Episode 145: Paul Called to Macedonia

In the name of the glorious Trinity, Father and Son and Holy

Spirit, forever Amen. Glory be to the everlasting

mercies which sent you to us, O Christ, the Light of the world

and the life of all. Give us wisdom by your law and

enlighten our impulses by Your knowledge.

Sanctify our souls by Your truth, and grant that we may be

obedient to your words and may fulfil Your commandments at

every hour. O You who enlightens the

rational with the knowledge of Your greatness, do enlight, O my

Lord, our thoughts, that we may meditate upon Your holy and

divine Scriptures at all times. O Lord of all, Father and Son

and Holy Spirit forever Amen of the

Apostles, an extension of Saint Luke's Gospel.

Saint Luke is the author of the Acts of the Apostles and we're

going to be introduced to him in a very subliminal way using

pronouns, pronouns, he, he, they, them from yeah, pronouns,

chapter 16. We left that verse 5 last

program. We'll continue.

Paul finds Timothy and takes him on it, takes him on his mission

as his companion. Why?

Because he was a Jew and he was going to preach to the Jews so

that he would be more effective. But Saint Paul circumcises in

him, and we forgot to mention this last time.

Why did Saint Paul circumcise him apart from being a Jew?

So that he would be more effective.

A circumcised Jew is being circumcised.

That's the perfect reason is that Saint Paul only argued

tooth and nail, as we said last time, against circumcision of

the Gentiles because the the Mosaic Law was for the Jews.

He never said that you do this for the Gentiles.

No, no, the Mosaic Law was for the Jews.

So Saint Paul wasn't against the Mosaic Law, but he was against

the Gentiles being enforced to adhere to the Mosaic Law, and

one of them being circumcision. And Timothy being a Jew, because

his mother was a Jewess, he, he circumcised him so that there

would be no rejection from the Jews.

So that St. Saint Timothy, I'm sorry, so

that Saint Timothy would be effective in his ministry.

Let's continue reading on. We're going to read about the

Macedonian call. They're going to go to Macedonia

now. When they had gone through

Friggler and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden,

forbidden by the Holy Spirit. So now Holy Spirit forbids.

They were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the Word in

Asia. Why?

We don't know, but the Church Father's right after they had

come to Misla, they try to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit

again, the Holy Spirit did not permit them again, so forbids

and doesn't permit. So passing by Misler, they came

down to Tross. Tross and a vision appeared to

Paul. In the night a man of Macedonia

stood and pleaded with him saying, Come over to Macedonia

and help us. Now after he had seen the

vision, immediately we the pronoun changes immediately we

sought to go to the to Macedonia, concluding that the

Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.

So the Holy Spirit, God the Father, God the Son, you know,

in some of the some of the version it says the Spirit of

Jesus in the Shatta version. I, I find I don't find that it,

it, it says in the the Spirit of Jesus, but the vernacular Syrian

version writes the Spirit of Jesus.

But the Shitta version in the Aramaic language.

Regardless, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit one God

is now leading. Let's go back and discuss in

full. You know, when you read

Scripture like this, which is very important, beloved, and I,

as I was saying in the, in one of my Syrian programs that, you

know, I don't see the, the Acts of the Apostles preached quite

often. Why?

I don't know. Maybe there's an intention

there, maybe because the truth of the church, the church that

Jesus established and commissioned on earth, that has

been built upon the foundation of the apostles, St.

Paul writes to the Thessalonians.

Maybe the truth of that church being neglected and today being

opposed will then reveal the opposition and the neglect.

So let's, you know, let's avoid it.

Let's just go into Saint Paul's epistles to the Romans and to

the Galatians, which talks about faith and, and you know, and,

and talks about saved by faith alone.

There's only one place that that those 3 words appear in the

Scriptures saved by faith alone. That's in James, where James is

saying that faith alone does not actually save, but there needs

to be deeds. But we're not talking about

that. It's very important to study the

book of the Acts of the Apostles.

It was the beginning of the missionary work of the Church,

the one holy, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

Pentecost Apostolic build upon the foundation of the Apostles.

Catholic with a small C not Roman Catholic, not the Pope

with a small C meaning universal and complete Church.

And God commands that. The word that comes out of my

mouth. Every act that God has worked

doesn't change, it fulfills. So the, the, the Church that

Jesus established is here. You want to go back to the right

church? What is the right church?

Who is the right church? We'll go to the Acts of the

Apostles and begin from the Acts chapter 1 and see the Missionary

Acts 1 · chapter mention

of the Apostolic Church. And then you bring it down to

today and you find that, hey, you know what?

That's for example, this church is very close to the same

teachings, same procedures, same doctrine, same sacraments as the

early Church. Nothing's changed.

Heresies changed, evil people crept into the church and

changed, blasphemy changed, But the truth of the church remains

because Jesus is the truth within his Church, praising

glory be to his name. So let's have a look at God's

awesome. You know, sometimes we

foolishly, and I stand corrected and I stand judged foolishly

say, well, maybe God is doing this because he's doing that.

It's because we have that beautiful relationship with God.

We want to sometimes sort of tap into God's mind and and tell

people what our heavenly Father does.

But really, his works are awesome.

They're awful. Awful doesn't mean yuck, awe,

full, full of awe. So when you read in a liturgical

text God's awful work doesn't mean that God's works are not

nice. They're not good, they're not

proper. No, no, awful, full of awe.

Awesome is is a very light term used for everything but the the

Father's right. Use the term awful, full of awe

and it only only is befitting for God actually.

So the awful, unspeakable, incomprehensible work of God are

amazing. That's why the psalmist right in

Psalm chapter 666 verse 5. Thank you Stephen, I have an

extra 6 minute extra time, right?

Psalm chapter 66 verse 5. Come and see the works of God.

Psalms 66:5

He is awful in His doing toward the sons of man or mankind.

Let's go back and look how how Jesus worked and how God works.

When the scribe in Matthew chapter 10 verses 19 to 20

Matthew 10:19–20

wanted to follow Christ, Jesus didn't grant permission, did he?

What did he say? Foxes have holes and birds of

the air have Nets, but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his

head. So that means no, don't come.

I don't permit you to come. Then another man who is ordered

by Christ to follow and did not receive that order but delayed,

wanted to delay asking for him to go and bury his Father.

Jesus says follow me and let the dead bury their own dead.

Verse 20, Saint Paul in Acts Chapter 9, verses 1 to 9, he was

Acts 9:1–9

on the road to a mouse. Remember?

What was he doing? He was going to oppose

Christians, meaning oppose Christ.

By the way, when Christianity, Christianity is being opposed,

Christ is being opposed. When churches are being

disrupted by lemons and oranges, it's Christ that is, that is

attempted to be destructed. And you know why?

Disrupted, destructed. You know why?

Because the lifestyle is convicting in a way that you

either have to change it or you need to start attacking the

convictor. So when Christians are being

attacked, prosecuted, executed, and constantly opposed, it's

Christ they are opposing. St.

Paul was on his way fighting against Christ, but he was he

was turned away. He was, he was repented.

He was attracted in spite of himself.

He didn't want to. And look at what Jesus said.

Not Hey soul, be careful, right? Right.

Be careful according to my understanding, will and

knowledge and power, I will, I will, you know, behead you.

No, he didn't. He said, soul, soul, why are you

persecuting me? Verse 3, arise in verse 6, arise

and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.

And now God, who knows the hearts, on the account of his

kindness and His perfect intention and work, withdraws

his teacher, Saint Paul and Timothy from going to Asia.

Maybe the Asians then were the dogs that were not befitting for

the holy thing. Matthew Chapter 7 verse 6 do not

Matthew 7:6

give what is holy to the dogs, right?

Maybe we don't know. There is no reason why, and

there's a there's a perfect reason why.

Saint Luke doesn't give us the reason.

There's a perfect reason why Saint Paul doesn't even question

it just says the Holy Spirit said you're not going to Asia.

Though the text doesn't tell us why.

We refer to the Fathers and see what knowledge, what

understanding and what what traditions have been passed down

to know why this was not permitted.

All we know is that they were prevented.

Saint Gregory the Great rites having wicked hearts.

He's talking about the Asians. They would disregard his

preaching. Possibly God knew God revealed

to the Fathers God, you know, the tradition was passed down

that that's why Saint Paul and Timothy were deterred from going

to Asia. But Saint John Chrysostom writes

something amazing that this also teaches us that we only have to

obey and not to inquire about the reasons.

That's why it's not written. You don't need to know why.

You know, today we say, well, you know, it's the 21st century

and congratulations, God bless you.

Happy 21st century. Jesus of yesterday is today, and

he's forever doesn't change. Let's go back to the 10th

century. Let's go back to the century

where when we heard that Jesus said it, the Scriptures say it,

the Church teaches it and commands it.

That's it. That's enough not to not to ask

why. That's why it's not written.

It's not given the reason is not given to us.

Not that there is no reason that there there would have been a

reason, but it's to teach us that to learn from Saint Paul,

to learn in the in the early Apostolic Church, there was no

questions. The Spirit spoke, it's dogma,

it's it's command, it's done, it's concluded, the Holy Spirit

forbade and permitted at the same time.

Notice that the apostle, this is what we learned from these.

These are good lessons that the apostle did nothing according to

his own will. Otherwise he would have said,

but we still, but Saint Paul still disobeyed and went to Asia

and had to learn the hard way, right?

Or Saint Paul on his way to Asia was caught up in a storm and he

was thrown in a pit. And from there he prayed and God

took him out and said, you listen to me.

I said don't. So go back just like Jonah did.

Jonah didn't want to go, ended up in a whale.

And by the way, let me tell you something.

For those who claim that this is a legend for the church leaders

that claim that Jonah and the whale was a legend, well, you're

Jesus. I don't know.

I don't know. My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

actually has referred to that because Jesus said just as Jonah

was in the belly of the whale, oh, here we go.

So Jesus is talking legendary, He's talking legend to us.

It really didn't happen. So Jesus is talking to us

something that did not happen and it wasn't a parable.

He didn't say hear this parable, hear this story.

You know, he said just as that mean it, that means it happened.

And when you talk about Jonah and the world, you're talking

about the Ninevites and the Rogation period.

I won't go further. Lots, a lot has been spoken and

posted during the last few weeks.

I think the message is being driven home.

So the Holy Spirit, we see, forbade and permitted, and Saint

Paul did nothing of his own will.

Rather, whatever he did or he even didn't do, it was under the

impulse of the Spirit. This is how we ought to be in

the Church. You see, going back to when he

saw Saint Timothy, there was a good rapport about Saint

Timothy. That's why he took him for

himself. Likewise in the Church, that's

how acolytes need to be elected. Not because they are learned of

the Aramaic language and they know the structure of the

Vespers and the Matins and the Raza.

No, because we see a lot of acolytes that are very learned,

but they don't partake. They are not in the church and

they're living contrary to the to the calling as a, an acolyte

in the church. See, Paul didn't didn't see

Timothy was a young man and thought, hey, you know what,

he's talking a little bit. He knows about the old, the Old

Testament. He looks good.

His mother's a Jew, you know, let me take him with me.

No, he didn't. Hence he writes to I think it's

Saint Timothy or Saint Jude that do not lay your hand on anyone

in haste. Allow the Spirit to juice

Ammonius of Alexandria, who according to Eusebus was origins

teacher rights. Therefore it is dangerous to

despise what was done by Paul or investigate what was directed by

the Spirit. Listen to this very carefully.

This is opposition towards the apostolicity or the apostles or

the church itself. It is dangerous to despise what

was done by Paul the Apostle in verse 4.

What did we read? Let me read it to you again one

more time, just as a a refresher, as a reminder,

Stephen, I need to get really, really bigger fonts than this in

any case. And as they went through the

cities, they delivered to them the decrees to keep, which were

determined by the apostles elders at Jerusalem.

Therefore it is dangerous to despise what was done by Paul or

investigate what was directed by the Holy Spirit.

Consequently. So we ought not to ask why the

Spirit did not allow Paul to preach in Asia.

We ought not to question the the canons, the decrees, the

doctrine, the dogma, the faith, the sacraments, the authority of

the apostles in the Apostolic Church.

We do not because the Apostolic Church is an extension to that

church that was established in the book of Acts that we read

about and we read in verse 4. They were preaching that they

should adhere to the commandments of the apostles

because the apostles didn't question the Holy Spirit.

The apostles were guided by the Holy Spirit.

When we when we oppose the apostles, we're not opposing

them personally. We're opposing their authority,

gifted graciously by the power of the holy, by the Holy Spirit.

We're then opposing the direction of the Holy Spirit and

we are then opposing the authority of the Holy Spirit.

So we don't, and hence that's why Saint Paul says be imitators

of me. I don't question the Holy

Spirit. You don't question those whom

the Holy Spirit is working through.

Now, you may say, but everyone claims that the Holy Spirit is

working through them. Amen.

Amen to that. How do we determine, Robbie?

How do we determine two people claiming that the Holy Spirit

spoke to them, moved them, told them, but they differ?

Well, you got to go back and see how the Holy Spirit moved and

spoke and what the Holy Spirit established pertaining to the to

the subject that they are differing with.

For example, for example, priesthood, the authority of the

priest priesthood. You know, I heard the other day

a, a, a Protestant brother saying Jesus is the high priest

and I only have the high priest. I only believe in Jesus.

Wait, wait, OK, just relax. We all love Jesus.

By the way, my message to our brother Protestant brothers and

sisters, you're not the only one that love Jesus.

You think you're the only ones that love Jesus and you're the

only ones or the only faith and understanding that that really

respects Jesus. Let me tell you, let me ask you

a question. Have you shed blood for Jesus

Christ? Have you shed blood?

No. This church, the church that I

belong to, the church that I serve as an unworthy servant of

Christ, has shed blood for the Lord Jesus Christ.

And those who shed blood for the Lord Jesus Christ, according to

the Book of Revelation are not sleep talking.

They're not dead, they're not sleep talking.

They're at the altar crying out to the to the lamb.

How long, O Lord, on our behalf? So they're interceding Sola

scriptura. Go read the Book of Revelation

and come back and, and tell me I'm wrong.

I'm more than happy to listen to you.

So don't think you're the only one that loves the Lord Jesus

Christ. I'm sorry, no.

So if you're saying Jesus is the high priest of which priesthood?

Which priesthood? Someone was arguing with me.

Why do you call your bishops Lord with a small L?

And Lord means that they are the Lord of the of the of the flock.

Why do you call them Lords? Well, why do we call kings?

Why do we have kings? There are kings out there.

And who is the king of kings? Who is the King of kings?

Jesus praise his name, Amen. He is the king with a uppercase

K who are the small case lowercase K himself also, he's

king for himself. That's, you know, that's that's

trying to just to, you know, derail the, the, the argument

because it's going against you. No, the King of Kings, the Lord

of Lords, Jesus Christ, my Lord, my Savior, the Lord of the

Savior is the Lord of the Lords within the church.

So be careful, beloved, We must be cautious.

When we go against the apostles, we're going against the Holy

Spirit. We're going against the Father,

the Son, and the Holy Spirit because that's where it was

originated. That's who established the the

Apostolic mission or the Apostolic authority.

Hence Paul writes that we all our church listen, go and read

it. 1 I think it's one thing I'm not I'm not biblically versed to

Bang Bang, no, no, no, and I don't believe that that means I

love the Lord more than someone who doesn't know the the the

Bible. No, no, no, no, no, but I know

it's there. I know if you Google it, build

upon the foundation of the apostles.

Maybe someone's going to, you know, type it up and, and in the

in the comments, build upon the foundation of the apostles.

And that's what we learned from Saint Paul, verses 9 and 10.

Notice something Luke writes in verses 9 and 10.

And a vision appeared to Paul in the night, a man this time a

man, not the Holy Spirit or not an Angel, a man.

And this is a vision, not a dream.

Appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and

pleaded with him, saying come over to Macedonia and help us.

Now after he had sent, he had seen the vision.

That's Paul. Immediately we notice.

But when Paul saw the vision, we yes, pronouns change, right?

We Paul, he and we most likely Saint Luke had joined them in

this missionary work. Hence St.

Luke writes the Gospel and a a continuation of the Gospel is

the book of the act. So now we know where Saint Luke

got all these information from. Though he was an A disciple or

an apostle, he heard, he examined, and he witnessed, as

he continues with Saint Paul and Saint Timothy, the vision no

longer an Angel. As Philip saw in Acts chapter 8

Acts 8:26

verse 26, an Angel told him to go to the Ethiopian Cornelius

who who was a devout fearer of God.

The Angel came to him and Acts chapter 10 verse 3 to tell him

Acts 10:3

that go, St. Peter is coming, he's going to

tell you what you need to do through the vision of a man, not

longer an Angel or Holy Spirit. No need for a more divine sort

because Saint Paul was truly obedient to God.

When the Holy Spirit said don't, he didn't question.

He didn't need the Holy Spirit. He didn't need an Angel, a man.

We don't know who the man is. We don't know.

Possibly Jesus, we don't know, right?

There is a reason why we don't know because we don't question.

Oh, but who was this man? It doesn't matter.

It was divinely inspired and it was pertaining to the to the

work of God. Anyone can God can use anyone

beloved. I was having a conversation with

a beautiful beloved brother of mine who said, well, you know,

if we keep saying, you know, we try and try and try and doesn't

work and we say, well, God will do it.

Why doesn't God do it himself? It was in a in a, you know,

humor is just it's it. God's work is unfathomable.

God will use whether you know, my reply was how do you know God

is not using you at that time? At times God works himself

through people, through circumstances, through events,

et cetera, but all by God, with God, through God, and for the

glory of God. God's works are supreme,

beloved, dominant. They are purposeful.

There's a reason they are meaningful.

They're not bland. They're determined.

They're perfect. They're faultless, flawless,

unfathomable, unfathomable, incomprehensible, unspeakable.

Romans Chapter 11, verses 32 to 36.

Romans 11:32–36

Permit me to read this to you. Let me share it with you.

Look at what Saint Paul writes. So beautiful.

Now try. Good luck trying to find these

verses. 33 Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and

knowledge of God. How unsearchable are his just

judgements and his ways past Find ways past finding out you

can't understand them. For whom has known the mind of

the Lord, or who has become His counsellor, or who has first

given to him, and it shall be repaid by him?

No, no one knows the work of God.

But what God reveals for us is enough to know that He is God.

Praise and glory be to His name. And we know that in verse 10

they understood that it's God calling them.

And why does Saint Saint Luke write this?

Origin writes it beautifully. I think it was Origin.

Listen to this, listen shepherds of the churches, listen, God's

shepherds, His angels always come down from heaven and

proclaim to you today a Savior is born for you, who is Christ

the Lord. Luke 211 For unless the shepherd

comes, the shepherd of the churches will be unable to guard

the flock well. Their custody is weak unless

Christ pastures and guards it along with them.

We read guards it along with them.

We read in the apostles, that is, in the epistles.

We are cover workers with God. God's doing the work one

Corinthians 39 A Good Shepherd who imitates the Good Shepherd.

A Good Shepherd who imitates the Good Shepherd is a coworker with

God and Christ. He is a Good Shepherd precisely

because he has the best shepherd with him, pastoring his sheep

along with him. For God established in his

church apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and

teachers. He established everything for

the perfection of the Saints. Ephesians 411151 Corinthians

12/28 Let this suffice for a simpler explanation of what

Saint Luke is writing. Let God through means and ways

that he sees fitting it is God that is working in the church.

It is God that established the church and today remains that

remnants that remnants of that church remains beloved.

Those that you know when you tell me well how come there are

40,000 I believe of denominations.

Well, the enemy has been working.

Every person has, has cropped up and thought, no, I don't

believe, I don't feel, I think this is what God means.

And then has has taken, you know, a detour from the true

church. But no, the, the, the church is

the, the church that we read here in the apostles.

And they were attentive to God and they knew this is God's

work. We will go where God takes us.

Be attentive and be obedient. And this happens even more

during Lent, beloved. It's easier when we're in Lent,

when the body is being tamed and is being belittled, weakened,

and the Spirit is alive. That's where you're attentive

and obedient to the calling, to the work, to the will of God.

Praise and glory be to his name now and there are all times and

forever. Amen.

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double edged sword. Until next time, God bless you

all.