Hanging with Gustav

I feel I have a responsibility to let my 'thousands' of readers know that I'll be taking a break from blogger so that Brianna and I can spend some quality time on vacation with our friend Gustav. Till then, happy reading. -Josh

Thurs. Aug. 28th :: Acts 25 :: Stay on Mission

Paul answered: "I am now standing before Caesar's court, where I ought
to be tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know
very well. 11 If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death,
I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews
are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to
Caesar!"

(Acts 25.10-11)

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Some might wonder why in the world Paul would choose to appeal his case to Caesar. After-all, Caesar Nero was by all accounts a certifiably psychotic whack-job who would ultimately order the death of both Peter and Paul. In this way, Acts 25 is in some sense analogous to an American soldier who, after being captured, appeals for a hearing before Osama Bin Laden himself. It was suicide. So why appeal to Caesar?

A couple reasons perhaps.

1) Appealing to Caesar would guarantee Paul the opportunity he had longed for, to end his life proclaiming the message of King Jesus before the most powerful King of this world. By doing this, the gospel would have made its way from the tiny hick-town of Nazareth to the most powerful city in the world. Just as Jesus saw it as his destiny to die in Jerusalem, Paul seemed to see it as his destiny to die, bearing witness to Jesus, in Rome itself.

2) Second, the appeal to Caesar was almost sure to buy Paul some time to do the most important activity of his life. It would buy him time to write. 2 thirds of the NT was penned by Paul, and we would not have much of that had it not been for the time the apostle spent in prison—awaiting trial—with plenty of free hours to write what would become our Bible.


So why does this matter?

For me today, it strikes me as another example of how committed Paul was to his mission. If appealing to a despotic maniac helped Paul fulfill his calling, then it was an easy decision. He would appeal to Caesar, even if it meant certain death. The goal was always the same: “stay on mission, period.”

I don’t do as well at that as Paul does. Not even close. Yet it’s something worth striving for. As a pastor the mission of our church is to develop and deploy ‘non-religious’ followers of Jesus Christ. That means we want to dedicate all our resources and energy to discipling and sending out folks who look a little more like Jesus, and a little less like the dead and false ‘religion’ that sometimes pervades the church. That’s the mission, period.

Given that, here’s a question for today:

What would it look like for you this week to contribute in some way—through a conversation, or a commitment—to that singular mission?

Wed. Aug. 27th :: Acts 24 :: The Convenient List

Several days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish. He sent
for Paul and listened to him as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus. As Paul
talked about righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was
afraid and said, "That's enough for now! You may leave. When I find it
convenient, I will send for you."

(Acts 24.24-26)

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Most of us have a list of things we do only when it is convenient.

For some of us the convenient list applies to exercise, housework, changing the oil, calling mom and dad, vacuuming the rug, etc… We all have a list, and the logic behind every item on it is the assumption that these things are worth doing, but only when they fit into the schedule of other MORE IMPORTANT things. And the scary thing is, our schedules (like our bank accounts) don't lie.

For the Roman governor in this passage, hearing the gospel was an activity placed firmly on the convenient list. He apparently sensed that he should listen to Paul, but when things got a bit too close to home, he backed off until it was 'convenient' to come back.

And if we're honest, we do the same.

For many of us, hearing God’s Word proclaimed (i.e. attending regular worship gatherings), spending time in the Scriptures, giving, serving, etc…are items we relegate to the convenient list. While other activities, you know, the really essential ones (for me that’s watching The Office, playing my guitar, getting my morning coffee) are placed on the priority list.

Yet it strikes me that the sign of Christian MATURITY is measured largely by the way in which we synchronize our priority list with God’s priority list. And that’s not easy for most of us.

So here’s my request today:

Take some time to think about what’s on your ‘convenient list’ and what’s on your ‘priority list’. Then ask yourself:

What’s good about this picture, and what’s not?
How do I need to reorder my priorities to pursue maturity?

Because as it was with Felix in Paul’s day, the cultural and monetary signs of success are often far different from the ones God uses to judge us by.

PEACE.

Tues. Aug. 26th :: Acts 23 :: Taming the Shrewd

Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees,
called out in the Sanhedrin, "My brothers, I am a Pharisee, descended from
Pharisees. I stand on trial because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead."
When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees,
and the assembly was divided. (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection,
and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees believe all these
things.)

(Acts 23.6-8)

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For the second time in the book of Acts we witness the apostle Paul utilizing his cunning to extricate himself from a sticky situation. In the first instance he waited until being stretched out for flogging before mentioning: “Oh by the way…you know I’m a Roman citizen right? No?”

Now in the second instance Paul takes advantage of a longstanding family feud between the Sadducees and the Pharisees to avoid being strung up. Just as it seemed the two groups were ready to have Paul convicted, the apostle brings up the thorny issue that is sure to garner him support from the Pharisees (who up until now want to kill him). Knowing that the Pharisees believe in a resurrection while the Sadd’s do not, he shrewdly brings the issue up as the reason for his arrest.

“You wanna know why I’m here?” Paul asks in essence; “It’s because I believe in the resurrection.” Unlike these stinking Sadducees, is the unspoken corollary.

So what does any of this have to do with us?

Well for one, it seems that cunning is often looked down upon as a somewhat ‘less than Christian’ virtue. Being overly shrewd is rarely considered something to be proud of.

And yet Jesus commands us to “be as shrewd as vipers, and as innocent of doves.”

I often focus on the second part of the verse. But there is another half. Paul knew this, and he used his cunning in specific instances for the glory of God. He wasn’t opposed to leveraging his Roman citizenship (or an ancient disagreement betweens Pharisees and Sadducees) if it furthered God’s purposes.

He never veered into deceit. But he proudly used his shrewdness. Because he knew there was a difference.


So here’s what I’m thinking about today:

How can I be both shrewd and innocent in seeing God’s purposes fulfilled?

How about you?

Is it possible to hold these two parts of Jesus’ command in tension?

Mon. Aug. 25th :: Acts 22 :: Your Story

"I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city.
I studied under Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law
of our ancestors. I was just as zealous for God as any of you are
today. I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death,
arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison…

(Acts 22.3-4)

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When we left Paul he was standing in front of an angry mob preparing to give an account for why he was proclaiming the message of Jesus. And it was the way he did this that I find intriguing.

I find Paul’s speech intriguing because despite the fact that he was an expert lawyer/theologian, when it came time to give his account, Paul simply told his story. When it came time for Paul to speak he didn’t launch into a detailed theological argument (though he was certainly capable), and he didn’t enter into a historical narrative like Peter did in Acts 2. He simply told his story. He gave his testimony.

1) Here’s how I was before Jesus
2) Here’s what happened
3) Here’s what I’m up to now


Of all the methods of evangelism, I suspect this one is still the most effective.

No pamphlets.

No magic questions or one-liners.

No emotional buildup toward an altar call.


Just a regular person telling their regular story of how God changed them.



So here’s a question for you and I:

When was the last time we did that?

When was the last time we simply told our story and asked God to do the rest? It doesn't always result in mass conversions of course. It didn't in this chapter. Yet I suspect God was pleased with Paul nonetheless.

Fri. Aug. 22nd :: Acts 21 :: Sometimes it’s Never Enough

When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: "You see,
brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are
zealous for the law. They have been informed that you teach all the Jews
who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to
circumcise their children or live according to our customs. What shall we do?
They will certainly hear that you have come, so do what we tell you. There
are four men with us who have made a vow. Take these men, join in their
purification rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads
shaved. Then everyone will know there is no truth in these reports about you,
but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law. As for the Gentile
believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from
food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and
from sexual immorality." The next day Paul took the men and purified himself
along with them. Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when
the days of purification would end and the offering would be made for each of
them.

(Acts 21.20-26)

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If you didn’t read through all of this, here are the cliff notes:

Some fellow Christians come to Paul and tell him that he needs to reassure the Jewish believers that he is still authentically Jewish. (In political terms, he needs to firm up his ‘base’). He needs to show off his Jewishness by going to the temple, taking a Nazarite vow, and (what’s more!) footing the bill for some other dudes to do the same.

So in an effort to bring unity, Paul does all this. Or at least he tries.

What happens after vs. 26 is interesting to me. After jumping through the religious hoops to bring unity, Paul is attacked at the temple by an angry Jewish mob and beaten so badly that only a group of Roman soldiers step in to spare his life.

End of cliff notes.

Now in the past I’ve heard this passage preached—somewhat out of context—to prove that it’s a good thing for Christians to take vows and go through special spiritual rituals to dedicate themselves to God. And indeed there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s just not the point of the passage.

One of points of the passage—in its context—seems to be that sometimes (no matter what you do to bring unity) conflict will come. Sometimes it's never enough. You can try to make everyone happy (at work, at church, in your family, etc…) but sooner or later reality is going to kick you in the face like it did to Paul in the temple courts. Conflict comes for all of us. And when it does, the important thing is how we deal with it. We shouldn’t go looking for conflict, but we shouldn’t expect to entirely avoid it either. It’s coming. And anyone who asserts that the absence of conflict denotes good leadership never read the book of Acts. It’s that simple.

So how did Paul handle this conflict?

The answer comes in the way Paul responds to the angry mob. But we don’t get that till chapter 22.

To be continued…

Thurs. Aug. 22st :: Acts 20 :: Off the Flannal-graph

"Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the
kingdom will ever see me again. Therefore, I declare to you today that I am
innocent of the blood of everyone. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you
the whole will of God.

(Acts 20.25-27)

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If you spend enough time in religious settings you are tempted to stop viewing some of the individuals within the Bible as real-live people and start viewing them as something else: “Bible characters”—cardboard cut-outs Velcro’d to the flannel-graph, and painted up on stained glass windows.

This may not be the worst thing in the world but it tends to do something negative for me. That is, it keeps me from seeing Paul, Timothy, and others as ordinary dudes—guys like me—who simply allowed God to use them more than most. They weren’t supermen or comic-book heroes. They were just some guys that God chose to use when He started his movement of restoration.

This passage reminds me of Paul’s humanity. Here he is preparing to leave for Jerusalem (where he expects to die) and he just wants to make sure he ties up all loose ends.

The long section after verse 27 is even a little indulgent as Paul goes overboard making sure everyone knows that he’s been an honest fella. It’s the kind of thing I’d say, but not want written down. Except for Paul it was. And it shows his humanity.

Perhaps that’s a good thing. We need to remember that the individuals within the scriptures were not so different from us. If it that motivates us to step into the storyline then perhaps even passages like this one can be deemed inspired.

What say you?

PEACE.

Wed. Aug. 20th :: Acts 19 :: The Idol Biz

The Riot in Ephesus:
About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way.
A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis,
brought in no little business for the skilled workers there. He called
them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said:
"You know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this
business.

(Acts 19.23-25)

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Here in Acts 19 we have the story of a man in Ephesus whose profession it was to make idols.

This may sound strange to some of us in the 21st century, but I’m wondering if it should...

Acts 19 tells how this man, Demetrius, took great issue with Paul—not so much out of devotion to Artemis (his idol-god)—but more out of devotion to the MONEY that his idol-god brought in. Sound familiar? Money is perhaps the oldest and most worshipped of the idols, and I'm as guilty as the next guy.

But beyond that obvious takeaway, I'm thinking of another question after reading this story.

That is:
What industries today might we say EXIST for the sole purpose of constructing idols?

And beyond that: How do I contribute to the idol-biz by valuing my own possessions above and beyond the gospel?

I don’t have any cut-and-dried answers today, just questions I’m thinking about for myself.

How about you?

Tues. Aug. 19th :: Acts 18 :: Ego and Advice

...A Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was
a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been
instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and
taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John.
He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila
heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of
God more adequately.

(Acts 18.24-26)

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Here in Acts 18 we begin to hear of a young preacher named Apollos who was apparently quite good with the face mic. In other words: He was a powerful speaker, a great orator and people flocked to hear him. Yet he was also a bit unschooled in some areas. He needed some more theological training to go with his rhetorical gift. And that’s where Priscilla and Aquilla came in.

I admire the way these two older Christians came alongside Apollos and instructed him, without wounding his spirit. They recognized that he had something they didn’t (that ability with the face mic). And in turn, Apollos recognized that they had something he lacked as well (a more in depth understanding of the Scriptures).

So they helped each other. And all without ego getting in the way.

This kind of thing is all too rare both inside and outside the church. It’s more common that someone comes along to knock a young punk off his pedestal. Or more likely, it is common for the young punk to disregard anything conveyed by an old timer.

Yet Acts 18 shows a different way.

I’m thinking about this today:

In what ways can I be more receptive to the correction of others, without simply becoming a slave to the ever shifting winds of ‘public opinion’?

How can I be more like Apollos, Priscilla, and Aquilla – accepting correction without the ego?
How about you?

Mon. Aug. 18th :: Acts 17 :: Athens and missional living

Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "People
of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked
around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an
altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. So you are ignorant of
the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.
"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven
and earth and does not live in temples built by hands…

(Acts 17.22-24)

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Acts 17 is unique when compared to much of the Bible.

It’s unique because for the majority of the Bible God’s preachers or prophets are speaking to people with a common worldview. Moses, Isaiah, and even Jesus spoke almost exclusively to people who believed in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

But Acts 17 is different.

Here Paul explains the gospel to people who don’t know or believe the Bible. They are pagans. And since these folks have more in common with non-Christians of the 21st century, I find it interesting where Paul starts.

He starts by quoting a pagan poet, which means he must have read this pagan poet. (I find this interesting because there are some out there who seem to suggest that Christians should only read, listen-to, and study supposedly ‘christian’ media. Apparently Paul didn’t share that belief.)

But Paul doesn’t stop there. He starts with an allusion to something familiar (this unnamed pagan poet) and he goes on to show how a Christ-centered philosophy makes better sense of the world around us than does the dominant cultural thinking of the day. He isn’t necessarily rude. But he does push back against the assumptions of the pagan worldview.

I’m wondering what this means for us today.

Here’s a random list of possible takeaways:

1) As Christians, we should spend some time reading, conversing with, and generally becoming knowledgeable in the ‘scriptures’ of a pagan world. Paul did that. And we should too.

2) As Christians we must overcome our aversion to conversing with people outside our religious sub-culture. Paul did that too.

3) As Christians we should ask the probing questions that reveal why Jesus makes more sense of our world than the prevailing philosophies of our day. Paul did that.

4) And lastly, perhaps we should learn to count conversations over conversions. Athens didn’t yield the mass conversions that other cities did. Probably because some relationships and people require more than a single sermon or conversation before coming to faith. Some things take time. And in the end we’re responsible for planting seeds. God grows. And Paul seemed OK with that as well.


What do you think?

Fri. Aug. 15th :: Acts 16 :: Paul, Timothy and Michael Phelps

Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived,
whose mother was Jewish and a believer but whose father was a Greek. The
believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. Paul wanted to take him along
on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area,
for they all knew that his father was a Greek.

(Acts 16.1-3)

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If you remember last chapter, the big decision made by the early Christians was that Gentiles (like you and I) need not undergo the painful and sometimes humiliating process of rejecting their ethnic identity in order to become followers of Jesus. Converts need not become Jewish and men especially need not be circumcised in order to be Christians, etc…

That was the takeaway from Acts 15.

And that’s what makes Acts 16 so confusing.

Fresh off telling Gentiles they need not be circumcised, Paul does something seemingly inexplicable. He turns around and has his Greek friend Timothy ‘go under the knife’. Why? Because he knew other Jews in the area would raise a stink if he didn’t.

Anyone else smell hypocrisy?

So why did Paul do this?


Indulge me a parable of sorts:

Probably because I was up late watching swimming, a story comes to mind. Four years ago at the US Olympic trials Michael Phelps and another US swimmer Ian Crocker went head to head in the 100m Butterfly. Crocker won, and with that, he earned the right to swim the event in the Athens Intermediate relay. But then things changed.

A few weeks later in the Olympic Games, Phelps beat Crocker in the final, and with that, he re-earned the right to the relay (and an almost certain Gold). It seemed cut and dried. Crocker would be off the team and Phelps would get ANOTHER medal.

But then something strange happened. In a show of sportsmanship Phelps walked over to Crocker and offered him his relay spot. In other words: Phelps had earned the right to be there. But having earned the right, he promptly gave it up in an act of unity and friendship.

So what does this have to do with Paul and Timothy?

It seems that simply earning the RIGHT to do something does not always mean that one should do it. Sometimes there is a greater good to be achieved by giving up what is rightfully yours.

In this passage Timothy ‘goes under the knife’ NOT BECAUSE HE HAD TO, but because doing so showed his Jewish friends that he was more concerned about seeing the gospel go forward than simply claiming his RIGHTS as a Christian.

So here’s the question:
Is it possible that God is calling you to give up one of your RIGHTS so that his work might go forward? In what way?

Thurs. Aug. 14th :: Acts 15 :: Yokes

Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles
a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? No! We
believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just
as they are."

(Acts 15.10-11)

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In what was probably one of the most crucial moments in church history, Paul stood up and confronted the other disciples, saying essentially: “Stop with the yokes.”

Which is nice. But what is this about?

By confronting the legalism of Jewish Christians who wanted Gentiles to become Jewish, Paul says something important to us about the legalisms of our own day.

In essence: “Make nothing essential for membership in God’s family that you cannot backup with a careful reading of Scripture.”

Unsustainable legalisms are like heavy yokes tying us to dead religion while keeping us from remembering that it is by grace we have been saved.

I’m thinking about what this may mean for us today.

What legalisms are you tempted to cling to, even when they have no basis in the Scriptures?

Wed. Aug. 13th :: Acts 13 :: Mixed Results

The word of the Lord spread through the whole region. But the Jewish leaders
incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city.
They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from
their region. So they shook the dust off their feet as a warning to them and went
to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

(Acts 13.49-52)

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We sometimes thing about the book of Acts as the golden age of Christianity. And in some ways it was. Yet even then, the Jesus-followers had to deal with mixed results. I don't know why, but this gives me hope, especially when my own endeavors end with less than total success.

In Pisidian Antioch Paul and Barnabas foster a great deal of excitement about the Jesus message. Yet their stay ends with them getting kicked out of town by some angry women (see verse 50 for proof that this is not a sexist comment :) ).

Yet even in the midst of mixed results, the disciples are filled with joy (vs.52).

Take heart this morning that we can find joy in God, even when our own plans do not always go exactly ‘as planned’?

When and how have you experienced this?

Tues. Aug. 12th :: Acts 12 :: One Year Later

On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and
delivered a public address to the people. They shouted, "This is the voice of
a god, not of a mere mortal." Immediately, because Herod did not give praise
to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms
and died.

(Acts 12.21-23)

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In reading this chapter today I was struck by a small detail. Early in the chapter Luke mentions that Herod put James (the disciple, brother of John) to death. This alone would be a difficult blow for the disciples to absorb, but then Luke notes the timing: “It was during the Feast of Unleavened bread.”

In other words, all this happened during the Passover, or more precisely, virtually one year exactly after Jesus was crucified. (Remember Christ was arrested on the very night of the Passover meal.)

One year exactly after the death of Jesus, the first disciple is executed by the same poser king that tried Jesus.

Side-bar:
My wife Brianna has an aunt who just a few years ago lost her husband to a car accident. To this day the family marks that day on their calendars and works hard to see to it that the aunt is not left alone on the yearly anniversary, of her husband’s death. Because as most of us know, that day (the anniversary of whatever) brings back all kinds of memories.

So James is killed and Peter is imprisoned virtually one year to the day after Christ’s death.

This alone would be enough to ruminate on. But the chapter doesn’t end there. It ends with Peter being miraculously freed from jail, and Herod—the poser king—falling over dead in his royal robes. (And in case you missed it, Luke wants us to know that not only did Herod die, but his body was subsequently eaten by worms).

So what do we make of this chapter?

It’s a lot to take in, but perhaps we should grasp this:
One year after the cross the disciples are reminded that a difficult road lies ahead. Tragedies will still befall them even though they serve a risen Savior. James is murdered. Peter is imprisoned.

Yet despite the tragedies Luke ends with a reminder that, as followers of Jesus, our King is still on the throne. In the closing scene the wannabe ruler topples off his gaudy throne and dies. Jesus died too. But the worms never got their chance with him.

Translation:
As Christ followers we should EXPECT difficulties. Despite what any TV preacher tells you, we don’t get a free pass. But rest assured, our God is on the throne, and one day even the worst of tragedies (the unfortunate anniversaries) will be remembered no more.

Mon. Aug. 11th :: Acts 11 :: Bringers

Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him,
he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with
the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called
Christians first at Antioch.

(Acts 11.25-26)

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Almost every time we meet Barnabas in the New Testament he is bringing someone to Jesus, or in this case, to a lifetime of ministry.

Barnabas is constantly pulling someone else along with him, and in that way, influencing others for the Kingdom of God. (For evidence of this simply look up Barnabas' name in a Bible concordance and notice how his whole life seemed to revolve around bringing others along with him, to experience a possible life-changing experience.) In a world of self-promoters Barnabas wasn’t out to be a celebrity or a savior. He was content to be a bringer—and to simply invite others to join him as he encountered God.

I’m wondering how we might be a bit more like Barnabas today.

In what way this week can we invite someone to join us as we encounter Jesus—at church, over a family meal, or over a shared lunch with friends and colleagues.

What would it mean for you to be a bringer this week?

Fri. Aug. 8th :: Acts 10 :: Religion and Racism

Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not
show favoritism but accepts those from every nation who fear him and do
what is right.

(Acts 10.34-35)

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In two verses, we have what should have been the epitaph on racism within the Christian church. In Acts 10 God says definitively that we are no longer to be privileged or discriminated against on the basis of racial differences. End of story. Unfortunately, many of us have not done a very good job of engaging the scriptures at this point.

A couple years ago I was talking with Kathy Keller, the wife of Timothy Keller, a pastor and writer from New York. She told me of the first church that Tim Pastored in the backwoods of Kentucky. It was a very different culture than the mosaic hat is Manhattan. And they fielded questions often on the issue of race and religion.

One woman, with a teen daughter who had recently started dating a black man approached them after church one Sunday night and asked a loaded question: “Pa-sterr,” she said, in a way that added at least an extra syllable to the word, “what’da you think about inter-ra-cial marriage???”

Tim responded: “Well, the Bible is strictly against it.”

The woman looked relieved.

Then he went on:
“Of course you know that according to scripture there are only two races after Pentecost… There are those who have been adopted by Christ, by way of the cross, and those who haven’t.”

If you have ears to hear, then do so.

Thurs. Aug. 7th :: Acts 9 :: We are Christ’s Body

As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven
flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him,
"Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"

(Luke 9.3-4)

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Korean theologian Seyoon Kim argues that this one sentence shapes Paul’s entire view of the church. This one sentence gives Paul an insight that he would spend his whole life fleshing out. Here’s why:

When the risen Jesus confronts Paul, he doesn’t ask: “why are you persecuting the church?” He doesn’t even ask: “Why are you persecuting the Christians?” No. He asks: “Why are you persecuting ME?” In other words, Jesus says: As you do unto my church, you do unto me. It’s a powerful sentence that we often overlook.

And this one sentence, at the beginning of Paul’s conversion, propels him to spend his life (literally) in service to the beautiful and messed-up church of Jesus. Why? Because as you do unto the church, you do unto Jesus. We (in the church) are Christ’s Body.

I’m thinking about the implications of this today.

There is a growing group out there that supposedly LOVES JESUS while wanting NOTHING to do with the CHURCH. They’ve had bad experiences in the church (who hasn’t?) and so they’ve purportedly said yes to Jesus, while saying no to the church. And I’ll admit, there have been times in my life when this approach to Christianity has appeared quite appealing.

There’s just one problem with this: JESUS.

In Acts 9 the risen Savior identifies himself with his Body on earth, the church. “Why are you persecuting ME?” he asks Paul. Translation: As you do unto my church, you do unto ME.

So here’s the takeaway for us:
You cannot love Jesus without loving his body.
You cannot love Jesus without loving his church (despite all her flaws).

So may we respond to this Scripture as Paul did:
May we spend our lives serving Christ by serving his church on earth. Amen.

What say you?

Wed. Aug. 6th :: Acts 8 :: Scattering as an opportunity

On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem,
and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.

(Luke 8.1b)

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It’s ironic that the early persecution of the church probably sped up the spread of the gospel as much as any other factor in the first century.

Church historians say that the pell mell flight of Christians away from Jerusalem ultimately contributed to the planting of churches in the outlying areas that up to this point had little or no contact with Christianity.

More recent events have triggered similar results. Not too long ago in China, Mao’s so-called ‘Cultural Revolution’ kicked out all western missionaries. Yet the communist plan to kill Christianity actually had an unintended consequence. With the Westerners out of the picture, Chinese Christians began to take ownership of their faith and contextualize the gospel in a way that we Americans—because of cultural differences—were simply unable to do. The result is an underground evangelical church in China’s urban areas that puts many of us to shame.

So perhaps there is a formula at work here:
With scattering comes opportunity for Gospel expansion.

But what does this mean for us?

Perhaps we should remember this in times of personal trial. When things begin to fall apart, new opportunities arise for God to be made real to us and others. Persecution and trial can actually result in God being glorified.

Tues. Aug. 5th :: Acts 7 :: Know the Narrative

So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law.
They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. They produced
false witnesses, who testified, "This fellow never stops speaking against this
holy place and against the law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of
Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down
to us."

(Luke 6.12-14)

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I’m reaching back to Acts chapter six to gain the context for chapter seven.

What I find fascinating about these two chapters is the way Stephen chose to respond to the accusations leveled against him. Like Jesus, he was charged with blasphemy, and with the even more serious crime of ‘speaking against the temple’.

This may not seem like that big of a deal to us, but to the Jews of the first-century this ‘building’ was nothing less than the visible proof that God was on their side. In the temple, the Jews has come to believe—quite literally—that they had God ‘in a box’. He resided in their building. So as long as they had their temple, they had a leg up on all the pagan rabble. It was a source of religious self-righteousness. But before we judge them too harshly, perhaps we should consider what idols function this way in our own lives.

But back to the point.

I find Stephen’s response to the charges to be fascinating. Like Jesus before him, he evades an answer at first (think back to Christ before this same Sanhedrin), and instead launches into a very long and detailed history lesson. He recounts the narrative of God’s people beginning with Abraham and continuing all the way to the present.

Why?

For Stephen the point is clear. By re-telling the story he shows where the religious leaders have missed the point. God has never been contained in buildings built by human hands: He wasn’t in the days of Abraham when the patriarchs didn’t even own a foot of land. He wasn’t in the days of Moses when a drafty tent was the symbol of his presence. He wasn’t even in the days of Solomon as the prophet says (vs. 49). The point is clear: Our God doesn’t do boxes. He blows them up. And never more so than when he came in the Person of Jesus.

So what’s the takeaway?

For me it’s this: I want to know the narrative—to know the Scriptures—as Stephen did. I don’t want to distort and misread the Bible like the religious leaders of the first century. I want to read rightly so that I might act rightly in turn. But to do that, I need to know the narrative with the help of God’s Holy Spirit.

Perhaps this is a convicting issue for you as well.

The plain fact is, most Christians just don't care much about the Bible. If we did, we'd read it. For many of us, we know far more about the children of Brad and Angelina than we do about the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So hear the words of Stephen: As Christians it isn’t enough to ‘love God’ if we don’t ‘love his Word’. We need to know the narrative by God's help.

So be encouraged. And dive into the Scriptures.

Mon. Aug. 4th :: Acts 6 :: Waiting Tables

In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic
Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows
were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve gathered
all the disciples together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the
ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables.

(Luke 6.1-2)

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When I first read this passage my reaction was a little negative. It almost seems at first that the disciples are diminishing the importance of what we might call more ‘menial’ tasks within the life of the church, i.e. ‘waiting tables’ (taking care of the food needs of widows, etc.)

Yet on second glance I don’t think that’s the point of this story at all. I think it’s more about the importance of delegating wisely so that all needs can be met, and all members of God’s church can serve in areas where they are gifted. The apostles were called to preach. They were not necessarily the most organized or the most empathetic. So they were called to preach, not exercise hospitality as their primary ministry.

But what does this mean for us?

Perhaps this passage ought to encourage us to serve in ways that engage our strengths in the cause of the gospel. This doesn’t mean we won’t have to do some things we don’t like. We will. And we should. But perhaps it does mean that we ought to ask God to show us where our gifts and passions intersect with our communities’ needs.

So what about you?

What gift of service do you have that is currently lying dormant?