It is probably one of the world’s most popular and enigmatic ghost towns.  To enter you must drive and then walk along the “Road of Death”.  You will be greeted by empty streets, empty houses, empty shops and a number of haunting scenes that are more like a horror story than a mystery, although there is much mystery about this place.  On one side of the city a monstrous wall of metal and wire (formerly a long-range radar system), 500 feet tall and 500 feet wide rises above the trees and vegetation which has now overtaken this once bustling metropolis of 50,000 people.  When Pripyat was established in 1970 it was built to house the employees of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and the support industries connected with it.  But everything changed on April 26, 1986 when Reactor #4 exploded releasing 400 times the amount of radioactive material than normal into the atmosphere.  After an initial cover-up as to the severity of the explosion, the Russian government eventually evacuated the city and it has been empty ever since. Now part of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone one must be escorted in or obtain special permission to see the “closed” city.  Pripyat is a testimony to the fact that lofty ideals and pride can quickly become a snare, even a death trap.
            The tribe of Dan initially held territory in between Ephraim and Judah (Jos. 19:40-48).  Their allotment touched the western slopes of the central mountains within the rolling hills of the Shephelah and also a small part of the coastline.  While the area was ideal for agriculture its location near the Sorek Valley also opened the door for invasion.  Constant pressure from the Amorites and Philistines “inspired” the Danites to move northward and seek new territory (Jud. 17-18).   In doing so they slaughtered the entire city of Laish and renamed it after their tribal ancestor.  While the blessing of Moses recognized Dan’s military abilities (Dt. 33:22), it is Jacob’s blessing that reveals Dan’s treacherous nature (Gen. 49:16-17), foreshadowing the debacle at Laish.  The new northern territory was appealing to them.  The melting snow from Mount Hermon and the natural spring that was the source of the Jordan River (Jordan literally means “what comes down from Dan”) provided an ample water supply and the ready-built city of peace-loving inhabitants isolated from any assistance was easy to overtake and move into.
            To make matters worse, the departure from Tabernacle worship by the man Micah (not the prophet) in Jud. 17 sets the tone for the installation of a false temple system by Jeroboam I in 1 Ki. 12:25-33.  This may seem strange to us but in spite of the selfish reasons for Jeroboam doing so (1 Ki. 12:26), his constituents believed they had several reasons which made Dan a better location for worship.  First, Dan was located near the border of the Promised Land.  What better place for God to protect them?  Second, they had an ample supply of “living water”, water which freely flowed near-by and didn’t have to be carted in like the water in Jerusalem which was brought in via aqueducts from Bethlehem.  In the ancient world water equaled life and there was plenty of it in Dan.  Thirdly, Dan had physical connections with Abraham, the venerable Father of the Faith (Gen. 14:1-16) whereas Jerusalem did not (Abraham was never IN Jerusalem although he was visited by a prominent figure from there; Gen. 14:17-20).  And lastly, Dan was in the vicinity of Mamre, another stomping ground of Abraham’s.  The historian of Kings notes that this incorrect perception of superiority further perpetuated the penchant for sin already established by the Danites’ ancestors.  Using words which recall the idolatry at the time of Aaron (Ex. 32:1-35) he points the reader toward the inevitable judgment upon the people for breaking the Covenant with God (Dt. 27:11-15; 28:15, 45-46, 49).  Like Pripyat whose pride in nuclear dominance led to its downfall, Dan’s pride in its self-constructed religious system led to its judgment and demise.  Dan became a ghost town when the Assyrians overtook it in 722 B. C.
            Listed as one of the seven deadly sins in medieval times, the course of human history has certainly shown that pride can truly be a person’s downfall.  The proverb (Prov. 16:18) still remains true today.  Jesus condemned the scribes and Pharisees for being so consumed with their pride it completely blinded them to their hypocrisy (Mt. 23:1-33).  We are not without admonition either for Jesus said if we’re more concerned with a speck in our brother’s eye, it most likely means we’re missing the log in our own (Mt. 7:1-5).  In my own personal experience I’ve come across many a Christian whose pride has blinded them and I too struggle with not succumbing to the temptation to put myself pridefully above others.  How do we make sure we do not end up living in Pripyat or Dan?  I know of only one way.  Read Phil. 2:1-11 and do it.
Ann H. LeFevre, M. Div.        
Week of 10/1/2017

            Rogers and Astaire, Lennon and McCartney, Lewis and Martin, Taylor and Burton, Abbot and Costello, Sonny and Cher, Tracy and Hepburn, and Frankie and Lina: whenever one of the two names above is mentioned, it is often followed by the other along with the phrase, “What a pair!”  When you look over that list I am certain you recognize all but one of those dynamic duos.  But for me personally, the one you don’t recognize is the most significant.  Frankie and Lina are a couple in my church, and they are a pair!  Both serve in a number of ministries and they are both passionate about people and sharing the Gospel.  They remind me about another dynamic duo in the early church, Priscilla and Aquila.
            Priscilla and Aquila are first mentioned in Acts 18.  As was Paul’s custom when he arrived in Corinth he sought out fellow tradesmen.  Guilds offered a “home-base” for people moving from one city to another.  Priscilla and Aquila have landed in Corinth after the expulsion of Jews from Rome by Claudius in 49-50 A.D. (v.1).  Paul meets Aquila and sets up shop with them.  On the Sabbath the tentmakers head to the synagogue and share their faith (v.4).  The impact of their ministry can be seen in the names of those whose lives they touch.  Crispus (v.8) is a prominent leader in the synagogue; Titius Justus (v.7), a Gentile.  The ministry thrives, but opposition comes about when Paul is brought before Gallio the proconsul (vv.12-17).  The team departs and eventually land in Ephesus.  Priscilla and Aquila remain there when Paul moves on to Galatia and Phrygia (vv. 18-19, 23-28).
            Not much is said about their background although their names hint of some sort of status.  We do know that Aquila was born in Pontus (v.1) so it is likely that Priscilla came from there too.  Priscilla, sometimes identified as Prisca, means “worthy or venerable”; Aquila means “eagle”, the emblem of the Roman Army.  While any conclusion drawn from the significance of their names is speculation, they do indicate that both were Roman through and through.  Priscilla and Aquila are mentioned in several other letters which Paul wrote (Rom. 16:3; 1 Cor. 16:19; 2 Tim. 4:19) and in most cases Priscilla in particular is called Paul’s “fellow worker”.  It is a frequent term that Paul uses in association with those who shared his ministry (Rom. 16:9; 1 Cor. 3:9; Phil. 4:3; Col. 4:11 and including fellow itinerants like Timothy- Rom. 16:21; 1 Thes. 3:2; Titus- 2 Cor. 8:23; Epaphroditus- Phil. 2:25; and Philemon).  One commentator noted that “other passages may fill in a few more particulars of this married team’s ministry which included instructing ministers and leading a house church (Acts 18:26; 1 Cor. 16:19; Phile. 1, 2)".  Simply put Priscilla and Aquila were among the movers and shakers of the early church.
            Many take note of the order of their names in the passages where they are mentioned (Acts 18:2, 18, 26; Rom. 16:3; 1 Cor. 16:19; 2 Tim. 4:19).  Aquila appears first in three of the passages, and Priscilla is placed first in the other three.  Lists of people usually started with the most significant people first, and subordinates after.  The appearance of Priscilla’s name at the top of the list in 2 Timothy 4 and in Acts 18 means she had a prominent role in the events depicted there- a leader in the house church, evangelizing on Paul’s missionary trip and in the discipleship teaching/training of Apollos.  One commentator wrote, “As a Jewish wife Priscilla would have been expected to be subject to her husband.  Aquila would have been the one who studied God’s Law and sat with the other men in the synagogue.  Priscilla would have been expected to know the laws governing a kosher kitchen, but in all other matters she would have been expected to defer to her husband.  In mentioning the couple, if both were mentioned at all, normal mode of speech would have identified Aquila “and his wife”.”
            That Luke and Paul mention Priscilla by name, and sometimes place hers first indicates how the early church truly viewed women.  The natural interchange of Priscilla’s and Aquila’s names tells us two things.  First, she was a full partner in ministry with her husband and secondly, the early church embraced this equal status based on a person’s spiritual gift, not on roles assigned to gender by the culture.  The importance of this is shown in the life of Apollos who before their tutelage is known as an eloquent preacher but afterwards one of the most powerful defenders of the faith (Acts 18:24-28).
            How does your church measure up?  Is your local body truly allowing each member to exercise their gifts to the furtherance of the Gospel (Rom. 12:4-8)?  If so, that’s wonderful!  If not, it is time to examine what shapes your perception of ministry.  If it is God’s Word then everyone in your congregation should be serving according to the gifts given to them in the areas they are best suited for (1 Cor. 12:1-11; Eph. 4:11-16), but if it is the culture that is shaping where you place them in ministry, you will be limiting God’s work both in the body of believers and the community you are a part of (Rom. 14:13-20).
Ann H. LeFevre, M. Div.  
Week of 9/24/2017 

            We met early (and I mean early!) on Saturday morning; women in all stages of life, with all kinds of personalities and each with a unique story.  But we all had one thing in common.  We wanted to know more about ourselves and how we could more fully serve the Lord.  So there we sat, gathered around Vivian’s dining room table sipping coffee or tea and digging into the Word by looking at the qualities which make not only effective disciples, but effective leaders.  To this day I still feel the profound impact those women had on me.
            The last chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans (Rom. 16:1-27) contains greetings to believers Paul knew in Rome.  One author wrote, “There is no intent here to teach on any subject, much less on the role of women.  So the contents of this chapter qualify as incidental or “idle words.”  Really?!  I don’t think so!  Although it is true that these closing words are not an actual “lesson”, they do shed a great deal of light on the role of women in the early church and there are definitely principles which we can draw upon and apply to women serving in churches today.  And it should be noted that the way Paul endorses the women of these verses is truly how he feels about women unlike the way he is usually portrayed as having a negative view of them (which he certainly does not!).
            Who are some of the noteworthy women listed in this chapter?  Phoebe the letter carrier (Rom. 16:1-2) is mentioned first.  Her task involved more work than what our postal workers do. Phoebe was acting as Paul’s personal representative.   If there were any questions concerning the content of the letter, Phoebe would be the one answering questions or clarifying Paul’s words.  In essence, she carries the same authority as Paul when explaining or clarifying the content of the letter.  Phoebe is called a “sister” in the faith, a “helper” (this Greek word is used to describe trainers who dedicated themselves to assist an athlete who is competing for a prize) and a “servant”.  The term for servant here (diakonos) is the same word Paul uses to describe Jesus (Rom. 15:8), himself (Eph. 3:7; Col. 1:23, 25), and others in ministry (Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3:8, 12).  Paul is using the same title for women and men without changing its meaning or interpretation which definitely challenges the notion that women cannot fill the same sort of ministry roles as men.  In the Bible there are no barriers (Gal. 3:26-28) just spiritual gifts given to members of the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:4-12, 27-28) to be used in service to Him.
            Junias (Rom. 16:7) also has some significant words associated with her.  Paul notes that she, along with Andronicus, was a fellow Jew and had spent time in prison with Paul.  In the past Junias has often been portrayed as a man, but this name NEVER appears as a man’s name ANYWHERE.  Why is this so important?  Because the title “apostle” is assigned to her.   In the New Testament the word “apostle” is used in several ways.  First, it is used of the twelve men Jesus chose to be His disciples.  Second, Paul applies the term to himself with the additional meaning of an “emissary”, a person commissioned by a particular church to go on mission to spread the gospel (2 Cor. 8:23; Phil. 2:25).  It is also used in the general sense of an “itinerant missionary” in passages such as Acts 14:4 and 14.  Junias is not serving in the background either.  She is “episemos” which means “of note” or “prominent”.  If Paul designates Junias as a prominent missionary-evangelist, thus leader, this indicates that her gender was not an issue.
            Although the verse which mentions Tryphosa and Tryphanea is as brief as soft breeze there is a bit of humor packed in it.  The custom of the day was to give siblings, particularly twins, names with a similar root word, so most scholars assume these two women to be twin sisters.  Their names mean “delicate” and “dainty” respectively.  But these ladies were no shrinking violets.  They “worked hard for the Lord” (kopian), a word meaning labored to the point of exhaustion.  The “T” sisters were champions in the service arena serving just as tirelessly as any man, perhaps even more so judging by Paul’s assessment of them.
            With such distinct descriptions it must be concluded that the early church had less of a gender issue concerning leadership and ministry roles for women than we do in the 21st century.  But whatever our interpretation of the specific roles of Phoebe, Junias, Tryphosa, and Tryphanea are, it must be accepted that Paul had a high regard for them and for their contributions to the church.  Most importantly it should be remembered that they're not just names at the end of a letter.  Each woman was a person who mattered in the kingdom of God.  May we all look to them as an example and serve as whole-heartedly as they did (Col. 3:17; 1 Pet. 4:8-11).
Ann H. LeFevre, M. Div.                                                                                                          
Week of 9/17/2017

            We’ve just returned home from a trip to visit our family in Kentucky.  It’s a long drive but there are some interesting landmarks along the way that keep me entertained while I drive.  The first is a tractor-trailer truck mounted on top of a billboard stand that advertises a junkyard for truck parts.  Next is the frame of what was supposed to be the “Ark of God’s Safety”.  It is supposedly the same design as Noah’s well-known boat but apparently the church which began this project after the pastor received a “vision” to build it forgot Jesus’ admonition to “count the cost” when they started the construction of it (Lk. 14:28-29).  The third landmark that catches my attention is what I’ve nick-named “The Lighthouse Church”.  This church, easily seen from the highway, sits on top of a hill in land-locked West Virginia, with (you guessed it!) a lighthouse on its front lawn.  It’s not one of those little decorative ones, but a full-scale light house, beacon and all, which would normally be found by the sea.  The funny thing is the name of the church is quite generic and has nothing to do with lighthouses.  I always wonder how that combo came to be.  Perhaps they are putting a humorous twist on Mt. 5:14-16.
            On our trip home this time another building caught my eye.  It wasn’t that it was as eye-catching as a barely built ark, a truck where you’d normally not see one, or a lighthouse in the middle of the mountains, but its signage struck a chord with me.  The sign hung across the porch of a lovely house, painted in white with forest green shutters.  “Ministry of Encouragement” it proclaimed with the “T”s shaped like a cross.  I’m not sure if it’s a counseling center or a church, but I liked the sound of the name. 
            If there is any one person in the Bible who is associated with the “ministry of encouragement” that person would be Barnabas.  His actual name was Joseph and he was a Levite who originally came from Cyprus.  He was an active member in the early church and earned the nick-name “Son of Encouragement” (Bahr- son of, nuh-buhs- consolation/encouragement) from the disciples because of his generous and supportive nature (Acts 4:36-37).  He welcomed Paul into fellowship when others had reservations about him (Acts 9:26-27), was excited to see God working among Gentile converts in Antioch (Acts 11:19-30), served both as a missionary and relief worker (Acts 13:1-3, 42-43; 14:8-18), took part in the Jerusalem Council on behalf of the Gentile converts (Acts 15:1-34) and took a stand against Paul concerning the status of John Mark (Acts 15:35-41).  I’m sure the decision to separate from Paul weighed heavily on his mind, but in the end the Gospel spread further because of it.  I think Barnabas would have been encouraged by that.  (And a satisfying footnote to the story appears in 2 Tim. 4:11.)
            The Scriptures consider encouragement to be a trait all Christians should posses.  We are admonished to fill our speech with grace (Col. 4:6), encourage and build each other up (1 Thes. 5:11), encourage the faint-hearted (1 Thes. 5:14), and to encourage one another to avoid an unbelieving heart (Heb. 3:12-13).  When encouragement is evident in the body of Christ it glorifies God the Father (Rom. 15:1-6; Heb. 10:19-25).  The life of Christ encourages us to strive for humility and unity (Phil. 2:1-11) and Paul considered encouragement to be a major component of his ministry (1 Thes. 2:1-12).  It saddens me when I’m with a group of Christians who have embraced the humor of the world by teasing one another with put-downs and caustic remarks.  The language is no different than the current hit comedy and I wonder, “Why do we think this is funny?”  I know most people take it on the slide, but are we really supposed to be making fun of each other this way?  Have we become so immune to this form of sarcastic humor that we don’t even realize we’re doing it?  Is that what we’re supposed to sound like?
            While we were visiting in Kentucky we attended one of our son’s soccer games.  I was sitting on the bleachers before the game started and noticed that the women’s soccer team had a Scripture verse printed on the back of their T-shirts (Heb. 12:11-13).  I knew it had something to do with training and how a person carries themselves on or off the field in this case.  During the game a couple of the women started poking fun at an opponent.  The words were meant to pull his focus off the game and therefore give an advantage to the home team.  While the tactic is typical of any sport, the words were unkind.  After a few cat-calls, another young lady turned around, caught the eye of the hecklers and admonished them to find a better way to cheer for the men’s team.  “Yes Mom!” they joked.  But they stopped.  And that was encouraging to me!  I think if you’re going to put a Scripture on your back, you most definitely want to walk in a manner worthy of the One who called you (Col. 4:6 and 1 Thes. 2: 12 in action) and “Mom” was right to call them out on it!  We should all be that attentive to our speech.  So, I challenge you to watch your words this week and instead of embracing the humor of today’s pop culture, go against the norm and use your words to be an encouragement to someone (Ps. 19:14; Prov. 16:24; Col. 3:5-8).
Ann H. LeFevre, M. Div.    
Week of 9/10/2017