The Story Chapter 29 - Paul's Mission

The eminent preacher Dr Martin Lloyd Jones was said to have delivered over 350 sermons on Paul’s letter to the Romans.

 

The editors of The Story in their wisdom have decided to cram Acts, Romans, Corinthians, Galatians and Thessalonians into this week’s chapter. So preparing for today did feel a bit like trying to summarise the Encyclopaedia Britannica in two thousand words or less!

 

But all we’re trying to do just now is get more of the big picture of the Biblical story, and even a whistlestop tour like today’s can be helpful in that respect. And for all that it’s hugely ambitious to try and hold so much material together in one chapter, one of the things I did enjoy about it was reading about Paul’s missionary journeys, and then bringing alongside that Paul’s letters  - written to the very same churches that he’d founded. It reminded me that these were real places he visited; real people that he’d spent time with.

 

Real faith never happens above the grid of life. It’s always located, always personal, always specific. These people, this place, this culture, this time. The cosmic truth is always worked out in the local setting, in the loci of individual human hearts. And it’s Paul, more than any other New Testament figure, who teaches us that.

 

Paul, of course, didn’t always bear that fine name. Before his conversion, Paul was Saul – a learned young Jew, zealous in his persecution of the church, overseeing the martyrdom of Stephen, going town to town to try and destroy these heretics who were called the followers of the Way.

 

But thanks to a close encounter with the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus, that was all to change.  A surge of light, a heavenly voice, and then blindness. His travelling companions led him by the hand into Damascus where he ate nothing for three days and sat in the darkness contemplating the words that had shaken his world to the core. “Saul, Saul. Why are you persecuting me?”. It was the voice of Christ himself, and he knew it.

 

Ananias, one of the local believers, came as instructed by God and brought healing through prayer, and Saul himself was baptised that same evening. And so began the Christian life of one of the most productive, committed, persuasive and controversial figures in all of church history. Things were rarely, if ever, dull around the apostle Paul.

 

And you can imagine it took a while for the fledgling church to accept him! Isn’t this the guy who’s been persecuting us all these years?  But over time, and with the backing of respected men like Barnabas, they came to trust him. And after something like ten years, spent between Damascus, Jerusalem, Tarsus and Antioch, the congregation in Antioch commissioned Paul and Barnabas to take the message about Jesus to the province of Asia Minor. And that was the beginning of three missionary journeys that we read about in Acts. Helps enormously if find a good map! (IMAGE)

 

Going to say first fairly localised – days before plane travel, that would be a nonsense! Southern Turkey – won’t see many names you recognise, but GALATIA is there. Plan was simple – go to the synagogue, tell people news about Jesus when they were invited to speak, and they’d follow up that message with those who were interested. Those folk, whether Jews or god-fearing Gentiles, would become the nucleus of the local church. But resistance always came, often with violence, and as the mission progressed, the focus of the preaching shifted away from the Jews and towards the more responsive Gentiles.

 

Paul’s second journey (IMAGE), undertaken with Silas, saw him go back and encourage the new churches that had been planted in Asia Minor,  but this time they went further and crossed the Aegean sea to witness in Macedonia (modern Greece). And here you’ll see some more familiar names. Phillipi, Thessalonica, Athens and Corinth, where he spent two years working alongside Priscilla and Aquila earning a living as a tentmaker, while establishing a new congregation.

 

Paul had a brief stopover in Ephesus on the way back to Palestine, but on his third journey (IMAGE), he made Ephesus his priority and stayed there for three years before doing one last tour of the Macedonian churches. Later on he was imprisoned and taken as a captive to Rome but that’s a story for another day.

 

So Paul, this dyed in the wool Jew and son of Abraham, became the means through which God fulfilled his word to Abraham. God had promised to bless all nations through Abraham’s seed – Jesus - and it’s Paul, and others, who bring the message of Jesus to the nations on these three epic journeys.

 

Remember earlier I said that faith never happens above the grid of life. It’s always located, always personal, always specific. What we’re going to do for the rest of the service is look very briefly at four towns Paul visited, read excerpts from the letters he wrote to them, and we’re going to distil Paul’s teaching in each letter down to one word that was crucial to his teaching. One word for each church. How’s that for economy?

 

And we’re going to start with Thessalonica (Modern Image – then Map)

Thessalonica was the largest city in Macedonia, an important centre for trade and transport; it was the first place where Paul’s preaching took a firm hold, and scholars believe that his letters to the Thessalonians are among the earliest New Testament documents, dating from around AD 51

 

And the word for Thessalonica is ‘Trials’

 

READING -    

 

In spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. The church in Thessalonica had a hard start. Luke tells us in Acts that Paul’s opponents rounded up a mob, started a riot, and dragged some of the brand-new believers before the city officials complaining that Paul and his like were defying Caesar by claiming that Jesus was King. The city, we’re told, was in turmoil.

 

And this would happen again and again as Paul travelled around with this message.

 

Why? Because it upset the status quo. It challenged Judaism with its denial of the Messiah. It challenged paganism with its pantheon of gods. It challenged politics by talking about a new king and a new kingdom. It challenged the economic system by calling us to radically rethink how and why we spend our money. In Ephesus, the silversmiths who made idols rioted against Paul because his teaching was going to put them out of business!

 

Lots of vested interests, threatened by this gospel. And the believers suffered for it.

 

And in parts of our world believers still suffer today. There’s nothing new under the sun.

 

Map of Christian persecution 2013. Open Doors. (IMAGE)

Central African Republic – 16^th on list; Severe persecution.

 

Central African Republic is a Christian majority country that in 2013 witnessed brutal violence against Christians by the Seleka movement. Seleka is a coalition of rebels dissatisfied with the regime; it has no apparent Islamist agenda, but is composed of mostly foreign Muslims who have ravaged the country, specifically targeting Christians and non-Muslims. This is evidenced by the desecration of churches, the high number of violent attacks on Christians – through rape, robbery, kidnapping, torture and murder – and the killing of at least 13 pastors.

 

In this world, you will have trouble, Jesus told his disciples. And Paul would undoubtedly give his Amen to that.

 

But Paul’s word to the church facing trials is not to lose hope. The litany of his own suffering was staggering – shipwrecks, imprisonment, whippings, stonings, beatings, but his faith helped him view all of that as a sharing in Christ’s sufferings and an opportunity for growth. Later on in his ministry, he’d write that “suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope”.

 

It takes deep roots in Christ to view your troubles in that way. But that’s what Paul had; and that’s what he desired for his churches.

 

HYMN 556 – I Need Thee Every Hour

 

Next up is Rome (IMAGE) – and the word we need for Romans is Righteousness. (IMAGE)

 

READING

 

Righteousness is a key word for Paul and in the book of Romans he uses it over 30 times. But what does it mean?

 

Well basically, righteousness is the state of being in right standing with God. We know that God is holy. We know that we aren’t, much of the time. So how on earth can people like us be at peace with God? How can we find this righteousness?

 

Well, the ancient world offered many solutions. Offer sacrifices. Try harder. Keep your nose clean. Do good works. Be pure.

 

That was the way the Pharisees took. They tried really hard. But the problem was, instead of acquiring righteousness they just became self-righteous. Proud of their own efforts to be holy. Sure that God must be really pleased with them, when in fact he wasn’t. As Jesus said to the crowds, “unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven."

 

The bad news is, our own righteousness will never be good enough, no matter how hard we try. Paul says that all our righteous acts are like filthy rags. But the good news is, that doesn’t matter anymore. “For in the gospel – Paul says - a righteousness from God is revealed.  A righteousness that is by faith from first to last”.

 

Did you hear that – a righteousness that comes by faith, not by works.   A righteousness that’s gifted to us, not earned. That’s what the gospel is all about.

 

Many years ago a homeless man and a businessman ended up in the same lunchtime meeting in a city centre church and they were both deeply moved by the same sermon.

 

That evening the homeless man thought about what he’d heard, and he opened his life to Christ. But for weeks and weeks the businessman refused to accept the message, even though he knew it was true and at some point he’d have to respond.

 

Eventually he also gave in, admitted his need of Christ and accepted him as Saviour. In the months that followed, he got to know the homeless man at church and as they shared their stories, he asked his newfound friend “Why do you think it took me so long to decide, while you responded right away?”

“I guess you could think of it like this” the homeless man said. “Let’s say Jesus is like a rich man who wanted to give each of us a new coat. You shook your head and said, ‘I don’t think so; I’m perfectly happy with the one I’ve got.’ When he made the same offer to me, I looked at the old blanket I wear around my shoulders, and I couldn’t get a hold of that new coat quick enough.

 

You struggled to give up your own righteousness. I didn’t. It’s those who think they’re doing ok who find it hardest to admit that they actually need help.

If you ever tune in to the Academy Awards or the Oscars, you’ll be familiar with the fashionistas lined up on the red carpet to interview the stars on their way into the show. “Who are you wearing?” they shout to the actresses – meaning Dior, or Versace.

 

When it comes to the red carpet at the end of days, the only thing to be seen wearing is Christ. Either we dress in his righteousness, by accepting what he did for us, or we end up wearing the tattered rags of our own righteousness and finding that the bouncers won’t allow us into the show because we’re not dressed correctly. The choice is down to us.

 

HY 396 - AND CAN IT BE?

 

Our next port of call is Galatia (IMAGE) – the group of churches in the region of Asia Minor that Paul travelled to on his first missionary journey. And things are afoot in Galatia by the time Paul writes to them. He needs to speak to them about GRACE (IMAGE)

 

The roots of the early church were in Judaism. Jesus was Jewish, the disciples were Jewish, almost all the converts to the new faith had Jewish roots. But as the word about Jesus spread, Gentiles came to faith as well. But what was required of them? Did they have to take on all the Jewish traditions too, in order to be real believers? This was a huge debate in the early church, and one in which Paul was to have a big say.

 

Some visitors had come to Galatia and told the churches that in order to be real Christians, the Gentiles among them would have to take on all the requirements of the Jewish law. Paul strongly disagrees. The new faith, based on Jesus, is all about grace. Not about law. To go back to the old ways is like becoming a slave all over again.

 

READING: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free!”

 

Do you see what he’s saying here? If you’re trying to be set right with God by obeying the law, you’re back in the bad old days.

 

Legalism says God will love us if we change. The gospel says God will change us because He loves us. The love comes first. Miss that, and you’ve missed the gospel.

 

Grace is the free, unmerited goodness of God reaching out to us before we have done anything to warrant it. And we have such a hard time understanding that, because the world we live in is a meritocracy. You get what you deserve; there’s no such thing as a free lunch; scores must be kept, and settled. Some are in, some are out. End of story.

 

But not where there’s grace.

 

John Stott says that grace is love that cares and stoops and rescues. The Good Samaritan didn’t engage the wounded traveller in a short interview process to see if he was worthy of assistance. He got down off his donkey and went to help him. The Prodigal’s father didn’t grill the boy thoroughly before he’d agree to take him back into the home. He ran down the path to meet him. Christ didn’t shun the woman at the well for having a messed up life, or the lepers for their illness, or the tax collectors for their unpopularity, or the drunks and hookers for their immorality. He went out to them so he could rescue them. That’s what grace does. It meets us where we are, but then hopes and works for the better.

 

And this is what God does for us in Christ. He gives us his son. He tells us that if we place our faith in him, all will be well despite what we know ourselves to be. He asks us to trust him. To trust in his grace. To accept Christ’s righteousness and live joyfully and thankfully out of that freedom rather than becoming bean-counting moralists trying to earn our own way into God’s favour.

 

Works matter – yes. Behaviour matters. But they should be a  response to God’s love – not as a futile attempt to earn it.

 

Object lesson in grace, now. All being well, you got a sweetie when you came in this morning! Hope enough to go round!

 

You’re probably wondering why you got a sweetie. Some of you might even have refused! But if the folk on the door were doing their job, they’ll have insisted!

 

Thing is - what you do with that sweetie is up to you. You might take the plunge and eat it. You might hold it in your hand and reflect on the kindness of whoever gave it to you. You might stick it in your pocket or your handbag and take it home with you. You might just decide to leave it sitting on the pew.

 

There are all kinds of responses to grace. And there are all kinds of responses to the grace we are shown in the Christ. Will you take it, or will you leave it?  Once again, the choice is entirely yours.

 

HY 555 – AMAZING GRACE

 

Our last visit this morning takes us to the cosmopolitan city of Corinth (IMAGE) where once again trouble’s afoot and Paul has to teach them about the importance of COMMUNITY. (IMAGE)

 

READING

 

The church in Corinth was a mess. They weren’t best pleased to be told it, but it was true. Some had become puffed up because they had particular spiritual gifts, others were feeling neglected and ignored, there were instances of serious immorality and endless disputes and divisions between the members. It was a mess. And in that sense it was just like every other church there has ever been and ever will be.

 

You may have noticed this, but churches are made up of people. And whether they’re in the church or not, people are people. We come to God, and to one another, as works in progress and not as the finished article.

 

In the Screwtape letters, CS Lewis writes in the guise of a senior devil advising a junior how to lead astray the human ‘patient’ he’s been assigned to.

 

Screwtape describes how even a trip to church can be an opportunity to advance the devil’s work in the man’s life. (“The Enemy” is God.)

 

“ When your patient gets to his pew and looks around him, he sees just that selection of his neighbours whom he has hitherto avoided. You want to lean pretty heavily on those neighbours. Make his mind flit to and fro between an expression like ‘the body of Christ’ and the actual faces in the next pew. It matters very little, of course, what kind of people that next pew really contains. You may know one of them to be a great warrior on The Enemy’s side. No matter. Your patient, thanks to our Father below, is a fool. Provided that any of these neighbours sing out of tune, or have boots that squeak, or double chins, or odd clothes, the patient will quite easily believe that their faith must therefore somehow be ridiculous.

 

Work hard, then, on the disappointment and anti-climax which is certainly coming to the patient in his first few weeks as a churchman.  The Enemy allows this disappointment to occur on the threshold of every human endeavour. It occurs when the boy who has been enchanted in the nursery by stories from the Odyssey buckles down to really learning Greek. It occurs when lovers have got married and begin the real task of learning to live together. In every department of life it marks the transition from dreaming aspiration to laborious doing. Or to put it another way, the transition from childishness to maturity.

 

Life with other people, in any context, is never straightforward. But it’s in community that we get our own rough edges knocked off a little, and become more of the people God wants us to be.

 

And that’s why, in Corinthians, Paul reminds his congregation what love looks like. That love is patient, love is kind. That is doesn’t envy, or boast. That it’s not proud or self-seeking.

 

He teaches them that the church is a body where every part, though different, is entirely necessary – bringing it’s own unique function to the whole.

 

He reminds them that spiritual gifts aren’t badges of status. They’re gifts given to the whole church for service in the whole church. No room for private agendas and personal empire building.

 

We’re a community who have received the grace of God, he tells them. And if that’s who we are, it behoves us to show the grace of God to one another. Nether you nor I are anything, he says. We are not the focus. God is the focus. It’s God who makes things grow.

 

And this, I think, is the sum of so much of Paul’s teaching. God, in Christ, is at the centre of it all. And the beauty of his letters is how that same truth finds a particular slant in each different congregation.

 

It’s God who supports us through our trials

It’s God who gives us a righteousness we couldn’t ever earn.

It’s God who chooses the way of grace over legalism.

It’s God who’s the true centre of our lives and our community.

 

May that same God show us how to live out this same truth in our lives, in our place, and in our time – for his glory.

 

Amen