In Jesus Holy Name October 24, 2022
Text: Acts18:4,5,28;19:8-9 Redeemer Lutheran
“Not All Gospel Seeds Sprout”
Acts 17 records the missionary journey of Paul and Silas. They arrive in Thessalonica, Berea then finally Paul arrives in Athens. In Acts 18 and 19 we find Paul and his missionary troop, now includes Silas, Aquila, Priscilla, Timothy and Luke. Together they are proclaiming the gospel in Corinth and Ephesus.
In Athens the Big Issue was the Resurrection. They just couldn’t believe it. Sometimes the Big Issue is believing what the Bible says. Sometimes people argue about God the Creator, or the Trinity, or whether Jesus is the only way to heaven. Sometimes people don’t believe in heaven or hell. Very often unbelievers can’t accept that they are sinners desperately in need of God’s grace. They certainly don’t like to be told they are unable to save themselves and that they must place all their trust on Jesus for salvation. The Big issue in Ephesus was $, people were becoming Christians and stopped buying idols.
This theological truth that Jesus is the God sent Savior, always resulted in persecution for Paul. This truth is why the church and the values of Jesus are under attack in America as well. We see this persecution at school board meetings around the country.
My point is this. The gospel will never be universally popular but we are commanded to tell the Jesus story anyway. Don’t expect everyone to cheer you on—and don’t be surprised when some laugh in your face. There’s nothing to be done about it except to smile and find someone else who will listen.
This past week I planted rye grass in my yard. I’ve kept it watered every day. Some of the seed fell on the concrete. Some fell where I didn’t intend for it to fall. Now I’m waiting for the seeds to sprout so that I have a green yard this fall and winter. I also panted new fall vegetables in our garden…They look pretty droopy but I have to be patient. I can’t go out and dig around, putting little sticks by each plant to make it stand up. I would destroy the roots which are trying to establish themselves in a new place. I must be patient.
“Patience also applies when we share Jesus, not everyone can make an impulsive decision to follow Jesus. Often folks just need more time to sort things out in their own minds. Remember: When you plant seeds in the ground, the harvest doesn’t spring up the next day. You’ve got to water and weed and wait. It’s the same when we share the gospel.” (from a sermon Ken Pritchard)
Patience is my dog watching me, waiting for me to reach down and pet him. He will wait a long time…. When we share Jesus with our “dechurched” but “God believing friends” we need to be patient. We, who can't stomach waiting in line at the bank, or the food store, or the fast food joint; we who grow restless in the doctor's waiting room; we who get frustrated when the government is late with our tax refund check or upset with the driver who pilots his vehicle at the posted speed limit, we do not have the gift of patience. No, we don't have patience, but God does.
The gospel is a radical message that runs counter to everything most people believe. It presumes a certain view of God, a certain view of humanity, and a certain view of Jesus Christ. And it demands a total change of behavior and complete faith in Jesus Christ.
To become a Christian is not an easy step to take because it means rejecting the world’s entire way of thinking. The world entices you to believe that there is no God, or if there is a God, he really doesn’t matter. The world wants you to think that you’re okay just the way you are, but Christianity teaches that you aren’t okay, and that you are a sinner desperately in need of God’s grace. But in order to experience God’s grace you must turn away from trusting in yourself and transfer your trust to Jesus Christ
A few months ago I shared the story of Mike Christian and his wife who lead a small congregation called the Afghan-American Church of the Bay Area. Mike says he will engage with some people regularly for months, while others take years before they feel comfortable to take any tangible steps toward following Jesus. And for the most part, all he does is share his own testimony and answer their many questions. That’s patience.
He writes: Those who contact me are asking a lot about Christianity and about Islam,” questions like: “‘Why did you become a Christian? What’s the reason you accepted Jesus? What do you think about Islam—why did you leave Islam and become a follower of Christ?’” Mike said: “You can’t argue a Muslim to faith,”. Believers should be willing to listen, learn, and discuss but know that at the end of the day “God is the one who changes hearts.”
During the Afghan war Mike was a translator. He found himself in a dark place and struggling after a deadly mission. That is when he had a series of dreams about Jesus, who called him by name to share the gospel with his people. After joining the underground house church movement, Mike endured intense persecution, multiple imprisonments, and brutal torture for his evangelism efforts before he was able to escape Afghanistan and make his way to the United States. Paul and his missionary troop also experienced persecution in Ephesus.
After leaving Athens Paul arrives in Corinth. Corinth was a crucial business center at the junction of sea lanes. The city had over 200,000 inhabitants during New Testament times. In chapter 18 Luke mentions a Jewish couple named Aquila and Priscilla, who were also tentmakers. Because they were tentmaker they become acquainted with Paul. (18:3). Luke noted that Priscilla and Aquila came to Corinth “because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome” (18:2). This edict by the Roman emperor is thought to have been issued in his ninth year, which would correspond to A.D. 49. In a dream God told Paul to remain.
After a year and half, about 52 A.D. Paul, Aquilla and Priscila traveled to Ephesus. Paul, as usual, went first to the Jewish synagogue where he argued persuasively for three months, but eventually some became obstinate and refused to believe and publicly maligned the “Way.”
Ephesus had one of the seven wonders of the ancient world in its city: the temple of Artemis. Artemis was worshipped as the fertility goddess among the Greeks and Romans and was the principle deity in Asia Minor. The temple of Artemis was the tallest building of its time. Ephesus contained on of the largest libraries in Asia. Many people made their money by selling silver idols and artifacts to the people in the city and visitors who came. Christianity threatened their income, their values, which lead to a riot. That was the big issue.
When Paul told the Athenians that the empty tomb of Jesus was empty for He had risen from the dead…they laughed. Only one fact is essential: Christ Jesus has come to seek and save sinners, He was crucified on a cross as our substitute and He rose from death and the grave.
In the 16th century, Oliver Cromwell ordered that an English soldier be shot for the crime of desertion. The execution was to take place the following day when the evening bell at the local church struck six o'clock. As the hour approached, everything was properly prepared. The condemned had been delivered to the place of execution and was blindfolded and bound. The firing squad with its captain stood at the ready. The appointed time came... and it went.
It came and went because no sound came from the church's clock tower. The captain dispatched one of his men to investigate. The soldier returned with a young girl who had been pledged to be married to the deserter. She confessed to having climbed into the bell tower and clung onto the bell's clapper to prevent it from ringing. Proof of her story was given by her hands which had been bruised and bloodied by the bell she had silenced. As for her fiancé, he was reprieved as the time had come and gone for his execution. (illustration from a sermon by Ken Klaus)
A grand story out of history, absolutely! But, for those who have been given eyes of faith it is more than a tale from a place long ago and far away. This soldier's story is also ours. Like the condemned, we, sinners all, were under the sentence of death for the many broken commandments we have committed. But God, motivated by an undeserved love for us, acted to change our fate.
Look at Jesus, His bruised and bleeding hands which were nailed to a Roman cross. Those wounds, coupled with the nails in His feet and the rip in His side, are the final proofs that Jesus' life was given to save us from eternal death. His friends buried Him in a borrowed tomb late on the eve of the Passover Sabbath. Three days later the risen Redeemer emerged from His borrowed tomb. His resurrected body was no longer limited by time, space and physical barriers. Jesus sent His followers around the world to tell His offer of grace and eternal resurrection.
That is the story being told in Acts.
We continue to share His story. We continue to answer questions that our “dechurched” or “god believing” friends ask. It will call for patience for we agree with the comment that Mike Christian made: “God is the one who changes hearts.”
