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ALEXANDER AND APOSTLE PAUL

by Ikpa Onwuka  
7/23/2014 / Christian Living

'Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil; the Lord reward him according to his works: of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words' (2Timothy 4: 14, 15).
Well, I believe we must have read past these verses many times. But for once at least, let us look critically into it and we'll see much to learn. Remember, just in the previous chapter, the bible says in the last two verses;
'All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works' (2Timothy 3:16, 17).
So who was Alexander? And what evil did he do to Paul that he had to mention it to Timothy in this letter? Could it not wait since Timothy would be coming to him? How painful was it that he even had to say "the Lord reward him according to his works"?
We would get to know all these as we read on.
I've come to understand that in our work with God, we could be exposed to temptations that if not overcome might lead to betrayal of one another for various 'idols'.
Compromise in faith is one dangerous thing many Christians today are engaging in. They say via actions and response "let us do it like the world in order to get them into the kingdom", and I ask; what fellowship hath light with darkness? Now don't get me wrong. When I say light and darkness, I don't mean believers and unbelievers. Get this, every man is a spirit, who has a soul and lives in a body. So the real you in not the body, he/she is inside the body. To take this practically, I believe you've seen persons without limbs, yet still living. It's the spirit not the body that is the 'you'. When anyone dies the 'you' in you leave the vessel. Now the believer has the Spirit of light which is of God. The unbeliever has not this light; hence he/she is enthralled by darkness. The spirits behind everyone is what I refer to as light and darkness. For emphasis, the bible says 'know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?' (Romans 6:16). So what fellowship has the influencer-darkness with the influencer-light? See what Jesus told Paul in Acts 26:18 "To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me". Does this tell us something important? So don't succumb to their ways because they look 'cool' (in your eyes) or for whatever reason. Rather expose them to the power of salvation-The word of God.
Compromise makes Christians dress like the world, smell like the world, talk like the world, permit everything possible done by the world, just to 'be part of the majority'. This results in many conforming to the world, making it difficult to differentiate between those who call themselves Christians and those who are not, like everyone is lost in the 'jet age'.
Well, that's by the way. I was saying compromise is a cankerworm that has eaten deep into the lifestyles and beliefs of many. It started a long time ago anyway.
It is natural for men to be jealous for that, whether right or wrong, by which they get their wealth; and many have for this reason alone set themselves against the gospel of Christ, because it calls men off from those things which are unlawful, no matter the amount of wealth they generate from them.
Back on track, to know who Alexander was and what he did, let us get back to Acts 19, he is featured in verses 33-41. We could read the story from verse 21 to the end, to get a clearer view of what happened.
Now this was Asia where Paul had planted churches and wanted to visit them. He stayed in Asia and verse 21 tells us of the uproar which I'll tell you sprang up from covetousness, greed and not really from the love and worship of Diana. Demetrius a silversmith connived with his fellow craftsmen to stop all possible moves of Paul, seeing that this craft brought them much gain, making them believe that the temple of Diana and the craft were in danger. Well of course they were. I mean, you don't expect Diana and all pertaining to her to stand when God is there. The uproar began, with confusion everywhere. Paul's companions were even caught.
Alexander was a Jew who is believed to have been a Christian, but had apostatized to Judaism, and therefore was drawn out as a proper person to accuse Paul. It is also believed that this is the Alexander whom Paul talked about in 1Timithy 1:20. The Jews among the crowd put him forth to have them (other Asians) know that they (Jews) were as much Paul's enemies as they (Asians) were. Now notice in verse 34, when the crowd knew that Alexander was a Jew, they cried out more to suppress his voice, for about two hours. Something was happening here, how can these two groups not agree, whereas they all were raising an uproar together initially? The answer is; The Asians did not really like the Jews amongst them because (according to historians) they were known for religious uproar. Now to add to this, Alexander was believed to have departed from Christianity. If you read Alexander's speech at the end of the chapter, you'll find out that it was geared towards saving himself and other Jews from all possible blames for the uproar, and the only way he thought to do this was to keep himself and other Jews on a position similar to that of the Asians-enemies of Paul. Well that crowd was dismissed, but this had a little-I would say- effect on Paul's mission over there. Paul then warns Timothy in 2Timothy 4:15 to "beware of Alexander", why? "because he greatly withstood our words". In today's world, just like Demetrius many "professing" Christians are compromising because of wealth, speakers giving words to suit and cheer the audience rather than allowing the Word to have its place. Also, many just like Alexander have compromised for many reasons, may be for fear of the crowd, or for fear of rejection by loved ones or peer group.
But beloved, we are in the last days, perilous times. Christ said "But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my father which is in heaven" (Matthew 10:33). Let us stand firm for Jesus at home, in school, in Church, when surfing the internet and wherever we find ourselves. Let us remain Ambassadors of Heaven, proclaiming the day of the Lord, preaching the Kingdom just as Jesus did, and most of all; reconciling men to God.
Shalom!

I'm a believer and a follower of Jesus who is certain that God wants all saved!

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