Lessons from Acts
Scripture: Acts18:18-20, 24-26, Romans 16:3; Acts 16:11-15, 40; Galatians3:26-29
Today, we celebrate Mothers’ Day – the day when we give God
the glory for all that He does through the women we know as Mom. Actually, scripture is full of women who allowed
the will of God to work within their lives – Deborah was a judge of Israel (Judges 4); Hannah was a woman of faith who was barren,
but who the LORD blessed through the birth of her son, the prophet
Samuel (1 Samuel 1); Rahab, a
prostitute in Jericho who took a risk to help the Israelite spies escape, and
would become the great-grandmother of David (Joshua 2, Joshua 6:20-25); and Ruth, a Moabite who would become the
grandmother of David (Ruth 1-4:16). And these are just a few of the Old Testament
mothers who, we discover, gained honor and prestige in the eyes of the LORD
God Jehovah, simply by being faithful to the call He placed on their lives.
And we haven’t even begun to consider the women of
the New Testament! Think about how God
worked through them for a moment – Mary, the mother of Jesus (Luke 1:26-38, 46-56); Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist
(Luke 1:1-25,57-80); Eunice, Timothy’s
mother, and Lois, his grandmother, who Paul commended for raising Timothy to serve
Christ in ministry (2 Timothy 1:3-5);
Tabitha, a woman of faith, who had died, was raised from the dead through Peter,
and who became a testimony that brought many people to the way of Christ (Acts 9:36-42). Isn’t
it amazing how God can work through the very people who the culture deems as
unworthy? And that was the plight of
women in those days, and in many areas of our world, this attitude continues to
be true today.
So today, we consider the worth that God places on us,
even when the ways of earth see us in other, less desirable ways.
Read Acts 18:18-20, 24-26
Paul had a real attraction to
this couple, as the husband, Aquila, was a tentmaker, just as Paul was. He was invited to live with them in their
home, and he actually worked with them for a while. Paul was a firm believer that a follower of
Jesus should have a skill that would support himself wherever he went, so he
wouldn’t have to depend upon the generosity of others.
And as he came to know them
better, they began to join together in ministry. Imagine how our own faith would grow and strengthen
if we were able to live with the apostle Paul for an extended period of
time! And so it would be with Priscilla
and Aquila, to the extent that Paul would trust them to carry on without
him. But to what purpose? To help the Church in Ephesus to grow in
faith and understanding of all that Jesus had prepared for them during His time
with the people of earth.
Ephesus was a seaport in what
is today’s Turkey. It was cosmopolitan
in nature, Gentile in character, and the ideal place for Paul to plant a new
church. He wouldn’t be staying there at
this time, but he entrusted this opportunity to Aquila and Priscilla, who would
stay behind to serve the people. They
would establish the church in their home as we discover in 1 Corinthians 16:19, and would become teachers for Apollos who,
in his own right, would soon begin spreading the word of Jesus Christ
throughout Asia.
Aquila and Priscilla would be highly influential in the
Church, which, as far as I know, was the only husband & wife ministerial
team of that day. And as we search through
scripture, and we find them both mentioned together, half the time Priscilla is
mentioned first, and the rest of the time Aquila is. The implication is that their ministry was joint
and equally shared in authority - an arrangement that went against all social convention
in that day. But then, God never was bound
by society, but only by what He knew to be right and proper.
The woman was no longer the property of the man –
she was now the servant of Jesus Christ, and Him alone. It had become an entirely new day in faith.
Read Romans 16:3
Paul tells the church in Rome
that not only are Pricilla and Aquila equal partners, but they are both working
hand in hand with him. And even more
than this, the verse is part of Paul’s final greeting and commendation of a
number of God’s servant ministers to the church in Rome. And included in his list of faithful are a
number of women. Priscilla was not
unique as a woman in ministry – there were many others who were mentioned, such
as Phoebe, Mary, Olympas, Tryphena, Tryphosa, and others. (Romans 16:1-16)
Even with all this evidence
of God’s call on men and women alike, and His leading them into every phase of
ministry, during this time of beginning for the Church of Jesus Christ,
diversity seemed to be the rule in faith.
Men & women, Jews and Gentiles, young and old – it would seem that
the only requirement was a deep and enduring faith, trust in God’s leading
wherever it might take you, and a love of the people who were placed in your
care.
The driving force behind the
Church was, initially, based solely in call to faith, but as the formal Church
developed more and more structure, rules also began to grow. And whenever rules and laws begin to replace God’s
way in faith, separation and divisiveness and legalism will also begin to
thrive. And the only way to break the
cycle is through a return to faith and Godly ways.
Read Acts 16:11-15, 40
Here we have another servant
of God who is specifically mentioned in Luke’s writing. Interestingly, there were many people
involved in leadership and service to Christ in the early Church, and the vast
majority are never mentioned in scripture.
This doesn’t detract from their work of faith in any way, but when names
are specifically mentioned, it implies an importance in some way, that for some
reason, the writer of the epistle was either impressed or blessed by something
that the person accomplished or said. Through
the years, men and women alike have faithfully followed the LORD’s lead
into ministry, and their example is important for us to remember.
In this passage, the women
were gathered outside of the city gates, probably because many of the synagogues
of that day still did not admit women to their services. So if they couldn’t join the men for worship
and teaching, they would find a way to do it on their own.
Lydia was a recognized
business leader in the community, and was probably a rather wealthy woman. We read that she was a dealer in purple
cloth, which, because of the cost of the dyes that were used, was a very
expensive commodity. She was already a
woman of faith, and as Paul began to share the truth about Jesus with those
gathered there, “the LORD opened her heart”. We aren’t told specifically
what came from that “opening”, but it is reminiscent of John Wesley’s journal account
of the moment when his “heart was strangely warmed”, and we all know about
the life that grew out of that warming.
And after Lydia and her entire household were baptized, Paul and his
entourage were encouraged to stay at her home for as long as he was preaching in the
area.
The only other reference to
Lydia was that when Paul and Silas were released from prison, they went to
Lydia’s home to meet with her and other faithful people. Presumably, she hadn’t been relaxing and
wasting time since previously meeting the apostle.
Read Galatians 3:26-29
In the book of Zechariah, we read of the High Priest
Joshua standing before “the angel of the LORD”
at the Judgment. The LORD
orders that Joshua’s filthy clothes be removed, then takes the priest’s sins taken
away, and finally, redresses him in fine, new clothing. (Zechariah 3:1-6)
In Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he writes about
being “clothed with Christ” after being baptized. Combining the symbolism of both passages, we
are told that when we come to Christ and give Him authority over our life, it
is as though we were newly clothed in the LORD Jesus. And the next verse proclaims that this is
true for anyone and everyone who comes to Christ, not just a select and special few.
The discussion of this passage in my Life
Application Study Bible (NIV), pg. 1972, ©1986 tells us this: “The role of
women was enhanced by Christianity.
Faith in Christ transcends these differences and makes all believers one
in Christ. Make sure you do not impose
distinctions that Christ has removed.
Because all believers are His heirs, no one is more privileged than, or
superior to, anyone else.”
To belong to Christ, it seems, is the ultimate equalizer! By faith, no one is greater, no one is less,
and at the same time, no one is the same as anyone else. We are each new and unique creations, loved
and led in new and unique ways, in union with Christ and all believers!
There are no longer men and women when it comes to
God’s call on our lives. As far as the LORD
is concerned, we are each and all believers, and that is enough for Him.
May it also be enough for each of us, His Church.
