(June 1, 2011)

Prayer House News!

It's June! Isn't that something - I think it is!

Please Note: This coming weekend we start our new schedule for Sunday services.

First service is at 8:30am - 9:30 pre-service prayer, 10:30am second service.

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Tonight all of our mid-week classes will start at 6:30pm. I am starting a new bible study on 1 John for the adults.

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Devotional!

Sacrificed to, to sacrificed!

The other part of the battle we face is our flesh. This is an even more serious problem than the enemy is.

After Paul and Barnabas left the city of Iconium they traveled to the city of Lystra.

Acts 14:8-10 In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked. (9) He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed (10) and called out, "Stand up on your feet!" At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.

This is an example of the grace that God gave Paul in order to perform miracles.

Acts 14:11-13 When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, "The gods have come down to us in human form!" (12) Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. (13) The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.

This is an example of just how fickle we humans tend to be. The first thing the people want to do is worship Paul and Barnabas. In fact they called them gods and gave them the names of two of their favorite gods, Zeus and Hermes. They even wanted to offer sacrifices to them. But then, as usual, spiritual opposition comes along in an effort to steal God’s victory from the people.

Acts 14:19 Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over.

They came in opposition to the message of the gospel and were able to win over some of those who had just previously wanted to worship Paul and Barnabas when they witnessed the power of God in the form of a healing.

Before I proceed with this thought I want you to get a better picture of what Paul and Barnabas were up against. The Jews that won the crowd over were from the towns of Antioch and Iconium. Let’s look at the journey Paul was on. This is referred to as his first missions trip.

We are going to pick up their journey from the town called Paphos.

Acts 13:13-14 From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem. (14) From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch.

Acts 13:50-51 But the Jews incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. (51) So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium.

Then in chapter 14 we pick up their journey in the city of Iconium. However, because of their success in Iconium the Jew plotted to kill Paul and Barnabas.

Acts 14:6-7 But they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country, (7) where they continued to preach the good news.

In Lystra they are so successful that the people wanted to worship them as gods. But the Jews from Antioch and Iconium followed Paul and Barnabas to refute their message. What a battle Paul had. And part of the reason he faced such a battle was because of the fickleness of mankind. The Jews from Antioch and Iconium were so convincing in their “anti-Christ” message that the crowd which had previously worshiped Paul, stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. V. 19.

The title of this message is Sacrificed to, to Sacrificed. Shortly before they sacrificed Paul, they were sacrificing to him. This isn’t the first time this type of thing happened is it? I’m sure some of you are way ahead of me in remembering how Jesus made his triumphal entry with the people worshipping him wanting to sacrifice to him and then just hours later they sacrificed him. But Paul, just like Jesus, came back from the dead.

Acts 14:20 But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city.

Many of the commentators on this verse believe this was a miraculous event. Paul was dragged out of the city – presumed to be dead. Adam Clarke’s Commentary said, the phrase, he got up, indicates he was miraculously restored, not only to life, but to perfect soundness; so that he was able to walk into the city. After Jesus was raised miraculously from the dead He went into the city and was seen by hundreds of witnesses.

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Medication!

Bible Bafflement

My friend opened a ministry, using a snippet from the Bible

as the name. But he soon regretted his decision to order

office supplies over the phone.

When his stationery arrived, it bore the letterhead, "That

Nun Should Perish."