Acts 9 v20-31: living in two worlds...
Suddenly, Saul finds himself living in two worlds. There is the Jewish, Pharisee world of the Synagogue, the temple, the Nation, the Law; and there is this new world of “The way, the Kingdom, the Disciples, the Gospel.” For every Christian, the new birth marks means we have to live in these two worlds. And how we do that is a vital part of Christian discipleship. It's too easy to hide ourselves away in the Christian ghetto. We need to know how to live in the world.
The “regular” world
Although Saul knows he is one of the disciples, he also knows he needs to be in the synagogue. Types are reversed: the anti Christian polemicist is now the Christian apologist. Wherever Saul/Paul went, he began his ministry in the synagogue. So as he heads back to his old synagogue friends and tries to persuade them about Jesus being the Messiah, he is establishing a pattern for life.
It is good to be among the disciples, but we also need to be present in the possibly hostile environment of the synagogue, pub, classroom... The synagogue was at that time, and to a certain extent remained, a place where Saul was with people to whom he identified, related and communicated. It was the place where he spoke the language; it was the place where he shared a sense of nationhood, a common culture.
Someone recently said “Jesus died to take away your sins, not your mind”... and I would want to add, and not your nationality, your culture, your identity.
Identify Yes, we are going to be different; we are “new creatures” in Christ, and our identity is in something more than being Scottish, fifer, dockyard, Pars supporter or Rangers supporter. But we should be able to identify with some of the struggles, joys and fears of the people around us.
Relate Saul went back among his brother Jews. Less than a week before they had been putting their heads together to get rid of the Christians. They were family, tribe. He loved these guys, even although now his understanding of truth had taken a giant leap forward. We need to be among the people with whom we have natural, unforced relationships. And among those people, whether they be family, friends, or a rugby club, we need to share the God news of Jesus.
Communicate Now there may be aspects of the language of your office or factory that you don't want to copy! But in general we should understand the spoken and unspoken signals of the everyday word, and do our best to communicate the love of Jesus in the same spoken and unspoken ways.
We don't all need to learn how to speak “Christianese” … I have a problem with so much of the language we use in and around Christians. We sit on pews, listening to sermons and singing hymns, then go to the hall for fellowship; we appoint deacons, elders, pastors. (Many years ago someone who was told I was the “Pastor” thought I had something to do with Italian cookery!)
Saul's relationship, his identity, his understanding of the language, his command of the arguments, are all impressive. The Damascus Jews are baffled by all this; for many, that led to anger and rejection. They start plotting to kill Saul off: the hunter is now the hunted. Even when we do make our best efforts to get alongside people, to lvoe them and communicate with them simply and clearly, we may still find ourselves rejected, criticised, and even hated.
The Christian world.
That's where the new, Christian world kicks in. When his Christian brothers realise the danger Saul is in, they decide to get him out of the situation. What their plan lacked in dignity ti certainly made up for in ingenuity, and it shows just how risky life was for all of them at that time: because the gates of the city are being watched all day, every day, they let Saul down the city walls in a basket one night. We need a church life where we look after one another in the context of dangerous mission. That doesn't mean we are all desperately trying to keep each other out of the “big, bad world”. But we are aware of the dangers (too many nights in the pub; the lure of an ungodly lifestyle; the risk of crowding out any time with God) and we watch each other's backs so we are safe from the dangers.
There is a problem in this passage: Luke tells us Saul went from Damascus to Jerusalem. Paul tells us (Gal 1. 16ff) that he went from Damascus to Arabia, then back to Damascus and then on to Jerusalem. Luke uses the word “made havoc”. The only other time that word is used in the NT is in Galatians 1, so we can presume Luke got his information from Paul: but they didn't see the problem with their narratives which suggests there's a simple answer. The first thing to say is that “Arabia” isn't Saudi Arabia as we know it today but the desert areas wrapped around Israel on its western and southern sides (Arabia Petraea) where Saul could easily have gone for a short time. When Luke says Saul was in Damascus for “many days” we should not assume this means a “countable” number of days. When Paul says he was in Damascus for three years, he probably used counted“inclusive reckoning” that each year or part of a year as “one year”.
What was Saul doing in Jerusalem? Did he want or need the approval of the Apostles? I don't think so. He wanted to have fellowship with other believers. He wasn't looking for credentials or recognition. He was looking fro brothers and belonging. What are we looking for from the church? If we are looking for credentials, for validation, for the opportunity to be someone important, we are looking for the wrong thing. We should be looking for brothers and belonging.
What happened next was really, really embarrassing. Saul had been a believer for a couple of years... from the perspective of the Jerusalem Church, he had simply disappeared off the map. It should never have happened! Wouldn't you have been a bit embarrassed a few years later, when reports came back of Saul traveling the worlds to preach the Good News, to remember "I didn't even believe he was born again!" We need to learn how to be brothers and sisters to one another; to develop a culture of welcome and inclusion. It's right that we protect ourselves form those who want to harm the work of God. But more harm is done by self-seeking exclusivity than by risk-taking inclusivism.
It was Barnabas, the Son of Encouragement, who recognised the truth of Saul's conversion story; the reality of his call to preach the Gospel, and the significance and potential of his gifts, and not only encouraged the ordinary believers to accept him, but got him an introduction to Peter and James.
So, what sort of world is this “Christian world” that we also live in? Its atmosphere is grace. Its bedrock is the truth of who Jesus is. Its life source is the Holy Spirit of God. It's a world where we find brothers and belonging; it's a world where we look out for one another; where we welcome one another. It's a kaleidoscope world where we value difference; it's a world of growth where new life is celebrated and where gifts are released so we all fulfill our God-given potential. Maybe our local Church be such a world, a place where the Kingdom, the reign of God, is experienced.
© Gilmour Lilly September 2013
Sunday 29 September 2013
Sunday 22 September 2013
Acts 9. 1-19... God knows what he is doing.
God takes the initiative. Saul the persecutor (vv. 1 and 2) believed he was right in what he was doing; that the message of Jesus was a poison that needed to be removed from the world. Persecutors always believe that. Saul had been there when they stoned Stephen. He had been a driving force in persecuting the Christians in Jerusalem. But when they scattered, he decided to root them out wherever they had gone, so he got an arrest-warrant valid for Damascus in Syria. Damascus was an important city, 150 miles from Jerusalem. It was self Governing under Roman authority and there was a strong Jewish population there. Saul went there, muttering about what he would do to the Christians in the the city, when he caught them. This is the guy Luke now focuses on. This is the guy God is now reaching out to. This is the life God is now going to reach into dramatically. You see, God hasn't given up on this guy. He will later refer to himself as “the chief of sinners.” While he is far away, God reaches out. God takes the initiative. All the bitterness, all the resistance to what he had seen (the amazing way Stephen went to his death for example), all the determined cruelty towards the believers... but God hasn't given up on him.
When Satan tempts me to despair; reminds me of the guilt within;
upward I look and see him there, Who made and end of all my sin.
Let's be encouraged. God takes the initiative, even when people are far away from him. And God doesn't give up on us, no matter how badly we mess up. That should encourage us when we fail, to know that God is still for us, still on our case. And it should encourage us, when we are tempted to despair over someone. It should encourage us as we pray for our society. Nobody is beyond the pale. Jews had given up on Jesus. But Jesus hadn't given up on them. We can't understand the relationship between God's initiative, people's freedom to choose or reject Jesus, and our desire to see them saved. But we need to bring the three together in our prayers. God knows what he is doing.
The conversion Drama. And it is dramatic! As he gets near to Damascus, suddenly, a light from heaven flashes around him. He falls to the ground and heard a voice speak to him. Bright light, falling to the ground, and a voice from heaven are signs of God at work.
Just in case he was tempted to tell himself next day that none of it actually happened, when he shakily gets to his feet and the light disappears, he's in total darkness. He can't see a thing. The crew with him have to take him by the hand and lead him into Damascus. And so he can't shake the experience off, or tell himself he's been working too hard, or got sunstroke in the mid-day heat, those with him heard the voice. Saul is a totally broken man. This isn't a calm, quiet, realisation that there is something in this Jesus business. This isn't merely an intellectual recognition that the Jesus Way is truth. This affects Saul at every level of his existence. Intellectually, emotionally, physically, socially. That’s what conversion is. It's dramatic! It's God at work. “I am am new creation! No more in condemnation!”
Saul's response to that encounter, is to sit, in silence, or to lie on the floor, crying with groans too deep for words, neither eating nor drinking. He's seeing a vision of someone ministering to him so he gets his sight back. His life had been completely turned upside down. He would have to learn to live the rest of his life upside down. Conversion is about rethinking Jesus, recognising who he is; it's about encountering Jesus personally; it's about trusting Jesus totally; it's about surrendering to Jesus absolutely, letting him be Lord of our lives.
Be Part of it. Meanwhile, somewhere else in Damascus, a Jewish Christian called Ananias has a vision. God speaks to him by name and tells him to go and pray for Saul. A matching vision to the one Saul has. (you can be confident about pictures and visions when one or two people have “matching visions”!) God even gives Ananias Saul's temporary address. God knows what he is doing.
Ananias does what you do when God speaks to you in a vision – he argues back... Sometimes, we think, God can be a bit forgetful. He's a bit too busy to be aware of all the details of our lives. He hasn't noticed there's been a financial crisis for the past five years. He hasn't noticed that we're getting older. But God knows all that. He also knows some other things that we haven't noticed. God knows what he is doing. “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” (v. 15f) God knows what he is doing.
So, to Ananias' credit, he goes. He sees that God knows what he is doing, as he meets Saul. He ministers the laying on of hands. (I wonder if Ananias' hands were shaking in that ministry? God can use shaky hands, that are stretched out in obedience to him, even if we are scared.) He speaks: “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Isn't that lovely? It's relational – Saul is now a Brother. It's Jesus-centered. It's part of the conversion bundle. It's generous, going beyond what God told him, to minister the obvious thing, that Saul be filled with the Holy Spirit.
And, as Ananias steps out in obedience, eh has his part in the amazing big picture, that Luke is weaving together in his book; Ananias is part of the big picture that God is weaving together in salvation history: the mission to the whole world. And this Saul of Tarsus, who is crying out to God in Judas' spare room in Straight Street, will prove to be god's chosen vessel to take the gospel to the Nations., to further again the Gentile mission. God knows what he is doing. And when we step out in faith and obedience, we can be part of it.
Conclusion: There are two kinds of people in this place today, symbolised by the two main characters in this story. Some of us – like Saul – don't know Jesus personally. We may be really against Christianity or all faith; or we may be kind of tolerant and think Jesus was a really nice guy; but we don’t' know him personally. And some of us – like Ananias – do know Jesus. We may be afraid to talk about him; we may be fumbling and faltering; we may be eager to change the world; but we do know him as Saviour and Lord. And for all of us, Jesus is knocking at our doors. If you don't yet know him, you're not too bad for him to love you; you're not too far away for him to reach you. And if you do know him, he wants you to know that he knows what he is doing. And he wants you to be part of it.
© Gilmour Lilly December 2013
Sunday 15 September 2013
As 8 26-40: Philip and the Ethiopian
As 8 26-40: Philip and the Ethiopian
The Call
Led by the Spirit....Philip was, as we heard last week, busy sharing the Gospel in Samaria, north of Jerusalem. God's angel sent Philip to head south, beyond Jerusalem to the road southbound, desert road towards Gaza. (v. 26). Luke is building up the story, stressing the strangeness of the instruction, to lead us to the point when he says “Look, surprise, surprise; a chariot.” The angel of God is not an idiot. The Holy Spirit is no fool. He may call us to step out in ways that don't immediately seem to make sense – but he never sends us out to waste our time. At the start on this occasion it is an angel who sent him: we need the strongest and clearest guidance when we are called upon to take the boldest steps of faith. Next, the Spirit – v 29 – would tell Philip to join that chariot; and then – v 30 – Philip had to work out for himself what to do next! That's a good picture of how guidance works!
So whatever else we may want to say about this ministry in the desert, it was clearly God's idea. God took the initiative. Evangelism was Philip's passion; he was a pioneer – before Paul – in taking the Gospel to all nations. But the passionate, pioneering Spirit of God was behind this, not just the enthusiasm of Philip the Evangelist.
In all our struggles to become truly “missional” as a Church, let us hear this. The initiative is not just yours, or mine. The driver is not just the enthusiasm of a Pastor, or one or two in the Church who are always on about reaching the lost. The passion, the initiative, the driving force is none other than the Holy Spirit of God.
And the Spirit leads us, in particular, to men of peace.... The character of the Convert
The man in the chariot was a Sudanese official. v. 27. He was a eunuch – he had been castrated – so he was safe to be left in charge of the King's harem of wives. He had become a significant royal official. Eunuch could get promotion from just looking after the harem. In fact he was n charge of the entire royal treasury. Candace was apparently the title of the “Queen (mother)” who ran the country possibly on behalf of the King who was considered “too holy” to actually do anything!) So we have again a somewhat questionable cultural background! Although he had travelled to Jerusalem to lean more about God (as people did when they got fed up of the Greek and Roman gods). Having been mutilated, he couldn't become a “proselyte” (the word used for Gentile who were fully accepted the Jewish faith. He was what the Jews called a “God-fearer”. So he was a gentile; he was an outsider, and could never be fully accepted under the Old Covenant. Certainly he was a worshipper and searcher. Jesus said we should find the “men of peace” – and they can come in all shapes and sizes. This guy, who was I reckon the first Gentile convert was a black guy. The first Gentile church was in East Africa. For those of us who have been tempted to think that the United Kingdom is the centre of the universe, wake up and smell the coffee! Those of us who feel the church exists to look after its own, wake up and realise we have a God welcomes the outcasts.
The conversation
Listening. Philip listens not only to God; he listens to this Sudanese official. What is he reading? In Biblical times, it was customary to read out loud; and it was also common for the wealthy to have an educated slave read to you. The idea of talking books is not a new idea! So Philip listens. Hey, I recognise that; it's Isaiah 53!. We need to ask firstly, “What are people reading? What are they watching on TV; where are they going on the internet? What are they talking about during tea-breaks at work?” It is in the stuff people are picking up from their culture, that we need to find the openings for the good News of Jesus.
The listening is not over. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asks. He is not going to push his way in. The official might say “go away, I'm busy”; he might say “yes I understand it well; I speak fluent Hebrew.” he might call on his bodyguard, “Get rid of this guy for me” All are possibilities. The official has the space to shake Philip off if he wants to. We need to ask open questions. “Do you want to talk?” “Does it make sense?”
Philip has asked a good, open kind of question. The Ethiopian feels confident to answer with a question: “Who is Isaiah talking about, himself or somebody else?” What a perfect opportunity! There's a third question, we need to ask inside our heads: “What is the real issue here?”
Then, beginning with precisely the question the African was asking, Philip “Told him the good news about Jesus.” Now, to “tell someone the good news about Jesus.” is a technical term. The AV says “Preached”. The Greek is εὐηγγελίσατο. I imagine the Ethiopian, sitting on a pew at the back of the chariot (there must have been pews in this chariot!); Philip, of course, is standing up at the other end of the chariot, on a platform, with a pulpit in front of him. He is holding the scroll now... or is he?
That's obviously absurd. You can be a preacher, and operate from the comfort of a settee, or across a café table or beside a hospital bed. I don't imagine for one moment, that at that point, Philip said “Right, here we go” and launched into a monologue. The conversation continued. As it did, Philip unfolded the story of Jesus, showing how he fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy – so that took them into Jesus begin the Messiah; that took them to think about the Kingdom of God; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter – so that took them to the Cross and resurrection... Somewhere in there they talked about Jesus.' baptism; they talked about the great commission to Go and make disciples, baptising them and teaching them...” But it began with the question “Who is Isaiah talking about?”
Good evangelism listens before talking . It starts where the person is at intellectually and spiritually, answers the questions they are really asking, and introduces the truth about Jesus.
The Commitment
At some point in the conversation, the Ethiopian has reached a point of readiness to commit. He takes the initiative as they are passing a stream or pool. v. 36-38 “Why can't I be baptised?” Why not indeed? The conversation Philip and the Ethiopian have had, that has led to his reaching this place of preparedness to be baptised, is broad in its scope. The story of Jesus contains all the theology the Sudanese official needs. He knows that baptism is about repentance, turning to Jesus in faith and surrender, being part of this disciple-making community... He's ready. Who's ready for baptism today? If you believe in Jesus Christ as saviour; if you are able to say “Jesus. is Lord” today, and you are ready, live for the Kingdom today, to throw your lot in with the people of god today, why not?
to be Continued...
As soon as the African has been baptised, Philip disappears. Now, generally, that is not good practise. We shouldn’t baptise people then disappear! If we can be there to support people, we should. But the Spirit had other things for Philip to do; the Spirit whisks him away. He's next seen preaching in the seaside town of Azotus; where next?
With no input, no follow-up; no discipleship course; no apostles to teach him; nobody to email... the Ethiopian goes on his way. All he has is:
Sometimes, we are able to bring people into a local Church, teach them, see them grow and use their gifts. Sometimes. But sometimes, we will have to accept that we “do our bit” with people, and then we have to simply let them go. Pam and I spent a day in Dundee learning about chaplaincy work a couple of weeks ago, and that's what it's like when you visit in a school or hospital of factory. You share Jesus with people, and leave them to it. As Vincent Donovan says, when we “give” someone the Gospel, it becomes “theirs” to do with as they see right. How will he get on, in his dark, superstitious culture, among people who believe their king is a god? Who knows? Scholars tell us the official planted the first gentile church. Luke doesn't tell us what happened. It's “to be continued...”
© Gilmour Lilly September 2013
The Call
Led by the Spirit....Philip was, as we heard last week, busy sharing the Gospel in Samaria, north of Jerusalem. God's angel sent Philip to head south, beyond Jerusalem to the road southbound, desert road towards Gaza. (v. 26). Luke is building up the story, stressing the strangeness of the instruction, to lead us to the point when he says “Look, surprise, surprise; a chariot.” The angel of God is not an idiot. The Holy Spirit is no fool. He may call us to step out in ways that don't immediately seem to make sense – but he never sends us out to waste our time. At the start on this occasion it is an angel who sent him: we need the strongest and clearest guidance when we are called upon to take the boldest steps of faith. Next, the Spirit – v 29 – would tell Philip to join that chariot; and then – v 30 – Philip had to work out for himself what to do next! That's a good picture of how guidance works!
So whatever else we may want to say about this ministry in the desert, it was clearly God's idea. God took the initiative. Evangelism was Philip's passion; he was a pioneer – before Paul – in taking the Gospel to all nations. But the passionate, pioneering Spirit of God was behind this, not just the enthusiasm of Philip the Evangelist.
In all our struggles to become truly “missional” as a Church, let us hear this. The initiative is not just yours, or mine. The driver is not just the enthusiasm of a Pastor, or one or two in the Church who are always on about reaching the lost. The passion, the initiative, the driving force is none other than the Holy Spirit of God.
And the Spirit leads us, in particular, to men of peace.... The character of the Convert
The man in the chariot was a Sudanese official. v. 27. He was a eunuch – he had been castrated – so he was safe to be left in charge of the King's harem of wives. He had become a significant royal official. Eunuch could get promotion from just looking after the harem. In fact he was n charge of the entire royal treasury. Candace was apparently the title of the “Queen (mother)” who ran the country possibly on behalf of the King who was considered “too holy” to actually do anything!) So we have again a somewhat questionable cultural background! Although he had travelled to Jerusalem to lean more about God (as people did when they got fed up of the Greek and Roman gods). Having been mutilated, he couldn't become a “proselyte” (the word used for Gentile who were fully accepted the Jewish faith. He was what the Jews called a “God-fearer”. So he was a gentile; he was an outsider, and could never be fully accepted under the Old Covenant. Certainly he was a worshipper and searcher. Jesus said we should find the “men of peace” – and they can come in all shapes and sizes. This guy, who was I reckon the first Gentile convert was a black guy. The first Gentile church was in East Africa. For those of us who have been tempted to think that the United Kingdom is the centre of the universe, wake up and smell the coffee! Those of us who feel the church exists to look after its own, wake up and realise we have a God welcomes the outcasts.
The conversation
Listening. Philip listens not only to God; he listens to this Sudanese official. What is he reading? In Biblical times, it was customary to read out loud; and it was also common for the wealthy to have an educated slave read to you. The idea of talking books is not a new idea! So Philip listens. Hey, I recognise that; it's Isaiah 53!. We need to ask firstly, “What are people reading? What are they watching on TV; where are they going on the internet? What are they talking about during tea-breaks at work?” It is in the stuff people are picking up from their culture, that we need to find the openings for the good News of Jesus.
The listening is not over. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asks. He is not going to push his way in. The official might say “go away, I'm busy”; he might say “yes I understand it well; I speak fluent Hebrew.” he might call on his bodyguard, “Get rid of this guy for me” All are possibilities. The official has the space to shake Philip off if he wants to. We need to ask open questions. “Do you want to talk?” “Does it make sense?”
Philip has asked a good, open kind of question. The Ethiopian feels confident to answer with a question: “Who is Isaiah talking about, himself or somebody else?” What a perfect opportunity! There's a third question, we need to ask inside our heads: “What is the real issue here?”
Then, beginning with precisely the question the African was asking, Philip “Told him the good news about Jesus.” Now, to “tell someone the good news about Jesus.” is a technical term. The AV says “Preached”. The Greek is εὐηγγελίσατο. I imagine the Ethiopian, sitting on a pew at the back of the chariot (there must have been pews in this chariot!); Philip, of course, is standing up at the other end of the chariot, on a platform, with a pulpit in front of him. He is holding the scroll now... or is he?
That's obviously absurd. You can be a preacher, and operate from the comfort of a settee, or across a café table or beside a hospital bed. I don't imagine for one moment, that at that point, Philip said “Right, here we go” and launched into a monologue. The conversation continued. As it did, Philip unfolded the story of Jesus, showing how he fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy – so that took them into Jesus begin the Messiah; that took them to think about the Kingdom of God; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter – so that took them to the Cross and resurrection... Somewhere in there they talked about Jesus.' baptism; they talked about the great commission to Go and make disciples, baptising them and teaching them...” But it began with the question “Who is Isaiah talking about?”
Good evangelism listens before talking . It starts where the person is at intellectually and spiritually, answers the questions they are really asking, and introduces the truth about Jesus.
The Commitment
At some point in the conversation, the Ethiopian has reached a point of readiness to commit. He takes the initiative as they are passing a stream or pool. v. 36-38 “Why can't I be baptised?” Why not indeed? The conversation Philip and the Ethiopian have had, that has led to his reaching this place of preparedness to be baptised, is broad in its scope. The story of Jesus contains all the theology the Sudanese official needs. He knows that baptism is about repentance, turning to Jesus in faith and surrender, being part of this disciple-making community... He's ready. Who's ready for baptism today? If you believe in Jesus Christ as saviour; if you are able to say “Jesus. is Lord” today, and you are ready, live for the Kingdom today, to throw your lot in with the people of god today, why not?
to be Continued...
As soon as the African has been baptised, Philip disappears. Now, generally, that is not good practise. We shouldn’t baptise people then disappear! If we can be there to support people, we should. But the Spirit had other things for Philip to do; the Spirit whisks him away. He's next seen preaching in the seaside town of Azotus; where next?
With no input, no follow-up; no discipleship course; no apostles to teach him; nobody to email... the Ethiopian goes on his way. All he has is:
- His knowledge of the Word from his scroll of Isaiah, and what Philip has just taught him.
- His baptism in water and the assurance that he is fully incorporated in Christ and his body
- The Spirit in his heart. “He went on his way rejoicing.” When Luke refers to “joy”, he knows it's the fruit of the Spirit; it's a way of referring to the active presence of the Spirit in someone's life.
Sometimes, we are able to bring people into a local Church, teach them, see them grow and use their gifts. Sometimes. But sometimes, we will have to accept that we “do our bit” with people, and then we have to simply let them go. Pam and I spent a day in Dundee learning about chaplaincy work a couple of weeks ago, and that's what it's like when you visit in a school or hospital of factory. You share Jesus with people, and leave them to it. As Vincent Donovan says, when we “give” someone the Gospel, it becomes “theirs” to do with as they see right. How will he get on, in his dark, superstitious culture, among people who believe their king is a god? Who knows? Scholars tell us the official planted the first gentile church. Luke doesn't tell us what happened. It's “to be continued...”
© Gilmour Lilly September 2013
Friday 13 September 2013
Acts 8. 1-25 Mission is messy
God knows, mission is messy. And I think the first, Jewish Christians in Jerusalem, knew mission would be messy, when it involved going out beyond their comfort-zone, into the wider world. That may be one reason why they remained in the familiar territory of Jerusalem, until God used the short, sharp shock of persecution – that began with the death of Stephen – to push the Church out into the next place Jesus. had already sent them: Judea and Samaria... preaching as they went. (By the way, I don't believe God sends these things; but he is sovereign over them and can either lose them – sweeping them away – or use them! And on this occasion he chose to use it.)
“How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?”
Samaritans were not considered to be “gentiles”. They were “break-away” Israelites. Remember how 900 years BC, Israel had split into two kingdoms, Judea (ruled over by descendants of David) in the South, and Israel in the North. Israel had gone after false gods first then been carried away as captives, before Judah. The Samaritans were the old Northern “Israel” and the Jews were the old “Judah” kingdom. And the Samaritans still had mixed up ideas including a lot of pagan ones. Now, Philip is a Greek name; he was a “Grecian Jew” who had become a follower of Jesus (and then was one of the “seven”). He knew what it was to live in pagan lands, although he may have kind of “kept his distance” from his pagan neighbours. But now, he is mixing with Samaritans; telling them about Jesus. Setting them free from evil spirits. Healing their sick. It was messy. Lots of shrieking as the demons left. Why was there suddenly more deliverance ministry under Philip's ministry? I suspect, it is because he hit on an area where there was a lot of demonic activity.
As Kris Valloton of Bethel Church in Redding California says we need to “engage society at the level of their greatest pain and carve out a path through the snake invested jungle, carrying the weak to a place of safety”. As the song says, “And so we go into a broken land...”
In our world there are loads of people who don't know how to behave. In our world there are more people who are visibly in the grip of evil, We move among men and women, and we heal their sick, we challenge their darkness, we tell them the good News of Jesus. We will need to learn how to exercise spiritual authority and chuck these things out of people. (A task complicated by the fact that , in our world, lots of people don't even accept that demons exist!)
Missional Church isn't the way to go for a quiet, easy life. John Wimber became a believer, through the ministry of a very traditional, respectable, and “churchy” Quaker Church. The first time he attended worship, he was so unfamiliar with church culture, that he was looking for the ashtray to stub out the cigarette he was still smoking – as you would in a cinema or dance hall in the seventies. He used to challenge Christians troubled by the noise, and “mess,” which was tidier and quieter, a funeral parlour or a nursery. If there is new life, there will be noise, mess, exhaustion...
But in the midst of the mess, people are trusting Jesus and being baptised, including a guy called Simon; he’s the local magician – not a Tommy Cooper illusionist, but the real deal... he is in touch with real, supernatural power, and he uses it to “wow” the locals, so much that they decide he is “The Great Power of God”. He probably knows different, but he's not letting on. The power he has makes him important; it sets him off; he's respected, looked up to; maybe even feared; and he's making good money. When Philip arrives in town, Simon the Sorcerer wants a piece of the action.
And then rumours of revival reached the Apostles, and Peter and John came to check things out. They found group of new believers, baptised, but lacking the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives. I wonder why? Had Philip not taught them about the Holy Spirit? Were there still blockages in their lives that kept them from receiving the Spirit? Or did God want to show that they were just as accepted as the Jewish believers by giving them their own “pentecost”? There's no clear answer. For whatever reason, the experience of these believers was incomplete, even after their Baptism.
Mission is messy. People's journeys towards faith are untidy: there's no single, right order for trusting Jesus., receiving the Spirit, and being baptised. God deals with each person in the way they need him to. What I do see in the book of Acts, is that the coming of the Spirit is always visible and unmistakeable. There's no quiet, undetectable influence: more a rushing mighty wind, gifts of power and fruit of transformation. We need to let god deal with people as he knows is right for them. In messy mission, we may not always be able to herd people through the “system”, baptising them when they have neatly learned the four spiritual laws and confessed their faith in Jesus. as their own personal saviour, and then expecting them to be solid, growing disciples for the rest of their lives.
Messed-up lives.
Simon, the magician, is so impressed, as before his eyes, the Apostles lay hands on one, and another, and each one received the Spirit. He was impressed. “These guys are even better than me.” Simon wanted a piece of the action. “This is my kind of stuff. I'd look really good if I could get people filled with he Spirit like that. I'm a natural. I could be “The Samaritan Apostle”, I've even got the same name as the big one. And I'm sure there's money to be made. So there he is, cheque book in hand, offering to pay for the power to get others filled with the Spirit. Peter's response resonates with my sense of revulsion at this “To hell with your money! And you along with it.” (The Message). Here is Simon, the magician, who's seen the signs and wonders; professed faith, been baptised, shadowed Philip, watched the Spirit at work through the Apostles, at risk of losing the benefits of the word he had professed to believe. Pagan, magical ideas and crass materialism still jostled with Kingdom, word and Spirit to dominated his thinking. His life, frankly, was still a mess. Mission is messy because people come to us with messed-up lives, complicated stories, and loads of stuff they need to get rid of. We are not always secure in knowing everything is going to be all right with every new convert. I feel sad about some of those I have worked with, some I have baptised, here and elsewhere, because in some of those lives, the enemy seems to have gained the upper hand. But I believe that is part of messy mission.
The heart is key
Peter says to Simon, “your heart is not right before God,” and specifically it is, “full of bitterness and captive to sin.” or as the AV says “Still in the gall of bitterness.” Dt 29. 18 talks about a root of bitterness that turns people away to worship false gods. In the ancient world, “Gall” could refer to bitter, poisonous plants; ancient medicine believed the idea that the organs of the body are connected to the soul and that gall or bile was connected with anger and – as we still say – bitterness. The venom of a snake was understood to be “gall.” There is bitterness poisoning Simon's heart that keeps him in bondage to injustice.
We need to remember that conversion is about transformation that goes right to the heart of people; in messy mission, part of the process of discipleship, is walking with people towards the place where they are not controlled by bitter stuff or captured by the wrong in their own hearts or the wrong that has been done to them. And for each of us, we need to continue a journey of repentance, healing and surrender, as long as we live.
It certainly seems as if Simon was ready for the next step in that journey: he pleads for prayer and we have no reason to question his sincerity. He has put his spiritual life in danger but not killed it off completely. There is hope, when we have made our biggest mistakes and embarrassed ourselves and everyone else!
And the Apostles' journey continues. Inspired and challenged by what they have seen of the ministry exercised by Philip, Peter and John return to Jerusalem “preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages” as they go. Mission is messy. Our world, like Philip's, is confused, spiritually hungry. It's messy, but God calls us to messy mission.
© Gilmour Lilly September 2013
“How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?”
Samaritans were not considered to be “gentiles”. They were “break-away” Israelites. Remember how 900 years BC, Israel had split into two kingdoms, Judea (ruled over by descendants of David) in the South, and Israel in the North. Israel had gone after false gods first then been carried away as captives, before Judah. The Samaritans were the old Northern “Israel” and the Jews were the old “Judah” kingdom. And the Samaritans still had mixed up ideas including a lot of pagan ones. Now, Philip is a Greek name; he was a “Grecian Jew” who had become a follower of Jesus (and then was one of the “seven”). He knew what it was to live in pagan lands, although he may have kind of “kept his distance” from his pagan neighbours. But now, he is mixing with Samaritans; telling them about Jesus. Setting them free from evil spirits. Healing their sick. It was messy. Lots of shrieking as the demons left. Why was there suddenly more deliverance ministry under Philip's ministry? I suspect, it is because he hit on an area where there was a lot of demonic activity.
As Kris Valloton of Bethel Church in Redding California says we need to “engage society at the level of their greatest pain and carve out a path through the snake invested jungle, carrying the weak to a place of safety”. As the song says, “And so we go into a broken land...”
In our world there are loads of people who don't know how to behave. In our world there are more people who are visibly in the grip of evil, We move among men and women, and we heal their sick, we challenge their darkness, we tell them the good News of Jesus. We will need to learn how to exercise spiritual authority and chuck these things out of people. (A task complicated by the fact that , in our world, lots of people don't even accept that demons exist!)
Missional Church isn't the way to go for a quiet, easy life. John Wimber became a believer, through the ministry of a very traditional, respectable, and “churchy” Quaker Church. The first time he attended worship, he was so unfamiliar with church culture, that he was looking for the ashtray to stub out the cigarette he was still smoking – as you would in a cinema or dance hall in the seventies. He used to challenge Christians troubled by the noise, and “mess,” which was tidier and quieter, a funeral parlour or a nursery. If there is new life, there will be noise, mess, exhaustion...
But in the midst of the mess, people are trusting Jesus and being baptised, including a guy called Simon; he’s the local magician – not a Tommy Cooper illusionist, but the real deal... he is in touch with real, supernatural power, and he uses it to “wow” the locals, so much that they decide he is “The Great Power of God”. He probably knows different, but he's not letting on. The power he has makes him important; it sets him off; he's respected, looked up to; maybe even feared; and he's making good money. When Philip arrives in town, Simon the Sorcerer wants a piece of the action.
And then rumours of revival reached the Apostles, and Peter and John came to check things out. They found group of new believers, baptised, but lacking the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives. I wonder why? Had Philip not taught them about the Holy Spirit? Were there still blockages in their lives that kept them from receiving the Spirit? Or did God want to show that they were just as accepted as the Jewish believers by giving them their own “pentecost”? There's no clear answer. For whatever reason, the experience of these believers was incomplete, even after their Baptism.
Mission is messy. People's journeys towards faith are untidy: there's no single, right order for trusting Jesus., receiving the Spirit, and being baptised. God deals with each person in the way they need him to. What I do see in the book of Acts, is that the coming of the Spirit is always visible and unmistakeable. There's no quiet, undetectable influence: more a rushing mighty wind, gifts of power and fruit of transformation. We need to let god deal with people as he knows is right for them. In messy mission, we may not always be able to herd people through the “system”, baptising them when they have neatly learned the four spiritual laws and confessed their faith in Jesus. as their own personal saviour, and then expecting them to be solid, growing disciples for the rest of their lives.
Messed-up lives.
Simon, the magician, is so impressed, as before his eyes, the Apostles lay hands on one, and another, and each one received the Spirit. He was impressed. “These guys are even better than me.” Simon wanted a piece of the action. “This is my kind of stuff. I'd look really good if I could get people filled with he Spirit like that. I'm a natural. I could be “The Samaritan Apostle”, I've even got the same name as the big one. And I'm sure there's money to be made. So there he is, cheque book in hand, offering to pay for the power to get others filled with the Spirit. Peter's response resonates with my sense of revulsion at this “To hell with your money! And you along with it.” (The Message). Here is Simon, the magician, who's seen the signs and wonders; professed faith, been baptised, shadowed Philip, watched the Spirit at work through the Apostles, at risk of losing the benefits of the word he had professed to believe. Pagan, magical ideas and crass materialism still jostled with Kingdom, word and Spirit to dominated his thinking. His life, frankly, was still a mess. Mission is messy because people come to us with messed-up lives, complicated stories, and loads of stuff they need to get rid of. We are not always secure in knowing everything is going to be all right with every new convert. I feel sad about some of those I have worked with, some I have baptised, here and elsewhere, because in some of those lives, the enemy seems to have gained the upper hand. But I believe that is part of messy mission.
The heart is key
Peter says to Simon, “your heart is not right before God,” and specifically it is, “full of bitterness and captive to sin.” or as the AV says “Still in the gall of bitterness.” Dt 29. 18 talks about a root of bitterness that turns people away to worship false gods. In the ancient world, “Gall” could refer to bitter, poisonous plants; ancient medicine believed the idea that the organs of the body are connected to the soul and that gall or bile was connected with anger and – as we still say – bitterness. The venom of a snake was understood to be “gall.” There is bitterness poisoning Simon's heart that keeps him in bondage to injustice.
We need to remember that conversion is about transformation that goes right to the heart of people; in messy mission, part of the process of discipleship, is walking with people towards the place where they are not controlled by bitter stuff or captured by the wrong in their own hearts or the wrong that has been done to them. And for each of us, we need to continue a journey of repentance, healing and surrender, as long as we live.
It certainly seems as if Simon was ready for the next step in that journey: he pleads for prayer and we have no reason to question his sincerity. He has put his spiritual life in danger but not killed it off completely. There is hope, when we have made our biggest mistakes and embarrassed ourselves and everyone else!
And the Apostles' journey continues. Inspired and challenged by what they have seen of the ministry exercised by Philip, Peter and John return to Jerusalem “preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages” as they go. Mission is messy. Our world, like Philip's, is confused, spiritually hungry. It's messy, but God calls us to messy mission.
© Gilmour Lilly September 2013
Sunday 1 September 2013
Acts 6v8 – 7v60
Acts 6v8 – 7v60
Stephen, the First Christian Martyr.
You remember the story so far... There were problems over the provision for needy people in the Church. A new Spirit-led, sensible, submissive structure was created, with seven spirit-filled, sensible submissive men in charge. The story now focuses on one of these men, Stephen...
He was full of the Holy Spirit, moving in the supernatural, and seriously engaged in the mission of Jesus. He is performing signs and wonders “among the people” – that is beyond the security of the Church's gatherings, in the wider world... They could see God at work thought this man. He was among his own people: a Grecian Jew reaching out mainly among Greek-speaking Jews. It was from these “outsider” Jews, people who had lived in Africa and Turkey, rather than in Israel, that the trouble began. They could see god at work. They could hear that Stephen's arguments made sense, they could relate to him as a person because he was one of them. But they couldn’t admit to themselves that they were wrong. So they begin a smear campaign that will eventually lead to Stephen's dead – not an execution but a lynching, and act of mob violence that made Stephen the first Christian Martyr.
Winsome witness...
Now, do you know what the word “martyr” means? I mean originally. We are used to it meaning someone who is killed for their faith, but originally the Greek word, simply means “Witness””. So when Jesus says in Acts 1. 8 “You shall be my witnesses” the Greek word is μάρτυρες. It's a strange fact of history, that Stephen's death was such an inspiration to the earliest Christians, that it in fact skewed their understanding of “witness” away from the positive strengths of his life, to focus on the opposition that caused his death. It became desirable to go out looking for that opposition – rather than simply having the courage to accept it when it comes along! Some Christians get such a strong vision of the “Sweet bye-and-bye” that we forget to serve Jesus in the sweet here and now. Stephen didn't go out looking for trouble. As we shall see, he was totally unafraid of it when it happened. But it was they who rejected him, not he who rejected them.
Too often, in different, little ways, we make the mistake today of looking for trouble: being aggressive, disapproving, accusing, in the way we reach out to our world, instead of being grace-provider, gracious, winsome, positive, affirming in the way we conduct ourselves.
Like Stephen, we need to be among people doing the signs and wonders. (v. 8) These are the same words as in 5. 12!, which we looked at a few weeks ago. After that talk, someone said, “I thought we would be actually going and doing it”, and they were right. I need to say this again: let's learn to pray for the sick, in the power of the Spirit out there.
Like Stephen, we need to speak the language of ordinary people.
Like Stephen, we need to be able to address the intellectual issues of the day with wisdom. Dr Laura Keynes is a great-great-great-granddaughter of Charles Darwin; while doing her PhD at Oxford she was an agnostic (she didn't know what to believe) but through studying Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion, and other books on both sides of the debate, she reconnected with the Christian faith. Don't underestimate the value of a properly reasoned argument, or the damage done by stupidity. Keynes discovered “a germ of intolerance and contempt for people of faith” in the New Atheism helped draw her towards Christianity. Let's make we don't treat those who don't have faith with intolerance and contempt .
We need the power of the Spirit; we need the signs and wonders; we need the cultural bridge-building; we need to present a good case for faith. People will reject us and our faith. Let's make sure we don't make it easy for them to do so. We don't want to get in the way.
Working with the Word
But sometimes, people will reject what we are saying... They did with Stephen, dragged him before the Council, accused him (quite falsely) of blaspheming and saying Jesus would destroy the temple and “change our customs”. (How institutional people hate change!) When Stephen stands up to answer these accusations, it seems, superficially, as though he is courting martyrdom. He certainly isn't pleading to be let off: there's no compromise about what is really important. But he does mount a vigorous case in his defence. Let's look a bit more closely at the main themes of the speech.
Firstly, what he says is absolutely Biblical. He draws, with real genius, upon the history of god's people. He demonstrates that he knows that history inside out. Far from ignoring the charges against him, Stephen's defence is dealing carefully with them.
1. Accused of Rebellion against God's law he is able to show that the history of God's people is the history of a rebellious people, marked by the dishonesty and violence of Joseph's brothers, the way Moses, and the later prophets, were rejected the people, and the taste Israel had, going back to the time of Moses himself, for idols and false gods. Stephen is showing that, instead of accusing him, of rebelling against the traditions of Israel, they should accept that Israel itself has a tradition of rebellion against God himself.
2. Accused of speaking against the temple, he shows that God's people have had a tent and a temple – only God is too big to live in either! He quotes Isaiah 66. 1-2 to prove his point.
So, Stephen is not inviting martyrdom, he is defending himself, arguing vigorously that it is his accusers who are in the wrong, standing in an ugly tradition of rebellion and murder. They should have and could have allowed themselves to be persuaded by his arguments. Indeed, I suspect that some of them were on the verge of being persuaded but simply dug their heels in. What followed wasn't a court verdict delivered after careful consideration: it was the reaction of an angry mob.
Luke uses this speech to show the extent of Israel's rejection of Jesus; and to explain the Church’s move towards sharing the good news with the Nations. Stephen is being Biblical; so is Luke. The cost of that will be life for Stephen; it will be disruption and dispersion for the Church; the consequence of it will be further growth and progress, reaching Samaritans, Romans in Caesarea, and the conversion of a man who would take the Gospel half way round the world. If we want to see our particular sacrifices bearing fruit, making a difference in our world, we need to build on the Bible.
Suffering and the Spirit.
This story of martyrdom – witness and sacrifice, is laced with Holy Spirit moments:from the great wonders and signs he did (v. 8) to the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke (v. 9); from the moment when he was so close to God that his face was like the face of an angel (v.15, like Moses in Ex 34. 19ff) right through to that vision of heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God (chapter 7 v 55-56) the Holy Spirit is powerfully at work in Stephen's life.
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the King, the Spirit of the Kingdom. Contrary to some teaching, there is not a direct linkage between having the spirit and having an easy life: in fact, it's the opposite. The Spirit brings us into the Kingdom: he equips us to do the work of the Kingdom among the people; he transfigures us when we are in our tough times; he gives us a vision of glory, reminds us of the "Coming victory of the Kingdom", so we can remain strong in our toughest times. If we're struggling, facing opposition, we need to welcome the Holy Spirit to work in us in greater power!
The story of Stephen calls us to risky living, to dangerous discipleship. And that was supremely the way of Jesus himself.
World War 1 Chaplain J A Studdart Kennedy wrote a poem called HE WAS A GAMBLER TOO
And, sitting down, they watched Him there,
The soldiers did;
There, while they played with dice,
He made His Sacrifice,
And died upon the Cross to rid
God's world of sin.
He was a gambler too, my Christ,
He took His life and threw
It for a world redeemed.
And ere His agony was done,
Before the weltering sun went down,
Crowning that day with its crimson crown,
He knew that He had won .
Risky living was the way of Esther. She was a Jewish girl who became queen of Persia. Queen Esther was called to save God's people from destruction. To do so she had to enter the king's throne room, without his permission and ask his favour. And to that could have resulted in instant execution. Esther, understandably, wobbled a bit. But then she said “I'll do it, and if I perish, I perish.” God calls us to a dangerous discipleship. Not that we go out looking for trouble: But we need to be the kind of Christians who are prepared to take the risks. I'm here for a purpose – for such a time as this. I'll live for Jesus. And if I perish, I perish.
© Gilmour Lilly September 2013
Stephen, the First Christian Martyr.
You remember the story so far... There were problems over the provision for needy people in the Church. A new Spirit-led, sensible, submissive structure was created, with seven spirit-filled, sensible submissive men in charge. The story now focuses on one of these men, Stephen...
He was full of the Holy Spirit, moving in the supernatural, and seriously engaged in the mission of Jesus. He is performing signs and wonders “among the people” – that is beyond the security of the Church's gatherings, in the wider world... They could see God at work thought this man. He was among his own people: a Grecian Jew reaching out mainly among Greek-speaking Jews. It was from these “outsider” Jews, people who had lived in Africa and Turkey, rather than in Israel, that the trouble began. They could see god at work. They could hear that Stephen's arguments made sense, they could relate to him as a person because he was one of them. But they couldn’t admit to themselves that they were wrong. So they begin a smear campaign that will eventually lead to Stephen's dead – not an execution but a lynching, and act of mob violence that made Stephen the first Christian Martyr.
Winsome witness...
Now, do you know what the word “martyr” means? I mean originally. We are used to it meaning someone who is killed for their faith, but originally the Greek word, simply means “Witness””. So when Jesus says in Acts 1. 8 “You shall be my witnesses” the Greek word is μάρτυρες. It's a strange fact of history, that Stephen's death was such an inspiration to the earliest Christians, that it in fact skewed their understanding of “witness” away from the positive strengths of his life, to focus on the opposition that caused his death. It became desirable to go out looking for that opposition – rather than simply having the courage to accept it when it comes along! Some Christians get such a strong vision of the “Sweet bye-and-bye” that we forget to serve Jesus in the sweet here and now. Stephen didn't go out looking for trouble. As we shall see, he was totally unafraid of it when it happened. But it was they who rejected him, not he who rejected them.
Too often, in different, little ways, we make the mistake today of looking for trouble: being aggressive, disapproving, accusing, in the way we reach out to our world, instead of being grace-provider, gracious, winsome, positive, affirming in the way we conduct ourselves.
Like Stephen, we need to be among people doing the signs and wonders. (v. 8) These are the same words as in 5. 12!, which we looked at a few weeks ago. After that talk, someone said, “I thought we would be actually going and doing it”, and they were right. I need to say this again: let's learn to pray for the sick, in the power of the Spirit out there.
Like Stephen, we need to speak the language of ordinary people.
Like Stephen, we need to be able to address the intellectual issues of the day with wisdom. Dr Laura Keynes is a great-great-great-granddaughter of Charles Darwin; while doing her PhD at Oxford she was an agnostic (she didn't know what to believe) but through studying Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion, and other books on both sides of the debate, she reconnected with the Christian faith. Don't underestimate the value of a properly reasoned argument, or the damage done by stupidity. Keynes discovered “a germ of intolerance and contempt for people of faith” in the New Atheism helped draw her towards Christianity. Let's make we don't treat those who don't have faith with intolerance and contempt .
We need the power of the Spirit; we need the signs and wonders; we need the cultural bridge-building; we need to present a good case for faith. People will reject us and our faith. Let's make sure we don't make it easy for them to do so. We don't want to get in the way.
Working with the Word
But sometimes, people will reject what we are saying... They did with Stephen, dragged him before the Council, accused him (quite falsely) of blaspheming and saying Jesus would destroy the temple and “change our customs”. (How institutional people hate change!) When Stephen stands up to answer these accusations, it seems, superficially, as though he is courting martyrdom. He certainly isn't pleading to be let off: there's no compromise about what is really important. But he does mount a vigorous case in his defence. Let's look a bit more closely at the main themes of the speech.
Firstly, what he says is absolutely Biblical. He draws, with real genius, upon the history of god's people. He demonstrates that he knows that history inside out. Far from ignoring the charges against him, Stephen's defence is dealing carefully with them.
1. Accused of Rebellion against God's law he is able to show that the history of God's people is the history of a rebellious people, marked by the dishonesty and violence of Joseph's brothers, the way Moses, and the later prophets, were rejected the people, and the taste Israel had, going back to the time of Moses himself, for idols and false gods. Stephen is showing that, instead of accusing him, of rebelling against the traditions of Israel, they should accept that Israel itself has a tradition of rebellion against God himself.
2. Accused of speaking against the temple, he shows that God's people have had a tent and a temple – only God is too big to live in either! He quotes Isaiah 66. 1-2 to prove his point.
So, Stephen is not inviting martyrdom, he is defending himself, arguing vigorously that it is his accusers who are in the wrong, standing in an ugly tradition of rebellion and murder. They should have and could have allowed themselves to be persuaded by his arguments. Indeed, I suspect that some of them were on the verge of being persuaded but simply dug their heels in. What followed wasn't a court verdict delivered after careful consideration: it was the reaction of an angry mob.
Luke uses this speech to show the extent of Israel's rejection of Jesus; and to explain the Church’s move towards sharing the good news with the Nations. Stephen is being Biblical; so is Luke. The cost of that will be life for Stephen; it will be disruption and dispersion for the Church; the consequence of it will be further growth and progress, reaching Samaritans, Romans in Caesarea, and the conversion of a man who would take the Gospel half way round the world. If we want to see our particular sacrifices bearing fruit, making a difference in our world, we need to build on the Bible.
Suffering and the Spirit.
This story of martyrdom – witness and sacrifice, is laced with Holy Spirit moments:from the great wonders and signs he did (v. 8) to the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke (v. 9); from the moment when he was so close to God that his face was like the face of an angel (v.15, like Moses in Ex 34. 19ff) right through to that vision of heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God (chapter 7 v 55-56) the Holy Spirit is powerfully at work in Stephen's life.
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the King, the Spirit of the Kingdom. Contrary to some teaching, there is not a direct linkage between having the spirit and having an easy life: in fact, it's the opposite. The Spirit brings us into the Kingdom: he equips us to do the work of the Kingdom among the people; he transfigures us when we are in our tough times; he gives us a vision of glory, reminds us of the "Coming victory of the Kingdom", so we can remain strong in our toughest times. If we're struggling, facing opposition, we need to welcome the Holy Spirit to work in us in greater power!
The story of Stephen calls us to risky living, to dangerous discipleship. And that was supremely the way of Jesus himself.
World War 1 Chaplain J A Studdart Kennedy wrote a poem called HE WAS A GAMBLER TOO
And, sitting down, they watched Him there,
The soldiers did;
There, while they played with dice,
He made His Sacrifice,
And died upon the Cross to rid
God's world of sin.
He was a gambler too, my Christ,
He took His life and threw
It for a world redeemed.
And ere His agony was done,
Before the weltering sun went down,
Crowning that day with its crimson crown,
He knew that He had won .
Risky living was the way of Esther. She was a Jewish girl who became queen of Persia. Queen Esther was called to save God's people from destruction. To do so she had to enter the king's throne room, without his permission and ask his favour. And to that could have resulted in instant execution. Esther, understandably, wobbled a bit. But then she said “I'll do it, and if I perish, I perish.” God calls us to a dangerous discipleship. Not that we go out looking for trouble: But we need to be the kind of Christians who are prepared to take the risks. I'm here for a purpose – for such a time as this. I'll live for Jesus. And if I perish, I perish.
© Gilmour Lilly September 2013
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