The Sovereignty of God is one of the essential tenets of the reformed faith. It is one that I find particularly comforting. The fact that God is on His throne and totally in control of everything that is, has been, and will be gives me great peace. That God initiated everything and nothing I do can mess up God’s plan reassures me.
In the synagogue at Thessalonica, Paul preached, taught, and persuaded from the Old Testament Scriptures that Jesus is Lord, that Jesus is Sovereign. “Jesus is Lord” is the earliest and simplest profession of faith. It is crucial. Every Christian affirms this truth. But although the words are simple, they are packed with meaning. To claim that “Jesus is Lord” is to declare that Jesus is King, the Ruler, not just over one’s individual life but over all that is, has been and will be. It is to say that Jesus has a right to all that I am, that He is in control of my life and I am not, that He directs me, that He owns me, that I have no right to myself.
As much as I sometimes like to think that I’m in control, I know that I’m not, and that when I try to be I usually get it wrong, so I’m grateful that there is Someone who knows exactly what is going on and what to do about it. Because we did get it wrong, very wrong…
We messed up our Father’s World, and so Paul proves from the Scripture that it was necessary, absolutely necessary for King Jesus the Messiah to suffer and rise again from the dead. He had to. Both suffering and resurrection were necessary to purchase and apply redemption. Just because we don’t like it, doesn’t mean it isn’t true. We heard in a sermon on Reformation Sunday why we ought to rejoice in this truth.
Many believed Paul’s message. Most were God-fearing Greeks, and once again, for the 3rd time in Acts, prominent women are listed as believing. We know from Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians that his first visit lasted more than 3 weeks. He was able to set up his tentmaking business here and had time to receive a gift from the church at Philippi. But that doesn’t mean it was easy for Paul. At some point the Jews started making trouble for Paul.
Since Jesus did suffer and rise from the dead, since Jesus is King and on His throne, since this is our Father’s world, why is our world so messed up still? Why isn’t it fixed? This is theodicy, that if God is all-powerful and all good, why is there so much evil and suffering in the world. If the death and resurrection of Christ was sufficient, why do bad things still happen? This is probably a universal struggle among believers and nonbelievers. I remember being in college working through this paradox. I never doubted that God was in control. I so desperately needed to believe this and still do, but I remember doubting that God was really all good. My Methodist friends don’t struggle with this paradox in the same way that I do. Their theology emphasizes God’s goodness over God’s sovereignty when the two seem to not fit together very well.
But if God is God, if God is who God says He is in His revealed world, both God’s goodness and sovereignty must be equally true. We can guess and guess why God works the way God does until our head explodes and still be way off base. But we hold to that profession of faith that “Jesus is Lord.”
For some, the paradox is too much. When God doesn’t fit the image we expect God to be, we reject God. This is what happened in the synagogue in Thessalonica. Though many believed after hearing Paul teach, the Jews didn’t allow him in to teach in the synagogue anymore after three weeks. Paul and the new believers had to meet elsewhere. And later on, out of jealousy, they stirred up a mob to attack Paul and Silas, but not finding them, they instead attacked Jason, who had been hosting them. Jason had to pay a fine and promise that Paul and Silas wouldn’t be staying at his house anymore. Paul and Silas leave Thessalonica quietly that night so that Jason and the other believers don’t face any more harm.
We don’t like the theology of suffering, but it is undeniable in Scripture. When we do deny a theology of suffering we trivialize Christ’s own suffering. As Paul taught, Christ had to suffer. And Paul will explain to us in one of his letters that our own suffering today is still the suffering of Christ; that we fill up what is lacking in Christ’s affliction on behalf of the body of Christ.
In a world full of suffering Jesus IS still on His throne. Ron Goetz wrote, “Let us never suppose that the power of the love of Christ to turn the world upside down depends upon our capacity to calculate the physics of the maneuver. God works through the word we have been called to proclaim, but God is free to flip the world over his shoulder in ways that confound our calculations." The Kingdom of Jesus is an upside-down kingdom. (Or as this morning’s children’s message said, Jesus is King Backward.) We see Christ’s reign in the world by faith. We know its reality, and then we live it so that others can see it. Paul and Silas were accused of turning the world upside town—flipping the inhabited world on its head. We too can turn the world upside down!
We are the ones who make the invisible kingdom of God visible. The summary of the Great Ends of the Church is the “Exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the World”. Our church motto says it, “Living Christ’s Kingdom Now.” When we live the Kingdom now, not only do we help others to see the reality that Jesus is on His throne, but we help ourselves not only to see it but experience it. We also help fix those wrongs in the world.
We know from Paul’s letters and an inscription on an archway in Thessaloniki that even one of Jason’s persecutors was transformed. Secundus was one of those politarchs that extorted Jason. But he believed in Jesus and became a friend of Paul. Jason did not let persecution stop him from serving the Lord. He may be the same Jason that Paul lists in Romans as giving greetings to the church.
God is sovereign; God is in control, and God doesn’t need us. But God has chosen to use us. We are His chosen people, His chosen instruments, His chosen vessels, through which the Kingdom of our Lord is made known. Charles Hodge in his Systematic Theology says, “Every believer receives Christ as his king. Those who receive Him in sincerity constitute his kingdom, in the sense in which the loyal subjects of an earthly sovereign constitute his kingdom. Those who profess allegiance to Christ as king constitute his visible kingdom upon earth.”
Our redemption is for a purpose. We are ordained for service as ambassadors for the upside-down kingdom. When filled with the Spirit of Christ, we can change the world. Christ in us is at work to bring the world to restored order and so we work until He comes again. The world needs to know that Jesus is Lord, and that He is still on His throne. Preaching King Jesus may get you into trouble with the world just like it did Paul and his companions. But if we don’t live and proclaim the kingdom, how will others see it? How will they know? Romans 10 says, “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in One of whom they have never heard? And how can they hear without someone to proclaim Him? And how are they to proclaim Him unless they are sent?” Will you say, “Here am I; send me?”
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Monday, November 7, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Sunday, October 9, 2011
When the Spirit Says, "No!", Acts 16:1-10
I heard an advertisement on the radio this week for a website that compares clichés that people think are in Scripture with the actual words of Scripture. This one happened to be, “I dare you to find in the Bible where it says, ‘When God closes a door, He opens a window.” You won’t find it. It’s not there. Sometimes the Spirit says, “No.”
Someone said, “The stops as well as the steps of a person are ordered by the Lord.” That’s what we see in today’s Scripture. Twice the Spirit says, “No.”
Paul and Silas start out on the journey revisiting the churches in Derbe, Lystra, and Iconium. In Lystra Paul chooses Timothy, a young disciple, to join the team. Timothy was converted during the first missionary journey, probably as a pre-teen or young teenager, and grew strongly during the 3 years or so that Paul had been away. He had grown in the faith so much that the other believers spoke well of him. His discipleship had come in large part through his mother and grandmother. Timothy would be an asset to the team because of his spiritual maturity and familiarity with both Jewish and Gentile cultures. Paul has Timothy circumcised before he joins the journey so as not to offend the Jewish believers. Timothy’s heritage was Jewish because Jews practice matrilineal heritage. If Timothy’s father had been Jewish and his mother Gentile, Timothy would not necessarily been considered Jewish unless his mother had converted. This is why Ezra sent the wives and children of those in mixed marriages back to their homelands when the Jews returned from exile. This is why Ruth encouraged Naomi and Orpah to return to stay in their homelands, but Ruth chose to convert.
Timothy is circumcised only for cultural reasons, not theological ones. Paul had refused to circumcise Titus, who was totally of Gentile background on theological grounds. Paul is serious about cultural sensitivity, much like missionary William Carey to Asia who died his hair black and adopted native dress in order to better fit in. Most foreign missionaries spend a great deal of time learning new languages. Even in my short time in Japan, it was essential to learn and use as much Japanese as I could. Another example of cultural sensitivity is Bible translation. This sets Christianity apart from Islam. We believe that Scripture is just as valid in Swahili as in any other language. Although the original languages of Greek and Hebrew are important, we believe that because the gospel was intended for all people, all ought to be able to understand it and hear it in their language. This is even shown in Scripture at Pentecost. It was important for all those people groups to hear the good news in their own languages. We believe in the translatability of the gospel. In contrast, Muslims believe that the Scriptures, in their case the Quran, is only valid in Arabic. Translated versions are not pure, but corrupt. It is important to learn the Quran in Arabic to truly understand it. Every culture, including our own and our own subcultures have things that we can celebrate, elements with which we can connect, as well as those aspects we need to challenge and even condemn. It seems easier to challenge and condemn than to celebrate and connect, but we have to do both. We cannot stop challenging our culture, especially in a day and age in which the Church has become so dangerously accommodated and numb to worldly ways. But we must also connect. Otherwise, the world will not have ears to hear the mandate to come out of Babylon and to live in the glorious kingdom of God. They will have no clue what God’s kingdom truly is. What are the implications of cultural sensitivity for us today? How do we become culturally relevant to the lost people in our area so that they understand their need for Jesus? What changes or adaptations ought we be willing to make in order to reach unbelievers where we live?
Timothy joins the group and they continue on their way, strengthening the churches previously established. Paul saw that the Galatian churches were strong enough to carry on the gospel. But then Paul wants to go west. He is forbidden by the Holy Spirit. Silas was a prophet, so perhaps he most clearly heard and discerned the Spirit’s, “No.” Just to make sure, he tries again after going through Galatia to take the northern route through Bithynia. Again, the Spirit stops them. Paul could not go the way he wanted to go. The door was closed. In the same way Paul had to give up his desires to yield to the Spirit, we must give up our human desires, plans, what we think is right, and even surrender our dreams for God’s vision.
Why did the Spirit say, “No” to Paul? Whatever God’s reasons, we know they were good. We can trust that whatever God’s reasons for the Spirit telling us, “No,” they are good and for a greater good. We know from I Peter and from church history that these areas were evangelized. Pliny the governor of Asia writes by the end of the first century there were many churches in this area. Peter writes his letters to churches that include the areas of Asia and Bithynia. He himself was able to go where Paul was not. Perhaps he was already at work in this area and there was no since in duplicating efforts. Better for Paul to go to a totally unreached area. Sometimes the Spirit says, “No” because it is not good stewardship to duplicate outreach efforts. This is one of the reasons I am against “sheep swapping”. There are enough people who have no church home and who do not know Jesus than to trade members with other churches. If there are no unreached people or only those who have clearly chosen to reject Christ, then it is time for us to move to a new area and to a new ministry.
After the Spirit says, “No” twice, Paul has a nighttime vision in Troas of a man from Macedonia, who says, “Come over and help us.” This wasn’t a dream. The word for dream is different from vision. Vision implies being awake. This may have been a supernatural vision, like Peter with the sheet coming down from heaven in Acts 10, or it could have been an encounter with a real person, perhaps even Luke himself. God’s answers can come through dreams and supernatural visions, but they also come through real people. Divine encounters aren’t always mental or psychological but God speaks through flesh and blood. We know Luke joins them at point, as the narrative changes to first person. Luke was originally from Philippi, which is in Macedonia. Philippi will be their next major stop and we will find that the narrative will change back to 3rd person there, as Luke leaves Paul and Silas again. It would be characteristic of an author to indirectly refer to himself, just as John does in his gospel, referring to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” Luke was a Gentile believer. Perhaps he was converted in Troas, or perhaps earlier, but he knew the spiritual condition of his homeland, and desired to have Paul come and preach the gospel where it was desperately needed. Whatever the vision was—supernatural or Luke himself—there was an eagerness and urgency to the call to “Come over and help us.” We will see that in Philippi there isn’t even a synagogue, so even the Jewish influence was minimal. These were unreached people. And the Spirit says, “Yes.” Paul knew that this encounter was of the Lord, and that this was the direction the team should go. Who in our community is hungry for the gospel? Who is being missed or neglected by other outreach efforts?
Sometimes the Spirit tells us, “No.” Sometimes God wants us to wait. Other times, God wants to totally redirect us. We must maintain a sensitivity to the voice of the Spirit, not forging ahead on our own, but allowing the Spirit to give us new visions, trusting that God is good, that God’s plans are always good.
Someone said, “The stops as well as the steps of a person are ordered by the Lord.” That’s what we see in today’s Scripture. Twice the Spirit says, “No.”
Paul and Silas start out on the journey revisiting the churches in Derbe, Lystra, and Iconium. In Lystra Paul chooses Timothy, a young disciple, to join the team. Timothy was converted during the first missionary journey, probably as a pre-teen or young teenager, and grew strongly during the 3 years or so that Paul had been away. He had grown in the faith so much that the other believers spoke well of him. His discipleship had come in large part through his mother and grandmother. Timothy would be an asset to the team because of his spiritual maturity and familiarity with both Jewish and Gentile cultures. Paul has Timothy circumcised before he joins the journey so as not to offend the Jewish believers. Timothy’s heritage was Jewish because Jews practice matrilineal heritage. If Timothy’s father had been Jewish and his mother Gentile, Timothy would not necessarily been considered Jewish unless his mother had converted. This is why Ezra sent the wives and children of those in mixed marriages back to their homelands when the Jews returned from exile. This is why Ruth encouraged Naomi and Orpah to return to stay in their homelands, but Ruth chose to convert.
Timothy is circumcised only for cultural reasons, not theological ones. Paul had refused to circumcise Titus, who was totally of Gentile background on theological grounds. Paul is serious about cultural sensitivity, much like missionary William Carey to Asia who died his hair black and adopted native dress in order to better fit in. Most foreign missionaries spend a great deal of time learning new languages. Even in my short time in Japan, it was essential to learn and use as much Japanese as I could. Another example of cultural sensitivity is Bible translation. This sets Christianity apart from Islam. We believe that Scripture is just as valid in Swahili as in any other language. Although the original languages of Greek and Hebrew are important, we believe that because the gospel was intended for all people, all ought to be able to understand it and hear it in their language. This is even shown in Scripture at Pentecost. It was important for all those people groups to hear the good news in their own languages. We believe in the translatability of the gospel. In contrast, Muslims believe that the Scriptures, in their case the Quran, is only valid in Arabic. Translated versions are not pure, but corrupt. It is important to learn the Quran in Arabic to truly understand it. Every culture, including our own and our own subcultures have things that we can celebrate, elements with which we can connect, as well as those aspects we need to challenge and even condemn. It seems easier to challenge and condemn than to celebrate and connect, but we have to do both. We cannot stop challenging our culture, especially in a day and age in which the Church has become so dangerously accommodated and numb to worldly ways. But we must also connect. Otherwise, the world will not have ears to hear the mandate to come out of Babylon and to live in the glorious kingdom of God. They will have no clue what God’s kingdom truly is. What are the implications of cultural sensitivity for us today? How do we become culturally relevant to the lost people in our area so that they understand their need for Jesus? What changes or adaptations ought we be willing to make in order to reach unbelievers where we live?
Timothy joins the group and they continue on their way, strengthening the churches previously established. Paul saw that the Galatian churches were strong enough to carry on the gospel. But then Paul wants to go west. He is forbidden by the Holy Spirit. Silas was a prophet, so perhaps he most clearly heard and discerned the Spirit’s, “No.” Just to make sure, he tries again after going through Galatia to take the northern route through Bithynia. Again, the Spirit stops them. Paul could not go the way he wanted to go. The door was closed. In the same way Paul had to give up his desires to yield to the Spirit, we must give up our human desires, plans, what we think is right, and even surrender our dreams for God’s vision.
Why did the Spirit say, “No” to Paul? Whatever God’s reasons, we know they were good. We can trust that whatever God’s reasons for the Spirit telling us, “No,” they are good and for a greater good. We know from I Peter and from church history that these areas were evangelized. Pliny the governor of Asia writes by the end of the first century there were many churches in this area. Peter writes his letters to churches that include the areas of Asia and Bithynia. He himself was able to go where Paul was not. Perhaps he was already at work in this area and there was no since in duplicating efforts. Better for Paul to go to a totally unreached area. Sometimes the Spirit says, “No” because it is not good stewardship to duplicate outreach efforts. This is one of the reasons I am against “sheep swapping”. There are enough people who have no church home and who do not know Jesus than to trade members with other churches. If there are no unreached people or only those who have clearly chosen to reject Christ, then it is time for us to move to a new area and to a new ministry.
After the Spirit says, “No” twice, Paul has a nighttime vision in Troas of a man from Macedonia, who says, “Come over and help us.” This wasn’t a dream. The word for dream is different from vision. Vision implies being awake. This may have been a supernatural vision, like Peter with the sheet coming down from heaven in Acts 10, or it could have been an encounter with a real person, perhaps even Luke himself. God’s answers can come through dreams and supernatural visions, but they also come through real people. Divine encounters aren’t always mental or psychological but God speaks through flesh and blood. We know Luke joins them at point, as the narrative changes to first person. Luke was originally from Philippi, which is in Macedonia. Philippi will be their next major stop and we will find that the narrative will change back to 3rd person there, as Luke leaves Paul and Silas again. It would be characteristic of an author to indirectly refer to himself, just as John does in his gospel, referring to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” Luke was a Gentile believer. Perhaps he was converted in Troas, or perhaps earlier, but he knew the spiritual condition of his homeland, and desired to have Paul come and preach the gospel where it was desperately needed. Whatever the vision was—supernatural or Luke himself—there was an eagerness and urgency to the call to “Come over and help us.” We will see that in Philippi there isn’t even a synagogue, so even the Jewish influence was minimal. These were unreached people. And the Spirit says, “Yes.” Paul knew that this encounter was of the Lord, and that this was the direction the team should go. Who in our community is hungry for the gospel? Who is being missed or neglected by other outreach efforts?
Sometimes the Spirit tells us, “No.” Sometimes God wants us to wait. Other times, God wants to totally redirect us. We must maintain a sensitivity to the voice of the Spirit, not forging ahead on our own, but allowing the Spirit to give us new visions, trusting that God is good, that God’s plans are always good.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Sticking it Out, Acts 14
As we continue to remember the what took place 10 years ago in this country, may we also keep it in perspective that equally heinous acts and even worse take place frequently all over the world. And while the terrorists declared holy war on our nation with their actions, the attack was more about politics, economy, and cultural and societal disrespect than about true persecution. But there are many of our brothers and sisters around the world who do face persecution every day. They lose their jobs, homes, and lives for believing and speaking the truth of Jesus Christ. As Paul and Barnabas wrap up their first missionary journey, Paul says to the new disciples and elders in the church plants, “It is through many persecutions that we must enter the kingdom of God.”
In the Pro Ecclesia document that we released this year, we wrote, “Remaining faithful in the cultures of this world requires the church to strive, struggle, sacrifice and suffer. Still the Church can be faithful and persevering in the world until the King and the Kingdom arrive in glory to perfect all creation and culture. We reject the assumption that [being faithful] to Christ and His Church is achievable with ease…” The road of the kingdom is a difficult road. Jesus called it the “narrow and strait way.” The Greek word translated “persecutions” is a word that conveys the image of squeezing or pressing. Think of squashing olives to make olive oil. We must endure much squeezing to enter the kingdom of God.
Paul encouraged the new church leaders and disciples that the squeezing process shouldn’t stop them from living for Jesus. He was letting them know that trials and tribulations are normal in the lives of those who live into the kingdom of God. The way of the kingdom is the way of the cross. I don’t know about you, but when I think of my brothers and sisters in Christ in Pakistan or Somalia, I don’t feel like I’ve been squeezed a whole lot. But they like these early disciples in this chapter are also much bolder than I.
We have seen the pressing, squeezing and hardships that Paul and Barnabas faced in this first missionary journey. They faced an attempted stoning in Antioch, and Paul was stoned and left for dead in Lystra. Their detractors and enemies followed them from town to town. When you do the Lord’s work, the enemy will hound you. We should be just as fervent in preaching the gospel as those were and are who oppose it. Paul and Barnabas didn’t invite suffering unnecessarily. They fled from 2 towns when the persecution increased. And they left Lystra after Paul had just a day to recover. But neither did they give up. They didn’t abandon these towns but went back to encourage the believers. Sometimes we may need to walk away from a situation or group of people, but we mustn’t give up in proclaiming the gospel or on God’s people.
Even in the midst of trials and tribulations, there are also rewards and blessings. Highlighted in this chapter is the healing of a lame man, much like Peter encountered in Acts 3. Paul saw the man, and our text says that Paul saw this man had the faith to be healed and said to him in a loud voice, “Stand on your feet.” The man leaped up and began walking. He was healed by faith. This faith came through the hearing of the gospel that Paul preached. As Paul says in Romans, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” The hearing of the Word is the key to the formation of faith. It is the response to the Word proclaimed. Jesus said to several people that He healed, “Your faith has healed you.” At the gathering in Minneapolis, one woman shared her vision of the church thusly: “A motley crew of sinners compelled by the love of Jesus and healed by our faith.” This vision recognizes that we are all sinners. We have different favorite sins, but we are sinners nonetheless. We are compelled by the love of Jesus—our love for Christ calls us to live for Him, not for ourselves. And we are healed by our faith—our faith frees us to allow Jesus’ transforming power to change us and heal us. There are no limits to Christ’s power. The miracle that occurred confirmed the Word that was spoken. Jesus allows us to be a sign and a wonder in the world and does signs and wonders through our hands.
The crowd thought Barnabas and Paul were gods. In contrast with Herod Agrippa, who basked in the crowd’s praises, the apostles do everything they can to stop the crowd from worshipping them and to correct the crowd’s errors in thinking and practice. Faith and practice go together. To disbelieve God is to disobey God. They call the people to repentance and point them to the true, living God. Our God is living—not just alive, but He is Life. Paul showed them that even creation points to God. He called them to turn from idols—cheap counterfeits of true God.
We too are challenged to stand strong in the faith, turning from idols to the living God, persevering until Christ’s kingdom comes in all of its fullness. Perseverance is key our Christian faith and life. Jesus is our Lord. Jesus is our strength. And in Jesus, we can hold firm. As difficulties increase, so does the revelation of God’s goodness.
Will Willimon says, “Growth and victory are wrought on the hard anvil of suffering and peril.” Our brothers and sisters in China know this very well. They face peril nearly every day and yet the church in China is exploding with hundreds of new believers everyday. Will we be a church that perseveres like those in places where it is much harder to be a believer? Will Willimon also says, “Any church bold enough to preach the word, which dares challenge the cultural status quo, which refuses to accept present political arrangements as eternally given, which is convinced of the truth of its message, which is willing to suffer for the truth, will grow!” May we be a people and a church who are willing to stick it out for the sake of the kingdom.
In the Pro Ecclesia document that we released this year, we wrote, “Remaining faithful in the cultures of this world requires the church to strive, struggle, sacrifice and suffer. Still the Church can be faithful and persevering in the world until the King and the Kingdom arrive in glory to perfect all creation and culture. We reject the assumption that [being faithful] to Christ and His Church is achievable with ease…” The road of the kingdom is a difficult road. Jesus called it the “narrow and strait way.” The Greek word translated “persecutions” is a word that conveys the image of squeezing or pressing. Think of squashing olives to make olive oil. We must endure much squeezing to enter the kingdom of God.
Paul encouraged the new church leaders and disciples that the squeezing process shouldn’t stop them from living for Jesus. He was letting them know that trials and tribulations are normal in the lives of those who live into the kingdom of God. The way of the kingdom is the way of the cross. I don’t know about you, but when I think of my brothers and sisters in Christ in Pakistan or Somalia, I don’t feel like I’ve been squeezed a whole lot. But they like these early disciples in this chapter are also much bolder than I.
We have seen the pressing, squeezing and hardships that Paul and Barnabas faced in this first missionary journey. They faced an attempted stoning in Antioch, and Paul was stoned and left for dead in Lystra. Their detractors and enemies followed them from town to town. When you do the Lord’s work, the enemy will hound you. We should be just as fervent in preaching the gospel as those were and are who oppose it. Paul and Barnabas didn’t invite suffering unnecessarily. They fled from 2 towns when the persecution increased. And they left Lystra after Paul had just a day to recover. But neither did they give up. They didn’t abandon these towns but went back to encourage the believers. Sometimes we may need to walk away from a situation or group of people, but we mustn’t give up in proclaiming the gospel or on God’s people.
Even in the midst of trials and tribulations, there are also rewards and blessings. Highlighted in this chapter is the healing of a lame man, much like Peter encountered in Acts 3. Paul saw the man, and our text says that Paul saw this man had the faith to be healed and said to him in a loud voice, “Stand on your feet.” The man leaped up and began walking. He was healed by faith. This faith came through the hearing of the gospel that Paul preached. As Paul says in Romans, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” The hearing of the Word is the key to the formation of faith. It is the response to the Word proclaimed. Jesus said to several people that He healed, “Your faith has healed you.” At the gathering in Minneapolis, one woman shared her vision of the church thusly: “A motley crew of sinners compelled by the love of Jesus and healed by our faith.” This vision recognizes that we are all sinners. We have different favorite sins, but we are sinners nonetheless. We are compelled by the love of Jesus—our love for Christ calls us to live for Him, not for ourselves. And we are healed by our faith—our faith frees us to allow Jesus’ transforming power to change us and heal us. There are no limits to Christ’s power. The miracle that occurred confirmed the Word that was spoken. Jesus allows us to be a sign and a wonder in the world and does signs and wonders through our hands.
The crowd thought Barnabas and Paul were gods. In contrast with Herod Agrippa, who basked in the crowd’s praises, the apostles do everything they can to stop the crowd from worshipping them and to correct the crowd’s errors in thinking and practice. Faith and practice go together. To disbelieve God is to disobey God. They call the people to repentance and point them to the true, living God. Our God is living—not just alive, but He is Life. Paul showed them that even creation points to God. He called them to turn from idols—cheap counterfeits of true God.
We too are challenged to stand strong in the faith, turning from idols to the living God, persevering until Christ’s kingdom comes in all of its fullness. Perseverance is key our Christian faith and life. Jesus is our Lord. Jesus is our strength. And in Jesus, we can hold firm. As difficulties increase, so does the revelation of God’s goodness.
Will Willimon says, “Growth and victory are wrought on the hard anvil of suffering and peril.” Our brothers and sisters in China know this very well. They face peril nearly every day and yet the church in China is exploding with hundreds of new believers everyday. Will we be a church that perseveres like those in places where it is much harder to be a believer? Will Willimon also says, “Any church bold enough to preach the word, which dares challenge the cultural status quo, which refuses to accept present political arrangements as eternally given, which is convinced of the truth of its message, which is willing to suffer for the truth, will grow!” May we be a people and a church who are willing to stick it out for the sake of the kingdom.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
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