Missionary Success

Acts 16 :6-15

Paul and Silas and, and I assume Timothy, continued on their missionary journey. At this point, because the language of the text changes from third person to first person plural, we can assume Luke, the author, has joined them too.

This small group traveled to more towns where assemblies (churches) were established. Paul had planned to go on in the same direction, but the Holy Spirit stopped them. Probably it was in prayer that they heard the change in plans.

Then Paul had an encounter with the Holy Spirit and in a dream he heard a man calling for help in another region. Paul was used to being directed by by the Spirit so they changed their plans and went to the region of Macedonia.

Instead of going east they went west towards Greece. What transportation was there to do this? They could continue on foot for a long time around the coast or find someone with a boat to take them over to the other coast. Troas was right on the great sea (the Mediterranean) and would give them an opportunity to find a merchant who was sailing to Greece.

We know it takes money to go on a ship but there are few clues as to where they got their money. We know from other books that Paul would spend time as a tent maker and that he received donations from some of the assemblies he had started.

They sailed to Philippi then went by foot again. While there, they went looking for other Jews on the Sabbath. They went to the riverside to look for a gathering, which was usual for Jews in a gentile city with no established synagogue. they found some women there. A Synagogue had to have 10 men but these women were wanting to worship anyway.

This city was settled by Romans as a cultural toehold to influence the people in the area. So the city was mostly Roman instead of Greek. The Romans were considered worse than the Greeks because they desecrated the temple. So Paul was seeking to convert enemies to Christ.

There were some gentile followers of God with the Jews who listened to Paul and wanted more information. Paul probably spoke on how Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled the prophecies of the Messiah as well as news of how Jesus healed people and cast out demons.

Among them was a woman of business (dealt in purple, a very expensive dyed fabric) who believed him; her name was Lydia. She was so taken with the news of the kingdom and Jesus as Messiah she wanted to be baptized as an affirmation of her belief. Her whole family and household was baptized, this probably included children and slaves.

Since she was a woman of business, she probably had a comfortable home. So she honored them, asking Paul and his companions to come stay at her house. This convert was important in the work of teaching about the faith. We are not told how long they were there, only that it was some days not weeks. This was the seed of a new assembly or church.

This is one incident of a woman being in charge of believers. Lydia could hold worship at her house. She was enthusiastic about Jesus and sharing her testimony was a way of leading. Since she already had a business she was obviously able to lead others. She could be trusted to take care of people too. This is a case of woman being together with men in service. In Gods eyes whoever was available was to serve.

Facing Hostility

Acts 6:8-15

Just like with Jesus, as Stephan told the good news about Jesus who came to release the captives and bring healing to the people, some took offense and wanted to silence him. He was known to be strong in faith, that is why he was chosen to be a deacon. But here he is busy preaching, adding to his deacon’s work for the kingdom of God.

Stephen showed his true value in this situation. He is a deacon serving the poor. But he knows Jesus and the Holy Spirit and relies on the Spirit as Jesus said would be good. As he speaks to people from the Freedmen synagogue, he makes so much sense and the power of his words is so strong they get angrier and angrier. They could not find a mistake in what Stephen said, because the Holy Spirit was telling him what to say.

These who were so upset were from other places than Jerusalem. They may have been proselytes and having decided they believed in Moses , rather than their pagan religion, were all strong to keep their faith. They could have been Jews from the diaspora because Alexandria was in Egypt and the others named here were not from Israel proper, but from places the Assyrians and Romans had moved them. The synagogue name suggests some of the members had been slaves at one time, but now are free. They could have been Greek or Roman slaves outside of Israel. These who were in a “liberty” synagogue would not tolerate Stephens preaching.

Those who convert often are more emphatic than those who were raised in the faith. To hear preaching of something different would be too unsettling. It would bring up fear of doing the wrong thing. Those who had lived in a foreign nation would have been trained in how to stay free from the local religion. This attitude would carry over to new teaching too.

Because they could not defend themselves from scripture or logic, they decided to set up false witnesses and use force to shut him up. They were willing to break the Law (Torah) to defend their point of view. Evidently they did not know the Prophets well enough to know that if God is trying to tell them something, they can’t stop it. They did not mind breaking the Law to stop this new teaching.

So in a rage they rushed him and grabbed him and hauled him to the leaders of the Temple. They knew that the Temple leaders tried to get rid of Jesus because of this new teaching. They expected those leaders to condemn Stephen in the same way.

They could not defend their ideas by words so they resorted to force. There was some demonic influences behind this rage. Demons hate Jesus and his word. They were all glaring at Stephan but because of that, they saw his face change. He had the face of an angel from the power of the Holy Spirit. Instead of realizing they were making a mistake, they kept on doing what they intended.

If we find ourselves trying to force something, maybe we need to stop and pray and see if we are against the Holy Spirit. Jesus does not work by force of arms or Law, but by love and Spirit.

 

Power of the Apostles

Acts 5;12-24 

Great fear, deep awe, was on the church because of Ananias and Sapphira, and on others who heard the story. The amazing power of God was still at work. Who knew what God would do next? Yet the Apostles were still healing the sick so God was not punishing people for nothing. It was the deception that was so bad. God was not capricious but very firm about keeping to the truth.

Solomon’s Colonnade was a usual place for the Apostles to teach the people. They kept on teaching and preaching Life in Jesus who was resurrected. These uneducated Galileans were doing amazing things in the name of Jesus. They were receiving new believers every day. What a threat to the established leadership of the Temple. Even today some of the least educated show the power of God more than the highly educated. It all depends on the strength of the believers faith: is it in their own interpretation of scripture, or the power of the Holy Spirit.

None of the leaders dared to join them for fear of losing their position. However the ordinary people were soaking up the life in Christ Jesus. So many believed in the Gospel of Jesus that they brought sick friends to where the mere shadow of the Apostles would pass over them. People from the villages around heard about the Apostles and the wonders and healing done by them. So they too brought their sick and crippled to be healed. And they were healed and whole.

All this made the leaders of the Temple hostile. They were jealous of the Apostles. Why should these uncouth, uneducated men be able to do these great things? And their teaching of resurrected Jesus was impossible. Why should they be tolerated. So they arrested the Apostles and put them in jail.

This same kind of dismay and anger comes against many Christians in China, Russia, N. Korea and Muslim countries. God’s work and desire to heal challenges the assumptions of those who think they can make people do what they want. It also challenges the rules and sayings of the religion they follow. The god of many is not the Lord God almighty maker of heaven and earth, but their own party or demons.

The challenge to the people in Jerusalem was whether or not all this strange preaching and strange healing was of God or not. Many decided it was of God and they wanted to know God in this new way. Yet some also decided all this strangeness was dangerous and they wanted it stopped. Perseverance and experience of God made the difference in how people decided. The power of the Holy Spirit helped people decide that Jesus was more important than their previous loyalties to their group. God was on the move making heaven come to earth.

The Pentecost Miracle

Acts 2: 1-12                             

Pentecost was one of the important Jewish feasts. It celebrated 2 of the important things in Jewish life. The first is the giving of the 10 commandments on Mt Sinai. In the thunder on the mountain there were voices for all the world. The second is celebrating the end of the grain harvest. It was celebrated at Jerusalem as a feast of the whole nation of Israel.

The giving of the Torah or law defined Jews so it was like a constitution of a nation. This celebration would have some similarity to American 4^th of July. There were special readings from the Torah and worship. Some special foods and stories to share. There was a special dance of celebration of the men at the altar. Every one in the household was to be there. There were many animal sacrifices so it was definitely a feast (BBQ in our culture).

During the festivities, a loud sound like wind storm came in and fire came out of the wind. The fire did not burn anyone but it divided and hovered over each Disciple there. It is likely they were in the Temple because they met there frequently and there was a multitude near by.

In fact, because all the Disciples were speaking in other dialects and languages the other people were puzzled. They gathered around and discovered that the disciples were speaking the languages of the countries around the Mediterranean, as well as inland. What was astonishing was that they knew these men were from Galilee and thus not well educated. Probably they knew this because of their accent and clothes. So how could these uneducated men be speaking other languages? In any case they heard about the glories of God in their own native languages.

To those who were around when the roar of this wind came, this situation was very startling and they could not make sense of it. At this point it was a curiosity. It was not connected to anything that made sense.

For us who believe it is the beginning of the Holy Spirit being with us in the church. Now the work of learning how to live with this amazing power begins. God was showing that the disconnection of each group from the Tower of Babel was reversed. God was interested in all people not just Jews.

I think some of church people are still amazed and puzzled about speaking in tongues. It is strange to someone who does not see scripture as pointing to God’s greater glory for the church. Some are afraid of it and the power it brings. God does not live in our box of doctrine. Rather it is us who have to learn how to find G0d any way.

However speaking in tongues under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is a way to connect with heaven. It can lead to healing, visions and wisdom. Do not let fear stop you from enjoying this blessing of heaven here and now.

The Ascension

Acts 1:9-14 

When Jesus was done teaching his disciples, he was taken up into heaven, in a cloud out of sight. The Disciples stood looking up in the sky to see if they could see anything else happening. But two men in white robes, angels, asked them why are you still here looking up? They told the Disciples he would come back in the same way. So they had something to look forward to. Of course they had no idea when that would be.

Then the Disciples went back to Jerusalem because Jesus had told them to stay there for the baptism of power. They had been in the garden on the Mount of Olives so it was not far back to Jerusalem. They went back to their usual meeting place in the upper room. This most likely was a private residence, perhaps belonging to one of the Disciples.

The remaining eleven were together with the women. This is a very interesting statement because the women were not mentioned very much in the narratives. They had to have been there because the men needed someone to cook for them. Here they are part of the group of Disciples who were with Jesus all along. They could have been the wives of some of the men.

Also Mary the mother of Jesus was there along with his brothers. It is interesting that Joseph was not part of the group. There is no other mention of him after this. Perhaps Joseph was still working and supporting the family as they traveled around.  Somehow Mary and his brothers were well off enough to spend time following Jesus around. They had come to believe in him even if most of Nazareth did not.

This was a big deal. For them to follow Jesus, they had to leave their friends and family in Nazareth. This kind of deliberate leaving was rare since family was so important. They were choosing a life of strain and possible poverty to follow Jesus.

The important thing for us to notice about the Disciples is that they devoted themselves to prayer; all of them. We know from another verse there were 120 of them. For them to be of one mind they had to stay focused on Jesus and what he had taught them. They had the prayers of their Jewish customs to pray and also some personal, free-form prayers. The Jews often prayed the Psalms so they may have been doing that. I am sure they also shared the prayers Jesus prayed.

For us Americans to be in a group of 120 people and be of one mind is very hard. We like to be individual. But the power fell after they had been praying of one mind for whole day. I have been to some prayer concerts where this kind of things happened for 3-4 hours. It takes focus, persistence and expectation to have the Holy Spirit draw near. Worship can have this effect when all present are engaged in the singing or contemplation.

These Disciples had a strong desire to follow Jesus and to do what he said even when it was strange. They had laid their lives down for Jesus. So for them to be together was family, a bit like all being on the road with Jesus. Are we willing to set aside this kind of time? Do we want what the Disciples had?

Atonement: Is sin punished or forgiven?

 

Starting with Calvin, the primary explanation used today is that sin must be punished as law breaking. Jesus came to take the punishment for us, and when we believe in him, we can claim that all the punishment we deserve has been taken care of by Jesus. This is called substitutionary atonement. Jesus took all the suffering and punishment that we deserve from breaking God’s holy law. This explanation starts with the idea that God is holy and cannot work with a sinner directly until they are cleaned up. It is a legal idea that means we have to constantly avoid more sin to be acceptable.

The second explanation is more ancient, that is that Jesus defeated Satan, sin and death and took away his right to torture us because of our sin. Jesus being the pure and perfect lamb of God could be a holy sacrifice, like in the Temple, to have our sins covered and forgiven. Jesus sacrifice is a substitute for our need of sacrifice to please or appease God. This explanation starts with God’s love and care and gives us victory over sin. This explanation is Christ Victor.

The Calvin explanation never gets rid of sin, but keeps us in a good relationship with God if we do not sin. We remain sinners but with Jesus to help us we are acceptable. The Christ Victor explanation makes it so we are saints not sinners. We have a right to a close relationship with God through faith in Jesus. We can be truly free of sin and be confident of God’s love.

Joy

Hebrews 12:2

“fixing our attention on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of the faith, who, in view of the joy set before him, endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Joy is an emotion of distinct happiness even exultation. Joy is also a fruit of the Holy Spirit. So as we get to know Jesus deeply we can understand that his joy kept him focused on Father God while he was undergoing harassment and crucifixion.

Jesus came to set us free from sin and death. He came in close connection with Father God. He was fully human (and fully God) so he felt all the same emotions and pain that we do. But he also knew love deeply. So for him it was a joy to see people respond to his message of God’s love and redemption. His mission was to find those the Father had given him and lead them into the understanding of a loving personal God.

Jesus knew the joy he would have when he was raised from the dead. The full power of what God had planned would be manifested. This joy gave him the expectation of completion and helped him go through the excruciating pain of crucifixion. Thus we can expect goodness and even joy when we go through hard times because of Jesus.

Joy that can carry us through hardship is pretty amazing. When I was going through a divorce, God carried me. I still hurt but I had confidence that God was with me and would help me. Others said I still had my joy. What a blessing that was. I could still worship and find God speaking to me. I could still enjoy nature and my kids.

Restoration on the beach

John 21:15-25  

Since Simon Peter had been disloyal and denied Jesus 3 times, Jesus set about restoring him in the relationship. He asked him about love, both agape and phileo. Was Peter ready to repent and reconcile with Jesus?

At first Peter answered phileo to an agape question. Jesus wanted to know if Peter would forsake all to follow what Jesus was doing.  Agape is a selfless love that looks out for others best interest. But Peter answered with phileo. which is warm affection for a friend. Jesus then gave Peter a special mission; he was to find food (spiritual) and give it to the young followers of Jesus.

Again the question is asked agape. Peter answers with phileo. And Jesus gives him another similar mission; to be a shepherd for the followers. A Third time the same question but it is phileo. Peter was hurt to be asked a third time but answers the same way with phileo. Jesus repeats his first mission to give the followers (spiritual) food.

Agape is the more difficult love because it does not necessarily include warm feelings. Also when Simon Peter thinks about his actions, he would remember that he had boasted that he would be more forceful in protecting Jesus than the other disciples. Yet he had failed. Now he knows that he is no better than the others and cannot boast about his own devotion. Peter loved Jesus as a brother which was saying a lot in those days when family was so important. Peter had been humiliated because he boasted and then failed in demonstrating his faith.

Jesus obviously loved Peter the whole time.  Jesus did not condemn him for failing, but gave him a mission he could do. Jesus indeed knew about Peter’s need for humility and his failure and wanted him to go forward in faith and ministry.

What kind of food was Peter supposed to give to the followers of Jesus? He could give them spiritual guidance from what he had learned. He could tell stories about Jesus and what he said and did. He could show faith in Jesus and explain how faith in Jesus worked. He could lead them to love Jesus as he did. If Peter would pray, he would gain understanding.

Jesus then gives Simon Peter a prophetic word; when he is old he will be taken away when and where he does not want. Some believe this is a prophecy of his death same as Jesus died. Peter wanted to know who was going to betray Jesus. No answer; it would be obvious when it happened.

Peter wants to know about John, what is he going to do. Jesus tells him to mind his own business and not worry about anyone else. This is good advice for all of us. What God wants for someone else is not for us to know. The competition between Peter and John was not good, and Peter had to stop comparing himself to John. Peter’s job was to keep on following Jesus.

Our job is to learn from what the disciples did and trust Jesus. As we try out what Jesus said, we learn faith. We will have some tests too, but Jesus has shown us through Peter that He loves us instead of condemning us. This takes some learning too. We are so used to being criticized or rebuked over mistakes that we tend to expect criticism instead of love and acceptance.

John ends his account of Jesus’ life and mission by saying only some of what he did is written down. When Jesus went about doing good, it would be more than anyone could write down. However, there is enough written for us to know Jesus and put our faith in him.

Breakfast

John 21:8-14 

Peter was already on the shore when the other Disciples arrived with the load of fish. It was such a huge catch that they recorded the number and the size. And it impressed them that the net was not torn. It would mean a good sale. But Jesus was there so they had to find out what he wanted. They left the commercial aspect for the personal.

But Jesus told them to come close and bring some fish to the fire to roast for breakfast. Jesus had set up this encounter to give them some instructions. No one asked who he was because they all knew who he was. He was not a ghost. So It must be him.

Jesus was again giving them f0od.  He gave them some bread and some fish. This was the third time they had seen Jesus alive after the resurrection. Maybe they were getting the idea that it was permanent. He was doing normal things like cooking. So he was alive!

At the Lake

John 21:1-7  

After the resurrection 7 of the Disciples were together up by the sea of Galilee. They still did not know what to do with themselves. So Peter said I am going fishing. This was what he did for a livelihood before he followed Jesus. So it was a familiar thing to keep on doing. The sons of Zebedee also were fishermen and they went too. The others decided to go along. So they made all the preparations and went out in the boat to fish in the night since Jesus was not with them anymore. They went back to what they knew because they did not yet have their commission from Jesus.

As they were coming in from the night’s fishing at dawn, there was a man on the shore. They had caught nothing all night so fishing was not satisfying. This man asked them if they had caught any thing. Of course the answer was no. They did not know it was Jesus.

The man said throw your nets out on the right side of the boat and you will catch some. This was a funny request because they knew the fish were best caught when it was cool in the night. But they did it anyway. They got so many fish they could not handle the net. Then they knew it was Jesus.

Peter was so excited he put his clothes on and jumped into the lake. He was going to go and be with Jesus even if he was soaking wet. The boat was likely close enough to the shore that he could walk there.

When we do not know what to do because Jesus is not obviously with us, it is good to keep on doing what we know while we wait.