From the book “Fire on the Mountains by Raymond Davis copyright 1966 and 1975

Pg 240 – Around the turn of the century, Wallamo province was filled with talk about a man named Asa. He was originally from Gamo, but his fame and his teachings spread throughout the whole area. He claimed to have a revelation from God – the God who created the heavens and the earth. Wallamo people should stop worshipping Satan, he said, and should worship only God, the Creator. Asa also taught the people to pray, especially on one day of the week, Sunday. In praying he would dip his fingers in honey and flick the honey toward heaven, symbolizing that his prayers were directed to God, not to Satan. The code of laws that Asa taught closely resembled the Ten Commandments.

As his message spread, Asa’s following increased, and the practice of witchcraft was forcibly restrained. Many of the witch doctors who were actually priests leading in the worship of Satan, were converted to Asa’s teaching. Others who practiced witchcraft did it secretly.

Eventually the movement became absorbed in politics and Asa was imprisoned. He died just a few years before the missionaries came to Soddo, and though the movement died with him, there were still traces of this worship all over Wallamo. None of the first converts had been personally influenced by Asa’s teaching, but there was a widespread spirit of expectancy for a fuller revelation from the One true God. Asa had prophesied that the foreigner would come with God’s book. He urged the people to follow the teachings of this book because it would tell them more about God’s will for them.

Have you watched any of the show about Jesus’s disciples called The Chosen? It is a series online. Watching it tonight I realized that this one isn’t so much about being historically accurate or culturally correct, it truly is culturally specific evangelism for north Americans. It makes the New testament characters relatable for us. Ha! I guess that is why it is so powerful for so many of us!

I have been thinking about this a lot. Wow CSE makes you expand your thinking! I feel like I can now see two ways to interpret the scripture (in context) “It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11 Jesus is

“‘the stone you builders rejected,
which has become the cornerstone.’[a]

12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

I wonder how often we major in the minors and minor in the majors? If we read and think of this majoring on the minors, we might conclude that J-E-S-U-S in English letters and pronunciation is the only name by which man can be saved. But if I step back and take a more big picture (looking at the major message) it can read more that the only way to God is through Jesus and the path that he made. You can’t be saved by serving other Gods or religions or rites or duties. The only one you can look to is the Creator God of heaven and earth. And because of what Jesus did, you can no get to him directly without the priests and the sacrifices. It is a heart thing, not a word thing.

Just percolating on how the meaning can somewhat change depending on where we are putting our focus and emphasis of that statement. (It still ends up being not as clear and cut-and-dry as we might like it to be though!)