The Man from Macedonia

Acts 16:9-14

“9 During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them. 11 We set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city for some days. 13 On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. 14 A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. 15 When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.” And she prevailed upon us.”

Paul went to Macedonia at the urging of the Holy Spirit in a vision.  The vision depicted a man pleading for help.  Yet, the first person Paul met in Macedonia was a woman.  She was an unusual woman for her time, in that she owned her own business and was wealthy, and was independent.  She and her entire household were baptized into the faith after hearing Paul preach.

It would have been easy for Paul to ignore Lydia and her household in search of the man he came to help.  But Paul always saw the hand of God wherever he was led and in whoever he met

Sometimes God leads us in a straight path, and at other times the path has many unexpected detours.  The important thing is to keep listening to God’s voice, keep trusting in God’s love, keep doing the work God has called you to do….

and you will always be in the right place at the right time. 

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Guided by the Holy Spirit

Acts 16:6-8

“6 They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7 When they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; 8 so, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas.”

Throughout Paul’s journeys, he listened to the voice of the Holy Spirit, leading him where God wanted him to go.  We are told in the scripture above that Paul was forbidden to preach the gospel in Asia (now Asia Minor) and that he tried to go into Bithynia but was not allowed by the Holy Spirit so he went to Troas.  

The Holy Spirit is given to each person who comes into the faith.  Even though we are indwelled by God’s spirit, we must be able to recognize God’s voice among all the voices in our heads, and then choose to obey God’s voice.

Paul wrote, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2).

We are to allow the Holy Spirit to transform through the use of prayer, scripture study, worship, service, and sacrifice.  As we are being transformed, the Spirit of God will speak to us.  Over time, we will recognize God’s voice above all of the others.  

Then, we must choose to obey it.

And when we do, God will lead us on our journey.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Paul and Barnabas

Acts 15:36-41

“36 Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, 38 but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. 39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. 41 He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.”

Paul and Barnabas began their second missionary journey with an argument.  Barnabas wanted to include Mark, who was with them on the first part of their first journey, but Paul did not want Mark to travel with them because he left them midway through their journey.

Barnabas was the disciple who saw something in Paul (then called Saul) in the beginning of Paul’s conversion. Had it not been for Barnabas and his insight into Paul’s character and abilities, Paul might have lived out the remainder of  his Christian life in Tarsus.  Now, Barnabas had this same insight into the character and abilities of Mark. 

Paul did not see these qualities at that time and they had a “sharp disagreement”. Because of this Paul and Barnabas parted ways.

Paul, who later wrote to the churches under his care asking them to heal their divisions, to strive for unity and fellowship and peace with one another, may have remembered his split from Barnabas and regretted it.

The disagreements that we have with one another arise because we are imperfect human beings.  These things can either destroy us or they can cause us to grow as Christians.  

Later, in Paul’s letters, we find that Mark is working for Paul, and Paul commends him as a “fellow worker”  (Philemon 1:24) and saw him as “useful..in ministry”(2 Timothy 4:11).

If we truly allow the Holy Spirit to work in us, then we will find love and forgiveness.

And divisions will heal.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

James and the Gentiles

Acts 15:19-21

“13 After they finished speaking, James replied, “My brothers, listen to me. 14 Simeon has related how God first looked favorably on the Gentiles, to take from among them a people for his name. 15 This agrees with the words of the prophets, as it is written, 16 ‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the dwelling of David, which has fallen; from its ruins I will rebuild it, and I will set it up,17 so that all other peoples may seek the Lord—even all the Gentiles over whom my name has been called. Thus says the Lord, who has been making these things 18 known from long ago.’19 Therefore I have reached the decision that we should not trouble those Gentiles who are turning to God, 20 but we should write to them to abstain only from things polluted by idols and from fornication and from whatever has been strangled and from blood. 21 For in every city, for generations past, Moses has had those who proclaim him, for he has been read aloud every sabbath in the synagogues.”

James, the brother of Jesus, was the leader of the Church in Jerusalem.  He, himself, observed the Jewish law rigorously.  But now he was faced with new information.  God was at work among the Gentiles.  Peter, Paul, and Barnabas had testified to witnessing the Gentiles repenting and receiving the Holy Spirit after hearing the gospel message.

Based on this information and the words of the prophets, James decided to allow the gentiles to become members of the Christian Church without becoming Jews first. But, until this time, Gentiles were considered unclean and no self respecting Jew would ever socialize or be a part of any social organization that included Gentiles. So James struggled with the question of how to take the Gentiles into the Church without alienating the Jewish Christians.

The compromise that James developed centered around sexual purity and diet restrictions.  I am sure Paul and Barnabas thought this was excessive, given the fact that God was already working among the Gentiles without these restrictions.  But, for the sake of unity, these restrictions were accepted.

Paul later wrote,“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved" (1 Corinthians 10:31–33). 

The restrictions were not for the purpose of salvation, but unity; a unity that was derived from a common faith.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

No One Is Deserving

Acts 15:6-11

“6 The apostles and the elders met together to consider this matter. 7 After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “My brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that I should be the one through whom the Gentiles would hear the message of the good news and become believers. 8 And God, who knows the human heart, testified to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us; 9 and in cleansing their hearts by faith he has made no distinction between them and us. 10 Now therefore why are you putting God to the test by placing on the neck of the disciples a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear? 11 On the contrary, we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”

Peter, reflecting on his previous roof-top vision given to him by God, and his first- hand experience of Gentiles receiving the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:32-10:48), spoke up in the meeting of the Apostles and elders to remind them of these things.  He reminded them that the Law of Moses, which, instead of leading the Jews to salvation, had actually been a yoke that they could not bear.

Over the years, Christians have fallen into this trap.  It seems too simple to say that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus.  We think we must do something big that makes us worthy.  We think, “Who am I that God is mindful of me?  Who am I that I am deserving of God’s grace?”  

And the truth is, no one is deserving of God’s grace.   No one can do anything great enough to deserve God’s grace.  That’s why it is so wonderful that God bestows His grace upon us. 

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Direction of God

Acts 15: 1-5

“1 Then certain individuals came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to discuss this question with the apostles and the elders. 3 So they were sent on their way by the church, and as they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, they reported the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the believers.[a] 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them. 5 But some believers who belonged to the sect of the Pharisees stood up and said, “It is necessary for them to be circumcised and ordered to keep the law of Moses.”

There were people in the early Church who thought that salvation was not through faith in Christ alone, but through the Jewish religion first, then through faith. They thought that salvation was reserved for the chosen people, the Jews.  They could not accept the fact that God was offering salvation to all of humanity and this was His intention from the beginning. 

Paul and Barnabas argued against these “Judaizers” based on what they had experienced and seen on their missionary journey.  They had witnessed, first hand, Gentiles receiving the Holy Spirit in response to the gospel.  God was truly moving among the Gentiles in the same way that he was moving among the Jews.

It is easy to think we have God figured out.  Many people say, “The Church has always done it this way.  If it was good enough for my ancestors it is good enough for me.”  By taking this position, we are taking the position of the Judaizers in the early church, and we may actually walk in a different direction than God is leading.

As we read Acts, we find that Paul, in his travels and ministry, always listened to the leading and guiding of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit guided him to the places that he went, in the actions he took, and in the words that he spoke.  

Because of this,  Paul was always walking in the direction of God, doing what God wanted him to do.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Go Where God is Working

Acts 14:24-28

“24 Then they passed through Pisidia, and came to Pamphylia. 25 And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia; 26 and from there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work which they had fulfilled. 27 And when they arrived, they gathered the church together and declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. 28 And they remained no little time with the disciples.”

Paul and Barnabas had completed their first missionary journey.  They returned to Antioch, their home church, and reported all they had witnessed, and all that God had done through them while on this journey.  I imagine they also told them of some of their struggles, too.

For the church in Antioch, the news that the Gentiles were receptive to the faith and had joined the churches established by Paul and Barnabas, must have been a time of celebration and praise.

Like the early Church, let us find where God is working, let us go there, and let us do the work of God.

Then let us celebrate and praise Him.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Turning the World Upside Down

Acts 14: 1-7

1 The same thing occurred in Iconium, where Paul and Barnabas went into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks became believers. 2 But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. 3 So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who testified to the word of his grace by granting signs and wonders to be done through them. 4 But the residents of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, and some with the apostles. 5 And when an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat them and to stone them, 6 the apostles learned of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding country; 7 and there they continued proclaiming the good news.”

Jesus once described the division that his life and words would bring to the world, “father against son, son against father, mother against daughter, daughter against mother…” (Luke 12:53).  Christ knew that his example of love and mercy and his words of hope and redemption were words that would unsettle the existing order.

In the verses above we see that Christ’s prophetic words came to fruition.  After Paul and Barnabas preached the gospel in a synagogue in Iconium, a great number believed, but a great number also did not believe.  This naturally caused tension and strife among them and hatred towards the Disciples, such that the unbelievers plotted to kill Barnabas and Paul.

To Christians, the gospel is the word of God offering salvation to the world.  It is the hope of the world.  To unbelievers the gospel is a challenge to their way of life, turning it upside down, destroying their world.

In the midst of this tension, Christians are to show love and forgiveness, to be a beacon of light in the darkness for all who would believe.  We are never to conform to the world.

“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12).

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Turning Point

 Acts 13: 1-3

“1 Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a member of the court of Herod the ruler, and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.”

Reading the names of the prophets and teachers we find that the church at Antioch was a diverse church.  There are people from Cyprus, North Africa, Romans, aristocrats, and finally a man from Tarsus.

The Holy Spirit worked in and through the members of the church at Antioch and led them to the decision to appoint Barnabas and Saul to carry the gospel throughout the known world, a decision that was the turning point for Christianity, and vital to its survival.

Of course, we see the wisdom of this decision now, looking back.  I wonder if they knew it at the time?  I am sure there were disagreements as to who should be sent or to whom they should carry the messages.  Nevertheless, God’s will was done.

Sometimes I worry about our divided Church; so many denominations, so many interpretations of scripture, so many opinions and emotions.  

But then I remember that the gospel was once carried by two men into many foreign lands, and they were beaten, stoned, imprisoned, robbed, left for dead, and shipwrecked.

Yet,  the good news survived.

And the word of God transformed millions of people.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Spread of the Gospel

Acts 12:20-25

“20 Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. So they came to him in a body; and after winning over Blastus, the king’s chamberlain, they asked for a reconciliation, because their country depended on the king’s country for food. 21 On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat on the platform, and delivered a public address to them. 22 The people kept shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a mortal!” 23 And immediately, because he had not given the glory to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died. 24 But the word of God continued to advance and gain adherents. 25 Then after completing their mission Barnabas and Saul returned to Jerusalem and brought with them John, whose other name was Mark.”

King Herod, who allowed himself to be thought of as a god, who may have thought of himself as a god, died.  Meanwhile, the word and the work of the one true God continued to live and grow and flourish.

The crucifixion of Christ, the stoning of Stephen, the death of James and all of the other Twelve with the exception of John, did not stop the will of God or the spread of the gospel throughout the world.

The Apostle Paul wrote,  “What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” (Romans 8:31)

God’s will…. will be done.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Memorial United Methodist Church

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God’s Presence In Us

Acts 12: 6-11

“6 The very night before Herod was going to bring him out, Peter, bound with two chains, was sleeping between two soldiers, while guards in front of the door were keeping watch over the prison. 7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his wrists. 8 The angel said to him, “Fasten your belt and put on your sandals.” He did so. Then he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” 9 Peter went out and followed him; he did not realize that what was happening with the angel’s help was real; he thought he was seeing a vision. 10 After they had passed the first and the second guard, they came before the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went outside and walked along a lane, when suddenly the angel left him. 11 Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hands of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”

Has anyone ever told you to fasten your seat belt?  It usually means that something wild or chaotic is about to happen.  

The Angel that rescued Peter told him to “fasten his belt and put on his sandals.”  Something wild was about to happen and Peter could not believe his eyes.  The chains fell off his wrists, and he was led outside.  Peter thought he was having a vision.  

Why is it that we have trouble believing that God is acting in our lives?  Our first instinct is to give credit to anyone or anything other than God.  Peter had a front row seat for miracles when he walked with Christ.  Why was it so hard for him to realize that God was acting on his behalf?

Many people today do not feel worthy of God’s love or attention and we quench His spirit because of this feeling of unworthiness.  

Christians should expect to feel and see evidence of God’s presence because we are indwelled by God’s spirit.  Because of this God will act in us, around us, and through us.  And we are worthy of this.

Always remember “you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst.” (1Corinthians 3:16) 

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Persevere in Prayer

Acts 12:1-5

“1 It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. 2 He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. 3 When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. 4 After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.

5 So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.”

Herod Agrippa was popular with the Jewish people because he was a direct descendant of the Maccabean heroes, who had rebelled against and expelled the Seleucid rulers (who ruled Israel just prior to the Romans), and captured, cleansed and rededicated the temple to God.  Even though he was a Roman puppet ruler, the people respected him because he observed the law and all of the Jewish observances.

To please the people, Herod began to persecute the Christians.  James, the brother of John, was the first of the Twelve to be put to death.  Peter was arrested.

Through all of this, the church continued to pray. During those times of extreme adversity, the people called out to God.

Maybe Paul remembered these times when he wrote to the Romans, “Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.” (Romans 12:12)

Good advice even today.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Yes

Acts 11:25-26

“25 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.”

For nine years Saul had labored in Tarsus after fleeing to Tarsus from Jerusalem by way of Caesarea.  There he worked but what he did we do not know for sure.  More than likely he preached the gospel in the synagogues in and around Tarsus. Saul had been told by Christ that he had an important mission to fulfill but I wonder if Saul had begun to feel forgotten.

Enter Barnabas, who had not forgotten Saul, and who selected Saul to help him equip believers in the new church in Antioch.  So successful were they in Antioch that the believers there became the first people to be called Christians.  Saul had proved himself to be worthy and ready for his great, important mission so long ago promised by Christ (Acts 9:15).

There is a verse in 1Corinthians 1:20a that was written by Saul (called Paul by the time he wrote 1Corinthians) that says: “For all the promises of God find their Yes in Him [Christ].

Saul found his yes in Christ.

Indeed, Christ is the yes to all who believe.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Be Glad

Acts 11:19-24

“19 Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews. 20 Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. 22 News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. 24 He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.”

Gentiles in Antioch were sought out for the purpose of sharing the gospel with them.  This represents a turning point for the church.  For the first time the gospel was deliberately shared with Gentiles.  A great number of these people believed and repented.  And they received the Holy Spirit.

Barnabas, a good man who was full of faith, who was led by the Holy, went to Antioch to see if this movement was of God.  What he witnessed was the hand of God at work and he encouraged these new Christians in their faith.

Barnabas saw the new way God was leading and he was glad; glad that the Gentiles were followers of Christ and had a relationship with God.

When someone professes faith in Christ, it is a moment of great joy and gladness to God….and should be to us as well.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Bridge

Acts 11: 1-4, 17-18

“1 Now the apostles and the believers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him, 3 saying, “Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?” 4 Then Peter began to explain it to them, step by step,...17 If then God gave them the same gift [the Holy Spirit] that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?” 18 When they heard this, they were silenced. And they praised God, saying, “Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.”

Peter’s decision to share the gospel with Gentiles, stay with them and share meals with them, came under fire from the Jewish Christians after Peter returned to Jerusalem.  But he was confident that what he saw and experienced was of God and in God’s will, so he calmly explained how after preaching the Gospel, the Gentiles repented and received the Holy Spirit, in the same way that Jewish Christians had.

Peter, at that moment, was the bridge between the old and the new.  He knew where God had been and where God was leading.  And the leaders listened, and praised God, and walked across the bridge into the new truth of God.

God is constantly revealing His truth to us.  

Let us always walk where God is leading.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

A New Truth (Part 2)

Acts 10:34-36, 44-48

“34 Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36 You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. 44 While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, 46 for they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter said, 47 “Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” 48 So he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they invited him to stay for several days.”

Peter, after receiving a vision from God, was led by the Holy Spirit to the household of Cornelius, a Roman Centurion, to preach the gospel to a room full of gentiles..  In the house, Peter realized the meaning of God’s vision to him.   He understood that any believer, in any nation, of any race was acceptable to God.  And if they were acceptable to God, then they were acceptable to Peter.

The Holy Spirit was poured out on all who were there and Peter baptized them all in the name of Jesus Christ.

Notice that the gentiles asked Peter to stay with them for several days.  No doubt, they wanted to learn more.

Our Christian journey does not end with our baptism.  

That is when it begins.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

A New Truth (Part 1)

Acts 10: 9b-16

“9b Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat; and while it was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw the heaven opened and something like a large sheet coming down, being lowered to the ground by its four corners. 12 In it were all kinds of four-footed creatures and reptiles and birds of the air. 13 Then he heard a voice saying, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.” 14 But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is profane or unclean.” 15 The voice said to him again, a second time, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.” 16 This happened three times, and the thing was suddenly taken up to heaven.”

Peter, praying on the roof of a friend’s home in Joppa, was given a vision of the new thing God planned to do. Orthodox Jews believed that God had no use for the Gentiles.  God revealed to Peter that he did, indeed, have use for the Gentiles.  Prior to this vision, Peter would have called the Gentiles unclean.  Through this vision, God was asking Peter to unlearn an entire lifetime of prejudice and ignorance.

We often think that our prejudices are also God’s prejudices and we may even blame our prejudices on God as we point to scripture as justification.  This very thing was done to justify slavery and to oppress women in this nation not so many years ago.

To Peter’s credit, he allowed himself to be used by God and took actions consistent with God’s vision (as we shall see).

To grow spiritually, we must be open to new truths revealed by God and be willing to be led by God into those truths.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Perfect Church

Acts 9:31

“31 Meanwhile the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and was built up. Living in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.”

There is something beautiful about this verse. It sounds as if the early Christians lived in perfect intimacy with God.  But in the letters of Paul, he routinely addressed problems that involved conflicts, divisions, heresies, false teachers, and bad practices.

I wonder if the people who described the early church to Luke painted an idyllic picture and left out the problems, much the same way that we would describe the church we attended when we were young or the church in which we raised our families.

Despite any problems they may have encountered, the church continued to grow.  What really matters, is that the people were striving to live according to the teachings of Christ and were listening to the guiding and leading of the Holy Spirit.  They were a people of prayer, worship, service, fellowship, forgiveness and above all, love.

The perfect church does not exist...but our perfect redeemer does.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Barnabas, Son of Encouragement

Acts 9: 26-30

“26 When he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples; and they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him, brought him to the apostles, and described for them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken boldly in the name of Jesus. 28 So he went in and out among them in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 He spoke and argued with the Hellenists; but they were attempting to kill him. 30 When the believers learned of it, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.”

The Disciples did not believe that Saul was truly a disciple of Christ, but Barnabas (whose name means Son of Encouragement) vouched for him before the Apostles.  It is because of Barnabas that Saul was accepted by the disciples in Jerusalem and rescued when the Hellenists (Greek speaking Jews) tried to kill him.

I can think of many people in my life who have helped me along the way in my Christian journey.  If it had not been for them I do not know where I would be now.  I am sure that throughout Saul’s life he was grateful to Barnabas and the support Barnabas gave him in that crucial time of his life.

As Christians, we are to follow the example of Barnabas and build up other believers, to encourage them, to strengthen them, and to show them the way.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Fruits of Our Love

Acs 9: 19-25

“19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength. For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus, 20 and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” 21 All who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem among those who invoked this name? And has he not come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?” 22 Saul became increasingly more powerful and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Messiah. 23 After some time had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, 24 but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night so that they might kill him; 25 but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.”

As soon as Saul regained his strength (and his eyesight) he began to preach the good news of Jesus Christ...in the synagogues.  This surely was a surprise to the Jews that heard him and were not familiar with his conversion to Christianity.  

Have you ever run into anyone who, after having a religious experience (not necessarily Christian), has been drastically changed and they are like a different person?  This has happened to me on several occasions.  Sometimes I wondered if they were sincere and at other times it seemed genuine.

What makes the experience genuine is not really what the person says or professes to believe, it is how they live and act toward others over the course of their lives.

We have the privilege of knowing that Paul’s conversion was real from the beginning in Damascus to the end of his life in Rome.  Through his letters, we know his thoughts, and through the churches he founded we know the fruits of his love.

What is our story?  Will those around us know us through our love? 

And what will be the fruits of our love?

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)