Every expectation was that he too would enter the ministry,
but within months of his enrollment at college, he found his faith
weakening. A friend, a deist named Jacob
Eames, was having a significant influence.
By the time of his graduation the man had no Christian faith. He concealed his rejection of Christ from his
parents until his 20th birthday when he sent word to them that he
was leaving for New York, for a life in the theater.
Arriving in New York City, he quickly discovered that his
dreams were turning into a nightmare. He
found no promising acting opportunities, so he began to live a life he would
later describe as “a reckless, vagabond life, finding lodging where I could,
and bilking the landlord whenever I found an opportunity.”
One night he found himself in a small inn where the
innkeeper apologized that his sleep might be interrupted by a man “next door”
who was critically ill. Throughout the
night he heard his groaning and his gasps.
It bothered him to think that the man next door may not be prepared to
die. At the same time he wondered about
himself. He felt foolish for thinking
such things because good deists weren’t supposed to have such struggles.
When he was leaving in the morning he asked the innkeeper
how the man in the next room was doing.
The innkeeper said, “He’s dead.”
He asked, “Do you know the man’s name?”
“Oh yes,” said the innkeeper, “the young man was from the college in
Providence. His name was Eames, Jacob
Eames.”
Adoniram Judson could hardly move. He stayed there at the inn for hours
pondering death and eternity. If his
friend was right, then his death was a meaningless event. But if, as Judson wrote, “Hell should open
and snatch Jacob Eames, my dearest friend and guide, from the next bed – this
could not be pure coincidence. God is
real, and He’s pursuing me.”
Judson’s conversion was not immediate. There were months of struggle. But in October 1808 He entered Andover
Seminary and two months later made a solemn vow to be a missionary. In June of 1809 he presented himself for
missionary service in Burma.
The same day he met a woman named Ann and soon fell in
love. After a month he declared his
intention to marry her, but he knew his life of service to Christ would be
dirty and dangerous. He told her that he
never intended to return to America. He
said that he could not think of marriage, unless her father agreed. So he wrote him this letter:
“I now have to ask, whether you can consent to part with your
daughter early next spring, to see her no more in this world; whether you can
consent to her departure, and her subjection to the hardships and sufferings of
missionary life; whether you can consent to her exposure to the dangers of the
ocean, to the fatal influence of the southern climate of India; to every kind
of want and distress; to degradation, insult, persecution, and perhaps a
violent death. Can you consent to all
this, for the sake of him who left his heavenly home, and died for her or for
you; for the sake of perishing, immortal souls; for the sake of Zion, and the
glory of God? Can you consent to all
this, in hope of soon meeting your daughter in the world of glory, with the
crown of righteousness, brightened with the acclamations of praise which shall
redound to her Savior from heathens saved, through her means, from eternal woe
and despair?” Imagine receiving such a
letter!
Her father read and reread it. He finally decided to let his daughter
decide. She did. She said “Yes”!
Now with that as background, we come to the second week of
our Beyond Campaign – the Sunday of GIVING!
And here in Acts 17 Paul is reasoning with the men of Athens. Here in this text we get a vivid portrait of
a man who has learned how and why to give Beyond yourself to others. In many respects, like Adoniram Judson, God
uniquely equips Paul for his ministry of giving to the Athenians. Each one of the four points illustrate the
hows and whys of giving Beyond ourselves.
In preparation for Sunday you may wish to consider the
following;
1. What
does Luke mean when he says in verse 16 that “Paul’s spirit was provoked”?
2. What
caused such provocation?
3. What
does Luke mean in verse 17 when he says that Paul “reasoned” in the synagogue
and the marketplace?
4. What
does the description of Paul used by the Epicureans and stoic philosophers
mean?
5. What
is the Areopagus?
6. What
do you make of their question in verse 19?
7. How
important is Paul’s perception in verse 22?
8. How
is Paul like Jesus here?
9. How
does Paul relate to his hearers in verse 29?
10. How is Paul
a perfect example of a true giver?
See you Sunday for our GIVING Beyond ourselves!
