stoics’ idea of fatalism though. God’s plan and purpose is not rigid like a brick wall.

It is flexible like a backbone. When you pray, God listens and he may sometimes bend to accommodate your soul’s desire, where that aligns with his will.   

In verse 28 Paul quotes the words of other pagan philosophers who the Athenians knew and respected. There was no point in quoting the Hebrew Scriptures. This would mean nothing to the intellectuals of Athens.

‘For in him we live and move and have our being’, is a quote from the sixth century BC poet Epimenides of Crete. And ‘We are his offspring’, is a quote from the third century BC Stoic philosopher Aratus of Cilicia. [1]

Paul is quoting the Athenians’ own poets to support his argument that they are wrong to worship idols. Hoisted on their own petard.

29 “Therefore, since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 

Paul does not compromise or dilute the inconvenient truth. The Athenians’ idolatry is wrong and Paul uses logic to prove it. Paul is not trying here to be clever just to win an argument. He is being compassionate to win souls and minds.

If the intellectuals of the city are convinced idol worship is wrong and repent, they will in turn influence the thinking and behaviour of the rest of the city.   

In verse 31 Paul talks about the day of judgement, when God will judge the world with justice. This truth provides a critique of both Stoic and Epicurean philosophies.

The Epicureans did not believe in judgement day. They thought the gods did not care what people did. Paul is saying the Epicureans are wrong on this count. God does care how people live their lives and will call us to account.

The Stoics believed life is fated or predetermined. If that is the case, then freewill is meaningless and people’s choices make no difference. Paul is saying the Stoics are wrong too. The fact there is a day of judgement shows that human freewill is meaningful and the choices we make do matter.

But notice how God will judge the world: by the man he has appointed.

The man appointed by God is Jesus. We will be judged by our response to Jesus the Christ. If we accept Jesus, God will accept us. If we reject Jesus, God will reject us. This means there is hope for everyone who puts their trust in Jesus.

God has given proof of this by raising Jesus from the dead. The resurrection of Jesus is the foundation of the Christian faith. Our hope, our meaning, our purpose, our joy, our very identity as Christians rests on the belief that God raised Jesus from the dead.  

The resurrection of Jesus confronts us with an important decision.

Will we believe in the risen Christ, even though resurrection is outside of our experience? Will we believe in the risen Christ, even though others ridicule our belief? Will we believe in the risen Christ, even in the face of death?

Conclusion – Response:

There are basically three responses to Paul’s message in Acts 17.

Unable to find a flaw in Paul’s logic, some sneered, too proud to admit Paul was right. Sneering is an angry, dismissive response. People sneer when they are frustrated, when they know they are wrong but don’t want to admit it.

Not everyone sneered though. Others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” That is a more honest response. Even though it is sitting on the fence, at least it leaves the door open.

The third response was the response of faith. Some became followers of Paul and believed. It takes humility to admit when we are wrong and faith to believe Jesus still accepts us. Belief in Jesus is an orthodox response, a response that leads to right praise and true worship of God.

What is our response to Jesus? Do we become angry when Jesus points out we are wrong in some way? Or do we keep the door open, sitting on the fence?

Or do we have the courage and humility to accept the truth about ourselves and still believe that Jesus accepts us?

Among those who believed was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, 

As a member of the Areopagus, Dionysius was probably somewhere near the top of the social ladder in Athens. He was one of the academic elite.

This shows us the Christian faith has intellectual integrity. You don’t have to check your brain out when you become a Christ follower. If anything, Christian faith is a catalyst to stimulate our thinking and enhance our understanding.    

A woman named Damaris, was also among those who believed Paul’s message about Jesus. We don’t know much about Damaris. As a woman in Athenian society, she was probably somewhere near the bottom of the social ladder.

Damaris was wise to believe in Jesus, but she would never be allowed to mix in the intellectual circles that Dionysius did. This shows us Jesus is for everyone, from the least to the greatest. You don’t have to be a university professor to believe in Jesus. In fact, being super smart may get in the way of faith.    

In Matthew 18, Jesus says: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Let us pray…

Wise and gracious God, you are far greater than we can imagine. Thank you for your love and care for all creation. Fill us with your Holy Spirit and with understanding that we would be able to proclaim the risen Christ with sensitivity and confidence. Through Jesus we pray. Amen.  

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
  2. What would you say if someone asked you to explain your faith? What are the most important things to say? What is your best point of connection, the way in, so your listeners hear and understand? 
  3. Discuss / reflect on Stoic and Epicurean philosophies. Do you see remnants of these philosophies in our contemporary society? In what ways? How is Christian faith different from Stoic and Epicurean philosophies?
  4. Why is it important to understand the culture we live in? How is Christian belief different from the predominant worldview of the society we live in today? How has the culture we live in shaped your framework of belief? 
  5. How big is your vision of God?
  6. Why does God judge the world? Why is belief in a day of judgement important? How does God judge the world?
  7. What do you believe about the resurrection of Jesus? What is your response to Jesus?

[1] Refer John Stott’s commentary on Acts, page 286.