“Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.”
~ Acts 9:31
Hi James and Ellen,
Who would rather have as a friend – a guy or gal who has killed another guy or gal or a guy or gal who denies that he or she knows you? The guy who was at one time the mayor of Concepción, Ñuflo de Chávez in Bolivia has purportedly killed seven guys. This guy lived directly across the street from the church manse where your grandmaa and grandpaa lived during the three years that they lived in Concepción administrating the Bible training center that was located there – which your grandmaa and grandpaa were instrumental in implementing. Concepción’s former mayor at times will get very drunk. Your grandmaa and grandpaa heard him late one night – after he had gotten really drunk and as he walked back and forth in the street in front of the church’s manse where your grandmaa and grandpaa were living – yelling really loud that it was time for him to kill another guy. About 1800 guys, gals and kids lived in Concepción when your grandmaa and grandpaa lived there. Your grandmaa and grandpaa were told that out of all the guys who lived in Concepcion that about a third of the guys worked for the local Catholic Church, another third of the guys were associated with the local Catholic Church and the remaining third of the guys were simply residents of Concepción. The area veterinarian was one of the guys who lived in Concepción when your grandmaa and grandpaa lived there. The guy was related to the former mayor of Concepción. The area veterinarian would also get very drunk. A small jungle village that your grandpaa would go to on his motorcycle was located about three hours from Concepción. Your grandpaa would have one of the Bible training center students ride with him on the back of his motorcycle to this isolated village and have two other Bible training center students go there with them on the training center’s motorcycle. Both of the motorcycles were gray 125 Yamaha street bikes. The area veterinarian had a ranch that was located several hours further into the jungle past this remote village. Per guys in this village where your grandpaa used to go to with three Bible training center students to ‘evangelize’, the area veterinarian drove through their village one day in his jeep shooting his gun at them – trying to kill them. The area veterinarian had the responsibility one year of putting together basketball and soccer teams to play against a team of guys from Santa Cruz. The veterinarian asked your grandpaa to play on Concepción’s select basketball team that year. The veterinarian was also Concepción’s select soccer team’s coach. After Concepción’s select soccer team lost to the soccer team from Santa Cruz – which is located by land eight or so hours away from Concepción – the area veterinarian while everyone was eating together shot the soccer player on the soccer team from Santa Cruz who had kicked the winning goal. The young guy from Santa Cruz who was shot died. Two young guys who lived in a house adjacent to the Bible training center property would regularly play volleyball on the Bible training center property on teams that were made up of guys who lived in Concepción against a team that was made up of your grandpaa and Bible training center students. These two young guys one day robbed and killed five guys and gals who were taking contraband vehicles from Brazil into Bolivia who had stopped in Concepción at a repair shop that was located right across the street from the Bible training center to have one of the vehicles repaired. Your grandpaa has personally been around guys who have killed other guys – and gals, and who did not care that they had.
Acts 9 is the story of two guys – one guy who was responsible for killing at least one other guy and one guy who denied three times that he personally knew a guy. The guy who was killed had become an outspoken leader in the emerging Christ-follower communities in the city of Jerusalem. Stephen had been chosen by the Christ-follower community in the city of Jerusalem to be a deacon. Stephen would candidly proclaim his Christ follower faith. The other guy three times denied personally knowing a guy who had discipled him for well over two years. This guy was one of the first guys who Jesus chose to disciple. Jesus had told this guy that he would deny three times knowing Him personally but the guy said no way. If you had to choose, which of these two guys would you want as a friend?
One day when Saul – who was a proactive participant in Stephen’s murder, was on the road to Damascus – a world trade center at the time, to track down more Christ-followers to . . . a lightning bolt struck him – blinding him. Peter – the Jesus denier, at about this same time made treks to Lydda and Joppa – where he healed a paralytic or a guy who could not walk and who had been stuck in his bed for eight years and where he was able to bring a gal who had died back to life again. Saul would get his eyesight back and have God change his name to Paul. Paul became a dedicated Christ-follower. Peter put his denials behind him and he became a fearless voice encouraging guys, gals and kids to become Christ-followers. Verse 31 says about this time, “Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.” Paul did not fear God during the time when he was doing everything that he could do to stop the immergence of Christ-followers. Peter found out that he did not have to fear making a mistake if what he was doing was for Christ’s sake. Paul found out that the right answer for giving hope was the answer that he had thought was the wrong answer. Peter found out that the right answer did work. You want to have guys, gals and kids as your friends who have learned from their mistakes and who know that being Christ-followers is the right answer. You want to have guys, gals and kids as your friends who fear what life would be like if they were not Christ-followers.
Acts 9 (511)