Scripturae | Scriptures

He was mighty in the Scriptures – Acts 18:24

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In Acts 18 we read about Apollos, an outstanding figure in the New Testament. He is also mentioned in the First Epistle to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 1:12, 3:4-6, 4:6). Apollos was a highly educated Jew from Alexandria, Egypt. Alexandria was a major center of learning and culture in the ancient world. It is most likely that Apollos received a very thorough education there.

Apollos arrived in Ephesus, where he met Priscilla and Aquila. They were a Jewish Christian couple originally from Italy and they were tentmakers like the apostle Paul. They had been disciples and co-workers of the apostle Paul, as well as friends of Paul. They took Apollos under their wing and provided him with further instruction regarding the Messiah. Priscilla and Aquila had a thorough grasp of the Christian doctrine, most likely they obtained it from the apostle Paul. They communicated it in a respectful way to Apollos.

What stands out for me is that although Apollos was already mighty in the Scriptures, he didn’t object to be instructed by Priscilla and Aquila. For me this is a mature person. Ready to learn from others and to use that new knowledge and wisdom further on in life. Also the importance to always share knowledge in a very respectful and loving way, just like Priscilla and Aquila did.

Apollos, now ready with the complete message, continued on his evangelist ministry and was an effective apologist for the gospel (Acts 18:28). Let us follow the example of Apollos!

Reflection on Acts 18: 18-28 by Hanne

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Di dalam Dia | EN | IN

"Karena di dalam Dia kita hidup, bergerak, dan ada" – (Kisah Para Rasul 17:28)

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Memperkenalkan Allah yang hidup

Pernyataan yang disampaikan oleh Paulus mengingatkan kita semua, bahwa kehadiran Tuhan yang memampukan kita untuk hidup, bergerak dan ada. Paulus menyampaikan kabar baik kepada orang Athena mengenai Tuhan yang hidup, supaya mereka bertobat dan percaya kepada Allah, dan meninggalkan penyembahan terhadap dewa-dewa dalam bentuk emas atau perak atau batu yang merupakan ciptaan kesenian dan keahlian manusia (ayat 29). 

 

Rasul Paulus merupakan salah satu contoh murid Kristus yang selalu menjaga imannya dan memberitakan kabar sukacita kepada semua bangsa. Tetapi dalam bacaan hari ini, kita melihat bahwa Kabar baik yang disampaikan oleh Paulus ini justru diejek oleh orang-orang Atena (ayat 32). Tetapi dari antara orang yang begitu banyak itu, ada beberapa orang yang percaya akan Yesus Kristus. Kebenaran tentang Yesus kristus sebagai Mesias mampu membuat orang bertobat. 

 

Marilah kita memperkenalkan Allah mulai dari orang-orang terdekat kita. Mungkin kita tidak mampu memperkenalkan Yesus Kristus kepada orang – orang yang tidak kita kenal dan dalam jumlah banyak, tetapi kita bisa memperkenalkan kehadiran Tuhan dan bersaksi bahwa hanya karena Dia sajalah kita bisa hidup, bergerak, dan ada di dunia ini. Melalui diri kita, kita bisa menjadi saksi Kristus dan bisa mengabarkan kabar sukacita kepada semua orang sehingga orang-orang bisa percaya pada Allah yang Hidup, Allah yang sejati. Amin. 

 

Refleksi dari Kisah Para Rasul 17 : 28 – 34 oleh Meist

 

In Him

"In Him we live and move and have our being" – Acts 17:28

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Introducing the living God

 

The statement made by Paul reminds us all that it is God's presence that enables us to live, move and exist. Paul conveyed the good news to the Athenians about The Living God, so that they would repent and believe in God. And so that they don't worship and praise gods in the form of gold or silver or stones which were the creation of human art and skill (verse 29). 

 

Paul is a disciple of Christ who always kept his faith and preached the good news to all nations. In today's reading, we see that the good news delivered by Paul was actually ridiculed by the Athenians (verse 32). But among that multitude, there were some who believed in Jesus Christ. The truth about Jesus Christ as the Messiah is able to make people repent. 

 

Let us introduce our Lord Jesus Christ starting from those who are closest to us. Maybe we are not able to introduce Jesus Christ to people we don't know or in large numbers, but we can introduce God's presence and testify that it is only because of Him that we can live, move, and exist in this world. 

Through ourselves, we can be witnesses of Christ and can preach the good news to everyone so that people can believe in the Living God, the True God. Amen. 

 

Reflection from Acts 17 : 28 – 34 by Meist.  

 

Quaerere Deum | Seek the Lord

That they should seek the Lord, if perhaps they might reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us – Acts 17:27

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This passage is really important to understand that spreading the Lord’s word is a gift and God chose us because we are wise and different from the majority of people. They don’t recognize faith.

We have to be proud about this task and keep on doing it. Even if people around us are sceptical and mock us. What people think about us is not important if we are bringing the Lord‘s word.

We have to focus on our task to talk about being saved to as many people as possible. We have to be confident fighting against several fake idols. 

When Paul spoke to the people from Athens, he said that God is not in the temples and He’s not looking for a sacrifices. But all that He wants is that people will be looking for Him, chasing faith and love for other people.

Amen.

Reflection on Acts 17: 16 -27 by Ivan

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Spiritus | Spirit

She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, "I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." And it came out that very hour. – Acts 16:18

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Dear friends in Christ Jesus, in this Bible passage we come across Paul and Silas who are proclaiming the Kingdom of God with the power of the Holy Spirit. They used to spend a lot of hours in prayer. On the way to prayer they encounter a slave girl who was controlled by an evil spirit. This girl with the help of an evil spirit was able to tell the fortune to the people. That brought about a great income to the owners of this slave girl. Paul understood what is going on with this girl and wanted to liberate her from the evil spirit.

Paul is casting out the evil spirit from the girl 'in the name of Jesus Christ.' This action brought about a lot of anger towards Paul and Silas by the owners of the slave girl because they were no longer able to make money. They were falsely accused, stripped publicly, beaten with iron rods and put into prison.

Dear friends, it is very important for us to be aware of the work of the Holy Spirit and evil spirit. We should be able to differentiate between the both. The world that we live in can easily make us believe so fast what we see and hear. Paul, a man of God filled with the Holy Spirit was able to identify the kind of spirit working in that slave girl. Similarly let us also be filled with the Holy Spirit and do the works of the Holy Spirit in building up the kingdom of God. 

Just like Paul let us also trust in the power of the name of Jesus. Amen.

Reflection on Acts 16: 16-24 by Fr. George Joseph SVD

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Christus | Messiah

„This is the Messiah, Jesus, whom I proclaim to you” (Acts 17:3).

Doctor of the Church-Cyril of Jerusalem, a theologian of the Early Church, left us important writings on Jesus Christ. He filled his catechesis with the Holy Spirit, which is commonly known as the Catechetical Lectures. His homilies, delivered around 350 AD, contained the faith and tradition of the Church. The bishop of Jerusalem focused on the Son of God, the Messiah, proclaimed by Paul (cf. Acts 17:3).

According to Cyril, Jesus Christ is the center of the history of salvation. He claims that the Holy Scriptures lead to faith in the Son of God. In the fourth lecture, he speaks about our Lord, through whom God created all things visible and invisible. He is Life from Life and Light from Light (cf. John 8:12). Jesus Christ is the Wisdom and Power of God. He rose from the dead and, after his resurrection, appeared again to His disciples. He will come again from heaven.

We Christians should wait for the true Christ and the only-begotten Son of God. We should believe in the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Thanks to the divine grace, we are sanctified. When we receive the Body and Blood of Christ during the Eucharist, we become one in the Church.

Cyril of Jerusalem emphasized that we learn about the divine mysteries from the Scriptures. Since our Christian faith is based on the authority of the Word of God.

From the teachings of Paul and Cyril, we know that there is no other king but Jesus. Therefore, we should also proclaim the Good News among our neighbors. Where are you sent by the Holy Spirit to share the Scriptures? Aren’t you remained behind? Let us join their mission as soon as possible. Amen.

Reflection on Acts 17:1-15 by Józef Trzebuniak

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Indonesian version: Percaya

"Tidak! Kami percaya bahwa melalui kasih karunia Tuhan kita Yesus Kristus, kami diselamatkan, sama seperti mereka." (Kisah Para Rasul 15:11 - NIV) 

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Allah telah membuat keselamatan mudah diperoleh. "Karena begitu besar kasih Allah akan dunia ini, sehingga Ia telah mengaruniakan Anak-Nya yang tunggal, supaya setiap orang yang percaya kepada-Nya tidak binasa, melainkan beroleh hidup yang kekal (Yohanes 3:16)." Kita hanya perlu percaya kepada-Nya bahwa pekerjaan Yesus Kristus yang mati di kayu salib untuk menanggung dosa-dosa kita sudah cukup dan lengkap untuk memberikan kita masa depan bersama Allah di surga.

Tampaknya pada tahun-tahun awal Kekristenan di Antiokhia, beberapa orang datang dari Yudea dengan ajaran baru bagi orang-orang bukan Yahudi yang mengatakan bahwa kecuali mereka disunat, menurut adat istiadat yang diajarkan oleh Musa, mereka tidak dapat diselamatkan (ayat 1). Hal ini membawa Paulus dan Barnabas ke dalam pertikaian dan perdebatan yang tajam. Jadi mereka diutus ke Yerusalem untuk menemui para rasul dan penatua tentang masalah ini. 

Ketika mereka berada di Yerusalem, beberapa orang percaya yang merupakan golongan Farisi menekankan pentingnya bagi orang-orang bukan Yahudi untuk tidak hanya disunat tetapi juga untuk menaati hukum Musa. Artinya, manusia perlu menambahkan pekerjaan mereka (perbuatan baik, ritual, kinerja tekun, dsb.) pada pekerjaan Yesus agar diselamatkan. Itu juga berarti bahwa apa yang telah Yesus lakukan bagi umat manusia tidaklah cukup. Rasul Petrus menolak ini dan kemudian berkata bahwa orang-orang ini telah mencoba untuk meletakkan kuk pada tengkuk bangsa-bangsa lain yang tidak dapat mereka maupun nenek moyang mereka tanggung (ayat 10). 

Tidak mungkin bagi manusia untuk memperoleh kekudusan dengan usahanya sendiri atau dengan cara lain kecuali melalui pekerjaan Yesus Kristus. Seperti yang dikatakan dalam Roma 3:10, "Tidak ada yang benar, seorang pun tidak." Kebenaran ini juga membawa kelegaan bagi kita masing-masing yang lelah berusaha menjadi baik dan memenuhi banyak kewajiban agar dianggap "layak di hadapan Allah". 

Allah adalah kasih (1 Yohanes 4:8). Terlebih lagi, Ia mengetahui hati manusia dan memberikan Roh Kudus yang sama kepada siapa saja yang percaya kepada-Nya. Ia tidak membeda-bedakan orang (orang Israel atau orang bukan Yahudi) karena Ia menyucikan hati mereka dengan iman (ayat 8-9). Dalam ayat 11 Petrus berkata, "Kita percaya bahwa oleh kasih karunia Yesus, Tuhan kita, kita diselamatkan sama seperti mereka." 

Puji Tuhan kita Yesus Kristus, yang telah menyelamatkan kita melalui kasih karunia-Nya. Inilah kebebasan sejati yang disediakan Allah bagi umat manusia dari dosa yang membelenggu. "Jadi apabila Anak itu memerdekakan kamu, kamu pun benar-benar merdeka" (Yohanes 8:36). Percaya saja. Amin.

Renungan Kisah Para Rasul 15:1-12 oleh Desire Litaay

(Dengarkan podcastnya disini)

Credimus | Believe | EN | IN

"No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are." -Acts 15:11  (NIV)

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God has made salvation easy to obtain. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16)." We just need to believe in Him that the work of Jesus Christ who died on the cross to bear our sins is enough and complete to grant us the future together with God in heaven.

It appeared that in the early year of Christianity in Antioch, some people came from Judea with a new teaching for the Gentiles that said that unless they were circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, they could not be saved (verse 1). This brought Paul and Barnabas into a sharp dispute and a debate. So they were sent to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this matter.

When they were in Jerusalem, some believers who were from the party of the Pharisees emphasized the importance for the Gentiles not only to be circumcised but also to keep the law of Moses. It means, men need to add their work (good deeds, rituals, diligent performances etc.) to the work of Jesus in order to get saved. That also means that what Jesus has done for the human kind was not enough. Apostle Peter refused this and said later that these people had tried to put a yoke on the neck of the Gentiles that neither them nor their ancestors had been able to bear (verse 10). 

It is impossible for a human being to obtain holiness by his own effort or by other ways except by the work of Jesus Christ. As Roman 3:10 says, "None is righteous, no, not one." This truth also brings a relief to each of us who is tired trying to be good and fulfill many obligations to be considered "worthy before God". 

God is love (1 John 4:8). Moreover He knows people's heart and gives the same Holy Spirit to anyone who believes in Him. He does not discriminate among people (Israelites or Gentiles) for He purifies their hearts by faith (verse 8-9). In verse 11 Peter said, "We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are."

Praise our Lord Jesus Christ, who has saved us by His grace. This is the true freedom that God provides for the mankind from the sin that binds. "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:36). Just believe. Amen.

Reflection on Acts 15:1-12 by Desire Litaay

(Listen to podcast here)