Summary: Someone stopped by my office recently to say hello. He shook my hand and said something rather odd: "You staying out of trouble?" I wasn't really sure if it was a greeting or a question. I wanted to say something cute. But I decided to treat it as a legitimate query. I said: "Well, I try to stay out of trouble, but trouble always seems to find me! In fact, I've about decided that the nature of what I do in ministry is trouble." There was an awkward silence. He gave me one of those funny looks, as if to say, "I'm sorry I brought it up." And then he turned and left. I've thought about the question since. And I've come a conclusion: if you're looking to stay out of trouble, don't follow Jesus! The more I study the Book of Acts the better I understand that trouble follows Jesus. And trouble follows those who follow Jesus. So if you're earnestly seeking to be a witness for Christ's sake, you can be assured trouble will come to you! Early on in ministry, I think I envisioned discipleship as a kind of perpetual safety net, a safe haven, a warm blanket. But nothing could be farther from the truth. Discipleship always has a cross in it. Disciples don't avoid trouble. They actually inhabit trouble! While Paul was seeking refuge in Athens, he ran into trouble! The text begins with the angst of the apostle: "While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply distressed," says Luke. The word for distressed is paroxyno. It's actually a medical term for a seizure or an epileptic fit. We use it today of someone who gets upset. "She had a fit," we say or "He spazzed out!" Another translation says Paul was "irked." For good reason, I think!
