Monday, August 30, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
Worth the Risk--Acts 5:12-26
How many of you are on Facebook? As you know, Facebook has tons of apps, and they can get addicting. I used to like taking quizzes. One of the many Facebook quizzes you can take is “For what are you most likely to be arrested?” And there are 6 or so answer choices and descriptions with which you could end up. For example, I guessed my cousin’s would be for “Disturbing the Peace”. Because she’s good at being a rabble rouser--not that she’s at all criminal, but she is opinionated and loves to speak her mind, and is not going to back down easily.
My quiz answer is “Civil Disobedience”. Like my cousin, I too am stubborn and opinionated, but I also have a passion for social justice. For example, when I was teaching at Robbins Elementary School, I had a student with behavior and emotional problems who was constantly getting suspended off the bus for fighting. This kid had an assigned seat and knew it, so if someone was in his seat, he would act out inappropriately. The problem was when he was suspended from the bus, he was suspended from school. So here is a child who needs to be in school the most—he’s behind academically, there’s no one home to supervise him, so he’s more likely to get in more serious trouble home alone, and the reason the bus seating was a problem was because the bus was too crowded. This was a bus that went into a poorer neighborhood where a good portion of parents spoke limited English or were ignorant of their rights. I said to my student’s primary teacher one day that if this kid got suspended one more time because of overcrowding, I was going to get her, myself, the bus driver, who was also sympathetic, and the parents to picket the central office until they gave us another bus. I don’t know if I was overheard or if it was just glaring that this bus overall had problems, but we did get another bus not too long after that.
What about you? If you took the Facebook quiz, for what would you be most likely to end up in jail? Well, the apostles were arrested for continuing to preach and teach and heal in the name of Jesus. It was religious disobedience—they were clearly and blatantly opposing the command they were given by the religious authority in Acts 4. They were rabble rousing—they were gathering larger and larger groups of people together. They were arrested for doing what the Holy Spirit compelled them to do. They had already weighed the risk, and decided obeying God came first. Jesus was worth the risk.
Think about a time in your life when you had to weigh risk… What was it that made you go ahead or back out? Are you satisfied with the decision you made, or do you have regrets? Now what if Jesus asked you do something risky…how would you respond? David Bruce likes to contemplate this when he’s struggling in his ministry. Pastor Bruce says, “If God asked you to preach to a wall, would you do it?” He thinks of the Old Testament prophets and what they went through. Isaiah was told directly by God that the people were not going to listen to him. Jeremiah was told the same thing. Jeremiah even tried not to preach, but the Spirit compelled him. He says that the Word of God was like a fire shut up in his bones. Hosea had to marry a prostitute. I think he did fall in love with her, but she left him for other men more than once, and yet he kept taking her back. Ezekial had to lay on his side and eat barley cakes baked with dung. Our tame Bibles say, “baked on dung,” but the way they baked was to put the food in the coals—in this case cow patties. I’m glad I’m not an Old Testament prophet!
But we are challenged when God asks us to do something and we can’t see the point or the effect, and it’s just so hard. We aren’t challenged with the same things as the prophets or even the same things that our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world are challenged with, but we might be someday. And even in the meantime, Jesus asks us, “What will you risk for Me? Am I worth the risk?” Are we faithful even in those small things? Do we boldly move forward in the confidence of Christ, or do we cave to our own desires?
About a month ago, we examined the disciples’ prayer for boldness, knowing that persecution was coming. Well, now the persecution has started, and once again, they end up in jail. It’s not just Peter and John; it says, “the apostles.” For some of them this was their first time in prison, and yet, look at what they did. What do the apostles do when they get released? My husband pointed out that they do what many criminals do—they go right back and do the same thing again. They continue to preach and perform miracles in Jesus’s Name. It shouldn’t surprise us then that persecuted believers in China or India or Afghanistan have such compulsion and boldness to continue to preach the gospel even with continued threats of harsher imprisonments or death. No, it shouldn’t surprise us, but it should give us pause. Are we as passionate about the gospel? Is it as compelling for me? Am I convinced of its power and of the power of Jesus Christ?
I’ll never forget Dr. Helen Roseveare, medical missionary to the Congo, telling us when we were in Thailand how she was being dragged down the hall by her hair by a soldier knowing she was going to be beaten and gang raped thinking with her work flashing through her head thinking “Is it worth it? Is it worth it?” As she was saying “No,” the Holy Spirit showed her she was asking the wrong question. The new question that kept repeating was, “Is He worthy? Is Christ worthy?” And the resounding answer was, “Yes!” Her “Yes” was strong enough that less than two years after she was released from captivity, she returned to the Congo to help in the rebuilding of the nation and to continue her medical work. Jesus was worth it, because He is worthy!
How much do you value Jesus? Is He asking you to take a risk for Him? Is Jesus worth the risk?
My quiz answer is “Civil Disobedience”. Like my cousin, I too am stubborn and opinionated, but I also have a passion for social justice. For example, when I was teaching at Robbins Elementary School, I had a student with behavior and emotional problems who was constantly getting suspended off the bus for fighting. This kid had an assigned seat and knew it, so if someone was in his seat, he would act out inappropriately. The problem was when he was suspended from the bus, he was suspended from school. So here is a child who needs to be in school the most—he’s behind academically, there’s no one home to supervise him, so he’s more likely to get in more serious trouble home alone, and the reason the bus seating was a problem was because the bus was too crowded. This was a bus that went into a poorer neighborhood where a good portion of parents spoke limited English or were ignorant of their rights. I said to my student’s primary teacher one day that if this kid got suspended one more time because of overcrowding, I was going to get her, myself, the bus driver, who was also sympathetic, and the parents to picket the central office until they gave us another bus. I don’t know if I was overheard or if it was just glaring that this bus overall had problems, but we did get another bus not too long after that.
What about you? If you took the Facebook quiz, for what would you be most likely to end up in jail? Well, the apostles were arrested for continuing to preach and teach and heal in the name of Jesus. It was religious disobedience—they were clearly and blatantly opposing the command they were given by the religious authority in Acts 4. They were rabble rousing—they were gathering larger and larger groups of people together. They were arrested for doing what the Holy Spirit compelled them to do. They had already weighed the risk, and decided obeying God came first. Jesus was worth the risk.
Think about a time in your life when you had to weigh risk… What was it that made you go ahead or back out? Are you satisfied with the decision you made, or do you have regrets? Now what if Jesus asked you do something risky…how would you respond? David Bruce likes to contemplate this when he’s struggling in his ministry. Pastor Bruce says, “If God asked you to preach to a wall, would you do it?” He thinks of the Old Testament prophets and what they went through. Isaiah was told directly by God that the people were not going to listen to him. Jeremiah was told the same thing. Jeremiah even tried not to preach, but the Spirit compelled him. He says that the Word of God was like a fire shut up in his bones. Hosea had to marry a prostitute. I think he did fall in love with her, but she left him for other men more than once, and yet he kept taking her back. Ezekial had to lay on his side and eat barley cakes baked with dung. Our tame Bibles say, “baked on dung,” but the way they baked was to put the food in the coals—in this case cow patties. I’m glad I’m not an Old Testament prophet!
But we are challenged when God asks us to do something and we can’t see the point or the effect, and it’s just so hard. We aren’t challenged with the same things as the prophets or even the same things that our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world are challenged with, but we might be someday. And even in the meantime, Jesus asks us, “What will you risk for Me? Am I worth the risk?” Are we faithful even in those small things? Do we boldly move forward in the confidence of Christ, or do we cave to our own desires?
About a month ago, we examined the disciples’ prayer for boldness, knowing that persecution was coming. Well, now the persecution has started, and once again, they end up in jail. It’s not just Peter and John; it says, “the apostles.” For some of them this was their first time in prison, and yet, look at what they did. What do the apostles do when they get released? My husband pointed out that they do what many criminals do—they go right back and do the same thing again. They continue to preach and perform miracles in Jesus’s Name. It shouldn’t surprise us then that persecuted believers in China or India or Afghanistan have such compulsion and boldness to continue to preach the gospel even with continued threats of harsher imprisonments or death. No, it shouldn’t surprise us, but it should give us pause. Are we as passionate about the gospel? Is it as compelling for me? Am I convinced of its power and of the power of Jesus Christ?
I’ll never forget Dr. Helen Roseveare, medical missionary to the Congo, telling us when we were in Thailand how she was being dragged down the hall by her hair by a soldier knowing she was going to be beaten and gang raped thinking with her work flashing through her head thinking “Is it worth it? Is it worth it?” As she was saying “No,” the Holy Spirit showed her she was asking the wrong question. The new question that kept repeating was, “Is He worthy? Is Christ worthy?” And the resounding answer was, “Yes!” Her “Yes” was strong enough that less than two years after she was released from captivity, she returned to the Congo to help in the rebuilding of the nation and to continue her medical work. Jesus was worth it, because He is worthy!
How much do you value Jesus? Is He asking you to take a risk for Him? Is Jesus worth the risk?
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Reasons for Giving--Acts 4:36-5:11
Almost all of us are guilty of lying. We use “little white lies,” thinking it’s much easier or less painful than telling the truth. But even lies that seem to be little white lies can be deadly when we are lying to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit speaks only truth, and the unity of the church, which we talked about last Sunday, is founded upon Truth.
VS. 3 literally says, “Why have you allowed Satan to fill your heart?” which goes along well with verse 4, “Why have you conceived this deed in your heart.” Too many people want to blame the devil for their own choices. Satan has no power over the believer but that which we give him. Why is what this couple did so closely linked with the actions of Satan? Because their motivation for giving was self-glory. Self is always opposed to Spirit, and Satan is the Opposer.
As graphic as this story is, sometimes death is merciful for those who continue willfully in sin and try to involve others in their sin. Sapphira was given the opportunity to repent and tell the truth, but she continued in the lie. They had “played Christian” but had hardened themselves against the conviction of the Holy Spirit as described in Hebrews 6. They were pretending to be something that they were not.
I wonder if the problem with Ananias and Sapphira was that they had wrong motivations for giving. Certainly their sin was that they lied to the Holy Spirit, but in what way? Was it really because they didn’t give all their money to the apostles for the good of the community? It was promising something to God and going back on it. They said they were giving all, but they only gave part, claiming that it was all. They were under no obligation to give all, but they made a false claim and a false vow. Also, their giving wasn’t about contributing to the good of the community to the glory of God, but about making a name for themselves so they might be as appreciated as Barnabas, not realizing that it was many other things that Barnabas did that earned him his nickname, and that his giving the money from his land wasn’t the most important thing that he did. They gave in order to get. It was out of self-gain, self-interest that they gave. Selfishness and trying to outdo your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ harms the unity of the Body.
I wonder if the lie to the apostles and the lie to the Holy Spirit was not about the amount of money they received for their land, but the self-importance they placed on their so-called gift, and the credit they took for themselves instead of recognizing that the land belonged to God in the first place and God was the one behind the orchestration of the sale. Ananias and Sapphira had a form of godliness but denied God’s power. They didn’t trust that God would provide for them. They didn’t believe that the Spirit would reveal the truth. They didn’t take the holiness of God seriously. They tried to serve 2 masters.
When we lie to God’s body, we lie to God, and when we withhold from God’s body, we rob God. It’s always difficult for me when people give to something that they can put a plaque on but never give to the general budget of the church. Or people who “give” to the church but want substantial control over “their” money. This is a conversation that has come up in pastors’ meetings on a few occasions. It demonstrates not really generosity but selfishness in giving. People want to be able to say look what I did, not look what God is doing in and through His Church. Certainly it is great to have dedicated restricted funds and generous donations for special projects. In fact, the session has been discussing beginning a capital campaign for our roof. But some of the most generous, truest, joyful givers I know don’t necessarily want a plaque on things they’ve given. It still often happens, many times after those people are deceased, and memorials are done for them out of appreciation, but these folks don’t give to brag about themselves. They give because they know they’ve been blessed by God, and they find joy in contributing to God’s work. They tend to give broadly, but carefully, learning about the projects and causes they are supporting. They look for accountability but not control of their gifts. It’s about being part of something greater and developing relationships.
When we contribute our bits to the offering, whether big or small, it’s about something greater. The gifts combine into a whole to support the work and ministry of Grace Presbyterian Church. It’s not just about paying utility bills and salaries, it’s about providing a place in the community where we can gather for worship and go out in witness. It’s about enhancing our individual worship experiences corporately through quality music and a well-kept facility that glorifies God. It’s about providing space for groups to meet and praying that somehow they might encounter God. It is about raising our children to know and love the Lord. It’s about the Word of God preached and the Sacraments rightly administered. It is about us being discipled and equipped to carry out God’s work in the world. It’s about contributing to works of mercy in our local community and around the world in the name of Jesus. It’s a symbol of our unity. It’s about being part of something we couldn’t do on our own.
Ulitmately, what should be our motivation for giving? Love of God and love for neighbor—the same motivator that we should have for everything. Certainly, we all fall short, sin, every day, multiple times a day, but do we repent or do we try to come across as better than we are?
On the back of your bulletin on the bottom it says “sermon notes”. There are some application questions for you to consider—reasons for why you give or don’t give. What are your motivations for giving? Tax credits? To feel good? To leave a legacy? Out of duty? Out of obligation? Out of guilt? To participate in Christ’s mission in the world? Out of gratitude toward God?
What are your motivations for not giving? Don’t care? Wonder what the church has done for you? Don’t think you can afford to give? Don’t think God’s work is being carried out through the church? Don’t think your contributions are needed or appreciated?
Take an honest inventory of these questions. The Holy Spirit already knows the truth.
VS. 3 literally says, “Why have you allowed Satan to fill your heart?” which goes along well with verse 4, “Why have you conceived this deed in your heart.” Too many people want to blame the devil for their own choices. Satan has no power over the believer but that which we give him. Why is what this couple did so closely linked with the actions of Satan? Because their motivation for giving was self-glory. Self is always opposed to Spirit, and Satan is the Opposer.
As graphic as this story is, sometimes death is merciful for those who continue willfully in sin and try to involve others in their sin. Sapphira was given the opportunity to repent and tell the truth, but she continued in the lie. They had “played Christian” but had hardened themselves against the conviction of the Holy Spirit as described in Hebrews 6. They were pretending to be something that they were not.
I wonder if the problem with Ananias and Sapphira was that they had wrong motivations for giving. Certainly their sin was that they lied to the Holy Spirit, but in what way? Was it really because they didn’t give all their money to the apostles for the good of the community? It was promising something to God and going back on it. They said they were giving all, but they only gave part, claiming that it was all. They were under no obligation to give all, but they made a false claim and a false vow. Also, their giving wasn’t about contributing to the good of the community to the glory of God, but about making a name for themselves so they might be as appreciated as Barnabas, not realizing that it was many other things that Barnabas did that earned him his nickname, and that his giving the money from his land wasn’t the most important thing that he did. They gave in order to get. It was out of self-gain, self-interest that they gave. Selfishness and trying to outdo your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ harms the unity of the Body.
I wonder if the lie to the apostles and the lie to the Holy Spirit was not about the amount of money they received for their land, but the self-importance they placed on their so-called gift, and the credit they took for themselves instead of recognizing that the land belonged to God in the first place and God was the one behind the orchestration of the sale. Ananias and Sapphira had a form of godliness but denied God’s power. They didn’t trust that God would provide for them. They didn’t believe that the Spirit would reveal the truth. They didn’t take the holiness of God seriously. They tried to serve 2 masters.
When we lie to God’s body, we lie to God, and when we withhold from God’s body, we rob God. It’s always difficult for me when people give to something that they can put a plaque on but never give to the general budget of the church. Or people who “give” to the church but want substantial control over “their” money. This is a conversation that has come up in pastors’ meetings on a few occasions. It demonstrates not really generosity but selfishness in giving. People want to be able to say look what I did, not look what God is doing in and through His Church. Certainly it is great to have dedicated restricted funds and generous donations for special projects. In fact, the session has been discussing beginning a capital campaign for our roof. But some of the most generous, truest, joyful givers I know don’t necessarily want a plaque on things they’ve given. It still often happens, many times after those people are deceased, and memorials are done for them out of appreciation, but these folks don’t give to brag about themselves. They give because they know they’ve been blessed by God, and they find joy in contributing to God’s work. They tend to give broadly, but carefully, learning about the projects and causes they are supporting. They look for accountability but not control of their gifts. It’s about being part of something greater and developing relationships.
When we contribute our bits to the offering, whether big or small, it’s about something greater. The gifts combine into a whole to support the work and ministry of Grace Presbyterian Church. It’s not just about paying utility bills and salaries, it’s about providing a place in the community where we can gather for worship and go out in witness. It’s about enhancing our individual worship experiences corporately through quality music and a well-kept facility that glorifies God. It’s about providing space for groups to meet and praying that somehow they might encounter God. It is about raising our children to know and love the Lord. It’s about the Word of God preached and the Sacraments rightly administered. It is about us being discipled and equipped to carry out God’s work in the world. It’s about contributing to works of mercy in our local community and around the world in the name of Jesus. It’s a symbol of our unity. It’s about being part of something we couldn’t do on our own.
Ulitmately, what should be our motivation for giving? Love of God and love for neighbor—the same motivator that we should have for everything. Certainly, we all fall short, sin, every day, multiple times a day, but do we repent or do we try to come across as better than we are?
On the back of your bulletin on the bottom it says “sermon notes”. There are some application questions for you to consider—reasons for why you give or don’t give. What are your motivations for giving? Tax credits? To feel good? To leave a legacy? Out of duty? Out of obligation? Out of guilt? To participate in Christ’s mission in the world? Out of gratitude toward God?
What are your motivations for not giving? Don’t care? Wonder what the church has done for you? Don’t think you can afford to give? Don’t think God’s work is being carried out through the church? Don’t think your contributions are needed or appreciated?
Take an honest inventory of these questions. The Holy Spirit already knows the truth.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Caring for the Whole, Acts 2:44-47, Acts 4:32-37
Every day at Baobab Blast we had a different critter. Today’s critter is Wilma Wildebeest. She lives in a large herd. Some of her friends are Wilbur, Wally, Wanda, Juanita, Greg, Herbert, George, Gail, Glenda, Bob, and Francis. Wildebeests are also called “gnus.” They are actually more closely related to antelope than they are cows even though they are so big.
Wildebeests live in smaller groups of 30-500 for a good bit of their lives. But every year, they join the herd for the great migration. 1.5 million wildebeests gather together to cross Africa. Wildebeests often travel with herds of zebra. They live in groups to protect each other because they are a wonderful food source for lions, hyenas, and crocodiles. They get along well with zebra because they can help protect one another, and they don’t fight over food. Zebra eat tall grass, and wildebeests eat shorter grasses. Because of their ability to come together and act as one and because they get along and cooperate with those who are different from them, like traveling with the zebras, wildebeests teach us about unity. So today’s word is unity.
Our key verse is Eph. 4:3 Make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit…Repeat many times.
What is unity? Unity is oneness, agreeing together without division. When something is united, it doesn’t lack anything. When God’s people are united, they also lack nothing because Jesus made us into His body and the Holy Spirit has gifted each of us with different gifts. When we are unified, all those gifts are working like they are supposed to, so that with the Spirit in our lives and Christ as our head, we don’t need anything. God has provided it all.
Some of you visitors today belong to different churches. And we probably do some things differently than you so. And we don’t have services quite like this every Sunday either. I know there are some members here who are very glad we don’t have services like this every Sunday! But it’s okay that it’s different because there is still unity. It’s more important to celebrate Jesus and worship together. That’s what is important. One of the early church fathers, Origen, describes the unity we should have like a properly tuned stringed instrument. The strings are in harmony without discord. The strings aren’t the same. They are different lengths and have different pitches, but they are played to create beautiful music.
When people have Jesus in common, we should have unity. We’re not always good about that though. Sometimes we let things divide us. That’s why in our memory verse it says make every effort. Sometimes unity can be an effort. But when we think about Jesus first and others second, it makes it a lot easier. I heard someone say that’s what joy is. J-O-Y Jesus, others, you. Think of Jesus first, others second, and yourself last. Our memory verse says, make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit’s unity. If you try to think of others first without the Holy Spirit’s help, then you just get tired and grumpy or you start thinking about how great you are. It takes the Holy Spirit’s power to maintain unity.
The early church described in our Bible passages today did what our Bible verse tells us to do. They made every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit. They shared. That was our word on Friday. Not only did these believers share their faith with others, they also shared their things. It says they had all things in common. We had to share things this week--scissors, crayons and markers, glue, magnets. The Christians in our story this morning shared everything. Like Sam the Meerkat shares his house, these Christians shared their homes with others. They had each other over for dinner. They didn’t think of the things they had like they were their own. If they had something someone else needed, they gave it away or let them borrow it. They would even sell things they didn’t need and give the money to those who did need it. They understood stewardship. Stewardship is kind of a big word. But think of a very rich man or a king. The king has to travel far away to another country and will be gone a long time, so he appoints a steward. The steward takes care of the kings things. He lives in the palace and makes sure it is run right. He takes care of the king’s money. He takes care of everything. But even though the steward can use and manage anything the king has, those things still belong to the king. They don’t belong to the steward.
Well, Jesus is our King. He made everything. He lives in heaven now and has left His people to care for His things—we are called to care for each other, for God’s creation, and for everything. We need to recognize that even though we can use and manage lots of things, it all belongs to King Jesus, and some day Jesus will come back and take His throne on earth. Because these Christians we read about today understood this, it was easy for them to share and care for each other.
You know what else it takes to be that generous? Trust! Trust was our word on Monday. The king has to trust the steward to take care of his things. Jesus trusts us to take care of His things. Sometimes we break that trust and have to tell Jesus we’re sorry. But Jesus is so good, He forgives us and still gives us jobs to do for Him. We also have to trust each other. These early Christians had to trust each other that someone wouldn’t take advantage of someone else. Have you ever had someone use you? It doesn’t feel good at all. It makes you not want to trust not only that person but other people. It can take awhile to build trust again with the person who broke yours. We do need to forgive people who have broken our trust, and we should strive to be trustworthy people.
Sharing and caring for each other helps maintain unity. Unity involves caring for the whole. It takes trust, and of course lots of love. When we follow Jesus, He will fill us with His love that we can pass along to others. Unity pretty much sums up everything we talked about this week at Baobab Blast.
There are a lot of benefits to being unified. One is that God answers the prayers of those who are unified. If we are praying for something and yet carry a spirit of division in our hearts, it shouldn’t surprise us when God says, “No” to our prayers. We’ve already talked about not lacking anything when we are unified. Not only is everyone cared for, but God is pleased. In fact when we are unified, we imitate God—the three in one, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who are never divided. Unity also witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Professor F. Scott Spencer says, “From the start, the risen Jesus charged his witnesses to share the good news of his resurrection with the world. The resurrection forges new communities of light and life. Only in such fellowship (koinonia) is the meaning of the resurrection progressively discerned and demonstrated, learned and lived out.” So remember today’s key verse, Eph. 4:3, and, “Make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit.”
Wildebeests live in smaller groups of 30-500 for a good bit of their lives. But every year, they join the herd for the great migration. 1.5 million wildebeests gather together to cross Africa. Wildebeests often travel with herds of zebra. They live in groups to protect each other because they are a wonderful food source for lions, hyenas, and crocodiles. They get along well with zebra because they can help protect one another, and they don’t fight over food. Zebra eat tall grass, and wildebeests eat shorter grasses. Because of their ability to come together and act as one and because they get along and cooperate with those who are different from them, like traveling with the zebras, wildebeests teach us about unity. So today’s word is unity.
Our key verse is Eph. 4:3 Make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit…Repeat many times.
What is unity? Unity is oneness, agreeing together without division. When something is united, it doesn’t lack anything. When God’s people are united, they also lack nothing because Jesus made us into His body and the Holy Spirit has gifted each of us with different gifts. When we are unified, all those gifts are working like they are supposed to, so that with the Spirit in our lives and Christ as our head, we don’t need anything. God has provided it all.
Some of you visitors today belong to different churches. And we probably do some things differently than you so. And we don’t have services quite like this every Sunday either. I know there are some members here who are very glad we don’t have services like this every Sunday! But it’s okay that it’s different because there is still unity. It’s more important to celebrate Jesus and worship together. That’s what is important. One of the early church fathers, Origen, describes the unity we should have like a properly tuned stringed instrument. The strings are in harmony without discord. The strings aren’t the same. They are different lengths and have different pitches, but they are played to create beautiful music.
When people have Jesus in common, we should have unity. We’re not always good about that though. Sometimes we let things divide us. That’s why in our memory verse it says make every effort. Sometimes unity can be an effort. But when we think about Jesus first and others second, it makes it a lot easier. I heard someone say that’s what joy is. J-O-Y Jesus, others, you. Think of Jesus first, others second, and yourself last. Our memory verse says, make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit’s unity. If you try to think of others first without the Holy Spirit’s help, then you just get tired and grumpy or you start thinking about how great you are. It takes the Holy Spirit’s power to maintain unity.
The early church described in our Bible passages today did what our Bible verse tells us to do. They made every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit. They shared. That was our word on Friday. Not only did these believers share their faith with others, they also shared their things. It says they had all things in common. We had to share things this week--scissors, crayons and markers, glue, magnets. The Christians in our story this morning shared everything. Like Sam the Meerkat shares his house, these Christians shared their homes with others. They had each other over for dinner. They didn’t think of the things they had like they were their own. If they had something someone else needed, they gave it away or let them borrow it. They would even sell things they didn’t need and give the money to those who did need it. They understood stewardship. Stewardship is kind of a big word. But think of a very rich man or a king. The king has to travel far away to another country and will be gone a long time, so he appoints a steward. The steward takes care of the kings things. He lives in the palace and makes sure it is run right. He takes care of the king’s money. He takes care of everything. But even though the steward can use and manage anything the king has, those things still belong to the king. They don’t belong to the steward.
Well, Jesus is our King. He made everything. He lives in heaven now and has left His people to care for His things—we are called to care for each other, for God’s creation, and for everything. We need to recognize that even though we can use and manage lots of things, it all belongs to King Jesus, and some day Jesus will come back and take His throne on earth. Because these Christians we read about today understood this, it was easy for them to share and care for each other.
You know what else it takes to be that generous? Trust! Trust was our word on Monday. The king has to trust the steward to take care of his things. Jesus trusts us to take care of His things. Sometimes we break that trust and have to tell Jesus we’re sorry. But Jesus is so good, He forgives us and still gives us jobs to do for Him. We also have to trust each other. These early Christians had to trust each other that someone wouldn’t take advantage of someone else. Have you ever had someone use you? It doesn’t feel good at all. It makes you not want to trust not only that person but other people. It can take awhile to build trust again with the person who broke yours. We do need to forgive people who have broken our trust, and we should strive to be trustworthy people.
Sharing and caring for each other helps maintain unity. Unity involves caring for the whole. It takes trust, and of course lots of love. When we follow Jesus, He will fill us with His love that we can pass along to others. Unity pretty much sums up everything we talked about this week at Baobab Blast.
There are a lot of benefits to being unified. One is that God answers the prayers of those who are unified. If we are praying for something and yet carry a spirit of division in our hearts, it shouldn’t surprise us when God says, “No” to our prayers. We’ve already talked about not lacking anything when we are unified. Not only is everyone cared for, but God is pleased. In fact when we are unified, we imitate God—the three in one, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who are never divided. Unity also witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Professor F. Scott Spencer says, “From the start, the risen Jesus charged his witnesses to share the good news of his resurrection with the world. The resurrection forges new communities of light and life. Only in such fellowship (koinonia) is the meaning of the resurrection progressively discerned and demonstrated, learned and lived out.” So remember today’s key verse, Eph. 4:3, and, “Make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit.”
Monday, July 26, 2010
Standing Together in Boldness--Psalm 2, Acts 4:23-37
Today’s New Testament reading continues from last week. Remember the Sanhedrin said that Peter and John could go free, but they most not teach or preach anymore in the name of Jesus or there would be consequences! John said that they had to obey God first and foremost. Interestingly enough, the opposition to preaching about Jesus and in the authority of Jesus isn’t coming from the Roman government; it’s coming from the religious leaders.
Our church today is also being challenged from the inside out. Satan loves to destroy churches this way. Get Christians fighting among themselves and destroy their witness. We made it through another General Assembly. While there was much controversy leading up to the Assembly. The Assembly went remarkably well. Debates were brief, and some positive things were accomplished, but the church always remains under attack. After all, we’ve been arguing over the same things for 30 years! There are always those who will try to destroy it from the inside out. Will we give in to culture, or will we stand on the Rock, that is Christ Jesus?
The church in Acts chose to stand with Jesus. First of all, they prayed. They prayed the promises found in Scripture. Jesus was obviously a good teacher. I’m amazed at how much Scripture the disciples memorized in such a short time. Now obviously they had learned quite a bit before Jesus. Last week Peter quoted from Isaiah. Here in his prayer, He quotes from Psalm 2, our other reading today. You have to know God’s word in order to speak God’s word. One of our biggest problems, one of the reasons we have difficulty discerning the will of God is biblical illiteracy. I was blessed in that I memorized lots of Scripture as a kid—4 or 5 verses a week. But I don’t see as much of that happening these days. Most of my generation and the one following are unchurched or minimally churched, not growing up in Christian homes and only coming to church later in life. We must be intentional about teaching the Scriptures, teaching the faith and discipleship. And we must as individuals embrace the spiritual disciplines. If you’ve never done it or don’t make it a practice, I would encourage you to pray the Scriptures. These are prayers that God will answer.
The apostles knew that the gates of hell cannot prevail against the Messiah’s kingdom. Psalm 2 says that God will give Jesus the nations for His inheritance. Jesus will always win. In knowing that promise and yet also knowing the opposition they faced, they prayed for boldness to speak God’s word. They didn’t pray for deliverance from persecution—this was the first persecution they faced, and they sensed rightly that it was about to get a whole lot worse. They prayed for boldness. Remember when Henry was here, and he said he was struggling with how to pray for his friends who were new believers, and whose lives were being threatened? As much as he hates seeing his friends suffer, Henry knows that persecution can actually strengthen and grow the Church. We need to pray for boldness for the believers in Andrapradesh.
Last week in our affirmation of faith, we affirmed that the Church can’t go wrong as long as it stands on the foundation Christ the Rock. Psalm 2 reminds us that it is really Christ who is under attack, but Christ will win. Just as the early church was gearing up for a more intense persecution, I don’t think our world is going to change any time soon. It won’t change until Christ returns, and His kingly reign is made visible. We need to receive boldness to stand firm. It doesn’t matter about our size as long as we hold on to Jesus.
It doesn’t help to try to run away and hide. There are places in the Middle East—Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq, and Iran, that are actually worse off and more difficult than years ago, because the Christians chose to emigrate out of those areas instead of standing firm. Christians were a huge minority group in Lebanon for many years. It wasn’t majority Christian, but it was a large enough minority to have rights and privileges, but when those things began to be challenged, many Christians bailed. Now it is very difficult for Lebanese Christians. Egypt has a similar story. Now contrast China where the Christians face intense persecution regularly, yet if they are not already, China is about to become the world's largest Christian nation. The church is growing rapidly even in the midst of persecution because the believers pray for boldness to stand firm in and for Christ.
There are always going to be challenges for the church. We are called to stand firm in boldness with and for Christ. As Charles Erdman reminds us, “If we surrender to Christ with a whole-hearted desire to do His will in spite of opposition, peril, and hatred, we will have new courage and power in service brought about when believers come together to read Scripture, sing, and unite our hearts together in prayer.” And as long as we exist, God has a plan and mission for us.
Growing God’s church Deep and Wide is our denominational theme. For the past 4 years we’ve been working on the deep part and will continue to do so. I hope that over the next 4 years we will also begin to grow wider as we have begun to step out in faith in ministry.
If you try to grow wide without being deep, then people fall away or the church becomes a social club. Willow Creek realized this a few years ago when they realized that they had a large church, but few mature disciples. People weren’t able to articulate their faith or share their faith with others even after years of attendance. Instead of transitioning into discipleship groups, the majority of new folks dropped out. New ones always cycled in, so it took awhile before the leaders realized that spiritual growth wasn’t happening. The church seemingly made converts without making disciples, but the commission that Christ gave was to make disciples. In fact, Jesus criticized the religious leaders of His day for making only converts. He said, “You travel over land and sea to make 1 convert, but I tell you that you have made him twice the child of hell as you are.” Those are pretty strong words! Discipleship is key. This is what the Riverside church did. Instead of bringing in neighbors to a Christmas Eve service so the pastor could share a message, church members were able to share their faith with their neighbors themselves, because they had been discipled. This was the fruit of the first church plant I worked with in Japan. At the end of the 3 year church planting cycle, we had several mature believers who were sharing their faith with their contacts. I especially think of Mrs. Kazumata and her daughters. Mrs. Kazumata has a gift of evangelism. But before she started working with the church planting team, her practice was to bring people to the church so the pastor could talk to them. She became a chaplain for one of the English classes. We met in the church, so it was a safe place for Mrs. Kazumata to practice sharing her faith. You could see the deep joy she had in sharing her faith with the class. She would share personal stories of what the Scriptures she had chosen meant to her. Then she realized that she didn't have to be in the church to share her faith with people. She gained boldness to share her faith outside of the church walls. Now when she brings people to church, it is because she has already shared with them herself.
The pastor's daughter-in-law was one of the other chaplains. She is a gifted church leader. When I left, she decided to continue the ministry she had with the children, forming a Kids Club. She recruited and discipled Mrs. Kazumata's daughter's to help her. They in turn began discipling children in a variety of ways. These church members grew deep, and then their church began to grow wide.
Notice that the churches in the videos were able to step out in faith because they came together in unity. This happened after they prayed together. Prayer itself is a unifying factor. This is why praying together as families and married couples is so powerful. Prayer strengthens unity. The church in Acts received almost a second Pentecost, and the believers were filled afresh with the Holy Spirit. The command in Scripture to be filled with the Holy Spirit is in the continuous tense. We constantly need to be filled with the Spirit. The filling of the Spirit isn’t to attain personal holiness, but for power to be witnesses for Christ in the world. We then move in our Acts passage from the believers being empowered to speak God’s word with boldness to a narrative of how they came together in unity and held all things in common so that the needs of the believers were met. The church that welcomed the Liberian family gave up the way that they typically did worship to grow. The Greystone folks gave up their building. I like the way that at the end of that video, it quotes from our Book of Order that, “The church is called to undertake its mission at the risk of losing its own life.” That reflects the words of Jesus, who said, “Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, but the one who loses his life for My sake will find it.” Our God is a God of resurrection. God delights in giving new life to the dead.
Jesus is still at work in the PC(USA), and Jesus is still at work in Grace Presbyterian Church. If we will remain faithful to Him, He will remain faithful to us. Will we stand together in boldness in and for Jesus Christ?
Our church today is also being challenged from the inside out. Satan loves to destroy churches this way. Get Christians fighting among themselves and destroy their witness. We made it through another General Assembly. While there was much controversy leading up to the Assembly. The Assembly went remarkably well. Debates were brief, and some positive things were accomplished, but the church always remains under attack. After all, we’ve been arguing over the same things for 30 years! There are always those who will try to destroy it from the inside out. Will we give in to culture, or will we stand on the Rock, that is Christ Jesus?
The church in Acts chose to stand with Jesus. First of all, they prayed. They prayed the promises found in Scripture. Jesus was obviously a good teacher. I’m amazed at how much Scripture the disciples memorized in such a short time. Now obviously they had learned quite a bit before Jesus. Last week Peter quoted from Isaiah. Here in his prayer, He quotes from Psalm 2, our other reading today. You have to know God’s word in order to speak God’s word. One of our biggest problems, one of the reasons we have difficulty discerning the will of God is biblical illiteracy. I was blessed in that I memorized lots of Scripture as a kid—4 or 5 verses a week. But I don’t see as much of that happening these days. Most of my generation and the one following are unchurched or minimally churched, not growing up in Christian homes and only coming to church later in life. We must be intentional about teaching the Scriptures, teaching the faith and discipleship. And we must as individuals embrace the spiritual disciplines. If you’ve never done it or don’t make it a practice, I would encourage you to pray the Scriptures. These are prayers that God will answer.
The apostles knew that the gates of hell cannot prevail against the Messiah’s kingdom. Psalm 2 says that God will give Jesus the nations for His inheritance. Jesus will always win. In knowing that promise and yet also knowing the opposition they faced, they prayed for boldness to speak God’s word. They didn’t pray for deliverance from persecution—this was the first persecution they faced, and they sensed rightly that it was about to get a whole lot worse. They prayed for boldness. Remember when Henry was here, and he said he was struggling with how to pray for his friends who were new believers, and whose lives were being threatened? As much as he hates seeing his friends suffer, Henry knows that persecution can actually strengthen and grow the Church. We need to pray for boldness for the believers in Andrapradesh.
Last week in our affirmation of faith, we affirmed that the Church can’t go wrong as long as it stands on the foundation Christ the Rock. Psalm 2 reminds us that it is really Christ who is under attack, but Christ will win. Just as the early church was gearing up for a more intense persecution, I don’t think our world is going to change any time soon. It won’t change until Christ returns, and His kingly reign is made visible. We need to receive boldness to stand firm. It doesn’t matter about our size as long as we hold on to Jesus.
It doesn’t help to try to run away and hide. There are places in the Middle East—Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq, and Iran, that are actually worse off and more difficult than years ago, because the Christians chose to emigrate out of those areas instead of standing firm. Christians were a huge minority group in Lebanon for many years. It wasn’t majority Christian, but it was a large enough minority to have rights and privileges, but when those things began to be challenged, many Christians bailed. Now it is very difficult for Lebanese Christians. Egypt has a similar story. Now contrast China where the Christians face intense persecution regularly, yet if they are not already, China is about to become the world's largest Christian nation. The church is growing rapidly even in the midst of persecution because the believers pray for boldness to stand firm in and for Christ.
There are always going to be challenges for the church. We are called to stand firm in boldness with and for Christ. As Charles Erdman reminds us, “If we surrender to Christ with a whole-hearted desire to do His will in spite of opposition, peril, and hatred, we will have new courage and power in service brought about when believers come together to read Scripture, sing, and unite our hearts together in prayer.” And as long as we exist, God has a plan and mission for us.
Growing God’s church Deep and Wide is our denominational theme. For the past 4 years we’ve been working on the deep part and will continue to do so. I hope that over the next 4 years we will also begin to grow wider as we have begun to step out in faith in ministry.
If you try to grow wide without being deep, then people fall away or the church becomes a social club. Willow Creek realized this a few years ago when they realized that they had a large church, but few mature disciples. People weren’t able to articulate their faith or share their faith with others even after years of attendance. Instead of transitioning into discipleship groups, the majority of new folks dropped out. New ones always cycled in, so it took awhile before the leaders realized that spiritual growth wasn’t happening. The church seemingly made converts without making disciples, but the commission that Christ gave was to make disciples. In fact, Jesus criticized the religious leaders of His day for making only converts. He said, “You travel over land and sea to make 1 convert, but I tell you that you have made him twice the child of hell as you are.” Those are pretty strong words! Discipleship is key. This is what the Riverside church did. Instead of bringing in neighbors to a Christmas Eve service so the pastor could share a message, church members were able to share their faith with their neighbors themselves, because they had been discipled. This was the fruit of the first church plant I worked with in Japan. At the end of the 3 year church planting cycle, we had several mature believers who were sharing their faith with their contacts. I especially think of Mrs. Kazumata and her daughters. Mrs. Kazumata has a gift of evangelism. But before she started working with the church planting team, her practice was to bring people to the church so the pastor could talk to them. She became a chaplain for one of the English classes. We met in the church, so it was a safe place for Mrs. Kazumata to practice sharing her faith. You could see the deep joy she had in sharing her faith with the class. She would share personal stories of what the Scriptures she had chosen meant to her. Then she realized that she didn't have to be in the church to share her faith with people. She gained boldness to share her faith outside of the church walls. Now when she brings people to church, it is because she has already shared with them herself.
The pastor's daughter-in-law was one of the other chaplains. She is a gifted church leader. When I left, she decided to continue the ministry she had with the children, forming a Kids Club. She recruited and discipled Mrs. Kazumata's daughter's to help her. They in turn began discipling children in a variety of ways. These church members grew deep, and then their church began to grow wide.
Notice that the churches in the videos were able to step out in faith because they came together in unity. This happened after they prayed together. Prayer itself is a unifying factor. This is why praying together as families and married couples is so powerful. Prayer strengthens unity. The church in Acts received almost a second Pentecost, and the believers were filled afresh with the Holy Spirit. The command in Scripture to be filled with the Holy Spirit is in the continuous tense. We constantly need to be filled with the Spirit. The filling of the Spirit isn’t to attain personal holiness, but for power to be witnesses for Christ in the world. We then move in our Acts passage from the believers being empowered to speak God’s word with boldness to a narrative of how they came together in unity and held all things in common so that the needs of the believers were met. The church that welcomed the Liberian family gave up the way that they typically did worship to grow. The Greystone folks gave up their building. I like the way that at the end of that video, it quotes from our Book of Order that, “The church is called to undertake its mission at the risk of losing its own life.” That reflects the words of Jesus, who said, “Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, but the one who loses his life for My sake will find it.” Our God is a God of resurrection. God delights in giving new life to the dead.
Jesus is still at work in the PC(USA), and Jesus is still at work in Grace Presbyterian Church. If we will remain faithful to Him, He will remain faithful to us. Will we stand together in boldness in and for Jesus Christ?
Monday, July 5, 2010
God & Country? (Romans 13:1-7)
The Scouts have a program called, “God and Country.” It’s a pretty good program, and even for some Scouts, their first introduction to faith. But what happens when God and country become too blurred? We begin to confuse the state with the Kingdom of God and often the values of the two are in direct conflict with one another. We use the God’s name to justify acts of oppression, aggression, and even terror. We tell people who aren’t patriotic that they aren’t good Christians. We exalt one culture over another, even degrading other cultures and peoples. We even exalt one party over another, saying one is more godly than the other and dividing the church over issues of politics that have nothing to do with the Kingdom of God.
On the other hand, we have a call for separation of church and state. Interestingly enough, this phrase is not part of the Constitution. It comes from a letter that Thomas Jefferson wrote referring to the First Amendment. What the First Amendment to the Constitution actually says is, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” What happens when God and country become too separated? We become apathetic and even antagonistic regarding government. We stop engaging in society and instead place ourselves above others or simply withdraw from them. We forget that although this world is not the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of God has broken through in this world and it is our job to show it.
Our Romans 13 passage tells us how we are to interact with civil authorities. Paul begins by saying let every person submit him/herself to the higher powers. No one is exempt. And when Paul was writing this, we must remember that Israel was under an oppressive and hostile Roman empire. Yet Paul goes on to say that the reason we are to submit is because it is God who holds all power and who gives power. Regardless of what we think of our governing officials, they are where they are by the grace and power of God. They may abuse the power given to them, but they will be held accountable for that. Paul goes on to say that whoever resists power resists God and that God will judge those who resist authority. This stands in contrast to what we will see in Acts in a couple of weeks. Peter and John will not resist civil authorities, but religious authority. How do we reconcile resistance and obedience? When it comes to laws not in conflict with the Scriptures, we are to obey, but if a government practices or acts in ways that are unlawful according to God’s law, then we must obey God over human authorities. One of the positive things about our form of national government is that we can interact. We can work with and within the system instead of against it. Paul would never be for anarchy. We can write letters and make phone calls to help encourage officials to make laws in accordance with God’s Law and to the best of our ability and with the help of the Holy Spirit, vote against those who oppose God’s Law and vote for those who align themselves with God’s Law. This isn’t always easy because people deceive with flattering words. I find myself these days voting mostly against rather than for. Do we ask God what we can do to make our nation better? Rarely a week goes by when I’m not writing an email to one or more of our government officials or signing a petition—things from the democratic party, republican party or nonpartisan groups. Because it’s not about parties—everything must be weighed against Scripture.
In the same way that God judges those who resist authority, God will judge those who abuse their powers and positions of authority. Paul says that the purpose of civil authorities is not to be a terror to good works, but to curtail evil. Sometimes governments forget what they are for and try to meddle in other areas that they weren’t created and installed to do. They may be well-intentioned but misguided or only have short term eyesight and don’t consider long term consequences. And then I need to support actions that benefit the well-being of my neighbor and demonstrate good stewardship of all the resources we have been given by God. We also need to own up that part of the meddling in other affairs is our fault. If we believers did what God called us to do, the government wouldn’t have to. In our laziness and disobedience to God, we’ve neglected widows and orphans, immigrants, the poor, and the oppressed and allowed these things to become government issues. We’ve forgotten that the first hospitals, schools, and benevolence institutions were created by Christians, not by the government. If you are working in these fields today, good for you! These are important areas where Christians should be involved.
We are called to submit to civil authorities not out of fear of them and what they can do but out of obedience to God. Don’t let yourself be manipulated by fear. It’s what the world tries to do all the time. Governments are guilty. The news media is guilty, political groups are guilty, and even religious groups are guilty, forgetting that we are only called to fear God and nothing or no one else. We were talking in our Sacred Marriage class this week about words of encouragement, which led into a discussion of love languages. One of mine is definitely words. This is why it’s not too hard for me to be an encourager. At the same time, it’s made me very sensitive to hurtful words. Even if I agree with the basic premise of what someone is saying or the underlying principle, I refuse to support or endorse an issue or statement or participate in a discussion in which fear is being used as a tool of manipulation or personal attacks and straw man arguments are being made to enforce a point. I’ll either get angry or defensive or walk away or a combination of the above. My reactions aren’t always without sin either, but seeing people being manipulated by fear or intimidation does not sit well with me.
Both Jesus and Paul tell us we are to pay taxes. We need to support public affairs. However, again we are free to lobby against oppressive taxes, but when April 15 comes around, it’s time to pay up.
As believers in Christ, we are first citizens of the New Jerusalem. Our loyalty and allegiance is to God, and we are His ambassadors to the world. We are called to be in the world, but not of it. Being in the world means engaging our world. William Wilberforce considered leaving Parliament to become a priest. John Newton, author of “Amazing Grace” encouraged Wilberforce to stay where he was, and that God could use him to do God’s work in that arena. We know that God used Wilberforce to help abolish the overseas slave trade and eliminate slavery in the British empire. Being an ambassor for God means carrying out His will in the world, working for justice and peace and righteousness. Do we pray for the presidents and government officials we don’t like as much as we do the ones we do like? I’m guilty. We have to remember that God is the one who ultimately places people in positions of authority, and God does so for a reason. .James Edwards in his commentary of Romans sums it up like this:
"Paul approached the relation of church and state not as a Sadducee, who lived from the advantages of the state, nor as a Zealot, who lived to overthrow the state, nor as a Pharisee, who divorced religion from the state, nor as a Roman citizen, who saw the state as an end in itself, but as a free man in Christ who appeals to the church to be equally free in obedience to the state, but not conformed to it."
On the other hand, we have a call for separation of church and state. Interestingly enough, this phrase is not part of the Constitution. It comes from a letter that Thomas Jefferson wrote referring to the First Amendment. What the First Amendment to the Constitution actually says is, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” What happens when God and country become too separated? We become apathetic and even antagonistic regarding government. We stop engaging in society and instead place ourselves above others or simply withdraw from them. We forget that although this world is not the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of God has broken through in this world and it is our job to show it.
Our Romans 13 passage tells us how we are to interact with civil authorities. Paul begins by saying let every person submit him/herself to the higher powers. No one is exempt. And when Paul was writing this, we must remember that Israel was under an oppressive and hostile Roman empire. Yet Paul goes on to say that the reason we are to submit is because it is God who holds all power and who gives power. Regardless of what we think of our governing officials, they are where they are by the grace and power of God. They may abuse the power given to them, but they will be held accountable for that. Paul goes on to say that whoever resists power resists God and that God will judge those who resist authority. This stands in contrast to what we will see in Acts in a couple of weeks. Peter and John will not resist civil authorities, but religious authority. How do we reconcile resistance and obedience? When it comes to laws not in conflict with the Scriptures, we are to obey, but if a government practices or acts in ways that are unlawful according to God’s law, then we must obey God over human authorities. One of the positive things about our form of national government is that we can interact. We can work with and within the system instead of against it. Paul would never be for anarchy. We can write letters and make phone calls to help encourage officials to make laws in accordance with God’s Law and to the best of our ability and with the help of the Holy Spirit, vote against those who oppose God’s Law and vote for those who align themselves with God’s Law. This isn’t always easy because people deceive with flattering words. I find myself these days voting mostly against rather than for. Do we ask God what we can do to make our nation better? Rarely a week goes by when I’m not writing an email to one or more of our government officials or signing a petition—things from the democratic party, republican party or nonpartisan groups. Because it’s not about parties—everything must be weighed against Scripture.
In the same way that God judges those who resist authority, God will judge those who abuse their powers and positions of authority. Paul says that the purpose of civil authorities is not to be a terror to good works, but to curtail evil. Sometimes governments forget what they are for and try to meddle in other areas that they weren’t created and installed to do. They may be well-intentioned but misguided or only have short term eyesight and don’t consider long term consequences. And then I need to support actions that benefit the well-being of my neighbor and demonstrate good stewardship of all the resources we have been given by God. We also need to own up that part of the meddling in other affairs is our fault. If we believers did what God called us to do, the government wouldn’t have to. In our laziness and disobedience to God, we’ve neglected widows and orphans, immigrants, the poor, and the oppressed and allowed these things to become government issues. We’ve forgotten that the first hospitals, schools, and benevolence institutions were created by Christians, not by the government. If you are working in these fields today, good for you! These are important areas where Christians should be involved.
We are called to submit to civil authorities not out of fear of them and what they can do but out of obedience to God. Don’t let yourself be manipulated by fear. It’s what the world tries to do all the time. Governments are guilty. The news media is guilty, political groups are guilty, and even religious groups are guilty, forgetting that we are only called to fear God and nothing or no one else. We were talking in our Sacred Marriage class this week about words of encouragement, which led into a discussion of love languages. One of mine is definitely words. This is why it’s not too hard for me to be an encourager. At the same time, it’s made me very sensitive to hurtful words. Even if I agree with the basic premise of what someone is saying or the underlying principle, I refuse to support or endorse an issue or statement or participate in a discussion in which fear is being used as a tool of manipulation or personal attacks and straw man arguments are being made to enforce a point. I’ll either get angry or defensive or walk away or a combination of the above. My reactions aren’t always without sin either, but seeing people being manipulated by fear or intimidation does not sit well with me.
Both Jesus and Paul tell us we are to pay taxes. We need to support public affairs. However, again we are free to lobby against oppressive taxes, but when April 15 comes around, it’s time to pay up.
As believers in Christ, we are first citizens of the New Jerusalem. Our loyalty and allegiance is to God, and we are His ambassadors to the world. We are called to be in the world, but not of it. Being in the world means engaging our world. William Wilberforce considered leaving Parliament to become a priest. John Newton, author of “Amazing Grace” encouraged Wilberforce to stay where he was, and that God could use him to do God’s work in that arena. We know that God used Wilberforce to help abolish the overseas slave trade and eliminate slavery in the British empire. Being an ambassor for God means carrying out His will in the world, working for justice and peace and righteousness. Do we pray for the presidents and government officials we don’t like as much as we do the ones we do like? I’m guilty. We have to remember that God is the one who ultimately places people in positions of authority, and God does so for a reason. .James Edwards in his commentary of Romans sums it up like this:
"Paul approached the relation of church and state not as a Sadducee, who lived from the advantages of the state, nor as a Zealot, who lived to overthrow the state, nor as a Pharisee, who divorced religion from the state, nor as a Roman citizen, who saw the state as an end in itself, but as a free man in Christ who appeals to the church to be equally free in obedience to the state, but not conformed to it."
Monday, June 28, 2010
Give What You Have--Acts 3
How many times have you looked at your lack of resources and thought, “It’s simply impossible to do what I need to do. There’s just no way this is every going to work. If only I had…” My guess is that there have been multiple times that this has happened in some form or another. We’re very good at noticing our lack, and fairly poor at recognizing our assets.
First, sometimes what we think we need isn’t what we really need. This man was trying to survive. That’s as far as he could think. He was in survival mode. He wasn’t asking much. Just a little bit of money to buy food. He wasn’t being greedy. He just wanted his daily needs met. He had no vision.
We get stuck in survival mode. We don’t ask for much. We only ask for what we think we need, but it never moves us forward. We have no vision. We don’t look for what God wants to give us.
God wanted this man to have much more than money to buy food for the day. God wanted this man to thrive! To be able to provide for himself and to be able to not only serve himself, but to serve others, and to glorify God in and through his life.
Second, God doesn’t want us to merely survive. God wants us to thrive. God doesn’t want us just to be able to provide for ourselves, but to serve others and to glorify God in and through our lives.
In addition, it doesn’t take money to do the work of God. Peter and John were broke. They didn’t have even spare change to give to this man, but that didn’t stop them from reaching out and serving and being involved in God’s work. Peter says, “I don’t possess silver and gold, but what I do have, I give to you: In the Name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—walk!”
I’ve heard over and over lately that it doesn’t take money to do the work of God. I heard it in every workshop I attended at the Linking for Ministry conference that Jim and I attended in South Carolina. I heard Rev. Brown say it when we went on our field trip to observe the Alzheimer’s Prevention Program at First Baptist in Jacksonville. Instead, I’ve heard as the Scriptures also say, “God equips those whom God calls.” And the resources are already there.
When we were strategizing on how this church could serve the community, we knew we didn’t have much by way of financial resources, so what do we have that we can share with the community? We have land. We could start a garden. Yes, it eventually did take some funds to improve our land, but when we stepped out in faith, those funds were there. What else do we have to offer to our community? We have a facility. We open it up to the scouts; we’ve hosted Pre-K registration for the past 3 years, and now we have opportunity to open it up for respite care ministry. We can give what we have.
It doesn’t take money necessarily to do the work of God, but it does take commitment, perseverance, and faith. It’s fueled by prayer, and empowered by God.
Fourth point, Peter knew the value of what he had to give. He didn’t bemoan the fact that he was poor. He had something much greater to give. He had the power of Jesus. He wasn’t Jesus. Let’s note that Peter doesn’t forgive this man’s sins as Jesus did when He healed the paralytic. Peter is not God. He doesn’t have the power to forgive sins. But he gives the gift of healing in Jesus’ Name. This lame man was meant to thrive. Now he can not only provide for himself, but contribute to society. He has the ability to help others and to become a giver as well.
Too often we don’t know the value of what we do have. We possess the most valuable thing in all the universe. We carry the Name of Jesus. The value of what we have is only made evident when we give it away. We were meant to carry this power, this Person, into the world, as Henry Sofley talked about a couple of weeks ago. If we knew the value of what we do have, we wouldn’t be complaining so much about the things we don’t have, and we’d be much more eager to give what we have away. We need to know the value of what we have.
Jim’s brother, Joey, said something with which I wholeheartedly agree. He said this, worship, was intended to be Base Camp. The time when we come together to be reminded of our common mission, inspired and bound together by a common vision, and empowered to carry out that mission in the world. It’s where we share reports on how the mission is progressing. What’s happening? What’s going on? Not just to sing some songs, listen to some words, and put a check on our list.
Notice too, that an act of service isn’t an end in itself. Peter’s act of service doesn’t stop with the healing of this man. It’s actually a jumping off point for something much, much greater. This event is witnessed by many people, and the act of service becomes an opportunity to give Jesus away multiple times. Peter preaches to the crowd and gives them opportunity to repent and turn to Jesus. Again, it isn’t Peter who forgives, but he points to the One who can and will forgive sins. And still the story doesn’t stop. It will continue into Acts chapter 4 as we will see in a few weeks when some of our younger folk will be helping me out with the service.
Don’t think that God’s work and mission stops with individual acts of service. That garden out there isn’t just a garden. It’s a jumping off point for something much bigger. It’s an opportunity for people to find spiritual healing, as we are already seeing. The produce we take to the food pantry doesn’t stop there. It’s passed out into the community in the name of Jesus. Opening up our building doesn’t stop there. It provides opportunities for men like Greg Patterson and Brad Drury and Philip Clarke and Kathy Russell and others to demonstrate the love of Jesus by mentoring girls and boys and instilling in them virtues, so that as they grow like Stephen Tankard, who became an Eagle Scout a week ago Saturday, will live out those virtues in the world and lead others.
My sister-in-law had the following quotation from Howard Snyder on her Facebook page: "Church people think about how to get people into the church; Kingdom people think about how to get the church into the world. Church people worry that the world might change the church; kingdom people work to see the church change the
world." I added to the following to the quotation, “Church people are worried about the number of people they have in worship. Kingdom people rejoice over each person who comes to Christ whether they join their particular church or not." It’s never about church attendance. It’s about the growth of God’s kingdom. That’s not to say that worship isn’t important. It’s not just important, but vital. We’ve already established that. We all need to return to the Base Camp. In fact, Peter and John were on their way to the temple to pray when all this happened. If Christian gatherings and worship are indeed meant to be our Base Camp, then we do need attend, and not just attend, but participate.
So what are we called to do? Proclaim the gospel for the salvation of humankind and to preserve and pass on the Truth, as Peter did when he preached. To shelter, nurture, and be in fellowship with one another—Base Camp meetings. To worship—our highest end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. To work for social justice—Peter’s act of service in healing was an act of social justice, working for the improvement of the welfare of his fellowman. And finally to show the world what the Kingdom of God is like. May we be empowered today to carry out our mission when we leave this place and not to worry about what we can’t give, but instead to give what we have.
First, sometimes what we think we need isn’t what we really need. This man was trying to survive. That’s as far as he could think. He was in survival mode. He wasn’t asking much. Just a little bit of money to buy food. He wasn’t being greedy. He just wanted his daily needs met. He had no vision.
We get stuck in survival mode. We don’t ask for much. We only ask for what we think we need, but it never moves us forward. We have no vision. We don’t look for what God wants to give us.
God wanted this man to have much more than money to buy food for the day. God wanted this man to thrive! To be able to provide for himself and to be able to not only serve himself, but to serve others, and to glorify God in and through his life.
Second, God doesn’t want us to merely survive. God wants us to thrive. God doesn’t want us just to be able to provide for ourselves, but to serve others and to glorify God in and through our lives.
In addition, it doesn’t take money to do the work of God. Peter and John were broke. They didn’t have even spare change to give to this man, but that didn’t stop them from reaching out and serving and being involved in God’s work. Peter says, “I don’t possess silver and gold, but what I do have, I give to you: In the Name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—walk!”
I’ve heard over and over lately that it doesn’t take money to do the work of God. I heard it in every workshop I attended at the Linking for Ministry conference that Jim and I attended in South Carolina. I heard Rev. Brown say it when we went on our field trip to observe the Alzheimer’s Prevention Program at First Baptist in Jacksonville. Instead, I’ve heard as the Scriptures also say, “God equips those whom God calls.” And the resources are already there.
When we were strategizing on how this church could serve the community, we knew we didn’t have much by way of financial resources, so what do we have that we can share with the community? We have land. We could start a garden. Yes, it eventually did take some funds to improve our land, but when we stepped out in faith, those funds were there. What else do we have to offer to our community? We have a facility. We open it up to the scouts; we’ve hosted Pre-K registration for the past 3 years, and now we have opportunity to open it up for respite care ministry. We can give what we have.
It doesn’t take money necessarily to do the work of God, but it does take commitment, perseverance, and faith. It’s fueled by prayer, and empowered by God.
Fourth point, Peter knew the value of what he had to give. He didn’t bemoan the fact that he was poor. He had something much greater to give. He had the power of Jesus. He wasn’t Jesus. Let’s note that Peter doesn’t forgive this man’s sins as Jesus did when He healed the paralytic. Peter is not God. He doesn’t have the power to forgive sins. But he gives the gift of healing in Jesus’ Name. This lame man was meant to thrive. Now he can not only provide for himself, but contribute to society. He has the ability to help others and to become a giver as well.
Too often we don’t know the value of what we do have. We possess the most valuable thing in all the universe. We carry the Name of Jesus. The value of what we have is only made evident when we give it away. We were meant to carry this power, this Person, into the world, as Henry Sofley talked about a couple of weeks ago. If we knew the value of what we do have, we wouldn’t be complaining so much about the things we don’t have, and we’d be much more eager to give what we have away. We need to know the value of what we have.
Jim’s brother, Joey, said something with which I wholeheartedly agree. He said this, worship, was intended to be Base Camp. The time when we come together to be reminded of our common mission, inspired and bound together by a common vision, and empowered to carry out that mission in the world. It’s where we share reports on how the mission is progressing. What’s happening? What’s going on? Not just to sing some songs, listen to some words, and put a check on our list.
Notice too, that an act of service isn’t an end in itself. Peter’s act of service doesn’t stop with the healing of this man. It’s actually a jumping off point for something much, much greater. This event is witnessed by many people, and the act of service becomes an opportunity to give Jesus away multiple times. Peter preaches to the crowd and gives them opportunity to repent and turn to Jesus. Again, it isn’t Peter who forgives, but he points to the One who can and will forgive sins. And still the story doesn’t stop. It will continue into Acts chapter 4 as we will see in a few weeks when some of our younger folk will be helping me out with the service.
Don’t think that God’s work and mission stops with individual acts of service. That garden out there isn’t just a garden. It’s a jumping off point for something much bigger. It’s an opportunity for people to find spiritual healing, as we are already seeing. The produce we take to the food pantry doesn’t stop there. It’s passed out into the community in the name of Jesus. Opening up our building doesn’t stop there. It provides opportunities for men like Greg Patterson and Brad Drury and Philip Clarke and Kathy Russell and others to demonstrate the love of Jesus by mentoring girls and boys and instilling in them virtues, so that as they grow like Stephen Tankard, who became an Eagle Scout a week ago Saturday, will live out those virtues in the world and lead others.
My sister-in-law had the following quotation from Howard Snyder on her Facebook page: "Church people think about how to get people into the church; Kingdom people think about how to get the church into the world. Church people worry that the world might change the church; kingdom people work to see the church change the
world." I added to the following to the quotation, “Church people are worried about the number of people they have in worship. Kingdom people rejoice over each person who comes to Christ whether they join their particular church or not." It’s never about church attendance. It’s about the growth of God’s kingdom. That’s not to say that worship isn’t important. It’s not just important, but vital. We’ve already established that. We all need to return to the Base Camp. In fact, Peter and John were on their way to the temple to pray when all this happened. If Christian gatherings and worship are indeed meant to be our Base Camp, then we do need attend, and not just attend, but participate.
So what are we called to do? Proclaim the gospel for the salvation of humankind and to preserve and pass on the Truth, as Peter did when he preached. To shelter, nurture, and be in fellowship with one another—Base Camp meetings. To worship—our highest end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. To work for social justice—Peter’s act of service in healing was an act of social justice, working for the improvement of the welfare of his fellowman. And finally to show the world what the Kingdom of God is like. May we be empowered today to carry out our mission when we leave this place and not to worry about what we can’t give, but instead to give what we have.
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