Monday, June 22, 2009

The Sanhedrin Intensifies its Opposition: 5:17-42

Acts 5:17-42

17 But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy 18 they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, 20 “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.” 21 And when they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and began to teach.
Now when the high priest came, and those who were with him, they called together the council and all the senate of the people of Israel and sent to the prison to have them brought. 22 But when the officers came, they did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported, 23 “We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them we found no one inside.” 24 Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them, wondering what this would come to. 25 And someone came and told them, “Look! The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.” 26 Then the captain with the officers went and brought them, but not by force, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people.
27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, 28 saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man's blood upon us.” 29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
33 When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them. 34 But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while. 35 And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men. 36 For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. 37 After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered. 38 So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; 39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” So they took his advice, 40 and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. 42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

Once again, today's devotional is about reading the text and meditating on it, then for the next few days we will break it down and look deeper into it. What we basically have here is the story of the second persecution provoked by the apostolic healings and preaching. This was persecution that was brought on by the jealousy for the power, popularity and influence of the apostle, by the religious elite. the religious elite. For me the point to focus on is the power of jealousy.

It literally destroys. Today so often we don't just see jealousy of the church, but rather jealousy within the church. Leaders jealous over other leaders church size. Leaders jealous over other leaders speaking ability. Some people jealous of others families, spouses, gifts, finances, etc, etc...Satan has always used jealousy to seek to destroy God's people, is there any area in your life that is guided by, influenced from, or hampered from jealousy.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

The Apostles heal many people - 5:12-16

Acts 5:12-16

12 Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon's Portico. 13 None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. 14 And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, 15 so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them. 16 The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

As yesterday we saw that God is willing to judge the hypocrites, today we will see that he is willing to heal those who are broken, poor, and lost. Much of Acts is looked at as a book to learn and apply to how we 'be' the church, yet passages like this are looked at as historical and irrelevant to us today. My feeling and belief, is that there is nothing in the text that would lead us to apply verses of obedience, preaching, and truth over verses like this...I personally have seen God manifest himself this way, and believe that as he did then so he desires to do today!

In this passage Luke describes the amazing signs that followed and authenticated their message. These miracles seemed to have two opposite results:
  1. It Hardened Some: The text tells us, none of the rest dared join them...even though the people at Solomon's porch held them in high esteem. The context allows us a peak into the hearts of the other people at the Porch. Even though they heard the gospel, they saw the affects of the gospel, and saw the miracles that substantiated the gospel, the gospel did not melt their hearts, but rather caused htem not to join them.
  2. It Softened Some:The very same gospel that caused some to not 'join them' also caused multitudes of both men and women to be added to the Lord. Not only did it soften some, it softened many, the text tells us that it softened more than ever
These are the two effects we can expect from our speaking, preaching, teaching, and living the gospel - the one result we should never expect, is indifference, for it is a sign, that our gospel guided life is not clear!

As we have seen thus far throughout Acts, the Gospel ALWAYS demands a response, there is no middile ground: (1) It either demands you to ignore and deny it, or it (2) demands that you follow Christ and join his mission. Not only were many added to the Lord, but those who were saved, instantly became missional: they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats...the people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits...

However, this text is not primarily about those who are bineg saved, nor is it about the Apostles, it is about God's saving power through his children. So we are not left with what what the people did as a result of their salvation, but what God did, "...
they were all healed." It is important to realize that Paul uses the word, episkiazo, in reference to Peter's shadow falling on people, this was not to ellude that Peter's shadow had special powers, but rather, that through Peter, God's Presence overshadowed all that Peter was around. Luke uses this word two other times to ellude to the same thing.

Here is my point, it is clear that when we read the Bible healings happen and sometimes they don't. Salvation happens and sometimes it doesn't. The point is never to try and figure out who will accept what and who will get what, the point is to be as addicted to Jesus, the Gospel, and the Covenant Community as someone like Peter, and allow God to be God through your life!

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Hypocrisy in the Camp - 5:1-11

Acts 5:1-11
1 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and with his wife's knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles' feet. 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” 5 When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. 6 The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him.
7 After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 And Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.” And she said, “Yes, for so much.” 9 But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” 10 Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.

Today's reading is in sharp contrast with yesterday's reading. Yesterday we read what a community looked like who was led by the spirit, today we see how God looks at a community who is led by self. Just a casual look at this passage reminds us of 'law'; they were killed for not giving everything they had...but that is not at all what we have, what we have is God judging a husband and wife who are full of hypocrisy and desire praise, which is in sharp contrast to what God wants: men and women who are full of integrity and give him praise! Let's look deeper:

There are a couple reasons this story is important: (1) It deepens our insight of the inner life of a spirit-filled community (2) It is an example of Satan's strategy in disarming the church. We are told that a
man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, first, sold a piece of property and then with his wife's knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles' feet. Let's compare this (briefly) with the opposing example: Joseph also had a field, sold it, and laid the proceeds at the apostles feet. They both (Ananias and Joseph) owned land; they both sold it; and both gave money to the church - Joseph gave it all; Ananias, appeared to give it all. What made Ananias and Joseph different was not in the percentage they gave, but rather the motivation of the heart. The text says that Ananias, with his wife's knowledge...kept back for himself some of the proceeds the word 'knowledge' here can be translated to mean connived. and the phrase 'kept back' is to insinuate 'to hide or hidden or misappropriate' this is the same word used in the account of Achan's theft, and it is used only one other time in the New Testament. So, based off of all this, we can assume that Ananias and his wife had already agreed to give all the proceeds to the church for the good of the needy.

We could probably come up with a list of sins committed here, but the ONE that Peter concentrates on is that of hypocrisy or the lack of integrity. Here is what we have to see and be very aware and willing to look for in our life is that Ananias and his wife wanted the praise and credit for generosity without the inconvenience of it. Their motive was not to fight poverty in the name of Jesus, but to bring fame to their own name! So what was the result? First Peter compares the Holy Spirit to God, thus giving us a thread of Trinitarian theology, "
lie to the Holy Spirit...You have not lied to men but to God" On top of that Peter tells Ananias that their sin was not just a simple lie to man or the church, but rather a mock and lie to God the Holy Spirit. I wonder if this is why we take our lies and sin so lightly, do we missapproriate the direction of our sin, Peter seemed to know what King David knew. Then Peter seems to give them a chance to repent and reveals to us that the selling and giving of all their property was not a demand which allows us to realize that their issues was hipocrisy, "While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart?" Then the judgement of God fell on both him and his wife: he fell down and breathed his last and then an interval of about three hours had passed and Peter said to Sapphire the same thing and the judgment of God fell on her as she too, Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. The result in the Christian community was not accusation against God but rather great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things. This is not a fear that causes one to stay away from God, but one that causes the utmost honor and respect. In fact the word fear hear is the Greek word, phobos and denotes an outward manifestation rather than the sensation of fear. That which we fear we respect, for example, if I fear hights, I respect it and act accordingly when I am on a high ledge, I will not move beyond the control of heights, but when I fear God, I respect it, and my outward actions will not go contrary to that.

So, what can we learn from this:
  1. The Gravity of Sin: Specifically it is obvious that God HATES hypocrisy. Luke records Jesus denouncing it several times. So, first we have to realize specifically that the sin of hypocrisy is hated by God, but on a larger view is that our sin is not first against people, but first against God, "You have not lied to men but to God." Second, they sinned against the church. For the first time Luke uses the word, ekklesia, which on a minor liver confirms the church as the continuation of God's covenant people from the OT. But on a much more major plain, Luke is emphasizing the great evil of sinning against God's people - Where in yesterdays reading we see what makes-up true community, today we see how the gravity of sin ruins true community.
  2. The Importance of our Conscience: I think we learn the importance and sacredness of the human conscience. Later on Paul says in front of Felix that he always goes to great pain to keep his conscience clear before God. When I talk about a clear conscience, I am not just talking about a casual emotion, but the importance of being or living a life transparent before God and his people, so that our community isn't split by hypocrisy and our ears don't deafen to the voice of God. We need to strive to live in such a way that NOTHING comes between our community of Faith and God or other people. It was this openness which Ananias and Sapphira failed to maintain.
  3. The Necessity of Church Discipline: The necessity of church discipline is the third and final thing we can learn here. One if you are a church member, it is important to realize it is important, biblical, and willing to submit to; and if you are a church leader it is important to NOT take this lightly or as a power trip, but let it set on you very heavily and bend you to your knees in humility. Although physical death may have continued in some situations as a penalty for those sins which despise the church of God, it came to be associated with excommuniction.




Monday, June 15, 2009

Believers Enjoy the Common Life - 4:32-37

Acts 4:32-37
32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. 36 Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, 37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet.

I don't think that it's random that Luke placed verses 32-37, the way the Church lived, right after he talked about how the church prayed, it is almost as if Luke was saying, when the church is truly Theocentric in mission and prayer, the result will be true community. Then immediately after this, Luke shows us the exact opposite of the 'Common Life' but that's for tomorrow. Why is it that Luke sees it necessary within a matter of two chapters to vividly describe what true community is? I believe it is very important to realize that Luke is setting a foundation for an environment of sentness, survival, and sanctity. (1) As for 'sentness', it seems Luke is bent on stressing this foundation before the church begins to multiply as if to say, you are best equipped to be sent in, from and into this type of community. (2) As for survival, it is as if Luke is saying, the way we handle persecution, weakness, witness, etc, is in the life of true community (3) As for sanctity, Luke is saying it is in the committment to true community that sanctity (holiness of life and character) is being produced in our lives, because it is here where selflessness is produced, idolatry is conronted, life is sustained.

Now, lets point out an attitude that was a result of being part of a Spirit-filled church that resulted in a radical action that is consistent with 2:42-47:
  1. Hate for Materialism (attitude): The text tells us, "...no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common..." In a society, like ours that finds their identity on Coach Bags, 7-Jeans, and the cool factor, we don't even comprehend this. In a society like our in which our 'success' is measured by what we gain, rather than by what we give away, this first element of the first church is easily overlooked, because these same western Idols have worked their way into the church, and fall under the heading of 'blessed.' Both 2:44 and 4:33 contain two key words, 'hapanta' 'koina' = 'everything in common.' This does NOT means that they did not have their own possessions. This does not mean that this was a new 'rule' for the church, we know this based on the opening line, "no one said..." his possessions were his own. A spirit filled church realizes that God is the owner of all things, and that all things belong to God. Therefore in light of God's character it is better to eleviate poverty than to accumulate stuff, this seems to be a fruit of a Spirit-filled Church. Their attitude was as if the rest of the Body of Christ, was TRULY their body, meaning that their needy brothers and sisters had the same availability to their possessions as they did. So, the death of materialism resulted in their HATE of poverty and need amongst their people.
  2. Radical Selflessness (action): The text reads, "as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need..." In both this passage and 2:45 we see again that this was not 'law-ed' on them, it was not a rule, it was a change of heart that flowed from the Holy Spirit. We must see that this was not done as a law, nor as a membership rite-of-passage, but out of an attitude created by the Holy Spirit, that resulted in selfless action, and done as needs were revealed.
  3. Wisdom as Guidance: There three extremes that come from these verses: (1) This is cultural and societal, we live in a different time and place, therefore this is just a basic historic verse that gives us warm-fuzzies, and but doesn't really apply to our lives (2) This is a demand laid upon church members (3) There is no wisdom we just need to sell all our stuff and give it away without discretion. How do we know this? In 2:45 and this same passage we have the exact same Greek wording, "kathoti an tis chreian eixen" which literally means "according as anyone has need." Then we see the result of this, "There was not a needy person among them..." Meaning they did not give without wisdom. The point was to kill poverty, not help people become more careless. So, in the giving within the community of faith there was wisdom and guidance, that was facilitated by the leaders, "...laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed..."
I'll close this out with a quote from John Calvin on this specific passage:
We must have hearts that are harder than iron if we are not moved by the reading of this narrative. In those days, the believers gave abundantly of what was their own; we in our day are content not just jealously to retain what we possess, but callously to rob others...They sold their own possessions in those days; in our days it is the lust to purchase that reigns supreme. At that time love made each man's possessions common property for those in need; in our day such is the inhumanity of many, that they begrudge to the poor a common dwelling upon earth, the common use of water, air, and sky.
In today's society, it is the 'cool' thing to fight poverty, yet our own personal lust for 'stuff' still wins, it still oppressess, it still takes priority - the hope for the spiritually, emotionally, and financially poor is not our own ability, but in our church living in the Spirit which leads to a vision of God's kingdom here on earth. In fact, Jesus actually teaches that the gospel of the Kingdom is GOOD NEWS for the poor. This statement would be a lie if the if the gospel offered salvation without justice - this IS what a community controlled by the spirit does!

This passage ends with an example of an individually, but for the sake of time, you can read that yourself, and we will look at the effect of a community ruled by self over the spirit tomorrow!


Monday, June 8, 2009

Satanic Counter Attack - 4:32-6:7

Acts 4:32-6:7
this is LONG passage of scripture to read on, so I would recommend you take the next WEEK and just read the text, we will break it down after that!

4:32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. 36 Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, 37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet.

5:1 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and with his wife's knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles' feet. 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” 5 When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. 6 The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him.

7 After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 And Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.” And she said, “Yes, for so much.” 9 But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” 10 Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.

12 Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon's Portico. 13 None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. 14 And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, 15 so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them. 16 The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

17 But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy 18 they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, 20 “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.” 21 And when they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and began to teach.
Now when the high priest came, and those who were with him, they called together the council and all the senate of the people of Israel and sent to the prison to have them brought. 22 But when the officers came, they did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported, 23 “We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them we found no one inside.” 24 Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them, wondering what this would come to. 25 And someone came and told them, “Look! The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.” 26 Then the captain with the officers went and brought them, but not by force, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people.

27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, 28 saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man's blood upon us.” 29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

33 When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them. 34 But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while. 35 And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men. 36 For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. 37 After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered. 38 So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; 39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” So they took his advice, 40 and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. 42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

6:1 Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. 2 And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. 3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5 And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. 6 These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them. 7 And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

The Church Prays - 4:23-31

This may be one of the if not the most practical, convicting, and/or instructive pieces in the book of Acts to this point. It confronts how we deal with negative circumstances, how we live as a community of believers, and how cowardly or bravely we live and speak the Gospel of truth. So, if we'll remember from our last reading, that the apostles were arrested, and though freed, they were freed with a threat. These nine verses summarize the apostles reaction to that threat, and should also summarize what our reaction to threats, temptations, doubts, fears, or negative circumstances should be as well, let's read:

Acts 4:23-31

23 When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, 25 who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit,
“‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain?
26 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed’—
27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. 29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

So, that being said, what was the apostles reaction to the Council's threats? First, lets mention what they didn't do: They didn't sulk. They didn't get mad at God for making it so hard on them for doing His will. They didn't bow out thinking, "well, if God really wanted us to do this, he would make it easier." Which usually represents how we often react to temptations, threats, negative circumstances, fears, doubts, etc... However the apostles simply, went to their friends and reported what the chief priests had said...and they lifted their voices together to God. In short, they ran back to their community of believing friends and family, shared what was going on, and together PRAYED, before they came up with a game plan, before they griped, before they reacted...in unity they PRAYED!

In the second chapter of Acts Luke tells us what the new Community of Faith looked like, now we get to see what that new Community (koinonia) looked like in action.

Just as important as it is to see that they joined in unity together for support and prayer, I think it is important to see how they prayed. This was not a prayer focused on security and pleasure like much of our prosperity prayers are. This was not a 'the world is so evil' like much of our fear based prayers are. This was a prayer that was all about the fame and sovereignty of God - period! Their prayers didn't start off with request, but rather an all encompassing acknowledgment! Their prayers didn't start off with complaints, but a cry for the glory of God! Before this new community of faith petitioned anything they filled their minds with the sovereignty of God: (1) He is the
Sovereign Lord of all creation, who who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them... (2) He is the God of revelation, who was and is and is to come, who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit and predicted that the world would rage and plot against his son Jesus and all those who would live for him, and that the result of these against us would be in vain (3) He is the sovereign God who is in complete control of Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, who thinking they were killing this Jesus according to their own will, actually only did what God had predestined to take place. Is this not how Jesus instructed us to pray anyway, "Our Father who is in heaven, glory to your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven..."?

Why do we do this? Because now, with their (our) vision of God established, and their (our) posture of humility, we can more accurately make petitions according to God's will. The apostles make three main requests: (1) God would
look upon their threats and bear them in your mind. (2) Because those threats/circumstances can cause us to get off track, they then request that God grant to your servants the ability to continue to speak your word with all boldness, and allow his will and truth to guide them rather than their fear and circumstances. (3) and while they speak this anointed word, that it would not be their own words or power, but rather that while they speak God would stretch out his hand to heal, and perform signs and wonders through the name of his holy servant Jesus.

God's response to their prayers was that (1)
the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, as if to say that they were filled with confidence of and from God through his Holy Spirit-true fear in God constitues no fear in anything else. (2) they were all filled with the Holy Spirit [I guess there goes that argument, "are you filled at salvation or after?" Obviously we are humans who leak, so BOTH] (3) They continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

May this be the focus of our prayers, my our focus be on those who do not know him, and may God shake us at our core, fill us with his Holy Spirit, and give us the ability to speak His word with boldness!

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

The Court's Decision - 4:13-22

Acts 4:13-22
13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. 14 But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. 15 But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, 16 saying, “What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17 But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.” 18 So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” 21 And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened. 22 For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old.

The court was astonished, by the boldness of Peter and John, specifically because they were uneducated, common men. The word 'uneducated' is the Greek word, agrammatoi, which basically points to the fact that they had received no proper training in Rabbinic theology, not that they were stupid. The Greek word for common here is the word 'idiotai' which means lay-men or non-professionals. But then it says, they 'remembered' or 'recognized' that these men had been with Jesus who was also agrammatioi and a idiotai. However, they could not deny what they saw before thier eyes seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition, nor could they deny what they were seeing.

The Council was in confusion because on one hand,
a notable sign has been performed through them and not only did they know it, but it was evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem so they couldn't deny it. Yet on the other hand they had to so that it wouldn't spread any further among the people they warned them to speak no more to anyone in this name, lest their culture, way of life, and authority begin to be called into question and they loose power. So, because they could find nothing wrong with what they did, by law, they simply threatened them and commanded them not to speak of this Jesus anymore, but Peter responded by saying, "...we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard..."

I'm left with four convictions, that this morning become my prayer for my life. I am convicted and confronted by my own cowardice - why is it so hard for me to talk about that which I believe in so deeply? Why do I have such a human fear rather than a holy reverent fear of God? Why do a fear human rejection so badly? Maybe that's you, and if so, may the following four points be the prayers and truths we long to become evident in our lives:
  1. ...they recognized that they had been with Jesus... What would this even look like to live a life in which people recognized that we have been with Jesus? How different would my life be? Would my compassion be off the charts? Would my compromise and idolatry be non-existent? I think we have to go straight to relationship rather than perfection. The reason the religious elite knew thew had been with Jesus is due to their relationship with him. I think we have listen to what Jesus says to the Father: (1) We must, intentionally be about the work God gives us, at the expense of security, popularity, and acceptance, as Jesus was. (2) We must be students of His word so that we can more fully grasp and more fully be molded into his image and character. (3) We must be engaged on mission in the world. IF we don't do this, we gain nothing but information. I believe this step, on a practical level is like working out. I naturally have little muscle tone, I am weak, and flabby. Spiritually I am afraid, complacent, and have contempt for those who don't know Christ, but when I engage on mission, I am infused with courage, willingness, and compassion for those who don't know Christ. (4) We must be committed to community. Though Jesus was God, and needed know one, as an example he lived out his life, his mission, and his relationship with the Father in community. Creation happened out of a dance of love between the Father, Son, and Spirit... This is not just some hodge-podge, four step plan I have come up with, this is literally Jesus' prayer for us out of John 17, and why does he pray it, so that we will be recognized as being from and with Jesus so that others may come to know him!
  2. ...for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard... I believe this a result of the first one; my prayer for you and for me is that we would be so gripped and compelled by the gospel of Jesus, at a heart level, that we can't help but infusing all of our language, our conversation, our actions, our relationships, and our services with it. That our drive for the gospel would be stronger than our fear of rejection, of appearing stupid, and acceptance, but like Paul it will literally drive us!
  3. ...finding no way to punish them... The very world that was against them still found them blameless. In a world in which Christianity has taken such a hit for our hypocrisy, public failures, and judgment may we be compelled to be lives that stand with blameless character, people who really show signs of being filled with God's spirit. We have taken this to two different extremes. (1) we become such fanatics that the world is thrilled that they are not like us, and rightly ostracize us due to our lack of any intelligence, normalcy, or relevance. (2) The other extreme is that we become so much like the world and so different from Jesus that we hope to attract them to him. That's about as stupid as it gets, that would not be unlike me going on my first date with Sarah and acting like a bull-headed, abusive jerk, in hopes to attract her to me. We must be like Jesus, live, act, and speak according to the father, which will annoy and irritate people, but at the same time live life with such service, mission, and mercy that they can't help but taking notice.
  4. ...the people...were praising God for what had happened...the above three points, will result in people who are saved from their self and slavery to darkness, to a life in love with Christ!

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Peter's Defense - 4:8-12

Acts 4:8-12
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. 11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

This questioning by the court is not so different from the questioning that was used to accuse Jesus. Once again, like they did in verses 1-7, they use this as a platform to point to the Christ, Jesus. They cared very little of their own safety and comfort, but cared more for the honor and glory of Christ and the salvation of humanity. Their commitment to pontificated the gospel so often confronts two areas of my life (1) My value of God's glory, and (2) My love for humanity, for if I truly valued God's glory would I not take more opportunity to point to him? If I truly believed that the gospel was the door to real life, and also loved my neighbor, would I not seek every opportunity to present this gift to them? Where my life shows fear that God may not come through and my words will be at best a bumbling mess or fall flat, the apostles seem to have trusted God to come through when they opened their mouth. Based off of this confidence Peter makes his defense, but a defense that was not to just prove them wrong and him right, Peter cared not about being seen as popular, right, or cool in the eyes of his accusers, Peter cared about their souls. In fact, had the defense ended at verse 11, we could rightly say that Peter was in the accusation business, but Peter ends his defense by saying, "there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

I'm gonna go ahead and not write anymore on this one, except this to meditate on: How different would our lives, relationships, jobs, communication, and daily agenda's look if our utmost concern was the glory of God and the salvation of man? What if we quit worrying about things like revenge, rather we were overwhelmed with forgiveness so we, like Peter could present the one way to be saved? What if we didn't care about impressing others, but like Peter was consumed with presenting the gospel of Jesus to others? What if we didn't care about proving our point, but cared more of the eternal condition of those around us?

Can you take about 5-10 minutes and ask God to break your heart for what breaks his, to consume you with what consumes him, and to give you eyes to see people the way he sees them...till tomorrow may this text haunt you!

Monday, June 1, 2009

The Council Brings the Apostles to Trial - 4:1-(7)22

Acts 4:1-7
1 And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, 2 greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.
5 On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, 6 with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. 7 And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?”

So far, what we have is that Luke makes it obvious that both waves of persecution were initiated by the Sadducees. They were the ruling class, who were politically in bed with the Romans, but theologically they believed that the Messianic age had begun in the Maccabean period, so they were not looking for this Messiah, and therefore the Apostles were causing fractures throughout their popularity and control. Due to this, they saw the apostles as both instigators and heretics and enemies. Therefore, led by the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees, they arrested them and put them in custody, however what we see is that even though the aposltes circumstances were not perfect, even though they were being wrongly accused, they were more concerned with the mission of God than they were their security, safety, and circumstances, as it says, "...many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand..."

What does this have to do with us, I mean this is hard to relate: 5,000 men saved in one day; having your life threatened by the leading authorities of the day; confronting the culture and popular beliefs of the day...Dang, how do we even begin to relate?

I think the first thing we must do is to allow it to shine a spot light on our lives. In a nutshell the apostles were hunted down for boldly preaching and living the gospel of Jesus; not only were they already poor, but they end up graduating from poor to middle-eastern prison; instead of griping out God, getting mad and overwhelmed by their circumstances, they see it as a new platform given to the by God to continue serving the lost int he name of Jesus!

Now let me compare that to my life:
  1. Preaching the gospel, well if you want to hear a somewhat close rendition of that, you'll have to show up on a Sunday, I'm too concerned with popularity and acceptance.
  2. Choosing my negative change of circumstances as a platform to minister to different people, what are you crazy?! I begin to doubt God when I don't know how I'm gonna buy $11 pounds of coffee eac month, I mean c'mon God, you've heard of the prosperity deal, I will go to church, be moral, pray a lot, speak uber positive, and you have to bless me, in fact, I'll remind you of your word if you don't just to prove you haven't been keeping up with your end of the deal.
  3. Confronting the culture of idolatry, are you kidding me, I've already said I care way to much about being accepted, and by the way, you may have heard of it, S-E-E-K-E-R S-E-N-S-I-T-I-V-E, isn't that the trick, try to be just like the culture so they will fall in love with the one who came to change their culture - that makes sense, no, not really.
So, I guess, to even begin to get this text, I'm gonna confront what I don't understand by being transparent:
  • I don't want to give up my security, my comfort, and my way of doing things...
  • I really don't want to confront the popular and accepted culture of my day...
  • I kind of thing God owes me comfort for following him...
  • I'm a bit scared of what may be required of me if I jump in feet first...
  • What if I don't say the right things and fumble all over my words...
So, first, lets hit pause and rest a bit, and unload the pressure, remember these same apostles are the same disciples who ditched Jesus at a time of crisis, lied about their association with him, and cared more about places of honor, than the sacrifice of thier savior. I get that, and can relate to that. So, instead of reading this passage and getting overwhelmed with a sermon that convicts over 5,000 people, is it possible that you and I can begin to intentionally, in the little lives we live right now, begin to care more about the mission of God than we do about acceptance, comfort, culture or my circumstances?

I think the answer is, "Yes!" BUT, I think we have to be intentional about it or else our normal mode of western living will naturally creep back in...So how do we do this:

  • Preaching the Gospel - This one scares the heck out of most of us, but what if we began to read the Bible looking for the story of Jesus, rather than our self-help remedies all the time? What if we began to feed our spirits daily with scirpture? What if it began to be apart of our daily life, and we began to trust that God would actually guide us when we were presented with the opportunity to message the very truth that has so changed us? I think it starts as we make Jesus the reason for everything, and His glory the focus of everything, when we begin to live certain lives, have victory over certain issues, and simply fall in love with the gospel of God, then it will saturate the way we live and what we say. So let me challenge you to first begin to live it out loud, live your life as if you really believe the gospel, and then ask God to give you the opportunity to message it, and I promise, there is no better feeling than this...
  • See God in Control of my Circumstances - It's easy let this one get us off track from the mission of God. But here is the deal, nothing happens that God isn't aware of, you are his child, and like Job he may allow negative circumstances to come against you, but like Job, if we continually see God as the one in control, even if we don't understand the result in our lives will be two things: (1) Through Job's hard time he was being purified and sanctified to be more like God and learn more of his great ways. (2) When we see God as the one who is in control, and get our eyes off of us then we may just realize that God is giving you a new platform, environment, or culture to live and proclaim the greatness of who he is. We see this in the life of the apostles. When they ran in fear during the arrest and crucifixion of Christ, they did it because they were worried about self, but here we see them go into prison, convincingly and confidently proclaiming the Jesus they had once ran from. Why? Because their eyes were off of self, and now on Jesus, this is what happens when we daily saturate our lives with the gospel of Jesus!
  • Confronting Culture - We live in a culture that values self, materialism, success by numbers, zip codes, etc, etc...The reason the Sadduccees didn't like the apostles were because the confronted the culture that supported and valued their way of life. When you begin to live out truth in the face of deceit and lies, you will be challenged. When you begin to live out justice in a culture of injustice, you will be challenged. When you begin to live out love in a culture so steered by lust, you will be challenged. When you begin to live out hope in a culture so controlled by fatalism you will be challenged. When you live out generosity, in a culture that is all about selfish ambition, you will be challenged. In fact, I would dare say, if you want to put in situations in which you will talk about the gospel of Jesus, then begin to live a counter cultural life, and the platform will be given to to proclaim the gospel of Jesus!