ASPECTS a monthly devotional journal by David S. Lampel --------------------------------------------------------------------- Issue #70 September, 1996 [Internet Edition] AN EXCHANGE OF AFFECTIONS -------------------- "No man is an Island, entire of it self; every man is a piece of the Continent, a part of the main." John Donne[1] __________________________ The ship pitched and tossed with the white-crested waves that battered its progress through the waters of the Great Sea or, to the Romans who now ruled the world, Mare Internum.[2] Far astern, just visible through the gray haze, the isle of Rhodes -- their last port -- receded from sight, diminishing against the horizon that was lost between the gray of the sea and the gray of the overcast sky. Ahead of the ship was only more gray, and night -- as well as their next port of Myra, in Lycia -- approached. Diomedes, clutching tightly to the wooden railing, glanced back in time to observe two members of the ship's crew haul on board the dinghy that in calmer waters was towed behind the ship. He knew then that the crew expected a strong gale to hit. Hand over hand, stepping carefully on the wet deck, Diomedes made his way forward to the hatch that led down to the hold -- and shelter from the approaching storm. There he would enjoy some wine and the companionship of the few passengers as they comforted each other against the unsettling movement of the waves. The ship lurched to one side, and Diomedes grabbed hold of the hatch's handle, eager to get inside, when he heard a low moan escape from what he had thought was just a large pile of rags collected at the base of the ship's central mast. Closer inspection revealed the cluttered outline of a man huddled against the wind and wet sea air. "Are you all right, sir?" He called. "Do you need assistance?" Getting no response, Diomedes drew closer, touched the huddled figure where he would expect a shoulder. "Sir, can I help?" The figure inside the rags moved. Gradually a rather longish nose emerged through the folds, followed by a pasty-white cheek, a chin, finally an eye, then two eyes that gazed up miserably at Diomedes, who repeated: "Can I help you, sir?" "I-I'll be all right. I told them I'd be all right." "Them?" "M-my friends. They're below." "As should be you." Taking him by the arm, "Here, let me help--" "No!" The wretched little man protested. "I'll do better here. Need the air. Please, I'll be all right." "Yes, I understand," Diomedes said, settling down next to him. "The sea sickness is suffered more successfully up above. I'll stay with you awhile, but when the storm hits we must go below." "You needn't stay. I'll be safe here." "Nonsense. What you need is to take your mind off your queasy stomach." He pulled his outer cloak more tightly about him, against the chilled air. "I am Diomedes, from Paphos." "Ah," the man brightened for a moment, "I know your city. I was there . . . oh my, it must have been about eight years ago. We crossed almost the length of your island of Cyprus -- from Salamis over to Paphos." "Yes, I'm returning now, and I must admit to missing my home." "How long have you been away?" "I've been visiting my daughter and her family in Athens; conducted a little business in Rhodes. By the time I return home it will have been a year since I last saw it." The man huddled in a heap at the base of the mast pressed the back of his hand to his mouth, belched quietly, and rolled his eyes heavenward in abject misery. "Is there anything I can do for you?" Diomedes pressed. His companion drew fresh air into his lungs to counteract the rising bile in his belly. "I've been rude. Forgive me. This unsettled sea has made me miserable in both body and spirit. My name is Paul -- of Tarsus." "Well, Paul, I do know how you feel. It took me many sailings to get over the sea sickness." "It's so embarrassing," Paul muttered. "I've been on many voyages. So long as it is calm, I'm fine. But my constitution has never acclimated to the acrobatics of an unsettled sea." "Crackers!" "What?" "Crackers. I should have thought of it earlier," Diomedes said, rummaging through the bag at his side. "An old sea hand once told me. Never sail without them. They work like magic." He passed Paul a handful of coarse, unleavened crisps. "Looks like Passover," Paul said, grinning for the first time. "Go ahead. Fix you right up," Diomedes coaxed, like a doctor prodding his patient to take the medicine he had just prescribed. Paul bit into the thin crusty bread, chewed slowly without enthusiasm. "There you go. Be better in no time." The wind gusted, pushed against the two travelers huddled at the center of the deck, as overhead it whistled with a lonely whine through the ropes that passed up and through the sail, then over the top edge of the heavy yard. The cold mist pressed in around them, and the ship's timbers groaned under the relentless weight and thrust of the rolling waves. The gray daylight was quickly fading toward an early dusk. Though they were surrounded on all sides by miles of empty sea, the two men felt the dense atmosphere close in around them like a room with its walls drawing in on itself. And, not even aware they were doing it, the two strangers edged closer to each other beneath the creaking mast. Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Eccles. 4:9-12 A HELPING HAND Suddenly the hatch flew open, pushed from the inside, and a fair-haired young man popped his head out. "Paul! Are you all right out here?" "Yes, Luke. I'm fine. Go back inside." "We're worried about you. Silas thinks I should come out and sit with you." "Tell Silas I already have a companion," motioning toward Diomedes, "and that the Lord will protect us from the elements." "Hello sir," Luke greeted Diomedes. "Thank you for your trouble." "It's no trouble." "By the way, Luke," Paul said, "why didn't you prescribe crackers for my woes." "Crackers?" Luke twisted his face into a mask of frowning curiosity. "My new friend, Diomedes -- whom, I might add, does not have your credentials as a learned physician -- prescribed them as a remedy for my unsettled belly. And -- praise God -- they have brought me relief." "Crackers?" the perplexed doctor repeated. "Yes, crackers." Paul's eyes twinkled with bemused affection for his young companion. "You may wish to make note of this miracle cure in your journal." "Yes, perhaps." And with that Luke lowered himself back down the ladder and closed the hatch after him. __________________________ "Every man should have friends with such concern for his well-being," Diomedes volunteered after Luke had left them. "I'm most fortunate, yes," Paul answered. "Are they business associates?" Paul chuckled over the thought. "In a manner of speaking. You might say that we are about the business of our Lord Jesus Christ." "Ah yes, I wondered," Diomedes nodded his head. "I've heard of this prophet -- and those who spread his teachings." "Then you're not a believer in the Way." "The `Way'?" "The way to God through Christ. The way of the cross." "No. I am not." Paul nodded his head politely. "The night is yet young," he said, smiling, and they laughed together like two old friends who have agreed to disagree. "And what is your destination?" Diomedes asked. "Home." "Tarsus?" "No, no. Jerusalem, and then Antioch." Diomedes turned toward Paul and, quite unexpectedly serious, gazed upon his face for a long time. "You are a man of many homes, aren't you, Paul of Tarsus?" After a moment's thought, Paul answered, "Yes. I suppose I am." "That can be a lonely life." Paul gazed out past Diomedes, toward the cresting waves that continued to pester the boat, toward the gray distance in which no discernible shapes could be seen. When he finally spoke it was with the accumulated thousands of miles he had traveled since that momentous day on the road to Damascus[3] -- it was with the accumulated knowledge and experience that had been poured into him since coming to know Jesus Christ as God, and Lord. "Before He returned to the Father, Jesus promised to send a comforter -- the Holy Spirit -- who would remain with us. And He kept His promise; the Spirit is my constant companion, no matter where I am. Still, it is a lonely life -- or can be -- traveling around the world to tell others of Christ. "But I serve a gracious God who sends others to help as well." "Other spirits?" Diomedes asked. "Other people. You live on Cyprus, yet even on that island you've heard of Jesus because He has followers there. There are, already, followers of the Way scattered all over the world." ------------------------------- Selah -------------------------------- "It has been suggested that the ways of God are melancholy unpleasant ways, solitary and sorrowful; and therefore then those that feared God studied to evince the contrary by their cheerfulness in mutual love and converse, that they might `put to silence the ignorance of foolish men'. When seducers were busy to deceive and to possess unwary souls with prejudices against religion, those that feared God were industrious to arm themselves and one another against the contagion by mutual instructions, excitements, and encouragements, and to strengthen one another's hands. As evil communication corrupts good minds and manners, so good communication confirms them." Matthew Henry ---------------------------------------------------------------------- "I can well imagine that a traveling preacher benefits from funds given by those who support his work," Diomedes said. "Oh, I've learned from the beginning that we need the help of others in so many more ways than financial. When I was at the very beginning, at the point where Jesus first took hold of my life, I learned what it meant to have others extend themselves for me. "The Lord stopped me just as I was rising up to strike down more of those I now call brothers." "You mean, sir, that you were once opposed to Christianity?" "I mean, sir, that I was once its worst enemy," Paul answered. "I mean that it was my life's occupation -- my unquenchable passion -- to remove from this earth as many followers of Jesus Christ as I could. My hatred for them could not be turned, and it was acted out in unspeakable ways." "Then I'll not ask you to speak of them," Diomedes said diplomatically. "I can see that this memory brings you discomfort. But what did finally `turn' you?" "Christ Himself." "You're an intelligent, well-schooled man; was it His rhetoric that won you over?" Paul laughed out loud, drawing curious glances from the few sailors on deck, busy securing everything loose in preparation for the storm. "While it's true my Lord could handily win any debate, it was not those skills He employed in my case. Instead, He drove me to my knees, face down in the middle of a dusty road, and, quite literally, blinded me with His holy brilliance." "Remarkable!" "I spent three very long days in Damascus at the home of my friend Judas, wondering what would become of me. I was weak, helpless -- and blind. But when I hit bottom, and reached out toward the Lord, He answered my prayer and showed me the name and the face of the one who would help me regain my sight." "I've heard of the doctors in Damascus. They've worked wonders -- " "No, Diomedes," Paul interrupted, "he was only a fellow pilgrim of the Way. He brought no miracle cure -- only the word of the Lord. He didn't even want to be there; Ananias was only too familiar with my reputation. He had no great love for me -- only a love for the Lord. So he obeyed, and ministered to me, and restored my health. Like oases set at intervals in the desert, the Lord sends His people to help us in times of need." ------------------------------- Selah -------------------------------- O how happy are they Who their Saviour obey, And have laid up their treasure above; Tongue can never express The sweet comfort and peace Of a soul in its earliest love. That sweet comfort was mine, When Thy favor divine I received through the blood of the Lamb; When my heart first believed, What a joy I received -- What a heaven in Jesus' Name! Jesus all the day long Was my joy and my song: O that all His salvation might see; He hath loved me, I cried, He hath suffered and died, To redeem even rebels like me. O the rapturous height Of the holy delight Which I felt in the life-giving blood; Of my Saviour possessed, I was perfectly blessed As if filled with the fulness of God. Charles Wesley ---------------------------------------------------------------------- "I even depended upon the help of others to leave Damascus," Paul continued, "as there were those who plotted for my life."[4] "So soon!" Diomedes said. "I can't blame them. How were they to understand the change that had taken place in my life. In a very short time I went from being a zealot against the Christians to being a zealot for them. And Ananias had warned me." "Of what?" "It didn't trouble him at all to pass along what the Lord had told him. In referring to me, Jesus had told him, `I will show him how much he must suffer for My name's sake.'[5] And so it began." The Fellowship The storm drew closer, the sky darkening into a somber hue that enveloped the ship, but Paul and Diomedes scarcely noticed the gathering dark and chill. Two strangers of disparate paths and intentions -- so much to set them apart, yet even more to recommend them to each other. "I have great respect for your work, Paul," Diomedes said. "Not that I adhere to its tenets, of course, or agree with it all, but I do respect it. In a manner of speaking we have similar occupations." "How so?" Paul pulled his damp cloak tighter around him. "I'm an agent for a consortium of copper dealers in Cyprus. I travel the Empire arranging their exports." Paul stared at Diomedes, then said, "Pardon me, sir, but this intemperate weather must be clouding my reason. Tell me: where are the similarities?" "It's my responsibility to enlist people in a cause -- in my case the cause is to enhance the wealth of my clients. Your responsibility is to enlist new people in the cause of your God." "Is that all you think it is, Diomedes?" Paul said, irritation creeping into his voice. "Don't take offense," Diomedes said quickly. "It's just that I've heard others compare your religion to a gathering army -- and those in your position to recruiters. Isn't it true that you seek to make converts?" Paul took a moment to calm himself before answering. "It's true that my purpose is to show people the error of their way, and the truth of the Way of Christ." "There! You see -- " "But this mission involves so much more, Diomedes. God's purpose is not to add names to a list, but new members to His family. What fellowship is there in the worship of Zeus, or Poseidon? In the one God we have no distant, angry deity, but a loving Father who cared enough to sacrifice His Son. And within the fellowship of believers we enjoy the relationships of family: brother to brother, sister to sister, sister to brother. "In a way you are correct. You enlist buyers, and I enlist those who would care to be adopted by the Father. But in the purpose behind these similar actions our paths diverge. While your purpose may be honorable, it is nonetheless temporal. My purpose -- my calling -- is eternal." "Mine puts food on the table," Diomedes said bluntly. "Let's not argue," Paul said quietly, pulling back into his cloak for warmth. "The night's too miserable for such foolishness." "Agreed." OASES IN THE DESERT "Christians in concert are an abridgment of heaven, shining like a firmament" George Swinnock Piercing momentarily through the clouded mist, low on the horizon behind the ship, the setting sun showed itself, sending angular streams of light across the broken surface of the sea. Then, as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone, and all around the ship returned the swirling clouds of the dying day. __________________________ "Our journey hasn't been easy," Paul said. "We've met as many roadblocks as open roads. There have been times, I confess, when I wondered why we bothered. Why travel hundreds of miles, only to be locked out of an entire region?" "But who locked you out?" "The Spirit." "The Spirit? I thought you said he was your companion. Why would he prevent you serving?" "The Spirit's our permanent connection to God," Paul explained. "He serves the Father by translating His wishes for us." Diomedes shook his head, confused. So Paul continued, "Well, here's an example: As their agent, you may think you know the wishes of your clients back on Cyprus. You've worked for them a long time, you're experienced in their ways of doing business. Even with that, when you're out on your own, there's still a lot of guesswork. But if they send you a handwritten message, then you will know their wishes. The Holy Spirit is our messenger from God the Father, delivering His specific wishes." "But Paul," Diomedes said, "when the message is `No', when your efforts are thwarted, how are you sustained? Here you are huddled against the cold and wet on the deck of a ship in the middle of a dark sea . . . How do you make it past all the tough times?" "It has been hard, but all along the way have been those ready to help. One is never a stranger when around other believers. "In Antioch, after a disagreement caused me to lose my earlier traveling companion, the Lord gave me my friend Silas.[6] In Troas, after we had been prevented to minister in Asia and Bithynia, the Lord brought our good physician, Luke, to us.[7] And he has truly been an encouragement and help." "Except for his forgetting to bring along the crackers," Diomedes grinned. "Except for the crackers," Paul agreed. "But there's more. When we preached the gospel in Philippi we were eventually beaten and thrown into prison. In chains, Silas and I comforted each other by singing thanksgiving and praise to God -- the rest of the prisoners loved it! The Lord heard our songs and miraculously opened the jail, and that night a few more souls were added to His family. The Lord also brought to us a Thyatiran woman named Lydia[8] who gave us the shelter and sustenance of her home. Do you see, Diomedes? That's what it means to belong to Christ: You're never alone!" "It sounds more like it means you're never out of trouble." The Brave Thessalonian "Life in Christ doesn't mean guaranteed smooth sailing, but it does mean that when the storm hits, there'll be someone there to help. And that's what sustains me, Diomedes: People willing even to place themselves in harm's way for us. "We had a very good response in Thessalonica. When I shared the gospel with them in the local synagogue, there were many Jews who were persuaded -- even some Greeks, and women who were leaders in the community. And one of the members of the synagogue, Jason, opened his home to us. "But then some of the Jews who were not persuaded incited a crowd to take after us. My goodness, I've never had so many people angry with me who had not even heard me speak! The rabble from the city took after us and we were forced to take refuge in Jason's house." ------------------------------- Selah -------------------------------- Wonderful Peace Far away in the depths of my spirit tonight Rolls a melody sweeter than Psalm; In celestial-like strains it unceasingly falls O'er my soul like an infinite calm. Refrain Peace! Peace! wonderful peace, Coming down from the Father above; Sweep over my spirit forever, I pray, In fathomless billows of love. What a treasure I have in this wonderful peace, Buried deep in the heart of my soul; So secure that no power can mine it away, While the years of eternity roll. I am resting tonight in this wonderful peace, Resting sweetly in Jesus' control; For I'm kept from all danger by night and by day, And His glory is flooding my soul. And methinks when I rise to that City of peace, Where the Author of peace I shall see, That one strain of the song which the ransomed will sing, In that heavenly kingdom shall be: Ah! soul, are you here without comfort or rest, Marching down the rough pathway of time? Make Jesus your friend ere the shadows grow dark; Oh, accept this sweet peace so sublime. W.D. Cornell ---------------------------------------------------------------------- "They banged on his door, demanding that we show ourselves out in the street. We were terrified, but were going to comply, when Jason stopped us. May the Lord bless him, he insisted that we remain inside, while he went outside to confront the ill-mannered crowd. "They were rather physical in their abuse, and accused Jason and his friends of harboring those who were preaching insurrection against Rome -- meaning us! Well, this dear brother not only received the physical punishment intended for us, but also paid a promissory bond -- an expensive guarantee that we would leave and never return." Sharing "Where does all this animosity come from, Paul?" Diomedes said. "Why do you think so many are against the things you are for?" The question took Paul's thoughts back to the trials and abuse Jesus had to put up with -- the Pharisees and scribes continually breathing down His neck; His own family practically disowning Him; the Romans playing into the hands of the Jewish leaders, and finally putting Him to death. "As King Solomon wrote, Diomedes, there's nothing new under the sun," Paul said with a sigh. "No trial of mine will ever compare to what the Lord suffered." "But why is it necessary at all?" "There's no simple answer. And, I'm afraid, it has little to do with religion. Mostly it has to do with power. When I visit a city, it's usually the religious leaders who fight against my teaching -- not, mind you, for reasons of philosophy or doctrine, but because they consider me a threat to their positions of power -- their standing in the community. They think I'm challenging the foundation of everything they believe!" "And aren't you?" "Jesus said, `I've not come to abolish the Law or the prophets, but to fulfill them.'[9] Remember, Diomedes, their faith is over two thousand years old; the traditions will not go easily. "When I preach Jesus Christ I'm preaching the one who came to fulfill the prophecies of the Jewish faith. But they rejected Him. For hundreds and hundreds of years they looked to God -- searching, pleading -- to send the Messiah, but when He finally did, they turned their back on Him, and killed Him." ------------------------------- Selah -------------------------------- Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:1-5 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- "The resistance that I meet is only an extension of the hatred they heaped upon the Lord. And I think He relied on others for support, just as I do. I believe that Jesus was sustained through those trials by His disciples. He, too, had the Spirit; He had the Father; but in a personal, human sense, He had the twelve who brought Him encouragement and support against the trials He met." "I'm sorry, Paul," Diomedes said, shaking his head, "but I just don't see the point of it all. Where's the percentage. You've described a miserable life. How do you stand it, dealing with one rejection after another?" "O, Diomedes, I wish we were having this conversation at the top of a sunlit hill overlooking the Sea of Galilee. I wish the sounds around us were of the birds and bleating sheep, and the laughter of little children at play. But here we are, desperate for warmth on a cold, wet wooden deck, being tossed about like corks in a barrel. And the only sounds are of the unfriendly wind whistling by our ears and the chattering of our teeth. "Please don't judge the Lord's work by my precarious condition. Of course I have my troubles; preachers aren't insulated from adversity. But there is no greater joy than the joy of serving Him -- and of sharing that joy with His people. "Tell me, Diomedes, are you married?" A broad smile lit up his face. "Twenty years last month. We'll celebrate when I get home." "Would you say it's been a good marriage?" Paul asked. "The best I know." "You're a fortunate man. Then for the last twenty years you've enjoyed perfect, uninterrupted bliss with your wife." "Well," Diomedes quickly lost some of his beaming enthusiasm, "you know how these things are. No marriage is that perfect." "I see." "There are good times and bad. You go through changes, ups and downs." "My friend," Paul said, settling back into the relative warmth of his cloak, "I think of our relationship with Jesus Christ in terms of a marriage -- complete with all of life's good times and bad, changes, ups and downs. "In the best marriages the two people invest themselves thoroughly in each other. They come to understand the likes and dislikes, subtle moods; they come to know each other completely -- physically, emotionally, spiritually." "But what does this have to do with your being shut out of Asia, beaten and jailed in Philippi, almost lynched in Thessalonica?" "Diomedes, I believe that all of life consists of an exchange of affections. In every city where we preached and ministered, there was a constant flow between us and the people. Just as in a good marriage, there were people investing themselves in each other. We would invest in them God's teaching, and they would give back their appreciation, their encouragement, protection and, yes, love." "And that's enough?" "What more is there, man? What more is there than people of like mind and spirit helping each other -- making a contribution into each other's lives? Then, as if that weren't enough, they're doing all this in the name of Jesus Christ, whose life and sacrifice made it all possible in the first place!" __________________________ "We cannot expect the world to believe that the Father sent the Son, that Jesus' claims are true and that Christianity is true, unless the world sees some reality of the oneness of true Christians." Francis Schaeffer STANDING BEFORE THE SKEPTICS For the director of music. According to sheminith. A psalm of David. Help, Lord, for the godly are no more; the faithful have vanished from among men. Everyone lies to his neighbor; their flattering lips speak with deception. May the Lord cut off all flattering lips and every boastful tongue that says, "We will triumph with our tongues; we own our lips -- who is our master?" "Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise," says the Lord. "I will protect them from those who malign them." And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times. O Lord, you will keep us safe and protect us from such people forever. The wicked freely strut about when what is vile is honored among men. Psalm 12:1-8 __________________________ "I was at my lowest in Athens. We had moved on from Thessalonica to Berea. Because of the Jews there, we stole away in the middle of the night, just like in Damascus, save that this time it was on my two feet, instead of being dropped down in a basket. "Things went well in Berea. The people were receptive to our message -- in fact, eager to hear it. Many believers were added to the family there. But in no time the Jews from Thessalonica invaded -- yes, it felt like an invasion, like invading hordes from the north. They immediately began stirring things up, causing the kind people of Berea to turn against us. Because of this, the decision was made for me to proceed to Athens alone, while Silas and Timothy remained behind. "Never has a man felt more the alien than I in your daughter's city. All around me -- it seemed they lined every street and byway -- were statues and images of false gods. I honestly believe every pagan idol from every known culture from the beginning of time was dutifully represented. They even -- on the off-chance that they had forgotten one -- had a statue for the `UNKNOWN GOD'! I tell you Diomedes, I felt like a German in a Roman bath. For the first time in my journey, I just wanted to go home. I had no consolation from friends, and felt very much alone. "Somewhere I found the determination to go on. I reasoned with them in the local synagogue and in the agora.[10] I held conversations and debates with the leading Stoics and Epicureans -- though some ridiculed me, referring to me as some lazy rag-picker.[11] But I kept on. Then one day I was invited to speak before the Areopagus -- the council of distinguished city leaders who met at Mars Hill. I knew very well that I had been taken there more in jest than for any serious consideration of my words, but I was determined to do my best. The Lord placed me there; He was counting on me . . . `Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you. `The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. "For in him we live and move and have our being." As some of your own poets have said, "We are his offspring." `Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone -- an image made by man's design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.'[12] __________________________ "I commend you, Paul!" Diomedes said after a respectful moment of silence. "Though I know well that your purpose is not to garner personal praise, I still must say: a most eloquent dissertation worthy of the masters." "Thank you, my friend. I don't reject your appreciation. It is a healing balm upon my soul." Tentmakers "Good Diomedes, have you yet grown weary of my stories?" "Quite to the contrary, Paul, I've found them to be invigorating. The people of your faith have long been a fascination of mine, yet I've never had the opportunity to hear of them and their ways first hand. Your tales have made -- so far -- this awful voyage bearable. Have you more?" "I have one more, maybe the best." Paul once again snugged his cloak about him. "You are, of course, familiar with Corinth." "Aren't we all!" Diomedes erupted with glee. "Don't we all know the manners and customs and -- delights of that city!" Quickly recovering, "Uh, not, of course, first hand . . ." "Oh, of course." Paul diplomatically permitted his new friend the privacy of his memories, and continued. "The Athenians, in their sophisticated snobbery, politely conducted me to the gates of their city, but they may as well have done it with a boot to my backside. By the time I arrived in that cosmopolitan, albeit immoral, city of Corinth I was weary and low in spirits. The Athens episode, save for a few converts, had been a failure -- and the only thing worse than failure is having to suffer it alone. "I had no interest in the flashy distractions of the Corinthian metropolis, neither the companionship of one of its infamous temple prostitutes. Instead, I simply needed a place of rest and restoration with people of like mind and Spirit. "People like Priscilla and Aquila. Diomedes, I know you can identify with my predicament -- being so terribly far from home, bereft of even traveling companions; bone-weary from being constantly challenged, ridiculed, and pursued; now in a strange and alien city, where licentiousness is not only permitted, but the official religion. "Evening was approaching, and the dying sun was turning the streets of Corinth a deep orange. Strangers bumped my shoulders, shopkeepers beckoned me closer with their winking allurements. The evening air was filled with the disorienting stench of this alien culture. Nothing was familiar, nothing comfortable. "Out of desperation, I asked a street vendor where I might find a prosperous tentmaker in the city; you see, Diomedes, I am of that trade and, frankly, I needed the money. With a dismissing wave of his hand he told me to go down this street, then that street, until I reached a house that looked like this . . . "With the mumbled directions repeating through my head, I wound my way through the darkening streets and alleyways, until at last I stood before the previously described address. "I rapped against the heavy, wooden door; loud voices and angles of lamplight seeped through the cracks that divided the door's timbers. Suddenly the gate swung open, and before I knew it, I was standing in the midst of friends! -- brothers and sisters to whom just moments before I was unknown. Diomedes, in my moment of despair I found not only fellow tentmakers, but the open arms of fellow Christians!"[13] __________________________ "You do not do God a favour by serving Him. He honours you by allowing you to serve Him." Victor Nyquist "My time with Priscilla and Aquila was like enjoying a holiday at the seashore after tramping through the desert. Their company, their willingness to let me work with them at my trade, their pleasant and restoring encouragement of my ministry were a precious gift that renewed my spirit as well as my body. I will always be grateful to them -- as well as to my God for bringing them to me." For a long time Diomedes sat silently studying his deck companion and newfound friend, letting the rhythmic splash of the ship through the waves be the only dialogue between them. Finally he spoke. "Paul, my new friend, a little while ago -- only moments, it now seems -- I happened upon a quivering pile of rags braced against the salt spray and sickening heaves of the ship. At first, I now confess, I felt nothing more than pity for you, so helpless and ill. You seemed to be a most pitiful sight. "But it's taken no time at all for my wholly erroneous first impression to be replaced by a profound respect and -- dare I say it, even envy." "Envy?" Paul said, astonished. "Yes, it's true. Envy. What a wonderfully rewarding life you have! You have a God you happily suffer for; I don't even have a god who asks of me such things. You have brothers and sisters scattered throughout the world who are ready at a moment's notice to help you, feed and clothe you, even suffer for you; I have a handful of friends and acquaintances who will give me assistance -- as long they have nothing better to do. I have wealth, but you have riches beyond my comprehension! Yet instead of spending it on yourself, you spend it on others -- and they spend theirs on you! How marvelous!" "Diomedes," Paul said quietly, "there's nothing remarkable about my life -- except the presence of God that directs it. There's nothing remarkable about the people I consider my brothers and sisters -- except that it is the same Spirit that binds them as much to each other as to me. "Diomedes, it is our God who is remarkable -- not us, or our lives. It is His Spirit that courses through us, binding us to each other. If we are prepared to give our lives for each other, it is only because we have already given our lives to Him -- to our Lord Jesus Christ. He, my friend, is the remarkable one. "Now, since land is still a long ways off, would you care to hear more about Jesus?" "Yes, I think so, Paul," Diomedes said with newfound interest. "Tell me more about Jesus." The waves still pounded against the wooden ship, and the icy wind still blew across its decks. The large, square sail still flapped noisily above them as if it would be ripped from its yard and mast. But off the heaving stern, just for a brief moment, the fading sun showed itself one more time before silently slipping into the sea. ------------------------------- Selah -------------------------------- I love Thy kingdom, Lord The house of Thine abode, The Church our blest Redeemer saved With His own precious blood. I love Thy Church, O God! Her walls before Thee stand, Dear as the apple of Thine eye, And graven on Thy hand. For her my tears shall fall; For her my prayers ascend; To her my cares and toils be given, Till toils and cares shall end. Beyond my highest joy I prize her heavenly ways, Her sweet communion, solemn vows, Her hymns of love and praise. Sure as Thy truth shall last, To Zion shall be given The brightest glories earth can yield, And brighter bliss of heaven. Timothy Dwight ---------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - - NOTES, COPYRIGHT & SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION - - - - - - Notes ----- 1. 1571-1631, from Meditation XVII. 2. Or, as we know it, the Mediterranean. 3. Acts 9:1-31. 4. Acts 9: 23-25. 5. Acts 9:15-16. 6. Acts 15:36-40. 7. Acts 16: 6-10. 8. Acts 16: 14-15,40. 9. Matthew 5:17. 10. Centralized marketplace, where public dialogue, as well as shopping, took place. 11. Literally, spermologos, sper-mol-og'-os, Greek Stg 4691; from Greek 4690 (sperma) and Greek 3004 (lego); a seed-picker (as the crow), i.e. (figurative) a sponger, loafer (specially a gossip or trifler in talk) :- babbler. "A word originally used of birds picking up grain, then of scrap collectors searching for junk, then extended to those who snapped up ideas of others and peddled them as their own without understandin g them, and finally to any ne'er-do-well." (Richard N. Longnecker, The Expositor's Bible Commentary (Zondervan, 1981), p474. 12. Acts 17:22-31. 13. Acts 18:1-3. Copyright Information --------------------- All original material in Aspects is Copyright (C) 1996 David S. Lampel. This data file is the sole property of David S. Lampel. It may not be altered or edited in any way. It may be reproduced only in its entirety for circulation as "freeware," without charge. All reproductions of this data file must contain the copyright notice (i.e., "Copyright (C) 1996 David S. Lampel."). This data file may not be used without the permission of David S. Lampel for resale or the enhancement of any other product sold. This includes all of its content. Brief quotations not to exceed more than 500 words may be used, with the appropriate copyright notice, to enhance or supplement personal or church devotions, newsletters, journals, or spoken messages. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture is from the New International Version. NIV quotations are from the Holy Bible: New International Version, Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission. NASB quotations are from the New American Standard Bible (C) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The Lockman Foundation. Subscription Information ------------------------ Aspects is published monthly in both printed and e-mail editions. For a free subscription to either edition, contact us by the following methods. Phone: 515-462-1971. Postal address: 2444 195th Trail, Winterset, IA 50273-8172. Internet address: dlampel@dlampel.com When contacting us, be sure to specify which edition you would like to receive, and include your complete mailing address. Back issues of Aspects are available in either printed or e-mail editions, and can be obtained upon request from the addresses above, or by FTP or WWW at the ICLnet archives. Domain address: iclnet93.iclnet.org Directory: /pub/resources/text/aspects/ The Aspects home page on the World Wide Web is: http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/aspects/aspects-home.html Aspects is distributed free-of-charge. If, however, the Lord encourages your heart to contribute financially toward this ministry, then we want you to know that your contribution will be an encouragement to us, and will be applied toward the expenses of postage and materials. Notes on the "online" Format ---------------------------- Certain adaptations to the text are necessary for distribution of this ASCII edition of Aspects. Endnote reference numbers are enclosed in brackets []; quotations are enclosed by quotation marks " ", and are further set apart from original text by indentation and the presence of a following endnote reference and/or the name of the person being quoted; Scripture references are indented, and either cite the reference or are accompanied by a following endnote reference. 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