Acts 16. 35- 17. 15: Turning the world upside down

Acts 16. 35- 17. 15: Turning the world upside down

Cyprus, southern and central Turkey, then over into Greece – Philippi. Wherever Paul and his teams went, things happened.   Miracles of judgement happened.  People were healed, demons were driven out.   Jews and God-fearers gladly welcomed the message of Jesus.  So did complete outsiders.  Believers were transformed, and began to live as “brothers” with a new sense of belonging to Jesus and to each other.  But there were also those who didn't believe, so there were arguments, riots... And it was still happening – in Thessalonica.   

Same strategy – begin among the Jews, building on Paul's natural contacts; same message, the Cross and the Kingdom.  Key words in Paul's message about Jesus were Acts 21. 38; Gal 5. 12 were “Messiah, Suffering and Rising.” 

1. Messiah: Jesus was Messiah, the one who came to fulfil the Old Testament promises.  “The one who fulfils all OT expectations (Dictionary of Bible themes) The Messiah's work would be marked by restoration in creation (The wolf will live with the lamb,  the leopard will lie down with the goat, Isa 11. 6); by righteousness, justice, peace, security (The Lord’s justice will dwell in the desert, his righteousness live in the fertile field.  The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence for ever.  Isa 32, 16f); healing fro the broken  (Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer,  and the mute tongue shout for joy.  Isa 35. 5f);  the nations turning to the Lord (Jer 3. 17); and the coming of the Spirit (Joel 2. 28f).      Kingdom:  By the time Jesus came, the word people were using for the things the Messiah would bring, was The Kingdom of God.”  What is God's rule like?  What is on God's heart for his world?  Because that is what Jesus came to bring.  When we pray “your Kingdom come”, we then pray “your will be done on earth as in heaven”.   God allows a lot of bad things to happen in the world.  He allows people to get cancer, and heart trouble, to go blind, to have epilepsy. He allows young women to be ritually mutilated, and others to become slaves.  He allows inequalities and injustice to continue.  He allows it but he doesn't plan it.  Cancer isn't part of God's plan; cardiovascular disease isn't part of God's plan; epilepsy isn't part of God;s plan; slavery isn't part of God's plan; war isn't part of God's plan. The Kingdom Jesus came to bring is a world without war, oppression, crime, sickness, demonic oppression,  idolatry, addictions, greed, lust. 
2. Suffering. Messiah had to suffer. Why?  Some evils such as wars, slavery, poverty and injustice are the direct result of human wrongdoing: greed, intolerance pride, and complacency.  Natural disasters have the worst effect on the poorest people because of human decisions.   Other evils seem to just happen: earthquakes, storms, life-changing illnesses are the result of living in a fallen, broken world. They're not caused by sin but they're attracted into god's world by sin just as flies are attracted to a cow's rear end!  At its roots, all suffering is the direct or indirect result of the fall, of sin.  The Cross In order to bring the Kingdom, Messiah had to be the “lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.”   When Jesus. Christ died on the Cross he did so in order to draw the sting of our sin; he died our death, paid our debt, carried our sin. 
3. Rising.  The Messiah rose from death.  Hallelujah!  Because he did, we know that death is defeated. By that, we know that sin is fully paid for.  Because he did, we know that Jesus  Kingdom will finally triumph.  Victory Jesus is alive. He is the victor today.  That is Paul's message.   He called men and women, Jew and Gentile, to embrace that Kingdom, to trust in that sacrifice, to encounter that risen Jesus and live in his Kingdom for eternity.  The earliest Christian creed was “Jesus is Lord!” and the best creed for the Church is “Jesus. is Lord!”

That then was Paul’s message: Messiah suffering and risen. And as he proclaimed this message, people were turning to Jesus. Some Jews possibly, but Luke notes in particularly “godly Greeks” (who had already explored the Jewish “one God” faith) and “leading women” (ladies with wealth and influence.  Many Jewish ladies had married into the aristocracy).


And, as in Philippi and other places, there was opposition: Jews  who were jealous of Paul and Silas; who had heard from somewhere that they were supposed to hate this “Jesus” message, started to complain; formed a lynch-mob, and headed for Jason’s house, where Paul was lodging. Paul wasn't at home so the took Jason and his friends to court, with this amazing accusation: “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has received them; and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” (RSV)  

The word “World” means the “inhabited world” – the world of Greek civilisation for Greeks, the Empire for Romans; and the word “Turned upside down” can mean “upset” or “permanently changed” the same word is used in Acts 21. 38 where Paul is accused of being “”That Egyptian who started a rebellion”;  and in Gal 5. 12 where Paul says he wishes those who preached circumcision would go the whole way and permanently change themselves – by a do-it-yourself sex-change operation.   ...   it's a strong, violent word.  It speaks of a radical, revolutionary movement that turns the world upside down. It suggests bringing a revolution the the culture, challenging the way things are in the Empire, so things will never be the same again.  That’s what Paul was accused of saying.  How would Paul respond?  “guilty as charged.” 

Isn't that exciting?   Our world needs turning upside down.  Our world needs alternatives to the greed and exploitation; our world needs alternatives to the excesses, the debauchery; our world needs alternatives to the guilt and alienation; our world needs healing, deliverance; it needs Gospel, forgiveness, a new start. it needs to be turned upside down.  Don't you want to be “turning the world upside down?   

We can be: if like Paul we are “saying that there is another king, Jesus.” Proclaiming that there is another King, Jesus", is a deeply seditious act.  It challenges the way the world is.  It challenges the authority of the big banks; of the Coalition, of NATO or the EU or the Russian Federation.  There is another King, and him we must obey.  

There is another King, and him we will obey. It is the Kingdom, and the radical refocus of our loyalties, to say “Jesus is Lord”, to say that this King, Jesus, rules our lives.     We need to live under that authority of Jesus, not the authority of our bank manager, political party or our buddies. Entry to the kingdom, in the teaching of Jesus and in Acts 2, involves “Repentance,” a turn around; a change of heart and direction.  A change from saying “I rule my own life” or “my politics, finances or whatever rule my life” to saying “Jesus rules my life!” In my life, Jesus is Lord.  

That doesn’t mean we are totally separated from the world; it doesn't mean we are to be naive and foolish.   There are moments when it is right to use the world's resources for the sake of the Kingdom.  When the magistrates in Philippi decided the morning after the earthquake, to let Paul go, Paul said “Not on your life.  They arrested us without charge and had us beaten although we are Roman citizens – they can come and apologise!”  he was prepared to use his citizenship.  He didn't want to go off and leave the church in Philippi to be bullied at the whim of every magistrate and every malcontent.  Paul submitted to the authorities of the empire; he used the resources of the Empire; but his allegiance was to another King, Jesus.  

So I am calling us all back to the centre:  “Lord, I come to You; let my heart be changed, renewed.”   I'm calling those of us who have been followers of Jesus. for many years or maybe just for a few years,  to come back to this starting point of “repentance”; to come back to the place where we are able to say “Jesus is Lord.”  To be changed, renewed; not just “filled with the spirit” so we can speak in tongues but to live a life where Jesus. is at the centre, in the driving seat, in the petrol tank: “he the power and he the prize”...  turned upside down – and turning the world upside down.  

And I am calling those who are not yet sure whether you are followers of Jesus, to this kind of radical conversion: not just to sign on the dotted line that you believe it to be true that Jesus died for you sins; rather, believing Jesus died for your sins, to say, “Risen Lord Jesus, come and turn my life upside down; I am prepared to hand control of my life unreservedly over to you.” (not to any human organisation or human leader, but to Jesus).  “And help me to turn my world upside down.”

© Gilmour Lilly March  2014

Acts 16. 12-40: Fun in Philippi: The Gospel comes to Europe.

Acts 16. 12-40:   Fun in Philippi:   The Gospel comes to Europe.

The Story.   Philippi was an ancient city, which had become wealthy, partly through gold mining. It was now a Roman colony, the regional capital, and was strongly pagan influenced.  So Philippi was, like most European cities today, affected by prosperity, Politics and Paganism.  It's an exciting story of God at work: four miracles! 
 
First miracle... conversion of Lydia. (12-15)
When Paul arrived, he began by applying his usual strategy of starting among the Jews, but there were hardly any: not the twelve men needed for a synagogue; just a group of women who met at a “place of prayer” by the riverside.  Great place for baptisms. And that is what happened. The first miracle at Philippi – the first miracle on European soil, was the conversion of Lydia. She was a dealer in expensive purple dye or dyed cloth.  Purple dye was expensive, obtained from a species of sea snail: it took 1000 sea snails to produce enough dye to colour a narrow border.  So Lydia was a knowledgeable, educated, and probably quite well-off business woman. She was not born Jewish but was “a worshipper of God,” someone who recognised the truth of the Jewish faith and sought to worship the One true God.  And God was at work in her life.  Luke says “The Lord opened her heart”.  When Paul turned up preaching about forgiveness of sins through Jesus the Messiah, she saw it right away ,and responder to Paul's message.  We need the Lord to be at work, to remember that the conversion of a man or woman is a miracle.  We need to see God “opening hearts.” 

So Lydia believed the message and was baptised. No “baptismal classes,” no interviews.  Her baptismal classes were hearing the gospel; her interview was a conversation about trusting Jesus. Baptism was not just the natural next step; it was the first step.  And as soon as she was baptised, she was offering Paul and his team hospitality.  “Being family” – a community oriented approach to the Christian life – was the automatic and assumed stance after conversion and baptism.    This first European miracle was was a repeat, on European soil, of how conversion worked in Jerusalem (Acts 2)  

Second miracle... Deliverance of the slave girl. (16-22)
As Paul went up and down to the riverside prayer place, someone noticed: a wee slave girl who had a “spirit of divination,” demonic powers as a fortune-teller.  She recognised that Paul and Silas were servants of the real God, and day after day she kept shouting out as they past. Paul didn’t want this sort of advertising, and eventually he ordered the demon to leave, in Jesus' name.   The name of Jesus is stronger than the enemy, the demon left, and the girl was no longer able to earn money for the syndicate who owned her.

Once again, here on European soil, the rules of engagement are the same.  There is a “power encounter” between darkness and light,  the evil spirits and the Holy Spirit, and Jesus shows that his power is greater...  

However the consequence of this is that the slave girl's owners want to get even with Paul for ruining their income, so Paul & Silas are accused of sedition, arrested, flogged and thrown in jail; high security, their feet in stocks so they couldn't even stand up.... So the scene is set for the fourth miracle...

Third miracle... Prison break!
It begins with Paul and Silas singing God's praises.  That's a miracle in its own right.  These guys had been arrested, removed from the work they came to do; they had been beaten half-way to death; they had been thrown into a filthy, rat-infested dungeon; their feet were clamped in stocks so the toilet was  a bucket right under their noses... and they were not just praying “Lord, get me out of here!”  They were having a praise time: “At the name of Jesus, very knee should bow, every tongue confess him, King of glory now!”  Don't you think that's pretty miraculous in itself?  It must have made a deep impression on those who heard it.

Then as the prisoners listened, they heard another sound: rumbling, shaking, an earthquake shook the whole place; doors fell open as lintels collapsed; chains came adrift from the walls and stocks were snapped.  Another power encounter!  Everyone in that jail-house knew that God was on Paul's case.

But the miracle continued.  Nobody actually escaped!  Maybe they were too shell-shocked to move.  Maybe they were so interested in Paul and Silas's message.  For whatever reason they stayed where they were. 
Not all power encounters are about driving out demons or healing the sick.  Sometimes they are about the ability of God the transform our priorities and control our character. ...
Fourth miracle The jailer is converted
What an emotional roller-coaster.  Beginning with blind panic, and the Roman officer's decision to fall on his sword rather than face a court martial, then to gob-smacked relief of realising that the prisoners were still all present and correct... then the jailer said “What must I do to be saved?”  He was not asking about saving his skin.  He recognised that the rumours going round about Paul and Silas, the things the wee spae-wife said, were true.  This is a power encounter working the way it is supposed to... the power of God making people think about the truth of the Gospel... 

So the jailer believed in Jesus with all his heart.  He got water and washed Paul and Silas' wounds, showing love, compassion and respect for them. Then he was baptised – along with his whole family (which doesn't mean that babies were baptised but that everyone in the household trusted in Jesus). 

THE POINT:  Four miracles: two power-encounters, two conversions.  What do they have to teach us?

Mission is
1. Presence: Through spending time with people, showing the Father’s love in transformed character
2. Proclamation: telling the Jesus story; calling people to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
3. Power encounter: events that show the power of God.

Mission leads to Conversion that involves –
1. New birth, by the Holy Spirit.  It's something God does.  God opened Lydia's heart.  Let's pause and pray that the Lord will open hearts. 
2. Believing.  Christianity involves putting your trust in
3. Baptism.  Peter (1 Pet 3. 21) calls baptism “An appeal to God” (RSV) or “a response to God from a clean conscience” (NLT) 
4. Behaving:  a new believer compassionately washing the wounds of a prisoner, then taking his stand with the prisoner, for the Gospel.  
5. Belonging:  the practise of community.  Mission leads to conversion which leads to belonging.  I really struggle with the idea of “coming to Church” I want us to start being Church!
Very much, “as it was in the beginning”...  Christianity is made of these things, not just in Jerusalem, but in Philippi.   

THE Problem “But that was 2000 years ago, Pastor.”   Things have changed.  It's not that easy now in 2014 in Fife!  Things are different. You can't turn the clock back.  We know so much more than these people did: we've got the Bible; we've got nice buildings for people to come to and trained pastors to preach and lead, and wonderful praise bands.; we've got the Four Spiritual laws, we've had drive-in church and rallies in football stadiums, and God TV and Alpha and colourful literature...   You're trying to take us back to the dark ages, pastor, with all this emphasis on presence and community and the Holy Spirit. We have no confidence in the New Testament way (which worked!).  We have more confidence in the modern, institutional Church way (which generally doesn't work!)

Last Monday as I was getting on a train in Dundee, I put my foot  on something that didn't exist, and kind of fell onto the train.  I forgot to “mind the gap!”   Last week we thought about the difference between a people oriented vision of Church and a task oriented, institutional vision of Church.    I have difficulties with the gap between first century, early Church experience and our experience. We are so quick to adopt the institutional; the Bible's way is the way of presence, of community.

THE DIFFERENCE. 
Remember, Philippi is Europe.  The same Gospel message applies, it works.  In Gentile Antioch as well as Jerusalem.  The methods of Acts 2 – the power of the Spirit, faith in Jesus, baptism, transformation, life together in a radical community, they are not just for Jerusalem; they are not just for a special time in the Church's life.  They are transferable principles.  Luke is telling us the Gospel is still the gospel, wherever it goes.   Mission is still about Presence, proclamation and power.  Conversion is still about new birth, believing, baptism, behaving and belonging.
 

© Gilmour Lilly March  2014

Acts 15. 36 – 16. 12: Church as though people mattered

 Acts 15. 36 – 16. 12: Church as though people mattered
The Story
After spending some time in Antioch – probably for the whole winter – teaching the truth, encouraging young believers to grow in their faith, Paul decided it was time to go back and visit the new Churches they had planted.  Obviously, he would need to take a small team with him, for safety, encouragement, and to share the work around and practise accountability.  So he had a word with Barnabas, who suggested they take his younger cousin John mark along.  Now, John Mark had experience of a previous journey – he had gone with them from Antioch to Cyprus (Acts 13. 5)and then on to Pisidian Antioch – but had then left and gone home to Jerusalem (Acts 13. 13).  As far as Paul was concerned, John Mark was immature, unreliable, maybe a bit of a fearty; definitely not someone Paul wanted on his team: possibly a threat to the team.  Barnabas saw things differently: John Mark was related and maybe he knew him a bit better.  Maybe he saw signs of growth, maybe he was a bit more understanding... he wanted to Give the young man a second chance, to develop his gifts and encourage him to grow by taking the risk of having him on the team again. A sharp disagreement.
The argument got so heated; both men believed they were right; it was a matter of principle. Barnabas wanted to be people centred/orientated.  The relationship mattered.  Helping people grow mattered. For him, the Church was about people.  Paul wanted to be programme centred or task orientated.  The mission mattered, getting the Gospel to the nations.  For him, the Church was about mission.  

The battle still rages: the Church is people.  The Church is mission.  Which is true?  I guess both.  What is the Church?  People, or Mission? 

It's more important to be loving than to be right.   It's good to be both. You can't always be right.  You can always be loving. As  a result of this dispute, , the two perspectives went their separate ways, when they very much needed each other.
People orientated thinking can result in sentimentalism.  Blood is thicker than water and we can, if we are not careful, fail to challenge people because we are too concerned about “keeping people happy”.
Task orientated thinking can result in dehumanising, treating people only as means to an end.  Loads of Churches and other Christian organisations have gone down that road: members, students, staff, volunteers, become only a number.
 
So, Barnabas then headed off to Cyprus with John Mark, possibly “going quietly” without being “commended” by the Church.    

Meanwhile, Paul recruited Silas, and they were sent off to Derbe, Lystra, and the other places they had already visited.  At Lystra, Paul recognised the gifts of a young guy called Timothy.  Now Timothy was half-Jewish, but had not been circumcised as a child, so Paul took him and did the operation, “Because of the Jews” (6. 3).  What was that about?  Paul has not long ago gone to Jerusalem to argue against the idea that you had to be circumcised to be a Christian. For Timothy, it was “Not a matter of principle” (I H Marshall).  Paul knew Timothy was saved; but he knew that they could get trouble from other Jews who knew about Timothy's mixed background. This was not about Timothy's salvation but about helping the mission; if Paul as seen to be travelling with a half-Jew who was uncircumcised, the whole team could be criticised by the Jews in very town in Asia.  This maybe wasn't Paul's finest hour.  But it gives a real insight into the way he thought: “To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some." (1 Cor 9. 20, 22)
The person seems to matter less than the programme. I don’t know what Timothy thought of the matter! He doesn't seem to have been given much choice.

After they had visited all the churches planted in the first journey, there seems to have been a restless sense of the need to break new ground.  Paul probably fancied going to the important city of Ephesus, but journeying through Asia the Holy Spirit didn't allow them to preach; so they tried to enter Bythinia (on the Black Sea coast) but the Holy Spirit wouldn't even let them enter Bythinia.  So they ended up “stuck” in Troas, without a clear direction.  And Paul had a dream about a Macedonian – an European – begging for help. “Come over and help us.  Suddenly Paul finds a new sense of direction.   Paul just knew his next call was to preach the Gospel in Macedonia and through Greece.    The Mission is paramount. Paul's dogged, unflinching commitment to mission, meant the  Gospel crossed over into Europe: the first stage in it eventually reaching a group of small islands 2000s miles North-West.  If you're not grateful for Paul's focus on the task of mission, you should be!

Meanwhile, what about Barnabas?  He wanted to nurture growth, encouraging younger workers, as he always had done.  He took John Mark back to the place where he had successfully engaged in mission previously; where possibly the young man already had contacts, confidence.  He took him to the place where he was able to flourish.  He put him in a situation that he could cope with.  Cf.  Gideon being told to send home the men who were trembling with fear (Judges 7. 3).  There's something godly about that!  And it worked!  The young John Mark grew and developed a significant and valued ministry.   Luke doesn't mention Barnabas or Mark  again after this. But Paul does. Barnabas continued to be a respected friend of Paul's as seen in a fleeting reference in 1 Cor 9. 6, Col 4. 10.  

And as for Mark...

• He was with Paul – obviously part of the team – when Paul wrote Colossians (Col 4. 10)
• In Philemon 24 Paul calls  Mark a “fellow worker”;
• in 2 Tim 4. 11 he says “Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry”;  
• and Peter calls him “my son Mark” (1 Pet 5. 13)

When we are nurtured and properly looked after – not with sentiment but with genuine love – we grow and in fact the mission of the Church benefits as a result.
Conclusion
1. The Sovereign spirit.  The undescribed but unmistakeable work of the Holy Spirit, preventing them from preaching in Asia province; from even entering Bythinia then sending that  vision of a Macedonia … Luke is subtly aware of the action of the Sovereign Spirit of God who is at work even through the acrimony of a disagreement and division, to advance the Gospel.   When we disagree, as we will, the Holy Spirit is still at work, sovereignly working out his purposes.
2. The importance of Love.  But that doesn't mean we should be quick to disagree.  We are to be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  It really is more important to be living  than to be right.
3. The nature of Church... So there should not be a dichotomy.  The church is people – who are united in Christ; who are called to love and nurture one another.
The Church is people, who are to be valued, nurtured, and loved, not just for what they can do or give but because of who they are. 
The Church exists by mission as a fire does by burning (so said Emil Brunner).  It is people on a mission.  

© Gilmour Lilly March  2014

Acts 15. 1-35 To Let Outsiders Inside

Things were going pretty well in Antioch. They were developing a multiracial, multicultural, Church. They were reaching all sorts of people for Jesus. It was exciting, and news of it made other brought  joy to many believers.  Suddenly something happened that took the wind from their sails.  It stole their joy; it made them wonder whether they had made a mistake welcoming non-Jews into their church and a worse one sending Paul and Barnabas off to preach the gospel to the heathen nations.  They began to wonder whether the sense of joy about the success of the mission, was really misguided and misplaced.  They were considering a major u-turn in their practise. 

What happened was that visitors arrived from Jerusalem, uninvited and unauthorised, but with a pedigree, an opinion, a sense of authority and a message: they taught that you have to become circumcised to be saved (v. 1).    It is very easy for our freedom to be blown apart by a divisive element that come in with legalism, criticism, negativity.   There are two things Paul and Barnabas couldn't do with this.

Firstly, they couldn't defeat it .  (V. 2)  Their case was clear enough:  the Holy Spirit had called Paul to this work from the day of his conversion; the prophets at Antioch had confirmed that call so Saul and Barnabas were sent out with the Church's blessing; the Holy Spirit had revealed Jesus to Gentiles all over Asia Minor.  But still, they were not winning the argument.  This idea that you have to become Jewish to be a Christian had an influence, an appeal: the Church at Antioch didn't want to be out of step with the rest of the Church; it seemed they were being asked for a small concession: after all, non-Jews were allowed into the Church; they just have to get circumcised first. 

But  they couldn't accept it, either; for Paul and Barnabas, however reasonable it sounds, it's the thin end of the wedge: it is an attack on the freedom that the Gospel is all about. 

So they can't agree.     As a result, the church sent Paul and Barnabas of to Jerusalem to get a ruling from the Apostles there.   As they journey, they tell the churches what God has been doing among the Nations.... v 3f and after they arrive they're still talking about it. 

But as they gave their report, some believers from the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The gentiles must be circumcised and ordered to keep the Law of Moses.”  The same old message.  The same challenge.  An implied criticism: unless you do it our way, you're not doing it right.  So, not only was the Church in Antioch divided over this issue – so was the Church in Jerusalem. 

It began to be obvious who these guys were and where this idea was coming from.  Paul and Barnabas recognised them: what was happening was that something from their old lives – the teachings of the Pharisee party within Judaism – was still very much in charge of their thinking and speaking.  It sounded plausible; it made sense; but it wasn't the teaching of Jesus.  It was a direct challenge to the call to “let outsiders in.”   Paul later said that this Jewish legalism is another form of the “weak and miserable forces” they used to serve in their pagan days when they “did not know God”.  (Gal 4. 8-9)

 There are plenty of people around today who will teach a gospel of "Jesus and..." politics, respectability, Churchianity, traditional morality.  We need a Gospel of "Jesus only".  When we are speaking for a “party” whether political or theological, when we take up a “position” and are not prepared to negotiate around that, beware! We may find that we are speaking out of our old life.  Yes, the words may sound plausible; they may appear to make sense.  But if they are not consistent with what Jesus said, they are not from Jesus. 

Then, Peter spoke up.  Like Paul, he had been sent to the gentile Cornelius and his household, with that word “ Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” (Acts 10. 15)  He had seen how the Holy Spirit had come then as at the beginning, marking out the new believers as “the real deal.” And he reminded them that none of them were actually that brilliant at keeping the “law” so it was hypocrisy to expect new believers to do it.  

After that, people listened, perhaps with a bit more respect and without interruptions, as Paul and Barnabas had another go at telling their story of God at work among the Gentiles in Asia Minor.

Then James, the brother of Jesus spoke.   Now James had sympathies with the Pharisees. He had become a leader of the Jerusalem Church, maybe holding it together while the Apostles travelled around.  And he was a comparative newcomer: he was not convinced about Jesus until after the resurrection.  He hadn't been with the disciples at the very start. 

He had the ultimate “pedigree” as Jesus brother.  He understood those who were concerned about the Law.  He knew God's Word.  And out of that background he points out that this move among the Gentiles is something promised in the Old Testament –  it is part of God’s plan. Therefore, he says,  “we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God”. 

That’s the answer.  Jesus is good news or all nations, al sorts of people.  That is what the Spirit has been doing since the start of the Church; it's what God says in his word; it's what our experience of the Spirit confirms.  Don't call them unclean.  Don't make it difficult for them.  Don't be a hypocrite. 

As a result, the Apostles wrote a letter to the Church in Antioch, making one or two things plain. 
Firstly, “We have heard that some went out from us without our authorisation and disturbed you.”  The troublemakers had not been sent but had taken it upon themselves. 
Secondly, they told the gentiles to avoid “food sacrificed to idols, eating blood, the meat of strangled animals and to keep away from sexual immorality.”  It's good to keep away from  contact with false gods,  to avoid sins that everyone agrees are wrong,  and to respect one another's sensitivities.

Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch as soon as they could, to pass on this letter.    It brought great joy.  What a relief!   They had clear guidance.  They were able to remain part of the “Church” that was spreading all over the world.   They were able to continue with the spread.  They hadn't made a series of disastrous mistakes.  They didn't need to back pedal.  They could be united with each other and with the rest of the Christian church, in sharing the Good News of Jesus with everyone.  There was plenty to celebrate. 

And after the celebrations, there was a season of consolidation: Silas and Judas stayed for a short time and prophetically encouraged and strengthened the believers; Paul and Barnabas spent time with other members of the team in Antioch, teaching preaching (literally gospelling) God's Word.  They needed a firmer grasp on the Good News of Jesus' Kingdom, God's grace, life in the Spirit. 
And in response to that teaching, the church was shaped, not into a navel-gazing, self-obsessed self-satisfied little clique, but empowered and more intentionally open and welcoming. It wasn't long before Paul and Barnabas were sent on their next journey; soon they would be in Europe!

God still calls his people to keep away from the “Old life” with its divisiveness and legalism, to grasp the new life, “life in the Spirit”  and to be a missional church, a Good news church, an open generous joyful welcoming, going Church. 

© Gilmour Lilly February  2014

Acts 14. 19-28: Mission, Discipleship and Church.

1. Circling disciples   v. 20
After healing the lame man, you would have thought that Paul and Barnabas would have had a successful time preaching the Gospel; but Jews from Iconium turned up and created trouble so bad that Paul was dragged out of town and stoned, (the Jewish form of execution, which involved a kind of lynch mob throwing sizeable pieces of rock at the victim).  When the attackers thought he was dead and went away, the “Disciples  gathered around him.”  Literally, they formed a circle around him...  I believe that is a beautiful and important image for what discipleship is often  meant to look like.

As Paul experienced it, Discipleship was far from easy: here he is, after a potentially significant time of ministry, lying on the ground in a bloodstained heap, covered in bruises and open sores, possibly with a broken bone or two; almost certainly suffering from concussion.  He has been through the wars and is still in danger.  I don't believe he died – he refers to having been stoned (2 Cor 11. 25 ) but doesn't suggest that he actually died – but being left for dead in an out of the way place in the heat of the day could quickly have finished him off.

Some of us face huge challenges; we are under attack; we are in pain physically or emotionally; we face persecution, physical and moral dangers...   One of the activities of Disciples is that at times we circle one another...  to express compassion, protection and prayer.  You cannot have discipleship in isolation.  Discipleship involves a circle, and making a circle involves more than one person.

Let's make sure that in the times of pain, fear, and danger our brothers and sister go through, they are genuinely encircled by their Church: circled by people who know and love Jesus, and are prepared to
care.   How encouraging this moment must have been for Paul as these new disciples showed the depth of their spiritual life by gathering around him in that situation.
protect:  to protect: that may bean speaking out for someone who can't speak out for themselves; it may mean standing with someone who is under attack; it may mean pointing out the dangers so that they can avoid making silly mistakes.  “Love always protects”is a good translation of 1 Cor 13. 7.   We are able to “watch one another's backs, in the challenges of spiritual warfare.

It's kind of like circling the wagons in the old Western moves.  But beware: there is a false “circling” - when we are set upon protecting the institution, or simply our own self-interest.  A group of people can sometimes close ranks, to protect itself from the scary possibility of being outside our comfort zone: it's not so much “watching each other's backs, as the instinct of the beehive, to fight off the intruder.

Pray. Although Luke probably didn't mean to suggest that Paul was miraculously raised from the dead, he does seem to be implying that he was miraculously healed: the man left for dead rose up and entered the city.

2. Making disciples   v. 21
Then with amazing courage, Paul and Barnabas headed for the next city, Derbe, preached there and “Made a large number of disciples”.    The result of that minsitry of of encouragement was that the mission continued.  We are not called to circle each other so that disciples can get on with their lives. The result of circling one another and caring for one another, is that we are able to get on with mission.

And the Mission is making Disciples.  Not just decisions. Every believer is a disciple.  If you have trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, you are today a disciple.  Discipleship is not an optional extra for super-Christians.  All the stuff we are talking about today, is part of the ordinary, every-day bread-and-butter life of Christians.  You are part of Church.  You are called to mission; you are called to circle one another, to walk together.   You cannot have discipleship in isolation

As  Church, our vision remains “Learning to show the Father’s love.”  We are committed to life-long learning.  We are committed to the truth that every Christian is a Disciple, called to continue growing in radically following Jesus.

3. Strengthening disciples    v. 22 
Paul shows us that his call in life is not just about getting more and more people to sign up that they want to trust in Jesus.  It is about making and shaping Disciples.  So when he has finished at Derbe on the eastern end of the province of Galatia, he retraces his steps through Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples.  If they were going to survive in the difficult world they lived in, then they would need  strengthening.  The Greek word conveys the idea of being firmly established, like a stone set in the ground; or supported or nourished.  Paul wanted these Disciples' souls to become strong, so he draws alongside to encourage and comfort them.  (The word exhort is from the same root as “Paraclete” - a name for the Holy Spirit). In particular he needed to point out that the way of the Kingdom is the way of being different from the rest,   of being misunderstood, the way of suffering.

And as part of that shaping,  Paul has things to say about Church.  You cannot have discipleship in isolation.  The life of Disciples is inextricably tied up with the life of the Church.  So Paul shapes the life of the Church as well as the life of individuals....  He appoints “Elders” in every one of these Churches.  Note three things about that:
1. What they were.  The word used is “Elders”.  Now, that has become a kind of technical word: in Scotland it makes us think of the office-bearers in the Kirk. Brethren, Pentecostal-type churches and some Baptist Churches such as Charlotte Chapel have Elders.  It's become a “Churchy” word but what were “Elders”?  In Paul's day, the word had a simple, clear meaning within society: every Synagogue, every city, and the empire itself had its “Elders.”  But from the start Christian “Elders” were different – they were not just office-holders; not about governance  but about care as well.  I believe that in our approach to leadership it's OK to use language that the world will understand (instead of “churchy” language) and vital that, whatever titles we have for our leaders we have the values of Jesus.
2. Paul takes the initiative in this.  In Baptist churches we are used to the idea of “Congregational government”.  It's an idea that was radical when it was first developed before Britain was a democracy – but  it needs to be held in a radical balance with the need for leaders to lead.  Paul led by appointing Elders and when he left someone like Timothy or Titus in charge he expected them to appoint Elders too.
3. As the Church-planter he identifies those he sees as gifted – just enough – to keep the group moving in the right direction.  What is remarkable in this situation is that these “Elders” can only have been Disciples a matter of months at the most, maybe even weeks.  We do have a variety of different gifts – but God's anointing can overcome our lack of knowledge and experience.

And with these people in place, Paul leaves the area.  Strengthened by Paul's teaching and example, filled with the Holy Spirit, and with a tiny and inadequate feeling team to lead them, these wee Churches had to get on with living discipleship in their hostile world. That's a challenge for us in our hostile world!

4. v. 28  Time with the disciples.  
Eventually, Paul and Barnabas returned to the Church that had sent them out: the wonderful, boundary pushing fellowship at Syrian Antioch.  There they reported back all that had happened.  What a wonderful thing to give God the praise for what he had done.  Accountability is important in the Church; but it shouldn't be an ugly, legalistic thing; it should be a joyful thing that grows out of relationship...   And having told their story, Paul and Barnabas remained no little time with the disciples. 

Discipleship is about relationship. Time with the disciples.  Sometimes “Circling” one another in compassion, protection and prayer; sometimes comforting and strengthening one another; sometimes exercising a particular ministry; but always taking time with each other.

We need to take that time, not just to “do a job”, not even to pray or study th Bible – but to be with each other.  Relationships are an important part of discipleship. You cannot have discipleship in isolation.

So what are our action points from today?
Circling disciples: caring for one another and being cared for in the Body of Christ.
Making disciples: picking up the challenge that we are all called to discipleship and we are all called to make disciples.
Strengthening disciples: growing through the word, the Spirit, and the influence of leaders God has appointed.
Time with disciples: simply building relationships that go beyond getting things done.

© Gilmour Lilly February  2014

Acts 14. 8-20: Guidelines for healing ministry

Last week we saw how Paul and Barnabas had the exciting  “revival experience” of seeing  “Cross-cultural Crowds of Converts” and looked at  the place of Motivation, Preparation,  Communication,  Incarnation and  Demonstration in the life of a Missional movement.

Live with the mystery, engage with the ministry.
Luke then gives us a case-study on “demonstration”.  While one incident doesn’t tell us everything we need to know about the miraculous it does give us some important guidelines on  “How?”  to engaging with “Signs and Wonders”...

And the case Dr Luke gives is terse and unpromising: he was disabled, crippled in his mother's womb, he had never walked. Medically speaking, it was about as bad as it could get.  He hadn't been injured at birth.  He hadn't been run over by a number 19 chariot. A congenital defect meant he could not and had never been able to walk.  Then, one day, a small group of people gather in the market-place just by the man's begging-spot; two are obviously the leaders and one of them begins to speak.  He's talking about Jesus, the Son of God; the “change-bringer and sin-bearer”  who healed the sick, drove out the demons, died for sin and rose again...  And as he hears this message, the man thinks “If this Jesus who healed the sick is alive today, he can heal me, too!”  He realises that, “Nothing is impossible for God!” 

 That is where we start.  Nothing is impossible for God, because God never changes; the Jesus who healed the sick and drove out the demons is the same yesterday, today and forever.

There may be puzzles about why some people don't get healed in the way they ask.  But he is able to do it, and he wants to do it.  Sickness and suffering are the result of the fall, and are gatecrashers into God's world.  Let's accept that nothing is impossible for Him; that suffering isn't what he wants; and live with the mystery while trying to engage with the ministry.

Maintain the momentum of Mission
If there was a synagogue in Lystra (and there may have been, as there were enough Jews to cause trouble for Paul and Barnabas) Luke doesn't mention it.  But Luke doesn't waste words, and he may well not have wanted to repeat the same thing over and again.  What is clear though is that this incident took place in the open air, in the street or market-place.  And what is also clear is that Paul was preaching the Good News about Jesus.

All of that shows us that the healing ministry is about mission.  It takes place on the streets and is an activity of our “big-hearted God” who loves to give away the good things of his kingdom.

The word “Healed” (v 10) is σωθῆναι.  The message says “saw that he was ripe for God’s work”. We need to understand salvation as big enough to include wholeness in every part of life and healing to be part of the bigger package of salvation that people can receive from God.  Healing is part of the salvation God longs to give to people he loves.

Notice people.
Paul watched him closely as he spoke. (v. 9).  In the midst of speaking to the crowd about Jesus, Paul noticed this guy.  There may not have been much to set him apart from the crowd.  In every city centre in the empire, there would be disabled people sitting with their begging bowls.  Like so many disabled people he was below eye-level.  Yet Paul noticed; and began to focus on the man.

"Watch and pray" Jesus said. He meant "stay awake" but part of that alertness is observation.  Joking apart, when we want to engage in the healing ministry, we need to keep our eyes open.
The skill of observation is one we need to develop and use in personal ministry. What do you see? It may help you to discern what someone needs. It may even save your life...  There may be moments when we can, see something in a person, just with the eyes of common sense, that tells us there is an unusual level of pain, of need, or of faith in a person's life. 

Discern what God is doing...
So what are we "watching" for? There may be a sense of something perceptible: a peace, a quiet confidence. But I believe there was something interior, something that cannot be put into words.
We are watching for the Holy Spirit being upon a person. We are looking for something about the person that suggests God has imparted a gift of faith. Faith is God's gift. How do you "see" faith?

Paul speaks about spiritual gifts being "spiritually discerned"   (1Co 2:14)   Three things you can do from God's word...
“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart”  (Heb 4. 12)  Soak up the word
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me”  Jn 10. 27  Hang around with the Shepherd and you will get used to his voice.
“Those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.” Rom 8. 14  Stand in your sonship.

Speak up!
Paul issues a command that seems pretty brutal: “stand up on your feet.”  But as Howard Marshall says this command “was at the same time time a divine enabling to him to jump up and begin to walk”.    It is a creative word, that brings God's healing into the man's life.  We may not be able to step out in the  sort of faith Paul exercised here; we can only operate  “according to our faith”, that is when you know that is exactly what God wants you to say and when you know that God is about to do something.  But we can begin to speak out in Jesus' name, creative words that bring his healing into people's lives.  Sometimes it's right to “pray” for healing.  At other times it's right to speak God's healing into a person's life.  Jesus rebuked fevers, commanded deaf ears to be opened...

Accept Ambiguity.  
The whole crowd “Went wild” (the Message”).  Speaking in their own language, they shouted “The Gods have come down to us!”.  They decided Paul must be Hermes (the messenger-god) and the older Barnabas must be Zeus.  Some of that went over Paul and Barnabas' heads; then the local priests started to offer sacrifices to them and they realised that things were not going according to plan.  Tearing their clothes in grief, they rushed among the people to make then understand that the one living God was calling them away from worshipping idols to trust in him alone. 

Things are rarely plain sailing: it's easy to stay in our comfort zone and see the dangers in unfamiliar forms of ministry.  Healing, Street pastoring, or whatever, can be misinterpreted.  It didn't put Paul off and it didn’t' put God off. So it shouldn't put us off, either.

We are only human,
Lastly, as Paul and Barnabas tear their clothes, they are having none of the glory! They stress, We are only human, like you.”  The Greek says “We suffer in the the same way as you.”  Paul and Barnabas were only human.  They were weak.  They suffered.  Paul once had to leave a colleague behind ill (2 Tim 4. 20), advised Timothy to take a little wine to help his indigestion (1Tim 5. 25) and prayed three times of have a “thorn in the flesh” (possibly illness) taken away (2 Cor 12. 7)
We have treasure in earthen vessels .  So
Even though we're only human, we can engage with  “signs and wonders”.  And...
No matter what miracles we see, we are still only human. 

© Gilmour Lilly February  2014

Acts 14. 1-7: “Guidelines for a Missional Movement”

After preaching the Gospel and planting new Church in Pisidian Antioch, Paul sets off towards Lystra, another Roman Colony, but makes a detour to Iconium, where as usual he goes to the synagogue and preaches the Good News of Jesus.  And there,  a great number of Jews and Greeks believed.  Cross-cultural, Crowds of converts.  Isn't that exciting and encouraging.  People believed: they were clearly convinced and converted. It's good when people believe; we all have individuals whom we want to see coming to that point in their lives. And those who did were Jews and Greeks – both sides of the biggest divide that the Church at that time had to work with.  This was  Cross cultural thing.  How exciting to see the message of Jesus touching diverse people.  Men and women, old and young, different races and colours, rich and poor; people who are “like us” and people who are totally different. And there were crowds: loads of people.  The Greek says a “many crowd”. 

Isn't that what we want?      What prevents it from happening?  Being Missional doesn't guarantee that “Revival” will happen.  But if we choose to run church our own way – we are on our own.   We need to “prepare the way of the Lord” removing the boulders and making the path straight for him.  What might that involve?

Motivation...   When Paul and Barnabas arrived in Iconium, they were eager to preach the Good news of Jesus.  When they left, they didn't go off into hiding.  They went straight to the next town and began to preach the Gospel.  Sometimes our motivation is a bit mixed up.  Sometimes – especially in smaller churches, we wish we could see people becoming Christians, to “bring them into the Church”.  Now I love the Church, as Paul did.  But his motive for preaching the Good news wasn't about bringing people into the Church.  It was about the reputation of Jesus.; and it was about the needs of the lost.  It's not about being proved right, validated by having people “admit” they were wrong and we were right.  It's not about recruiting for the church.  It's about a burning desire that lost people will be saved.  It's about longing for Jesus to be honoured.  The Gospel has to be something we are able to give away without receiving anything in return.

It seems like we need to have the kind of desire that Barnabas and Paul had for the Lost.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes on him should not perish but have everlasting life”.  We need to love like God did.

Preparation... God had actually done something already in the city: the converts were bot Jews and Greeks.  How could it be that Greeks used to worshipping many gods,  were hanging around at the synagogue  where the message was “Hear O Israel: the Lord your god is one God”?   Maybe when Paul and Barnabas arrived, they already had  a reputation, and loads of people crowded into and around the doors of the synagogue to hear.  Maybe when they arrived before the Sabbath, they said what they were there for.  Maybe they had already healed a few people. Surely,  the Holy Spirit was at work, breaking down barriers, creating openness to the Gospel.    That's Holy Spirit preparation, and I guess the only way we can do that sort of preparation is by our prayers.

Communication... They spoke in such a way that many believed. Not that they spoke “so effectively” (NIV): that suggests that the conversions somehow resulted from the clever words of the preachers.  Paul never made any claim to clever words.  But he spoke in such a way that people were saved.  That makes it a possibility for us: we can talk about Jesus in such a way that people are able to put their trust in him.  We need to present the Gospel in ways that are relevant, simple, clear, friendly and credible. 

It seems like taking candy from a kid.  Have you ever tried to take candy from a kid?  As a parent I can testify that it's not as easy as it looks!  You are likely to encounter some protest!  And despite the amazing success, this “revival” wasn't all plain sailing!  (v. 2f) As soon as it became clear that revival was happening, opposition started happening too.  Unbelieving Jews were turning gentiles against the  brothers (Luke’s' way of talking about the Church?)  

Incarnation    Paul and Barnabas respond – by staying put.  For A considerable/sufficient time they spoke boldly about the Lord...   they ignored the persecution and got on with the job they were called to do.  We need to avoid being put off by the problems, the misunderstandings, the hostility or the indifference we meet.  It is always a good idea to find out why people are indifferent, hostile, or suspicious.  We can do that through the gentle art of presence and conversation. 

Lengthy, persevering  ministry, staying  a long time.  Just being there.  We need to hang in there.  The trouble with many of our ideas of revival, is that they are based on our terrible desire for a quick fix or an easy life. 

Much of the work of a “Missional Movement” is the long, slow, painstaking work of “incarnation: it is being there, alongside people; sticking with them; partying with them; struggling with them.  Lesley has done some of her outreach work as a hospital inpatient, where she has had amazing opportunities to talk with fellow patients about Jesus.  Andy Scarcliffe when he was in Barnton, used to go the Leisure centre where the Church met.  He would take his laptop and prepare sermons in the café; he would work out in the gym.  He became recognised – part of the furniture of the place – and found opportunities to talk about Jesus.  Chris Duffett, last year's President of the BU of Great Britain, exercises an outreach ministry within old settee that he takes into shopping malls, and sits down with a sign that says “I will listen.”   That's why I try to visit the Helping Hands club as regularly as I can on a Thursday evening.  People have asked my why I chose to do a University Counselling course instead of a Christian one.  Part of the answer is that one word: Incarnation.

Demonstration:   The Lord was bearing witness to the word of grace by giving signs and wonders to happen through their hands. One specific aspect of this “incarnational" ministry, was that the Lord himself was through the evidence of the supernatural: “Signs and wonders”.  The phrase is used about 13 times in the OT and 16 times in the NT.  9 of these are in Acts.  “Signs and wonders” were very much part of what the early church understood to have been in the ministry of Jesus, and very much part of their ministry too. Note that God was doing this through their hands. 

1.  “God giving testimony” through the miraculous.  “Signs and wonders”  are God's work... God graciously gives this stuff away, because he loves men and women.
2.  It is testimony.  It's in the Mission context for a mission purpose – to confirm the word; not just to excite, impress, or comfort the in-group of he Church.
3.  it is through their hands.  Not just their prayers; and certainly not their skill or power.  Just their hands, as they allowed themselves to be channel;s of his power.
 The city as a result, is divided. (v. 4f) Some are with the Jews (in opposition to the Gospel, not in adopting Judaism; others are with the apostles.

Opposition    Apostolic ministry brought division.  It began with a subtle, underhand “smear” campaign (v. 2); grew into a division within the whole city (v. 4); until the Jewish leaders were plotting violence against Paul and Barnabas (v. 5) 

A Missional church, or one that is experiencing revival, is not going to be universally popular. It isn't guaranteed an easy ride.  However motivated we are, that motivation will be challenged.  However the Lord prepared the way, the enemy will try to block it; we can be the best we can in terms of good communication and loving presence, and still be  misunderstood and hated.  Even “Signs and wonders”, the power of God visibly at work, doesn't prevent us from having a hard time.  As a mission movement we need motivation, to preparation, communication, incarnation and demonstration.

© Gilmour Lilly February  2014