Posts about sharing the gospel

What we can learn from a demon-possessed girl in Philippi

What we can learn about spreading the gospel from Paul's encounter with a demon-possessed girl in Philippi

In Acts 16, Paul arrives in the city of Philippi. Not long after his initial contact with Lydia, he and his companions were on their way to prayer when they were confronted by a slave girl who was demon-possessed. Unlike the demon possessions in the gospels where the victims were unfit for society or stricken with physical ailments, this girl had the ability to foretell the future … kind of. But she was able to bring in a handsome profit for her owners. In verse 17, she loudly proclaimed, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.”

She was one hundred percent correct.

Paul and his friends were absolutely servants of the Most High God. Most High God was a regularly used Old Testament name for God. And the whole reason that they were in Philippi was to preach the gospel, the way of salvation. She nailed them. So why was Paul so irritated with her?

It was the demon talking, not the girl.

But the demon was telling the truth. Isn’t that a good thing?

Actually, it presents several problems which may give us some insight as we carry out the gospel.

Since the demon was saying the same kinds of things Paul was saying, the hearers would have a hard time seeing the difference between the occultism the girl and her masters were promoting and the life-transforming gospel Paul preached. The logical conclusion then is if the words were the same, then it really didn’t matter which one you followed, right? It’s the “all religions are the same” argument that we still hear today. That argument is patently false. Christ alone saves us by His atoning death as a result of His great grace, mercy, and love.

Second, Paul refused to accept the “help” of demons when it came to spreading the message of Christ. Granted, Romans and Greeks put a lot of stock in divination and having their message “certified” might have opened doors for Paul and his team. However, he was determined to seize the opportunities God presented him and to walk through the doors the Holy Spirit opened. He had enough discernment and faith NOT to partner with those who would ultimately undermine the gospel, no matter what kind of promotional advantage they offered. Even when it resulted in a riot, arrest, and jail. We, too, have to be wise and discerning as we carry out the Commission Jesus gave us.

Finally, no matter what the girl was saying, the reality was that she was in bondage, not to her owners, but to the demon that controlled her. Her “testimony” was empty and meaningless. Paul knew that until she was free of the demon and her heart changed, it didn’t matter that her words were true. We encounter people all the time who can use all the right “church-y” words but their hearts and lives show no evidence of transformation. We like Paul need to recognize what the root problem is. While we may not be able to command the chains to fall away, we can pray to the One who can.

So what can we learn from Paul’s encounter with a demon-possessed girl in Philippi?

The gospel stands alone among all other religious systems and messages.
In carrying out the gospel, make sure the only spirit helping is the Holy Spirit.
What’s in the heart matters, not the words.

7 Things That Can Happen When We Share the Gospel

By Paula Wiseman

At the end of Matthew’s and Mark’s gospels, right before Jesus returns to heaven, He commissions His followers to share the gospel. Preach it everywhere to everyone. Simple enough. The book of Acts shows us a lot can happen when we tell people about Jesus. Let’s look at Peter and John in chapter 4 to find out what those things are.

While they [Peter and John] were speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple police, and the Sadducees confronted them, Acts 4:1

1. Confrontation. The gospel can bring on confrontation. Why? At it’s very core, the message is that we are wrong, that our good works can’t save us and that our systems are inadequate. We hate being told that.

because they were annoyed that they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. Acts 4:2

2. Annoyance. We are told not to rock the boat. People don’t want their illusions shattered. When we share the gospel, people’s ideas that they are basically good, or at least good enough are challenged. The gospel tells us there is only one way and that is through Jesus.

So they seized them and took them into custody until the next day since it was already evening. Acts 4:3

3. Persecution. Peter and John were arrested for preaching the truth. This is a reality for many believers even today. Pray for them. IT reminds us words DO have power and the gospel of grace is the most powerful word.

When they observed the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and recognized that they had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13

4. Recognition. Even the opposition realized that something was going on with Peter and John. The legal and religious leaders viewed them as uneducated hicks. … which I guess they were. However, when they heard the strength of their argument and the boldness with which they proclaimed it, they knew there was more to the message and the messengers. It is important to remember that boldness does not mean disrespectful.

So they called for them and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. Acts 4:18

5. Silencing. In some ways this is more chilling than the persecution. Not only did the religious leaders not want to hear the gospel, they didn’t want anyone else to hear it either. They set themselves up as the arbiters of truth. We live in a culture that accepts every truth as equally valid, and so seeks to silence the truth of the gospel by drowning it in a sea of competing ideas. We must ensure the life-changing message of Christ is heard.

But many of those who heard the message believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand. Acts 4:4

6. Belief. Just like the seed that hits the good soil, sometimes the message is embraced and lives are transformed.

One or more of these can result when we share the gospel of Jesus. We can’t always predict those outcomes and the truth is, we aren’t responsible for the results, just the witnessing. However there is one outcome that is guaranteed when we share Jesus. Guaranteed.

After threatening them further, they released them. They found no way to punish them because the people were all giving glory to God over what had been done. Acts 4:21

7. Glory. God gets glory. That makes all the other opposition and difficulty worth it, to know that our actions and efforts bring glory to the King of the universe.

Want to learn more about sharing the gospel? These resources from Billy Graham may help. Share Your Faith 101

Jesus and Women: The Woman from Sychar

By Paula Wiseman

John’s gospel devotes a sizable portion of its narrative showing Jesus breaking with the religious and cultural conventions of His day. Of course, this isn’t just Jesus being contrary. No, in each case, something of eternal significance is at stake. In chapter 4, we find Jesus’s conversation with the woman from Sychar.

The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) John 4:9

Now, you are probably very familiar with the animosity that existed between the Jews and the Samaritans. This dates back to the Assyrian captivity. The Assyrians took the Jews captive, leaving only the poorest in the land, and then repopulated the region with other dregs of humanity from other conquered nations. The association and intermarriages resulted in a mixed race population with a religion that was just as mixed.

When the Jews returned from Babylon, the Samaritans were rebuffed in their offer to help with the rebuilding and then set out to interfere with the project, even slandering Nehemiah to try to bring it to a halt. You can check Nehemiah for more details. The bad blood intensified about a hundred years before Jesus when high priest/king John Hyrcanus overran Samaria and destroyed the temple on Mount Gerizim. This even figures into the conversation Jesus has with the woman.

So against that backdrop, about noon, Jesus sends the disciples off to get lunch and He takes a seat by the town well of Sychar. It isn’t long before a woman comes to draw water from the well. Water-drawing time was usually in the morning and evening and served as a social event. The fact that the woman was coming when she expected the well to be deserted is significant.

A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” John 4:7

Jesus asks her for a drink. He initiates the conversation. This is huge. Men did not talk to women in public. Especially rabbis. In fact, rabbis didn’t even talk to their wives in public. This was part of that whole “hedge around the Law” thing. To keep from committing any kind of sexual sin, or giving anyone reason to suspect anything, opposite sexes didn’t even talk. Generally religious teachers wouldn’t stoop to talking with common people, so He broke that convention as well. Plus Jews did not, did not, talk to Samaritans.

We know the rest of the story and we know that that this woman had some scandal, some baggage in her life. What is so beautiful about this simple act of humbly asking for a drink, is Jesus, by initiating the conversation, takes the scandal onto Himself.

Are we willing to humbly approach others, enter into their “scandal” to initiate significant eternal conversation with them?

Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” John 4:10

Did you notice the topic Jesus immediately jumps to? Not raising kids or fixing dinner or laundry. Not adultery or immorality. Theology. Living water. It turns out she wasn’t as familiar with the Old Testament prophets as Jesus was so He moves to an object lesson. Through it all, He wants her to understand she is more than her past, her sins, her failures, and her reputation. He, the Messiah, the Holy One of Israel, has come to her personally.

Are we willing to engage others deeply, about things of eternal weight, rather than superficially?

“Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” John 4:29

The revelation of Christ brought the change in the woman’s life. She didn’t have to change first. Her change didn’t bring His revelation. He graciously revealed Himself to her. This woman from Sychar is the first person in the gospels to hear Jesus’s plain statement of who He is. The greatest evidence of the change in the woman’s life was that she had to share the news of the encounter.

We have no record of the disciples’ trip into town. Do you suppose any of them started up a conversation with a shopkeeper? “Oh hey. We’re picking up lunch for us and the Son of God. You should come out and meet Him.” After the resurrection, they totally would have.

Are we willing to make sure everyone we know understands that Christ is real because He changed our lives?

Jesus teaches us quite a bit through His conversation with the woman of Sychar. We would do well to respond like she did.

Read other posts in the Jesus and Women series.