"Not a little comforted": Acts 20 & Covid-19 ~ Acts 20:1-12 (30 Years that Changed the World series)

Any child of the 80s remembers this famous ad campaign which got its start in 1987, when the New York Giants won the Super Bowl and Phil Simms, the MVP quarterback was asked, “Phil Simms, you just won the Super Bowl. What are you doing next?” “I’m going to Disney World!,” he says. And the ad took off with a slew of famous athletes saying the same thing when they won any match or game. 

Well, as surprising as the original ad with Phil Simms was it was not near as surprising as what the Apostle Paul would do and say in Acts 20 after his experience in Acts.

Paul, you almost died amidst a great uproar and riot in Ephesians. What would you like to do now? Paul would say, “I’m going to parakaleo.” (vss. 1-2)

Now, that’s not some ancient theme park in Thebes. But it does mean it’s time for The Greek of the Week! Our Greek of the Week hails as one of the more important words in our passage. Not because it’s odd or unique but because it’s critical for the Christian life and Paul’s ministry: encouragement. The word is παρακαλέω [parakaleō] which is a smashing together of two words: para which means from, near or alongside (e.g. think parallel) and καλέω [kaleō] which means to call aloud or invite. So it literally means to call out to someone to come alongside. It’s what Paul will do immediate after riots where he almost died (Acts 19), it’s what he will do from prison when he can’t travel (in fact a great deal of Paul’s letter come from a time of confinement!), it’s what believers do for each other (Acts 15:32; 1 Thess. 4:18, 5:11, 14), it’s what the Scriptures are for (Rom. 15:4), and it is the very activity of God (Rom. 15:5). It’s also what happens when believers tell each other how they are doing (Eph. 6:22; Col. 4:8, Is it your activity? Or, is it something you need.

You have a bonus. The Greek of the Week is also the Stevie Wonder Christian Quarantine Activity Plan of the Week.  

Parakeleo is what Stevie Wonder admonishes us to do amidst sadness and pain:

I just called to say I love you
I just called to say how much I care
I just called to say I love you
And I mean it from the bottom of my heart

So yeah, there may be No Easter Sunday / No eating out / No hiking in a State Park on a Saturday / But what it is, is something true / Made up of these three words that I must say to you. Okay, I’m being a little silly but encouragement is no joke.

Let me be clear: The most Christ-like, encouraging thing you can do right now. The thing that will most bless your loved ones, your neighbors, your church family, is for you to do that from home. But if Paul can encourage hundreds of believers from prison, then surely you can do so from house arrest. If Paul needed encouragement (Philemon 1:7), surely you can ask for it, participate in it. So what are creative ways to encourage one another, to call others alongside? Maybe you can write a letter? Text a goofy picture. Or play a game together over Zoom? Maybe it’s to pray for someone and let them know through an email. Take a moment and share some prayer requests now. We will also be taking these requests and creating a beautiful prayer wall so that we can encourage one another. We will never be able to fully encourage if we also don’t practice vulnerability.

Trinity – the Covid-19 virus is threatening our world. What are you going to do? Parakeleo and prayer.

Paul, you almost died at the hands of angry Ephesians. What do you want to do now? Paul would say, “I want to gather and discuss.” (vs. 7)

Encouragers aren’t simply people who call out love to others. They are also gatherers and discussers. They recognize that we need to hear from each other. I love the fact, that Paul just comes off of a harrowing experience in which he’s almost lynched in Ephesus and grabs 6 guys to go on an encouragement tour!

First, they gathered intentionally and sacramentally. This is the first example in the New Testament of the church gathering on Sunday and not the traditional Jewish Sabbath, which was Saturday. That practice has become one of the most bedrock elements of Christian identity and worship. Gathering together wasn’t an optional aspect of this community’s encouragement but ordered their week, defined their purpose, set them apart. It’s been interesting that as I have spoken with many of you that one of the earliest victims of the coronavirus was our sense of time. Many have told me that they don’t know what day it is. Now, more than ever it’s important to establish a rhythm of encouragement for our life. I want to encourage you to a practice what the church has had for almost 2,000 years – something that’s tried and true – gathering together on the first day of the week. I also want us to be creative. The early church used normal, everyday homes for their worship. Now, we are using zoom chat rooms.

Second, they discussed. The faith that we hold so dear, that message that we wish to proclaim is not a monologue. Our text is both challenging and funny on this point. The word used in vs. 7 for what Paul is doing is not simply “talking” but the word for “holding a discussion.” Luke is being a bit funny because Paul is trying to hold a dialogue but appears to be a bit too excited and tends to talk too much (no comments, please). And in doing so, it gets a little boring. But his intent was a good one and one that we should emulate – let’s talk about faith. Let’s talk about how to worship, pray, share the gospel, at this time, where we are at. Let’s all contribute. The best talking about faith is always a discussion, always stone soup. You remember the story of stone soup, right? The prophet Amos talked about a famine in the land for the word of God (Amos 8:11). If we are going to weather this current storm without starving to death, then we must work on cooking and eating the soup of the word together. I want to encourage us with new technology like Zoom to use chat rooms as places where we can gather together, face-to-face. I’m looking for people who are willing to lead these gatherings. We have it all ready? Are you being called to be an encourager in this way? You can tell us right now in the comment section below or reach out to me and we will help set up room so that you can gather with others to read Scripture, talk about it and pray. Take a moment: In this time of isolation, what are you spiritually hungry for? Are you willing to help facilitate a Zoom group?

Trinity – the coronavirus is threatening our ability to be together and around the word. What are you going to do? Gather and discuss to worship, study and pray.

Paul you survived a riot in Ephesus, took an encouragement tour, preached a little too long, experienced tragedy and death once again. Now what are going to do? Paul says, “I’m going to embrace death with affection.”

As sometimes happen, when the church gathers together, the preacher for the day goes a bit too long. In fact, Luke tells us, Young Eutychus “was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on” (vs. 9). The humor suddenly turns to tragedy when the young man fell to this death.

Tragedy tends to come upon us like that. We are at church, things are going along as usual, then someone slumps forward or a cry goes up, there is the shock, and tragedy engulfs the flow of the ordinary. A once vibrant young disciple is dead – the verse is sudden and final - a door banging shut. We are suddenly rendered speechless, immobilized. Tragedy does that to people.

Now, I want to read vs. 10 carefully and closely. ¹⁰ Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!” Notice that Paul embraces before he knows the end. He moves and affectionately embraces before announcing the outcome. Paul isn’t the healer, we discussed last week. Paul doesn’t know what’s going to happen but the gospel has trained him in his response.

We can embrace death not because we aren’t afraid, not because we’re bulletproof, not because we believe in miraculous power. We can embrace it because that is what the God of the universe did in Jesus Christ. We can comfort stricken people, embrace our confinement, lay hold of our powerlessness, with a prophetic gesture of defiance. Death does not determine our end. God does. And that means that every death can be a growing place, a redeeming place, and fruitful place. A place where we need not be alarmed. Death was defeated by a loving embrace and until Jesus comes again death will die a thousand deaths as we refuse to let it determine our destiny. Let not your hearts be troubled. You are not your own. You don’t belong to death. You have been embraced God. Now embrace others with the gospel.

Trinity Covenant – Covid-19 is keeping you from worshiping in your regular space, confines you at home, wants to smother you with boredom or worry. You don’t have to fight it – embrace the deadly place you find yourself with great affection and believe this – here too you can find life and “not a little comfort”. I want to invite you to comment your own places of struggle and death, your own need for encouragement, and to pray for another. This is how we will encourage one another, gather and discuss, and embrace one another. And will turn these into a prayer wall.

Together, as usual, in word & deed: the practice of evangelism in the early church ~ Acts 14 (30 Years that Changed the World series)

 

Today in our study of Acts we look at a topic that makes a lot of Christians skittish – evangelism. 

How did the early church practice evangelism?

Get out your Bible and let’s start by reading our text together. Acts 14.

Vs. 1 of Acts chapter 14 teaches us that they did it together. 

Our first clue to the early church’s practice of evangelism in the city was the third, fourth and fifth word of vs. 1: Paul AND Barnabas. The evangelism and discipleship work that we are being called to is always an “and,” a team perspective, shared work rather solo work.

One of the critical elements of discipleship and evangelism in the early church, actually the whole Christian life, is that believers did things together. They ate together, prayed together, sang together, shared with each other and proclaimed the good news together. The strategy of the disciples, set forth by Jesus, was to never go it alone. That’s what Jesus taught them while he was on earth and sent them out in pairs (Luke 10:1-2). That’s what Paul and Barnabas bear witness here.

Henri Nouwen writes about the importance of Jesus sending out disciples two by two: “I need my brothers or sisters to pray with me, to speak with me about the spiritual task at hand, and to challenge me to stay pure in mind, heart and body. But far more importantly, it is Jesus who heals, not I; Jesus who speaks words of truth, not I; Jesus who is Lord, not I. This is very clearly made visible when we proclaim the redeeming power of God together. Indeed, whenever we minister together, it is easier for people to recognize that we do not come in our name, but in the name of the Lord Jesus who sent us.” (41)

Who is your “and”? Who do you have to pray with you, to speak to you about spiritual things, to spur you on in your Christian walk and sharing the gospel. This next week, I want to encourage you to share your experience, your own story of coming to faith, and encourage one another. And if you are by yourself – you have an “and” right now. We are your “and.” Reach out. Let people know of your need. We will gather around you with phone calls, zoom meetings, in prayer.

In Acts 14 we see that they did it as human beings who suffer.

But what’s also important is that these two don’t simply do it together but practice evangelism as human beings – not as gods, not as super heroes, nor as gurus or cult-leaders. By the way, that’s harder than you might realize. We love to make gods. I imagine many of us are like these unbelievers. Maybe you’re thinking: “I can’t evangelize. I’m no Billy Graham.” “I can’t share the gospel. I could never be as articulate as Francis Chan.” And Billy and Francis would come running out and saying, “No, we’re human beings just like you.” To bear witness to the gospel as a human being is to do so knowing that God gives power to human beings. Miracles are wonderful when they happen – but that’s God’s work we learn in Acts 14:3. Our work is to bear witness of a good God and God’s grace even amidst the struggle of life. You don’t have to be a superhero, friends. Just be human – and in your humanness, like the Apostle Paul, you will suffer and even experience rejection but don’t lose heart. That’s why we need each other now more than ever. How does Paul go back into the same city that stoned him? And now it’s time for Greek of the Week. In vs. 20 – Paul’s goes back after being stoned because the “disciples gathered around him” (vs. 20). That word κυκλωσάντων is a strong word – it means to fully encircle on all sides. It’s different from the word in vs. 27 which means “assembled.” It’s what pack animals due to protect the young or sick from predators. Why is this important? I believe it’s because such encircling that gives hope! We need to be giving each other a dose of hope at this time. And that will be a powerful witness to unbelievers and encourage us to share the gospel.

 

TAKE A MOMENT: Who is it that you and your Barnabas or others need to “gather around”? Perhaps you should give them a call. Or, write a note with all your free time in quarantine. Consider praying for someone or giving thanks for them. If you find yourself, alone, afraid, “dragged” out of the city, we’re here for you. Let me know. We are physically isolated but not spiritually so and I want to encourage you to encircle one another at this time so that we can tell our city the good news. What are ways we can encircle one another right now?

3. They did it in a “usual” place, vs. 1 “At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue”. They chose the synagogue because they had an instant connection there to the place and its people. Where is your usual place? What’s a particular space and people that you connect with?

In the show Cheers, every episode featured a lovable character named Norm, who upon entry into the bar would be received with a shout of his name, “Norm!” Those are the places where evangelism happen best. Not on some street corner waiving a sign that the “end is near” though tell me you haven’t thought about it. No, the best place to evangelize is the place where everyone knows your name and you know theirs. You know how they think, what they need, what they know, and they know you. What might be a “usual” place where God wants you to share the gospel?

Acts 14 illustrates that they did it through word and deed. I know that boldly speaking is not “in” right now. It’s not very couth to speak passionately per se and for many of us we’ve grown wary of such speech which often seems more of a license for hatred, anger, fear, and ignorance. And so we’ve told ourselves that evangelism through acts of mercy is the way forward. Friends, there is nothing wrong with good deeds of mercy in the name of Jesus. Like the healing of the man in Lystra, works of mercy are critical to the good news of Jesus Christ BUT from the perspective of the early church they are not enough. In Acts 14 and elsewhere there is no good work that isn’t boldly explained and effectively communicated. The do-gooder must also be a good explainer. Our boldness is not for spreading fear on Facebook nor a social rant but for the “message of his grace” (14:3, 26), a message of healing (“Stand up on your feet!,” vs. 10), a message of God’s love through his son Jesus Christ who died and rose again and conquered death and sin. It’s a message of love that God has come and done for us what we can’t do for ourselves. I know we live in a challenging world and where we as Christians aren’t always looked too kindly on. And let’s face it. Sometimes we deserve it. But be bold with this: God loves people graciously and has made a way. Who’s one person that you can share that with? Maybe it starts with a simple God loves you to a person you know in your usual place, an invitation to church, a simple sharing of your story of faith.

TAKE A MOMENT: What are helpful ways that you have found to share the gospel? 

They did it by seeing, vs. 9. Evangelism is about learning to see others. The gospel trains us to be attentive to the needs of others. 

Mother Theresa once said, “I want you to be concerned about your next door neighbor. Do you know your next door neighbor?” Do you see them? I have to admit I’m not great. But what a simple thing to do – be attentive to others. Like the Apostle Paul in vs. 9 we must be on the look out for those who long to be healed. What might be some new ways of looking and seeing?

Vs. 27 reminds us that the early church didn’t do evangelism. God did it through them.

To practice evangelism is to recognize that there is no place where God is not already at work. That God is being compassionate already to a people that might not know him, might not even believe. God is the one who has accomplished the gospel, who does the saving, who inspires the words, who enables power for healing.