Saturday, December 3, 2016, 2:22 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “His Tender Mercies.” Speak, Lord, your
words to my heart. I read Acts 18:1-17
(ESV).
Building Bridges, Not Walls? (vv. 1-4)
After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. And
he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with
his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome.
And he went to see them, and because he was of the same trade he stayed with
them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade. And he reasoned in the
synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks.
Aquila and Priscilla were in
Corinth because the Roman Emperor Claudius commanded all the Jews (including
Jewish Christians) to leave Rome. It appears his reasoning was the disturbances
being caused by Jews over the preaching of Jesus Christ and his gospel. Many
Jews rejected Jesus Christ as their Messiah and thus they maligned The Way, and
they were persecuting those who were teaching in the name of Jesus Christ. It
appears that Claudius opposed proselytizing in any religion, so his solution
was to just expel all Jews from Rome. Proselytism “refers to the attempt of any
religion or religious individuals to convert people to their beliefs, or any
attempt to convert people to a different point of view, religious or not”
(Wikipedia).
Pope Francis, in 2013, said
that “Proselytism is solemn nonsense, it makes no sense. We need to get to know
each other, listen to each other and improve our knowledge of the world around
us.” When questioned concerning what he intended by those remarks, his response
appears to have been that there is a difference between proselytizing and
evangelizing. “A Christian,” said Pope Francis, “must
proclaim Jesus Christ in such a way that He be accepted: received, not refused” (1). The pope encouraged the
building of bridges between people, and not the building of walls.
Proselytizing builds walls, in his opinion, where evangelizing builds bridges. His
implication was that Jesus Christ and the apostle Paul knew how to build
bridges and how not to build walls. Well, if that is the case, then why was
Jesus Christ killed? And, why was the Apostle Paul severely persecuted?
What
the pope was saying, which is also what Obama and many world and national
leaders are saying, including now Donald Trump, is that we all need to get
along. The people of the world, according to them, all need to join hands and
hearts together as one voice, with one single objective, and we all need to
sing “Kumbaya,” as well as we need to remove all which divides us. What they
are promoting now, though, is not just a diluted gospel made to appeal to human
flesh, which does not confront sin, warn of divine judgment, or call to
repentance. What they are promoting is building bridges between Christian and
non-Christian, between Christian and people of other religions, and between
devoted followers of Christ and those who think being saved is merely an escape
from hell and a promise of heaven when they die.
So,
what does it mean to “build bridges” and not walls? It means to increase
understanding and/or to improve relationships between different people
(thefreedictionary.com). It means “to promote reconciliation or cooperation
between hostile groups or people” (Collins English Dictionary). So, what is a
bridge? A bridge is “a connecting, transitional, or intermediate route or phase
between two adjacent elements, activities, conditions, or the like”
(dictionary.com). So, if we build bridges between us and people of other
religions or between us and people of all walks of life, what does that mean?
And, is that what Jesus and the Apostle Paul did? No!
Pope
Francis, Barack Obama, Donald Trump and other world and national leaders want a
Jesus who is on friendly terms with all people of all religions and all walks
of life, who requires no repentance, no forsaking of false religions or sinful
behaviors, and who does not claim that he is the only way to God and to heaven.
They want a Jesus who is accepting of all people right where they are and who
requires nothing of them at all, other than to ask that they all get along with
each other. They don’t want a one-way bridge which is the cross of Christ over
which we must all travel if we want to have genuine salvation from sin and the
hope of heaven when we die. They want a two-way bridge which allows for exchange
of thoughts, beliefs, attitudes, etc. between people who believe differently
from one another, which allows for cooperation and compromise, and which
promotes unity among all people of all faiths and all walks of life. This is
not what Jesus died for!
Opposed and Reviled (vv. 5-8)
When
Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word,
testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus. And when they opposed and
reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your
own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” And he left
there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God.
His house was next door to the synagogue. Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue,
believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the
Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized.
The
Apostle Paul did not preach building bridges between people of all faiths and
all walks of life. He did not “proclaim Jesus Christ in such a way that He
be accepted: received, not refused.” He did not dilute the gospel message
to make it more appealing and acceptable to human flesh. He preached that we
have to forsake our former way of life of living for sin and self, that we have
to be crucified with Christ in death to sin, be transformed in heart and mind,
and be resurrected with Christ to newness of life, “created to be like God in
true righteousness and holiness” (See: Ro. 6:1-23; Eph. 4:17-24). He preached
that if we walk (in lifestyle) according to the flesh that we will die in our
sins, but if by the Spirit we are putting to death the deeds of the flesh, we
will live with Christ for eternity (See: Ro. 8:1-14). And, he preached Jesus
Christ as the ONLY way to God the Father and to heaven.
This
is why he was opposed and reviled. And, this is why Jesus Christ was persecuted
and put to death on a cross, not because he built 2-way bridges between himself
and people and their various religions in the world, but because he built a
one-way bridge to God and to heaven through his blood shed on a cross for our
sins. The way to heaven is not a broad road that many (or all) travel. The way
to heaven is narrow, and there are few who find it, according to scripture.
And, the way is narrow because it requires that we die to sin and live to
righteousness; that we no longer walk according to the flesh, but that we walk
according to the Spirit; and that we believe that Jesus Christ is the ONLY way
to God and to eternal life.
So
many of today’s world and national leaders and institutional churches are
promoting building 2-way bridges between Christians and the world, and they are
also preaching Jesus in a way which makes him acceptable to this sinful world. They
refuse to preach the Jesus of scripture or the gospel as taught by Jesus and
his NT apostles, because they want the world to like them, rather than want the
world to come to genuine faith in Jesus Christ alone, and to be delivered out
of their slavery to sin. And, because they deny the Jesus of scripture and his
gospel, and they instead promote what is contrary to scripture, their blood is
on their own heads. God will judge them.
Don’t Be Afraid
(vv. 9-11)
And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do
not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and
no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my
people.” And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among
them.
Although this was a message
specific to Paul, from the Lord, under particular circumstances and at a definite
time period, much of what he told him is consistent with what he told all of
us. We are not to fear opposition and revilement (being subject to verbal
abuse). We are not to be afraid of persecution at all, which has already come
to many throughout the world, and which is coming to America, too. Those who
hold firm to the tenets of the Christian faith and practice, who do not deny
their Lord, and who preach the full gospel message as Jesus and his NT apostles
taught it, will be persecuted, because the gospel (the cross of Christ) is an
offense to those who are perishing. Sadly, it is also an offense to many who profess
to know Jesus Christ as Lord and as Savior of their lives, too, who call
themselves gospel ministers. And, some of them will be our persecutors, as
well.
Also, we are to know that our
Lord is with us. He will not leave us or forsake us. And, he will give us all
we need to endure, to persevere, to stand strong on our faith, and to keep
speaking, and to not be silenced by those who oppose us and who object to the
gospel of our salvation. As well, we are to know that we are not alone in this
battle. There are many Christians throughout the world who are standing strong
in their faith, who are speaking boldly in the name of Jesus, and who are also
being persecuted for their faith in Christ. Yet, we cannot claim the promise
that we will not be attacked or harmed. That promise made to Paul was
temporary, at best, for he suffered much persecution, rejection, beatings,
imprisonment and the like because he preached the gospel of Jesus
unadulterated.
So, be aware of what is
presently being presented in the name of Jesus Christ and in the name of
Christianity, and know that there are many lies and deceptions taking place
within the institutional church and within our governments. Know the truth so
you can refute the lies. Be students of the scriptures, and know what Jesus and
his NT apostles taught with regard to our salvation. Read the Bible in context,
for many deceptions come through taking scriptures out of context. Many “gospel”
presentations are also based on scriptures removed from context, and made to
say something else, while also ignoring the bulk of teaching on the gospel of
salvation. So, don’t fall into the trap of a social gospel which builds 2-way
bridges between Christians and the world, but follow the 1-way bridge to heaven
via faith in Jesus Christ in death to sin and resurrection to newness of life
(new birth).
His Tender Mercies / An
Original Work / January 26, 2014
Fear not! I’m with you.
Be not dismayed!
God watches o’er you.
Trust Him today.
He’ll lead and guide you;
Give you His aid.
He’ll love and keep you
With Him always.
Walk in His footsteps.
He’ll lead the way.
Trust in His love;
Believe that He cares.
He will not leave you.
Faithful He’ll be.
His tender mercies
Now you will see.
Fellowship with Him
Throughout the day.
Tell Him your heartaches.
He’ll heal always.
Rest in His comfort.
He is your friend.
Your faith He’ll strengthen,
True to the end.
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