Pride Goes Before the Fall

 Meditations on The Acts of the Apostles

March 5, 2021

Pride Goes Before the Fall

(Provers 16:18)

And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Acts 13:52

Read: Acts 13:44-52       

Miles Stanford, in his series, The Green Letters, notes that preaching grace before people have been convicted of sin seldom produces long lasting fruit. Paul first proclaimed the truth of Christ, and the good news of forgiveness for sins. That this forgiveness would yield “a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses” (v.39) apparently captivated the entire city as “On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.” (v.44) Although the Jews received Paul warmly the previous Sabbath and even invited him back to the synagogue on this occasion, seeing the enthusiastic response to Paul’s message by so many in the city, they were filled with jealousy, a fruit of pride, not of the Spirit.

I believe their jealousy was related both to Paul’s popularity being greater than their own, and also that the Jewish people were exclusive and Paul’s message was inclusive: “everyone who believes is set free from every sin.” (v.39) Although there had been Gentiles who worshipped God in the synagogue the previous Sabbath, they were few in number, and now Paul was proclaiming Good News to all who will believe in Jesus.

Although Paul did not mention eternal life in his message the previous Sabbath, he now told the Jews that by turning against his message, they are rejecting eternal life. Paul’s then pivots to his primary mission: “we now turn to the Gentiles.”

“‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’” (v.47)

My Takeaway: After two missionary stops, we see yet another pattern: three groups of people. There were the angry people inciting resistance to Paul and Barnabas, the new “disciples (who) were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit” (v. 52), and Paul and Barnabas moving on to another town. I want to be continually in the middle group – filled with joy and the Holy Spirit!

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2021 by Alex M. Knight

 

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