Acts 17-25 2017

Acts 17 has been one of my favorite stories since I was a teenager.  I love seeing Paul's boldness on Mars Hill.  The truths that are taught in this chapter have been and continue to be very meaningful in my life.

The chapter begins with a bit of a comparison between the Saints of Thessalonica and the Saints of Berea.  I think that the principle that stands out to me the most here is that the Berean Saints were searching the scriptures daily, and so thus received the word "with all readiness of mind."  Many of them believed as a result.

I am personally encouraged by this example, because it is a confirmation that we are responsible to not be blindly obedient/blindly faithful, but rather to see our faith and the reason for our obedience through the words of God as found in the scriptures.  Do we have a readiness of mind for the Lord to teach us?  It is a great question to ask ourselves.

Now comes Athens.  Paul finds the city full of idols and so begins to discuss doctrine with them and exhort them to repentance.  The philosophers of the day take him (interesting to note that the word "took" in this case is the Greek word "epilambanomai").  I won't pretend to know how to say it, but the inference here is that they forcibly took Paul, meaning that this probably was not intended to be just a friendly chat, which makes Paul's upcoming boldness all the more impressive.

In verse 22, he offers a backhanded compliment of sorts by telling them that they are "very religious" (translated as "too superstitious" in the KJV).  He then proceeds to tell them that they are ignorantly worshiping God and that he is going to help them see the truth.

The things I love in the rest of the chapter are just simple truths:
-God doesn't live in idols that we make with our hands (including iPhones believe it or not...God doesn't live in there either)
-God doesn't need us in order to survive, but we do need God.  At the same time, even though He doesn't need us in order to survive, He still gracefully gives us life and breath and everything that we have.  Mosiah 2:18-25 is where King Benjamin elaborates on this further.
-We are all made from the same blood.  All the battles over race, ethnicity, etc are just ways that the adversary uses to divide us.  The reality is that all of us share the same DNA as the offspring of God.  In fact, the word translated as "offspring" in this chapter is the Greek word genos, which describes a family.  We are God's family, and thus He loves us and is not far from us.  He is there for us if we seek Him.  As Elder Dallin H. Oaks taught, “Be careful how you characterize yourself. Don’t characterize or define yourself by some temporary quality. The only single quality that should characterize us is that we are a son or daughter of God. That fact transcends all other characteristics, including race, occupation, physical characteristics, honors, or even religious affiliation. …

“We have our agency, and we can choose any characteristic to define us. But we need to know that when we choose to define ourselves or to present ourselves by some characteristic that is temporary or trivial in eternal terms, we de-emphasize what is most important about us, and we overemphasize what is relatively unimportant. This can lead us down the wrong path and hinder our eternal progress” (“Be Wise” [devotional address given at Brigham Young University–Idaho, Nov. 7, 2006], byui.edu/presentations).

-God has given assurances of eternal life through the life and mission of His Son Jesus Christ.  The death and resurrection of God the Son assures us on the life of God that His promises will be fulfilled!

Acts 18 brings further assurances of God's love as He tells Paul not to be afraid and that He is with Paul through everything that he has and will go through.  We will fulfill our mission on earth, of that we do not need to fear!  God will make sure of it!  He has planned for and made allowances for the decisions of others and for the situations we find ourselves in.

Acts 19:1-6... Here is found the importance of Baptism of the Holy Ghost, and the importance of Baptism being performed by God's authorized ministers.  “You might as well baptize a bag of sand as a man, if not done in view of the remission of sins and getting of the Holy Ghost. Baptism by water is but half a baptism, and is good for nothing without the other half—that is, the baptism of the Holy Ghost” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith[2007], 95).

The authority issues are magnified later in the chapter with the seven sons of Sceva attempting to perform healing blessings without the authorization of God and their complete failure.
I love the story of Paul's healings with handkerchiefs and aprons, and it matches beautifully with a story from the life of Joseph Smith:
President Wilford Woodruff recalled: “While waiting for the ferry-boat, a man of the world, knowing of the miracles which had been performed, came to [Joseph Smith] and asked him if he would not go and heal two twin children of his, about five months old, who were both lying sick nigh unto death. They were some two miles from Montrose. The Prophet said he could not go; but, after pausing some time, he said he would send some one to heal them; and he turned to me and said: ‘You go with the man and heal his children.’ He took a red silk handkerchief out of his pocket and gave it to me, and told me to wipe their faces with the handkerchief when I administered to them, and they should be healed. … I went with the man, and did as the Prophet commanded me, and the children were healed” (Wilford Woodruff, Leaves from My Journal [1881], 65).

I love the example of the Ephesian Saints in Acts 19:18-20.  In a manifestation of their faith in Christ and their desire for a new life in Him, they burn their books (which was a very expensive endeavor by the way...1 silver piece was probably a drachmae...or a daily wage for the time).  If we really want to overcome behaviors and addictions that are holding us back in our relationship with God, we have to be willing to get rid of things that could possibly lead us back into those same sinful behaviors.  Our commitment to overcoming is manifested by how completely we burn the bridges that could bring us back to sin!

Acts 20:  Paul is a stud... what can I say?  Nothing moves him, and his life isn't as important as making sure that he submits himself to the will of God.  What a prime example of the Christlike characteristic of submissiveness!  Paul knows a trip back to Jerusalem will likely lead to death, but he is willing to make that sacrifice because he knows it is God's will that he preach their again.  Once we are submissive enough to God, we can experience sweetness and peace in trials that would normally be very hard to handle!  Paul's submissiveness is again shown in Acts 21:10-14.

Don't forget that Christ purchased us with His blood!  (Acts 20:28)  His grace is able to build you up and give you an inheritance in His kingdom.  His work is enough to make your efforts enough.  Our responsibility is simply to accept the gifts that He has given us through His atonement.

"It is more blessed to give than to receive." (Acts 20:35).  I have experienced way more joy from watching my own kids open their Christmas presents than I have with any Christmas gift I have received!  I believe that this is a godly characteristic.  What does God do all the time but give gifts to us?  

Last thought of the day is the Lord's visit to Paul while in prison in Acts 23:10-11.  When we are in our extremities, the Lord is there by us!  He was with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in their fires, so he was with Paul, and so He is with us!!!  I know that is true from my own personal experiences.  He is with us when we need Him most!