Daily Fountain Devotional 11 August 2020 for Anglican Communion
TOPIC: Beware of Rumour Peddlers
TEXT: Acts 21:27-36(NKJV)
27. Now when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him,
28. crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches all [men] everywhere against the people, the law, and this place; and furthermore he also brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.”
29. (For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.)
30. And all the city was disturbed; and the people ran together, seized Paul, and dragged him out of the temple; and immediately the doors were shut.
31. Now as they were seeking to kill him, news came to the commander of the garrison that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.
32. He immediately took soldiers and centurions, and ran down to them. And when they saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.
33. Then the commander came near and took him, and commanded [him] to be bound with two chains; and he asked who he was and what he had done.
34. And some among the multitude cried one thing and some another. So when he could not ascertain the truth because of the tumult, he commanded him to be taken into the barracks.
35. When he reached the stairs, he had to be carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob.
36. For the multitude of the people followed after, crying out, “Away with him!”
STUDY: Rumour peddlers are those who spread false information or unproven stories, often with the aim to subvert the truth or undermine morals. The Jews from Asia, in our reading, stirred up the crowd against Paul and spread malicious information about him. They cried out “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against the people, the law and this place; and furthermore he also brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place” (v.28).
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This statement was not true. Paul’s preaching ministry brought healing to the sick at Lystra (Acts 14:8-10), deliverance to the oppressed at Thyatira and Asia (Acts 16:16-18, vs19:10-12) and salvation to the lost. Concerning bringing of a Greek into the Temple,verse 29 vindicated Paul with the record that they “supposed that Paul had brought Trophimus (a Greek) into the temple” whereas this was not so.
Let us be careful in the way we respond to information reaching us about other brethren especially when the facts are not available to us. Satanic agents are everywhere (in families, churches and organisations) to cause confusion and disaffection, especially in Christian assemblies, between couples, friends and close associates. We must be discerning enough not to allow false brethren (like the Jews from Asia) or friends, to truncate the peace in our homes, office or church. Mark it, any news or information with the label “they say”, “we hear”, are likely to be untrue. Do not join the league of rumour peddlers, their intents are always evil.
PRAYER: Lord, deliver your children from the craft of evil planners. Amen
DAILY QUOTE: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)
Daily Fountain Devotional 11 August 2020 – The Church of Nigeria is the Anglican church in Nigeria. It is the second-largest province in the Anglican Communion, as measured by baptized membership, after the Church of England. It gives its current membership as “over 18 million”, out of a total Nigerian population of over 200 million.