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V « « « <• ♦ * « * ♦ *•* * * O < *< , , % « « « * 1 « Page 4... The Portland Observer ...September 18,1991 ¡Portland Observer RELIGION God Works Through His Word And Through Miracles BY MICHAEL LINDSEY D ean o f North P ortland Bible College 1 he te xt fo r the Sunday School lesson (In te rn a tio n a l Series) fo r next Sunday is A cts 14:8-18. Please read th is te xt and the others I refer to, as you read these com m ents. T h is w o n d e rfu l in c id e n t o f heal in g happened later in Paul and Barna bas’ m issionary jo u rn e y to the heart o f -he was “ stedfastly beholding h im , and perceiving that he had faith to be healed’ ’ (14:9). The L o rd was w o rk in g on the heart o f the man firs t! A man so crip p le d as this L y s lra n man w o u ld usually be consigned to a life o f begging, hunger an disease, and an early grave. B u t as he heard the w o rd o f the L o rd from P aul’ s lips, G o d used it to awaken fa ith and people recognized and honored the gods, and the rest o f the c ity were destroyed. Perhaps th is explains the reaction o f the L y s tra people. Beacuse o f the language b a rrie r, it to o k Paul and Barnabas a w h ile to re alize that the people were preparing to w o rsh ip them in h igh style. O f course, they refused any part o f this, and Paul appealed to them elo q u e n tly, to re co g nize the C reator and his goodness, in stead o f w o rsh ip p in g people o r other A s ia M in o r (m odern T u rk e y ). I f you have maps in the back o f y o u r B ib le , o r better yet, a B ib le atlas, you w ill get a better grasp o f the jo u rn e y by fo llo w in g the “ F irst M issio n a ry Journey” on the m ap as you read A cts 13-14. R e m em ber that Paul and Barnabas, lik e m ost travelers o f th e ir um e, w o u ld be w a lk in g these m any m iles from tow n to to w n . For exam ple, fro m Ico n iu m to L y s tra w o u ld be about 18 m iles, w h ile hope fro m w ith in . Paul saw th is change w ith s p irit-le d insight, and he d id not despise the unattractive fo rm o f the man. Instead, Paul took the ris k o f Derbc was about 55 m iles further. m ust be concerned fo r the diseased and hand recently in Ico n iu m (14:3). A n d L ystra was a mere v illa g e c o m pared to A n tio c h and Ic o m iu m , and c rip p le d and h u rtin g people around us (and among us as w e ll!). B ut the fin a l answer, the real diffe re n ce , comes from the message o f salvation through fa ith these m iracles do c o n frim the message o f C hirst. B u t often people w ill fin d any o ther explanation o f a m ira cle more acceptable than the truth. In Ico n iu m , despite m iraculous signs and w onders, m any banded together to oppose the apostles and persecute them (1 4 :4 -5 ). In L y stra , despite the evident there also seems to have been no Jew ish synagogue there. L ystra was o f f i c ia lly a Roman c o lo n y , and I ’ m sure the people a ll knew G reek, but they s till held on to th e ir ancient language, L yca o n ia n (14:11). T h e ir re lig io n had adapted to the G reek/R om an pantheon [L u ke refers to “ Z eus” and “ H e r m es,” fo r w h ic h the K in g James trans lators used Rom an equivalents “ J u p i te r” and “ M e rc u ry ” (1 4 :1 2 -1 3 .], but it was s till the same L ycaonian w o r ship they had practiced before the Roman E m pire arrived. So w hen Paul and Barnabas came to L ystra , they began preaching the gospel (14:7) w herever they co u ld fin d com m anding h im to stand up and w a lk (as Jesus and Peter had done before: Luke 5:17-26; A cts 3:1-10) and G od im m e d ia te ly restored his feet, and gave strength to his atrophied leg muscles, so the man co u ld leap to his feet and w alk. So it is today. The people o f G od in Jesus C hrist. W hen G od awakens fa ith in people, he also produces hope so people can liv e p ro d u ctive , healthy lives. In some cases, the L o rd chooses to heal the sick q u ic k ly , in c lu d in g those whose lives have been ravaged by sin. m iraculous signs and wonders to co n firm the truth o f the gospel at every turn. The m iracles m ay be there, as in the firs t days o f the church in Jerusa lem , and even by Paul and Barnabas’ healing m iracle, the people were eas ily turned against Paul, so that they In o ther cases, the physical healing is stoned h im , le a vin g him fo r dead o u t not as fo rth co m in g , but G od gives the grace to a llo w his c h ild to liv e w ith his side the c ity (14:19). The M ira cu lo u s signs o n ly co n in firm ity (2 C o r 11:7-10). As the account o f L ystra proceeds, we see that the healed man made a far greater im pression o f the local people than the message o f the gospel had. B ut th e ir response m ig h t surprise a lo t o f firm the message w hen they are p e r ceived through eyes o f fa ith . “ A n d fa ith com eth by hearing, and hearing by the w o rd o f G o d ” (R om 10:17). I think we can pray fo r miraculous w orks in to d a y’ s church, consciously fo llo w ing the exam ple o f the Jeusalem church (A cts 4 :29-20). B u t it is fa r m ore im p ro b a b ly ju s t a h a n d fu l, but one man am ong them was a special case. N o t because he was crip p le d , though the m odem C hristians. Instead o f g lo rify ing the G od w h o had done this great th in g , they ju m p e d to the conclusion that the preacher themselves m ust be author makes sure we see ho w crip p le d (do you see the th re e -fo ld description o f his d is a b ility in verse 8?). Paul n o ticed m ore than the outside o f the man- gods. W e know fro m a Rom an poet, O v id , that the Lycaonians had a legend o f tw o gods com ing among them in human fo rm . In the legend, o n ly tw o an audience. The audience at firs t was created things (14:15-17). The response o f the Lystrans demonstrates an im p o rta n t truth about C h ristia n w itnessing. W e cannot seek portant that we pray fo r boldness to preach (or, as we m ig h t say today, “ share o u r fa ith ” ) and fo r prepared Matrons Celebrate 36th Anniversary by Mattie Ann Callier-Spears The H arley A kers M atrons C lu b o f Bethel A M E Church w ill celebrate their 36th anniversary Sunday September 22, 1991 4pm Bethel A M E C hurch 5828 N E 8th A ve. P ortland, Oregon The special service w ill include — an “ A ffirm a tio n S ervice,” guest solo ist: E arl W inchester & L e slie W illia m s and a scru m p d illy u m p tio u s reception to be held in the m u lti-p u rp o se room at the church. The m atrons’ colors arc y e llo w , b la ck and w hite. THEM E: “ O u r Legacy - Past, Present & F u tu re ” The p u b lic is c o rd ia lly in v ite d to attend this m em orable occasion. L illie S im m ons, President; Lenora M o rris , Program C o o rd in a to r; Rev. M ilto n Green, Pastor Volunteers The P ortland W om en ’ s C risis L in e announces openings in its N ovem ber tra in in g fo r C risis L in e volunteers. T ra in in g s are 46 hours lo n g , scheduled o ver a three w eek period. C ris is L in e volunteers are trained to answ er the crisis lin e , P rovide crisis in te rve n tio n counseling, and to p ro vid e advocacies fo r w om en and ch ild re n (and th e ir fa m ilie s and frie n d s) that have o r are experiencing dom estic o r sexual v io lence. P W C L is a n o n -p ro fit, tax-exem pt o rg a n iza tio n w h ic h operates a 24 hour a day crisis in te rve n tio n h o tlin e , p ro vides advocacies and support groups fo r v ic tim s /s u rv iv o rs o f dom estic and sexual violence. A d d itio n a lly , we p ro Luke 22:64 Voices Of Kuumba by M a ttie Ann C a llie r - S p e a r s September twenty-second w ill mark the th ird p u b lica tio n o f V O IC E S O F K U U M B A , a collection o f literary works by the N o rth w e st A fric a n A m erican W rite rs W o rksh o p . T h is event w ill cu lm in a te w ith a gala reception and book signing w h ic h w ill be held at the Y W C A located on N E M a rtin L u th e r K in g , Jr. B o u le va rd between the hours o f 2 and 5 pm. There w ill be a program featuring readings and entertainm ent by the members o f the N W A fric a n A m erican W rite rs W orkshop. The mem bers, o f the N W A A W W , have p erform ed throughout the year at L it-E ru p tio n , the m ain L ib ra ry d o w n to w n , P o w e ll B ookstore, C onant & C onant B ookstore, w ith the Oregon C o lo n y o f W rite rs and more. The w r it ers have also hosted the firs t, o f m any, tact - Joseph F ra n klin , (503) 620-8843. Leave yo u r name, telephone num ber, your address and w hether o r n o t you are an a d u lt o r a student. I f you are a m in o r aged student, please have y o u r parent ca ll and leave a ll p e rtin e n t in fo rm a tion. The p u b lic is encouraged to attend this a ffa ir and be w itness to the c re a tiv ity o f this group. A n th o lo g ie s w ill be on sale d u rin g this a ffa ir: K U U M B A I. I I & I I I . So - i f you missed the firs t tw o a n th lo lg y p u b lica tio n s, com e prepared to p u r chase, to m in g le to enjoy and b rin g a frie n d . A rc you proud o f y o u r heritage? C om e share an afternoon o f cre a tiv ity . D o n ’ t forget; September 2 2 ,1 9 9 1 B la ck H isto ria n s Conference. A ll per sons, o f a ll ages, w h o have a desire to 2 pm to 5 pm N ortheast Y W C A C O M IN G UP: B la ck P oetry D ay become a published w rite r should con- O ctober 17, 1991 Homestyle Cooking e Family Dining ▼ Catering ▼ Specialty * Down Home Cooking At Its Very Best! . Catfish . Red Snapper. BBQ Ribs * Steaks .Turnip Greens .Cornbread .Chitterlings .Yams .Blackeyed Peas .Sweet Potato Pies . Peach Cobbler .6AM Breakfast . Hot Food Express Line 11am - 2pm . Master Charge . Visa . American Express vide transportation from danger to safety hearts to receive ou t testim onies. O n ly fo r w om en and ch ild re n . then can we c o n fid e n tly expect to see changed liv e s and com m unites. at the C ris is L in e can ca ll 232-9545 fo r W om en interested in vo lu n te e rin g a p p lica tio n Portland Observer encourages our readers to write letters to the editor in response to any articles we publish. Scripture o f the ‘Weefi and fu th e r in fo rm a tio n . D eadline fo r ap p lica tio n s is O ctober 28. C o lle g e students are urged to ap p ly . P racticum c re d it is available. P W C L is an equal o p p o rtu n ity em p lo ye r, funded in part by the U nited W ay. Steen’s Kitchen 7332 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. For Best Results Advertise in the Observer i . '"■ '■'. * • 7, « HUD HAS A HOME FOR YOU, AVAILABLE NOW! ? .■ ’•.G ,- »••:•*- ■ ' ■ • 4?. • . V'- . ' ' . >. ' - . ' * -, • -’ i . • M (ÍVS i . ¿.X.-'.i? * ‘I •¿«“ A »k V *V . • * i « - 8 mini ll tl iri) nl°f n Alonzo Scott Jr. Your personal Sales Rep. : r For any new or used car Give your Friends a call at Gresham Dodge i v s :-V f TJ, i. ~ k C?/ , ■ 'Z'"¿ >T. î . / ’-i-’ ï t * ’ Get the Personal Touch r* ^ 2 - V1 » > '5 If you've been wanting your very own home but never thought you could afford it, HUD has exciting news for you! HUD makes hom eownership easier and more affordable than you ever thought possible. 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