We must be passionate, scriptural, and Christ & the gospel centered

And when he desired to cross to Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him; and when he arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace; for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ. Acts 18:27-28

In a previous post we pointed out that Aquila and Priscilla corrected Apollos privately, rather that publicly. We said there are exceptions. Apollos’s refutation of the legalistic Judaizers was one of those exceptions. Those engaged in public ministry who preach error and will not repent, must be called out publicly for the sake of protecting the sheep. We can assume that these false teachers had been given an opportunity to repent, but refused to do so. So, for the sake of protecting the flock, Apollos called them out not only to stop them but to warn the flock of God. What was Apollos’s method?

First, he was vigorous (passionate). The truth is worth fighting for when need be.

Second, he reasoned from Scripture. The truth of Scripture is the standard by which every matter must be tested and found either to be truth or error! We must know our Bibles, friends. We need not all be scholars, but we all need to think biblically, to know what the Bible says, and be able to reason and speak biblically—even if not eloquently.

Third, he pointed them to Christ and the gospel. Apart from Christ and the gospel, we have nothing. If we do not proclaim Christ and the gospel, we proclaim falsehood—maybe not explicitly by what we say, but implicitly by what we fail to say!

These are reasons why God used and blessed Apollos. May these be true of us that He might bless and use us as well!

Holding preachers accountable

And when he desired to cross to Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him; and when he arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace; for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ. Acts 18:27-28

Apollos had likely been preaching a “gospel“ of repentance, without Christ and the whole gospel. After Aquila and Priscilla helped Apollos to understand the gospel correctly, he wanted to go to Corinth (see Acts 19:1).

The leadership at Ephesus (including Aquila and Priscilla, presumably) sent Apollos on his way with letters of affirmation and recommendation. This is important, even today, as there are so many false teachers looking for a pulpit. We should be discriminating about who we accept as teachers, and legitimate teachers will not be offended by such inquiries.

When Apollos arrived in Corinth, God blessed and used him as both a teacher of good doctrine and a voice of warning regarding bad doctrine. Good teachers must be prepared and willing to do both today as well. Why? Again, because there are so many false and dangerous teachers spewing so much false (and incomplete) doctrine. God’s people need both to hear the truth and be warned of falsehood.

A last thought: Those who speak false doctrine are dangerous. But even more dangerous are those who do not speak false doctrine, but who are guilty of not speaking the whole truth. These false teachers either spew “empty feel-good platitudes,” or a message of “religion and works.” What they fail to do is proclaim Christ and the gospel! The Church must demand that teachers (a) preach the Word of God, and (b) Christ and the gospel!

When and how to correct error

Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John. So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. Acts 18:24-26

Not every error we hear needs to be corrected—and if it does, time and place are important.

When I was a younger man, God kindly brought a lot of solid doctrinal teaching my way. By His grace He developed in me a measure of discernment. Sadly, I was not always gracious in what I did with that discernment. I had enough knowledge to spot biblical and theological error from a distance and often felt compelled to correct every error—sometimes on the spot.

Aquila and Priscilla discerned that Apollos needed come correction, so “they took him aside,” not to rebuke him, but to “explain” truth more accurately. From this let us note the following:

Correction should not normally be done in front of people. While there are exceptions since others may be adversely affected, generally correction is easier to receive when done in private than in public.(1) This is true for parents correcting their children as well. Humiliating the child is more hurtful than helpful!

Explaining is better than excoriating. Let us seek to correct in a manner than blesses rather than blasts! The goal is to hep the person, not to be right.

Lastly, there is so much error in this world that we are wise to realize that the Lord has not appointed any of us to correct every error we encounter. This is especially true regarding matters of inconsequential importance. Nobody likes a self-appointed know-it-all.

(1) It is often appropriate to name false teachers whose ministries are public, and especially if they have a large following. The point is not to slander the person, but to warn those who may unknowingly be following dangerous people.

The delicate balance of faith and works

Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John. So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. Acts 18:24-26

Last time we considered that, like Apollos who may have been more repentance-oriented that he was grace-oriented, so are many Christians today. We are not believing and presenting the Christian gospel accurately if our message is merely “Repent!” This time let us consider the delicate balance of faith and repentance.

If we could save ourselves by turning from sin, we wouldn’t need Jesus, and He wouldn’t have needed to die on the cross and rise from the dead. Understanding the Christian gospel begins by understanding that we have zero ability to adequately repent of our sins for salvation. Once we know that we cannot save ourselves and that we need a Savior, then we can trust in Christ to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. So we respond by trusting solely in Him and on His finished work on our behalf.

But the Christian gospel does not end there! Though repentance cannot save people, saved people—understanding what Christ has done for them—want to turn from sin to follow Jesus as the Lord of their lives. So repentance is essential as a validation of saving faith, but not a substitute for saving faith.

There is a delicate balance as we walk the tightrope of faith and repentance. We can fall off on either side. Legalism emphasizes repentance over faith in Christ. Antinomianism emphasizes God’s grace without the need for repentance as a validation of saving faith. Both are erroneous because neither is complete without the other.

May the Lord grant us understanding, lifestyles, and the ability to present our faith in light of this delicate balance!

Grace! Not works!

Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John. So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. Acts 18:24-26

What was Apollos preaching that needed to be corrected? The text says he knew only of the baptism of John. I doubt seriously that the issue was baptism, per se. But when we understand what the baptism of John was, we may know what was missing in Apollos’ message.

John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. And as essential as repentance is, if one’s religion is solely based on repentance, it tends to be a religion of works, or human effort and our performance. While Christian conversion calls for repentance, we are forgiven and saved not because of our repentance, but because of faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross for those He came to save. When a person understands something of, and trusts solely in Christ and what He has done to save His people, repentance (a genuine desire to turn from sin) is a natural and essential response to God’s grace.

What has this to do with Apollos? The same thing that many sincere and well-intentioned Christians need to change in their understanding and presentation of the gospel. Too much “preaching” (whether by preachers or individuals sharing their faith) centers more on changing one’s life than on trusting in Christ.

Let us remember always that salvation is by grace alone, received by faith alone, in Christ alone—not on people changing themselves. More on this delicate balance next time…

Preaching or acting?

Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John. So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. Acts 18:24-26

Eloquence is no substitute for biblical accuracy! Apollos was “an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures,” but was not grounded in the correct meaning. This is not to say he did not love and want to serve God. It just means that his knowledge and experience with the Scriptures was not mature enough to be preaching. That he was mighty in the Scriptures, is probably a reference to his passion and eloquence about what he did know, though his knowledge was yet limited. Praise God that He sent Aquila and Priscilla to take “him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.”

Some who preach, but probably should not, need to know more than they do. This is why Paul warned Timothy not to appoint preachers who are too inexperienced (1 Timothy 3:6).

Others who preach, but probably should not, need not only to be more experienced with the Word, they need to wrestle with the Scriptures instead of regurgitating other people’s sermons. That said, it is not bad to read commentaries and other sermons as we wrestle with the text of the Bible. Apollos heard from Aquila and Priscilla. As one great preacher explained, “I milk a lot of cows, but I make my own butter!” However, preachers cannot hope to speak to God’s people until God has spoken to them.

Another great preacher, commenting on those who can preach well but don’t study to prepare their own sermons, called them “actors.” Actors can be very convincing, but if they are not wrestling with the text to get God’s message into their own hearts, they may simply be acting rather than preaching.

Pray for those who preach—not that they be dynamic, dramatic, and engaging—but that they will have heard from God for themselves before attempting to speak for God!

Who needs to be strengthened?

And when he had landed at Caesarea, and gone up and greeted the church, he went down to Antioch. After he had spent some time there, he departed and went over the region of Galatia and Phrygia in order, strengthening all the disciples. Acts 18:22-23

The last two posts have been about how, or by what means disciples are strengthened. This time let’s consider who, or which disciples need to be strengthened. The text says Paul went about strengthening ALL the disciples. Two things:

ALL disciples need to be strengthened. There is no hierarchy of discipleship. There are not average disciples as compared with super disciples, and we make a mistake when we think there is. None of us are exempted from the need. In fact the mandate is to “grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). The only distinction is that there are those who desire to grow in the Lord and those who are content to remain as babes in Christ.

YOU need to be strengthened. YOU need to grow in grace. Please do not settle to remain weak in your faith. While the ordinary means of grace are the way all who desire to grow are strengthened, they do no good unless we practice those means. If you want to grow, I trust you know how. If you have no particular desire to grow (evidenced by a neglect of the means of grace), please pray and then commit yourself to being strengthened.

If you are unsure of how to get started, or have tried and petered out, ask for counsel. I am here to help.

How else are we strengthened?

And when he had landed at Caesarea, and gone up and greeted the church, he went down to Antioch. After he had spent some time there, he departed and went over the region of Galatia and Phrygia in order, strengthening all the disciples. Acts 18:22-23

What does it mean that Paul “strengthened all the disciples?” Last time we considered the obvious: Disciples are “strengthened” by the Word of God. How else are we strengthened? In our day, many think the pathway to spiritual vitality is via “special things.” These special things are often based on high octane music and big name “communicators”. Others may include the newest best selling book, or some other here-today-gone-tomorrow fad.

We can rest assured that Paul peddled none of that. In addition to preaching the Word, he strengthened the disciples with what we often call, “the ordinary means of grace.” These include prayer, the sacraments, fellowship, and evangelism.

The surest way toward spiritual growth is to shrug off the new, novel, and exciting, in favor of the “the ordinary means of grace.” Let us desire spiritual growth as we head into 2022, by devoting ourselves to these ordinary ways in which disciples grow and are strengthened.

Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine [the Word] and fellowship, in the breaking of bread [the sacraments], and in prayers. Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved [evangelism]. Acts 2:41-47

Strengthened by God's Word

And when he had landed at Caesarea, and gone up and greeted the church, he went down to Antioch. After he had spent some time there, he departed and went over the region of Galatia and Phrygia in order, strengthening all the disciples. Acts 18:22-23

What does it mean that Paul “strengthened all the disciples?”

The strengthening is spiritual in nature. When we are born again, we are like spiritual babies—alive but lacking strength and maturity. Peter wrote (1 Peter 2:2) about what spiritual babies want and need: “…as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby.” As babies want and need milk at first, so too do spiritual babies need the milk of God’s Word.

Newly converted people need the Word. And hopefully they have a natural craving for it. It is by the Word of God that we gain strength—growing in our knowledge and in much needed discernment.

The same is true for children and young people—whether born again or not. We make a mistake when we presume that they cannot understand the Bible, instead giving them Christian storybooks that are not the Bible. While being careful about which children’s storybooks to read to them, we must not give them only Christian storybooks instead of God’s Word.

New believers, children, and young people may not understand everything they hear or read in the Bible, but the more they hear and read, the more they will understand.

Let us strengthen ourselves and each other by hearing and reading God’s Word, trusting the Holy Spirit to grant increasing understanding in time.

The New Year is a great time to adopt a Bible Reading plan for ourselves (with our spouses) and for our families.

Holy New Year, 2022!

And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…
Joshua 24:15

As we close the book on 2021, let us take a moment to make for the first time, or reaffirm, our commitment to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. As Joshua challenged the people of Israel, there is a choice to make. And that choice is followed by an endless series of choices every day as the rivals for our affection and devotion present themselves over and over. Sometimes the choices are downright sinful. Many more times the temptation to serve what isn’t God is more subtle. Remember, besides choosing between good and bad, we are more frequently challenged to choose between what isn’t bad, or even good, but what is best.

Let us follow Joshua’s exemplary commitment, “as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

New Years is a great time to make a fresh start regarding our affections and our actions. Let us deal soberly and severely with any known sin. Let us commit to a fresh start with devotion to the Lord, His Word, and His Church. Let us reaffirm our commitments to being truly Christian families (spouses, parents, children, siblings, etc.). Let us make 2022 a year of spiritual growth for each of us, and for all of us. May I pray for you?

Heavenly Father, Jesus our Lord, and Blessed Holy Spirit, may Your grace, and patience with us inform and empower our desire to serve You like never before. May we find liberty and joy in worshiping and following You. And when we stumble, may we be quick to confess our sins and receive your faithful forgiveness and cleansing from all unrighteousness! I pray this in the powerful name of Jesus. Amen!

On being a churchman

And when he had landed at Caesarea, and gone up and greeted the church, he went down to Antioch. After he had spent some time there, he departed and went over the region of Galatia and Phrygia in order, strengthening all the disciples. Acts 18:22-23

Paul was an Apostle, a missionary, and a churchman.

Being an Apostle placed him in a small elite group. There were only a few Apostles and there haven’t been any in around 2,000 years. Thank You, Lord, for the Apostles.

Being a missionary is also a limited membership circle. God calls some people to take the gospel outside of their own ethnic, social, or geographic area. These are specially gifted Christians. Thank You, Lord, for missionaries.

And Paul was a churchman.

• He didn’t go out as a missionary on a personal adventure. He was sent out to be a missionary by a church in Antioch.

• His missionary activities were church-planting endeavors. He didn’t just lead people to faith in Christ, but the Holy Spirit used him to organize the converts into churches.

• He went back to his sending church to report on what God was doing.

• He went back to the churches he planted to see how they were doing.

Paul was a churchman. All Christians are called to be churchmen, though not all Christians are churchmen. We do not need to be Apostles, missionaries, or even pastors, elders, or deacons. We just need to understand the importance of Christ’s Church and be lovingly committed to Christ’s Church.

When Christ returns, He isn’t coming for a bunch of individual lovers, but for His Bride—His Church.

Lessons from Paul in Ephesus

And he came to Ephesus, and left them there; but he himself entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. When they asked him to stay a longer time with them, he did not consent, but took leave of them, saying, "I must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem; but I will return again to you, God willing." And he sailed from Ephesus. Acts 18:19-21

When Paul left Corinth he sailed across the Aegean and Icarian seas to Ephesus.

As was his custom, Paul went to the synagogue to reason with Jews. Though Paul was the Apostle to the Gentiles, he started in the Jewish synagogues when entering a town. Why? First, because he had such a burden for his Jewish brethren to believe. Second, he went first where people would likely be willing to talk about God and the scriptures.

Paul was often rushed out of town because of persecution. The folks in Ephesus wanted more! We never know how people will respond to the message of Christ and the gospel. Though man (maybe even most) rejects the gospel and those who declare it, some will listen and believe. Let us persist, undaunted by previous experiences.

Oddly enough, in this case, even though the people wanted Paul to stay, he declined. He left Priscilla and Aquila there to continue the work of the ministry, and moved on. Though Paul was zealous to preach Christ, he knew he was not the only one who could do so. Priscilla and Aquila took over. Don’t think you are the only one your unbelieving family and friends can hear from. This is especially true if you sought to speak about Christ and were not warmly received. Pray the Lord to send someone else with whom your loved ones might be more receptive.

Paul hoped to return, but as we learned in earlier posts this week, Paul’s promise to return was conditioned with the words, “God willing.” This is a wise example to follow regarding intentions that we do not know we can fulfill.

Making and keeping promises (part two)

So Paul still remained a good while. Then he took leave of the brethren and sailed for Syria, and Priscilla and Aquila were with him. He had his hair cut off at Cenchrea, for he had taken a vow. Acts 18:18

Paul had had taken a vow, and he was therefore bound to keep it. Two considerations: Last time we considered the reality that we must keep our promises unless it is impossible, Today a second consideration: What if the promise was wrong?

What if a person made a sinful vow or promise? Would God want us to carry out the sinful vow so as not to sin by breaking it? The answer must be an unequivocal, No! Let me give you two illustrations to support my position:

First, a hypothetical. If I vowed to kill someone, would God want me to keep the vow? Of course not!

Second, in Judges 11:30-31, a Judge named Jephthah vowed that if God gave him victory in a certain battle that he would sacrifice whatever came out of his house to meet him upon his return. In (v.32-33) God did give the victory. When Jephthah came home, who came out the door to welcome him in (v.34-35)? His daughter. Was bound by his foolish (and if he kept it, sinful) vow?

Bible scholars are divided over exactly what Jephthah did(i). the question we are considering is not what Jephthah did, but what would have been the right thing to do? Offer his daughter as a human sacrifice? Not on your life! The right thing to do if anyone makes a sinful vow, or one that would be sinful to keep, is not to commit the sin but to humbly confess the sin, asking God for forgiveness and repenting of the sinful promise.

(i) For those who may be interested about scholarly speculation about what Jephthah did: (a) Some say he sacrificed his daughter, arguing that Israel was so sinful in those days that maybe Jephthah thought it was right. I cannot see that. How could Jephthah be mentioned in the “hall of faith” (Hebrews 11) if he had offered his daughter as a human sacrifice?! (b) Others say that his daughter was consigned to never marry or bear children. It is true that would be a great sacrifice, but the Bible doesn’t say that is what happened. (b) Others, and I am in this camp, say, “We do not know exactly what Jephthah did.” But of this I am confident: There is no way that committing a sin to keep a promise is ever the right thing to do. And God forgives those who sincerely acknowledge their sin (and foolishness), and He is merciful to forgive!

Making and keeping promises (part one)

So Paul still remained a good while. Then he took leave of the brethren and sailed for Syria, and Priscilla and Aquila were with him. He had his hair cut off at Cenchrea, for he had taken a vow. Acts 18:18

After a week of Christmas-themed entries, one more post on this verse, if you will bear with me.

We already considered the fact that cultural traditions are not bad or wrong—unless, of course they are bad or wrong. Another point that this verse beings up is making and keeping vows (promises). Paul had had taken a vow, and he was therefore bound to keep it. Two considerations on the topic of making and keeping vows (promises):

First, let us be careful about what we promise. Unless we are sure we can keep a promise, we must not make the promise. Because we cannot see the future, we are wise not to make promises that can be derailed by the unforeseen. It is wise (as James says in James 4:15), to condition our plans (and especially our promises) with the words, “If the Lord wills.” Or stated another way, “I will do this unless for some reason it becomes impossible.” Remember Solomon’s words in Ecclesiastes 5:3-5:

Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. For a dream comes with much business, and a fool's voice with many words. When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow. It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.

The second consideration tomorrow…

Why did He do it?

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

The greatest miracle of all, at least in my mind, is the incarnation of the Son of God. As important as the resurrection is, it is little wonder that the eternal Son of God did not remain dead. But that the infinite Son of God would dwell on earth as a real human? That is beyond miraculous! We all know that a gallon of milk cannot be contained in a quart container. So how much more impossible is it that the infinite Son of God could dwell in a finite body? This is a miracle indeed!

But why did He do it? He did it so that He could die to pay the penalty for the sins committed by His people. No mere man could do that because all mere men are sinful, and therefore are unable to die for another’s sins, since they have their own sins to pay for. Only God is sinless and therefore worthy to die for other people’s sins.

But God cannot die! So to die to pay for His people’s sins, the Son of God became a man—so He could die! When He became a finite human being who could die, He did not cease to be God, even for an instant! God cannot cease to be God!

The Son of God became a human being, while remaining God, to die for His people—to pay for their sins. Thus the Christmas manger and the Good Friday cross are inseparably connected—as is Easter’s empty tomb.

As we celebrate Christmas, let us meditate on why Jesus was born in Bethlehem, and that He triumphantly accomplished what He came to do!

So, what about Santa?

So Paul still remained a good while. Then he took leave of the brethren and sailed for Syria, and Priscilla and Aquila were with him. He had his hair cut off at Cenchrea, for he had taken a vow. Acts 18:18

One last entry prompted by Paul still observing a Jewish tradition, that is not Christian…

We have commented on enjoying harmless Christmas traditions that are not about Christ, as long as they do not eclipse the centrality of Christ. We also commented on forms of celebration that are dangerous, or maybe even wrong. Today, what about Santa?

I was once counseled “Never speak about Santa for fear of offending.” While not wanting to offend anyone, let me defend a bit of truth.

I am not afraid to read fictional stories to my children or grandchildren. But I do not tell them that the stories are real and that they must believe them to get gifts. They knew Winnie the Pooh wasn’t real!

Santa (as he is presented and portrayed in our day*) is a fictional fairytale character. We do not need to pretend the fairy tale doesn’t exist, because it (the fairy tale, not Santa) does exist.

Jesus is real—and more important than any other person (real or fictional)—ever. Al Mohler counseled recently: Christians need to be more about teaching our children the truth of Jesus than attacking the fairy tale of Santa (a paraphrase, not a quote).

Okay, so this is how we handled it. Not everyone has to follow our example. But whatever you do, do not tell your children to believe what is not true—but be sure to tell them to believe in Jesus who IS “the Truth” (John 14:6).

*I say “as presented in our day” because there really was a Saint Nicholas, but there is virtually no resemblance between that person who lived long ago, and the modern day Santa.

Some celebrations may be dangerous or just plain wrong

So Paul still remained a good while. Then he took leave of the brethren and sailed for Syria, and Priscilla and Aquila were with him. He had his hair cut off at Cenchrea, for he had taken a vow. Acts 18:18

The context for these meditations is the fact that Paul, though not under the law for salvation, still followed some of the Jewish customs. That makes a point that all traditions, even if not Christian, are not necessarily bad. Yesterday we sought to make the point that there are Christmas traditions that are not about Christ that may indeed be harmless, and therefore okay to observe—so long as they do not eclipse the importance of Christ in our Christmas celebrations.

This time I would like to suggest that some ways in which we may celebrate Christmas may indeed be dangerous, or even wrong. There are some Christmas traditions that are actually bad, and therefore wrong for Christians. A prime example of this is a religious/cultural tradition that places more emphasis on Jesus’ mother, Mary, than on the incarnation of the Son of God Himself. This is just plain wrong and Christians who grew up with those traditions must not participate in them any longer.

An example of a dangerous form of celebrating Christmas involves alcohol. While drinking alcohol is not sinful, drunkenness most certainly is a serious sin that can have a ripple effect that causes even more harm. If you cannot drink without drinking to the point that you feel the affects of the alcohol, you should not drink at all. I would add to that, if you celebrate with people who cannot drink without drinking too much, you should rethink whether you should drink with them, or in their presence. Your responsible drinking that encourages others’ irresponsible drinking is at best a lack of love, and at worst, partnership in someone else’s sin. And if you cannot celebrate without alcohol, you may very well have a problem you do not realize you have.

A shepherd’s advice: Let us celebrate the birth of the Lord Jesus without participating in idolatry or inordinate revelry.

Tomorrow: What about Santa?

Making the most of CHRISTmas time

So Paul still remained a good while. Then he took leave of the brethren and sailed for Syria, and Priscilla and Aquila were with him. He had his hair cut off at Cenchrea, for he had taken a vow. Acts 18:18

A Christmas follow-up thought on Last Friday’s post: (If you didn’t get to read Friday’s post, or have forgotten, check it out!)

Christmas is a time that is filled with all sorts of traditions—some very Christ-honoring, and some, well, not so much. Is it wrong to enjoy these Christmas traditions that have nothing to do with Christ? I have two answers.

The first answer is that there are many fun and harmless traditions that, while having nothing to do with Christ, are OK for Christians to enjoy. These range from Christmas cookies, to Christmas trees, to exchanging Christmas gifts, to Christmas entertainment (music, movies, and more). As long as we remember that CHRISTmas is about the birth of our Savior, and not about these lesser things, I believe they are okay—and even good! It is about “keeping the main thing the main thing.” It is about not making those other things idols that eclipse or even rival the Lord Jesus.

Here are two ways we can safeguard ourselves from blurring the lines of separation—much less allowing any of the side issues to get an inordinately greater emphasis than the Lord:

1. Let us invest as much of our time (and $$$?) in the spiritual truth of CHRISTmas, than in the non-Christian trappings. If you can increase your time of devotions (with a CHRISTmas emphasis) during the CHRISTmas season, great. But for heaven’s sake, don’t let it be diminished because of CHRISTmas busyness.

2. Seize opportunities to speak about CHRIST during the season. I have had more conversations about CHRIST with non-believing people this CHRISTmas season than usual.

There are only a couple more days until CHRISTmas—but it is not too late to do these things.

A second answer, tomorrow!

Cultural traditions are not necessarily wrong

So Paul still remained a good while. Then he took leave of the brethren and sailed for Syria, and Priscilla and Aquila were with him. He had his hair cut off at Cenchrea, for he had taken a vow.  Acts 18:18

Paul remained in Corinth for “a good while,” referring to the year and a half he spent there planting the Corinthian church.  As mentioned previously, that was a long time for Paul, who usually was in a town for weeks or a few months.  Why did he leave?  Was it because of the social and civil unrest (v.17)?  We cannot say since the Bible does not say.

We can say, because the Bible says, Paul headed back to Syria (Antioch) which was where his “sending church” was located.  His two work and ministry mates, Priscilla and Aquila, went with him.

Then there is the curious sentence about Paul’s vow.  What is that about? Let me answer by simply quoting from my favorite New Testament commentary:

“[Paul] had his hair cut in Cenchrea, for he was keeping a vow.” Paul followed the Jewish practice of making a Nazirite vow which stipulated that a person cut his hair at the conclusion of a specified period… Following this period, a sacrifice had to be offered in Jerusalem. After Paul had made his vow, he was obligated to travel to Jerusalem and offer his locks with the sacrifice. Paul made this vow to express his thanksgiving to God for protecting him in Corinth and for blessing his work. To the Jews, Paul remained a Jew even in keeping vows and bringing offerings to the temple. (1)

The takeaway: Though Paul vehemently opposed those who demanded that all Christians follow the Jewish law and traditions—as though they were necessary for salvation—let us learn (a) that unless those traditions oppose Christ and the gospel, and (b) as long as we neither trust in them, nor (c) demand others to observe them, it is not necessarily wrong for Christians to observe such traditions.

(1) Baker’s New Testament Commentary, Hendriksen and Kistemaker

How much do we want the government to "leave us alone"?

Then all the Greeks took Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. But Gallio took no notice of these things. Acts 18:17

Wait just a minute! Didn’t we just say that Gallio was wise not to get drawn into a dispute between the Jews and the Christians? Yep. But a “hands off” approach can be a bad thing as well as a good thing. Gallio was wise not to get drawn into a dispute that was not his business, or the business of the government. But when the government refuses to maintain law and order and stop evil doers, the government has stopped doing what God ordained government to do. Let’s think about this.

Who was Sosthenes? He was the ruler of the synagogue, probably the replacement for the former leader, Crispus, who had converted to follow Christ. There was a Sosthenes in Corinth who was a believer (1 Corinthians 1:1). Was this the same man? We do not know for sure, but I lean in the direction that he was, though we do not know if his conversion was before or after this beating. Either way, when the Gentile mob attacked Sosthenes, either as a Jewish leader or as a Christian—it was wrong. Gallio’s “hands off” policy was dead wrong when the dispute between Jews and Christians, and now Greeks (who were neither) turned to violence.

In our day, the people who cry to defund or do away with police are not only foolish, they are demanding the government not do what God ordained government to do. Read Romans 13:2-4.

Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.

When the government looks the other way regarding lawlessness in our nation, and stops executing wrath on those who practice evil, the government is not acting according to God’s ordination.

Let us be careful about desiring that government would simply “leave us alone.” While this sentiment is dear to my heart, it can go too far. Oh, that the government would leave honest citizens alone without excessive regulation—AND at the same time, not adopt a “hands off” policy toward criminals!