All From Saul's Tumble Thoughts/Poems From the Ministry of Saint Paul copyright Doug Blair, Waterloo, ON, 23016
Enemies Become Family I recall the scene in the Book of Acts where Stephen is giving the account of his faith and the religionists of the day can hardly stand to hear him. The text says that they gnashed upon him with their teeth, and rushed to stone him to death. Gnashed with their teeth. The sort of thing a crazy man does. And in this instance who was crazy? The one telling of God's faithful keeping of His people up to and including the arrival of Messiah? Or the ones insisting on viciously quenching the message which threatened their stultifying tradition? Doubtless many of these persecutors were eventually horrified by their action here, learned more of the Christian community in their midst, repented and were saved. Among that number was Saul of Tarsus, eventually to become the Apostle Paul. Enemies becoming members of the family of faith. I see this as a tremendous aspect of revival in the coming days. There is just too much grasping and brutishness around us. This will draw many to repent and to reach out for the "living water" to be found only in Christ. Mercy will become beautiful in their eyes. The wonderful fruit of the Holy Spirit will become the only merchandise desired from the marketplace of human experience (love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance – Galatians 5: 22, 23).
Stephen We couldn’t resist his message Or wisdom he brought to bear Or censure his grasp of history No Jew could defeat him there. And none could resist his spirit Unmixed, and unbought by pride, And heeding only his Master
Right to the hour he died. So what was the cause of our fury? Or what could excuse our rage? In stoning this miracle -worker Who visioned a brighter new Age? The gnashing of teeth and the madness Were all in our quarter, you see. As rocks crushed the life from this giant Who knelt, and forgave even me. Acts 7: 59 And
they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
60 And
he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
Saul, Down for the Count Could it be I was chosen And all the while I fought the words And ways of Christ? Traveled town to town And rounded up His witnesses To death and jails Whate'er the price. Hoped the catch Immense As horseback I drew near Damascus Stopped by Love and light And toppled To the ground. Heard a Voice Assured and manly
Asking me to halt This fool's invasion. Couldn't see the Man But felt His power All around. Knew my life Was captive then To service And to speak good words Of Him who Trumped the grave. Rabbi? No, a Monarch From the Heavenlies Merciful and willing To the uttermost To save. (Acts chapter 9)
Does He Feel at Home? Ephesians 3 17That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. In the original language Paul is expressing a hope that Christ would settle, would feel at home, would be at ease in the hearts of the Ephesians. We are to learn the art of hospitality with respect to the most fortuitous of all guests. A listening ear, a willingness to pause, a constant sensitivity to His preferences, a bearing of humility and moderation, a setting aside of other priorities, a valuing of His every word of comfort, guidance or warning. It is very evident that Jesus had this sense of welcome in the house of Lazarus, Mary and Martha. Consequently He felt at ease to visit in both good and bad times. He valued sincere companionship and good cheer. He had lessons to share with those eager to learn. One wonders if in today's average family Jesus would only be welcome to drop by after the business report was drafted, the school term was finished, the little league soccer season was wrapped up, the back room was re-decorated, the Joneses were paid back for their recent hospitality etc.
Lydia, at Philippi
He’s new to this district And found us in prayer All down by the river Our burdens to share. We women were needy We women were dry We women were hopeful That God would come by. And fresh from the harbour There came this strange man
Who, serving one Jesus, Extolled a new Plan Where wrongs were forgiven Where mercy held sway Where lives were transported From night into Day. We clung to his message Like bees to the bloom And Glory, his Saviour Had plenty of room For more in His Household For women like us Who hungered for right things Who longed just to trust. And trust, my reaction His stories, His Cross His leaving the grave shrouds His rising, Death’s loss. I own now this Jesus Relinquish my heart Perhaps now my household Could give Paul his start. For all Greece is needy And all Greece is lost I will serve this Gospel Whatever the cost. (Acts 16: 12-15) Note: This woman might have been “the second witness” to the Apostle Paul confirming that Europe was ready for the Gospel hope and standard. The first witness was the vision of “the Macedonian call”. And then here by the river, this industrious woman, a seller of purple, received the new life and dedicated her prayer and resources to the mission of the envoy extraordinary.
Silas in the Sixteenth
Europe The sound of it Was so exciting And Paul my companion Words in his dream
Still ringing " Come over And help us" The voyage aboard Carried us on Prancing Turquoise steeds To harbour And to women praying And to Lydia's welcome All seemed good. But now the dark corridors And chains And reproach And groans of Unseen hopeless men. (Not fortuitous apparently To challenge Local superstitions.) Our room is reached One filthy dripping Wall lamp Casts shadows Not light And manacles
Bind these arms Meant to reach out With the help of Christ. “Why� is the big question But my friend Sits over there Smiling... He's smiling! Our eyes connect As he begins The dear old hymn With all the wind And joy of a spring morning I can only join in And strange melodies Percolate From other rooms down Those corridors. Next a horrible rumbling. But Paul continues The lyrics speaking Of a God without limits. Floors buckle Walls shake and crack
Men howl out their shock Earthquake In Philippi Constraints all removed. That day the mission began In earnest The jailer was first And his family Humbled And inquiring Who was this Christ Who broke walls? Not with stones hurled But with songs And unquenchable Love? (Acts chapter16)
Some New Thing
Acts 17: 21 (For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.) I love the story of Acts chapter17. Paul has left behind his accomplices Silas and Timothy to enter alone the City of Wisdom. Silas, the missionary partner coming to Paul out of that dissension with Barnabas over John Mark. Timothy coming to Paul from Lystra, the community which almost took his
life by stoning, the community which fatherly love compelled him to re-visit. But now alone he presents the good news in synagogue and market, until invited to the great centre of intellectual gymnastics, Mars Hill. Paul uses their superstition, their statues, their poetry, their love of nature and their incessant curiosity to bring them to the point of challenge that there is one supreme Lord of heaven and earth. This is One who is very close to them and their next breath. Though they still feel or grope after Him as if blind. With the stage set, Paul gives his very best and most compelling shot: 28For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. 29Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. 30And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: 31Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. That's it? Repentance, coming judgment by the One empowered so to do by His resurrection from the dead? There are free thinkers these days, attempting to re-package the Gospel, who would mock a preacher for such a focus, saying, "Oh, so you're really in this thing only to save your own sweaty little neck from some ghastly Hell? What about the lifestyle of our Lord. His patient service, compassion and approachable friendliness? We would rather emphasize this. Play down the doctrine. Play down coming judgment and repentance. Warm up to a larger crowd of curious candidates. Use today's language. Better employ the power of contemporary anecdote." These are the foundational arguments of today's Emergent Church movement. Paul, the greatest of saintly proclaimers next to Jesus looks down from above, and sighs at this near miss. There is another very necessary phrase in Acts chapter 11. Peter has related his successful visit to the Gentile household of Cornelius. His colleagues respond as follows: 18When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life. The Christ-like service, comfort and deportment come AFTER the threshold experience of repentance. All else is flesh. (Romans 8:8)
Timothy: What Sort of a Guy?
What kind of fellow was Timothy? (the two Epistles, Acts chapters 16 and 17, Romans 16, 2 Corinthians 1). Resident of the Turkish city of Lystra. Son of a Jewish woman converted to Christianity and an avid student of scripture. Her mother the same. The Father was a Greek. Somewhat young to be called into missions as Paul’s assistant, and somewhat sensitive about the fact. Suffering from a fragile nervous constitution. Having a solid grip on Christian doctrine and Paul’s testimonies of encounters with the risen Christ. Let me pause at this point. Paul tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 4 to hold tightly to his assurance of scripture and the doctrine so ably taught to him by friends and relatives. Do you note in today’s church a conscious turning away from doctrine as something ‘awkward and divisive’? ‘The simple Gospel story, yeah, that’ll be enough.’ Well, Paul speaks entirely to the contrary: 12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. 13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. 14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. 15 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. 16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee. With such equipment Timothy is considered well able to be sent to Ephesus to oversee the church and the establishment of leadership and its qualifications; to attend to stern church discipline; to consider the needs of dependent widows and to monitor the use of all available resources (remember the 6th chapter and the exhortation to rich and faithful believers to be rich unto good works?) In the course of Paul’s final incarceration under demented Nero, Timothy is entrusted to bring to his old friend the desired items of comfort before his fast-approaching departure (the cloak, the books and parchments). Paul reminds him: 2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. (Second Epistle) We are now in the same shoes as Timothy. Paul would say the same to us.
Over-riding Love (Taken from My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers) Out of the Wreck I Rise "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" Romans 8:35 God does not keep a man immune from trouble; He says - "I will be with him in trouble." It does not matter what actual troubles in the most extreme form get hold of a man's life, not one of them can separate him from his relationship to God. We are "more than conquerors in all these things." Paul is not talking of imaginary things, but of things that are desperately actual; and he says we are supervictors in the midst of them, not by our ingenuity, or by our courage, or by anything other than the fact that not one of them affects our relationship to God in Jesus Christ. Rightly or wrongly, we are where we are, exactly in the condition we are in. I am sorry for the Christian who has not something in his circumstances he wishes was not there. "Shall tribulation . . . ?" Tribulation is never a noble thing; but let tribulation be what it may exhausting, galling, fatiguing, it is not able to separate us from the love of God. Never let cares or tribulations separate you from the fact that God loves you. "Shall anguish . . . ?" - can God's love hold when everything says that His love is a lie, and that there is no such thing as justice? "Shall famine . . . ?" - can we not only believe in the love of God but be more than conquerors, even while we are being starved? Either Jesus Christ is a deceiver and Paul is deluded, or some extraordinary thing happens to a man who holds on to the love of God when the odds are all against God's character. Logic is silenced in the face of every one of these things. Only one thing can account for it - the love of God in Christ Jesus. "Out of the wreck I rise" every time.
Father's Plan Unsearchable
I can only bless the willing. I will not coerce my child;
But will draw him, and will woo him By my Spirit, meek and mild. I will have no puppet kingdom. All shall be by love and choice. Will each loved one take my offer, And eternally rejoice? I can only bless the hungry With sweet manna from above. For the searching, ever searching, For my truth and peace and love. Through the pangs of spirit-hunger, He will come to find the source Of the bread that never faileth, Of the living watercourse. I can only bless the ransomed, Who in Jesus finds his worth. Not in strivings or in doings, Of the kind men praise on earth. But who, taking Christ’s blood payment, Comes to praise and understand The completeness, and the justice, And the mercy of my Plan. I can only bless the serving Who will flee all worldly fame, And delight me with small love-tasks Given solely in my name. As he dons the towel of service, Washing feet of worldly grime, He will know the heart of Jesus. He will know the joy sublime. I can only bless the giving Who will spend without restraint, For the spreading of the Gospel, For the healing of the faint. With example of my giving Of my precious only Seed; That his death would bring a harvest, And his life the nations feed. I can only bless the watchful, As eternity nears dawn; Who has seen the promised Canaan, And who yearns to travel on. Like the wise and trusted servant Who awaits his absent Lord,
And whose faithful expectation Will receive a rich reward. I can only bless the chosen, Who are willing, and who thirst, Who are blood-bought, and so eager To perform my service first. Who are givers of their substance, Patient watchers of my Plan; Who were seen in my omniscience, Long before all time began.
ROMANS 11: 33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
In the Grip of Grace
2 Corinthians 5: 13For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause. 14For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: 15And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. 16Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. There are those who cannot escape the hold and the infatuation of the Cross. They are baffled by the fact that they have been chosen by Jesus; purchased by His precious blood; re-directed to His purposes; walking daily in His "whisperings"; looking for the revelation of Him in everyday occurrence. Church program plays small part in this; rather the love of Christ. To the world they appear immensely impractical, naive, lop-sided, headed for disappointment, painfully fastidious. It is suspected that they strain to the breaking-point in moderation, forgiveness, selfimmolation, salted speech and good report. They will lose friends and opportunity.
But in fact their little lights in vessels of clay, operating in mystic concert though the unifying influence of the Holy Spirit, will bring for God the victories of a Gideon (Judges 7). In time they will be seen as the real movers and healers of the City. Concerning the above passage of scripture Oswald Chambers states an unforgettable thing: "When we are born again by the Spirit of God, our testimony is based solely on what God has done for us, and rightly so. But that will change and be removed forever once you “receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you . . .” (Acts 1:8). Only then will you begin to realize what Jesus meant when He went on to say, “. . . you shall be witnesses to Me . . . .” Not witnesses to what Jesus can do— that is basic and understood— but “witnesses to Me . . . .” We will accept everything that happens as if it were happening to Him, whether we receive praise or blame, persecution or reward. No one is able to take this stand for Jesus Christ who is not totally compelled by the majesty of His power. It is the only thing that matters, and yet it is strange that it’s the last thing we as Christian workers realize. Paul said that he was gripped by the love of God and that is why he acted as he did. People could perceive him as mad or sane-he did not care. There was only one thing he lived for— to persuade people of the coming judgment of God and to tell them of “the love of Christ.” This total surrender to “the love of Christ” is the only thing that will bear fruit in your life. And it will always leave the mark of God’s holiness and His power, never drawing attention to your personal holiness." (February 4, My Utmost for His Highest)
Sober Second Thoughts How many can identify with this observation? In the early days of the Christian walk, I was greatly interested in the impressions derived from Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians. God's kind of wisdom. The indwelling Holy Ghost. Marriage and divorce. Warnings against unbelief. The right approach to the sacrament of Communion. The spiritual gifts of discernment, of utterance, of miraculous power and healing. The best kind of love. The mystery of bodily resurrection. In later years I found myself turning more frequently to Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians. The benefit of trials. Godly compassion and help. The fullness of our second birth. Our call to be ambassadors of reconciliation for God. The challenge to remain unspotted from the world. The likelihood of reproach for Christ's name's sake. The constant need for godly repentance. The grace of giving. The right state of mind for spiritual warfare. The danger of self-confidence and the rich equipment brought by our trials. The realization that credentials of ministry are not man-made. I like what Matthew Henry says on the First Chapter of that Second Letter: “We are encouraged to come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace
to help in time of need. The Lord is able to give peace to the troubled conscience, and to calm the raging passions of the soul. These blessings are given by him, as the Father of his redeemed family. It is our Saviour who says, Let not your heart be troubled. All comforts come from God, and our sweetest comforts are in him. He speaks peace to souls by granting the free remission of sins; and he comforts them by the enlivening influences of the Holy Spirit, and by the rich mercies of his grace. He is able to bind up the broken-hearted, to heal the most painful wounds, and also to give hope and joy under the heaviest sorrows. The favours God bestows on us, are not only to make us cheerful, but also that we may be useful to others. He sends comforts enough to support such as simply trust in and serve him. If we should be brought so low as to despair even of life, yet we may then trust God, who can bring back even from death. Their hope and trust were not in vain; nor shall any be ashamed who trust in the Lord. Past experiences encourage faith and hope, and lay us under obligation to trust in God for time to come. And it is our duty, not only to help one another with prayer, but in praise and thanksgiving, and thereby to make suitable returns for benefits received. Thus both trials and mercies will end in good to ourselves and others.” (Taken from "Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible")
Church Woman (Saint in Progress)
I don’t know much theology The Rector is my source And he is oh so studied And helps me keep on course. The Morning Prayer refreshing And oft’ the bread and wine
And words rehearsed a lifetime To tend a soul like mine. I sew and wash bazaar goods And visit frail shut-ins And gather toys and children’s books To counter-act my sins. And Yule and Paschal colours Adorn our church quite well For seasons festive, Christ-filled From age to age to tell. But much is still a mystery The saving part, I mean The bloody rites, and Paul’s insights Somehow cleaner than clean? And scripture makes me tremble I hardly pick it up Once suffered, Confirmation I’m trusting in the Cup. It’s spiritual they tell me God’s ways above all ours But we can make it pleasant With brilliant cards and flowers. So hopeful that I tally The sum of pardon’s price But please, someone explain to me That “finished work” of Christ? (Hebrews chapters 9 and 10)
The “Abundant Life”
Some of the “things go better with Christ” testimonies disappoint me. Their perception of blessing is so shallow; is so geared toward what is going on with other people in fellowship. Jesus said that He had come to bring life more abundantly. The devil had only come to steal, enslave, deceive and destroy. What is this abundant life? I remember the Abundant Life Conferences in Kitchener of years ago. They were a tremendous blessing! The initiative of Mahlon and Pearl Roes assisted many people into the Kingdom of God, myself included. Before going any further I would urge each reader to consider Paul’s account of the life in 2 Corinthians 11. He started his Christian experience being stricken blind, being lowered out a window
in a basket to escape capture and being hounded by Jewish brethren who saw him as an affront to the God of Moses. The list in chapter 11 includes beatings, stoning, derisions, shipwrecks, exposure to elements, bandits, betrayal, floggings and fastings. His life will conclude on the chopping block of Emperor Nero. So what was it in this champion’s life that was abundant? He knew his destination of joy. He knew his Elder Brother and Forerunner Jesus as a present friend. He knew that his pardon was assured by grace bringing an end to draining self-doubt. He had experienced the intimate fellowship of suffering for Christ’s sake. His associations were all free of the handicaps of judgment, competition or bitterness. He saw the marvelous out-workings of Providence so many times and had absolutely no doubt as to God’s benevolence. He rejoiced in the birthing of new believers and never tired of proclaiming the Good News. He rested in a magnificent singleness of purpose. All of these blessings were certain whether or not he was experiencing material comfort or social acceptance. He said that he had learned to be content in any set of circumstances. Probably the high point comes in his exclamations in Philippians 3. Read the chapter. We must also learn that in the New Testament, life is not a passage or experience; rather it is a commodity discovered in the True Vine (John 15) and imparted by the Saviour. Enjoyed forever.
Shipwrecked
Paul’s Shipwreck by Ludolf Backhuysen
Some could swim And some seemed helpless Furious waves Their ship attacked Gone the load And gone the sunshine One last meal For strength they lacked.
But a prisoner Still in shackles Gave them hope That all might pass. True, his God Had seen the danger Brought the shore Of rest at last. Down the anchors Share the wreckage Bits and boards To buoy their swim “Off for land Ye hardy ship-mates Just put all your Trust in Him!” Not so pretty Seemed this passing Soaking rats Not hardly men But a captive’s Dauntless message Brought all safe Ashore again. (Acts chapter27)
Come Before Winter
Reading in 2 Timothy 4 recently I was moved by the grace shown by Paul at the finish. He is in Emperor Nero’s prison. That wicked one is suspicious of all Christians, intellectuals and people of influence. Paul happens to be all three.
The Second Letter to Timothy confirms that he had had one satisfactory hearing before justice; but it could only accomplish an adjournment. He is quite certain that he is near death. He longs to see his young friend Timothy, his son in the faith and fellow traveler through many adventures. “Do thy diligence to come before winter.” Bring the cloak and the parchments. How much time would Paul have? What was the interval until winter? Would Timothy make it? How the travel-weary Apostle must have longed to see his dearest friend one more time and to impart to him in person final rich words of counsel and exhortation. I read these phrases and I note the comparative rush and impatience of our times. Telephones and texting everywhere. Pictures and voice on Skype. Hundreds of TV channels to assuage our restlessness. Busy schedules and long pressing lists. But Paul says, ‘My dear friend, let’s try for one more time in each other’s presence before I die’. He says it with grace and with the satisfaction that there are no loose ends; that he has finished his course; that the rewards are waiting in the presence of his Master Jesus. And thus, to die is gain.
Drummond Still Speaks A Christian classic ranked as one of the most outstanding apart from scripture itself is "The Greatest Thing in the World" by Henry Drummond (@1880). It is a presentation on Paul's chapter of love, First Corinthians Thirteen. Consider his remarks on "kindness": Kindness. Love active. Have you ever noticed how much of Christ's life was spent in doing kind things--in merely doing kind things? Run over it with that in view and you will find that He spent a great proportion of His time simply in making people happy, in doing good turns to people. There is only one thing greater than happiness in the world, and that is holiness; and it is not in our keeping; but what God has put in our power is the happiness of those about us, and that is largely to be secured by our being kind to them. "The greatest thing," says some one, "a man can do for his Heavenly Father is to be kind to some of His other children." I wonder why it is that we are not all kinder than we are? How much the world needs it. How easily it is done. How instantaneously it acts. How infallibly it is remembered. How superabundantly it pays itself back--for there is no debtor in the world so honourable, so superbly honourable, as Love. "Love never faileth". Love is success, Love is happiness, Love is life. "Love, I say, "with Browning, "is energy of Life." "For life, with all it yields of joy and woe And hope and fear, Is just our chance o' the prize of learning love-How love might be, hath been indeed, and is."
Where Love is, God is. He that dwelleth in Love dwelleth in God. God is love. Therefore love. Without distinction, without calculation, without procrastination, love. Lavish it upon the poor, where it is very easy; especially upon the rich, who often need it most; most of all upon our equals, where it is very difficult, and for whom perhaps we each do least of all. There is a difference between trying to please and giving pleasure. Give pleasure. Lose no chance of giving pleasure. For that is the ceaseless and anonymous triumph of a truly loving spirit. "I shall pass through this world but once. Any good thing therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer it or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again."