Acts 27 - All through the storm

In a close environment like a boat, you very quickly find out who are the ones

Image by Gilmour Lilly

who are always sure they are right. They can be irritating, right?  Now, at first glance, Paul may look like the irritating sort of guy – the one who knows about seamanship better than the captain, the know-it-all who is for ever giving advice, and is quick to say “I told you this would happen!”.  Nothing could be further from the truth, however.  Paul rather is a natural leader of the best, most positive kind.

Firstly, He has friendships.  

He builds good, positive relationships. 

In these last two chapters of Acts, Luke once again talks as an eye-witness as he did up until chapter 1v 18. he has probably been quietly working at his profession somewhere in Judea until the decision is finally made to sent Paul to Rome.  So Luke was on that ship and so was Aristarchus, who had come from Asia with Paul to Jerusalem.  It may be that Aristarchus was on his way home to Northern Greece, but Luke was to stick with Paul right the way through to Rome.  Both of them must have had to stick their necks out to be sure of a place on that journey, wither identifying themselves as Paul's companions, or taking the expense of arranging their own passage with Paul.

That tells me that Paul had wonderful friends.  He was someone who won people's hearts and for whom people were willing to make sacrifices.   It's clear from the book of Acts as well as from his letters that Paul, like Jesus, was regularly surrounded by people whom he was teaching, encouraging, listening to, supporting, in a fatherly, mentoring kind of relationship. 

And we see that again with Julius, the Centurion of the Augustan Cohort.  This unit was mainly responsible for securing the corn supply from places like Egypt.  A ship form Alexandria (v. 6) would probably be taking corn supplies to Rome.  Julius did his job diligently, finding the right transport, controlling his men, and holding the ship's owners to their contract.  Nothing suggests that he was weak or incompetent. And yet, we find that
he shows Paul the kindness of allowing him to be looked after by his friends in Sidon (v. 3, presumably with a guard in tow.)
he is able to involve Paul in the conversations before major decisions (v 9-11; 21-26; 31; 33f)
he wanted to save Paul's life when his men were ready simply to kill the prisoners rather than let them escape (v. 42f)
And all of that suggests that not only Paul's experience as a seasoned traveller, but also his obvious concern for the well-being of everyone on board and the warmth of his personality, had won the friendship of the Roman officer.

Secondly, he is in the boat.  

Image by Gilmour Lilly

The first journey, round the Syrian and Turkish coast to Myra, was  the the normal work of coasting vessels.  Then they joined what was probably a grain transport.  Then they hit this  Euraquilo or Gregale wind which sometimes still blows down the Adriatic from southern Europe and causes storms in the Mediterranean.  Men were too seasick, too scared or too busy or wet to eat.  It's all the routine, and the unusual perils, of a sea journey.  Unlike Jonah, trying to sleep through the storm in the hold of the ship, Paul is fully engaged with all that is happening.

And he shows that he is committed to the welfare of the boat and “all who sail in her”.  Throughout the journey, Paul demonstrates that his concern is not just for his own survival – although obviously he is motivated to reach the capital of the empire, Rome!  He is concerned for the survival and welfare of all in the boat.  He has identified with the ship's company and speaks the language of solidarity with them: “Our lives” (v. 10), “we shall have to run on some island” (v. 26).  

That's a model for us, too.  So often we can think of the Church as a lifeboat on the rough seas of life.  All our efforts are focussed on getting other people into our boat. The Church lifeboat is a good boat.  It exists to rescue people. That's a good enough image to work with. We are called to be a lifeboat. But the picture here is of believers, in the same boat as everyone else. So we are also called to be in the same boat with our families, or friends, facing the same storms – the same pressures as everyone else: paying the bills, bringing up your kids, keeping your job, getting older, looking after hour health, surviving difficult relationships, living through epidemics or terror threats.       But sometimes we need to get out of our Church “lifeboat” which can become a bit of a ghetto, and be there, in our communities, families, workplaces, as salt and light, and witness within our world, by presence rather than attraction.we need to be bringing blessing, encouragement as we sue our gifts and skills.  When God's people were taken into exile, they were all desperate to get back to their beloved home land.  But God said “seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”  (Jer 29. 7)  We need to do the same.

Thirdly,  he is hearing God.

Andraé_Crouch - image to by  Eirik Voss

It may be that some of Paul's – correct – insights came from his astute mind and his experience as a seasoned traveller who had already survived shipwrecks.  But some, clearly, were supernatural, prophetic gifts.  He was someone who was able to speak God's word into the situation because he was someone who was hearing God.. as verses 21-26 and 33-37 demonstrate. 

We need to use our minds.  Sometimes Christians get just a bit silly: we're afraid to think things out for ourselves.  The story is told that Christian Soul singer Andrae Couch’s musical career began when his dad, who was a pastor, laid hands on him and prayed that he would have the gift of music so the church would have someone to play the piano.  The young Andrae sat right down next Sunday and played for the service; but I'm in no doubt that the prayer kick started something that God had already planted in the boy's heart and mind.  If you can't carry a tune in a bucket, you're probably not called to be in the worship band.  If the weather forecast says it's going to rain, you don't plan a barbecue.  It the cup final is on, you don't put on a Saturday all-day course for small group leaders (Yes, I’ve been caught out with that one, and the guys who needed training all disappeared after lunch!)

We need to listen.  God will speak, when we need him to, if we will listen to him.  You know what it is like, though.  Sometimes we get obsessed with rubbish, overwhelmed with the circumstances of our lives, and swamped by our own negative thought patterns.  Faith is drowned out and it is difficult to apply God's word or walk in faith.  That is the time when we need to take the time to listen. 

We need to pray. The angel says “God has granted you all those who sail with you”. Paul gave God time to speak, as he called out in believing prayer not only for himself, but for the people around him on the deck and the hold of that ship. in the boat with two hundred others, had a burden fro them.. He was obviously praying for the others.  

© Gilmour Lilly January  2015

Acts 26... Paul's Story, again....

Paul's Story

Paul is on trial again, this time, the judges are Governor Festus and King Agrippa, and it is to Agrippa that Paul speaks (Festus has already heard him).   Paul insists that he is on trial for his Jewish “hope” — the confidence that God's promises to the twelve tribes of Israel, have been fulfilled or will be, through Jesus.  He is on trial for his belief in the resurrection of Jesus.

And Paul for the second time, defends himself by telling the story of his conversion, his first encounter with Jesus, on the road to Damascus.  That makes it the third time Luke actually writes this story in the Acts of the Apostles.  It's obviously a pretty important story – just as our story of encountering Jesus is important, for us, and for the people around us who are trying to figure out what we, and our message, is all about.   

So Paul tells his story of how he  lived from his youth as a strict Pharisee – the most rigorously law-keeping branch of Judaism. How he thought he had a duty to oppose Jesus and his followers to the death.  How he went to Damascus with arrest warrants against the Christians there, and how he was surrounded by a blinding light and heard the voice of Jesus asking him ‘Saul, Saul, why are you out to get me? It is hurting you to kick against the things that are pushing you towards faith, just like it hurts an ox to resist when someone is trying to make it go forward by prodding it with a sharp stick. You're kicking against your conscience and against your destiny, Paul”     

Then he heard the Voice: “I am Jesus, the one whose memory you are trying wipe  off the face of the earth” and  then Jesus went on “I’m sending you off to open the eyes of the outsiders (gentiles) and to present my offer of sins forgiven, and a place in the family...” (v 15-18)   Paul doesn't give the rest of the details of his conversion, but jumps in to say that he was immediately transformed.  “I couldn’t just walk away from a vision like that!” (v 19)   He was hooked from then on he lived his entire life to tell everyone about Jesus.  

Before we go on, let me ask you a question. Do you have a Jesus story? Do you have a story of Jesus' intervention in your life and of a transformation, happening in your life because of Jesus? 

Paul's Point
The reason Paul has told his story, is to demonstrate the reason why he is a prisoner.  He has sound “Jewish” pedigree, but the Jews had grabbed him and tried to lynch him in the temple “because of this ‘whole world’ dimension”  and God's “help” (v 21) came through the Roman authorities.  Two years in prison, plenty time to think things through, hasn't changed Paul’s mind.  He is still committed to this vital principle that the Good News of Jesus is for the Whole world.   And that this principle is no new idea: it is “what the prophets and Moses said would happen —  that the Messiah would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would bring the message of light to his own people and to the Gentiles.”    (v 22f )

People, we need to check out our commitment to this principle:  “the Good news of Jesus is for all people everywhere.”  The Church is the “Body of Christ”  —  continuing what Jesus began to do and teach;  crossing bridges; getting alongside lost and broken people; moving out of the religious ghetto.  The call to be a mission oriented Church is not some newfangled fad.  It is at the core of our faith, the centre of Scripture, the heart of God.

Problems with Paul...
The pagan governor: “Paul, your learning has driven you mad!”  (v. 24)
The Jewish King: “Paul, it sounds as if you're trying to convert me!” (v. 28)

These two responses have very contemporary feel:  Festus has been doing his best to look even-handed, fair, and reasonable.  But here he shouts out, interrupts Paul, and although acknowledging Paul's education, questions his sanity.  It's quite condescending and typifies the attitude of postmodern secularism, which feels free to ridicule what it cannot place within its own categories. 

Millions of people this week have been saying “je suis Charlie” in response to the terrorist attack at the offices of the French magazine.   As Christians, we absolutely condemn the violent attacks in France and Belgium – as well as the massacre of many hundreds in Baga, Nigeria by Boko Haram.  But we also condemn the secularist culture that rejects the idea of the sacred.  Secularism is like religion: cartoonists and comedians are its prophets; mockery is its liturgy; “nothing is sacred” its creed and it sacrifices the reputations and sensibilities of others.  What Charlie Hebdo has published is no more clever than the sort of thing that gets drawn on lavatory walls.

So as Christians, we will meet people who will suggest that what we believe shows we are just a wee bit flakey.  And if you’re one of these people, we're not impressed because you’re nothing new! 

And when Paul directly challenges king Agrippa, “Do you believe the prophets?”  the King is stuck.  If he says “no” then he's denying his Jewish faith.  If he says “Yes” then he sees Paul's reply coming at him like a freight train: “The you must accept that Jesus is the Messiah”.   So he makes a light-hearted little joke “Surely you're not trying to make me a Christian so quickly!”  And for many people today, it's simply about sidestepping that challenge. 

The idea that King Agrippa, surrounded with pomp and the trappings of his own importance, could throw his lot in with the despised Christians, seemed indeed a joke.   “You may have been suddenly converted by heavenly vision but I am not easily convinced.”

It doesn’t matter how watertight our arguments may be.  There will be those who will simply say “Now hold on.   You're not out to get me to sign up, are you?”  

• “You Christians are nice people; if it works for you, fine... Everyone to his or her own ideas.” 
• “It's been a great discussion.  But religion isn't something I want to be committed to.  I don’t actually want my life to change!”

We need to be ready for that, too.  Resistance to commitment is part of the world we live in. 

The Difference with Paul
“That’s what I’m praying for, whether now or later, and not only you but everyone listening today, to become like me—except, of course, for these chains!”  (v. 29)


What motivated Paul?  The desire to see everyone entering into a living faith in Jesus Christ.   However long or short it might take, what Paul wanted for everyone he met, was that they might share his faith and his vibrant experience of the living Jesus. Are we motivated by the desire to see everyone trust in Jesus?  Are we able to say we want everyone to “become like us”? 

Paul's chains were only on the outside.  Paul “is the dominating personality in the scene”  (says William Barclay).  Festus almost banters with him more like a debating opponent or a friend arguing in the pub,than a judge and a prisoner; and When King Agrippa speaks it seems like he rather than Paul is on trial.  At the end of Paul's speech, he has proved himself innocent: “if he had not already appealed to Caesar he could have been set free.  It's Paul, not Felix or Agrippa who is in control, because it is God who is in control.

So Paul’s words "I wish that everyone was as I am - except for these chains"  takes us back to our testimony, our story of Jesus at work in our lives.  How passionately we wish everyone knew Jesus, will be determined by how real is our story of transformation by Jesus and his kingdom. And by the way,  Passion for Jesus will not condemn us; in the end it will vindicate us!

© Gilmour Lilly January  2015

Acts: the story so far (readings: Acts 1. 1-5 and Acts 25. 13-27

It's been so long since we looked at the book of Acts -  November in fact.  I thought we better do what they do at the beginning of instalment 25 of a T.V. series: "the story do far..."

So we have a few verses from the very beginning of Acts... which help us to understand what the book is all about, and a few verses from chapter 25, where we left the story away back in November.  And from that earliest chapter several things emerge.
1. It's about Jesus (v1)   I have called Acts the story of Jesus, part 2, because really that's what  Luke calls it.  I know the traditional title is Acts of the Apostles and it has often been called “The Acts of the Holy Spirit”, but Luke says his first book (Luke's Gospel) was about “all Jesus began to do and teach...” implying that Acts is about how that ministry continued.  Whatever else the Acts of the Apostles is, it is about Jesus about the continuing work of the risen, living Lord Jesus Christ, through his people, by his Spirit... The themes of Christian experience, discipleship, mission, Church, are all about Jesus.
2. It's about the Church. Jesus commissioned people to continue what he had started  (v2.)  The twelve whom he had worked with, taught, built up and encouraged for three years, were the core members of a community that was to spread across the world.  We call it the Church.  And the fact that Luke uses the word “Apostles” tells me two things about the Church. 
(a) The Apostles were the foundation of the Church, so the Church isn’t an afterthought or simply a pragmatic thing set up to get a job done. Rather the Church is the “people of God” a sacred thing.  God has always had his people.  The Church is a “mystical” community.
(b) “Apostles” means  “those who are sent out”.  The DNA of the church is always meant to be Apostolic. It is a missional community.   
The real Church is a community of people who are connected with each other because they are connected with Jesus.   
3. It's about the Kingdom. (v.3) That was the dominant theme in Jesus' life, service and teaching, and it is meant to be for the Church as well.  God's reign, what it means, who it works, how it can be entered into, what difference it is meant to make in our lives.  Apostles or not, leaders or not, the twelve got things wrong.  They continued to chew over the question, “”is now the time to kick out the Romans, and for Israel to rule the world under King Jesus?”  Jesus had a different answer.
4. It's about the Spirit. (v. 5)  In order to live the life of the Kingdom, to be Jesus' witnesses and declare the Good news of Jesus effectively, God's people need the power of the Holy Spirit, to come upon them, like he upon Mary, and like the cloud came upon the tabernacle in the days of Moses.
And so Luke tells of how the Spirit came, at Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, and how  “Jesus message”  touched thousands of lives and the first disciples in Jerusalem became an amazing, loving community that shared their lives together and lived out the radical values of God's kingdom. This is real church, not just an organisation but a family and not just an institution but a spiritual thing, a growing body, a living miracle.
It took persecution to shake the Jerusalem Church into going to other places, but when they went they told everyone the “Jesus message” – and then new churches came into being in Samaria, in Damascus, in Antioch, in Joppa.  Someone came to know Jesus then went home with what he had discoverer, to plant a Church. in Africa.  But still the Jerusalem Church was a struggle to accept that people who were  not Jewish could accept the Jesus message.  Even Peter got in trouble for preaching in the home of a Roman officer.
And around that time, there was a hard-line Jew called Saul of Tarsus, who hated the Jesus message and tried to crush it.  Saul suddenly met Jesus personally.  He trusted Jesus and committed himself to living with Jesus as his King. Strangely when this guy Saul came to the Jerusalem Church, as a new Christian, they were  they hadn't the faith to believe that his conversion story was for real.  I guess that the pain of persecution had blunted their faith and made them suspicious of any possible threat.  
Saul eventually joined the Church at Antioch, where they weren't too bothered about the gap between Jews and non-Jews. They sent him out to preach the message.  As a result, of the lives of Saul (now called Paul) and others,  in cities like Ephesus, Philippi, Corinth, Athens, and even Rome Though Paul didn't go to Rome at this point) people believed in Jesus, embraced this radical kingdom, experienced the life changing power of he Holy Spirit, and became new, real churches, loving communities that shared their lives together. 
And then, when twenty years later, this same Paul, came back to Jerusalem, with a cash gift for the hard pressed church, from the non-Jewish churches of Asia and Greece, they were still suspicious.  Not, this time, worrying about him being a Jewish extremist, but about him being “not Jewish enough”.  Peter and the rest of the elders in Jerusalem persuaded Paul into going to the temple to take part in a purificatin ritual (Acts 21. 22-24) .  The idea was to prove to the Jewish Christians that Paul was still keeping the law.  And in the temple, doing what the Elders of the Jerusalem church had suggested he do, he was arrested, and charged (wrongly) with bringing a non-Jew into the temple. 
Because the Jews wouldn't hear Paul out without starting a riot, the Romans got involved, and Felix, who was  then Governor,  kept Paul locked up for two years hoping Paul would offer his  a bribe.  He was the sacked and Festus took over.   Paul's case was re-opened.  By rights Festus should have set Paul free at the start, but he was feeling his way with the Jewish authorities in Jerusalem, and as a result, Paul was uncertain about getting justice from Festus so had appealed to the Emperor himself.  That's the lead-in to this conversation between the Roman Governor Festus and King Agrippa.  It seems that Festus can't see that Paul has broken any Roman law (Acts 25. 25) : there's no clear reason why he should be sent to Rome. 
So apart from Paul, nobody comes out that well in the story. Felix trued to use the situation for personal gain. Festus bottled out of doing what he should until it was too late.  Even the elders in the Jerusalem Church, who should have silenced criticism of Paul within the Church at the start,  instead compromised with his critics, then simply melted away into the background: they are not mentioned again.
And I want to ask, “what went wrong with the Jerusalem Church?”   What happened to their radical living?  What happened to the power of the Spirit?  They seemed more interested in law than the Spirit.  What happened to the courage of the day of Pentecost? They seemed so afraid of upsetting people in their dealing with Paul.  What happened to a love that would sell their property to provide for the poor? They presumably took the money he brought and then left Paul high and dry! And what happened to the great Commission and the teaching of Jesus about the Church being for every nation?  It seems that they only cared about sustaining growth, keeping the people they had got, or being respected in their world. It seems they had domesticated the Kingdom and the Spirit to serve Jewish nationalist ends instead of the global vision of Jesus.
That is something that can happen to churches, or groups of Churches (like the Baptist Union, a local council of churches).  We can lose our way.  The vision and enthusiasm that launched a movement can become lost.  We all want our own ideas heard and our own interests protected; if our ideas differ, we fight each other. If our ideas are the same, we fight everyone else.  It has been shown that churches, like other groups of people, go through a cycle from start-up, through a period of growth, to a levelling off, then often to decline and death.  What needs to happen to prevent that is, to rediscover the original sense of purpose...  and it is Festus who, quite accidentally gives us the key we need.  Because nobody can remember what Paul was accused of in the first place.  Festus says to Agrippa “some dispute about their own law and about a dead man called Jesus whom Paul says is alive.”  So Luke brings the story back, before Paul's final trial in Caesarea and his journey to Rome, to where we began.  It's all about Jesus.  Paul, the Church, you , me.  It's all about Jesus. 
If we can bring Jesus back to the centre, the real Jesus, we will recover the apostolic DNA of the real church; we will live for the real Kingdom, in the real power of the real Holy Spirit.  So may we have an encounter with Jesus, that brings us back to reality.  As the hymn says “From unreality O set us free, and let our words be echoed in our ways.” 

© Gilmour Lilly January  2015

Making a start, counting the Cost. Luke 14. 25-35

Luke 14.25-33
Making a start, counting the Cost.

It looks as if they were starting something – or expecting Jesus to start something. Great crowds of excited, enthusiastic people were travelling along with Jesus, wherever he was going. They had seen or heard about him “breaking the rules” by healing someone, right in front of the synagogue crowd, on the Sabbath day. They had heard that his teaching was about choosing the lowest place, about mixing with the lowest people, and about the great “banquet” of the Kingdom of God, and how it was important not to turn that invitation down. “If that is what Jesus is about doing – a banquet of Kingdom blessings that heals the sick, levels out the inequalities, challenges hypocrisy – life could be better for the poorest people. We're in!” They wanted a piece of the Kingdom action. They didn't want to miss out. So they were journeying with Jesus. But where?

Jesus' journey was taking him to Jerusalem (9. 51). Maybe they knew that. Maybe they hoped that in the big city, Jesus would set up his Kingdom; throw out the Romans, take the land from the rich and give it to the poor, and  everyone would live in health and prosperity. But Jesus needs to sound another note. There's other water to go under the bridge before a lasting kingdom of peace and prosperity can be established. Jesus demands total commitment from his followers.

That means a realignment of their priorities. “if you don't hate your Mum and dad, your wife and children – and even your own life – you can't be my disciple”. Ouch. It sounds harsh. Maybe we can feel better about a statement like that when we understand the Jewish way of talking about comparisons: “You have to love Jesus so much that it makes your family relationships look like hatred by comparison”. The underlying idea of the Hebrew word for “hate” is “leave aside, abandon”. You don't feel loathing but you are prepared to lay them aside for the sake of the Kingdom. But even when we understand all that, it's stil a big ask.  Jesus is using the strongest possible language, to make the point that the kingdom comes first in our lives, if we want to be part of it at all.

He is going to Jerusalem, where he knows, he faces not the honour and joy of setting up a Kingdom, but the humiliation, pain and dread of death on a cross. So if the crowds are journeying with Jesus, they need to take up their cross too.

The Kingdom needs to change lives from the inside before it can change society. The enemy of God's rule isn't the Romans – or the English, or the EU, or the socialists, or the capitalists, the bankers or the terrorists. The ultimate enemy of God's rule, is Satan, and his big idea is rebellion, sin, self-indulgence. Everything else stems from that – from sin. That is why the Cross is so important: sin needs to be dealt with. Those to want to journey with Jesus need to be committed to what he is committed to. The downfall of Satan, the overthrow of sin in the world and in their own lives. You want to follow? Abandon the old life. Take up your cross.

And as Jesus says that, he can see the looks in people’s eyes. A flicker of unbelief: “He didn't really mean that...” The gambler's indifference to the odds: “We'll give it a shot anyway.” The rebel's decision to try and beat the system: "we'll get around that somehow.” So Jesus continues...

Which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? (v 28) Remember he's talking to poor, farming folks. Which of you when he decides to build a store-room or watch-tower will not first sit down – taking the time and energy to plan and do the sums right. The alternative is for the farmer to go out and dig the foundations, buy the blocks and cement to lay foundations, and then realise he's broke. He's got some nice foundations, but no tower. Everyone who passes the farm can see how stupid he is. Everyone can laugh at the idea. The farmer, before he starts his building project, needs to count the cost.
Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand.(v. 31) A king who goes to war rashly, angrily, marching out with his tiny army to redress some insult, is likely to be wiped out. The king needs to have a council of war, and with his officers, to make an intelligent, strategic decision – and if together they realise they are facing an impossible task, it's better to walk out with the white flag and negotiate with the enemy. Now, with God, and a God-given strategy, these odds can be upset; Leviticus 26 v 8: says that blessings on obedient covenant people include "five of you will be able to defeat 100, and a hundred will be able to defeat 10,000" and at Jericho, Joshua had proved exactly that (Joshua 6) and at the Midianite camp at the Hill of Moreh, Gideon had proved it (Judges 7) But the point Jesus is making is that the king, before going out to battle, needs to count the cost.

In parables like this there is one main point and we should not press the picture to make every detail mean something. And the main point is, are you ready to pay the cost. Disciples must be continually ready (present tense) to give up all in order to follow Jesus (33).

And the cost is 100% commitment; the Kingdom will cost you everything. Jesus isn't saying that we shouldn't build and he isn't saying that we shouldn't engage with the enemy. What he is saying is that we should cover the cost knowing that the cost of discipleship is "totality".  People, you're starting something. What kind of kingdom do you want to see built? Are you ready to pay the cost? What enemy activity to you want to fight against? Are you ready to pay the cost?

Then there is one last parable: Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. (34-35)

The salt Jesus was talking about was made by evaporating water from the dead sea which is a lake below sea level. The salt in sea water is 85% Sodium Chloride – the salt we use in food. The salts in dead sea water are only 30% Sodium Chloride, with 50% Magnesium Chloride and 14% calcium Chloride. So evaporating water from the Dead Sea yields a very complex load of salts, and there is a skill in gathering the edible salt which precipitates earlier than the others. So when Jesus talks about salt that has lost its flavour, people could relate to that. You could buy a bag of salt from an unscrupulous trader, that contained other chemicals in substantial quantities. It could consist largely of plaster of Paris. It hadn't much taste; you couldn't even put it in the compost. It was only fit for throwing on the rubbish.

 This saying about the uselessness of salt has lost its flavour is saying the same thing as the other verses. Disciples who can't hang in there, who aren't ready to pay the price,  are as useless as tasteless salt.  But salt that has lost its taste isn't really salt. It's something else. Disciples that have lost their distinctive flavour are something else. The question this parable raises in this context is simply this: what are we? Are we really made of kingdom stuff at all?

I think I have told the story before about the pig and the chicken who were walking past the a place advertising all-day breakfast, with a picture a lovely plate of bacon and egg in the window. The pig started to quake in his boots and had to look the other way. The chicken said “what’s the matter with you, it's only a picture of a breakfast!” The pig replied: it's all right for you – you only have to make a contribution...I have to give everything.” The taste of kingdom salty lives is the taste of bacon. It is the taste of a life fully surrendered to God.

So at the beginning of 2015, we can look forward to the blessings and joys of engaging with God's Kingdom. Who are we journeying with? What will we be building? What will be our battle grounds? And, are we prepared to pay the price. Victory will go to, attractive lives will be lived and strong towers built by those who are prepared to pay the price.

© Gilmour Lilly January  2015

Andrew: John 1. 29-42

John tells the “Jesus story” a bit differently. He was, I believe, familiar with Mark's Gospel, and decided to write something fresh that tells the same story – the story of the same Jesus – but from a slightly different perspective by selecting different incidents. I don't believe he altered the story or twisted the facts. He simply selected a bunch of different material, and presents it in a different way. Mark takes us on the same journey as the disciples, and lets the reader figure out who Jesus. is as the disciples do. John starts with who Jesus. is, and then tells the story. We can see some of that in the way John tells the story of Andrew....

Preparation

Andrew is well prepared by the one who came to prepare the way, John the Baptist. John's account of John the Baptist is very much in harmony with Luke's. The Baptiser's was 'the voice of one crying in the wilderness, “prepare the way of the Lord!”' He knows he is not worthy even to untie Jesus' shoes (v. 26). He described Jesus as the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world,” as the one who baptises in the Holy Spirit, and as the “Son of God.” And Andrew was a follower of John the Baptist; maybe not full-time, but he was one who appreciated John's style and was challenged and inspired by his preaching. So, Andrew was up for the idea of Messiah coming. In many ways, Andrew had good qualities, strengths, that he may have learned from John the Baptist.

When John the Baptist says to these two of his disciples, “Look, there is the Lamb of God” he is deliberately releasing them, inviting them to find out about Jesus. He is in effect handing over some of his best team-members, to the new guy – to Jesus.

And Andrew is up for change: whatever that change might be. John's gospel emphasises the change from following John the Baptist, to following Jesus. Andrew feels the need to leave John's group and attach himself to Jesus' group. Later on, as Mark tells us, Andrew will experience another change – as he leaves his fishing-boat to follow Jesus. He is prepared for costly and painful change. And there is an inner change, a change in his religious experience: He makes a move from anticipation to fulfilment, from expectation to realisation. From preparation to participation in the Kingdom of god. What he has been prepared for, he has now to encounter. The Kingdom of God is here.

Encounter

Andrew is curious. This “Lamb of God” guy, Jesus: what is he like? Where does he live? In a palace or a one-room shack? What does he believe in? There is all that to find out. So he and the other disciple who is with him (possibly John himself) start to follow Jesus, literally tailing him. John is well aware that “following” in Greek as in English has overtones of being a “disciple” as well as a literal meaning: and he – as he often does – intends us to see both meanings at once.

Jesus notices two big young fishermen following him, so he turns around, and asks them what they want. If you sense that two burly guys are following you, what do you do. Speed up and hope to shake them off? Change plans and go to meet a friend for back-up? Jesus turns and looks the fishermen in the eye. Too many of us and in the habit of sidestepping difficult situations. How much easier life would be if we were prepared to look people in the eye. And again, it's a good disciple-making question: “What exactly do you want, not just trailing me but out of life in general?”

“Well, for a start, where do you live, Jesus”. It's a double-sided question again. “Show us where you live. What neighbourhood? A shack or a palace? Where will we find you if we want to talk to you.” But John probably wants us to notice another double-meaning here: he is pointing out that the most important question in life is “Where is Jesus? How can we connect with Messiah?”

“Come and see”, says jesus. And he takes Andrew and the other disciple to his home. Then the three of them spend the rest of the day together – presumably talking about the Kingdom, the ministry of Jesus. From the start, Andrew's encounter with Jesus. is relational. He spends an afternoon, and maybe a meal time, teasing things out; asking questions.... And Jesus' approach with Andrew, is personal as well as direct.

In Mark 3. 13-14, when Jesus formally (after a night of prayer, by the way) appoints the Twelve, he calls them to “be with him” and then to be sent out “to preach and to have authority to drive out demons.” Jesus starts with relationship. The way he wants to work in our lives, is through relationships. He doesn't call us to a theoretical knowledge of his person or his teachings; he does not call us to know only his power in service. He calls us first to be his friends – and friends and brothers of one another.

Witness

And Andrew is an evangelist. Having encountered Jesus, Andrew goes off and finds his loud-mouth brother, Simon. Andrew is convinced enough by this time; so he tells Simon “We have found the Messiah – come and meet him.” That is a great definition of evangelism. To be able to say “I've found someone very special – come and meet him.” Andrew often seemed to notice people around him, and to see the moments of opportunity: John tells us it was Andrew who, scouting around the crowd on the hillside, found one kid among 5000 who had brought his sandwiches – and Andrew brought this kid to Jesus. John 6. 9: “here is a wee boy who has five loaves....” John tells us that jesus was trying to tease out a response fo faith from the disciples – and it looks to me like Andrew brought this child, out of the crowd, to Jesus, in response to that: he's not quite livign in full expectancy of a miracle; but he is beginning to engage with the fact that Jesus has a plan! In John 12. 20-22, Philip found some Greeks who were wanting to meet Jesus. Philip was unsure what to do, so he asked Andrew: Andrew instinctively knew he had to tell Jesus. He has the heart of an evangelist. He tells what he knows. He notices people. He connects – albeit a bit warily – with the supernatural. He has an instinct for the importance of people and occasions.

Humility

When Andrew brought his brother Simon to Jesus, it was Simon who was told “you are Peter, the Rock.” If Andrew wanted to be the most important disciple of jesus, he had mae his first mistake by bringing Simon along! But that wasn't on his mind. Andrew was unafraid to play second fiddle. This is where John's telling of the story of Andrew is different. Mark doesn't tell us about these early days of Andrew's discipleship. He picks up the story a few weeks later. By this time John the Baptist has been imprisoned. People like Andrew who have followed John are now without their teacher. Andrew is back fishing – he may not have given up fishing at this stage anyway – and this time it is Jesus who calls Simon and Andrew. To follow a Rabbi you normally chose the Rabbi , and asked him if he would teach you. Jesus broke the rules: he walked up to those guys, and told them to follow him. They were ready to do so because they had already met Jesus. But, from this point on, it's not so much “Andrew and Simon” as “Simon and Andrew” and then Peter, James and John. Andrew plays second fiddle – and he plays it rather well. He has his gifts; he exercises leadership. But he's not in the inner circle. He's not one of the three. Later on, when Jairus' daughter is raised form the death, it's Peter, James and John; when Jesus prays in the garden of Gethsemane, it's Peter, James and John who are taken aside to support him. Not Andrew. He was not one to insist on the limelight, to get caught trying to book his place at the top table We need to be prepared to play second fiddle – and to play it well.

Today, Advent Sunday, and St Andrews Day, we move a bit forward in our journey with Jesus, like Andrew did. I want to challenge us

• to make a move from expectancy to experience... to say “yes” to Jesus.
• To develop our walk with Jesus relationally, so it is about life as well as about belief.
• To share the Gospel
• To engage with the supernatural, the power of God
• To walk humbly, taking the attitude of a servant.

And today, Advent Sunday and St Andrews Day, we recognise those who are ready at this stage to be the team serving by being at the “Prayer Place”... that's a commitment to be like Andrew – walking humbly, introducing people to Jesus, and engaging – even if sometimes a bit uncertainly – with the supernatural. 

© Gilmour Lilly November  2014
 

Acts 25. 1-22 Faith and action

By this time in the story, Paul has been in prison for two solid years.  What began quite suddenly when he was accused of bringing a Greek into the temple, and within a couple of weeks had become a major court-case, has led to two years of frustration,  as Paul remains under guard in Caesarea.  Then there was the disturbance in Caesarea, and Felix was removed, and replaced by a man called Porcius Festus.

Festus is a wiser and  more even handed governor than Felix had been. He was also very much aware of the trouble the Jews had caused for Felix and determined to avoid the same mistakes. As soon as he arrived, therefore, he went to Jerusalem, and as soon as he got there, the Jews were keen to get Paul finally dealt with. So they asked, again, for Paul to be brought for trial to Jerusalem. Festus probably thinks they want to try him themselves (And maybe he suspected that they would not give him a fair trial)... but actually Luke tells us they planned to assassinate Paul on his  journey back to Jerusalem.

Festus wisely insists that he should hold court in his headquarters in Caesarea, and suggests that when he returns there a few of the the Sanhedrin go with him to place their charges against Paul.  So that is what happens after a week or so. 

As soon as the Governor gets back to Caesarea, Paul's trial starts: the Jews have a list of vague accusations, none of which they can prove.  All Paul needs to do, really, is to deny these charges. 

It's at this point that Festus realises Paul isn't really a dangerous revolutionary or crowd-stirrer: in fact his only crimes seem to be against the Jewish religion not the Roman state. So he suggests that the case should, after all, be heard in Jerusalem.  Maybe witnesses will come forward on one side or the other; maybe it will all become clearer.   But he says he will try the case himself, so there will be fair play.  It is a compromise.  Festus knows Paul is innocent but he is torn between his desire to uphold the principles of Roman law, and his need to get on with the Sanhedrin – they are the highest non-Roman authority in the province and they had caused Felix to lose his job!  

But Paul is worried. Once Festus begins to compromise with the Sanhedrin, there might be more compromises.  Festus is still feeling his way and might yet be outwitted by the Sanhedrin.  So it is at this point that Paul makes his move: “No, I am a Roman citizen, being tried under Roman law; I appeal to Caesar!”  He doesn't trust the way things are going. He is within his rights. A Roman Citizen had the right to be tried in Rome, before a verdict was given in a lower court. This wasn't the same as appealing against a judgement already given. Paul's concern was not saving his own skin.  It was justice, and the honour of the Gospel.  He had God-given ambition. He may even have hoped to achieve for the Christian Way the same “tolerated religion” status that the Jews enjoyed.  And he had God's promise: “You will testify in Rome as you have done in Jerusalem.  It's time that the forces that were stacked against that promise – in Paul’s case, prejudice power and pomp, traditionalism, jealousy, dishonesty, corruption, and self-interest – were stopped in their tracks.  “I appeal to Caesar”

The point is this:  as it looked increasingly likely that the forces stacked against him would not set him free, as though the whole idea of testifying in Rome could be in jeopardy, Paul determined to pursue what was on his heart and what god had promised to him.  “I appeal to Rome.”  Checkmate.  And just as Paul took decisive action to pursue the call of God on his life, he calls us to do the same. We can be passive, sitting back and waiting for God to do something. It's time that whatever is stacked against that promise and call and purpose, was made to bow the knee to the will of  God.

What has God said to us, today?  What has God called us to?   What has God placed on our hearts?   And what are we going to do about it?

I believe that for some of us, it is time for action.  Not time for rhetoric.  Not time for study or thinking about it.  It is time for action. 

But we have a number of problems with this idea:-  
1. Definition: what is our call?  What if we don't really know what God has called us to?  We have God's Word.  It defines in general terms what God calls us to.  We have God's Spirit in our lives, to lead us directly.  We have God's people around us to encourage and challenge us.  So, really, we have very little excuse for not knowing what God is calling us to.
2. Recognition: where is the opposition?  Prejudice power and pride present themselves to us in different ways.  Sometimes they are in our surroundings. Sometimes they are inside us!   A few days ago I got the news that one of our folks was in high dependency at the Victoria. My instinct – hard wired after thirty-three years in ministry – was to jump in my car, and visit.   Knight in shining armour, coming to bring God's comfort to a soul in need.  But Pam said to me “I think Norma and I should do this visit...”  You know I was put out.  “That's my job!”  And that is part of the problem of drifting – not being proactive but always responding to emergency situations, always doing what comes to hand.  We can be working very hard – but on the wrong stuff. We can be feeling very frustrated because we need to rest more, pray more, and so on – but never find the time.  “Maybe one day!” 
3. Permission:  Sometimes we think it's more spiritual to "just let God do it."   We think of scriptures like 2 Chron 20. 17 ("You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you") or Genesis 16, where Abram fathered a child by the servant girl Hagar to try to fulfil God's promise of a son.  We dont' want to make our own Ishmael when God wants to give us an Isaac.  But Abraham had to play his part as Sarah's husband when God did fulfil the promise!  Sometimes we do have to fight the battles.  Sometimes there is something obvious we need to do:  you want to know more about God? Read your Bible!  you want to see more answers to prayer? Pray more!  Sometimes the action will eb  obvious in teh moment. Sometimes it will need to eb thought through.   

 Now, I'm not suggesting for one moment, that “doing”, or being busy is the answer to everything.  Decisive steps are not an alternative to trusting God; prayer is not a substitute for decisive action.  They belong together.  We need to pray; we need to trust in god.  We need to let go and let God. 
 
Now what?  Is anything going to be different from today?    If we feel that our calling has been put on hold, God's promises called into question, his purposes in our lives frustrated,  what are we going to do? If we're stuck, how do we get “unstuck”?   What do we need to do? 

But there are “kairos” moments, moments of decision, when we need to pro-actively, intentionally, step out in faith and pursue our calling and Gods' promise.  But it may involve listening, learning, training others, leading, re-arranging your life so you have space for what God is calling you to, taking a risk; trying something you have never done before ... so step into rest, step into God's call and purpose. 

© Gilmour Lilly November  2014

Acts 24

Acts 24

A Courtroom Drama – Perry Mason – is a good place to study human nature. We watch that kind of stuff not to see whether justice will be done, but how it is done – the characters and interactions involved!

In our world today, Christians are “on trial”. For some, persecution, show trials and imprisonment and torture are still a reality. For all of us, we, and the faith we talk about, are being judged daily at home at work, in the supermarket. So what do we find in this courtroom drama?


The Prosecution have now got a lawyer.... Tertullus is cool, professional. He is probably a Greek-speaking Jew. However, he doesn't seem to be either that well-informed about the case or too passionate about it. He may well have been a fairly?nominal? Jew who hadn't paid much attention to Paul's case, until he was offered a fee for prosecuting him!
He is, however, good at smooth-talking, flattering. A lengthy bit of flattery to the judge, was a convention of the time. It was part of what Tertullus was paid for. He was also paid to make a weak case sound more plausible. But he seems like a man who actually has very little of substance to say. Tertullus uses a lot of padding to try to hide the lack of content. Some authors think that

Luke deliberately quotes Tertullus' disjointed Greek in verse 5 to expose his ignorance: “for having found this man a troublemaker, and stirring up riot among all the Jews through the world -- a ringleader also of the sect of the Nazarenes”. It's the result of someone being pompous, trying to sound important and using big words ? but making a mess of it. 

Tertullus' speech is marked by
(1) Insults. He calls Paul a pest, a plague, a disease.
(2) Generalisations: vague and unverifiable statements. “Stirring up riots all over the world” (the sort of thing that are often used to dismiss Christian faith in the minds of atheists or agnostics. You know the sort of thing: “Religion has caused more wars than anything else. Look at the Crusades” It sounds plausible and neat, until it's placed anywhere near the facts.)
(3) Emotive buzz words. “A ringleader among the Nazarenes.” Now “Nazarene” has become a Jewish word for “Christian” ... but for a Roman its meaning would be vague and almost certainly “dangerous”. Tertullus is deliberately pulling Felix's strings by making Paul sound like a dangerous political operator.
(4) Exaggeration. Tertullus can only really make one concrete accusation: “He even tried to desecrate the temple.” What Tertullus was referring to, of course, was the unfounded rumour that Paul had brought gentiles into the temple. He knew that would cause no concern to Felix, so he takes this false charge, and makes it sound even bigger.

Tertullus then finishes, quite abruptly, by challenging Felix to examine Paul himself: Paul's guilt, he is certain, will then become obvious. This is a bluff, designed to imply that what he has been saying is pretty much self-evident. “Anyone with any intelligence will realise it.” And the Jews who have paid Tertullus, all agree, although they have not been formally called as witnesses.

Tertullus whole speech, then is an attempt to make the case against Paul look and sound plausible – but in reality it is a combination of prejudice and bluff. He is prepared to twist the truth, in order to make a case that suits him and those who are paying him.

The defendant: Paul's defence is respectful and polite; but not gushing: none of Tertullus' flattery .

His defence is
(1) F actual v. 11-13: He begins his defence by stating that he has only been in Jerusalem for twelve days: that is a fact that can be verified. (v. 11) His one reason for coming to Jerusalem was to worship God in the Temple. No-one who wants to accuse him of doing anything else, has any proof. In v. 17-19. Paul lays out the facts in more detail, including a mention of the alms he had brought for the Jerusalem Church. Everyone has conveniently forgotten that evidence of good character.
(2)  Forthright . v. 14-16. Paul admits that he is a follower of “the Way” who believes in the resurrection – that is, a Christian. That doesn't make him a heretic: it makes him “completed Jew.” What he will not allow is to have his faith in Christ associated in the minds of his hearers, with being a trouble-maker.
(3)  Challenging .  He hasn't had enough time to stir up riots, as he's only been in town less than a fortnight. The facts can be verified simply by asking people. (v. 11) As for the original charge against him, that was brought by some Jews for Asia – but Paul isn't going to do their dirty work for them by even repeating what they accused him of. (v. 19f) They  should still be around to give their testimony, if they have any testimony to give. That is a totally logical challenge to the charges made against him.
(4)  Passionate . You can sense the anger in Paul's speech. Why should his original accusers melt away into the crowd? He sounds almost sarcastic when he says in verse 21 “unless I am actually in court for saying I believe in the resurrection!”

His defence is clear, factual, honest. What more could you want? Paul is not only telling the truth; hi is living the truth and loving the truth. Again, it is not just Paul who is on trial: it is the integrity of his faith and the validity of his message. Paul is not so much defending himself as defending his faith. 
The Judge . Felix, the ex slave, now a rising star in the Roman political system. Felix, who has the power of a king and the heart of a slave. He is married to a Jewess – Drusilla, daughter of Herod Agrippa I and ex-wife of a minor Syrian king. Felix had seduced her with help from a local magician! Felix is acquaint with the Way (Luke's way of talking about Christianity) probably thanks to Drusilla.

How Felix behaves is very telling.
(1) “Cool” He cultivates the right image. He wants to look just, so he decides to wait until Lysias (the Jerusalem commander) arrives; he gives Paul reasonably civilised living quarters within the confines of the Palace: Paul is still a prisoner, but he is permitted as many visitors as he wants. It looks OK, and maybe it is. But it is all done for effect. The reality is the Felix is neither interested in justice or mercy.
(2) Curious : There is another side to Felix. He occasionally calls Paul in to have a chat. Paul begins to talk about the right way to live, about being self-controlled, about the possibility of future judgement; that seems to touch a raw nerve with Felix, maybe because of his affair with Drusilla. Felix gets jittery and brings the conversation to an abrupt halt. But there are other little chats.
(3) Corruption .  Alongside the curiosity and the fear, there's another motive: greed. He hopes that Paul will offer him a bribe. (Maybe he thought that, if Paul had brought alms for the Jerusalem Church, he had access to other sums of money!)  This powerful governor remains a small-minded, and self-interested wee man, So Felix keeps Paul in prison, despite the lack of evidence, despite the fact that Lysias must have had reason to visit his superior in Caesarea regularly.

Two years later, there as a local disturbance – between the Jewish and Gentile people of Caesarea; Felix weighed in with Roman troops and a number of leading Jews were killed; as a result the Jewish council put in a complaint and Felix was moved on. He narrowly escaped execution in fact. To mollify the Jews and avoid making any more trouble for himself, he quietly left Paul in prison for his successor to deal with.

Felix was simply avoiding the truth. He can't accept the truth as it is (or even find the courage to check out the facts!) He doesn't feel any need to make up an alternate version of the truth. He just ignores it. Tell a joke, distract yourself by turning on the TV... and maybe the truth will just go away. 

When faith in on trial, the same characteristics show up again and again. Some will twist the truth. Much of the opposition to Christian faith today is based on a caricature of what Christians believe, on unverified claims, emotive accusations, and on insults and exaggeration. Some will avoid the truth; they may be curious for awhile, but in the end why bother really. Who cares whether it is tru or not. Some will live the truth: God calls us to be like Paul – forthright, passionate, committed, and reasonable. Be able to give a reason for our faith. It is not really us who are on trial – it is our faith; it is Jesus.

What are you inclined to do with truth?

If you are a follower of Jesus –

• be able to give a reason for our faith.
• Tell your story honestly
• Respect those who don't agree with you;
• and remember, people aren't usually won for Jesus with arguments but with love.

And if you’re not yet a follower of Jesus – at least be sure of your facts

© Gilmour Lilly November  2014