Nathan Neighbors
Follower of Christ, Husband, Father, & Youth Pastor
Guest Blog written by: Colin Raynor
Paul was a missionary.. In today’s reading, we read about all the places Paul went and even plots to kill him for his faith. But the statement Paul was a missionary isn’t about the places he went. In today’s Christian world when we think missionary, we think about people going off to other countries to tell people about God…. but thats not what a missionary is. Paul sets the definition in chapter 17 verses 16-34. How often are we waiting? We wait for food, we wait at the doctors office, we even wait for our phones to load, etc.. In those times you and I wait, I know for my self I have had the Holy Spirit “provoke” me to share who Christ was. In verse 16 it says “now while Paul was waiting for them (Timothy and Silas) at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols.” Paul got this same provoking feeling, and he didn’t let fear get in his way. Many times when we get that Holy Spirit nudge, we think of what people will say about us or think of us as. Just like today people heckled Paul. Verse 18 says “what does this babbler wish to say…He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities.” What I admire about Paul is that didn’t stop him. He knew what his purpose on this earth was, and he pursued it like we should every day.
There is so much you can learn from a name. Though the name Neighbors isn’t common, I try to live in such a way that I honor my family and my parents by behaving in ways that bring honor and not disgrace to the name I carry. Even more so is the name Christian.
Just like family names, you can learn a lot about churches by looking at their name. The church I serve is called Ebenezer. It means stone of help. It’s roots are in scripture and it refers to the stones Samuel put up to remember how the Lord helped them. We talk often at Ebenezer of what the Lord has done to help us over these past two centuries here in Florence.
Often churches with names like…Unity are churches that come from church splits. Churches called First _____ (Baptist) are either churches that came first in a town for a particular denomination or were named first. There is always more than meets the eye when you see the name of a church.
In today’s scripture reading the first story we read is about the cruel stoning of Stephen. He is considered the first martyr for the Christian faith. I’ve read and heard this story many times. It’s a powerful story of God’s work in a believer’s life. But until today, I never paid attention to the name of the church that stoned Stephen. Acts 6:9 says that, “Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)…” So, in other words, today we might call this Freedom Church. How ironic. They call themselves freedom, yet they are bound in sin. Stephen eloquently tells them in chapter 7 about the history of their faith and why Jesus is The only Way, yet in the end, they kill Stephen and turn away from the Lord.
It’s easy to point fingers and say, “how dare this Freedom Church stone Stephen.” We can easily see in hindsight how dumb these people were. Yet, how often do well meaning Christians do sinful things in the name of the Lord? May we always take seriously the name of Jesus. May we carry His name as Christians far above our church names and may we honor Christ in all that we say and do as individuals and as churches.
Guest Blog written by: Molly Watkins
Whenever I read the crucifixion story, I always want to believe I would be like Mary Magdalene. She was such a strong believer and she was the first one to see Jesus after he rose and when he revealed himself she never doubted or asked questions. I want to think I would be just like her in that situation, but after reading the story again I know I wouldn’t be.
I would be Thomas. I would have to see it to believe it, I would have to actually feel the nail marks to know it’s real. No matter how hard I would try to believe, I wouldn’t be able to. I think we can all be that way. We want to think that we would totally be okay with whatever happened, but really, as humans, we would freak out and have to see the proof. John 20:29 says, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Sometimes, I feel like Thomas. I find it so hard that Jesus is really there because I can’t see him or talk to him. I let myself doubt sometimes because I can’t always hear what Jesus is trying to say. Jesus said blessed are those who haven’t seen and yet still believe. I want it to come easily to me, I want to be a Mary instead of a Thomas. I think that’s the biggest thing I am going to have to work on as I enter this new school year.
Nathan Neighbors 