Young People’s Blog

“A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth: and the recompence of a man’s hands shall be rendered unto him” (Proverbs 12:14).

We all understand the last part of this verse; that is, we realize that if we work with our hands, we can expect to be paid for it. But what does the first part mean? It says that we will also be rewarded for what we say. We may not get money for what we say, but there will be a reward of good.

I know a Christian man who operates a big business, and one day he was speaking to another man (an unbeliever) about a business matter. After while the other man said to him, “What religion are you? You seem to be at peace inside yourself.” Then the Christian was able to speak to him about the Lord Jesus, and tell him how he too could have peace with God about his sins, and be at peace about everything else too. Although he did not get money for it, my friend was “satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth.” How we speak is important, for we may be the only Bible that unbelievers read. They should be able to see the “fruit of the Spirit” in us.

“Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth; and found a certain Jew named Aquila…with his wife Priscilla…and because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers” (Acts 18:1-3).

Tent making was an important trade in the Roman Empire, for the material was not only used for tents, but also for sails. Sometimes the skins of animals were used, sometimes the long hair of goats, and sometimes a type of linen. Many ships were propelled by rowers, but they often had sails too, so that the tentmakers were in high demand.

Also, every Jewish young man learned a trade, even if he were highly educated, as was the Apostle Paul. Then he had something with which to earn his living, if necessary. Paul spent much of his time preaching, but he was not afraid to get his hands dirty, as we say. He readily worked at his tentmaking to support himself in his work for the Lord, and this is a good example for us. Sometimes others helped Paul by sending him money, but he was also ready to work and support himself, if necessary. Also, when Aquila and Priscilla worked together with Paul, they had plenty of time to speak together about the things of the Lord. I wish I had been there to listen to Paul!

“Paul…reasoned therefore in the synagogue with the Jews, and those who worshipped, and in the market-place every day with those he met with. But some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers attacked him. And some said, What would this chatterer say?” (Acts 17:16-18 JND).

When Paul saw all the idol worship in Athens, he felt that he had to say something. But when he preached about the Lord Jesus, and His resurrection, we find that the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers attacked him, while others dismissed Paul as a “chatterer.” Why would they do this, if they really wanted to hear something new?

They did not want to listen because Christianity makes nothing of man, and everything of Christ. The gospel tells man that he is a lost sinner, and needs a Savior. Those proud, educated Greeks did not want to hear that message. They wanted to hear news that would make them feel good about themselves, not news that told them they were sinners.

In natural things, the Epicureans and the Stoics were opposites, yet they worked together to oppose the gospel. See if you can find out what the Epicureans and Stoics believed. We have people today who fit into both categories.

“All the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing” (Acts 17:21).

The Greeks were a clever and a curious people, and Athens was the central city of Greece. All of the most intelligent and educated people gathered there, and spent their time telling or listening to the news. The news could be about anything—political news, commercial news, religious news—it did not matter, as long as it was something new and different.

Sadly, they worshiped all kinds of heathen gods, which were inventions of man’s mind, and had a lot of idols in the city.

There is nothing wrong with having a curious mind that wants to learn more, but tomorrow we will see whether they wanted to hear the real truth from the Apostle Paul.

“And some said…he [the Apostle Paul] seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection” (Acts 17:18).

This is the Lord’s day—the day that our Lord rose from the dead. Those who preached the gospel in the early church clearly recognized the importance of emphasizing the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, for if He were still in the grave, He would be just like every other religious leader. But Christianity can show the world an empty tomb, for the One who once lay there is now risen, ascended to heaven, and seated there at God’s right hand.

Because He is risen from the dead, we can come together and remember Him in death. We could not remember Him in death if He were still dead; that would not make sense. My parents are both dead, as far as this world is concerned, and their bodies are in a grave. I remember them as they were when they were alive. But because the Lord Jesus is alive, we can remember Him in death. What a privilege that is!

“For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away” (James 4:14).

On a country road near our home, a young man who was only 19 years old was killed in a car crash last year (2023). Families and friends often put flowers and possibly a cross at the site where someone is killed, but this young man’s family did much more than that. They erected a box with solar lights in it, so that those lights are on every night, even in all the snow and cold of a Canadian winter. They want to remind everyone that their loved one was killed there.

We can certainly sympathize with his family and friends, but all this reminds us of the truth of our verse for today. Even if we live a full life, it is very short compared to eternity. Had that young man given any thought as to where he would spend eternity? We do not know, but it is too late for him to think about that now. But for those of us who are still alive, and able to think about eternity, how important it is to know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, and to be sure that whatever happens to us, we will go to be with Him!

“And when it was day, the magistrates sent the serjeants, saying, Let those men go…But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust us out privily? Nay verily; but let them come themselves and fetch us out” (Acts 16:35,37).

When the magistrates told the serjeants (the police) to go and let Paul and Silas out of jail, Paul said that the magistrates should come themselves and bring them out. Was Paul right to insist on this? Yes, he was. He did not complain about what had happened to them, neither did he report it to higher authorities, and try to get the magistrates in trouble.

However, he wanted to reach the consciences of those magistrates, because they had acted unlawfully, and because they had beaten and imprisoned Paul and Silas without bothering to find out what really had happened. This is a good example for us too. If the world treats us wrongly we should submit to it, but it is not wrong on our side to remind them that they are doing wrong, and that they are responsible to God for their actions.

“And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God…and suddenly there was a great earthquake…and immediately all the doors were opened…and the keeper of the prison…called for a light…and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:25-27,29-31).

When Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown into prison, it certainly looked as if Satan had won. But God has His own ways of saving souls, and had His eye on the jailer who looked after that prison. When Paul and Silas prayed and sang, God allowed an earthquake to shake that prison so violently that all the doors were opened, and everybody’s bands (chains, stocks, etc.) were loosed. But no one escaped; the Lord kept them there, and Paul and Silas were able to tell the jailer how to be saved.

What a wonderful ending to a terrible time of beating and being imprisoned! Yes, it was awful to be beaten and imprisoned, but the Lord was working, and the jailer and his whole household believed. Paul and Silas probably carried scars from those beatings for the rest of their lives, but I am sure they thought it was worth it, to see that jailer and his family saved.

“But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour. And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas…and brought them to the magistrates…and the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison” (Acts 16:18-23).

 Paul knew very well that it was an evil spirit that controlled that young woman, and he used the power of the name of the Jesus Christ to cast it out of her. But that woman was also controlled by some men who made money when she told people what she thought was going to happen in the future. Now that the evil spirit was gone, they would not make any more money from her. Satan was behind all this, for he knew that Paul and Silas would not want a demon to be connected with them and their gospel preaching. When Paul cast out the demon, Satan used it to get Paul and Silas beaten and eventually thrown into prison. He thought that this would put a stop to their preaching in Philippi. But the Lord got the victory, as we will see tomorrow.

“And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel [young woman] possessed with a spirit of divination met us…the same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation” (Acts 16:16-17).

Paul and Silas had gone to the city of Philippi to preach the gospel, and they were there for quite a few days. During that time a young woman followed them, crying out that they were God’s servants, and showing people the way of salvation. Since the woman was possessed with an evil spirit (a demon), we might wonder why the spirit would tell the truth about Paul and Silas, and that they had come to Philippi to tell people how to get saved.

Does Satan really want people to get saved? No, he definitely does not. But Satan knows that God’s power is greater than his power, and he sometimes pretends to be part of the work of the Lord, in order to try and spoil it. This is exactly what happened there in Philippi, and we will see tomorrow what Satan did.