The Grow Series will start on January 7 at Praise. Join us for four weeks as we look at four of the ways we are called to be disciples of Christ. I’m really excited for this series–whether you are a new or mature Christian, you’ll have the opportunity to be challenged and encouraged in these four areas of growth. Don’t miss it!
This weekend at our worship services we’ll be talking about the state of Praise–we’ll be reflecting on God’s blessings to us over the past year and looking ahead to what lies in store for us in 2012. I hope you can join us this weekend–it will be a very interactive message!
Saturday worship–5:30p
Sunday worship–10:30a
As a member of the royal press corps accompanying King Agrippa in his travels, this reporter had a unique opportunity to witness a complex court case here in the Roman provincial capital.
As King Agrippa arrived in Caesarea with his sister Bernice, Governor Porcius Festus entertained the royal guests by discussing a challenging court case he was about to face. On a visit to Jerusalem, Jewish religious leaders wished to punish a religious leader named Paul without trial, but Festus insisted on following Roman law and allowing this citizen a fair hearing.
Festus quickly convened a court hearing and was surprised to learn that the charges related to religious disputes that did not concern the empire. Festus asked Paul if he’d be willing to stand trial in Jerusalem, and Paul appealed to have his case heard in Rome. Though the Jerusalem trial would have acquitted Paul, now Festus had no choice to begin processing Paul for a hearing in Rome.
Agrippa and Bernice joined a court hearing and Paul shared about his life as part of the sect known as The Way, now sometimes referred to as “Christians.” Paul, a devout religious scholar and leader in the Jewish religion, claimed he had an encounter with a man named Jesus of Nazareth. This Jesus had been executed in Jerusalem, but many eyewitnesses have attested to having seen him afterwards. Some claim that this man represented the fulfillment and culmination of the Jewish scriptures.
While Paul shared this account, he even attempted to persuade King Agrippa towards his beliefs. While Paul’s story was met with skeptical reactions, Agrippa and Festus did not see a need to keep Paul imprisoned, yet his appeal to Rome required that they send him on regardless.
The normally staid proceedings at the Sanhedrin assembly turned into a fight usually reserved for the arena. Paul started out innocently enough when he said his conscience was clear before God in all that he had done. Ananias ordered Paul struck in the mouth. Paul in turn called Ananias a whitewashed wall and told him he had violated the law by commanding that Paul be struck. Those near Paul were aghast, and asked him how he dared to insult God’s high priest. At that, Paul said he didn’t realize Ananias was the high priest. He said he didn’t want to speak evil about the ruler of the people.
Things might have settled down at that point, but, in a shrewd move, Paul took advantage of the animosity between the Pharisees and Sadducees gathered there. He proclaimed himself a Pharisee, knowing this would set off the two groups, and once again, a fight broke out. These proceedings are becoming more interesting than the chariot races!
A few days later, Paul’s nephew claimed to have overheard a plot against Paul whereby 40 men took an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. They would request that Paul be brought before the Sanhedrin again the next day; then they would ambush him and kill him on his way there. The nephew informed the centurion, and pleaded with him not to fall for the trap. The centurion believed the nephew, and knew that he had a duty to protect Paul because of his Roman citizenship. The commander of the guards, one Claudius Lysias, wrote a letter to the Governor at Caesarea telling him about the plot and asking him to hear the case against Paul. He ordered a detachment of 200 soldiers, 70 horsemen and 200 spearmen to get Paul safely to his hearing before Governor Felix.
When the cavalry arrived in Caesarea, they delivered Paul and the letter over to him. Governor Felix asked Paul what province he was from. When he replied, “Cilicia”, Felix agreed to hear his case, and ordered that Paul be kept under guard in Herod’s palace until the accusers could get there to present their case.
The arrest of the controversial preacher1, Paul, took a dramatic turn in the midst of the shouts of the violent mob who had followed to see the proceedings. In a surprise move, the commander gave Paul permission to speak in his own defense on the steps of the barracks.
Paul addressing the crowd
The crowd quieted down when he spoke to them in Aramaic. He told them that he had once been just as zealous for God as anyone in the crowd, and recounted his sudden change of heart. After he had returned from Damascus to Jerusalem all those years ago, the Lord told him to turn around and leave Jerusalem immediately, because his testimony would not be accepted – even though the people knew that he had gone from one synagogue to another to beat and imprison the followers of the Way. In fact, they saw him stand by giving his approval to those who killed Stephen.
The crowd had stayed quiet up to this point. But when Paul told them that the Lord had sent him away to the Gentiles, the whole atmosphere changed to pandemonium! The crowd shouted, “Kill him! He’s not fit to live!” They threw off their cloaks and flung dust into the air. At this point, the commander ordered Paul to be taken away and flogged and questioned.
I managed to interview Josephus Minimus, one of the guards on duty at this time. He told me that as they stretched Paul out to flog him, he asked the centurion, “Is this even legal? I am a Roman citizen and I haven’t been found guilty.” The commander apparently couldn’t believe what he heard, because he himself had had to pay a large sum of money for his own citizenship. He was stunned when Paul said, “I was born a citizen.” This put the commander in a difficult position, because he had put a Roman citizen in chains. Those who had been going to question him quietly went away.
But the commander still wanted to know what all this was about. So the next day he released Paul and ordered the chief priests and the Sanhedrin to meet. Tomorrow he will bring Paul to stand before them.
I spoke with a companion of Paul’s today – one by the name of Luke, apparently Paul’s biographer. He and Paul have been travelling throughout Macedonia, encouraging members of ‘The Way’. After touring the area for about three months, they planned to sail for Syria, but heard of another Jewish plot against Paul just as they were about to sail. So they decided to backtrack through Macedonia instead.
Paul is getting well known in these parts, and apparently doing well – he has quite a large entourage with him – besides Luke, he has Sopater from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia.
These men went on ahead and waited for him at Troas, but Paul and Luke sailed from Philippi after the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas, where they all stayed seven days.
(Also – turn to Scroll XIII to read exciting and exclusive excerpts from Paul’s latest letter: the Epistle to the Romans!)
He’s at it again! Paul, that great preacher of The Way, has somehow caused a riot without even being present! Our own Demetrius, that silversmith blessed by the godess Artemis with such talent, was the first to notice the impact of Paul’s preaching on the volume of work he sold. Being a devoted follower of the godess, he naturally was concerned for her glory. This new cult called ‘The Way’ was eating into the worship and devotion represented by the sales of the silver images of her that he made. Calling together the other silversmiths – as well as workmen in related trades – he explained the situation:
“Paul is actually telling people that gods made by hand are no gods at all! It isn’t the money, of course. We do it out of devotion – personally I don’t even think about the income derived, and I’m sure you don’t either. And it’s not even civic pride here, great though that may be. But there is serious danger that the temple will be discredited, and the godess herself will be robbed of her majesty!”
Naturally, the other tradesmen felt the same way – especially the “It’s not about the money” bit – and expressed their anger by shouting, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” as they ran through the streets. They seized two of Paul’s cronies from Macedonia – Gaius and Aristarchus – and dragged them to the theater. A strange scene ensued – many people, seeing a crowd on the way to the theater, thought some entertainment was about to take place, so they joined the throng, swelling the numbers and causing others to come along for the same reason. By the time Demetrius and the tradesmen reached the center, they were hemmed in by the crowd.
At this point, a strange alliance very nearly formed. Demetrius hated The Way; the Jews hated The Way. The Jews pushed Alexander forward to speak, and the crowd quieted down to hear what he had to say. But when the tradesmen recognized him as a Jew, and since they knew Paul was also a Jew and his cult always started in the synagogues, they assumed this was a speaker in Paul’s defense and interrupted anything Alexander may have said to their benefit! The yelling and shouting of their cry, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”, went on for at least two hours after that.
In fact, they were in great danger themselves, since – as we all know – the Pax Romana forbids any rebellion of any sort, including rioting. Finally, one calm leader – the city clerk – stood up and took control, reminding everyone of that fact, as well as noting that the correct procedure was to bring Paul and his people in front of the proconsuls if they have said or done anything against the goddess, her temple or the town – which, in fact, they hadn’t. He got them to disperse.
Now that the riot has calmed down, we understand that Paul has decided to move on to Macedonia.
(Also – turn to Scroll XII to read exciting and exclusive excerpts from Paul’s latest letters: one to the Galatians and two to the Corinthians!)
Well, it seems as if Paul, that great speaker and preacher from The Way, has been on the move again. We’ve just received word that he left Antioch in the spring of this year and went off on another journey, North and West. We understand that he spent the spring and early summer in those towns in which he experienced so much early success – towns in the provinces of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening the faith in those churches that he founded.
Around early- to mid-summer, he arrived in Ephesus and met with about a dozen disciples there, taking their maturity to new heights and, as always, his God seems to have come upon them and manifested Himself powerfully. As usual he began in the synagogue, but when he was inevitably rejected there, he rented a lecture hall in the school run by Tyrannus (a local scholar, though old and a bit of a dinosaur!) For two whole years he lectured and debated and discussed – first with the twelve that he had been tutoring, then with many others who drifted to the lecture hall. People throughout Asia1 heard the Gospel.
In fact, we hear that there was more than just a lecture series going on. Paul was such a holy man by this point that even a hanky he has touched could be taken to a sick person and that person would be cured, or to the demon-possessed and the evil spirit would be forced out. This healing was obviously cutting into the income of some professional healers, who didn’t appreciate the loss of business, and it also drew some foolish young men, sons of the local Jewish chief priest, to attempt the same – shades of Nadab and Abihu, sons of the chief priest Aaron2! However, their foolishness and subsequent danger turned out to be good for the Gospel, because many others in Ephesus realized the power in the name of Paul’s Lord Jesus. They also were made aware of the danger of dealing with the spirit world, and burnt their scrolls – worth, we are told, about 50,000 drachmas3.
At this point, Paul is ready to move on – he has sent Timothy and Erastus to Macedonia to pave the way, then he will follow them there; then south to Achaia and back from there to Jerusalem. He has also been praying to go to Rome soon.
(Scroll IX: Emperor Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus has been assassinated! To be succeeded by Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus!)
Paul arrived in Corinth about one and a half years ago. We felt it was time for an update – is his ministry continuing, or did he just run out of steam? I caught up with him and asked him some questions:
Volpes Griseus: How has your time been spent in Corinth, and what was so different that you stayed for such an extended period of time?
Paul: When I arrived here 15 months ago I was introduced to Aquila and Priscilla. They happen to be tentmakers, just as I am. They had just been expelled from Rome by Claudius, along with all other Jews – a shame, for Jews used to be highly regarded in Rome – you may remember that, about 50 years ago, they were so highly thought of that they were exempt from military service! Anyway, we started making tents together. I worked at that to support the ministry, so that no one could say I was using the ministry for personal gain. But I spent every Sabbath in the synagogue trying to reason with both Jew and Greek.
Volpes Griseus: How did the synagogue leaders respond?
Paul: Once again the Jews resisted my ministry. I was met with such hostility that I shook the dust from my clothes in front of them and vowed never to bring the message to the Jews again. I told them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am clear of my responsibility. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”
Volpes Griseus: So what has that meant to your ministry of the gospel?
Paul: Very few Jews have listened to me here, with the notable exception of Crispus (the ruler of the synagogue) – he has received the Good News. At first I was afraid of what would happen, but the Lord spoke to me in a vision and said, “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no-one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” So I continued to bring the good news to the gentiles and they were very receptive to it. In fact, when the Jews brought me to trial in front of Gallio the Proconsul, he dismissed their case before I even got to plead my side of the case. (They wee so annoyed that they beat up their own synogogue ruler right there in front of the courthouse!) God provides for all my needs. He sent Silas and Timothy to join me from Macedonia and they brought a love offering from the church of Philippi which allowed me to devote myself wholly to the gospel.
Volpes Griseus: So what is next for you?
Paul: Well, I’ve just written a couple of letters to my dear friends in Thessalonica. Next I’m heading for Ephesus to visit the church there before I return home to Jerusalem for Passover. Then I will go home to visit with family and friends in Antioch. I am headed now to the port of Cenchrea to fulfill a vow I made before I set sail.
(On Scroll III: Felix is made Procurator of all Judea.)
Indeed my source was correct – I caught up with Paul in Athens. When asked about his rather hasty departure from Berea, Paul stated that the same angry mob that had rejected the Gospel of Jesus in Thessalonica were looking to have him beaten and jailed. He fled for his very life.
He told me that while he was waiting for Silas and Timothy to join him, he was amazed that the city of Athens was wholly given to idolatry. Every day he left the synagogue to go to the market place to dispute the beliefs of the men and women of Athens.
Some here say his message is nothing more than babbling, others say he is trying to introduce strange and foreign gods. They have never even heard of this Jesus and the resurrection that Paul preached.
However, the people were interested in hearing more so they led Paul to a meeting of the Areopagus, and asked him to explain this new doctrine.
(Paul reports that the people of Athens spend the entire day there doing nothing but telling or hearing of new things. For readers that are unaware of this important organization: The Areopagus or Areios Pagos means the ‘Rock of Ares’, and is north-west of the Acropolis. The Greek god of war Ares was tried here by other gods for the murder of Poseidon’s son Alirrothios, and this became the place which used to function as the high Court of Appeal in Athens. Under the Roman Empire the place has become known as ‘Mars Hill’, named for the Roman god of war.)
So Paul preached about how superstitious the people were; they were so worried that they included a statue to “The Unknown God”, just in case they had missed one! Listening to him, I felt that he was a great preacher – one of the best I’ve ever heard – not because of his delivery, but his logic was inescapable and his command of the Jewish Scriptures was profound. He was clever, too – he quoted local poets, and urged the people not to see God as embodied in stone but rather as Someone living – and demanding repentance!
Then he brought forth the message of resurrection of Christ to judge the world one last time. Some mocked him, but others asked for more of the gospel message.
As he left Mars Hill, several people believed his message and followed him.