Solitude

Posted on February 24, 2025 by Don Merritt

The spiritual practice of silence is primarily about being silent; the spiritual practice of solitude is primarily about being alone. For many of us, we need solitude to find silence, both within and without. Yet solitude does not necessarily require silence. Here’s what I mean…

Many people report that they are closest to God when alone in nature. They may hear the gentle rustle of the breeze in the leaves, the singing of the birds in the branches above, the chattering of the squirrels, the chirping of the crickets and maybe the babbling of a brook. In this setting, a person might meditate, or pray, or both. Or, perhaps they might just remain silent…

It isn’t easy to pray as an individual spiritual practice surrounded by other people, for there are so many distractions. I know people do it, but I have a tough time meditating in a crowd. How about individual study? Is that enhanced on a city bus− or in solitude?

Classically speaking, solitude was practiced in a very quiet room all alone. It might have been divided with prayer and meditation, followed by silence. Yet whereas so many of the classical teachers of spiritual disciplines insisted on certain routines or manners of practice, my approach, as you no doubt noticed, is to experiment to find the right practices or combination of practices that enhance your relationships with God, and not to worry about a list of rules created by well meaning men.

I’ve written about this in the past, but my most amazing time alone with God thus far in my life, was sort of in nature. Actually, I was at a resort full of people early in the morning. There had been a very big storm; thunder, lightning and torrents of rain. During a break in the storm I headed out to the deserted beach and found a very remote spot on the rocks at a point that jutted out into the surf, about 15 or 20 feet above where the very rough surf was crashing into the rocks below. The wind was blowing, and in the sky were very large puffy clouds, maybe 200 feet above the sea, that were racing across the sky.  From this vantage point, I could see only the sea, the sky and the clouds; nothing man-made as if I were all alone in the world, and out of the wind, the surf and the spray blowing over me, I heard (figuratively) the voice of God speaking to me: It was glorious. A rain squall passed through and I was drenched with warm tropical rain as He spoke, and then it passed and the sun once again broke through the clouds.

This was not at all a quiet scene; solitude can be like that, but throughout, I was silent. See how that can work?

For me, solitude is very important as a spiritual discipline, and I make time for it every day, combining solitude with prayer and study… and silence from me: For you, it may be different. I hope that you will feel free to share other possibilities with us to help those who are new at this sort of thing.

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Paul Speaks at Mars Hill

Posted on February 22, 2025 by Don Merritt

Acts 17:16-34

As was the usual custom, Paul first taught in the Jewish synagogues upon his arrival in Athens. From there, he also taught in the marketplace where he came across some interesting people. Luke tells us that Paul had become “distressed” about the number and magnitude of “idols” in the city, for in the first century, Athens had become a center of art and philosophy; it was no longer a political center as it had been in centuries past, thus aspiring artists and philosophers traveled there to seek their destinies from all over the region.

While in the marketplace, he came to discuss his new ideas with Epicureans and Stoics who disputed both Paul and each other, as was their custom. Yet we should note that their disputations were collegial rather than hostile, which is the key to understanding this text. At some point in this process, Paul’s new debating buddies invite him to speak before the Areopagus so that all of the philosophers might better understand this new teaching of his.

For the modern-day reader, Luke’s use of the term “Areopagus” is slightly ambiguous, since it can either refer to a place or a council. As a place, it refers to a location known in English as “Mars Hill” which was the place where criminal and civil cases were heard and adjudged. As a council, it refers to a group of scholars who ruled on philosophical and religious questions, the same council before which Socrates had appeared 500 years earlier. Over the centuries following Paul’s appearance, scholars have debated which of these Luke was referring to, in fact, in literature, Paul’s speech in this passage is known as “The Mars Hill Discourse”, demonstrating the geographical interpretation. Of course, in verse 33, Luke actually tells us that Paul was before a council… For whatever it’s worth, I believe that Paul addressed the council, and the council met on Mars Hill.

Paul’s actual speech is recorded in 17:22-31; you really should read it, if you haven’t already, for it is truly marvelous and well worth the effort. In fact, the King James Version of this address is considered to be one of the true literary classics of all time and is required reading for students of both literature and philosophy in universities worldwide.

For our purposes, there are a few things I hope you will take note of:

First, I hope that you will notice that in spite of Paul’s distress with all of the idols he came across in Athens, he did not bother telling the group that they were wicked evil sinners who were destined for hell, even though he may have thought that to be true. He also didn’t tell them that all of their philosophizing was a shocking waste of time, and recommend to them that they seek actual gainful employment, which is a thought that comes to my mind. Instead, his approach was more along the lines of, ”here’s a new idea you might want to consider; I have news about your ‘unknown god’, he is revealing himself to you after centuries of mystery”.

By taking such an approach, Paul actually had their attention and gained a hearing, rather than just being laughed off the stage.

The second thing I hope we will all notice is that when Paul spoke to the Areopagus, God met the people where they lived through Paul. The moral of the story dear reader, is that if we will resist the temptation to behave as arrogant jerks, God can do a mighty work through us; notice that even though many of those who heard Paul did not receive his message, others did receive it, including at least two notables, to the glory of God.

“Hellfire and brimstone” usually doesn’t work.

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 Moving Forward

Posted on February 21, 2025 by Don Merritt

Acts 17:1-15

The great adventure was not nearly over when Paul and the others left Philippi; it was just getting started. Luke mentions a number of towns they visited, and then tells us of some of the details of the visits to Thessalonica and Berea, and in doing so; we find an interesting contrast between the two communities.

In Thessalonica, Paul begins by teaching in the synagogue for three Sabbath days. He showed them, using the Scriptures, that Jesus was indeed the long-awaited Messiah, and a fair number of the people came to believe. Yet others were “jealous” and these decided to recruit a bunch of unsavory characters to instigate a riot, with the result that Paul and Silas left town, and Jason had a very close call before the magistrate; but a church was established in spite of all of this phony riot business.

When Paul and Silas reached Berea, they found a quite different group of Jews. These people eagerly examined the Scriptures as Paul taught, wanting to see if his message was true, and upon finding that he was indeed telling the truth, they gladly received his message about Jesus. From Luke’s narrative it would appear that no one in Berea was “jealous” of the message Paul and Silas taught, but word of their activities would soon reach Thessalonica, and the unsavory characters were soon dispatched to Berea, and Paul was soon secreted to Athens where the rest of his party would join him.

The contrast between the two communities is obvious enough; one had a large number who were jealous, and the other had a large number who were willing to verify what was true, and act according to their truth findings. As for the manufactured riots using unsavory characters… that is a political tactic that is still used to this day.

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Study, part 2

Posted on February 21, 2025 by Don Merritt

As a Theology Professor, I was pretty good at teaching Scripture from a purely academic perspective; it was my job after all. I would never denigrate academics, quite the opposite, in fact. Yet in the academic environment, I had the nagging realization that we were doing an excellent job of training the next generation of teachers of the law, but not such a great job of teaching and training men and women to be ministers of the gospel. You see, dear reader, there is a fine line there, between placing our faith and trust in our own knowledge and academic skills, and placing our faith and trust in God, and the two kinds of faith are not the same thing.

Now that I am no longer in that environment, when I come across a student who is preparing for the ministry, I encourage them of course, but I also warn them about this peril. Some see it right away, others are quite sure that I have gone utterly mad… par for the course, I suppose.

A few years back I met a young Seminary student who was so very bright. He could cite chapter and verse for most any subject, he could give a philosophical analysis of everything, he knew pretty much everything. He was so very confident in his knowledge, in his analysis, in his insight. However, it quickly became obvious that he had no conception that anything he had learned about the teachings of Scripture had any relevance whatsoever to daily life. Actually, he wasn’t even entirely sure that he was a believer, but he was sure that he was going to be a Professor of Theology one of these days.

And he probably will, and that is the danger I’m talking about.

We can all study the Scriptures as an academic discipline, but the study of Scripture as a spiritual discipline is something different. Of course, it is important to have a fundamental knowledge upon which to grow spiritually, but our foundation is built upon Jesus Christ who is the Person of the living Word. Our foundation as Christians is not built upon the letter only, and that is where many go wrong.

Traditionally, many of us have been taught that to grow in the Faith, we need to spend time in prayer and in the Word, which is certainly true, yet there is so much more.

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12

Do we believe the Word of God? If we do, then we must see that it is not just letters, words and phrases printed on a page. No sir, it is alive in the Person of Christ.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:1-4; 14

When we go to God in prayer, whose presence do we enter? Gee, that’s an easy one, the answer is right in the question: God’s presence. If the living Word was one with God, and prayer brings us to the presence of God, why would we think it’s a good idea to leave God’s presence to study His Word?

Prayer and Study have always been taught as two distinct spiritual practices; maybe we should think differently and combine them instead. I presented our look at Prayer in two different ways, one more formal and traditional, and the other less formal and less traditional, although far from new. Both are good and I recommended both of them in concert, and now I’ll suggest combining them with our study time.

So we pray, and then we study. Let’s not forget to ask God to direct us in our study, to open His Word to us, to give us the fullness of His Word.

We read slowly through a passage and come across something that seems odd to us: What is that supposed to mean? We look up other passages, we grab a commentary and look it up or Google it… Did we ask God for the answer? If you’re like me, I probably didn’t, after all, I’m a trained professional and went right to the Hebrew or Greek and applied my knowledge and training and experience… O wretched man that I am!

None of those steps is wrong or bad, by the way, only the attitude is a problem.

Just ask Him!

Even better is this approach: Pray the Word.

Take the actual language of the Scriptures and put it into your prayers along the lines of the prayer approach I discussed in Prayer 4.  Pray it in short phrases, thank God for His Word, praise Him for what you’ve seen, move on and repeat the process and you’ll get the hang of it. As you come across something you are not sure about, just continue on and ask God to reveal it to you. Relax your mind, ask Him again and thank Him for His amazing Word. Don’t be too surprised when the part you weren’t clear about suddenly pops into your head. If it doesn’t, that’s OK, for often there is something else He wants you to see, and the answer to your question comes along another time.

After an answer comes is when I want to go to my study aids to see if I can confirm the answer that popped into my mind. Let’s be honest, sometimes we only get the answer we wanted to hear, and that might just be our minds playing tricks on us. Usually in those cases, I know I’m wrong about it…

With a little practice, you may well find that the Word of God is a much deeper source of treasure than you had imagined; it’s worth a shot in any case.

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Adventures in Pilippi

Posted on February 20, 2025 by Don Merritt

Acts 16:16-40

As the story continues, Paul, Silas and the rest of their group were teaching in Philippi when one day they were accosted by a slave girl who had a demon. The spirit had been irritating Paul for days, always shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved”. On this particular day, Paul had had just about all of this he could stand, so he drove the spirit out of the girl.

The slave girl and her demon were a real money maker for her owner, because the spirit enabled her to tell the fortunes of paying customers, and when her owner discovered that his slave girl could no longer do this, he realized that he had just lost a key part of his business, and was understandably upset; he brought Paul and Silas before the local magistrate looking for justice, after all, he had suffered actual and verifiable financial damages because of what Paul had done. Certainly in our day, there would ample cause for a legal action, and this was no mere nuisance case. As plaintiffs tend to do, the man exaggerated his claim just a tad, claiming that they had not only damaged him financially, but that they were advocating illegal customs and practices (which was arguably true) and that they had created an uproar in the city (which from the evidence we have to work with, appears to be not quite accurate).

For any good Roman magistrate, the mere hint of a possible public unrest would result in harsh action, so Paul and Silas were ordered to be beaten with rods, a form of torture that killed a man about as often as not, and then had them thrown in prison to bleed to death or die from infection or shock.

During the night there was a severe earthquake and the chains on all of the prisoners came loose; they could all have walked out of the place, but for some reason, they didn’t.

The jailer, assuming that his charges had taken their opportunity to escape was about to kill himself, for a horrible death would surely be his fate when daylight came anyway… but Paul stopped him. When he realized that no one had escaped, he realized that something very amazing had just happened and he asked Paul and Silas how he could be saved; they told him about Jesus.

The jailer and his entire household believed and were saved and Paul and Silas were attended to.

The next morning, the magistrate ordered them to be released, but Paul wasn’t quite finished with the magistrate… In speaking with the messengers who had come to release them, Paul dropped a little bombshell: He and Silas were Roman citizens, and the action of the magistrate was a gross violation of their rights as citizens; the magistrates would have to “make it up to them” and personally escort them out as an acknowledgement of their illegal actions of the day before. Of course, there was the obvious implication that if they didn’t, there would be charges filed against them.

The magistrate complied with this demand, and escorted them, and after visiting Lydia’s house, the party moved out of the city.

I’m quite certain that the effect of these events left a powerful testimony for both salvation and God’s glory in that town…

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Some Things Never Change

Posted on February 20, 2025 by Don Merritt
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John’s last letter. So short, so telling. John is writing to his friend and brother Gaius.  He seems to have been a leader in the church, and even though there are other mentions of men with this name in Scripture, it was a very common name; we can’t be sure if he has other mentions or not.  Gaius was obviously serving others, and sharing God’s love with them. He was hosting a group of missionaries, apparently, and these workers were people he didn’t know.

Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters, even though they are strangers to you. They have told the church about your love. Please send them on their way in a manner that honors God. It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth.

3 John 2-8

Gaius is the kind of Christian who is worthy of imitation.  He is serving in love, he is putting others first, he is doing the kinds of things we should be doing.  But there is another guy who comes up in the letter…

I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us. So when I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, spreading malicious nonsense about us. Not satisfied with that, he even refuses to welcome other believers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.

 Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God. Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone—and even by the truth itself. We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true.

3 John 9-12

This dude Diotrephes is all too common in our day, and obviously they had this sort of nonsense going on even in John’s day.  Did you catch what Join said about him at the beginning? He said that Diotrephes “loves to be first.” Well that about sums it up! Do you know others who love to be first?  They are the important ones, they are the ones who can’t be inconvenienced, they are the ones who always have the last word, who always get their way, and who must always be in charge. They want to be the bride at every wedding, and the corpse at every funeral.  No doubt you are reminded here of the words of Jesus when He said the first will be last and the last will b first!

This Diotrephes won’t welcome the Apostle to the church, and kicks others out for welcoming the strangers that Gaius has taken in. Diotrephes seems to have much to say about others. A bunch of nonsense (or gossip) is being spread about people like John himself, who should be given the respect they are due.  I wonder if Diotrephes is doing this because he must be in the spotlight, and just can’t handle it when someone gets attention.

Maybe we’ll never know the exact motivation, but I think we recognize the person, and John is telling us not to emulate them or their behavior.  Who can argue with that advice?

Finally, another good guy is mentioned: Demetrius.  So there you have it, two brothers who are serving faithfully, and one bad apple.  It seems that the bad apple makes the most noise, but the faithful servants are making a difference for the Gospel.  I’d say there might be a lesson in this for us!

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Off to Macedonia

Posted on February 19, 2025 by Don Merritt

Acts 16:6-15

Paul and his party began to move throughout Asia, but as they went along and passed through various towns with potential as mission fields, the Spirit held them back; we should take note that they obeyed the Spirit, even though they didn’t understand why He was keeping them from proclaiming the Gospel. Finally, Paul learns in a vision that their target was not Asia as he had expected, but Macedonia.

We should take careful notice that right after mentioning this vision, Luke suddenly begins writing in the first-person plural: “We”. Up to this time, it has always been “they”. Most commentators and I’ll include myself in their number, believe that Luke joined Paul’s missionary team at this point. So, it was on to Macedonia…

Upon arrival they headed for Philippi, the leading city in the area and as Luke put it, “a Roman colony”. We might expect the group to head for the synagogue on the Sabbath day, but this was a “Roman colony” and it would be reasonable for us to infer that there wasn’t a synagogue there for them to go to. Whatever the case may be, they headed outside the city to the river seeking a place of prayer. When they arrived, they found, of all things, a group of women, one of whom was a woman named Lydia. Macedonia was unusual in the first century in that within this province, women actually had legal rights. They could initiate divorce, enter into binding legal contracts, engage in trade and own property, among other things, and as Luke tells us, Lydia was a merchant from Thyatira who dealt in the fine purple cloth for which that city in Asia Minor was so famous. It would also seem from the text that Lydia was not only a businesswoman, but a successful one, having a house in Philippi large enough to house the missionary party.

She also believed in God.

Lydia accepted Paul’s message of salvation through Jesus Christ and was baptized on the spot. Following this, she insisted that Paul and the rest of his party stay in her home, which would have been quite a relief for them, not to mention a testimony to her faith.

The Macedonian adventure had gotten off to a good start, but as we will see, this was not going to be a cake walk…

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Study, part 1

Posted on February 19, 2025 by Don Merritt

The Spiritual Practice of Study goes back several thousand years and thus it shouldn’t seem like a new idea to anyone. It can take many forms and can be both an individual and group practice, yet for our purposes in this survey, I will approach the individual side of study rather than the group application. As an individual practice, study is most often approached on a more or less academic basis by most people, and for good reason. Who can argue with the assertion that it is essential for us to have a good foundation in Scriptural understanding?

There is, however, a potential danger to this approach, for most of us, in seeking to gain a fundamental understanding of the Scriptures, don’t consult the Scriptures, but instead, consult other works about the Scriptures. As a result, we learn theological doctrine, and only then open the Scriptures to find passages that confirm the teachings we have learned, usually to the exclusion of passages that may contradict those teachings.

There is no substitute for reading the Word of God directly.

If you are new to Bible study, it may seem a daunting task at first, but I can assure you that it is not as difficult as it may seem when you begin; here are a few things you should know from the outset.

First, the Scriptures are the written record of God’s revelation of Himself to Mankind. Did you catch that? The written record of God’s revelation of Himself to Mankind.

Second, the Bible is a published volume containing the Scriptures; the terms are similar, but not the same.

Third, when you see the word “version” in the name of a Bible, it means “translation”. They are not different collections of the Scriptures, they are different translations of the same Scriptures from their original Hebrew and Greek texts into English… or whichever language you prefer. Thus, when you see for instance the “King James Version” (KJV) or “New International Version” (NIV) they refer to two different translations, one done in 1611 at the command of King James of England and Scotland, and the other done in the late 20th and again in the early 21st centuries. These are only two popular examples, there are many, many others. Normally, I use the NIV here on the blog, although I use several translations in my own study, as well as the original languages, including the KJV. Usually, I don’t teach in King James, however, because it is written in the language of Shakespeare, which few us understand well today.

Fourth, the Scriptures, also called the Word of God, are not like other writings. The Word of God is much more than a collection of old stories, ethical passages, rules, and teachings, for the Word is alive and is one and inseparable from the Person of Jesus Christ. While knowing the facts is a very good thing, coming face-to-face with Jesus Christ is the main thing, and should be the goal for any study of Scripture.

Fifth, since getting into God’s Word is the main thing, if you aren’t sure where to start, read a chapter a day. Take your time, this isn’t a race. Start with Matthew, the first book of the New Testament. Before you begin, ask God to guide you, to open the Scriptures to you, to reveal Himself to you and then read slowly.

We are all busy people, but over many years, I have noticed something about busy people: They find time for the things they really want to do, so you can find the time to read God’s Word, and if you can’t find the time, then you can always make the time if you want to; simply schedule it as a daily “to do”. I’m confident that in time, like me, you’ll be glad you did it.

Next time, we’ll take a different look at the practice of study; see you then!

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Paul Finds a New Travelling Companion

Posted on February 18, 2025 by Don Merritt

Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer but whose father was a Greek. The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.

Acts 16:1-5

In this little tidbit, we can pick up a little more insight into Paul’s second missionary adventure. Notice that he has arrived in Lystra, with no mention of Silas, and it would appear that he was looking for a young believer who had been brought to his attention as a potential member of Paul’s traveling party. Luke gives us some interesting personal information about this young man named Timothy; his mother was Jewish, his father Gentile, and clearly, he was well respected in the church.

Since Paul wanted Timothy to travel with his party, he circumcised Timothy, because the Jews in the area knew his father was a Greek… and then Luke tells us that they went from town to town telling the believers about the results of the Jerusalem conference and how they need not be circumcised to be a Christian. At first blush, this seems beyond bizarre; didn’t Paul just violate the Jerusalem decision?

Well… yes and no.

“Yes” in the sense that Timothy didn’t need to be circumcised to be a Christian; but “no” because Timothy was not a Gentile, even though his father was, for his mother was a Jew, and that means that Timothy was also a Jew, a Jew who hadn’t been circumcised. Since the other Jews in the area knew that Timothy had not been circumcised, Paul did not circumcise him so that he would be accepted as a Christian; he did it so that Timothy would be accepted as a Jew.

We don’t really come across that situation very often…

So, they went around with the Conference news and strengthened the churches in the area, and their numbers continued to increase. After a time, the party moved on to Macedonia as we will shortly see.

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What a Hope We Have!

Posted on February 18, 2025 by Don Merritt

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:11-13

Jeremiah sent this message to the Jewish leaders at a very difficult time in Jewish history, for as we can see in verse 1 of this chapter, it is part of a letter he sent to the surviving elders who were being held in Babylonian captivity.

This is a message of hope for a future which would have appeared to be very dark to those who received it, for they had been dragged hundreds of miles from home by the greatest military force on the planet at the time. Consequently, there was no earthly hope available to them.

Imagine how that would feel- utter hopelessness.

Yet they received a message of hope from none other than God Himself: Things would eventually change. As it happened however, that change didn’t quite take place within the lifetimes of the original recipients.

The captivity lasted 70 years. In spite of that, the change did come in the fulness of time: God kept His promise that had been made to the very people who were most responsible for the captivity in the first place, the leaders of the people who had rebelled against God.

Now there is something to think about.

Looking at this whole situation through the long lens of the New Testament, we can see something even more amazing, for it can be said that there is more to these promises than the original recipients could have understood in their time.

All of humanity has been held in bondage to sin and death since the events of Genesis chapter three. From as early as the time of Abraham, God has promised that He would set humanity free of those chains, and in fact He has already done so through the work of His Son, Jesus. In Him, our sin has been taken away, and we have an eternal future. Even so, our entire world has been going through a very difficult time in recent years and for many it has been a time of sorrow and deep loss, loss of loved ones, livelihoods, and in a sense even of liberty in their daily lives.

There is a better day coming! Yes, it will be a better when the current challenges in the world have been dealt with, but let’s not forget that challenges are really nothing new. The great day comes when Jesus returns and takes all sin, death, pain, sickness and suffering away for good.

I don’t know when that will be, but I do know that our God has a perfect record when it comes to keeping His promises; He will never let us down, and when the times are tough, that is the basis of our hope.

And what a hope we have!

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