Sunday 28 July 2013

Acts 4. 23-31

Acts 4. 23-31

Peter and John have just spent a night in jail and a day in court, explaining how it was Jesus who had healed the lame man in the temple.  The court let them off with a  warning – not to speak any more about Jesus.  That was a serious business.  It was almost like a suspended sentence.  If you came back before the court for a similar reason, they could punish you very severely.  What are Peter and John – and the rest of the Apostles, indeed the rest of the Church – going to do?
Immediately, they find the rest of  their group.

All together
“They went to their own people...”  Their Christian brothers and sisters: not the whole Church which by this time numbered many thousands, but those they knew well and related to for support.
That's so simple, so basic, yet  so absolutely essential.  We need each other.  We need the support of “our own” – and that means not just our families, a Mum or Husband or wife or sister.  We belong to one another as the people of God.  We have natural families, and these really do matter.  But we are family. 
Each one of us needs to have  our “own” network of support and prayer within the local Church. When we have a crisis, it's very often the easy thing to do, and the natural reaction – to go off in a corner and lick your wounds.  But the right thing to do is find the rest of the group, your own people; and tell them the situation.  Then there is the joy and strength of supporting one another and prayer together. 
It's amazing how many people respond by offering advice.  I do.  We need to learn to pray together, as the natural response to the difficulties we find ourselves in.  There is strength in being together; there are occasions when two heads are better than one  Sometimes we do need a shoulder to cry on.  But we need each other's prayers, too.

Who do you think you're talking to 
Praise: “Sovereign lord (God is in control) You made heaven and earth, and spoke by the Holy Spirit …” 

From the “lord's Prayer” we learn to say “Our Father who are in heaven...”   Prayer begins with this basic reality:  God.  In our struggles, when we pray we begin with who God is;  He is the Sovereign Lord.  He is in control.  The world is in a mess.  It isn’t the way God wants it.  But God is in control. 

He is radiant with mighty, creative power;  every living thing gets its life from Him.  And in his amazing, unchanging love he has spoken...

It's very easy when we pray – especially in an urgent, emergency situation – to begin by saying “God, we are in a mess here...!”   But it's important that we take the time to remind ourselves of who God is, to focus on him, to worship Him...

Scripture:  “You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: ‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?'”  (Ps 2. 1ff)
They set a context for the problems they are praying about – in God's Word, relevant, powerful; they understood Psalm 2 as fulfilled in their time in the life of Jesus.

How does the Word of God relate to what I am going through or my brother or sister is going through?  In order to be able to answer that question, we need to have some knowledge of the Word of God.  The old Computer adage holds good: Garbage in, garbage out.  Gold in, gold out.  Lies in, lies out; truth in, truth out. Human ideas in, human ideas out. God's word in, God's Word out.   We need to “programme the computers of our mind” with the Word of God.

Jesus:  Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met ... to conspire against your holy servant Jesus.   Their prayer is rooted in and understanding that what  happened to them had happened to Jesus.   And when it had happened to Jesus, it had been something God had sovereignly used for his glory. 

Jn 15. 20 Remember what I told you: “A servant is not greater than his master.” If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.

There was a sense of privilege, of renewed connectedness with Jesus, in going through this experience.  And there was a sense of faith in it.  Trouble wasn't the end.  It didn't mean God had abandoned them. It didn't mean they were  facing oblivion. It meant that they were on the victory side.  And that shaped the way they prayed...

Tell me what you want
At last they talk about the threats made against them. But all they say is, “Lord, take note...”  Isn't that enough?  They expect God to take note and act accordingly. They don't ask that the opposition will be brought down.  That's a foregone conclusion.  It will inevitably happen – in God's time.

They pray for power, strength, courage,  to preach the Gospel effectively. I would be praying for protection and deliverance.  All they wanted was the power to keep preaching the Gospel.

And they pray for power to be released to confirm the word with signs following.  If there are to be any miracles, they want them to be Kingdom miracles that show the character and love of God. It's not wrong to ask for protection, for guidance, for justice.  The Lord's prayer says “Give us this day our daily bread.”  That's OK.  But we need to pray “Your Kingdom come!”

That kind of praying is the result of their correct, God-centered perspective.  We need to get that perspective. It will change the way we pray. We need to be looking for the triumph of God; we need to be desiring the power and courage and insight to live for the Kingdom. We need to be desiring the power to extend the reach of God's reign in or world: to see God stretch his hand forth to heal.  

God says, like the Spice Girls, “Tell me what you want, what you really really want!” There the similarity ends (it really, really ends!)

Revival – whatever that actually is is something we profess to want.  What is revival? It's not really a Biblical category.  The nearest thing I can find in the Bible to “Revival” is the manifest and widespread impact of the Kingdom of God through the Church, in the community. We saw something of that sort of impact on the Day of Pentecost.  We see hints of it here.  We will look at it in greater depth when we come eventually to Acts 19.  For now, the question is, “What are our motives?”  Do we really desire the Kingdom of God?  DO we really want to see the Kingdom make a difference, a visible difference, to Rosyth? 

There's a story told about the Greek philosopher Socrates. He took a young man who wanted wisdom, right into the sea, pushed his head under the water until he began to struggle and panic.  When he pulled him up, he asked “What do you want?” The man answered, “Air!” Socrates said “When you want wisdom, like you wanted air, come back and see me.”

How desperate are we?

 The answer 
The place where they were meeting was shaken.  This is  an OT sign of "theophany" (that is to say, the visible presence of God as seen in  Ex 19. 18; Isa 6. 4) and shows that God is in fact on their case.

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.  They get a fresh “mini-Pentecost”, with both interior and external results.  Yes! Exactly the specific things they prayed for happened. The Good New flowed from them all, with courage and authority. And signs, wonders, and healings happened: visible demonstrations of God's transforming power, from an amazing shared life (v, 32) to “many miracles” including healings and deliverances (5. 12-16) 

We are back where we started at the beginning of this prayer, at the beginning of the story of the healing ; indeed on the day of Pentecost: with a community being a community – sharing lives, troubles, joys and even material goods; with a community experiencing the miraculous among them. With a church, being a Church, radically, in the power of the Spirit. With a community at prayer!

© Gilmour Lilly July  2013

Sunday 14 July 2013

Acts 4. 1-22

Remember the back story to today’s reading. Peter has just told a lame man “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”  Jaws dropped as the man got up and started leaping around, and Peter explained that this was the work of Jesus whom they had crucified but who had risen; he called them to turn back to God's plan for their lives. We learned last time that “repentance opens us up to  forgiveness” and that we need to “make sure that the stuff God is doing, doesn't pass us by”But this event marks a shift from “favour” to “conflict.”  This new thing, the “emerging Church” is growing rapidly, but it's becoming something that is in conflict with the rest of its world. 

And the problem is Jesus!  
They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.  (v. 2)  The officials who turned up were the priests (presumably some of the most senior priests) the Captain of the temple guard, and some Sadducees: they were the well-heeled, more “Greek” educated, and tended to take the Old Testament less literally.  They didn't believe in the resurrection.  (That is why they were so sad, you see!)  Rejection, and anger, were their hard-wired response to the idea that Jesus is alive. 

Living for Jesus will give offence.  It is our responsibility to make sure that the “Sticking point” is Jesus, not one of the dozens of other issues that we have strong views about.  Over the years, we have seen the Church protest against pornography, abortion, Sunday Shopping, poverty, slavery, nuclear armaments, human trafficking, and most recently, gay marriage.  It is good that we have a voice on these issues.  But we need to beware that these issues don't become the main thing.  We need to make sure that Jesus remains the problem.  That means we need to ensure that Jesus remains the main thing in our lives and our shared life.  Then, our concerns for poverty, peace, or purity, will arise out of our passion for Jesus. The big issue is Jesus.  We need to present Jesus to people; other issues will arise, but we need to try to ensure that the Gospel is central.  We aren't going out looking for conflict.  If we are faithful to Jesus, we will experience conflict.  But we need to present Jesus in a positive, life-affirming, loving, generous way.  There will still be those who will give us a bad time.  Let's make sure it's because of what is wrong in them, not what is wrong in us.

A Story to tell
The next morning, all the powerful people gather together to hold a trial.  The ask the Apostles, ‘By what power or what name did you do this” (v. 7)  and the answer is … “Jesus!”  The core of the Christian faith is about Jesus. 

In fact, Peter’s answer sets out very clearly some key facts about the Christian faith,and about Jesus.
 
1. He has power.  “There is power in the name of Jesus.”   Christianity is a supernaturalist faith. But that power isn't a matter of self indulgence, showing off, or throwing its weight around.  Peter reminds everyone that this episode started with “an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame.” As we struggle with the supernatural element – and some Christians find it scary, just as other find they are drawn to it – we need to remember that it's about compassion to the last, the lost and the least. It's about showing the father’s love.
2. He was crucified and raised from the dead.  In Luke's thinking, the miracle of healing and the miracles of the cross and the empty tomb all hang together. 
3.  You rejected him; God has made him the cornerstone of God's Kingdom.   Because he has died for sin and risen again, Jesus is saviour, Lord, and King.  He brings in God's rule.
4. He is the one and only hope of salvation, not only from illness (“healed in v. 9 is literally “saved”) but also from sin.  There is, says Peter, only one name that can save us: the Name of Jesus. You want to be saved today, you need to call upon Jesus.   This is the faith we call Christianity.  It's what peter called “the Way”.  It's a supernaturalist faith; it's about the events of Jesus' life and death and resurrection.  It offers salvation to all who call upon his name. 

In the Power of the Spirit
There was a challenge to lay before the strong, influential, intellectual people who were sitting in judgement over Peter and John, and over the Jesus Way.  And these powerful, educated elite, realised something.  They realised that Peter and John were “Unschooled, ordinary men” (v. 13) The Greek words are literally ἀγράμματοί ... ἰδιῶται.  What does that sound like?  “Illiterate idiots” was how they were perceived.  They weren't anything special. 

But they were “Filled with the Holy Spirit.” (v 8)  Peter knows power, as he speaks up for Jesus in this very difficult and challenging situation where the powerful people – the rulers and governors, and the impressive people – the educated scribes – all are sitting there, making judgements, belittling them. Issuing orders.  It is all very intimidating.  But the Holy Spirit is there, fulfilling the promise Jesus had made.  Peter and John became the living proof that there is salvation in Jesus, and that “The Way” is a supernatural faith. They were supernaturally empowered by the Holy Spirit. 

Paul says to the Church in fast-moving, cosmopolitan Corinth “Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.  But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”   That's what God does. 

Look around the room. Look in the mirror. 
Not many of you are wise or influential.”  We are ordinary, common people. Just like Peter and John.  And Just like Peter and John we can be living proof of what we claim about Jesus, by the Holy Spirit.

We cannot help it
So the big, powerful people clear the courtroom, and, in private, discuss what to do.  They know something powerful has happened.  But they are determined to stop it if they can. So they call Peter and John in and order them to stop preaching.  They were making the law up as they went along. If the disciples disobeyed this court order they could be imprisoned or worse for “contempt of court”.  Peter isn't fazed, though.  He answers, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him?” That took courage!  God is looking for people who will not be intimidated or cowed or embarrassed into silence, but will talk about Jesus....  Which is right?  When society tries to pressure is into keeping quiet about Jesus, which is right?  We know which is right!  We have to listen to Him, not to the big guys who want to tell us what to think. 

But it's not just toughness, thrawn-ness, grit and determination.  It comes from inside.  “As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” We don't have the power not to speak of what we have seen and heard.”  Billy Bray the drunken Cornish tin miner who found Jesus and became a preacher used to say, “If they were to put me in a barrel, I would shout glory out through the bunghole! Praise the Lord!”  


We need to reach the stage where “We cannot help it” - talking about what we have seen and heard. I have to admit I'm not there yet: on holiday, we met a lady who delighted to tell us her husband, a middle-aged biker, “looked like Jesus”  and one  or two other comments.  I longed to find a way of taking up an opportunity for the Gospel, that wouldn't sound condemning and preachy, but I couldn't think of anything.  I'm looking to God get me to the place where I can't help myself.

"What we have seen"   To reach that state we need to have a story to tell, a personal testimony.  What has Jesus done in your life? 
"What we have  heard"   To reach that state  we need to have a grasp of the truth of the Gospel.  What is the Good news of Jesus all about? 
And reach that state we need the Holy Spirit. It's the power of the Spirit that burns inside us to take us beyond our natural shyness and fear, beyond feeling obliged to speak out, to the place where we cannot keep it in. 


© Gilmour Lilly July  2013