Have you ever watched a red-carpet event?  They are an array of flash and glitter that attempts to out-do those in the heavens which is why they are "star-studded" (ha-ha).  In the glory days of classic film these glamorous events were a fashion designer's show case of elegance, sophistication and style.  Today they are a race to see who can show off the most flesh or be in the most outrageous get-up as actors and actresses head into the theater thus garnering the most photos and posts on Instagram and Facebook.  Believe it or not this is nothing new.  Pageantry was alive and well in the Book of Acts as well.

            Paul had traveled to Jerusalem after a tearful good-bye with the believers in Ephesus.  Once in Jerusalem he headed to the Temple to perform a ritual purification (Acts 20:13-21:36).  But when recognized by a contingency of Jews from the diaspora a riot breaks out and Paul is brought into the Roman fortress next to the Temple for protection.  When it looks like he is going to be tortured as a means of interrogation, Paul reveals that he is a Roman citizen (Acts 22:22-29) which is a game-changing detail.  Paul is eventually shipped to Caesarea (Maritima) in order to be examined by Felix who lets him languish in prison for two years.  This is no surprise as the Roman historian Tacitus described Felix as "a man who exercised the prerogatives of a king with the spirit of a slave."  Excessive rioting, incompetence and corruption caused his recall in AD 59.   He was succeeded by Festus who ships Paul back to Jerusalem for a new trial (Acts 23:12-25:12) but Paul decides to claim a right that all Roman citizens could appeal for- that he be tried in Rome.  The star-studded show is about to begin with King Agrippa at the center. 

            Let's look at the cast of characters who come along with Agrippa to hear the tent-maker from Tarsus.  Festus appears to be the most noble of them.  He became governor in AD 59 and was perceived to be a prudent and honest ruler.  Unfortunately (or oddly to his advantage) he died after 2 years in office with his character and reputation intact.  When his path crossed with Paul he did as Roman law required.  Paul appealed to Caesar, so off to Rome he would go (Acts 25:12).  But since King Agrippa has stopped by Caesarea Maritima while on vacation, why not run the case by him (vv. 13-14)?  His full name was Marcus Julius Agrippa II and he was the great grandson of Herod the Great.  Throughout his political career he remained steadfastly in Rome's good graces.  All seems to be going well until Paul introduces the atoning death of Christ whereupon Festus blurts out that Paul must be mad.  Paul denies the accusation and turns the table over to Agrippa, who according to Jewish tradition, had a mother who was deeply interested in the Jewish faith.  Did he not believe the prophets as his mother had?  It was an extremely uncomfortable moment for the king but he sheepishly deflects by asking a sarcastic question, "Do you really think you can convert me in one speech Paul?"  Paul deftly diffuses the tension by saying, "I do hope you will one day be like me, but without these chains."  Agrippa did have the ability to free Paul and remarked to Festus that had Paul not appealed to Caesar he may have done just that.  For Agrippa it was more important to garner favor from Rome and Festus so he avoided making any kind of decision that might bring controversy.
 
           However, the drama of his personal life provided enough controversy anyway.  Bernice who is mentioned in Acts 25:13 and 23 was his sister.  She had been married to her uncle Herod of Chalsis but when he died she went to live with Agrippa.  Historians Josephus and Juvenal both made note of persistent rumors that the two had an incestuous relationship.  In order to put these to rest Bernice was briefly married to King Polemo of Cilicia but she eventually returned to live with her brother.  After the Roman war she became the mistress of Titus but public opinion forced them to break off the relationship, not once, but twice.  She eventually returned and remained with Agrippa.  Bernice appears to be a pawn in many ways but she didn't mind taking advantage of the opulent lifestyle provided by each of her partners.  All in all she was like many of the rich and famous of today who search for satisfaction in worldly things only to find there is nothing of substance behind the glitter and glam.

            And so were Festus and Agrippa.  Whether altruistic or concerned about public opinion those on the red carpet, good or bad, still fall short of God's righteousness and need a Savior just as much as the rest of us.  We may not stand before kings and governors as Paul did but we do stand before people who are in need of the Gospel message just as much as they are.  Are we prepared as Paul was to give a testimony of how we came to believe what we believe?  The outcome is not up to us, but taking the opportunity to do so is (Acts 26:1).

Ann H. LeFevre, M. Div.
https://www.annhlefevre.com, [email protected], https://www.linkedin.com/in/annhlefevre, https://www.facebook.com/ann.h.lefevre

          For those who are "into it", history is a fascinating study.  I was reading through a portion of Acts one day and the thought struck me that "church" history from its earliest days was no different than what occurs within the church at large today.  Our culture with all its possibilities and with all its limitations was a carbon copy of the culture the early believers lived in.  They faced challenges from within (Acts 5:1-16, 6:1-7) and without (Acts 8:1-3, 12:1-3).  Throughout the history of this vehicle Jesus chose to proclaim His message, history has repeated itself over and over again.

            It is interesting to note that with every challenge the early believers faced, once corrected or resolved, the Gospel was able to move forward.  In the case of Ananias and Sapphira once the Lord's judgment on their deceipt was public the believers recongnized that God was just as active among them and as serious about their devotion as He was when their forefathers wandered in the wilderness on the way to the Promised Land (see Num. 12:1-16 and Num. 16).  With every challenge there also came a rapid expansion of the Gospel.  Luke notes that the response to the demise of Annias and Sapphira was reverence and awe (Acts 5:11) along with an increase in both miracles and converts (vv. 12, 14).  The same was true after the issue of uneven benevolence was resolved by appointing deacons to oversee the distribution of food to the needy widows.  Widows of both Greek and Aramaic circles were satisfied and numbers increased (Acts 6:6-7).

            While it is not pleasant, persecution actually furthers the expansion of the Gospel in two ways.  In the first sense, when the identifiable leaders of the early church are arrested or martyred it compels others to step forward and proclaim the Gospel in their place.  We don't know much about the "second string" on the Gospel ball field, but we do know they made an impact because the "Church" did not die.  Instead it carried on.  One of the more notable stories involves a more well-known personality.  After Stephen's death and compelled by Saul's "ravaging" persecution of believers in Jerusalem the early church is scattered (Acts 8:4) but this also places disciples like Philip in places where the Gospel is not only heard, it is received (vv. 5-13).  Secondly persecution by its geographic aspect forces people to move away broadening the physical area where the Gospel is shared.  Take the aforementioned Philip as an example.  He leaves Jerusalem and ends up in Samaria- an interesting twist in itself as most devout Jews avoided this area like the plague!  Apparently Philip now understands the Gospel is meant for Everyman and he's up to the task to make sure Everyman hears it.

            Sadly the remainder of church history does not have the same result yet the parallels between the days of Acts and this writing remain.  When I look over the centuries that followed after that which is recorded in Acts, I am saddened to see the erosion of purity and strict adherence to God's Word.  But even then believers were admonished to be watchful and discerning considering thoughts and ideologies that were being introduced in their midst (1 Tim. 6:20-21; Titus 2:1, 3:9; 2 Pet.2:1-2; Jude 1:4).  A disheartening trend is the infusion of outside beliefs and philosophies which are no longer disregarded but fully embraced within Christendom (Socialism and the New Age to name two).  Perhaps the most misguided union was that of Liberalism and Biblcial Studies.  Understandably introduced into Christian thought as a result of WWI and WWII, it was never reviewed or reconsidered when its principles not only eroded Biblical authority but even rewrote it (a definite "no-no" in God's eyes- Rev. 22:18-19).  However an interesting observation can be made: when sound doctrine is adhered to the church grows in spite of persecution.  But as Liberalism in Biblical interpretation grew, the decline of the church's role in culture and society began.  Sound doctrine replaced by deconstructionism also replaced the people in the pews with empty spaces.

            Yet hope remains that the Gospel will still go forth as it did in the days of Acts.   In recent years a tiny virus threatened to shut down the world.  Churches alongside businesses and other public institutions were closed to hopefully ward off the spread of Covid 19.  At first it seemed to be the final death-blow to the preaching of the Word until local congregations discovered the power of the Internet.  People were struggling.  They needed answers and lo and behold, churches which stood solidly on the Bible and preached straight from its pages saw an amazing amount of growth thanks to their on-line presence.   There are sitll nay-sayers.  There is still antagonism and out-right persecution in many places around the globe.  But the Word is still going forth as well.  How are you a part of it?  Hopefully you are like Philip or the many believers we don't know about in Acts that scattered and took the Gospel with them.  No matter where you are, or what you are doing, it is what Christ commands you to do (Mt. 28:18-20; Acts 11:19-23).  If there is anything we can learn from the early church in Acts today, it's that it's time to get the Word out!
 
Ann H. LeFevre, M. Div.
https://www.annhlefevre.com;[email protected]; https://linkedin.com/in/annhlefevre; https://www.facebook.com/ann.h.lefevre
 

            There were at least 5 of us who set out on that one sunny Saturday to take the path through the woods down to “the Bowl”, a depressed area shaped like, you guessed it, a bowl in my grandparents’ woods with a beautiful stream running through it.  My memory cannot recollect everyone who came with me on that walk but I do know one thing, our curiosity caused us to take a much longer trek than we expected!  My aunt had told us how to find some interesting sights along the way- an old cabin, a rusty, decaying truck and an abandoned car from the 1950’s.  Once we got to the Bowl we were treated to the wonderful smell of pine trees and the beauty of the sun filtering through their trunks and branches as well as the sound of water tumbling over rocks and fallen branches.  We climbed down from the rim and decided to follow the stream to see where it was going but somehow we managed to get ourselves a little turned around while doing so.  About 2 hours into our adventure we realized we were lost.  We didn’t panic though.  We agreed that the stream would lead us somewhere so it was best to just keep following it and eventually we found ourselves intersecting with a road.  We elected to go to the right which brought us to the entrance gate of a summer camp I recognized.  I then knew we had to follow the road back the way we came and eventually it would intersect with the main road that led to my grandparents’ property.  All in all we were wandering about for almost 6 hours laughing and enjoying each other’s company all the way.  We may have caused some concern among the youth advisors who’d given us permission to go but when we arrived back safe and sound all was well.  Even though I can’t remember all the details of that lengthy hike, I do remember it was fun thanks to the friends who went on it with me.  Travel companions do make all the difference in the world when the journey becomes a little more than you expected.

            When Luke recorded his travels with Paul he often mentioned others who came alongside them throughout the journey.  In Acts 20:4 Luke lists off several companions who joined him as he traveled through Macedonia and Greece.  While Luke does not really include a lot of details here, several of Paul’s letters fill them in.  The main point of this leg of the journey was to assemble a delegation from the churches Paul planted who would come with him to present the monetary gift he’d collected for the impoverished Jerusalem believers (Rom. 15:25-33; 1 Cor. 16:1-4; 2 Cor. 8:1-9, 15).  It is during this time that Paul encounters some struggles with the Corinthian church which resulted in a series of letters to correct the issue (two have survived in our New Testament) and a visit in Corinth afterwards which lasted for 3 months during which he composed his letter to the Romans.  The list of names includes some we recognize readily such as Timothy and Titus.  Others are less well known but may have some recognition because they are mentioned in other Scripture passages (Aristarchus- Acts 19:29, 27:2; Phile. 23-24, Gaius- Acts 19:29, 3 Jn. 1:1, Tychicus- Eph. 6:21; Col. 4:7; 2 Tim. 4:12; Tit. 3:12, and Trophimus- Acts 21:29; 2 Tim. 4:20) but two are a complete mystery since they only appear here (Sopater son of Pyrrhus and Secundus of Thessalonica).

            It is interesting to note the character of these men.  We know a lot about Timothy and Titus.  Paul entrusted both of them to be overseers in the churches he established in Ephesus (Timothy) and on the island of Crete (Titus) so we will not spend a lot of time on them.  What is interesting to note is that with only a few passages concerning them, we find that Aristarchus, Gaius, Tychicus and Trophimus were men of great moral character, loyal, demonstrated a deep faith and commitment to the Lord to the  point of imprisonment for a few of them, came from mixed backgrounds and shared a willingness to follow Paul to Jerusalem even when it was apparent suffering may take place there (Acts 20:22-24, 36-38).  Three words illustrate this by their actions.  Paul had “determined” that he would go to Jerusalem.  This Greek verb is associated with the process of decision making and implies the sense of accord or counsel.  In other words Paul’s decision was probably based on discussions he had with his entourage.  The second word is also a verb which means to follow or accompany.  Apparently the discussion included their participation in Paul’s trip.  And lastly as the trip is adjusted to deal with the Corinthian Church issues, these men adapted to the plans and even went ahead to Troas to help with some of the travel accommodations. Not only were they men of character, they were action oriented.

            Who walks with you on your faith journey?  Do you have the kind of friends or family that supports you, takes action to make your walk better, or goes all out and follows you through thick and thin?  It is my hope that you will have someone in your life of whom you can say like Paul did of Tychicus, “He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord.”  Those are the best life-traveling companions of all.
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Ann H. LeFevre, M. Div.
https://www.annhlefevre.com/, https://www.linked.com/in/annhlefevre/, https://www.facebook.com/ann.h.lefevre/

            It was the best of times and the worst of times.  But these times weren’t happening in 1859 when Charles Dickens published A Tale of Two Cities, nor the French Revolution (1775) which Dicken’s famous novel refers to.  These times occurred during the reign of the emperor of Claudius who ruled over the Roman Empire from A. D. 41 to 54.  He was an effective ruler who was more bureaucratic than previous despotic emperors.  He expanded both the road system and the aqueducts which supplied water in Italy and throughout the provinces.  But his reign was also marked with a period of distress due to scanty harvests and several other causes.  He reversed the ruling of Caligula and permitted the Jews to observe their laws and customs, but made poor choices in appointing procurators over Judea which caused the situation there to deteriorate.  He also dealt poorly with the Jews in Rome who were initially banned from gathering together due to their large numbers and were finally expelled in A. D. 50.

            Luke, the detail-oriented historian, documents a major event during the period of Claudius’ reign in Acts 11:27-30.  Egyptian documents from this time period reveal crop failures in Judea, Egypt, Rome and Greece between A. D. 45-46.  The church in Antioch decides to respond to the needs of their brothers and sisters in Jerusalem with an offering which Paul and Barnabas deliver (Acts 11:30; 12:25).  The famine does not come as a surprise to the believers in Antioch because of a prophecy by a man named Agabus.  Luke notes that this revelation was “by the Holy Spirit” (Acts 11:28).  William Barclay in his commentary on the Book of Acts notes that there were three “designated” leaders in the early church.  Of first importance were the apostles who were noted as the God-ordained successors to Jesus.  Next were the elders who functioned as local overseers.  And finally, there were the prophets.  They functioned in the same two ways their predecessors in Old Testament times did.  They did foresee the future in a minor way but more importantly, they spoke forth the Word and will of God.  Luke records that a prophet named Agabus has predicted this far-reaching famine and documents that indeed it did take place during the reign of Claudius.

            The accuracy of Agabus’ prophetic gift is recorded twice.  The first occurrence is in Acts 11.  But later on in Acts 21:1-11 Agabus returns with a moving prediction and demonstration of the outcome of Paul’s impending trial.  His actions are similar to many Old Testament prophets who demonstrated the Lord’s words in action and then interpreted their meaning.  Agabus ties Paul’s belt around his hands and feet saying that Paul will be taken “to the Gentiles” in the same way.  It is heartbreaking news for Paul’s supporters.  They beg him to remain with them and not go to Jerusalem.  But Paul is insistent on not only going to Jerusalem but to die for the faith if that must be.  When his companions realize they cannot dissuade Paul, they “give up” and say, “The Lord’s will be done.”  While this may not have been the outcome they wanted, it is a confirmation that Agabus was recognized as an authentic prophet.  His actions indicated that it was the Lord’s will for Paul to go to Jerusalem no matter what the outcome should be.  It brings to mind the resolution of Christ who also set His face toward Jerusalem knowing full-well the outcome that awaited Him there (Mt. 16:21, 20:17-18; Mk. 10:32-33; Lk. 9:51-53).

            We know less about Agabus than we do about Claudius yet each man had an impact on the early church.  Although Claudius’ actions waivered between benevolent and tyrannical he managed to give the early church a time of relative peace and inadvertently allowed it to grow.  Agabus appears only twice in Scripture but each time he lives up to the standard of his office as set forth by the Lord whom he represents.  It is easy to put stock in public figures, secular or spiritual.  But the thrust of Luke’s history is not the people he is writing about but the fulfillment of the Lord’s will through the proclamation of the Gospel.  Claudius as part of a human institution merely moved it forward under his empirical commands.  Agabus confirmed that all things, whether natural or personal, occurred only by the Lord’s will and it was up to the believers to respond accordingly.  Where do you fall on this scale?  Are you responding to needs the Lord puts before you?  Are you following the Lord’s will no matter what, or are you relying on the whims of a political machine that may or may not allow you to live out your life in peace?  I am convinced more than ever that the stories in Acts are just as powerful today as they were when Luke sent them off to Theophilus (Acts 1:1).  The principles we can glean from them are just as important now as they were in A. D. 45.  If it were not for the boldness of Paul or the accuracy of Agabus’ prophetic words, the Gospel may not have moved forward and those in need (both physically and spiritually) may have perished.  How about you?  Are you moving the Gospel forward or taking the comfortable way out and keeping it to yourself?

Ann H. LeFevre, M. Div.
https://annhlefevre.com/, https://www.linkedin.com/in/annhlefevre/, https://www.facebook.com/ann.h.lefevre.