PAUL’S SUFFERINGS IN ASIA

The Apostle Paul spent a total of three years in Ephesus and Asia Minor during his third missionary journey (Acts 20:31).  The sufferings of Christ did abound in Paul while he was in Ephesus and Asia Minor during those three years (Acts 19:1-20:1).  And God inspired Paul to state that Christians should not be “ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia” (2 Cor 1:8).  It was while Paul was in Ephesus on that third missionary journey that he was inspired by God to write the First Epistle to the Corinthians (see 1 Cor 16:8,19).  He spoke of his troubles in that epistle: “But I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost.  For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries” (1 Cor 16:8-9).  From Ephesus, Paul went to Macedonia (Acts 19:21-22; 20:1-2), which is where he wrote Second Corinthians (2 Cor 2:12-13; 7:5; 8:1-6; 9:2), including the instructions not to be ignorant of those troubles he had just recently suffered in Asia.  Paul wrote, “For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: but we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raises the dead: who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us; ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf” (2 Cor 1:8-11).

Paul’s sentence of death

The church at Ephesus was established shortly after Paul’s arrival with the conversion of about 12 men (Acts 19:1-7).  But through Paul’s two years of daily teaching in the school of Tyrannus, “all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks” (Acts 19:9-10).  Paul did many “special miracles” there (Acts 19:11-17), and Jews were converted to Christ and many Gentiles were converted from idolatry and “curious arts” and 50,000 silver pieces worth of books containing false religion were burned (Acts 19:17-19).  The success of Paul’s work is summed up in Acts 19:20: “So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.”  So many Gentiles were converted that Demetrius the silversmith and idol-maker was worried that there would be no more idol worshipers left and he led an enormous uproar in Ephesus (Acts 19:23-20:1).  But all was not smooth and easy for Paul.  Early on in Paul’s time in Ephesus, after three months of teaching in the Jewish synagogue, many unbelieving Jews “were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude” (Acts 19:8-9).  These Jews laid in wait for Paul and caused him “many tears and temptations” (Acts 20:19).  But Paul’s sufferings in Asia did not only come at the hands of the Jews.  After Paul spread the gospel throughout Asia Minor (Acts 19:10), the Gentiles revolted against the spread of Christianity and caused a great stir in Ephesus against Paul (Acts 19:19:23-20:1).  And at some point (whether it was associated with the uproar caused by Demetrius or whether it happened prior to that due to some other reason we do not know for sure), Paul received a death sentence.  Paul said that he had “despaired even of life” (2 Cor 1:8) and had “had the sentence of death” (2 Cor 1:9), but God “delivered us from so great a death” (2 Cor 1:10).  This is likely the situation that Paul refers to in 1 Corinthians 15:32 where he says that he had “fought with beasts at Ephesus.”  Evidently, Paul had been thrown to the wild animals but God somehow caused him to escape or prevail.  This is the particular trouble that we should not be ignorant of.

Suffering and temptation

The reason that Christians need to know about Paul’s trouble in Asia is for the lesson which it taught Paul and teaches us.  It is for our spiritual benefit.  At the conclusion of Paul’s third missionary journey, he spoke with the elders of the church at Ephesus, saying, “Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons, serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews” (Acts 20:17-19).  There is an inextricable link between suffering persecution and being tempted by the devil.  Enduring sufferings and overcoming temptations go hand-in-hand (Rom 12:21; Heb 10:32; 12:1-4; Jas 1:2; 1 Pet 2:19-20; 1 John 2:13-14; 5:4-5; Rev 21:7).  Satan uses our sufferings to tempt us to strike back and return evil for evil (Matt 5:38-48; 27-36; Rom 12:19-21; 1 Thes 5:15; 1 Pet 3:9), and even to quit the faith altogether (Matt 13:20-21; Mark 4:16-17; Luke 8:13; Acts 14:22; 1 Thes 3:1-6).  As Paul was sentenced to death in Asia, the devil tempted him to trust in himself rather than in God.  Paul concluded, “But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raises the dead” (2 Cor 1:9).  And as Christ learned obedience by the things that he suffered (Heb 5:8), so Paul also learned to trust in God to deliver him, not just from death, but especially from temptation (2 Cor 1:10; 2 Pet 2:9).  The Corinthians also helped Paul with their prayers (2 Cor 1:11), which is another lesson we learn from this.  Prayer is part of our armor that God has given us to stand against Satan (Eph 6:10-18).  By understanding the sufferings of Christ, such as endured by Paul in Ephesus, we are prepared to overcome temptation and stand against the wiles of the Devil.

Jon Macon

I can do all this through him who gives me strength

Many of you know that I have recently made some major changes in my life. I have retired from full time ministry and moved across country from California to Ohio. Our motor home, (in which we intended to live), sustained damage which made it unlivable for the present. We are living with family until that is corrected. If that weren’t enough I have now begun a new job in a new field in which I have no experience. I have lots of management experience, but not in this type of work. I am having to learn a whole lot quickly to succeed in this endeavor.

When I thought about the new challenge before me I thought I would check out the definition and here is what I found out about this particular challenge. The definition of the word is: "to arouse or stimulate especially by presenting with difficulties". Well, to say that I have been stimulated by being presenting with difficulties would definitely be the truth about my situation. At times I feel totally unprepared for the challenge.

I'm reminded of some bible characters, who faced similar challenges. Men such as a shepherd boy named David, who became a giant slayer, an army commander and king of the nation of Israel. I doubt that while he was in the field with the sheep that he would have imagined that he would be a king, much less kill a giant with a sling shot. He did however trust that God was in control of all things and he believed that God can do whatever he wants with whoever he wants.

Another man who changed careers was the man who became the Apostle Paul. He was someone who fought with all of his heart and soul against Christians. He never in his wildest dreams would have thought he would become one himself. Yet he became one of the most influential Christians to have ever lived. He realized why he was so changed and why he was so successful. That is what he wrote the words of  Philippians 4:13, "I can do all this through him who gives me strength."

What is your challenge? Are you up to it? You may not be, but God always is! And you can do all things through him who gives you strength. -- Russ Lawson

Grudges – Who’s Holding Who

    Have you ever “held a grudge” against someone? “Grudge” is defined as “a deep feeling of resentment or ill will.” Someone suggested Mark Twain might have been holding a grudge when he wrote about someone who had died – “I did not attend the funeral, but I wrote a nice letter saying I approved of it.” A grudge is what Esau held against his twin brother Jacob after Jacob, at the urging of his mother Rachel, deceived his aged father Isaac and “stole” Esau’s blessing. Genesis 27:41 informs us that after that event, “Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing . . . and said in his heart, ‘The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob.’” Thankfully, later, Esau and Jacob reconciled, but only after being estranged for two decades or more. In 2 Samuel chapter 13, King David’s son, Amnon, rapes his lovely half-sister Tamar

When Tamar’s full-blooded brother Absalom heard about the assault, he “hated Amnon because he had forced his sister Tamar.” Absalom silently nursed a grudge until, “after two full years,” he took revenge and killed Amnon (13:22ff). It is said that people do odd things to get even. Ain’t it so?  Some are like the Spanish patriot Narvaez. While on his death bed, a spiritual advisor asked him if he had forgiven all his enemies. Narvaez, astonished, said, “I have no enemies. I have shot them all.” Most of us haven’t shot anybody lately, and never will. But we may have people in our lives we struggle to forgive or even secretly (or not so secretly) “hold a grudge” against. Regarding grudges, a challenging thing to consider is this – are you really holding the grudge, or is it holding you?

    Jesus told a story in Matthew 18:23-35 about a servant who received forgiveness from his king for a massive debt that could never be repaid.

That same forgiven servant turned right around and refused to forgive a fellow servant of an infinitesimally smaller debt. In the story God is the king and we are the servants. Through His Son Jesus Christ our heavenly Father has provided, by His grace and at His own great expense, a way to forgive us of a mountain-sized debt of sin we could never repay (cf. Ephesians 2:1-10; Titus 3:5). In Jesus’ story the king deals brutally with the unforgiving servant for whom he had forgiven so much. He “delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all” he owed (18:34). Jesus bluntly states the sobering take home point in verse 35 – “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.” That’s the ultimate price if we don’t forgive – God won’t forgive us. But there are other costs along the way if we hold a grudge and refuse to forgive. Broken, un-reconciled relationships; unresolved conflict; pain that lives on and on in our hearts; unseen wounds that fester into anger, resentment, and bitterness. These things become spiritual toxins that build up in the arteries and veins of our spiritual hearts and souls and foul up our relationship with God and other people. We never really hold grudges but are held by them. Held prisoner by hurts suffered from the offending person. Stung by the same bee again and again as we return in our minds to wrongs done to us. To escape the hold of a grudge is simple but not easy. You have to let it go. Forgive the offender. Amazingly, when you do you discover you were not holding the grudge - it was holding you.

     “. . .  Forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you”  – Ephesians 4:32

by: Dan Gulley