CONVICTION

Charles Wyvern returned home early from a successful foray into the Carolinas. He had sold and contracted to ship goods in a hundred settlements along the coast. He had even managed to invest with several others in what would surely become a prosperous plantation. He was pleased with himself. In all his dealings he had managed to maintain the reputation of an honest tradesman, only departing from fair practice when he deemed it absolutely necessary. 

His servant took the carriage and cared for his team while he went into his home to relax. The word “home” may have been an exaggeration. The house was certainly spacious. It was well shaded. Open windows let in the breeze. Over time he had brought in comfortable furniture including a feather bed. A good well had been dug near the kitchen behind the house. But he had been too busy with business and travels to bother with taking a wife. Days before he had sent word to his servant to prepare for his return. But he was not tired and wanted some company. When Anthony, his servant, entered the house and poured him a drink, he asked him to saddle his little chestnut gelding. Taking the pony he rode through the busy streets smiling and saluting acquaintances. But when he came to the public house there were only two horses hitched to the railing. He stepped through the open doors and greeted the innkeeper. 

“Where is everyone today?” he asked, as he ordered an ale.

“Everyone is goin’ to hear Whifield,” he said. “I may close early and go along myself.” For some reason, this bothered Wyvern. He had to put up with all kinds of disruptions to his plans on the road. He did not expect them here in his own town. He of course knew of the popular preacher. The last he had heard, Whitfield was preaching to huge crowds in Philadelphia. This was hardly his first trip south. Even in the north he raised funds to build an orphanage here in Georgia. Charles asked another customer if Whitfield was preaching in one of the churches in town. The man didn’t know.

The innkeeper overheard and said, “No, Sir. They been postin’ handbills saying he’d be preachin’ from a big barn out on the west road. You may know the place. The barn is on the edge a wide grassy field.” Charles did know the place. It belonged to a man who refused to own slaves. Most of those were small landholders, but this man owned quite a bit of property. Charles finished off his tankard, went back to his horse and started home.

Whitfield was popular everywhere he went. Charles knew for a fact that the churches in London had closed their pulpits to him. He had then built his huge chapel on Tottenham Court Road and filled it day and night for weeks on end when he was in London. He was just as popular here in the colonies. Charles stopped by his house to tell Anthony to prepare a basket of food. He would go and hear this fellow himself. Anthony had not begun preparing anything, assuming his master would eat at the pub. Hearing that he was going to hear Whitfield, he asked if he could come along. 

“I have enough food and drink for us in the larder. And it wouldn’t take me long to harness your brougham.” Charles thought this might be good for his servant, so he agreed. As soon as everything was packed they started out. It took them over an hour to reach the farm where Whitfield was to preach. They heard the crowd singing hymns from some distance. The barn was actually on a smaller lane away from the West road. But there were already hundreds of horses and carriages along the main road. Still, from the size of the crowd he thought most of the people had to have come on foot. Some may well have come from quite a distance. Although it was still the middle of the afternoon, unlit lanterns surrounded the platform where Whitfield would preach. Charles had not thought about the meeting lasting into the night. 

He went straight to the shade of a large tree where a number of men were standing. Someone was smoking a cigar, though he could not see who it was. When Anthony had staked out their horse in a field across the road he came along to the same tree to be near his master if he were needed. 

When Whitfield began to speak even those who had heard him before were stunned by the force and melody of his voice. They had no difficulty hearing even this far from the barn where Whitfield stood in the open loft. His words echoed off the trees and canyons in every direction. He did not spend any time on pleasantries. 

“I have not come to you of my own volition. God has sent me here before it is everlastingly too late. I have not come to talk about politics or the weather. I have come at the call of God Almighty to talk to you about your soul.” From the very first word Charles was spellbound. As the preacher spoke of the holiness of Jesus, Charles began to realize that he was in a desperate condition. He had always thought he was a rather good man. He certainly knew men who were worse, at least in his opinion. But as Whitfield preached, Charles began to see himself in the light of the life of Jesus. He put his hand to his face and discovered that he was weeping. Whitfield had begun to tell a parable of a blind man stumbling along the edge of a cliff. Everyone in the crowd was there with him as he described the man’s predicament. As the man took his final step off the ledge, Charles Wyvern fell to his knees. He realized that he and all he knew of society was on that terrible precipice, soon to be plunged into eternal judgment. Unaware of others reacting in similar ways all around him, he cried out to Jesus who had died for his sins. The Son of God was his only hope.

It was dark and lanterns were lit across the field when Anthony, who had evidently been similarly affected, put his hand on Charles’s back. “Sir, let me help you up. Most of the people have left. I have harnessed the mare. If something like this had happened to anyone else, Charles would have said they were mad. He was not sure it was not true of him as well. All the way home he prayed and calculated the many things that with God's help must change in his life. From now on everything would be different because of what God had begun in him.

This story was conceived from John 16:7-11

Father, break our hearts by the power of Your Holy Spirit.

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OPPOSITION

  

My father sent me to the market that morning. I was in no hurry. He left at the same time to sail for Athens on business. My mother and sisters left the week before to visit family in Troas. They took the house servants with them. I was the only one left at home. As I came near the market I saw a group of my friends going somewhere together.

Timothy, who was leading them, called out to me. “Jason, come with us! We are going to meet Paul and Barnabus. Have you heard of them?” I had not, and neither had the others in the group before that day. 

As I joined them, Timothy began to explain. “Barnabus and Paul are Jews like my mother’s family. They came to Asia to tell people about Jesus, who rose from the dead after being crucified.” I did not know what to say about this. He continued as we walked along, “They came to Antioch and told about Jesus in the synagogue there. The people begged them to speak again the next week. Evidently the power of God was with them to heal people in the town as they told about Jesus through the week. 

“Nearly the whole city showed up at the synagogue the next Sabbath. The synagogue leaders were jealous. They began to oppose Barnabas and Paul before the crowd. Still, many Jews and Greeks from the city believed what Paul and Barnabas taught about Jesus. I have heard that they intend to come this way and I am hoping they will get here this morning.” As we came to the edge of town we saw men coming toward us on the road from Antioch. Timothy called to them, certain they were Barnabas and Paul. Sure enough, they were the apostles. When they saw us they decided we were the audience they were looking for. They led us off the road and began teaching. 

We were all stunned at their message. They told us Jesus was the Son of the only true God. This was strange to our ears, but somehow what they were saying rang true. They did not sound like trained orators. That was part of why they were so convincing. I was moved as Barnabas spoke. There was no question that he cared deeply about us. I found myself hoping that what he said was indeed true. After Barnabas finished, Paul stood to speak. As he spoke about true righteousness and faith and the love of God, I fell to my knees and cried out for the forgiveness and grace bought for me by Jesus on a Roman cross. 

We all followed the apostles back into the city. We had not seen any miraculous signs while they preached to us on the outskirts of town. But I was not surprised when Barnabas prayed for a sickly child who was wistfully watching the other children play. Immediately the child grinned and rose up to join the others. 

Just outside the market at the center of town they gathered a crowd and began to preach. As Paul preached he moved through the throng. He came near the young man that we have always called Solus. I am not sure if that is really his name, but like everyone else in the crowd, I knew his story. He was born lame. His feet and legs were shriveled. He could not walk at all. Paul reached out and took him by the hand to raise him to his feet. Right there in front of everyone his feet and legs were restored. All the people were amazed.

By then, a group had arrived from Antioch to stop Paul and Barnabas from teaching about Jesus. They had already been stirring up people to oppose Paul and Barnabas. They were enraged that the man was publicly healed. They immediately seized Paul. We managed to hustle Barnabus away as they dragged Paul out of town. Adonis and his younger brother took Barnabas to their home to save him from the same fate as Paul.

To the rest of us Timothy said, “We need to follow them and see what they have done to Paul.” When we caught up to the crowd they were throwing stones at the apostle. We watched in horror as several stones struck his head. He crumpled to the ground. We were fairly certain that they had killed him. They congratulated one another as they turned back toward the city.

Timothy led the way to Paul before they were out of sight. We were not going to leave his body out there on the side of the road. But when Timothy laid his hand on his body, Paul moved and shook his head. His head was bleeding profusely. After a moment he stood and began trudging back into town. I rushed to his side to support him. The rest of us surrounded him and would have fought anyone who tried to attack, but the men who stoned him had disappeared up the road. We didn't see them as we came into town. They may have started back to Antioch lest the magistrate question them. We took Paul to the home of Adonis where Barnabus was waiting anxiously. After his wounds had been dressed, Paul gathered us all together to encourage us to remain faithful to Jesus.

Leonides, who was older than the rest of us, asked why those people had been so angry. I was wondering the same thing. We listened intently as Paul explained.

“You all need to understand this. We follow a crucified Savior. As people hated him, they will hate us. Our speaking to them about Jesus will be a kind of judgment. It will reveal what is in their hearts. Some will gladly receive you and repent. Some will be enraged because they hate the true God and His Son Jesus. But Jesus has given the Holy Spirit of God to His followers. This includes you. The Spirit strengthens all of us and will empower us to be faithful.” I asked if that was how he recovered from being stoned. Paul thought for a moment and said, “Possibly.”

Hector, standing behind the rest of us, asked, “Is that how you healed the lame man?”

“In a way,” Paul answered. Then he said, “Actually, I did not heal him at all. Jesus did that. I saw that the man had faith to be healed. But yes, Jesus works through the Holy Spirit.

“God’s Spirit will bear witness of Jesus. The Spirit will speak through you. Sometimes he will even break the hearts of those who oppose Jesus. I was one of those people. I thought I was serving the God of my fathers by arresting and charging those who followed the way. I was on my way to another city to arrest the followers of Jesus who had fled there. On my way Jesus appeared to me in a light brighter than the sun. He called me to repent. By this undeserved grace everything in my life was changed. I now preach the One whom I hated and blasphemed.

 

This story is based on what Jesus said in John 15:18-27.

 

 

Father, make us faithful even in the face of fierce opposition.

 

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THE SPIRIT

 

A group of students had gathered around Polycarp to ask questions of the elder pastor. Polycarp enjoyed teaching this eager group of Christ’s followers. 

While they were asking questions he said, “Before long, I want each of you to teach before small groups and then before the entire church.” Several of them ducked their heads at this. One named Irenaeus said, “I don't think I can do that.” Several others said they would be terrified to stand and speak to a large group. And the church in Smyrna had grown to a large group indeed when all were gathered together.

Polycarp said, “Let me tell you how Jesus did it. He did not speak on His own but by His Father’s authority. When He spoke, the Father who dwelled in Him did His work.”

Justin, another young man in the group said, “But how could we ever have God’s power and authority as Jesus did?”

Polycarp answered, “I once said almost the same thing to John. He told me the most astounding thing I have ever heard. He recorded this in his Gospel account. Jesus told His disciples, ‘Whoever believes in me will do the works that I do. He will do even greater things than these because I go to my Father.’”

Irenaeus asked, “How could that be possible?”

Polycarp said, “If you have placed your faith in Jesus He has implanted the Spirit in you. He will remind you of everything He has spoken to you, and He will teach you what to say.”

Another of them named Florinus said, “But we have never heard Jesus speak. We know you were taught by John, one of his closest disciples, but even you have never heard the voice of Jesus.”

“That is not true. By the Holy Spirit He speaks to us every day.”

Irenaeus asked, “How do you hear Him?”

Polycarp answered, “He can speak to us in many ways. We start with the Scriptures and with prayer. Several members of the church have all the letters of Paul and Peter and John. We have the Gospels. And I have the Jewish Scriptures in my library. I will make them available to you. I want you to read through them. Trusting God to lead you, choose a passage. Read it over and over, praying constantly until you can quote it. 

“Do we pray for God to help us memorize it?” Florinus asked.

“Yes,” Polycarp said. “And more than that, pray for God to plant it in your heart. It is important to understand that the power comes from God working in your life. You don't just speak clever words, you must become what you are preaching. We depend upon God working in us like branches depend on a vine. Jesus said, ‘If you remain in me and my words live in you, ask whatever you wish and I will do it. It will bring my Father glory for you to bear much fruit as my disciples.’” The young people were stirred by this teaching, even if they did not fully understand.

The pastor continued, “When you can quote a passage, run it over and over in your mind as you go through the day. God will speak to you through the passage. After you begin to understand what He is saying to you, take a long walk. It will be convenient to do this on your way to the market or on some errand especially if you are going some distance. Begin saying everything that comes to your mind that explains or expresses the truth of the Scripture. You will find that you can carry this on for some length. Then when you summarize what you have to say, it will be direct and to the point.

Ireneaus said, “That may give us something to say, but it will not calm our fears. I still don’t think I could preach to the whole church.”

“That is partly true, son. The prophet Jeremiah said God’s word became like fire in his bones. As that happens you will have to share it even though you are terrified.” For the next few days the young people spent long hours with Polycarp’s books. 

One afternoon, Ireneaus asked, “Do you use the same method when trying to talk to people in the market? They may be harder than the church. Many will not be sympathetic.”

Nothing will prepare you to talk to people in the market like saturating yourself in the words of our Lord. He promised that the Spirit would remind you of what he has told you. I find that often happens when I am surprised by an opportunity to speak to someone or even a group. I could not have planned what to say, but from before the foundation of the world the Holy Spirit has planned what he wants people to hear. 

Irenaeus said, “Well, I think He has been giving me something to say to unbelievers. And like you said, it is burning in my heart. I have to tell someone even though I am terrified.”

This story arose from the words of Jesus in John 14.

Father, saturate our lives in your word and speak to us by your Spirit.

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