The Holy Spirits Farewell
Acts 18:18-23
When was your most memorable moment of farewell? Paul would have had one at each of the cities where he established churches. Let us think about what constitutes a Holy Spirits farewell.
First, we must endure and stay longer.
After passing the Holy Spirits trial in court, Paul stayed on for a while. Spreading the gospel in a lustful city that had it all was taxing on Paul even the Jews united to accuse and kill him. Paul had always been kicked out of cities. But he does not immediately bail on the most depraved Corinth even after the legal case is settled. This was because more time was required for the church to mature. That is, it took more time for the publicly beaten synagogue leader Sosthenes to become Pauls coworker. After staying for long enough, Paul exchanges goodbyes with the Corinthian brothers and sails to Syria. We will also come across a time to part, but if you leave for the gospel then God will always allow new encounters. When we patiently bear our cross, our spiritual authenticity shows. When, eventually, this has been demonstrated, it comes time for the Holy Spirits farewell.
Second, there is a voluntary vow.
Before reaching Jerusalem, Paul cuts his hair at Cenchreae. What could be so important about one man cutting his hair that it is recorded in the bible? After all, Paul was bald to begin with. In investigating Lukes decision through the bible, we can conclude Paul has taken the Nazirite vow. Nazirites distinguished themselves as offerings. Once the vow was complete, they shaved their hair and put in 'under the sacrifice of the fellowship offering' (Numbers 6:18). Until then they could not drink wine, touch dead bodies, or shave before then. Here 'vow' indicates being distinguished. God ordered of Israel five different offerings: burnt, grain, sin, guilt, and fellowship. The last of these came from such gratitude towards Gods grace that you would take your vow bursting with thanks and praise. A vow is a fellowship offering it is offered in gratitude towards Gods grace for sending Jesus Christ to deliver us from death. Biblical vows are not like the conditional ones Jacob gave offering a tenth of earnings or Jephthah offering to burn whatever came out of his door first. Instead, they are taken by volunteering ourselves as expressions of thanks to complete events. With Paul dedicating to not drink wine, touch unclean objects, or shave until the mission is done, God changed the legal battle into a problem of the Holy Spirit. Much like Paul, taking vows should focus not on resolving situations but on saving souls.
Third, it is in accordance with Gods will, not the requests of people.
From Cenchreae, Paul arrives at the second missions original destination, Ephesus. It was the most difficult city, with strong worship of idols, before going to Rome. Without so much as taking a break, Paul visited the synagogue and delivered the word through his story. Upon hearing Paul, many were persuaded and asked that Paul stay longer, but he refused. 'I will come back if it is Gods will.' This phrase is in an active future tense, showing it is no mere platitude but full of resolve. Paul saw how the churches of Philippi, Thessalonica, and Corinth rose in spite of his failures, weakness, and fears. He gradually started to put Gods will ahead of his own. In Corinth, he must have wanted to leave immediately yet stayed longer. In Ephesus, the city he wanted to visit from the beginning, he leaves even with people asking for him to remain. We cannot tell between the two cases, if interests trump salvation. Gods will can be understood when reading, interpreting, and applying the Word together with other members of His body, the church. Divorce and addiction goes against salvation and so we must depart from them. Acknowledging your sins inside a community where everyone admits to being a sinner is a global solution.
Fourth, it is to strengthen the disciples.
Paul crosses the Mediterranean to get to Caesarea. From there, he heads for Jerusalem, to meet the leaders and strengthen all the churches. After which, he returns to his ministrys headquarters, Antioch in Syria. The entire mission spanned about 4500km and took at least three years. And yet again, Paul does not linger in Antioch for much. He leaves for his third missionary journey to visit the churches raised during the previous two around the regions of Galatia and Phrygia. Paul had traveled to many cities, met different peoples, and suffered through all sorts of persecution. He realized how fragile and fickle our faith is. Knowing only the Lords Word can fortify it, Paul yet again departs to nourish the newborn churches with the Word. We can see Pauls farewells are not escapes to shelter. They are the Holy Spirits: returning to your mission to fortify the wavering faith of others. Peoples farewells signal an ending, whereas the Holy Spirits is the start of a new mission. We need to stop making the former and take more of the latter. What better way than to be part of the community.
The following confession is from the community. One deputy mokja was very careful around his daughter ever since she had been to the emergency for arrhythmia. But one day, she became angry over a frivolous matter, and started swearing furiously at the deputy mokja. He barely managed to subdue his anger and quietly reprimanded her. He meant for that to be the end, but he could not sleep well that night. After repeatedly suffering from nightmares and waking, he woke his wife at around four in the morning to berate her about how she had not mediated earlier. He grabbed her by her hair and hit her over the head with a stick of bamboo. Then, he came out to the living room, grabbed his panic disorder medication, and screamed that he would die. Just as he was about to take the meds, his wife reminded him of how had come this far talking of salvation and his mission. It would be such a waste to die now and what of the mission? She apologized, crying. Hearing this, the deputy mokja felt like a bucket of icy water had hit him. He came to his senses and just started crying. After all the things he had done to the children and his wife spanning over twenty years, what could he say? He apologized, still crying, to his wife that he was still inadequate, that because he did not part with his evils, the reality of his belief was exposed in the face of a critical situation. After this, he received an apologetic message from his daughter in the afternoon. He confessed that he now realizes all of this was the conclusion of his life. Sharing such stories in the community is performing the Holy Spirits farewell. I hope every one of us will depart from our sins and that this becomes the Holy Spirits farewell, which leads to breaking free of addictions and preserving families.
