Stephen’s wonders and miracles

And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people. (Acts 6:8)

I think this is an interesting verse, especially because of its brevity. I wonder why it didn’t go into detail about what these wonders and miracles were that Stephen did. If it was healing, it probably would have said so. If it were teaching, it probably would have said something like what it says about the apostles, that he spoke the word with boldness and many believed because of the Spirit. So it had to be something that he did that was wondrous and miraculous.

Since Stephen and six others had been appointed to oversee the daily ministration of charity to the widows and others in need (see Acts 6:1-6), it is very likely that he was guided by the Spirit to those who particularly needed help…and who probably were reluctant to ask for it.  (We all know people like that, don’t we? We might be those kind of people too…)   So when the Spirit directed Stephen to give something to someone who turned out to need it, his ministry would have been a wonder and a miracle to them. It would have showed them that the Lord knew their situation and desired to succor them. His ministry would have demonstrated the Lord’s tender mercies.

It would take faith to carry out that kind of ministry, to follow the spiritual promptings to help someone who might look like they are doing okay, and only later find out that the service and help given was exactly what was needed.

It still takes faith to do that kind of ministry.

How Tabitha made a difference

36 ¶ Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did.

37 And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died: whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber.

38 And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them.

39 Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them.

40 But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up.

41 And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive. (Acts 9:36-41)

I always used to wonder why the widows were so emotional about the clothes Tabitha had made for them.

Recently I realized that in their widowhood, they had to scramble hard to provide for themselves and any children. If their husbands had been alive, these women would have been at home, weaving fabric for clothing and caring for their families. But since they had been thrust into the breadwinner role, there was no one to do the weaving, and they couldn’t take time from working to weave, and any ready-made clothing at this time would have been far out of the widows’ price range. So Tabitha’s service in providing clothing was truly significant.

The great service Tabitha did for the widows was pretty much indispensable to them, and that’s why the Lord permitted Peter to raise Tabitha from the dead.

The scripture makes me think about the little charitable acts we might do that can help the less fortunate keep their heads afloat. Maybe watching the kids for a single mother. Maybe taking food to a sick person who is all alone.

Paul is warned, but is determined

4 And finding disciples, we tarried there seven days: who said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem.

5 And when we had accomplished those days, we departed and went our way; and they all brought us on our way, with wives and children, till we were out of the city: and we kneeled down on the shore, and prayed….

7 And when we had finished our course from Tyre, we came to Ptolemais, and saluted the brethren, and abode with them one day.

8 And the next day we that were of Paul’s company departed, and came unto Cæsarea: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him.

9 And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy.

10 And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judæa a certain prophet, named Agabus.

11 And when he was come unto us, he took Paul’s girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.

12 And when we heard these things, both we, and they of that place, besought him not to go up to Jerusalem.

13 Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.

14 And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done. (Acts 21:4-5, 7-14)

In this block of verses we have a peculiar situation where Paul the apostle is headed back to Jerusalem, and on at least two different occasions and places he is warned by members that he should not go up to Jerusalem. Yet he is determined to go up anyway.

What are we to make of this? The text tells us that these warnings came through the Spirit, and yet can we say that it is proper for members to warn an apostle not to go someplace he needs to go? And of course the events that follow show us that Paul is bound as Agabus in particular prophesied that he would be.

Did Paul not know anything about what would happen and so he had to be warned by others? I personally don’t think so. I suspect Paul had inklings and warnings of his own that something difficulty was awaiting him at Jerusalem, but he pressed forward, trusting God to uphold him according to His righteous will.

So why were these impressions given to other Saints? I think they were given for the Saints’ edification and salvation, to prepare them for the news of what would happen to Paul. It was to show them that Heavenly Father knew all that would befall Paul, and that there was a purpose to it. It also gave Paul an opportunity to declare his willingness to die for the truth so that the Saints could be strengthened by his determination.

I have seen this pattern in a small way in my own life as well. On a number of occasions, the Lord has sent me dreams that have prepared me for a particular life challenge. It hasn’t happened for every challenge, nor do the challenges come immediately after the dream, but because I recorded those dreams in my journal, I remember them better. Then when the challenge comes, frequently the Spirit reminds me of the dream I had to prepare me. And by that I know the Lord knows me and that somehow that challenge is a programmed part of my life for the Lord’s purposes.  I can’t boast of these things because I know that they are not because of any worthiness of myself, but they are intended to save me and build my faith in the Lord.

Now, when these warnings come, they can be difficult to deal with. To know something bad is going to happen brings a temptation to give in to fear and surrender to feelings of impending doom. And it seems the Saints were very worried about their impressions and confided these to Paul. Thus, Paul’s declaration that he was willing to be bound and even to die in Jerusalem must have been a strong reassurance. And if you notice, the Saints finally said, “The will of the Lord be done.” (v14) They recognized the Lord would steer Paul’s life, and the Lord’s will would be done whether there was disaster or not.

So we get two more principles:

1)    Do what is right, let the consequence follow. (Where have we heard that before?)

2)    Just because things go wrong, doesn’t mean we’re doing wrong. We may be doing exactly right. And we will be much better able to bear up under adversity if we are conscientiously doing what’s right. 

Jesus’s Knowledge of Paul’s Heart

In the story of Jesus’s appearance to Paul on the way to Damascus, it is impressive how much Jesus knows about Paul’s inner state.

And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. (Acts 9:5)

To all outward appearances, Paul was as staunch an enemy of the fledgling church as the Jewish leaders would hope for. And yet, Jesus knew 1) Paul’s heart had been pricked multiple times, 2) that Paul was fighting his own inclinations as well as the church, and 3) it was hard for Paul to continue that fight.

It may be that Paul needed the Lord to tell him, “I know what’s going on in your heart and head, so stop putting on such a front.”

This is a great reminder that the Lord knows our hearts. He knows what we’re inclined to do, He knows when we’re putting on a front. He knows why and what the effect of it is on us. Paul was a case of one who needed to follow his good inclinations and not fight them. The Lord also knows when we are covering up bad inclinations and need to fight them more and achieve spiritual change.

I’m thankful to know that the Lord knows my heart. It gives me a reason to be careful about my thoughts and attitudes. But I’m also thankful that He is merciful and long-suffering and gives me the mental space to work through things.

Spiritual dangers in pretending to priesthood authority

13 ¶Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.

14 And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.

15 And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?

16 And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. (Acts 19:13-16)

Note that these seven were sons of a Jew, who was a chief priest, and therefore would have inherited priestly offices from their father.

They seem to have heard that Paul had success casting out evil spirits using the name of Jesus, so they thought they should be able to do the same. The problem was they didn’t have the authority as they thought, and the evil spirit told them so.

One of the things we learn from this story is that spirits on the other side of the veil are compelled to recognize and obey the authoritative acts of a legitimate priesthood holder, but not those of a pretender or usurper. In fact, a usurper actually puts themselves in the power of evil spirits because the deceit they attempt to practice puts them on the side of the great deceiver, Satan.  Satan has power over his own. 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has priesthood power today, restored by angels, for which I am grateful.

Let’s make good choices and stay firmly on the Lord’s side so that Satan has no power over us.

Paul’s citations to establish Christ’s resurrection

33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.

34 And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David.  (Acts 13:33)

One of the things I find interesting about Paul is that he uses the scriptures very creatively to prove his points.

When he preaches in Antioch, he cites certain scriptures to establish that Christ’s resurrection was prophesied of by the prophets.  His references can be obscure, but it is worth examining how he uses them and thinking about the logic by which he concludes they establish his point.

So the first citation is from Psalms 2:7 which says “Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.”  Paul is comparing resurrection to birth.  The speaker in the Psalm speaks for God and declares another (Jesus Christ) is His Son and has been begotten or born in a day.  Christ was born of Mary and was also the Son of God, but His birth was by a mortal mother.  We could say that baptism is a rebirth, and that might be the way we understand it for ourselves when we apply it to us. 

But it best fits the resurrection because when you are born you have the type of body like the one who bore you.  For someone to have a glorified body like Heavenly Father, one that would never die, you have to be resurrected; you have to have your spirit inseparably reunited with your body.

The next scripture cited is part of Isaiah 55:3 : “I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.”

This is an obscure reference to a promise given to David that a descendant of David would always sit on the throne of Israel.  For some time this was interpreted to mean that the Davidic dynasty would continue, but it also prophesied of Christ’s resurrection because He was a descendant of David, and once He was resurrected, He would rule in heaven and would never be removed.  Any time “the sure mercies of David” is mentioned, it is a reference to this promise.

It is neat to find these little references to resurrection and to see how apostles in the former day found them in unexpected places.  It gives me the sense that there are depths in the scriptures yet to be plumbed.

Jesus rose from the dead and because He did, so will we!

Happy Easter!

Apollos is Taught More Perfectly

24 ¶And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus.

25 This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.

26 And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly. (Acts 18:24-26)

This block of verses gives us a little snapshot of Apollos, convert in the former-day church.  He is described as:

·      An eloquent man

·      Mighty in the scriptures

·      Instructed in the way of the Lord

·      Fervent in the Spirit

·      Teaching diligently, speaking boldly

·      Knowing only the baptism of John

He had so much going for him even when he only knew a portion of the gospel.  He was clearly living according to the light he had.

Aquila and Priscilla took him and expounded things to him more perfectly.  I like this because it shows our responsibility to those who have a part of the truth and are sincerely trying to live it and teach it.  We have to try to give them the bigger picture.  Of course, they choose whether to accept it or not.

I also like to look at this story from Apollos’ perspective.  He’s doing his best and this couple comes to him and starts sharing more.  It might have been easy for him to say, “But I’m doing just fine with what I have; I don’t need more.”  He might have been insulted.  But he chose to listen and ponder it.  No doubt he searched the scriptures looking for evidence that what Aquila and Priscilla told him was true.  And his open heart received the witness of the Spirit.

Apollos’ story reminds me that no matter what stage I am at, I can still be a learner and have things expounded to me more perfectly.

Apollos’ great qualities also give me a wonderful picture of what a good member of the church looks like: eloquent, mighty in the scriptures, instructed, fervent, diligent, bold… and teachable.

The Manner the Twelve Choose Another Apostle in the New Testament

 Before the apostles do anything, Peter gives a little discourse about the need for a new apostle to replace Judas Iscariot and he ends with this:

21 Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,

22 Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.

23 And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.

24 And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,

25 That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.

26 And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.  (Acts 1:21-26)

The lot process they used is an interesting one, as it gives us an indication of how the apostles operated. 

We might think this casting their lots was a matter of choosing a name out of a container, but that wasn’t it—that is chance.  What it was was every apostle gave a lot according to who he felt God had shown him was to be apostle.   (Everyone seems to think that the apostles “cast lots,” but the wording is very particular.  It is different from everywhere else.  It says “they gave forth their lots,” meaning they each had a choice and signified it with a token of some sort and “the lot fell upon Matthias” shows the unity of those choices.)

This wasn’t a situation where majority rules.  This was a case where unanimous rules.  They had to be united, just like their testimonies had to be united.  If it were merely a choice by man, there would be all sorts of opinions, but they needed God to show them, ALL of them, who God chose, therefore there could only be one answer.

I also notice they studied the matter out first, and they got their best options as far as that went.  Peter discussed the necessity of calling a new apostle and how it must be one who could be a witness of the resurrection and they chose two men who could fill that requirement.

Then they prayed for revelation to know which one of those two men God had chosen.  I suppose that if they got no answer either way, they would have gone back to considering candidates again.

The neat thing is that the Lord doesn’t confine this confirming testimony to just the apostles.  He will give it to other members as well.  We can receive it about prophets, apostles, other general authorities, stake presidents, bishops, and so on.  Just last year our stake had a new stake presidency appointed and during the meeting as the new stake president spoke, I received a confirming witness he was called of God.  It wasn’t a dramatic rushing wind, rather it was the Spirit saying at the back of my mind, “Yes, this is the new stake president.”

An additional vision Paul had

As Paul was in Jerusalem and was the center of an uproar and accusations he had defiled the temple grounds by bringing in Greeks, he made a defense, or rather, bore his testimony telling of his conversion, but at the tail end of that experience, he also recounts another vision he saw of Jesus and instructions he was given.

17 And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance;

18 And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.

19 And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on thee:

20 And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him.

21 And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.

22 And they gave him audience unto this word, and then lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live. (Acts 22:17-22)

It is easy to overlook this vision because his account is very short, but there are some interesting features to it.

The first thing we notice is that the Jews, by their reaction, fully vindicated Christs’ words to Paul; they were incensed that God would send a minister to the gentiles, so they overlooked all the great witness Paul bore just so they could indulge their prejudice.

The next thing we notice from this account is that Paul seems to have argued with the Lord a little bit, such that the Lord repeats the instructions to confirm them.  But it is a little difficult to see what Paul’s argument is.  It almost doesn’t make sense.

“Leave, the Jews won’t listen to you.”

“But they know I persecuted the Saints.”

Why did Paul think the Jews’ knowledge of Paul’s persecutions of the Saints was a good reason for Paul to stay in Jerusalem?  I would think it would be embarrassing, plus Paul would get persecuted too as he had once persecuted others.

Finally I realized that Paul was arguing he could be a more effective missionary among the Jews because they know what he was like and what had done before his conversion and they would see how he had changed since his conversion.  He felt that would make the most powerful argument for Christ.  It is also possible he wondered how he could have any success talking about the change in his life to an audience who didn’t know his “before.”

Still, Christ reconfirmed the call to teach the gentiles.  It is possible that with a slightly weakened rhetorical strategy there would be a greater opportunity for the Spirit to witness to the truth.  People would not be converted by Paul’s arguments, but by the Spirit they felt from his testimony.

I think this is good for us to remember today.  It's not the arguments, it's not the logic, it's the Spirit felt through testimony that converts.

Running after the Eunuch’s Chariot, Acts 8:26-39

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26 And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.

27 And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,

28 Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.

29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.

30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?

31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.

32 The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:

33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.

34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?

35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.

36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?

37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.

39 And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing. (Acts 8:26-39)

Usually when people visualize this story, they imagine the Eunuch sitting in a stopped chariot, reading Isaiah.  I’ve realized that actually, it all happened in a moving chariot. 

The first tipoff is Philip runs to join himself to the chariot.  Running seems like overkill with a stopped chariot, with a moving chariot, it makes perfect sense.

The second point is the eunuch invites Philip to “come up and sit” in the chariot (v31).  If the chariot was stopped, this seems like an oddly chummy “come sit by me,” and Philip could just as well sat down on the ground and taught.  But if the chariot was moving, it makes perfect sense to let Philip hop on the chariot and sit down so that he doesn’t have to continue the conversation while running and tire himself out.

Third point is the text says, “And as they went on their way” (v36), which makes perfect sense that they were still moving.  If they were stopped, what would cause them to start in the middle of such a conversation so interesting to both of them and why wouldn’t something be said about why they started?

The fourth point in the text that says “a man of Ethiopia….had come to Jerusalem for to worship, was returning” (v27-28).  Obviously the eunuch was traveling, not stopped at the side of the road. 

Now, it might seem odd that the eunuch could sit and read in the chariot while it was moving, but it seems that is just what he did, regardless of bumps and such.  (Maybe he wasn’t the type to get carsick … or chariot-sick while reading)  To me it is interesting that he read aloud.  I read somewhere (I forget where) that back in those days all reading was done aloud.  Reading silently may have been thought a difficult task, much as many people today might think it difficult to read music silently and know what it sounds like.

What does it really matter if the chariot was moving or not, though?  What do we gain from this bit of intelligence?  If the chariot was moving, then it shows us what Philip was willing to do to follow the directions of the Holy Ghost to join himself to that chariot.  (I suppose the modern equivalent would be running after a limo leaving a parking lot.)  We get a better sense of Philip’s meekness and confidence in those spiritual impressions.  He didn’t worry about looking stupid or worry that he wouldn’t make it; he exerted himself and ran to catch up with the chariot.  Only as he caught up did he hear the eunuch reading Isaiah and discover that there was a missionary opportunity for him to take.

For me, Philip’s example is a challenge to get closer to the Spirit so that when the impression comes to leave my comfort zone, I will be ready to trust and obey that it will be for my good and/or for the sake of a missionary opportunity within reach if I will exert myself.

The great example of Cornelius in Acts 10

Reading about Cornelius in Acts 10, it is easy to see why he got to be the first Gentile to receive the gospel without first converting to Judaism.  He was an amazing man.   The scriptures describe him as

·      devout (v2)

·      one that feared God (v2)

·      (all his house feared God as well (v2), which indicates he had taught all of them what he believed and why in such a way that they accepted and adopted those beliefs themselves)

·      gave much alms to the people (v2)

·      prayed to God always (v2)

·      obedient; he immediately does what the angel tells him to do (v7-8)

·      has great hopes of what God will do for him, such that he wants to make sure all his friends and family are in on it too (v24,33)

·      fasts 4 days to prepare himself while waiting for Peter to come (v30)

·      great respect for Peter, who he is told to listen to (v25, 33)

This is the man to whom an angel was sent.  When we consider the level of righteousness Cornelius had attained even out of the church, it is obvious that his faith was sufficient for it.  It causes me to ask myself whether I am at that level, or whether I have some improving to do.

 3 He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius.

 4 And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.

 5 And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter:

 6 He lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side: he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do.  (Acts10:3-6)

The angel tells Cornelius, “Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.” (v4)  What commendation!  What would it be like to have an angel say this to us?  It makes me ponder whether I have a commendable level of alms and prayers.

I think it is significant that when the angel came to Cornelius, he pointed him to the leaders of the church.  Could the angel have preached to Cornelius?  Possibly.  But it shows how anxious the Lord is that people follow the earthly church authority according to the pattern revealed.  Thus, true spiritual manifestations to nonmembers sincerely seeking the truth will always point to the church in such a way that the seeker will recognize the church as having what they are looking for.  True manifestations from God will not point anywhere else.

It is neat to me that as soon as Cornelius has this vision from the angel, he does several things:

·      He obeys and sends people to fetch Peter

·      He starts fasting and doesn’t stop ‘til Peter gets there, which takes 4 days

·      He tells all his friends and family and gathers them all together so they can be there to share in the glorious message of what must be done.

25 And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him.

26 But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man. Acts 10:25-26)

No doubt Peter is chagrinned to come in and find himself the object of Cornelius’s worship.  But Cornelius can be forgiven for this mistake.  After all, if an angel comes and tells you that you need to listen to a certain person, it would be easy to believe that the person was greater than an angel!  (That God gives men priesthood power shows His great condescension to mortal men that angels also speak with respect of church leaders..)

There is a bit of humor in this story as well.  If you read closely, neither Peter nor Cornelius know what is going to happen when they meet.  Cornelius knows Peter is going to tell him something very important, and Peter knows he has to go to Cornelius without doubting or disputing to tell him something, but doesn’t know why. 

Peter: Why are you come?

Soldier messengers: Cornelius wants to hear words from you.

Peter: Okay.  (goes to Cornelius)

Peter: For what intent have you sent for me?

Cornelius: We are all present before God to hear all things that are commanded thee of God.

This is funny to me because usually when we speak, we want to say something that addresses a problem or concern the audience has.  Cornelius, however, was open to anything and everything.  Thus, Peter had to have revelation that it was time to preach the gospel to the Gentiles so he could know what to do with the “blank check” opportunity given him.

I really like this story because it reminds me that this is the Lord’s work and He prepares the way for it to be accomplished.  He prepares the people who will be part of it, and He prepares the conditions.  I bet if we were to examine the history of the church and its new entrances into new countries, we’d find amazing stories of miracles of preparation and acceptance.  (Ever heard the stories of gospel pioneers in Africa?  Amazing stuff.)  The Lord’s work is the same, yesterday, today, and forever.

Reaction to Paul’s “unknown god” sermon on Mar’s hill

32 ¶And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter.

33 So Paul departed from among them.

34 Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them. (Acts 17:32-34)

It seems like those who said “we will hear thee again of this matter” received Paul’s words favorably in comparison to those who mocked, but when you compare them to those that “clave unto him, and believed,” we see it wasn’t totally sincere.

If waiting to hear the message again sometime isn’t a good reaction, then what is it really? It is a reaction that indicates the person has been taken by surprise and wants to respond, but doesn’t feel up to it right then, and doesn’t want to close the door on the possibility of accepting in the future. Unfortunately, all too often, the someday of hearing it again doesn’t happen.

I once got into a conversation with one of my teachers about the Book of Mormon, and he told me he would talk to me again about it. He never did. I suppose part of it might have been my fault because I didn't try to start another discussion about it. I was waiting for him. Maybe he was waiting for me to bring it up again.

Have you ever had a gospel discussion with someone and this kind scenario happened? Did you pursue it?

Stop procrastinating repentance: The lesson from the Philipi jailer's conversion

23 And when they had laid many stripes upon them[Paul and Silas], they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:
24 Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.
25 ¶And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.
27 And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.
28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.
29 Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,
30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.
33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. (Acts 16:23-35)

An odd thing about this story is the jailer’s immediate question about what he must do to be saved, once he learns all the prisoners are still present and accounted for. It seems to happen without warning or gospel introduction; the jailer was asleep when Paul and Silas were singing hymns. It’s almost unprecedented.

Recently I realized Paul and Silas’s jail visit must have been suffered to happen just to reach the jailer. (Yes, that sounds a bit obvious, but hear me out..) I suspect that the jailer had heard of Paul and Silas’s preaching before this. I suspect that the jailer had previously held back from joining the church, thinking that he had plenty of time in life to repent.

Fast forward to when the jailer awakes and finds the prison doors wide open. He knows the consequence would be execution for dereliction of duty if any of the prisoners are gone. It is a shock that shows him that he has hardly any time left to his life at all.

When Paul and Silas tell him everyone is there, which removes the immediate prospect of death, he becomes willing to stop procrastinating repentance, and he immediately asks how to obtain salvation.

Seen in this way, the story shows that the Lord knows when we are procrastinating our repentance, and He has ways of showing us there is no time to waste. The time of reckoning may come sooner than we think, so it is best to begin repentance now.

If you’re interested, here is another post about this story from a different perspective—Spiritual freedom allows us to transcend physical captivity.