Consistent

Acts 21:16 ‘Mnason from Cyprus, a believer since the early days’.

Paul was nearing the end of his third missionary journey. Behind him lay years in which he had travelled hundreds of miles. He had been stoned and left for dead in Lystra. With he had been beaten and imprisoned in Philippi. He was nearly torn apart in a great riot in Ephesus. He had endured all that and much more. Through him, hundreds of people had been converted, churches had been founded and elders had been ordained. In complete contrast to this we have Mnason, a Cypriot who had been a believer since the early days, perhaps the day of in when the Church was born (Acts 2) and who may well have lived a quiet and uneventful life. We know virtually nothing about this man, yet from this brief reference (:15-16) we can say certain things about him:

I. He was good at staying the course

He is described as ‘a believer since the early days’. He may have been converted in Jerusalem, gone back to Cyprus and here he is in or near Jerusalem once again. We are, I think, justified in saying of him that across the years he had been faithful in worship, giving, prayer, study and showing kindness. His faith had stood the test of time. It may have lived through times of persecution. It had not folded in the face of any suffering he was called upon to face. In this he is a good role model for us. When we become we promise that we will serve the Lord and walk in his ways all the days of our life. To be a faithful and regular member of our local congregation is of great importance and may achieve more than we know.

2. He was good at accepting help from his fellow believers

There is a variant reading which says that ‘the disciples for Caesarea brought with them the man at whose house we were going to stay’. This suggests that Mnason may have been elderly and needed help to get around. He was not too proud to accept help from those younger and stronger than himself. A very important part of the Christian life is a willingness to accept help. in his ministry was willing to accept help of different kinds. So was Paul. And so should we. We are never called to live the Christian life in isolation. We should ask for the prayers of others, take whatever practical help is available, at times confess our faults and at all times keep within the fellowship of faith. Thus, by God’s grace, we will be more effective Christians.

3. He was good at offering hospitality to strangers

It was at Mnason’s house that Paul and his companions were going to stay. He was willing to open his home to them at what proved to be a turbulent time and thus give them some of the support they needed. Opening our home to others is important and can bring mutual blessing. Perhaps God will direct you to opening your home to a missionary home from overseas, to someone who has suffered loss, to someone who is lonely or afraid for a cuppa or a meal, to spend an evening or more. By doing so we can do a great deal of good and we ourselves may well be blessed.

Rev. Billy McMillan

This meditation was written by the Reverend Billy McMillan and was published in Life and Work, the magazine of the Church of Scotland. We are grateful to Mr McMillan and Life & Work for granting us permission to post them on the HTC website.