Today, the Chinese Church celebrates the Memorial of Our Lady of China. It is celebrated on the second Saturday in May, usually the day before Mother's Day.
We continue to read Paul's second missionary journey. It started with a sharp dispute between Paul and Barnabas over whether to bring along Mark who left midway in Pamphylia during the first journey (Acts 15:38-39a). In the end, Paul and Barnabas parted company. Paul took Silas to retrace their last journey and Barnabas Mark to Cyprus (Acts 15:39b-41).
Superficially, one may wonder why the Holy Spirit allowed such a split. Doesn't the Holy Spirit want Christian communion? Rethink. Perhaps it was the will of God for Paul and Barnabas to part company so that they would empower more partners and preach the gospel to more places. The same logic might apply to the split of the Church in Reformation. Had there not been such a split, the Church would have remained complacent and continued to decay in Europe. Paul and Barnabas had been very successful and competent in their missionary work. Their split did not damage their fellowship. Paul and Mark had reconciled and Paul mentioned John Mark cordially in two of his epistles (Colossians 4:10, 2 Timothy 4:11).
Superficially, one may wonder why the Holy Spirit allowed such a split. Doesn't the Holy Spirit want Christian communion? Rethink. Perhaps it was the will of God for Paul and Barnabas to part company so that they would empower more partners and preach the gospel to more places. The same logic might apply to the split of the Church in Reformation. Had there not been such a split, the Church would have remained complacent and continued to decay in Europe. Paul and Barnabas had been very successful and competent in their missionary work. Their split did not damage their fellowship. Paul and Mark had reconciled and Paul mentioned John Mark cordially in two of his epistles (Colossians 4:10, 2 Timothy 4:11).
Paul took Silas and retraced the last journey to strengthen the churches he had set up. In Lystra, he took Timothy to join his mission. Timothy's father was a Greek. Paul circumcised Timothy. Once more, Paul was doing something contrary to his own principle. It must have been a very difficult decision for him to make. But he did it with a clean conscience.
Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him; and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews that were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek (Acts 16:3).
Paul circumcised Timothy because of the Jews. What does it mean?
Timothy was a half-Jew. Paul circumcised Timothy to make him fully Jewish, to make him fully acceptable to the Jews. A time would come when it is no longer necessary for missionaries to be Jews.
Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him; and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews that were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek (Acts 16:3).
Paul circumcised Timothy because of the Jews. What does it mean?
Timothy was a half-Jew. Paul circumcised Timothy to make him fully Jewish, to make him fully acceptable to the Jews. A time would come when it is no longer necessary for missionaries to be Jews.
Their second journey was fully directed by the Holy Spirit who prevented them from entering certain places: Asia and Bithynia (Acts 16:6-7). Then they came to Troas where Paul had a vision of a Macedonian beckoning him to preach the gospel there (Acts 16:9). It was in Troas Luke joined them. Here begins the famous we-passages in the Acts.
And when he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them (Acts 16:10).
We should keep our hearts open to the little voices of the Holy Spirit.
And when he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them (Acts 16:10).
We should keep our hearts open to the little voices of the Holy Spirit.
Dear Lord, open our hearts so that we may hear the voices of Your Spirit. Amen.
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