Heartland News & Prayer

June 26, 2011 by Wendy Carter.

Hi there!

“I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand, which is the distinguishing mark in all my letters. This is how I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.” 2 Thessalonians 2:17-18

Yeah! The Canada Postal strike is over. The delivery of mail to our door is not as important as it has been in the past due to the Internet but it still is very important. I am actually looking forward to receiving some bills this week so I don’t get messed up in my accounting. I will also be able to get back to sending out cards – an old time friend is celebrating her birthday today so I’ll have to telephone instead since she doesn’t email very much. The Apostle Paul thought it very necessary to communicate with friends and churches along the way through letter-writing. Now you too can rev up those communication tools to a higher level. Do you respond to every letter/email/telephone call? It is important even if it is just a one-line email note or a card letting a friend know you are thinking about them. Let’s together start a new page since we have been hearing so much about our postal system lately.

It is not as easy for William to communicate with us since his Internet availability is slow and expensive. He let us know this week that he has finally received all his luggage and is now beginning to source out necessary solar system parts. “I am now in the process of searching all the parts of the things that Gary gave me.  I will come up with more questions soon.” Please continue to pray for William as he adjusts back to Myanmar life and Richard with his orphanage. Richard sent through some pictures of his new baby boy, Gideon who seems very healthy. That is a good thing in a country where a huge proportion of children die before age five because of poor health conditions. Also pray for our ongoing work to raise funds for them through available foundation money.

Home Group happens this Thursday at the Burton “manor” at 7:00 p.m. We are continuing to view Don Carson’s series on the Bible and praying together.

Take advantage of those lazy days of summer!

Wendy
wendy.carter@kainos.org
This blog is a summary of our 9:00 Sunday morning services held at 7777 Churchville Rd., Brampton, ON L6Y 0H3, 905-230-8116. It can always be found at www.blog.heartlandfellowship.ca.

On Being Good Leaders and Followers by Gary Carter: An excellent 3-minute youtube video (http://sivers.org/ff) on leadership has tons of lessons we can learn. For example, it takes guts for a leader to stand alone and look ridiculous; a leader is easy to follow; a leader embraces each follower as his equal; leadership is often over glorified; a first follower needs courage to step out and has to over exaggerate; second follower creates a turning point towards momentum; new followers emulate old followers.

These lessons are not from the Bible but the Bible has proven over and over that an original leader cannot get things done without a follower. A group is easy to join if their activity is obvious; but it’s not easy to join if you don’t want to or if you are getting in too late. It is easy for our youth to go where the crowd goes and that’s okay if we are just talking about clothing styles but moral issues are different. Who was the first person to ever start worrying about the quality of our air? We don’t know and often the leader will disappear but the movement will continue if it is good. Some don’t like the ban on insecticides but what about the quality of water with our oceans dying? This is God’s world and we all can be good leaders and followers to take charge of it.

The Second Mission (Part 2) by Steve Macdonald: A possible travel mate for Paul on this second journey was Dr. Luke, a Greek and a Gentile. Eusebius indicates Luke was born at Antioch in Syria; others believe his home was in Philippi. When did he first meet Paul? On the first mission when Paul and Barnabas were in Antioch, since Paul had not yet been to Philippi, it is almost certain this is where Luke joined Paul, simply by the language Luke uses in Acts. Acts 16:6-7- 8 says about Paul and his companions, “… when they came to the border; so they passed.” Then Acts 16:9 records “we, got ready to leave.” What business brought Luke to Troas and caused him to join Paul?

Paul continued his trip and landed in Neapolis (Romans 16:14) meeting “Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the other brothers and sisters with them. Patrobas who later became Bishop of Neapolis according to the Eastern churches and thought to be one of the select elite group (the 70). Patrobas meaning paternal pursues the steps of his father from Greek origins. Was he there as Paul came into port? We simply don’t know.

In Philippi he meets Lydia, a Greek. Her name means “from Lydia”, an area in Asia Minor. She was originally from Thyatira but lived in Philippi. Lydia was probably a Gentile attracted to Judaism as she was at the “place of prayer” on the Sabbath. What is so significant about Thyatira? Because of the waters - there is no other place where the scarlet cloth was made so brilliantly or so permanently dyed. Lydia is a successful business woman selling fine purple cloth; she likely had a big factory on the river in Thyatira making the cloth she sold. Lydia is the first recorded convert to Christianity in Philippi. She listened to Paul’s message and became a believer only after God ”opened her heart” (Acts 16:14). Her immediate response was to get her household, be baptized and then invite Paul and his companions to her house. It is interesting that after her conversion, this successful business woman, not so much invited Paul, Silas, Timothy, Luke and who ever else was with them to her house, but she actually challenged them.

Others in Philippi who met, were influenced and saved during Paul and Company’s visit were a possessed slave girl (not really by Paul’s intervention or preaching - Acts 16:16-18) and some prisoners, a jailer and his family(Acts 16:25-34). Did Hermas come into the story at this time? He became the “Bishop of Philippi” (Romans 16:14). What was the reaction from all these people after they were saved? Lydia opened her house to these strangers and challenged them to test her faith; she and her household were baptized. We don’t know more about the slave girl. The jailer was filled with joy as was his family. They were baptized and opened their house to Paul and Silas. Epaphroditus (Philippians 2:25) was a messenger from Philippi when Paul was in prison for the first time in either Rome or Ephesus. His name was a pagan one meaning loved by Aphrodite. He became a Bishop of Philippi. Clement (Philipians 4:3), it is believed became the Bishop of Rome. Euodia (Philippians 4:2) was a member of the church in Philippi. Her name means “sweet scent.” Syntyche, a Greek name meaning “common fate” was lady of note and prominent in the work of the church there. Both obviously had a disagreement and Paul pleads with them to come to an agreement.

In Thessalonica Jason is referred to in Acts 17:5-6-7-9 and maybe in Romans 16:21. Is this the same Jason? Did he forfeit his bond, lose his property and have to move or did he also begin to travel with Paul and spread the Gospel? If so, when? Who else heard and believed? Aristarchus and Secundus were both natives of Thessalonica. Aristarchus became a constant companion to Paul on his later journeys – Ephesus (Acts19:29), Greece, Macedonia, Troas, Philippi (Acts 20:1-6), Adramyttium (Acts 27:2), Rome (Colossians 4:10; Philemon 1:24) and more.

Paul and Silas left Thessalonica during the night and arrived in Berea where they spoke in the synagogue. Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea is mentioned in Acts 20:4 and Romans 16:21. Sopater or Sosipater means who defends the father. It is likely that Sopater and Sosipater are the same person in both verses as he was born in Achaea, became Bishop in Iconium and traveled with Jason (Thessalonica) to the Island of Corfu.
Throughout Paul’s second missionary journey, people are coming and going. At the start Luke was likely not there and doesn’t come onto the scene until Troas. In Thessalonica, Paul and Silas left with Timothy, leaving Luke behind likely with others. In Berea, Paul leaves for Athens traveling with unnamed men leaving Silas and Timothy behind. Where was Demas from? Likely from Thessalonica or that area (Berea/Philippi/Neapolis).He may have met Paul and become a believer on either this mission or his 3rd journey. And what about Carpus in 2 Timothy 4:13? Has Crescens from Galatia become a member of the entourage?

Ready … Reset by Gary Carter: “A good objective of leadership is to help those who are doing poorly to do well and to help those who are doing well to do even better.” (Jim Rohn) “Effective leadership is putting first things first. Effective management is discipline, carrying it out.“ (Stephen Covey)

These quotes have come from two excellent God-fearing leaders. Ezra had similar outstanding leadership qualities as found in his Old Testament book of Ezra. When there is a demise of a nation usually leaders can’t lead any more due to their new restrictive circumstances. William is probably under high risk in his country as he is a good leader in his militaristic country. This type of government works for a while until the whole crowd rises up as in the French Revolution or the Civil Rights movement in the US. It starts with a leader and followers who are willing to take a stand. Martin Luther King, even though not a great leader, was a great orator with his repeated “I have a dream …” message. He was surrounded with good followers.

After the rebuilding of the temple, the return of the Israelites to Jerusalem and their consequent sacrifices to the Lord, leaders came to Ezra to draw his attention to the problem of intermarriage among the people with their neighbours (Ezra 9). This was one of God’s commands as He knew His people were headed for trouble, not racially but spiritually because of the different value systems. The farming analogy of two animals with different strengths in a yoke having a very hard time in plowing a straight path will bring the farmer much grief. It is important for a teenager not to date an unbeliever or there will be struggles throughout their lives if marriage occurs. Ezra didn’t realize how bad this situation had grown and became very upset with the unfaithfulness. His solution was prayer to ask for forgiveness. In chapter 10 a large crowd wept with him as well and one of the leaders told Ezra, “We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women from the peoples around us. But in spite of this, there is still hope for Israel. Now let us make a covenant before our God to send away all these women and their children … we will support you, so take courage and do it.” This was very harsh medicine.

Restoration:
1. Get online (9:1) – develop awareness.
2. Get upset (9:3) – people have pulled their hair out in extreme grief.
3. Get up (9:5) – don’t just give up.
4. Get down (9:6) – pray.
5. Get others (10:1) – unholy alliances sneak up on you. Others must see the problem with you.
6. Get out (10:7) – move outside your past behaviour to do the hard thing that must be done.
7.Get on (10:16) – do what must be done to eradicate from your life the culturally accepted thing which is also against God’s law.
“But in spite of this, there is hope for Israel.”

That’s Not Punny! by Steve Macdonald:
Italian Delicacies by Liz Onya
Fallen Undewear by Lucy Lastic
I Love Bull Fighting by Matt Adore
Round the World by Madge Ellen
The TV News Anchorman by Maury Ports
The Terminator by L. B. Back
Common Tennis Injuries by L. BoPayne
When Baseball Heroes Strike Out by K. C. Atbatt
They’re Not Cows! By M. R. Horses

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