Monthly Archives: April 2013

Who Said Life Is Fair?

Christian Life, ,

WHO SAID LIFE IS FAIR?

“That stirred up the people, the religious leaders and religion scholars. They grabbed Stephen and took him before the High Council. They put forward their bribed witnesses to testify. ‘This man talks nonstop against this Holy Place and God’s Law. We even heard him say that Jesus of Nazareth would tear this place down and throw out all the customs Moses gave us.’

“As all those who sat on the High Council looked at Stephen, they found they couldn’t take their eyes off him — his face was like the face of an angel.” Acts 6:12-15 (The Message).

Talk about bribery and corruption! The gloves were off and from now on the fight was on, not only against the leaders of the church, but also against anyone who claimed allegiance to Jesus.

Because of his godly life and powerful witness, backed up by the miracles God was doing through him as a testimony to the truth about Jesus, Stephen got the unwelcome attention of a group of freed Jewish slaves who were members of the synagogue of Freed Men, according to Luke. With lies and bribery they cooked up a story about him and dragged him before the Sanhedrin — the same group of men who had it in for Jesus and His followers.

Was there any hope of justice from these prejudiced leaders who had already shown their true colours in their dealings with Jesus and with the apostles? Their agenda was not about what was right but about who was right, and they thought they were and they used their clout to prove it, or so they thought.

They were willing to give their ear to anyone who told stories to their advantage. At least these men who had arrested Stephen had the good sense to bribe more than one witness! Jewish law demanded the testimony of two or three witnesses to find a man guilty of the charge. Interesting that their charge was the same one that was thrown at Jesus, a twisted version of His statement, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up again.” John 2:10 (NIV)

The first question we are tempted to ask in this terrible situation is: ‘Where was God in all this?’ How can God allow this kind of thing to happen to His own followers? It’s the same question we ask when we are treated unfairly. Why does God sit on His hands when life throws us a curved ball?

God is sovereign. He has the power to intervene in any situation but He doesn’t. Why? Firstly, He gave man the gift of choice and He will not override that even to prevent people from destroying themselves or others but…every person will have to give an account of the choices they made.

Secondly, in a way beyond our understanding, He turns even the worst that humans can do to His children to our good and to His glory. What they did to Jesus is a case in point. Even losing our lives is not the worst that God-haters can do to us. Our lives are secure in Him, but His kingdom grows on the testimony of those whose love and loyalty cannot be destroyed by the threat of death.

The story of Stephen is an illustration of the miracle of God’s ways. Every seed sown in the ground produces a multiplicity of seeds. It was so with the life of Jesus and it so with every person who lays down his life for the Master.

Does that mean we have to die to be of any value in God’s kingdom? Yes, but not necessarily in the literal sense. A true disciple of Jesus is one who denies himself, takes up the cross daily and follows Him. Perhaps the daily inward dying is more difficult than the once-off physical dying for Him.

A dead person is beyond resenting the unfairness that life dishes up to us. Dying to ourselves frees us from the emotional storms we experience at the choices other people make that affect us. Our times are in God’s hands and He is able to make all things work for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose, because He is shaping us into sons like Jesus.

The Word of God Prospered

Christian Life, ,

THE WORD OF GOD PROSPERED

“They went ahead and chose — Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, Nicolas, a convert from Antioch. Then they presented them to the apostles. Praying, the apostles laid on hands and commissioned them for their work.

“The Word of God prospered. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased dramatically. Not least, a great many priests submitted themselves to the faith.” Acts 6:5-7 (The Message).

The church…what was it? An organization or an organism? It must have begun as an organism. Jesus didn’t start with a committee or a council — He began with twelve followers and taught and imparted to them everything He could about the way God runs things in His universe so that they would come under His rule themselves and bring others who would believe in him under His authority.

When He returned to the Father, having reconciled alienated sons to the Father through His death, He gave them the same Person who directed and empowered Him throughout His earthly life to live in them and perpetuate His life through them.

Like any human family, the infant church needed fathers to protect, lead and teach them and mothers to nurture them. As the needs arose so the apostles guided the people along the growth process. Sometimes, like any immature child, they needed discipline. All the while, it was growing numerically and spiritually.

The evidence of God’s favour on His church was the unusual spurts of increase whenever a new phase was successfully negotiated. Every problem, sparked by the old human nature rearing its head, for example greed, as with Ananias and Sapphira, and racism, as happened with the distribution of food to the widows, became an opportunity to bring God’s way of doing things into the situation.

The church submitted to the leadership of the apostles who, wisely, consulted with the people but, at the same time, exercised their authority and issued the instructions which the people carried out. They were recognized and honoured as their legitimate leaders and no-one rebelled against them by setting up rival leadership.

Why did the early church function so well? The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Corinthian church gives us a clue. There were problems in the church, Paul puts his finger on the root cause. “I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.” 1 Corinthians 1:10 (NIV).

Why were there cracks in this group of believers? “My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, ‘I follow Paul’; another, ‘I follow Apollos’; another, ‘I follow Cephas’; still another, ‘I follow Christ.’ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?” 1 Corinthians 1:11-13 (NIV).

When a leader wittingly or unwittingly connects people to himself instead of to Jesus, he sets up the potential for competition in the Body which will inevitably lead to the fracturing of unity which is exactly what the devil wants. Destroy the unity and you destroy the power of the church’s witness.

The answer? Jesus said, ‘Follow me,’ not anyone else. “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…” Hebrews 12:2a (NIV).

Growth Brings Its Own Opportunities

Christian Life, , ,

GROWTH BRINGS ITS OWN OPPORTUNITIES

“During this time, as the disciples were increasing in numbers by leaps and bounds, hard feelings developed among the Greek-speaking believers — “Hellenists” — toward the Hebrew-speaking believers because their widows were being discriminated against in the daily food lines. So the Twelve called a meeting of the disciples. They said, ‘It wouldn’t be right for us to abandon our responsibilities for preaching and teaching the Word of God to help with the care of the poor. So, friends, choose seven men from among you whom everyone trusts, men full of the Holy Spirit and good sense, and we’ll assign them this task. Meanwhile we’ll stick to our assigned tasks of prayer and speaking God’s Word.’

“The congregation thought that was a great idea.” Acts 6:1-6a (The Message).

It had to happen sometime! However idyllic the early church appeared to be, the people were still ordinary people, with evidences of their “humanness” coming through now and then. How this “racist” attitude crept in we do not know. Perhaps there was another “rotten apple” in the box who deliberately side-lined the Hellenistic widows; perhaps it was a simple oversight; perhaps it was an administrative omission. Who knows?

However it happened, it caused ill-will which had to be corrected quickly before their unity was compromised. What a lesson for us! Protect unity which is a fundamental characteristic of a Spirit-led church and the Holy Spirit is free to move in the church and in the community.

Jesus set a great deal of store on unity. It was the zenith of His high priestly prayer in John 17. “‘My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.'” John 17:20-21 NIV).

Why is oneness so important to God? God is one; He created us in His image to be one with Him and with one another. Unity of this nature is a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit but it is our responsibility to guard and maintain unity in the Body. “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Ephesians 4:3 (NIV).

A simple plan to delegate solved their problem and set the church back on course to be a witness to the unbelieving world that Jesus had come from the Father and that the Father loved them as He loved Him – (John 17:23).

The early church was a genuine product of “evolution” — not an organisation with a set structure but a living organism that developed as it grew. Its function determined its leaders, and the gifts of individuals and the needs they met determined their ministries.

It is heartening to see how the apostles knew and protected their ministry from “needs” that could easily have crowded out their calling. Here was godly wisdom in operation. They knew what they had to do and were not so high-minded that they took on everything themselves instead of sharing the load with suitable people.

How many spiritual leaders fall into this trap! Pastors and ministers can be so insecure that they are afraid to delegate in case someone overshadows them and threatens their ministry. It is the person secure in God and in his or her calling and gifting that can develop a team of people who minster effectively because:

1. They do what they are called and gifted to do.
2. They are not doing what they don’t like doing and are uncomfortable in.
3. They are able to develop their gifts and skills doing what brings them joy and fulfilment.
4. Many more people benefit from the wider ministry of the team.
5. The church experiences the power and blessing of unity.

The church is a not a game with most of the members sitting on the grandstand watching the experts play. It is a family in which everyone takes part in family life so that they can all grow up together.

Honoured to be Dishonoured

Christian Life, , ,

HONOURED TO BE DISHONOURED

“That convinced them. They called the apostles back in. After giving them a thorough whipping, they warned them not to speak in Jesus’ name and sent them off. The apostles went out of the High Court overjoyed because they had been given the honour of being dishonoured on account of the Name. Every day they were in the Temple and homes, teaching and preaching Christ Jesus, not letting up for a minute.” Acts 5:40-42 (The Message).

Isn’t this a rather strange way to react to an unfair whipping? What had these men done to deserve such drastic treatment at the hands of their justice system? Given people back their health and a better quality of life? Introduced them to the God who forgave their sin and gave them inner peace? What kind of crime was that?

The authorities might just as well have beaten them with an ostrich feather, for all the effect it had on the apostles. In fact, instead of deterring them, it made them even bolder and more determined to obey the Lord Jesus in spite of the consequences. Their response? They were honoured to be dishonoured for the Name of their Master.

What is the significance of that specific statement “for the Name”? In Hebrew thought a name had far more meaning than the handle by which a person was known. A name was a prophetic utterance of character. When a child was named it was sometimes a reflection of the circumstances of the child’s birth but often prophetic of what that child would become. “‘You are to give Him the name Jesus,'” Luke 1:31b (NIV), “Saviour”.

The name of Jesus is much more than His handle; it is the character of the Person whose name we carry. We have been given the name of Jesus to wear as the distinguishing garment of our identity. When we were baptised, we were immersed into the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit as representatives of the triune God; and those who wear His name are to be witnesses to the world of who He is and how He behaves towards all people.

The apostles were delighted to be dishonoured for the honour of wearing His name because He was willing to suffer disgrace in the eyes of man to rescue them, and us, from the clutches of the enemy. How different from the attitude of many so-called believers today. We whine and even walk away when God does not answer our “prayers” when we issue our instructions.

What did these incorrigible apostles do about the beating and the warning that went with it not to propagate the name of Jesus ever again? They went right back and carried on from where they were interrupted! No puny Sanhedrin had the power to stop them from obeying their divine Master.

Such was the focus of these men on the mandate they had been given to make Jesus known that nothing could veer them off course — not even the physical and verbal abuse of the highest court in their land. Their guiding star was, “We must obey God rather than men.” These were only unexpected interruptions which they brushed off like flicking off an irritating fly so that they could get right on with the task at hand.

If we claim to wear the name of Jesus we, too, must learn to flick off every irritating interruption to our calling to be His witnesses. It may not mean beatings and imprisonment, but it does mean not being fazed by the circumstances of living in a fallen world. Instead of whining, “Why me, Lord?” Let’s get on with the business of being His witnesses by walking in the unshakeable confidence of who He is and serving a broken world with all our hearts.

Hands Off These Men!

Bible Study, , ,

HANDS OFF THESE MEN!

“When they heard that, they were furious and wanted to kill them on the spot. But one of the council members stood up, a Pharisee by the name of Gamaliel, a teacher of God’s Law who was honoured by everyone. He ordered the men taken out of the room for a short time, then said, ‘Fellow Israelites, be careful what you do to these men. Not long ago Theudas made something of a splash, claiming to be somebody and he got about four hundred men to join him. He was killed, his followers dispersed and nothing came of it. A little later, at the time of the census, Judas the Galilean appeared and acquired a following. He also fizzled out and the people who were following him were scattered to the four winds.

“‘So I am telling you: Hands off these men! Let them alone. If this programme or this work is merely human, it will fall apart, but if it is of God, there is nothing you can do about it — and you had better not be found fighting against God.'” Acts 5:33-39 (The Message).

Wise words! If only they had heeded them!

Gamaliel was the only one in the Sanhedrin with enough sense to realise that something was happening that was more than human. He was a contemporary of Jesus and one of the few rabbis in Israel with authority, having a following of disciples and teaching his “yoke” to them.

Apart from the threat to their own position of power and wealth, this new movement that was dubbed “The Way” had political implications for them as well. They were allowed limited power in Israel under the Roman governor responsible for this remote outpost of the Roman Empire. They could rule their people as long as they did nothing to stir up rebellion against Rome.

From time to time, as Gamaliel explained, there were uprisings led by hothead rebel leaders but nothing came of them because they were ruthlessly dealt with by Rome. But what was happening now was something bigger than they could handle. The Sanhedrin was aware of the threat of Roman intervention because the apostles were leading a revolt against the very foundation of Roman power – Caesar worship.

The Caesars played on the superstitious nature of their subjects by declaring themselves to be gods and demanding worship on pain of punishment. The password to favour was “Caesar is Lord” and that confession allowed the people to live a life relatively untroubled by the authorities.

Israel had long been a trouble spot in the empire. Rome had declared a truce with them by allowing them to worship their God and not be subject to the many gods recognised in the rest of the empire. That maintained an uneasy peace until this! A group of uneducated Galilean Jews were propagating a dangerous new teaching, that another Galilean peasant named Jesus, who had been put to death for blasphemy and treason, had actually risen from the dead and was claiming the title belonging to Caesar. They were adamantly declaring that “Jesus is Lord” and teaching that His resurrection was the proof.

What’s more, supernatural things were accompanying their preaching for which the religious authorities had no answer. The leaders of The Way were saying it was God and, instead of their action against them shutting it down, it only served to fan the flames and increase the popularity of the movement.

They could not understand where the courage and boldness of their leaders came from and they were afraid that, when the Roman authorities got to hear about it, it would spell the end for Israel.

Gamaliel was the only one who had the wisdom to recognise that this was something bigger than their blustering threats could deal with. “Let it take its course,’ he advised them, ‘and then we will know its origin.’ Wise words, Gamaliel. At least you had the sense to know where your power ended!