Not exactly gods... (Acts 14, Isaiah 43:18-19, Romans 10:17)

"The Bible has all sorts of wisdom for us"
I took this photo in New York City

© Karen Kyle Ericson, all rights reserved.

Acts Chapter 14

1 Now it happened in Iconium that they went together to the synagogue of the Jews, and so spoke that a great multitude both of the Jews and of the Greeks believed. 2 But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brethren. 3 Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.
Iconium was in Asia, today it would be Turkey.  Interesting, because I've heard there were many Christian artifacts in Turkey : )

4 But the multitude of the city was divided:  part sided with the Jews, and part with the apostles. 5 And when a violent attempt was made by both the Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to abuse and stone them, 6 they became aware of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding region. 7 And they were preaching the gospel there.

8 And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother's womb, who had never walked. 9 This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, 10 said with a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet!” And he leaped and walked. 11 Now when the people saw what Paul had done, they raised their voices, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” 12 And Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. 13 Then the priest of Zeus, whose temple was in front of their city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, intending to sacrifice with the multitudes.
This would be a big nightmare for the Apostles.  Jesus is the final sacrifice.  So being called greek gods and offering to make sacrifices would be the wrong answer to their preaching.  They were filled with the Holy Spirit so if it's anything like what I've experienced they would've been able to say what the Lord wanted them to.

The closest I've ever come to this was when I was designing web sites.  I had to go upstairs and talk to one of the managers about the site.  As I walked through the cubicles the guys started bowing to the ground saying, "I'm not worthy."  Hahaha I told them not to bow down to me because I'm a Christian and we can't have that.  They told me they couldn't believe what I did on the web.  I then earned the title, "Web Chick."  I haven't had many nicknames so I thought it was great : )  

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

19 Then Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there; and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. 20 However, when the disciples gathered around him, he rose up and went into the city. And the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.
Paul must've still been alive. The Lord knew it wasn't his time to die.  Derbe was a city in the district of Lycaonia in the Roman province of Galatia in south central Asia Minor. 

18 “Do not remember the former things,
Nor consider the things of old.
19 Behold, I will do a new thing,
Now it shall spring forth;
Shall you not know it?
I will even make a road in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert."
(Isaiah 43:18-19 NKJV)

I love these verses.  It describes what happened to Paul.  He could've given up but he kept going.  For me, it helps me stop thinking about the bad stuff in my past and focus on new things.  Even the hurts from last week can be forgiven when I dwell on God's point of view.  Wonder what new things will come up for us. Faith in Jesus is the start of a great adventure.   Each of us will be tasked with new things.

21 And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, 22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” 23 So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed. 24 And after they had passed through Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia. 25 Now when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia. 26 From there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work which they had completed.
I'm so glad they got some encouragement.  I've had many bad days and have always found encouragement from reading the Bible.  I have a wooden box of favorite Bible verses I've written down on index cards, so in case I need some hope I can pull them out and remember the truth.

Sharing Bible verses is a great way to help others understand how to be a Christian.  I used to walk with a good friend at lunch, when I was working.  I'd share a verse I'd just learned with her and she'd ask questions.  Then one day she called to tell me she became a Christian.  

17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. (Romans 10:17 NIV)

27 Now when they had come and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. 28 So they stayed there a long time with the disciples.
(Acts 14:1-28 NKJV)
I can just imagine the stories, laughter and surprises.  Just think we'll be hanging out with the Apostles in Heaven one day.

Heavenly Father,
I thank and praise You for the gift of forgetting and forgiving.  It's hard for us to let go of past mistakes.  Thank You for the many adventures I've been able to experience. Help us to forgive ourselves and others as You have forgiven us.  Thank You for the Holy Spirit who gives us words to say, and helps us understand the Bible.  As we share our faith with others.

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
13 And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

(Matthew 6:9-13 NKJV)
In Jesus' Name, Amen.


Here's a song from the Newsboys, Glorious (link)

Dynamic Duo's (Acts 13, Isaiah 43:18-19, Luke 6:38)

"God blessed us good!"

© Karen Kyle Ericson, all rights reserved.

Last week I cleaned out one of my cupboards and realized how I needed to get rid of some of my thoughts from my past too.  This week my husband and I went to do the grocery shopping and I realized the cupboard was full of canned foods we hadn't eaten. So we put most of it in a bag and gave it to the local food bank.  Thoughts of hungry children came to mind.  I made up our meals using some of the food we already had, and had a nice low grocery bill.  I kept thinking of families who needed this food more than we do.  That's the Holy Spirit's nudge : )

Let go of the past, confess to the Lord, forgive yourself, others, and move on. 
18 “Do not remember the former things,
Nor consider the things of old.
19 Behold, I will do a new thing,
Now it shall spring forth;
Shall you not know it?
I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert."
(Isaiah 43:18-19 NKJV)

Give to others and find joy,
38 "Give, and it will be given to you:  good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."
(Luke 6:38 NKJV)

If you remember, Paul was so volatile that Peter asked him to go back to Tarsus for awhile.  So while he was there he shared the gospel.  While he was gone, Peter helped the Christian Churches accept him.

Acts Chapter 13
1 Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers:  Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.
Although Paul was rough around the edges at first, the Lord led him to write most of the New Testament letters.  Also, Paul had been taught by the top teacher in the Synagogue, Gamaliel.  This knowledge would be very helpful for Paul to share.  So as the new Church tried to understand how things fit, Barnabas (a really nice man) and Paul, a Jewish scholor, became a dynamic duo.  In the New Testament the disciples went in twos a lot. 
 

Preaching in Cyprus
4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 5 And when they arrived in Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. They also had John as their assistant.
They would have been in ancient Greece.  John spent many hours with Jesus.  He was a kind man who learned not to jump to conclusions from Jesus.  He always felt loved with Him.  Me too.  I think his time with Jesus also helped him learn much of the New Testament.  He wrote the book of John.  These are some of my favorite verses from Jesus to John:

7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again. ’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.  (John 3:7-8 NKJV) 

To me, that means today the Lord led me to share canned food at a foodbank and work on my blog.  Tomorrow, I will probably have another asignment.  The Holy Spirit inspires us. We might not even realize at first : )


6 Now when they had gone through the island to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar- Jesus, 7 who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. 9 Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10 and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? 11 And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.”

I think there's two dynamic duo's in this section:  Peter and Barnabas, and then John joined them.

The Sorceror was in the AD series about the Bible on TV.  I hope they release the movie in many languages so others can see and understand it.

And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. 12 Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.
(Acts 13:1-12 NKJV)

Here's a song from Kim Walker, "We Cry Out" (link)



Christianbook.com is having a Clearance sale on Bibles, music and all sorts of stuff.  Enjoy!