Acts 19... Discipleship, Baptism, Spirit and Church
Discipleship: Incremental, incomplete Discipleship.
Paul is back on his travels, making a third journey in Turkey, heading to the big and important city of Ephesus; you remember he made a brief visit there on his way home from Corinth and promised to revisit... This time he found a situation that had developed in his absence... the story begins with a wee group who seem to be Christians but when Paul met them but they had not encountered the Holy Spirit, nor been baptised in the Name of Jesus. I want to look at their story this morning... These guys lived in the melting pot of ideas that had found their way to Ephesus: people like Apollos had come and taught about Jesus and although he taught well he missed some things out.
How far on were these people in their Christian journey? As Paul sits with these guys, he becomes aware of things that make him uncomfortable, maybe. They knew about John the Baptist. They knew that Jesus was the coming “One, who was greater than John...” They understood about repentance. Did they know about the completed work of Jesus? Did they know about forgiveness of sins? Did they know Jesus had risen from the dead? They had not yet received the Holy Spirit, and denied any knowledge of who the Spirit is. So there were gaps in their understanding.
But Luke records two things about them: (1) They were Disciples. Always in Luke “Disciple” means “Christian.” If Luke meant that these guys were just disciples of John the Baptist, he was using the word in a very unusual way. (2) they had “believed”. The tense indicates a simple factual event. These guys had clearly believed in Jesus, take some sort of step to put their trust in him.
That tells me that Discipleship is not something to be neatly packaged up. We can draw an invisible – or sometime a very visible – circle around ourselves, and say “These people are in and these people are out.” But we might have difficulty deciding whether the people in this story were in or out. If Christianity were simply about “who is going to heaven?” maybe these questions would make sense. But Christianity isn't just about buying the ticket; it's about making the journey. Christianity is Discipleship: discipleship is learning: learning is a process. We are all incomplete disciples. John Drane says “Discipleship is messy because life is messy”.
The Diverse Church.
Luke adds a wee observation: there were about twelve men in all. This wasn't the entire Church in Ephesus. There was at least one other group – that had the godly Aquila and Priscilla in it and had written a letter of recommendation tor Apollos. And there may have been others. What we have in this story is a picture of a small group, which apparently had not very much contact with the other Christian groups in their city; the Ephesian Church consisted of unconnected or loosely connected local groups. This was one of the Ephesian House churches – but Paul was investing in them.
Paul recognises the diversity of the Church. Just as discipleship is a journey, messy round the edges, so church is open at the edges, consisting of divergent groups of people. We often think that the only right way to run the church is something like what we are experiencing this morning – a group of people who meet to sing hymns and songs, to be taught from the Bible, and so on; it has office-bearers, a pastor, a music group, kids work. But the Church in Ephesus consisted of house churches, and some of them were small, struggling, slightly mixed up groups of people who got things wrong. And that's OK, because Paul still invested in this small, muddled group of believes. Mike Breen says if we emphasise building the Church, we will probably not make disciples, but if we focus on making disciples, we ill build the Church.
Jesus-centred Baptism
Paul discerns that they have no experience of the Spirit. We’ll come back to that; first it leads to another question: “What kind of baptism did you receive?” “Well, you know how John baptised people who wanted to clean their lives up? We were kind of baptised that way.” To our Western minds, it may seem a bit like splitting hairs, but that's where Paul begins in sorting things out.
John's baptism was about repentance, turning from sin; but that was to be ready for Messiah coming, for Jesus. John's baptism was about expectation rather than fulfilment (says F F Bruce)
John could whet people's appetites. The fulfilment came and comes through Jesus. He brings God’s reign, ; he brings forgiveness, cleansing, new life. He has taken our sins away, conquered death; and risen again. He is the Baptiser in the Spirit. The Spirit comes to bring us the kingdom.
A baptism based on expectation, preparing the way, is inappropriate, now that the fulfilment has come. A baptism of expectation is centred on us – our repentance, what we are doing to be ready for the one who is to come. That is inadequate. The fulfilment has come. We need a baptism of fulfilment. A baptism of fulfilment is centred on Jesus, on what he does, what he has accomplished on the cross and what he wants to do in your life. It goes beyond repentance (which is what we do) to a confident faith in what God does: by faith we welcome the presence of Jesus, the new life he gives, the power of the holy Spirit. So they were baptised in water, in the Name of Jesus (or, Mt 28, “of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”) Basically it's the same thing. To know Jesus as Saviour and Kingdom bringer, is to know him as “one with the Father” and as “baptiser in the Spirit”. We need to articulate a faith that is not just about what we do but about what God does.
Lastly, The indispensable Spirit.
Paul's first question: “Did you receive the Spirit when you believed?” tells us two things.
(1) Paul observes the absence of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit “Seals” us as belonging to Jesus and a seal was something you could see. There were things Paul was looking for as evidence of the Spirit: gifting, awareness of sonship, freedom, fruit including love. The idea that the Holy Spirit comes to us as this vague, imperceptible influence that may just make us feel a wee bit better deep inside, is not how the New Testament understands the Holy Spirit. He was there at the beginning of time. The book of Genesis says “The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the deep.” His action caused the prophets to know and speak God's word; his action caused the virgin Mary to conceive and bear a child. He is God at work.
(2) The coming of the Spirit rightly belongs with believing, with discipleship. The Spirit is for every believer, every disciple. Some people use this text to prove that every believer should seek to receive the Holy Spirit after they come to faith. But that is turning the truth on its head. It makes receiving the Spirit an add-on to the Christian life. But Paul is not asking whether they have had a second experience; he is asking whether the experience that is the natural consequence of believing has happened. He's not talking about an add-on; he's talking about something that is central to the Christian life. It's not a optional extra; it is part of the package. God never planned for there to be some Christians who are “Spirit-filled” and others who aren't. HE never planned it for there to be some Christians who have an experience of the Spirit and others who are just normal. He planned it for every Christian to have an experience of the Spirit. Spirit filled Christianity is just normal Christianity. David Pawson says “The Normal Christian Birth” involes repentance, faith, water baptism and receivign the spirit. Baptism in the Spirit – being immersed in the Holy Spirit, overwhelmed by the Spirit – is not an add-on; it is normal Christianity. Paul is not offering the “Next stage” for these disciples. Instead, he is sorting out what is missing in their discipleship.
So, this passage doesn't prove passage that every Christian needs a second experience when they are baptised in eh spirit. What it does prove is that every Christian is supposed to have a vital, vibrant, living experience of the Holy Spirit. He is indispensable. If that overwhelming and baptism with the Spirit is not part of your Christian experience, it is meant to be. And like these disciples in Ephesus, God wants to make your Christian birth complete by baptising you in the Holy Spirit.
© Gilmour Lilly July 2014
Sunday, 20 July 2014
Sunday, 13 July 2014
Acts 18. 18-28: “Teamwork!”
Acts 18. 18-28: “Teamwork!”
When Neymar was injured in the Colombia match newspapers were asking questions like, “Can Brazil win the 2014 World Cup without Neymar"” and “Who will pick up the slack in Neymar's absence"”; and another question, “Could Neymar’s injury have been avoided"” It looks very much like Brazil had become dependent of Neymar; they had forgotten how to play as a team and their fence was in tatters against Germany. There's a lesson there for the Church: we need to play as a team, rather than building everything around one or two “star players.”
Eventually Paul knew it was time to move on from Corinth. He had pioneered with the Gospel in Greece; he had made a bit of a change in strategy: he spent a “considerable time” in Iconium (Ac 14. 3) which means he was delayed there for a while, but he actually settled for over 18 months at Corinth. It was the longest he had stayed anywhere on his journeys so far. How were they going to manage when he moved on? As we said last week, they did mess up quite badly – at every opportunity – and needed ongoing support. Paul spent 18 months in Corinth, but continued to be concerned and exercise a leadership ministry, through his letters. Elsewhere, his visits were shorter yet he still wrote when there were issues to sort out. Paul saw himself as part of a team. Almost al of his letters were written from Paul and one or two others, or else included greetings from others. The shape of ministry in this growing, developing New Testament church movement, was totally flexible, and totally corporate. It was always teamwork.
The idea of the “One man Ministry” where someone is appointed by a local church to serve its needs and further its objects, is a modern development of a mediaeval idea: the Parish priest. The earliest Church supported ministry, releasing good teachers from the need to earn an income in order to minister the Word. But it also saw those teachers and leaders raised up from amongst the local community. I wonder whether in our post-modern world we need to recover the flexibility of the earliest Church.?
Team Prayers
So Paul left Corinth, taking Aquila and Priscilla with him; but before getting on board ship, he – had a haircut! Although Luke – the Gentile doctor – was a bit vague about this it was obviously important enough to mention. All Luke knows is “it was some sort of vow”. What is that all about? It was likely a “Nazirite” vow, which Paul had taken: this would involve a commitment for a period of time, to drink no alcohol, and neither to shave or have a a haircut. Samson was the classic Old Testament example of a Nazirite, although he was one from birth and for life. His parents were told to brig him up from birth, abstaining from alcohol and never having his hair cut... You know the story. From his long hair – or rather because of his obedience to what God had said about him – he had this amazing strength. (You can read about Samson in Judges 13-16)
Jews would take a “Nazirite vow” for different reasons: often, either in thanksgiving for something God had done, or to express particular urgency in prayer. Luke doesn't tell us which Paul was doing, but the fact that he had his hair shaved off before leaving Greece, suggests that it may have been a way of expressing his commitment to mission in Greece, or perhaps specifically in Corinth. Or of praying for the Jews who had rejected the gospel in Corinth; or of praying for the salvation of the Corinthians...
What that tells me is that Paul's spirituality was kind of diverse. Unlike his hair, it wasn’t all that “cut and dried”. Of course, as Disciple of Jesus, he had no reason to feel he “had to” keep these old laws; he knew that God had already given him “every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus”, that he who had given his only son would with him give all that Paul would ever need in his ministry and mission. But I suspect it still helped Paul to go back to his Jewish roots and there to find resources that helped him focus his prayers. We too often define “prayer” as “talking to God”. We read our Bibles (and expect God to talk to us) and we talk to God (saying we are sorry for our sins, praising him, asking for his help). We have forgotten that Jesus gave us bread and wine; we have forgotten that Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit, who gives gifts that transcend the human mind – like speaking in tongues. We have forgotten that God made us with five senses and calls us to draw close to him with each of these senses and in ways that go beyond our senses. So, if it helps you to fast, then fast. If it helps you to look at a cross, or hold a cross, then do so. If you commune with God through being out in the countryside, or in the garden, be there and expect God to eb there too.
So Paul is heading for Caesarea so he can visited “the Church (meaning the “Mother Church” at Jerusalem). And while in Jerusalem, he would also visit the temple and make the sacrifice that went along with finishing his Nazirite vow. Then after that, he would go “home” to Antioch, the adventurous, creative centre in Syria that had sent him out in the first place. This homeward journey, with its haircut, its visit to Jerusalem and its final destination of Antioch, shows us a lot about the inner life of Paul. It shows is someone who prayed, and who relied on the support of other people – traditional Jewish Christians like those he found in Jerusalem, and the more adventurous missionary church in Antioch.
Team Players
But first, he broke his journey in Ephesus, which was where Aquila and Priscilla were going. Stopping off like that was a normal thing in the ancient world. And Ephesus was another important centre, where he had a good time preaching in the synagogue. God was at work there, but Paul had another journey to make so he promised to come back if possible, and off he went. But ministry and mission were continuing. Aquila and Priscilla were in Ephesus already, and there may have been a few other believers. Then, along came Apollos. a Greek-speaking Jew, who had been living in Alexandria, Egypt. Alexandria was another “University town”, a respected place of learning, so Apollos knew his Old Testament and had learned about Greek philosophy, and how to argue a case in public. he had natural gifts that could be harnessed by the Holy Spirit. But he hadn't got everything right. He was well-read; he knew about Jesus, and trusted Jesus. But there were gaps in his knowledge; he only knew about John's baptism. It seems that the version of Christianity that had reached Alexandria was not 100% right and that Apollos had picked up some messed up theology.
So when Apollos turned up in Ephesus, and started preaching in the synagogue about Jesus, Aquila and Priscilla heard him,. They realised that there were gaps in his understanding. (They knew a thing or two: they had been on on Paul's team for a year and a half!) So they (both of them – Priscilla as well as Aquila!) invited him to their home and straightened out his ideas. I like that: Christian discipling and teaching, taking place in someone's home, presumably around good food.
Eventually, Apollos wanted to go off and preach about Jesus elsewhere: eh wanted to go to Achaea (Southern Greece), so the Church encouraged and supported him, sending him off with a letter (to prove he was a genuine believer with a ministry.) and off he went, making a difference in places like Corinth, by debating with the Jews about Jesus, and proving from the Old testament that Jesus was the Messiah.
Now Apollos' ministry was different to Paul’s. Paul was an all-rounder, a Church planter. Apollos was a specialist: today we would call him an apologist. His gift was giving people reasons for believing. Some people in Corinth thought he was marvellous: probably many came to faith in Jesus through his debating skills. And some in Corinth thought Paul was marvellous. I guess they were dong the same as we sometimes do: they were trying to narrow down Jesus, to narrow down the Gospel, to tie it up into categories that are easy to package. Eventually Paul wrote to them "I planted, Apollos watered, but God kept everything growing." (1Co 3:6) Paul was a team player. He recognised and was not threatened by the gifts and ministry of others in the team.
God was sovereignly at work, in Paul's absence, through people like Apollos, Aquila, Priscilla. A little Church group at Ephesus was already getting established, probably meeting in Aquila and Priscilla's house. And there were other groups, that probably met separately. Guess what? God was at work in them all, in different way and in different stages. There is only one Good News. But there are many ways of expressing it; many ways of coming to faith in Jesus; many ways of praying, many shapes and that ministry can take. We are all called to be team players.
© Gilmour Lilly July 2014
When Neymar was injured in the Colombia match newspapers were asking questions like, “Can Brazil win the 2014 World Cup without Neymar"” and “Who will pick up the slack in Neymar's absence"”; and another question, “Could Neymar’s injury have been avoided"” It looks very much like Brazil had become dependent of Neymar; they had forgotten how to play as a team and their fence was in tatters against Germany. There's a lesson there for the Church: we need to play as a team, rather than building everything around one or two “star players.”
Eventually Paul knew it was time to move on from Corinth. He had pioneered with the Gospel in Greece; he had made a bit of a change in strategy: he spent a “considerable time” in Iconium (Ac 14. 3) which means he was delayed there for a while, but he actually settled for over 18 months at Corinth. It was the longest he had stayed anywhere on his journeys so far. How were they going to manage when he moved on? As we said last week, they did mess up quite badly – at every opportunity – and needed ongoing support. Paul spent 18 months in Corinth, but continued to be concerned and exercise a leadership ministry, through his letters. Elsewhere, his visits were shorter yet he still wrote when there were issues to sort out. Paul saw himself as part of a team. Almost al of his letters were written from Paul and one or two others, or else included greetings from others. The shape of ministry in this growing, developing New Testament church movement, was totally flexible, and totally corporate. It was always teamwork.
The idea of the “One man Ministry” where someone is appointed by a local church to serve its needs and further its objects, is a modern development of a mediaeval idea: the Parish priest. The earliest Church supported ministry, releasing good teachers from the need to earn an income in order to minister the Word. But it also saw those teachers and leaders raised up from amongst the local community. I wonder whether in our post-modern world we need to recover the flexibility of the earliest Church.?
Team Prayers
So Paul left Corinth, taking Aquila and Priscilla with him; but before getting on board ship, he – had a haircut! Although Luke – the Gentile doctor – was a bit vague about this it was obviously important enough to mention. All Luke knows is “it was some sort of vow”. What is that all about? It was likely a “Nazirite” vow, which Paul had taken: this would involve a commitment for a period of time, to drink no alcohol, and neither to shave or have a a haircut. Samson was the classic Old Testament example of a Nazirite, although he was one from birth and for life. His parents were told to brig him up from birth, abstaining from alcohol and never having his hair cut... You know the story. From his long hair – or rather because of his obedience to what God had said about him – he had this amazing strength. (You can read about Samson in Judges 13-16)
Jews would take a “Nazirite vow” for different reasons: often, either in thanksgiving for something God had done, or to express particular urgency in prayer. Luke doesn't tell us which Paul was doing, but the fact that he had his hair shaved off before leaving Greece, suggests that it may have been a way of expressing his commitment to mission in Greece, or perhaps specifically in Corinth. Or of praying for the Jews who had rejected the gospel in Corinth; or of praying for the salvation of the Corinthians...
What that tells me is that Paul's spirituality was kind of diverse. Unlike his hair, it wasn’t all that “cut and dried”. Of course, as Disciple of Jesus, he had no reason to feel he “had to” keep these old laws; he knew that God had already given him “every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus”, that he who had given his only son would with him give all that Paul would ever need in his ministry and mission. But I suspect it still helped Paul to go back to his Jewish roots and there to find resources that helped him focus his prayers. We too often define “prayer” as “talking to God”. We read our Bibles (and expect God to talk to us) and we talk to God (saying we are sorry for our sins, praising him, asking for his help). We have forgotten that Jesus gave us bread and wine; we have forgotten that Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit, who gives gifts that transcend the human mind – like speaking in tongues. We have forgotten that God made us with five senses and calls us to draw close to him with each of these senses and in ways that go beyond our senses. So, if it helps you to fast, then fast. If it helps you to look at a cross, or hold a cross, then do so. If you commune with God through being out in the countryside, or in the garden, be there and expect God to eb there too.
So Paul is heading for Caesarea so he can visited “the Church (meaning the “Mother Church” at Jerusalem). And while in Jerusalem, he would also visit the temple and make the sacrifice that went along with finishing his Nazirite vow. Then after that, he would go “home” to Antioch, the adventurous, creative centre in Syria that had sent him out in the first place. This homeward journey, with its haircut, its visit to Jerusalem and its final destination of Antioch, shows us a lot about the inner life of Paul. It shows is someone who prayed, and who relied on the support of other people – traditional Jewish Christians like those he found in Jerusalem, and the more adventurous missionary church in Antioch.
Team Players
But first, he broke his journey in Ephesus, which was where Aquila and Priscilla were going. Stopping off like that was a normal thing in the ancient world. And Ephesus was another important centre, where he had a good time preaching in the synagogue. God was at work there, but Paul had another journey to make so he promised to come back if possible, and off he went. But ministry and mission were continuing. Aquila and Priscilla were in Ephesus already, and there may have been a few other believers. Then, along came Apollos. a Greek-speaking Jew, who had been living in Alexandria, Egypt. Alexandria was another “University town”, a respected place of learning, so Apollos knew his Old Testament and had learned about Greek philosophy, and how to argue a case in public. he had natural gifts that could be harnessed by the Holy Spirit. But he hadn't got everything right. He was well-read; he knew about Jesus, and trusted Jesus. But there were gaps in his knowledge; he only knew about John's baptism. It seems that the version of Christianity that had reached Alexandria was not 100% right and that Apollos had picked up some messed up theology.
So when Apollos turned up in Ephesus, and started preaching in the synagogue about Jesus, Aquila and Priscilla heard him,. They realised that there were gaps in his understanding. (They knew a thing or two: they had been on on Paul's team for a year and a half!) So they (both of them – Priscilla as well as Aquila!) invited him to their home and straightened out his ideas. I like that: Christian discipling and teaching, taking place in someone's home, presumably around good food.
Eventually, Apollos wanted to go off and preach about Jesus elsewhere: eh wanted to go to Achaea (Southern Greece), so the Church encouraged and supported him, sending him off with a letter (to prove he was a genuine believer with a ministry.) and off he went, making a difference in places like Corinth, by debating with the Jews about Jesus, and proving from the Old testament that Jesus was the Messiah.
Now Apollos' ministry was different to Paul’s. Paul was an all-rounder, a Church planter. Apollos was a specialist: today we would call him an apologist. His gift was giving people reasons for believing. Some people in Corinth thought he was marvellous: probably many came to faith in Jesus through his debating skills. And some in Corinth thought Paul was marvellous. I guess they were dong the same as we sometimes do: they were trying to narrow down Jesus, to narrow down the Gospel, to tie it up into categories that are easy to package. Eventually Paul wrote to them "I planted, Apollos watered, but God kept everything growing." (1Co 3:6) Paul was a team player. He recognised and was not threatened by the gifts and ministry of others in the team.
God was sovereignly at work, in Paul's absence, through people like Apollos, Aquila, Priscilla. A little Church group at Ephesus was already getting established, probably meeting in Aquila and Priscilla's house. And there were other groups, that probably met separately. Guess what? God was at work in them all, in different way and in different stages. There is only one Good News. But there are many ways of expressing it; many ways of coming to faith in Jesus; many ways of praying, many shapes and that ministry can take. We are all called to be team players.
© Gilmour Lilly July 2014
Sunday, 6 July 2014
Acts 18. 1-17: Mission like Jesus
Acts 18. 1-17: Mission like JesusHere's a wee puzzle. Why would Paul only spend a few weeks in Athens (remember – the “Edinburgh” of ancient Greece? A city of education, culture, refinement. A city with the reputation for being the smartest university in the Roman world) and spend over a year and a half in vulgar, promiscuous, brassy, commercial Corinth? Even the Jews in Athens hadn't given Paul much bother.
The Place.
For a start, Corinth was the capital of the Roman province of Achaia (Southern Greece). It was a port, with a suburb called Lechaeum facing west towards Rome, and 5 miles away the East-facing harbour of Cenchrea. And there was a paved road between the two harbours allowing cargo – and sometimes whole ships – to be pulled from one side to the other avoiding the stormy southern tip of Greece. Quite a place. So it was a strategic place for mission. A lively, healthy Christian community in Corinth could be a hub for sending the gospel all the way to Rome. People were always passing through; as they did so, they could hear about Jesus.
And Corinth was a place of challenge. It was "Sin City" As a port, with a constantly moving population, lots of people without roots there, lots of money to be made, and spent, Corinth developed a reputation for wild, drunken, promiscuous lifestyle. In fact the Greeks (who were not famed for being quiet, sober, clean-living types) had a word for being particularity debauched: Korinthiazein “to behave like a Corinthian”... When he went to Corinth and settled there, Paul was being like Jesus, who was known as “a friend of tax collectors and sinners” (Lk 7. 34) and who welcomed, and received the kisses and perfume of a weeping prostitute (Lk 7. 36-39). Being grace-bearers, out of our comfort zone, among the last, the lost and the least, is the Jesus way to approach mission.
And it seems as if the people Paul connected with at Corinth were the poorer, weaker, less able ones. In fact Paul wrote later to the Corinthians, “Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise.” (1 Cor 1. 26f)... Corinth was a place of Simplicity. Paul wrote more letters to Corinth than to any other church: four letters in all. They got in such a mess about sex, about Communion, about food laws, about taking each other to court, about who was the best preacher, about the gifts of the Spirit. Their great tendency to get things wrong was the down-side of their simplicity. The more positive side was that they were able to have a very simple faith. So Paul had come to them, not with clever words but, like Jesus, “with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power” (1 Cor 2. 4)
The People
At Corinth, Paul made two new, special friends: Priscilla and Aquila, fellow Jews and tent-makers, and probably already believers when they met Paul (although I like the idea of Paul sharing life with them before they trusted Jesus for themselves!). They were refugees from Rome, where Claudius had ejected the Jews recently – incidentally, because of a disturbance among the Roman Jews about Christianity. These comparatively new, previously unknown Christians, then, were Paul's team, his support group in the earliest days in Corinth. Together they worked at their trade, kept open home, talked about Jesus. It is the natural thing to share resources, spend time and learn together with brothers and sisters. Paul received from them and imparted something to them. They eventually moved on with Paul when he left town: could it be that they caught the “mission bug” from Paul?
Then, when Silas and Timothy arrived, bringing gifts from the Macedonian Churches (2 Cor 11. 9; Phil 4. 15), Paul was able to give up making tents and focus all his energy on preaching the Gospel. Last week we had BMS Sunday; and this week we have had news from Andrew and Maria. I was really challenged by what we heard last Sunday: God is doing amazing things through the BMS worldwide; we have mission partners who are wonderful men and women of faith. They are our brothers and sisters, our family – as are those who trust in Jesus and work with them in Tunisia, or Iraq. Supporting “overseas mission” is not about giving money to some “organisation” that does stuff on our behalf. It is a people thing. It telescopes our life as a Church, out in our case into the Arab world,,, and blessings come back to us as a result. Let's engage with the people who are out there. They are part of us.
This “people” thing is fundamentally, inseparably part of what it means to be church. Church was never intended to be a “religious organisation”. The Church is people. It is humanity, in shared relationship to god. From that “Sonship” we become “family” with each other. As “Family” we share our lives, share our resources, with each other, support each other, build each other up.
The pain
The Jews: it seemed like “same old same old...” it had happened before in Thessalonica and Berea. Only in Corinth there seems to be a particularly nasty edge: “became abusive” is literally “Blasphemed” . Now it could be that there were many Jews in Corinth who had already been part of the trouble in Rome: like the terrorism in Syria, these things have a habit of spreading. It may be there was a certain fear in response to growing anti-Semitism of the Empire. To i9llustrate that, about fifteen years later, Nero came to power, and decided to build a canal across the Corinthian isthmus – using 6000 Jewish slaves.) There may have been resentment as many Jews were turning to Jesus. Whatever sharpened the opposition in Corinth, it was painful, and Paul (again like Jesus) “shook out his clothes” as he left the synagogue, to preach to the gentiles. But Paul did not do this lightly. He knew that he, too, had been a blasphemer (1 Timothy 1:13). It's kind of too easy to say “these people are hard... we've tried and failed to give them the Gospel; so lee’s give up trying.” So Paul left the Synagogue, but the Jews continued to cause trouble, trying to bring the Christians to court. There is pain in “trying and failing”; there is pain in seeing someone make the same mistakes you have made; there is pain in being misunderstood and misrepresented.
The possibilities...
It isn't all bad. When Paul moved his meetings to Titius Justus' house, the synagogue rules, Crispus, comes along with all his family and and trusted in Jesus. God is at work! God is on the case!
Now Paul admitted that when he came to Corinth he was “in great fear and trembling” (1 Cor 2. 3). He needed all the encouragement he could get. So God encouraged him: Paul saw a vision of Jesus, who promised protection and success: “I have many people in this city” implies “they are not yet believers but I am on their case!” The Jesus Way is fundamentally about immediacy, about relationship. As well as being about walking with each other, it is about walking with God. It is about a God who speaks; it is about a God who sends his Spirit; it is about a God who intervenes, who is always present. That doesn't mean we have a God who will always give us an easy time. When he speaks, he challenges and stirs; when he moves, he calls us to move, too; to be active as His people. He looks on us with love, but he is looking for fruit! However, he is at work; he sends his Spirit; he speaks. He has many people in this garden City – they are not yet believers; but he is on the case!
And at the end of the story, after the Jews have tried to get Paul arrested, and Governor Gallio has sent them packing, the new synagogue leader, Sosthenes, got beaten up. It's difficult to tell who did this: it may have been an anti-Semitic attack; more likely the synagogue turned on him for not persuading Gallio to arrest Paul. Was Sosthenes at variance with the majority in the synagogue because he thinking about becoming a Christian? I don’t know. But in 1 Cor 1.1 Paul mentions his “brother Sosthenes” and Sosthenes is not a common Greek name; it's almost certain this same Sosthenes who was leader of the Synagogue, also trusted in Jesus. So in the midst of confusion and pain, God's Spirit is at work. God is on the case!
So, at Corinth, Paul's mission was strategic, people-centred, generous, compassionate, courageous, supernatural. Very much like Jesus! We finish, as we started, with a question. “In our mission, who are we like?”
© Gilmour Lilly July 2014
Sunday, 6 April 2014
Acts 17.16-34 Passion for souls...
Acts 17.16-34 Passion for souls...
Edinburgh is the “Athens of the North”, so Athens was the “Edinburgh of ancient Greece” City of culture, fine art, learning, steeped in history. A classy place to hang out, with bustling streets, lots of sight-seeing, plenty of entertainment. Paul was waiting around in Athens for his friends – the rest of his team – to arrive. And as he took in a bit of sight-seeing, he noticed temples, statues, wee street shrines. Paul got angry, disturbed. The word means “urged on, stimulated” or “provoked, irritated, or made stronger or worse.”
We need to get rattled. We need to be shaken out of the complacency that whispers in our ears
“Nobody much is interested in the Gospel these days so why bother with evangelism?”
“If God wants to save them, he will speak to them”
“They'll think I'm an idiot! Best to keep off religion”
“”We're too busy/tired/ignorant of the Gospel/we don't have the team to share our faith”
”Everyone has their own truth; you can't force your ideas on other people!”
We need to get rattled. Paul got angry. The RSV says “his spirit was provoked within him” (RSV). We need that to happen to us, to shake us out of our complacency. That shaking is theological: a response to truth; it is emotional: something inside us that we feel; and it is spiritual: it is something God does.
Firstly, it is a theological process. He saw idols everywhere. The Message says “The city was a junkyard of idols”. He saw all this junk, all this tat, all these carvings of elegant goddesses and chubby little cupids... and his reaction was not “Hey, isn't that cute?” his reaction was Victor Meldrew: “I don't believe it!” How can they? How on earth can they have so many idols. That's a response to truth.
The first motivation for mission, is jealousy for God's honour. There's a God in Heaven, who is almighty, eternal, totally good, pure, who radiates with the power that called everything into being; and yet they can fill their city full of these trashy images; they can imagine that somehow this stuff connects them with the ineffable and eternal? How can they have the cheek to equate the almighty, mysterious god, with these grotesque images of fat little boys with wings and arrows?
Do we believe in God? Do we believe in the Three-in-One, the Triune? Do we believe he matters? If he exists, if he is who the Bible says he is, then he ought to be worshipped. If every man, woman and child on this planet owes every breath they take, to this God, isn't it right that every man, woman and child should worship this God? If this God offers grace and forgiveness to those who trust in his son, comes to his creatures in such generosity, isn't it right that those creatures should respond to him is surrender and reverence? Isn't every idol, every distraction, every thing that men and women put in the place of God, everything that men and women use to fill the God-shaped gap inside, just wrong?
The second motivation for mission, is concern for God's children. How can theses people be so totally lost? This One True God says “you shall have no other gods before me”, and these people were ignoring that command. were blithely surrounding themselves with little tin gods that somehow represented the ideal forms that people aspire to – like after-shave or lipstick adverts today... “because you’re worth it!”
Do we believe in God? Do we believe in his holiness and justice? Do we believe he judges. Aren't those idols so empty, so futile, so meaningless? Are they not in the end doing untold, eternal damage to those who follow them, serve them, trust them?
That jealousy, that passion, is theologically driven; it is truth that sets it free in our lives. We need to dwell in the word of god until idolatry and the lost state of people in or world, stings like lemon juice on an open sore.
Secondly, it is emotionally expressed. Luke tells us that “Paul’s spirit was provoked”. His human spirit: the deep inner core of who Paul's being, a level deeper than intellect and sentiment, was stirred up. It is something that happens in the human spirit. He felt it. One of the Greek words translated “compassion” literally means “gut-wrenching”. Now we sometimes get a bit afraid of “emotionalism” in Bible believing churches. But if we are going to be a new testament kind of Church, we need more emotion, not less. We need to feel passion for God and compassion for his people at a deep level.
And thirdly it is spiritually inspired. The human spirit is the part of us where the Holy Spirit lives. So when Paul's spirit was provoked, the Holy Spirit was at work. Word and Spirit Christians believe that the Word of God and the Spirit of God flow together in our lives, to lead us and guide us and motivate us. We need the Holy Spirit to take the word of god, the theological truth of who God is, and set it on fire, to provide the “head of steam” to power us in mission. Mission is only fuelled and sustained by joy. If mission is lacking, it’s because joy and delight in God are lacking. “Come Holy Spirit!”
Team or no team, there is no question of “this not being the right time” for mission in Athens. It certainly wasn't the time for sight-seeing. Paul can't contain himself. He once said “Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:16NIV) or “I couldn’t keep from preaching it if I wanted to. I would be utterly miserable. (Living Bible). How we need to get rattled, jealous so that it can't be “not the right moment”.
We need to Get relational. Paul's response to this deep feeling of jealousy and anger, was to connect with people. First – as ever – with his fellow Jews. He reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks (RSV), but also with whoever would listen in the marketplace (v. 17) J B Phillips suggests “He felt compelled to discuss the matter with the Jews in the synagogue...” He didn't need to convince Jews to turn away from idols, but he still needed to tell Jews that their Messiah had come and his name was Jesus. And then, yes as time went on and he gained a bit of a reputation, he was taken to the “city assembly” and asked what this new teaching of his was all about.
We all have a set of connexions. You know people. I know people. The people we know, know people. We get introduced to new people. Some of these people know Jesus; some of them don't. I can think of over thirty people that I know, that I speak to from time to time, some of them are family, some I know by name, some I meet in the opticians' or when they come to do work in the house. Jesus says the fields are white unto harvest. Do you know what we say? We so often are saying “The fields are still green, shoots but no harvest; the fields are brown; nothing is growing in them; the fields are grey stubble, harvest is in the past.” We think Jesus is wrong. Jesus isn't wrong. We're colour-blind! We haven't learned to spot spiritual life, spiritual hunger when we see it. Come Holy Spirit and open my eyes to the harvest.
We need to Get relevant... It wasn't always a comfortable or easy journey. They dismissed Paul as a babbler – maybe a reference to his foreign accent – and deliberately or otherwise misunderstood what he was saying. You can hear the dismissive, ridiculing tones in “He seems to be preaching about some foreign gods.” Possibly because Paul frequently mentioned “Jesus” and “resurrection”, they thought Paul's two gods were “Jesus” and “Anastasis”. He had to hang in there.
He had to learn the language, and not just the language but the culture. He had to look for the points of interest, the points of common ground. And he finds one in the altar “to an unknown god”. He finds another in the Greek philosopher Epimenides's line “In him we live and move and have our being” and in the philosopher Aratus words “We are his offspring.” These were major cultural influences in Athens. The fact that Paul knew them and could quote them speaks volumes. He wasn't just dumping an obscure and irrelevant message upon them, but speaking in terms they understood.
But more than that, both the lines Paul quotes were originally written about Zeus, the “Father/king of the gods.” Is Paul suggesting that the one true God, the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, is to be identified with Zeus, the father of gods and superheroes? Of course not! What he was saying was 'This Unknown God, the one you know is there and have never met, is not just some minor deity: he is the One true God, “in whom we live and move and have our being.” We are all the children of this God. There is no other!' But he could well have been misinterpreted. But that was a risk he was prepared to take.
Relevance is risky; but relevance is necessary. We need knowledge; we need understanding, we need passion and courage, to be able to understand the undoubted spiritual hunger of our day, and to be able to say “here is food”. To people filling their lives with material things; with experience be they sexual or drug-induced, , with ideologies, with religious systems – calling on angels, engaging in pagan rituals – we need to be able to say “Here is what you are looking for. Here is something to make sense of yourself and your world. Here is an experience; here is spiritual reality!”
Come Holy Spirit and help me to get rattled, to get relational, to get relevant. Give us a passion for souls ...
© Gilmour Lilly April 2014
Edinburgh is the “Athens of the North”, so Athens was the “Edinburgh of ancient Greece” City of culture, fine art, learning, steeped in history. A classy place to hang out, with bustling streets, lots of sight-seeing, plenty of entertainment. Paul was waiting around in Athens for his friends – the rest of his team – to arrive. And as he took in a bit of sight-seeing, he noticed temples, statues, wee street shrines. Paul got angry, disturbed. The word means “urged on, stimulated” or “provoked, irritated, or made stronger or worse.”
We need to get rattled. We need to be shaken out of the complacency that whispers in our ears
“Nobody much is interested in the Gospel these days so why bother with evangelism?”
“If God wants to save them, he will speak to them”
“They'll think I'm an idiot! Best to keep off religion”
“”We're too busy/tired/ignorant of the Gospel/we don't have the team to share our faith”
”Everyone has their own truth; you can't force your ideas on other people!”
We need to get rattled. Paul got angry. The RSV says “his spirit was provoked within him” (RSV). We need that to happen to us, to shake us out of our complacency. That shaking is theological: a response to truth; it is emotional: something inside us that we feel; and it is spiritual: it is something God does.
Firstly, it is a theological process. He saw idols everywhere. The Message says “The city was a junkyard of idols”. He saw all this junk, all this tat, all these carvings of elegant goddesses and chubby little cupids... and his reaction was not “Hey, isn't that cute?” his reaction was Victor Meldrew: “I don't believe it!” How can they? How on earth can they have so many idols. That's a response to truth.
The first motivation for mission, is jealousy for God's honour. There's a God in Heaven, who is almighty, eternal, totally good, pure, who radiates with the power that called everything into being; and yet they can fill their city full of these trashy images; they can imagine that somehow this stuff connects them with the ineffable and eternal? How can they have the cheek to equate the almighty, mysterious god, with these grotesque images of fat little boys with wings and arrows?
Do we believe in God? Do we believe in the Three-in-One, the Triune? Do we believe he matters? If he exists, if he is who the Bible says he is, then he ought to be worshipped. If every man, woman and child on this planet owes every breath they take, to this God, isn't it right that every man, woman and child should worship this God? If this God offers grace and forgiveness to those who trust in his son, comes to his creatures in such generosity, isn't it right that those creatures should respond to him is surrender and reverence? Isn't every idol, every distraction, every thing that men and women put in the place of God, everything that men and women use to fill the God-shaped gap inside, just wrong?
The second motivation for mission, is concern for God's children. How can theses people be so totally lost? This One True God says “you shall have no other gods before me”, and these people were ignoring that command. were blithely surrounding themselves with little tin gods that somehow represented the ideal forms that people aspire to – like after-shave or lipstick adverts today... “because you’re worth it!”
Do we believe in God? Do we believe in his holiness and justice? Do we believe he judges. Aren't those idols so empty, so futile, so meaningless? Are they not in the end doing untold, eternal damage to those who follow them, serve them, trust them?
That jealousy, that passion, is theologically driven; it is truth that sets it free in our lives. We need to dwell in the word of god until idolatry and the lost state of people in or world, stings like lemon juice on an open sore.
Secondly, it is emotionally expressed. Luke tells us that “Paul’s spirit was provoked”. His human spirit: the deep inner core of who Paul's being, a level deeper than intellect and sentiment, was stirred up. It is something that happens in the human spirit. He felt it. One of the Greek words translated “compassion” literally means “gut-wrenching”. Now we sometimes get a bit afraid of “emotionalism” in Bible believing churches. But if we are going to be a new testament kind of Church, we need more emotion, not less. We need to feel passion for God and compassion for his people at a deep level.
And thirdly it is spiritually inspired. The human spirit is the part of us where the Holy Spirit lives. So when Paul's spirit was provoked, the Holy Spirit was at work. Word and Spirit Christians believe that the Word of God and the Spirit of God flow together in our lives, to lead us and guide us and motivate us. We need the Holy Spirit to take the word of god, the theological truth of who God is, and set it on fire, to provide the “head of steam” to power us in mission. Mission is only fuelled and sustained by joy. If mission is lacking, it’s because joy and delight in God are lacking. “Come Holy Spirit!”
Team or no team, there is no question of “this not being the right time” for mission in Athens. It certainly wasn't the time for sight-seeing. Paul can't contain himself. He once said “Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:16NIV) or “I couldn’t keep from preaching it if I wanted to. I would be utterly miserable. (Living Bible). How we need to get rattled, jealous so that it can't be “not the right moment”.
We need to Get relational. Paul's response to this deep feeling of jealousy and anger, was to connect with people. First – as ever – with his fellow Jews. He reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks (RSV), but also with whoever would listen in the marketplace (v. 17) J B Phillips suggests “He felt compelled to discuss the matter with the Jews in the synagogue...” He didn't need to convince Jews to turn away from idols, but he still needed to tell Jews that their Messiah had come and his name was Jesus. And then, yes as time went on and he gained a bit of a reputation, he was taken to the “city assembly” and asked what this new teaching of his was all about.
We all have a set of connexions. You know people. I know people. The people we know, know people. We get introduced to new people. Some of these people know Jesus; some of them don't. I can think of over thirty people that I know, that I speak to from time to time, some of them are family, some I know by name, some I meet in the opticians' or when they come to do work in the house. Jesus says the fields are white unto harvest. Do you know what we say? We so often are saying “The fields are still green, shoots but no harvest; the fields are brown; nothing is growing in them; the fields are grey stubble, harvest is in the past.” We think Jesus is wrong. Jesus isn't wrong. We're colour-blind! We haven't learned to spot spiritual life, spiritual hunger when we see it. Come Holy Spirit and open my eyes to the harvest.
We need to Get relevant... It wasn't always a comfortable or easy journey. They dismissed Paul as a babbler – maybe a reference to his foreign accent – and deliberately or otherwise misunderstood what he was saying. You can hear the dismissive, ridiculing tones in “He seems to be preaching about some foreign gods.” Possibly because Paul frequently mentioned “Jesus” and “resurrection”, they thought Paul's two gods were “Jesus” and “Anastasis”. He had to hang in there.
He had to learn the language, and not just the language but the culture. He had to look for the points of interest, the points of common ground. And he finds one in the altar “to an unknown god”. He finds another in the Greek philosopher Epimenides's line “In him we live and move and have our being” and in the philosopher Aratus words “We are his offspring.” These were major cultural influences in Athens. The fact that Paul knew them and could quote them speaks volumes. He wasn't just dumping an obscure and irrelevant message upon them, but speaking in terms they understood.
But more than that, both the lines Paul quotes were originally written about Zeus, the “Father/king of the gods.” Is Paul suggesting that the one true God, the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, is to be identified with Zeus, the father of gods and superheroes? Of course not! What he was saying was 'This Unknown God, the one you know is there and have never met, is not just some minor deity: he is the One true God, “in whom we live and move and have our being.” We are all the children of this God. There is no other!' But he could well have been misinterpreted. But that was a risk he was prepared to take.
Relevance is risky; but relevance is necessary. We need knowledge; we need understanding, we need passion and courage, to be able to understand the undoubted spiritual hunger of our day, and to be able to say “here is food”. To people filling their lives with material things; with experience be they sexual or drug-induced, , with ideologies, with religious systems – calling on angels, engaging in pagan rituals – we need to be able to say “Here is what you are looking for. Here is something to make sense of yourself and your world. Here is an experience; here is spiritual reality!”
Come Holy Spirit and help me to get rattled, to get relational, to get relevant. Give us a passion for souls ...
© Gilmour Lilly April 2014
Sunday, 30 March 2014
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.”
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
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.”
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
Sunday, 23 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
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
Sunday, 16 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...
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
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)
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
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