“Some encouragement”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Monday, September 19, 2022

Acts 18:1-11 (Forward p. 52) CEV p. 1157

I am sure that all of us experience episodes of discouragement and disappointment from time to time, and so it is most helpful, and uplifting, to have occasional things in our lives that bring us some encouragement. In today’s passage we see an all-too-frequent repeat of what often happened to Paul, namely, having much of the local Jewish population turn against him, in spite of his best efforts. It must have been very frustrating and nerve-wracking for him. However, there were several things that most surely gave him an uplift in spirits, that afforded him some encouragement:

a) Firstly, there was his meeting up with Aquila and Priscilla, who were not just few believers but also co-workers, fellow tentmakers. So, he stayed with them and they were able to work together in their common trade. And, furthermore, and interestingly, we later learn that they are no slouches theologically either, but in fact, were skilled and astute teachers of the faith (see Acts 18:26). All in all, this must have been great for Paul to have people like this around him.

b) Secondly, for all the opposition afforded him by his fellow Jews, a number of people, including some prominent Jews—such as Crispus, the leader of the local synagogue—did put their faith in Jesus. So, all was not lost, all was not wasted.

c) And then, thirdly, just before the onset of another bout of opposition, Paul received a vision, where the Lord appeared to him and encouraged him to keep on teaching God’s message. God told him, that, even with the persecution, he would not be harmed and that, in fact, many people in the city actually ‘belong’ to God and so, apparently, will come to faith. And so, Paul was able to persevere and stayed in that city, Corinth, for a full year and a half.

So, here we have three sorts of encouragement: friends and co-workers, fellow workers in the Gospel (we aren’t in this alone); results (our actions are achieving something, even if yet unseen); and words of encouragement from God (perhaps not a vision, more likely from the Scriptures.)

To me, it would seem that, in our grumpiness, disappointment and disillusionment, we sometimes do not see the bits of encouragement that are all around us, encouragement that God has placed there for our benefit, if only we had the eyes to see them. So, what are we to do? One suggestion is to keep a notebook or notepad, and, using the above categories (people, results and words), jot down things in your life for which you are thankful. I suspect that doing this will bring us all sorts of help, all sorts of encouragement. Amen.

Forward notes: “One night the Lord said to Paul in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent’” (verse 9).

“Two things strike me about this verse. First, the Lord speaks to Paul in a vision. I have known people who have seen God and/or specifically Jesus in a vision. I have a very spiritual friend who has powerful dreams and is able to understand the message God is sending her through them. I know a woman of deep faith who saw Jesus appear at the foot of her bed once. I am so in awe of the visions and dreams that my friends have experienced.

“I recently had a dream about snakes. I was not afraid in the dream, and the snakes were alive but not hissing. They were also white. I looked this up later and discovered that snakes can be symbols of healing. That made a lot of sense to me. I believe I am healing after the death of my husband from Alzheimer’s more than two years ago. This leads me to the second part of this verse: ‘Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent.’ Whether God comes to me in a vision or not, I want to speak freely about our Lord and not be afraid to share the good news of the risen Christ.”

Moving Forward: “When have you seen the Lord? Share the experience with a loved one or friend.”