David Bahn – Reflections

What’s the most important question you’ve ever asked? Was it urgent as well as important? Did you receive a reliable answer? Were you happy with the answer? For me it was a somewhat clumsy version of “Will you marry me?” It was vitally important. Somewhat urgent (although we were under no duress to marry, if you get my drift). I did receive a reliable answer. I was not initially happy with the answer, but later I received the answer I wanted: Yes!

The Philippian jailer asked a vitally important and urgent question. It was borne of fear, inspiration, and of the Holy Spirit’s influence. Fear because the jailer thought his prisoners had escaped and he would pay for that with his life in an extremely unpleasant manner. Fear because he realized that something eternal was at stake.

Or could it be that he was asking only an urgent question. Maybe he only wanted to know how to get out of his current jam. He might just have wanted to know if Paul and Silas could grant him safe passage to a new home, life, and occupation. In other words, he didn’t know what he was asking.

The Jailer could have thought he was asking for an out. But Paul was offering him far more. He might have been asking for a temporary tent. But Paul was offering him an eternal mansion. And all the evidence shows that he realized there was something more than his earthly safety at stake.

“What must I do to be saved?” Whether or not the Jailer was asking for a worldly salvation, Paul was offering him an eternal one. And in the end the jailer believed and was baptized. Rather than believing in Caesar’s power, his superior’s control, or any of the many false gods of his day, Paul told him to put his faith in Jesus.

“Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved,” is still a good message for us. We can look to false gods, fear, money, sex, power, or a myriad of other demigods. None of those will give life, much less eternal salvation. The question is not whether we fully understand the depth of our need for Jesus, or the full meaning of being saved. That will come only in the life of the world to come. Here and now, when we put our faith in Jesus we will be saved. And there’s no question about that.

I’ve been watching Wicked Tuna, a TV series about tuna fishermen on the Outer Banks. Some of these beasts weigh as much as 500 dressed. Some of them bring $22 per pound. Do the math; a big fish and a good price can bring $10,000. That’s real money. Even when they have one on the hook, it’s not assured that they will land these giants. Once they have successfully landed the tuna they must keep it safe and well cared for. Otherwise their payday will be greatly diminished. There’s a huge difference between $22 and $9 per pound – especially for a 400 pound fish!

When Paul and Silas are thrown into prison, they were instructed to keep them safe. But it wasn’t so that they could be paid top dollar for their catch. I suspect they were to be kept safe for other self-serving reasons. Maybe it was so that they were able to maintain the peace and avoid a riot. Could be that they would get in trouble from the higher-ups if a prisoner was harmed. Or it might be that keeping them safe meant keeping them from escaping.

But when it comes to man’s plans and God’s prerogatives, God always wins. Keeping these servants of the Most High God safe and engaged is vital to the success of God’s mission to seek and save the lost. But the mission in this case is not only out there. It is about to be in there, as inside the jail, not outside.

All this makes me think of how and why God keeps us safe. It’s not always just for our convenience. And although I’m sure Paul and Silas were glad no longer to be in prison, their release was not only for their benefit. It opens the door for the jailer and his family to encounter the grace of God. It provides them with the opportunity to witness to their fellow prisoners.

Diane and I have gone on several foreign mission trips. Most of them have been to teach pastors and their spouses about effective ways to expand their work in the Mission of God. Many of these pastors and church leaders are completely committed to sharing the message of Jesus Christ. They put into practice what they learn about multiplying disciples, leading change in their churches, and doing this with character and integrity. We consider that time well spent.

But we spend much more time and energy pursuing God’s mission right where we are. Thankfully, we’ve  been kept safe here and in our mission travels. It is important for us to remember that safety isn’t just so we can live easy lives. So, while thanking God for “quiet and peaceful lives” (cf. 1 Timothy 2:1-4), we delight to be part of God’s work in his mission field wherever we may be.

No, that title isn’t either an email string of apologies, nor a text string of take-backs. It’s actually known as the Lowry Loop. Eugene Lowry was a student of Fred Craddock, a noted professor of preaching: Bandy Distinguished Professor of Preaching and New Testament Emeritus in the Candler School of Theology at Emory University. He was an ordained minister of the Christian Church from rural Tennessee. And could he preach a sermon. He told stories that brought you into the plot, made you laugh before making you stop and realize you were laughing at yourself, and in need of a dose of Gospel reality. I attended a few of his lectures when I lived in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.

Eugene Lowrey built on what Craddock taught, teaching homiletics (preaching) and influencing many pastors, including yours truly. I don’t always use Lowry’s Homiletical Plot, but I often recall his advice: Get Jesus into as much trouble as possible and then see how he still saves the day. I’ve included a link below to a lecture/sermon he gave at Drew Theological School in 2008.

But you don’t have to work too hard to find Jesus in trouble here – or at least Jesus’ servants. First they’re mocked. Then they’re beaten. Then thrown into prison. Then comes an earthquake! Seems like lots of trouble for these servants of the Most High God. Then – just as the jailer is about to kill himself in fear of having lost his charge – these servants call out, “Don’t harm yourself. We’re all still here.”

What’s going on here? Is God orchestrating all this just so that Luke has something interesting to report? Is this just the makings of a Christian cinema offering? No. And no. Luke will write about it; we’re reading his book even now. And this would make a great movie. But this isn’t about books or movies – plotline or not. This is about the grace of God and his desire for all people to be saved. It’s about helping us understand that through faith in Jesus we are saved. That’s true whether we’ve lived a life totally apart from God from our birth, or claim a lifelong commitment to Jesus and a front pew in the Church on the Corner of Grace and Truth Streets.

I love how this story unfolds. That’s especially true because the ending of this episode sets the stage for even more of the story of God. No matter how much trouble Jesus and his followers get into, there is always hope for a new chapter of his grace and goodness to be lived. Yeah…

Lowry is also a jazz pianist. The opening minutes of this video show him playing a jazz rendition of What a Friend We Have in Jesus. He uses that to help illustrate that just when you think you know where the music is heading, you discover a nuance or an unexpected beauty. He says that’s the way it is in our life with Jesus.

I had an interesting conversation once with a Church of Christ pastor. Among other things we talked about music in the church. He was under the conviction that everything in the Old Testament was no longer valid for Christians, and that examples in the New Testament were binding on Christians today. That meant there was to be one cup in the celebration of Holy Communion (no individual cups). It meant, also, that there were to be no instruments used in the church, “for it says sing, making melodies in your heart,” he told me. I didn’t bother asking him if their singing was silent (in your heart) singing. I will admit, incidentally, that I’ve heard that the singing is especially beautiful in these churches which do not use instrumentation.

Instruments or not Paul and Silas are not just making melodies in their hearts. They are singing! Their hymns and prayers are ascending to God and touching the hearts of the people in the prison. The evidence of this is the earthquake and the non-action of the prisoners when the prison doors are opened and the shackles fall off the hands of the prisoners. God’s answer to their prayer and praise is an earthquake – unless you believe in coincidences more than you believe in prayer. And you might say that paralyzing fear kept the prisoners in their cells rather than the Holy Spirit’s impact. But I’m going with a Holy Spirit inspired fear and hope.

I listen mostly to classical music – unless you count the disco, pop and rock and roll music they play at the gym we go to. We also listen to Contemporary Christian Music. I love Tobymac, Third Day, Elevation Worship, Kip Fox, and Chris Tomlin to name a few. Give me also Michael W. Smith and the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir if I’m in the mood for some oldies. And if you want to go really old school: Bach, Handel, Brahms, and Mendelssohn’s religious works edify me richly. And don’t forget Martin Luther’s hymns!

When we were facing some grave medical concerns over our youngest child, I would often go into the sanctuary of the church I served. I’d get there early and pray and sing hymns. I came to love the hymn, Lord, Thee I Love With All My Heart. Now, when I wake up in the middle of the night I’ll sing the Agnus Dei or Kyrie (in my heart-not outloud!). I’ll silently pray the Lord’s Prayer, and recite psalms in those quiet hours. These calm my heart and God grants peace in those moments.

You may or may not have a great singing voice. But I’m confident that God loves to hear the songs we sing from our hearts and to his glory – no matter how well we may sing them.

I’m trying to imagine how two different team members might be received. Say two advance team members for two presidential nominees, for example. Or their follow-up campaign staff. For example, some campaign staff and volunteers are parading themselves, seeking votes and announcing their guy’s accomplishments and promises. How are they received? Then someone with lots of clout, a big impact, a celebrity or star calls out, “These people work for the best presidential candidate ever!” Mockingly. Derisively. Dismissively. And suddenly that superstar has a change of heart. Now the praise is sincere. Admiring. Supportive. Think Alec Baldwin praising Donald Trump – just to be clear.

This is what happens in the encounter between Paul and Silas with the slave girl. She mimics, mocks, derides, and ridicules these true servants of the Most High God. And then the evil spirit who enabled her fortune telling success is cast out. She’s no longer any good to her owners. The stakes are much closer to home than the loss of a Hollywood star’s support. They no longer can make money by her sorcery. Her gain. Their loss. What are they to do?

They act immediately and decisively. They drag these true servants of the Most High God into the public square and before the magistrates. They accuse them of disrupting the whole city, bring trouble and chaos into their streets. They are beaten – these true servants of the Most High God – and thrown into prison. Doesn’t seem a very good way to treat servants of the Most High God.

I wish it were not so, but so very often our most powerful and impactful witness comes in the midst of suffering and injustice. I don’t mean that we should seek to be treated unjustly. Nor should we seek suffering. But the act of casting out the demon – a show of the power of the Most High God – did not prove to move people to faith. It caused anger and brought suffering.

It will be the faithful witness of these men in prison that will touch the heart of the jailer. Their witness and incredible decision to stay and not escape through the open doors of the prison spoke louder than Paul’s command against the servant girl’s evil spirit.

There are times for the show of great power. And there are times for the witness of faith in the face of suffering. Servants of the Most High God will have occasion to express both. But work of the Most High God is done in the frailty of his Son. Jesus on the cross draws us all to himself. He is the true servant of the Most High God.

How does this happen? How is it that someone would be willing to travel to so many places, endure so much suffering, face challenges from without and within, and seek the guidance of the church leaders in Jerusalem? Certainly Paul did these things because he was that kind of man. He had approved of Stephen’s stoning and gone on his own personal vigilante mission to Damascus. He was so infamous that the people in Damascus knew of his zeal and commitment to stamp out the nasant Christian church. So when he was converted, he didn’t lose his zeal. He did a literal U-turn in life and faith. He became the foremost missionary in his day for the Christian faith.

Then there’s Timothy. A son of a Jewish mother and Greek father, he becomes Paul’s companion, and eventually a pastor to whom Paul would write two letters. Paul considered him a son in the faith. This reminds me of the need for faithful men of good repute to be willing to serve as pastors.

This is certainly a reality to me these days as I help congregations in the call process. There are currently 10 churches in the area which I serve who are looking for pastors. Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful the but laborers are few. Pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:37-38).  I pray for each of them each night at 8 PM and 9 PM. They have agreed to make this a matter of prayer as we seek men to serve as pastors.

This is the work of the Holy Spirit: calling people to faith, capturing people’s imagination about how they can be part of his mission, and calling men to serve as pastors. Jesus came to seek and save the Lost. As people are gathered into congregations new churches are founded, they need pastors to guide, feed, and unite their efforts for the sake of God’s kingdom.

All this is so that people are saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth. This, too, is a work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit moves people to listen to the message of the Gospel. The Holy Spirit moves those who listen to believe, repent, and be baptized. The Holy Spirit brings people to faith, unites us into one body, and keeps them in the faith.

We see all three of these things in this passage. Paul and Silas travel to far away places sharing the Gospel and planting churches. Timothy sees what they are doing and joins them in their travels. He eventually becomes a pastor. Lydia is brought to faith and supports these servants in their calling.

The Holy Spirit works from beginning to end in the life of a believer. He calls us to faith, strengthens us in the faith, gathers us with other believers, and sends people into the Lord’s harvest to seek and save others. Where is the Holy Spirit working in your life these days?

I love the story of Lydia. Her name shows up only three times in the Bible – only in this chapter of Acts. But her story captures my imagination and appreciation. She is significant enough to name. And that’s not true of every convert to say the least. None of the rest of her household is mentioned, although they too were brought into the faith and baptized.

Lydia catches my attention because of the manner in which her conversion is recounted. “One who heard us was a woman named Lydia,” Luke tells us. She was listening to Paul and not dismissing his message. She was there with the others in the place of prayer. The Lord moved her heart to pay attention to Paul’s message and she was baptized.

Something about her caught Luke’s attention. Perhaps it was her occupation as a seller of purple goods. This would likely mean she had some wealth. The fact that she is mentioned as the head of her household tells us a bit more about her standing. Lydia was a person of significant standing. Noteworthy to be sure.

All that is well and good, but what really captures my attention is her comment after her conversion and baptism. “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay,” she says. I love this! She saw hospitality as a privilege to offer, not as a burden to bear. Her household would likely have included servants. They would certainly be put to work making Paul, Silas, and Timothy comfortable. I can easily see that she would have easily busied herself in the preparations as well. No matter; she saw the opportunity to offer these men of God a place to stay as a privilege. 

Lydia was a person of peace – as Jesus described to his disciples in Luke 10:5-6. She welcomed these disciples. She offered them food and shelter. She received their message. Paul, Timothy, and Silas will visit her following their escape from prison.

I want to be like Lydia. I want to be a person of peace. I consider hospitality a privilege to offer. I want to pay attention to what God’s servants say. I am thankful to have been baptized. Where do you see Lydia’s example as one you might follow?

Diane and I have had the privilege to travel on mission trips to Moscow, Russia, Hong Kong, mainland China, the Philippines, Kenya and Tanzania. We’ve made great friends in several of those places, and witnessed some amazing works of God in the lives of the peoples in those places.

Our most recent mission travels have taken us to Tanzania. There we have dedicated a school that is growing and blessing more and more children and families. We have also taught for PLI International, encouraging the church leaders there to focus their energies toward God’s mission, and not simply enjoying the privilege of their reputations as pastors.

Some of those trips have been arduous. Roads that were navigable only in four-wheel-drive vehicles taking us to out of the way villages where the only modern elements of life were TVs and satellite receivers. No hot and cold running water. No A/C. A fire in the middle of the house serving to heat the home and cook their meager meals.

In Ai Chow, China, a chicken walked through the middle of the living area. This was the time of the bird flu, and one of our group members would likely have jumped out the window had there been windows in that house. On another occasion, the road that we took was so rutted and muddy that we all had to get out of the bus as the driver conquered the hill. We were glad that he made it, and that we were not in the bus as he drove the bus that seemed close to tipping over.

Another time we had to get off the paved highway and travel along a bumpy, rutted, and treacherous parallel dirt road. The main highway was under repairs and large stones had been placed all along the road to prevent any traffic from using it. Our flights have taken anywhere from 26 hours to 48 hours of travel getting there and returning home. It pushes us to our limits. But we’re glad to go, thankful for the experiences, and hopeful that our teaching is bearing fruit.

Take all those challenges and magnify them exponentially, and you will begin to get a sense of what Paul  and Timothy experienced. Luke lists the cities they visited on their next missionary journey. And they didn’t have jet airliners for their travels. It’s most likely they walked.

I’m not sure how they decided where to go next. But I am certain that God was guiding them. In this case through closed doors and a vision of the man from Macedonia. And I’m certain their travels were more arduous than any of ours. But I’m also certain that God was with them the whole way.

Next time you take a trip, and you get stuck in traffic, experience a flight delay, or have car trouble, let those moments remind you of how God brought the message of Jesus to people throughout the ages. Thank God for his faithful love, and for those who have endured challenges of many kinds over the years so that the word of God would be spread also to us.

This is a record of a vitally important mission trip – not just a travelog.