Monthly Archives: April 2013

United as One

Bible Study, ,

UNITED AS ONE

“While they were praying, the place where they were meeting trembled and shook. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak God’s word with fearless confidence.

“The whole congregation of believers was united as one — one heart, one mind! They didn’t even claim ownership of their own possessions. No one said, ‘That’s mine; you can’t have it.’ They shared everything. The apostles gave powerful witness to the resurrection of the Master Jesus, and grace was on all of them.” Acts 4:31-33 (The Message)

Talk about miracles! The healing miracles done by Jesus and even the apostles had nothing on what was happening on the inside of these people. Never in the history of mankind after Adam’s fall had so large a group of people lived together in such unselfish harmony for so long as was happening here in Jerusalem. This had to be God.

People start an enterprise with good intentions. They determine their aim, set up their constitution, start with a flourish and things go well for a while. A few months or years down the line, however, things begin to fall apart. People have different ideas about how they want things done; leaders emerge with opposing ideas; a power struggle begins; before long self-will and self-interest erode good intentions and, without a harsh dictator kind of leadership, the enterprise flounders.

What made this group so different? The command centre of their lives was being manned by a power outside of themselves. The Holy Spirit in them was the unifying power. This was God’s plan from the beginning. He made man in His image with the capacity to be one with Him and with each other.

Scientists who believe and propagate the theory of evolution try to persuade us lesser mortals that we evolved upward from animals. In the animal kingdom no creature lives in harmony with other creatures, even of their own species, by choice. What about a hive of bees or a colony of ants, you may ask? Yes, they may exhibit unity but not by choice. They were programmed by their Creator to function as a unit for their survival.

Not so among mammals, There is often a battle for the alpha position and the top dog wears his crown uneasily because there is another aspiring leader waiting in the wings to snatch it from him, often in a bloody battle.

We discern a different atmosphere among the people in the early church. They were not forced to comply by a harsh dictator. They lived together in harmony because two of the most crucial areas of their lives were submitted to Jesus – their wills and their bank accounts. Bring those two ambitions under the Lordship of Jesus and you have the whole person submitted to Him.

Isn’t it true that the most destructive power in the human race is greed for power and money? Where the Holy Spirit is not in charge of a person’s life, this is the motive that drives us. Jesus was the only human being who was free from greed. His life was a perfect mirror image of the Father, gracious, compassionate, generous and merciful. He showed us God who is a giver, not a getter.

Jesus gave us a fool proof test to discern what spirit is controlling a person – their fruit. In this case the fruit of God’s work of transformation was the undeniable miracle of unity. Unity becomes a reality when people are submitted to Jesus and to one another out of reverence for Christ. Greed id replaced by the kind of generosity that touches our hearts and our pockets. Now that’s real power!

Too Late!

Bible Study, ,

TOO LATE!

“While Peter and John were addressing the people, the priests, the chief of the Temple police and some Sadducees came up, indignant that these upstart apostles were instructing the people and proclaiming that the resurrection from the dead had taken place in Jesus. They arrested them and threw them into jail until morning, for by now it was late in the evening. But many of those who had listened had already believed the Message — in round numbers about five thousand.” Acts 4:1-4 (The Message).

The time of favour was over! Persecution began to rain down on the apostles like lava from an erupting volcano. They were insisting that Jesus was alive and doing miracles to prove it. This ‘routine’ execution of a man the Jewish religious leaders claimed was a blasphemer had backfired on them and now it had come back to haunt them. They thought they had silenced Him and squashed the movement that had sprung up around Him but instead, they had actually poured oil on the fire and it was spreading faster than they could contain it.

What was it in these religious leaders that made them so determined to stamp out the truth and silence their opposition? What is it in any religious organization that is willing to kill to promote their own beliefs? Murder is justifiable in their eyes if they cannot force their beliefs down the throats of their ‘enemies’.

Just as fiercely as God protects man’s right to make his own choices, even to damning himself to the rubbish heap if he so wills, so fiercely do some elements of the human race, and especially in the name of some ‘god’, call it what they will, demand the right to force others to embrace their beliefs or die.

One of the worst elements of Adam’s rebellion against God was the ingrained determination to control other people. It is the root cause of conflict, from conflict between individuals to conflict in homes, in society, in nations and in the world. We all want our own way and we get it at the expense of others.

But why is it that the worst expression of control between people happens over their religious beliefs and practices? More people have perished in religious persecution over the centuries than all the wars put together. That tells us just how deep-rooted this flaw is in human nature.

Some one hundred and fifty million believers died at the hands of the Church during the Inquisition. And what of the people who perished under the Nazi regime, under communism and in countries today where religion is legislated and where to convert is an automatic death sentence?

People who control are often people who were controlled. This produces insecurity expressed in anger which can only be relieved by controlling others. Put this together with an inborn suspicion and hatred for God and you have a recipe for religious persecution. Strong leaders who control become a hierarchy of controllers with enough power to subdue millions through fear. At the root of it all, amazingly, is….money and power. Scratch under the surface of every dictatorship and every autocratic regime and you will find the glint of gold and, of course, money is power!

What these religious persecutors had not bargained for was a group of fearless people who refused to be silenced, even on pain of death, because they were convinced of the truth that Jesus was alive. Nothing could change that. Where lies controlled the people through fear, the knowledge of the truth had set them free from fear and not even the threat of death would shut them up.

For these religious persecutors it was too late; too late to put the lid on something they had inadvertantly opened up by their passion to control.

They Lied and Died!

Christian Life, ,

THEY LIED AND DIED!

“But a man named Ananias — his wife Sapphira, conniving in this with him — sold a piece of land, secretly kept back part of the price for himself, and then brought the rest to the apostles and made an offering of it.

“Peter said, ‘Ananias, how did Satan get you to lie to the Holy Spirit and secretly keep back part of the price of the field? Before you sold it, it was all yours; and after you sold it the money was yours to do with as you wished. So what got into you to pull a trick like this? You didn’t lie to men but to God.’

Ananias, when he heard those words, fell down dead. That put the fear of God into everyone who heard of it. The younger men went right to work and wrapped him up, then carried him out for burial.” Acts 5:1-6 (The Message).

Jealousy; wanting to be thought generous; looking for approval; what was it that motivated these two people to cook up this plan?

This is the first crack in the apparently ‘perfect’ and idyllic fellowship of the church. In spite of the powerful work of the Holy Spirit, there had to be those in the church who were not really of the church, the hangers on who were in it for what they could get out of it. Satan’s emissaries are everywhere, including within the church.

This story is a frightening reminder of so what Jesus had to say about the power of money and possessions. One wonders why He spoke about money more than any other subject, including things like prayer, the kingdom of God, grace, etc. Because He happened to understand the depth of human greed, He showed us how deeply the love of money is ingrained in the core of our beings.

It was the love of money that kept the rich young ruler away from eternal life. It was his attitude to money that revealed the transformation that had happened to Zaccheus. It is the way we handle our money that reveals the level of our spiritual maturity and will determine our role in the life to come (Luke16). Where our treasure is reveals where our hearts are.

This incident with Ananias and Sapphira is a shocking reminder that God is fully aware of the thoughts and motives that drive us from the inside. It was not the fact that they had money; it was their attempt to manipulate the church’s attitude towards them with their money that caught them out. They were not being genuinely generous; they were being secretly self-seeking by acting generous in front of the church. And God knew and, unfortunately for them, so did Peter through the Holy Spirit.

How often do we not also try to manipulate people’s attitude towards us by acting on the outside what we are not on the inside. This is insincere, to say the least and hypocritical — something which God hates. It is an attempt to make ourselves better than other people. This is a subtle form of idolatry, putting ourselves on a pedestal for people to admire.

It’s even worse when pastors elevate themselves above their congregations; closed doors, unlisted telephone numbers, unapproachable, untouchable etc. What happened to “servants leaders”; “shepherds of the flock”; “examples” etc.?

Once again there is a call to the simplicity of “following Jesus”. He did not live to impress people but to obey the Father and He was NEVER unapproachable.

If you have an “approval addiction”, to quote Joyce Meyer, get help! There is blessed freedom in living to please God and not people.

The Stage Is Set

Bible Study, ,

THE STAGE IS SET

“And so it turned out that not a person among them was needy. Those who owned fields or houses sold them and brought the price of the sale to the apostles and made an offering of it. The apostles then distributed it according to each person’s need.

“Joseph, called by the apostles “Barnabas” (which means “Son of Comfort”), a Levite born in Cyprus, sold a field that he owned, brought the money and made an offering of it to the apostles.” Acts4:34-37 (The Message).

These few verses seem like nothing more than a simple bit of information regarding the miraculous life of the new-born church in Jerusalem. It was a miracle because most people without Jesus don’t normally live that way.

Here was a community within a community that did life together in unity. They identified with each other so closely that everyone shared in the joy and suffering of the group. The apostles had a safe haven to go to when things got tough for them outside. Their resources were pooled so that everyone had a share. Those who had shared with those who did not have.

They had to live like that for several reasons: they were expressing the generous nature of the one who lived inside them. Their disposition was transformed by the power of God from greedy, selfish people to those who willingly and unselfishly served their fellow believers.

They were no longer individuals responsible for themselves and their families. They were now members of a new family held together by their faith in their living Lord. He had shown them how to live and they were following and imitating Him.

They were a community under threat. Like their Master, they had fallen foul of their religious leaders because of what they taught and lived. Their lives and message opposed the legalistic self-righteousness of their leaders and showed up their true nature just as Jesus had done. The church stuck together and supported one another.

In spite of their circumstances, the church flourished and grew. There was something about them and their way of life that drew people to them like moths to a flame. Yet, as idyllic as it sounds, it was inevitable that there would be bad apples in the box. Satan always has his unsuspecting allies who are there to throw a spanner in the works.

These verses conclude the opening chapter of the life of body of Christ, the church, and also form the introduction to a new era in which the rot began from within. Jesus told a parable about a farmer who planted good seed in his field. In the night an enemy came and sowed weed seeds among the wheat. The new plants looked so alike that the only solution was to let them grow together until the harvest. The fruit would distinguish wheat from weeds.

The church is like that as well. There are pseudo-believers in the mix that seem so genuine that no-one can really tell the difference. But the time does come when their true nature is revealed. The next episode in our story will throw the spotlight on two people who, unfortunately, did not escape the scrutiny of the Holy Spirit in Peter.

There is a message in this story for us. Attachment to the body of Christ does not guarantee true membership. It’s really an issue of the heart. God looks beyond our behaviour to the attitude and motive of our hearts. That’s where our union with Jesus happens and is worked out in our relationships within His body.

Silence Them With Threats!

Bible Study, , ,

SILENCE THEM WITH THREATS!

“They sent them out of the room so they could work out a plan. They talked it over. ‘What can we do with these men? By now it’s known all over town that a miracle has occurred, and they are behind it. There is no way we can refute that. But so that it doesn’t go any further, let’s silence them with threats so they won’t dare to use Jesus’ name ever again with anyone.

“They called them back and warned them that they were on no account ever again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John spoke right back. ‘Whether it’s right in God’s eyes to listen to you rather than to God, you decide. As for us, there’s no question — we can’t keep quiet about what we’ve seen and heard.'” Acts 4:15-20 (The Message).

How naive of these so-called ‘leaders’! Did they really think that their puny threats would put a stop to a spiritual revival that was gathering momentum like a snowball tumbling down a mountain? Their threats were no more effective than shouting against thunder.

These apostles were on a roll. God had raised up Jesus and elevated Him to the highest place in the universe. To Him was given all authority in heaven and on earth and to His faithful apostles He had delegated His authority to preach and heal in His name. Everyone who heard would have an opportunity to respond to the good news that the kingdom of God had come to all people.

What were the Sanhedrin’s threats against a commission like that, especially when God’s power was let loose to confirm the message they were delivering? Put yourself in their shoes. How much notice would you have taken of the hot air of these bullies when God was on the move and He was using you?

The apostles were drunk with the power of God. They were exhilarated with the sweet air of the kingdom after living their whole lives in the stale atmosphere of religion. God had opened a window and let in the fresh breeze of the Holy Spirit and they were not about to shut it again and go back to the very beliefs and ways that had imprisoned them. They wanted everyone to know this vibrant new life that had been poured into them.

Peter and John’s response was not arrogant or disrespectful. God’s power was at work in them and they were not about to shut it down because a few religious cranks ordered them to do so. Jesus was alive and resident in them through His Spirit. They simply stated the truth. Should we obey God or you? You decide.

They were speaking to men who claimed to be obeying God and teaching the people to obey God. Now these same men were ordering a few Galilean peasants not to obey God in spite of what was obvious. No one could do what the apostles were doing without the power of God. They themselves had acknowledged that a miracle had happened and they could not get around it.

Every encounter the apostles had with the religious hierarchy laid more guilt on them and showed them up for what they were, power-hungry bigots who were more interested in their own position than in the responsibility of their role as Israel’s leaders.

Those who lead God’s people need to be careful not to allow self-interest or pride of position get in the way of representing Jesus to the people. We are to be both followers and leaders. Peter and John were not fazed by threats or intimidation. They had their mandate and so do we.