Acts 14:15 And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein.

How could a mere man receive homage as God, when an apostle rejected it with horror? The people at Lystra wanted to worship Paul and Barnabas as gods after witnessing a miracle. They thought the gods had come down to visit them. Being Greeks and Romans, they were acquainted with their mythology of Jupiter and the various gods. They called Paul Mercury and Barnabas Jupiter.

Jupiter was the most powerful of all the gods of the ancients. His Greek name is Zeus. Some think they called Barnabas Jupiter because he was the older and the more imposing in appearance. Paul admitted that he was not impressive in looks (2Corinthians 10:10). Mercury, Greek name Hermes, was the god of eloquence and the messenger and attendant of Jupiter. Hermes is the origin of our word hermeneutics or science of interpretation.

But neither Paul nor Barnabas were elated? On the contrary, they rent their garments, expressing their shock and horror. They rejected their worship. He said he and Barnabas were only humans like them. He turned their attention from their vain idols, referring to Jupiter and Mercury, to teach them about the living God who made heaven and earth.

Worship belongs to the Divine alone. Paul and Barnabas would not dare accept worship from men. Even angels would not accept worship from an apostle (Revelations 19:10). How blasphemous it is for anyone to claim to be the representative of God and accepts worship from men. The catholic Pope makes himself the father and head of the church when Christ says we are to call no man our father upon the earth for one is our Father, which is in heaven, and we are all brethren (Matthew 23:8-9). And the scripture honours Christ as the only head of the church (Colossians 1:18). The Pope claims to be the successor of the apostle Peter but yet, Peter would not accept worship from any men (Acts 10:26).

The true teacher will never magnify himself but God. But today, we have preachers who come around and call themselves Reverend. The word of God says that Holy and Reverend is the name of God (Psalm 111:9). The only ones we are to reverend is God.

Paul says: “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us” (2 Corinthians 4:7).

The “treasure” refers to the gospel. The “earthen vessels” refers to the apostles and those who preach the word. They are just earthen vessels used by God to bring the gospel to the world. When a man believes in the gospel and is saved, it is due to the power of the gospel (Romans 1:16) and not the preachers. The glory belongs to God and not men.

Men like to idolise preachers. We see how the mega churches idolise their “pastor”. They are there to see and hear them and not the word of God. And their “pastors” love the attention they are receiving. “For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple” (Romans 16:18).

When Satan tempted Jesus to bow down and worship him, Jesus responded, "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve" (Matthew 4:10). The devil knew from that day that not many would bow down to worship him and so he sends out his little devils and dressed them up as ministers of righteousness (2 Corinthians 11:15).

Worship is to please God and not men. But many today go to church to feel good. And the devil is in the business to please men. He knows how to please men as long as they are drawn away from God. "We like it this way" or "it sounds good" or “It makes me feel good” and the list goes on. When folks say things like that, it is pretty evident that they have no desire to please God in their worship! But the scripture says that “For even Christ pleased not himself” (Romans 15:3). Christ’s desire is to please God.

Let us not idolise any preacher or anyone. Worship belongs only to God. Let us worship God when we come to church (John 4:24).

Jimmy Lau

Psa 119:97  Oh how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.

Acts 19:15 And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?

Paul was at Ephesus. God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them (Acts 19:11-12). This invited imitations from some vagabond Jews. They saw the power of Paul and how he cast out the evil spirits in the name of Christ. And so, they went about intending to cast out the evil spirits by invoking the name of Christ and the apostle: “We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.” But the evil spirit replied them: “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?” (Acts 19:15).  Then, the evil spirit overpowered them and gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and wounded.

For sure we know the devil knew Christ. But the devil also knew Paul. Why? Paul was winning people to Christ; the devil didn’t like it. The devil knows who his competitors are; Paul is taking away his business. The devil knows every true believer of Christ. The question is: Does the devil know your name?

The devil will know your name if you are a Christian. The devil does not want anyone to be saved; he wants everyone for himself. He is not bothered by those who are atheists or believers in other religions. He is concerned when someone believes in the gospel and is saved. He will try to prevent anyone from believing: “When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart” (Matthew 13:19).

The devil will know your name when you study the bible and know the truth (John 8:32). The devil is not concerned when you believe a lie. He knows no one can be saved by believing a false doctrine. He will keep sowing the seeds of false doctrines in the world. But, he is concerned when a person starts to study the word of God and knows the truth. “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (1 Timothy 4:1).

The devil will know your name when you are living the Christian lifestyle. The devil is not bothered if a Christians prays and study the bible as long as he does not live the Christian life. The devil is happy when a Christian continues to sin and lives according to the world; he is not going to bother this Christian. But he will lay all temptations to seduce a Christian who has been transformed. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

The devil knew Job because Job was faithful and walked with God (Job 1:1). Hence, he tried all means to tempt Job to sin and to curse God. But Job remained steadfast and did not blame God (Job 1:22). He sets the example for all who are walking with God that we can overcome the wiles of the devil. “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

If the devil knows your name because you are a faithful Christian, then, you know you are walking right with God. He will try all ways and means to seduce you and make you quit on God. But we can be like Job. We have God with us. He will not forsake us as long we remain faithful to Him (Hebrews 13:5). We will have this assurance:  “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). 

Jimmy Lau

Psa 119:97  Oh how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.

Acts 20:9 And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead.

Eutychus, whose name means “fortunate,” had the misfortune of falling out of a window and died. But he was fortunate to have the apostle Paul around to raise him up. Why did he fall out of the window? He was sitting too close to the window when he fell asleep. He fell asleep while Paul was preaching.

Eutychus didn’t mean to fall asleep; but he did. Whose fault is it that he fell asleep? Maybe, Paul was at fault; he preached too long. It was near midnight and he talked on and on. Hey, preachers, don’t preach too long.

Still, Eutychus should have kept awake. But then, I try to understand why he fell asleep.

It was midnight, anyone would be sleepy. I believed there were others who fell asleep too. The unfortunate thing was that Eutychus was sitting too close to the window and as he dozed off, he fell off the window. I’m sure he had tried to keep awake. We experienced it too in our lives. At times we were just too tired and couldn’t keep our eyes open.

Perhaps, he was too tired. He had a hard day at the farm. Yet, even though he was so tired, he tried to make it for worship. He didn’t want to miss a single worship service. This is faith; putting God first above our own comfort. One shouldn’t give excuse that he is tired and could not come for worship.

I like to commend those who make it for Thursday night bible class even though they have a hard day at the office. These brethren are tired but they want to listen to the word of God. Sometimes one or two may find it hard to keep awake, but they keep on. They know their presence mean a lot to the bible class teacher and to other brethren. They want to encourage the bible class teacher and the brethren by their presence. They know their attendance will only help to strengthen their own faith. “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25).   

But there is a sleep that is worse than physical sleep. It is called spiritual sleep. It is a spiritual condition that causes some to ‘fall asleep’ and to relax to the point where they can ‘switch off’ to their responsibilities of being Christian. On any Sunday, you can see people doing all kinds of things during worship. They ‘switch off’ their minds to worship and switch on their phones to do something else. They are on Facebook, What’s App, and even play games. They are asleep to the worship but awake to other things. God warns: “Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light” (Ephesians 5:14).

If you see a man sleeping at the roadside and a car is reversing towards him, what would you do? You will try to wake up the sleepy person. You will warn him of the danger that is coming to him. Likewise, Eutychus would not have fallen off the window if the brother sitting next to him would just give him a nudge on the shoulder.  We are our brother’s keeper. We need to wake up a brother who is spiritually asleep (James 5:20).

Eutychus is a lesson for all of us. Indeed, I’m sure he probably came to that meeting very tired but still he wanted to be there to hear the Word of God. I’m sure he had tried to fight off that sleep. I’m glad it was just physical sleep he was suffering and not spiritual sleep.

Brethren, we need to work hard sometimes at staying awake, spiritually-speaking. If you are spiritually asleep, it’s time to wake up.

Jimmy Lau

Psa 119:97  Oh how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.

Take the Sock Out!

An anonymous wag grabbed my ears with this statement: “Commitment means following through. The kamikaze pilot who flew 50 missions was involved but never committed.” Could that be the case with many contemporary Christians today – involved with Jesus and the gospel and the church, but not really very committed? Of course I generalize, but who can successfully argue against the evidence that not everybody calling Jesus Lord really follows Him as Lord?  Think especially on the Christian's responsibility to evangelize the lost. When we  read about the early church on the pages of the book of ACTS, one fact virtually leaps off the page – early Christians were committed to telling others the gospel they had been told! And that in spite of powerful and relentless foes determined to stop their preaching about Jesus, or make them pay a price for not stopping. So it is we read in Acts 8:4 that persecuted Christians from Jerusalem were “scattered” and yet “went everywhere preaching the word.” The mentality that compelled them is summed up in words from Acts 5:20 where the apostles, in prison for preaching Christ, were let out of the prison by an angel of the Lord who told them, “Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life” [that is, the Christian way of life). GO – STAND –SPEAK – that was their practice. Today we largely do evangelism very differently (if we do it at all) and not nearly as effectively as they did. Rather than GO and STAND and SPEAK, most Christians “come, sit, and listen.” And instead of being about it daily as the early church was (Acts 5:42), many are content with once a week on Sunday for an hour, if that often. If you are NOT a silent saint please ignore these words. But if you have been baptized into Christ and claim to be a disciple of Jesus, but are uninvolved in somehow trying to seek and save the lost as well as support others who do, the unvarnished truth is you are involved with Jesus but not committed to Him. After all, it was Jesus who taught the church to be in the going and gospel preaching business (Matthew 28:18-20). Consider these words from a Christian who was both involved with and committed to Jesus – “I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek” (apostle Paul, Romans 1:14-16).

 Are you ready to preach, or are you reluctant? Are you trying to go, stand and speak, or are you content to come, sit, and listen? John Gipson wrote an article about evangelism entitled,  “PUT A SOCK IN IT!” It began, “Where did that expression come from? According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, before the days of volume controls on audio equipment, balled-up socks were indispensable for music lovers. Placed in the horn or resonance box, a woolen sock reduced the noise” (church bulletin article, Little Rock, Arkansas, 2/10/2000). Too many Christians have “put a sock in it” when it comes to talking the gospel with others. Has our culture intimidated you into being a silent saint? The devil’s crowd is out, loud, proud and promoting all kinds of sin. God help His church “take the sock out of it” and ring out the gospel. 

  by: Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN