While not a close follower of evangelist Billy Graham, I
know some qualities that set him apart from many other Christian leaders. He
was firm about what he believed, shared it with simplicity yet was always direct
and uncompromising. He was a humble man willing to see and admit his own
faults. He gained the respect of people in many countries and in every level of
society. Even those who rejected his message accepted his person and treated
him honorably.
The Christians in the early church has many of Billy
Graham’s good qualities. They stood out as model citizens, not persecuted by
the Roman government or many others. Their biggest tormentors were usually religious
Jews, oddly also like Graham who was mainly criticized by religious leaders.
The book of Acts shows that when the apostles contacted officials
of the Roman government, they were usually accepted or ignored but never harassed.
Three of these encounters are described in Acts 13, 16, and 18.
Acts 13 describes Paul and Barnabas summoned by a Roman
proconsul named Sergius Paulus who wanted to hear the word of God. A Jewish
false prophet/magician tried to turn him away from the faith, but Paul told this
man that the Lord’s hand was on him and he would be blind . . .
. . . Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord. (Acts 13:11–12)
Acts 16 was no less startling. Paul and Silas traveled to
Philippi, a Roman colony in Macedonia. There they were pestered by a demonic female
slave who earned money for her owners by fortune-telling. Paul commanded that
the demon leave her. It did and the slave’s owners dragged Paul and Timothy to
court, then threw them into prison.
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” (Acts 16:25–31)
He believed and was
saved, took care of Paul and Silas, and with his family was baptized. He brought
them into his house and fed them, rejoicing with his entire household that he
had believed in God. (Acts 16:34) Soon
after, the magistrates found out that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens and
apologized to them!
In Acts 18, when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews
made a united attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal, saying,
“This man is persuading people to worship God contrary to the law.” But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or vicious crime, O Jews, I would have reason to accept your complaint. But since it is a matter of questions about words and names and your own law, see to it yourselves. I refuse to be a judge of these things.” And he drove them from the tribunal . . . But Gallio paid no attention to any of this. (Acts 18:14–17)
In the first situation,
God used Paul to make the opposition blind, literally. Christians might not ask
the Lord to do that these days, but it seems right that we can ask Him to blind
the eyes of those who oppose our efforts to tell others about Jesus Christ. People
will not oppose or persecute anyone they do not notice! Perhaps that is why
much good that Christians do is seldom mentioned in the news. God may be using
that to protect us!
In the second
situation, God used an arrest to reach the man in charge of a prison. The
lesson here is simple: God can use anything for His glory. Even when people
oppose us, it can be an opportunity to share the Gospel!
In the last
instance, we see a separation of church and state. Gallio was not concerned
with how or what religious people believed, only about law-breakers and crime.
He refused to judge the problems between Christians and those who opposed Jesus
Christ. We have had this freedom for a long time and need to be thankful. It
gets challenged now and then so we also need to be prayerful.
^^^^^^^^^^
Jesus, You are on
the throne. The Bible is clear that politicians and other leaders are not the
ultimate authorities. You are. In that, I can put my trust. Whatever goes on in
our country or the other countries in this world, You are still ruler over all.
You are also able to use all things, even situations that appear totally evil
in our mind, for Your glory. For that, I am thankful and praise Your name.
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