Now and Not Yet

Some books have a prologue; this sermon does too.

The rabbis and the writers of the New Testament understood the term “the Kingdom of Heaven” to have a dual meaning: 

• The rule of God in the present

• the reign of God in the age to come.[1]

Christians have long called this “the now[2] and not yet.” In Northern Michigan we know what this is like when it comes to seasons. When the first day of spring shows up on the calendar, the age of fulfillment has come, but the consummation is still in the future. Here is a biblical example.

“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2)

Here are a few other examples where you are going to have to look up the address yourself :)

• We are already adopted in Christ (Romans 8:15), but not yet fully adopted (Romans 8:23)

• We are already redeemed in Christ (Ephesians 1:7), but not yet fully redeemed (Ephesians 4:30)

• We are already sanctified in Christ (1 Corinthians 1:2), but not yet fully sanctified (1 Thessalonians 5:23–24)

• We are already saved in Christ (Ephesians 2:8), but not yet fully saved (Romans 5:9).

• We are already raised with Christ (Ephesians 2:6), but not yet fully raised (1 Corinthians 15:52).[3]

The now and not yet. 

* * * * *

Last week we talked about what all the sermons in the book of Acts present. Today, we will talk about some really significant things that are not present in the speeches in the book of Acts.

Specifically, heaven and hell are not presented as motivators for following Jesus in the book of Acts. They are barely mentioned at all.

Hades is mentioned once in Acts 2, where Peter is quoting Psalm 16. There, Peter is just applying a prophecy to Jesus (“You will not abandon my soul to Hades/Sheol”). He’s not making a presentation about it.[4]

In the New Testament, heaven (Ouranos) can refer to the sky, outer space, or the third heaven (God’s dwelling place). Acts uses “heaven” language as shorthand for “where God reigns” twice: God “raised Jesus” and exalted him (Acts 2:33–36), and Jesus is enthroned at God’s right hand (Acts 7:55–56).[5]

Even the phrase “eternal/everlasting life” appears only in one speech (Acts 13:46-48), but the phrase “eternal/everlasting punishment” not at all.[6]

Clearly, what happens in the age to come is a very important part of the Christian worldview and is talked about by Jesus and others as recorded in Scripture. But in the midst of all the sermons and speeches in Acts, the life in the age to come – the “not yet” -  is not front and center, and punishment and reward in the age to come are not presented as motivators for following Jesus.

Acts focuses on the “now” part of the “now and not yet.”

Having said that, Acts absolutely does preach the importance of repentance with a coming judgment in view.

• Paul teaches that God “commands all people everywhere to repent” because God “has fixed a day” to judge the world through the risen Jesus (Acts 17:30–31). 

• Peter told Cornelius, “[Christ] commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.” (Acts 10:42-43)

Clearly there will be a judgment that holds us accountable. Acts does not deny this at all. It just doesn’t record a detailed map of competing destinations in the afterlife, and it doesn’t incorporate a presentation of them into evangelism tools to reach their audience.

Why? I suspect that their audience had a grasp of reward and punishment that they took so seriously already that Paul and Peter didn’t need to raise the stakes for them as they considered whether or not to repent and follow Jesus. That is what we are going to examine.

When people in Peter and Paul’s audience were called to repent, they were generally trying to avoid “the wrath of God”.  HELPS Word-studies defines this wrath this way:

“Settled anger (opposition) proceeds from an internal disposition which steadfastly opposes someone or something based on extended personal exposure…a fixed, controlled, passionate feeling against sin . . . a settled indignation.”

So, God’s wrath isn’t God flying off the handle in a temper outburst. God is, after all, “slow to anger” (Psalm 86:15, etc).  God steadfastly opposes sin because He knows what it does (that’s the “extended personal exposure”). He has a settled indignation at the chaos it causes. He has a holy resistance to corruption. He loves His creation too much to let it be ruined without consequence.

In the framework of God’s Old Testament covenant with Israel, the wrath of God was more often than not very practical. Think of the OT blessings vs. curses within the covenant that mapped onto righteousness vs. sin. Wrath is God’s in that God warns us that sin will lead to consequences that God himself has ordained.

This was something the people of Israel had experienced already in this life, and the Jewish people continued to understand as seen in the writings of Paul.

Ezekiel 22:31 - “I will pour out my wrath…they have returned their conduct upon their heads, says the Lord God.”

Romans 1 -  “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people….  God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts… God gave them over to a depraved mind.” 

Galatians 6:7 - “Be not deceived; God is not mocked. What one sows, one will also reap.”

So what does the wrath of consequences look like? Two key results show up over and over again in the Old Testament; that pattern starts immediately in Genesis.

• loss of life (“if you eat you will surely die”)[7]

• loss of the land intended to give them life (exile from Eden).[8] To be exiled from the land is to be pushed back toward chaos and death. Wrath was the loss of life-giving space.

That pattern continues through so many stories. The wrath of God revealed as the wages of sin leads to death or loss of the land meant to give them life.

• The people go to Egypt for help during a famine instead of trusting God, and they lose their land (and a lot of lives).

• When they follow God out of Egypt, God leads them toward a land of Promise – and an entire generation dies outside the land because of sin.

• They make it to the land; when their sin overwhelms them, they are conquered and exiled.[9]

This is exactly the framework that the apostles in Acts assume when they warn about the consequences of “wrath” without needing to tap into imagery of life or death in the age to come. Their audience already knows the story: the wages of sin are death and exile from the blessing of the land God had provided for them.

I suspect this is why the afterlife isn’t central in Acts. There was plenty of material here already. When Jesus warned them about the punishment of Gehennah (literally right outside the city gates), they wanted to avoid it at all cost. They had seen what happened there to their ancestors.[10] They knew what that meant. The wages of sin were death and exile.

When John the Baptist said, “Flee from the wrath to come,” his audience had centuries of history that formed the legitimacy of this warning. So many times, God’s people had fallen into sin, failed to hear the prophets, and experienced the wrath of God through the consequences of their sin. It’s been an ongoing reality. That’s why Paul can write,

“The wrath of God is being revealed (present tense) from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness…” (Romans 1:18)

But that wasn’t the end of the story. The prophets had always insisted that the goal was always repentance, return, and restoration into a renewal of life. Here is just one (fairly famous) example.

This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.” Jeremiah 29:10-14)[11]

The Jewish people still thought of themselves as exiled even though they were back in their own land. Rome ruled them; they were convinced God’s Spirit had left them; the glory hadn’t returned to the Temple; and so many of the prophets promises had not been fulfilled.

And if they were still in exile, they were still under the wrath of God.

The apostles are convincing their audience that Jesus has conquered the power of death and exile. That’s why the focus is on Jesus’ resurrection/exaltation (He’s God!), the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (“The Kingdom is within you!”), and a new community of belonging (“You’re home!”).

In a sense, Jesus relives Israel’s history of death and exile by participating in it.

• Goes into Egypt (Matthew 2)

• Enters the wilderness (40 days)

• Crucified outside the city (Hebrews 13:12)

• Hung on a tree (Deuteronomy 21’s curse)

• Enters death (Hades)

On the cross, Jesus stepped into exile and overpowered it. He entered the realm of death and took away its power. Acts preaches that, because of what Jesus has done, the exile is over. The King has returned and sits on a throne in His Kingdom, which has now expanded to include all the nations. He is pouring out His life-giving Holy Spirit for renewal and refreshing. And he has even rebuilt the Temple, but this time it’s His people.

The age of exile is over because the risen King has come. A national and even cosmic restoration has begun.

Acts’ dominant evangelistic posture is a proactive summons into this new life of restoration and reconciliation. Repentance is a doorway into resurrection life and Spirit-formed community. The stress is on what it looks like to experience the Kingdom of God now.

• Forgiveness of sins

• Gift of the Holy Spirit

• Inclusion in a new community

• Participation in God’s renewing work

Acts invites its audience to align themselves with Jesus, because resurrection has already begun. They are no longer exiled from the true land that nourishes them with the true Water and Bread of life. The land – the Kingdom of God - is theirs to enjoy, beginning now. Paul told Timothy, 

“Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called.” (1 Timothy 6:12)

Every commentary I read said something like this: Believers have begun "eternal (aiṓnios) life" right now, experiencing this quality of God's life now as a present possession.[12]

Around the time Jesus lived, the rabbis were discussing the difference between hayei olam (Hi-YAY Oh-LAHM), meaning eternal life, which is contrasted with hayei sha’ah (Hi-YAY Sha-AH), which means fleeting or earthly life.

This wasn’t about before death and after death. Hayei olam was “lasting life,” and it referred to living in a way that focused on matters of eternal importance. Hayei sha’ah was about only being concerned with short-term material needs of today: working, making money, eating, etc.

We as followers of Jesus have hayei olam, and it begins now.  There’s more to come, but it begins now. Let’s go with John 4:14’s image:

“The water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

If you go to where the Boardman River pops out of the ground, and put your kayak in, you are on the Boardman river. But the spring is just the beginning. That river will take you somewhere. You are on the river “now” but you are “not yet” where it plans to take you. So, how do we start eternal life now?

“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (John 17:3)

Knowing has to do with being transformed into the image of Christ, having the Holy Spirit at work in us, absorbing the truth of God’s word, ordering our life around the things of God, seeking to see God at work in every situation… It’s an active, all-encompassing, total life surrender and make over. 

Eternal life starts with repentance, turning away from all that is sinful and unrighteous and turning toward the path of life made possible through Jesus.  It’s living in God's righteous path centered in God's will, making it our highest priority to further God’s interests and kingdom in every way by having eyes that see what Jesus sees, hearts that respond like the heart of Jesus, and hands that do what Jesus would do.

And if we do this as entire communities of people, the “now” gives us clearer and clearer images of the glory and goodness that awaits us in the “not yet.”

_________________________________________________________________________________

[1] “The Kingdom Of Heaven In The Here And Now And Future.” Marg Mowczko, https://margmowczko.com/the-kingdom-of-heaven-here-now-future/

[2] “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst (or, within you).” (Luke 17:20b-21)

[3] https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/already-not-yet provided that list.

[4] The word “hell” did not exist when the Bible was written. Hell comes from a word with German roots, haljō, referring to a "concealed place" or the place of the dead. Norse mythology made it famous: “Hel” refers to both the realm of the dead and the goddess who rules it (no surprise – her dad is Loki.) “Hell” starts showing up in Bible translations around 1,000 AD. It eventually became a catch-all word that referred to Sheol (Old Testament realm of the dead in Hebrew); Hades (New Testament realm of the dead in Greek), ,Gehenna (the valley of Hinnom), and Tartarus. The individual words matter, because they meant different things to the audience in the book of Acts.

[5] Heaven is God’s headquarters. The emphasis in Acts is on exaltation and lordship, not relocation after this life

[6] You see “everlasting/eternal life/punishment” discussed more in the letters to the churches.

[7] Genesis 2. Also, “The soul that sins shall die” (Ezekiel)

[8] Genesis 3

[9] The Northern Kingdom was destroyed by Assyria and the people deported because of idolatry and injustice. (2 Kings 17) Jeremiah and Ezekiel record the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, and the people removed from the land.

[10] And, sadly, would happen again in A.D. 70.

[11] The author of Romans will note: ““We were enemies… we were reconciled… saved from wrath.” (Rom 5:9–10)

[12]  All the discussion that follows on eternal life as understood in the time of Jesus is from Lois Tverberg, writing in “Eternal Life, Here and Now.”

The Connection Between Theology and Relationships (Act 10 Continued…)

I noted last week that a change in theology will lead to a change in relationships. What I meant is that what we think is true about God has implications for how we live.

Saul is a classic example. He thought of God as not Jesus, and thus those who worshipped Jesus as God were blasphemous idolaters. When God made clear that Jesus was God’s revelation of himself—Jesus, who said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” of those who denied, betrayed, and killed him—well, this had implications for how Paul would live.

We keep seeing this correction in Scripture. Remember how Peter had the vision to stop viewing Gentiles as unclean? In Galatians 2, Paul writes that Peter eventually stopped eating with Gentiles because of pressure from Jewish people to stop hanging out with uncircumcised people. Even Barnabas joined in. So, Paul corrected their behavior by correcting their view of God.

“We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.” (Galatians 2:15-16)

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:26-28)

For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. (Galatians 5: 14-15)

Wrong theology produces unrighteous segregation. Right theology produces shared tables. Let’s try another cause/effect in Romans.

“While we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son.” (Romans 5:10)

“Bless those who persecute you… do not repay evil for evil.” (Romans 12)

Paul grounds the love of enemies explicitly in God’s character revealed at the cross. If God reconciles enemies, his people cannot justify vengeance. A distorted image of God always produces distorted relationships. A healed vision of God will heal how we treat people.

If we move beyond the book of Acts and look at church history, there are a ton of examples. Let’s look at just two that were momentous in church formation. One will be bad; one will be good. They will highlight that we can tell what people think about God by looking at who they are willing to harm, and who they are determined to love.

Constantine

Under Constantine, Christians moved from a persecuted minority to being partners with the state. Their leaders began to argue that Rome’s agenda was the church’s agenda, which suggested that Rome’s way of bringing about its mission was sanctioned by God. (Constantine claimed a vision in which he saw a cross and the words, “In this sign, conquer.”) Followers of Jesus who had formerly refused to help Rome’s violent pax romana (peace by the sword) as it conquered the world and subjugated people, well, they now joined in.

Basically, Jesus moved from Lord over/against empire to Lord underwriting empire. The cross increasingly becomes reinterpreted as a sign of geo-political victory rather than an expression of self-giving love. Peace became defined as coercive stability (pax Romana) rather than the reconciled shalom of the Bible.

Meanwhile, church bishops gained political power. Because the church and state were so closely intertwined, church dissent became dangerous. Heresy moved from errors to be corrected to crimes to be punished.

• Irenaeus (2nd Century) was the first person on record to define heresy. He simply warned about the dangers of a multitude of opinions on how God works.

• The first person to make heresy a crime was Emperor Constantine (320s).

• ·The first recorded execution of a Christian heretic, Priscillian of Ávila, occurred in 385 by Roman secular authorities.

Once Jesus was imagined primarily as Cosmic Emperor with Constantine as an earthly representation, violence became thinkable “for the good.” Relationships change when theology changes.

The Reformation

The push to remember that justification is by faith, not works, was long overdue. The Reformers stressed the priesthood of all believers (1 Peter 2:9); we did not need mediators to have a relationship with God. We have Jesus. (1 Timothy 2:5) Because God was the kind of God who directly related to all believers, a couple changes followed.

• Scripture was translated into the common language. It didn’t need to be filtered by those who could read Latin.

• Vocational holiness was stressed (work, family, farming). There was dignity in all walks of life, not just ecclesiastical hierarchies.

• Personal, pastoral care began to be emphasized over penitential systems. A personal, relational God wanted personal, relational people.

Whenever the church changes what it believes about God, it changes how it treats people.

In Acts, there are seven major speeches in chapters 2, 3, 7, 10, 13, 17, and 20. We now have four of them under our belt, so I think it’s time to look at what these speeches have in common. If you were to make a Venn Diagram with 7 bubbles, they would all overlap at some point, some more than others.

But there are actually more ‘sermons’ than that (Acts 2 14-40; 3:12-26; 4:5-12; 7; 10:28-47; 13:16-41;17:22-35; 20:17-35; 24:10-21). I couldn’t get them all on a Venn diagram, so let’s try a chart that will show how much they keep revisiting the same themes. (Keep in mind some audiences were Jewish and some Gentile, so things like Salvation History were only of interest to the Jews.)

We did a Harmony of the Gospels that combined the gospels (as best we could) into one harmonious flow. I am going to try to do that with the speeches this morning. Let’s read it, then we will discuss.

“Men and women, brothers and sisters, children of Abraham and Gentiles who fear God, hear these words.” [Acts 2:14; 13:16; 17:22]

“The God who made heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them, the God of our fathers and the giver of life to all peoples, has never been distant from what he has made.” [Acts 3:13; 17:24]

“From the beginning, he has been patient, faithful, and merciful, working through times and seasons so that people might seek him and find him, for he is not far from any one of us.” [Acts 17:26–27]

“From among the nations he called Abraham, and through Abraham he formed a people - not because they were great, but because he is good.” [Acts 7:2–8; 13:17]

“He bore with them in their rebellion, delivered them from slavery, walked with them through the wilderness, led them to the promised land, and spoke to them through the prophets. Again and again, God sent his servants, and again and again they were misunderstood, resisted, and rejected.” [Acts 7:9–52; 13:18–27]

“Yet God did not abandon his purpose, nor did human unfaithfulness cancel divine mercy. In the fullness of time, God sent Jesus of Nazareth, a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him.” [Acts 2:22; 3:20; Acts 7:35–38;10:38;13:30]

“He went about doing good, healing the sick, restoring the broken, announcing good news to the poor and freedom from the power of the devil. God was with him.” [Acts 10:38; 2:22]

“Yet this Jesus was handed over. He was rejected by leaders, condemned unjustly, and put to death by human hands. But God raised him from the dead. Death could not hold him. The grave could not keep him.” [Acts 2:23-32; 3:13–15; 4:10; 10:40; 13:27–37; 17:31]

“By raising Jesus, God has done three things: First, he has vindicated the one we rejected and declared him to be Lord and Messiah. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” [Acts 2:36; 4:10–12; 10:36]

“Second, he has confirmed all that the prophets spoke: suffering would not be the final word, that corruption would not triumph, and that God’s Holy One would see life again.” [Acts 3:18; 13:32–33; 26:22–23]

“And third, he has opened a new and living way not only for Israel,
but for all nations.” [Acts 10:34–35; 13:46–47; 15:7–11]

“This risen Jesus has been exalted to the right hand of God, and from there he has poured out the Holy Spirit, not on the deserving, the powerful, or on people only, but on all whom God calls. We have seen it with our own eyes. God shows no favoritism.” [Acts 2:32-33; 10:39–47; 15:8–9]

“He now commands all people everywhere to repent, then, and turn to God. Everyone who believes in him is justified. Turn from what is empty, what enslaves, and turn to the living God.

This repentance leads to forgiveness of sins, to freedom from what the law could never fully remove. from the power of Satan, and to times of refreshing from the Lord.”
[Acts 2:38; 3:19, 38-39; 10:43; 13:39; 14:15; 15:1117:30; 26:18]

“This same Jesus has been appointed by God as the one through whom the world will be set right. God has given proof of this to all by raising him from the dead.” [Acts 17:31; 24:15, 25]

“This message is for you and for those far away, for all whom the Lord our God will call. We do not preach ourselves or a new god; we proclaim what God has done through Jesus. So receive this grace, stand in this mercy, and walk in this new life.” [Acts 2:39-47; Acts 20:24-35; 26:22]

 Demonstrate your repentance by your deeds. And we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” (Acts 20:35; 26:20)

Acts gives an epic presentation of corrective truth about who God is, what God has done, and what God expects of His people. I suspect that every audience in Acts basically go their own Damascus Road experience. Notice the close – which has text from the last two sermons.

Demonstrate your repentance by your deeds. And we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” (Acts 20:35; 26:20)

My claim at the beginning of this message is that a change of theology will bring about a change in relationships. The last two speeches make this clear. So, what kind of community emerges on the other side?

The Teaching The Change

God shows no favoritism Table fellowship across boundaries (Acts 10–11)

Jesus is Lord                           Allegiance above empire (Acts 17; 24)

Grace precedes law Gentiles included without Torah knowledge (Acts 15)

Spirit is poured out on all Shared life & generosity (Acts 2; 4)

Leaders serve Lives of humility, self-giving (Acts 20)

In Acts, acting righteously or justly is not an add-on to the gospel. It is the inevitable consequence of believing certain things about God. When the church confesses that God shows no partiality, welcomes outsiders, pours out His Spirit on all flesh, and saves by grace, our practices must match or our theology is exposed as incomplete.

I also made the claim that whenever the church changes what it believes about God, it changes who it is willing to harm—or to love. On the other side of the life of Jesus and the teaching in the book of Acts, who were early Christians willing to harm? No one. Who were they willing to love? Everybody. The Bible makes this clear, but I would like to show you the record from the church as it built on the foundation it had been given.

“This is the way of life: first, thou shalt love the God who made thee, secondly, thy neighbor as thyself: and all things whatsoever thou wouldest not should happen to thee, do not thou to another. The teaching of these words is this: Bless those who curse you, and pray for your enemies, and fast on behalf of those who persecute you. What thanks will be due to you, if ye love only those who love you? Do not the Gentiles also do the same? But love ye those who hate you, and ye shall not have an enemy.” (The Didache, also known as The Teachings of the 12 Apostles, a Christian document written between 80AD – 90AD.)

“We who formerly treasured money and possessions more than anything else now hand over everything we have to a treasury for all and share it with everyone who needs it. We who formerly hated and murdered one another now live together and share the same table. We pray for our enemies and try to win those who hate us.” (Justin the Martyr, 100AD – 165AD)

“It is the Christians, O Emperor, who have sought and found the truth, for they acknowledge God…. They show love to their neighbors. They do not do to another what they would not wish to have done to themselves. They speak gently to those who oppress them, and in this way they make them their friends. It has become their passion to do good to their enemies…. This, O Emperor, is the rule of life of the Christians, and this is their manner of life.” (Aristides, written around 137AD)

“For the Gentiles, hearing from our mouth the words of God, are impressed by their beauty and greatness: then, learning that our works are not worthy of the things we say, they turn to railing, saying that it is some deceitful tale. For when they hear from us that God says: ‘No thanks will be due to you, if ye love only those who love you; but thanks will be due to you, if ye love your enemies and those that hate you. When they hear this, they are impressed by the overplus of goodness: but when they see that we do not love, not only those who hate us, but even those who love us, they laugh at us, and the Name is blasphemed.” (The 2nd Epistle of Clement, 140-160AD)

“Say to those that hate and curse you, You are our brothers!” (Theophilus of Antioch, died around 185AD)

“The Christian does not hurt even his enemy.” (Tertullian, 160AD – 220AD)

“None of us offers resistance when he is seized, or avenges himself for your unjust violence, although our people are numerous and plentiful…it is not lawful for us to hate, and so we please God more when we render no requital for injury…we repay your hatred with kindness.” (St. Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, died 258AD)

“Having cleansed ourselves of all hatred, it is necessary to love even enemies, and, when need be, to sacrifice one’s soul for one’s friends, having the same love as God and his Christ has for us.” (St. Basil the Great, 330–379 AD)

“Thus, in keeping with the commandment to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15), we must open up our mercy to all the poor and those who suffer for whatever reason; we are to offer people charity, whether they are widowed or orphaned, whether they are driven out of their homeland or oppressed by the rulers, whether they suffer the insolence of their superiors or the inhumanity of tax collectors or the murderous hand of thieves or the greed of robbers or the seizing of estates or shipwrecks. For they all have the same right to our sympathy, and look at our hands just as we look at the hands of God when we ask Him for something.” (St Gregory the Theologian, 329 AD – 390 AD)

Do not love wealth if it does not help the poor. Forgive if you have received forgiveness, and be merciful if you have been pardoned. Acquire human love by human love while you are still alive. May your whole life be renewed. May your paths be made new. (St. Gregory the Theologian, 329 AD – 390 AD)

We learn a lot about what the first followers of Jesus assumed God required of them because of their understanding of what God was like as revealed in Jesus. If we assume that theology maps onto our relationships, I have a question. If someone watched my (your) relationships for a month, where we are ambassadors for God, what would they conclude about my (your) view of God? Is God…

• Patient or harsh?

• Generous or stingy?

• More full of grace or judgment?

• Slow to anger or quick to anger?

• Punishment-centered or healing-centered?

• Callous or kind?

• Insulting or uplifting?

• Manipulative or invitational?

• Domineering or self-giving?

• Keeping score or canceling debt?

• Impatient with weakness or patient in formation?

• Perfectionistic or growth-oriented?

• Shaming people into change or loving them into it?

The book of Acts – and all of Scripture’s revelation of Jesus - offer an opportunity to assess whether or not we are living in the life Jesus has offered to us. Jesus modeled and taught a path to freedom from the power of sin and evil. He saves us not just from something but to something: a Kingdom characterized by righteousness and holiness. He invites us to join in his restorative plan for the world by demonstrating the beauty of the restoration that only Jesus can bring.

If you would like to put a song on your playlist that reflects this sermon, here it is.

The Kingdom, Rightly Expressed (Acts 8: 4-25)

In the last sermon in this series, we discussed how the persecution that followed Stephen’s death scattered the church. The persecution was bad, but the scattering was good. It took God’s people out of Jerusalem and into all the world. #greatcomission  This is where we pick up.

4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. 6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.

9 Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, 10 and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention (“were praying to him”[1]) and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.”[2] 11 They followed him because he had bewitched them for a long time with his sorcery.

 12 But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ,[3]they were baptized, men and women.[4] 13 Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, bewitched by the great signs and miracles he saw.

14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. 15 When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit,16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.[5]

18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money 19 and said, “Give me also this ability/authority so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

20 Peter answered: “"Your silver will go with you to destruction, because you thought that the gift of God is acquired by the possessions of the world."21 You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. 

22 Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. 23 For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”[6]24 Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”[7]

25 After they had further proclaimed the word of the Lord and testified about Jesus, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.

* * * * *

We learn a lot in this passage about how God expects His kingdom to come to earth, as it is in heaven. We will focus on three key things.

The Kingdom, rightly expressed, brings blessing and joy.

Sick and broken people (and those who cared about them) listened to what Philip had to say when their lives got better after a follower of Jesus showed up. He cast out demons and healed the sick. “There was great joy.” You bet there was.[8] How would there not be?  I’ve said more than once that when the Kingdom is clicking on all cylinders, the poor, the sick, the powerless and oppressed are going to say, “Thank God the Christians are here!”

However, if the story stops there, it’s just a contest of miracles vs. magic. Apparently Simon did some really impressive stuff too. I don’t know if he made their lives better, but he had their attention. It seems that people tend to follow both 1) those who impress them, and 2) those would can make their lives better. So, there is going to have to be more to what Philip has to offer than just the practical provision. And there is.

“But Philip proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ.”

There are different reasons people follow a spiritual leader—but only one reason people become disciples: they accept a truth that transforms not just their physical bodies but also their hearts and souls.

Great joy came to the city thanks to how Philip was healing people, and that was a good thing. But just like Jesus healing the lame man before he forgave his sins, Philip healed people on the outside in the name of Jesus so they had good reason to believe that Jesus had the power to heal them on the inside.

This could be a whole sermon, but I’ll try to put it succinctly. If the power of God manifesting in ways that people could see served as proof that God can do things inside that they couldn’t see, would that not be true of any manifestation of the power of God? Not just the kind of miracles Philip did, but the tangible expression of God’s love, kindness, mercy, justice, grace, etc.? When we express these things as tangible actions that help the circumstances of others in ways they can see, I suspect it sends a message about what God can do in the intangible spiritual parts of people that they can’t see. To paraphrase an old saying, we can give someone a fish, teach them to fish, and point them to Jesus, who feeds their souls. They all work together.

The Kingdom, rightly expressed, erases unholy fault lines.[9]

The laying on of hands to receive the Holy Spirit is recorded only two other times in Acts (the conversion of Saul in Acts 9, and a group of disciples in Ephesus in Acts 19). There were a lot of other times where the laying on of hands does not seem necessary (like at Pentecost). Why did it matter here?

I’m leaning toward the commentaries that suggest the apostles laid hands on them here because they needed to be a part of a clear sign that the Spirit of God was living and active in Samaritans (!).[10]

The Samaritans were descendants of Israelites who had intermarried with the conquering Assyrians during the exile (2 Kings 17). They kept some Old Testament traditions and doctrine, but they also blended pagan beliefs. Faithful Jews saw Samaritans as corrupt and unclean.

When Jews from the Southern Kingdom returned from Babylonian captivity and began to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, the Samaritans offered help. The Jews refused. So, the Samaritans tried to sabotage what they were doing (Ezra 4:1–5). They also tried to stop the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s wall (Nehemiah 4:2).

The Samaritans finally built a temple of their own. About 130 years before the time of Jesus, a Jewish king defeated the Samaritan nation and destroyed their temple on Mount Gerizim. Though it was never rebuilt, the Samaritans insisted that Gerizim was the only legitimate place of worship – which was part of Jesus discussion with the woman at the well (John 4:20). [11]

Jews and Samaritans had centuries of theological/social hostility. If they weren’t careful, the early church could fracture along old lines of hostility. The apostles themselves needed to participate in ratifying Jesus’ presence with the Samaritans and literally touching a people the Jews would have considered unclean. God made unity visible, with the hands of his people standing in for His hand being upon them.

The gospel doesn’t just heal individuals—it heals communities. It breaks unholy boundaries, confronts old rivalries, and forms what Paul will eventually call “one new humanity.” (Ephesians 2:15)

This could be a whole sermon, so here’s the brief version: There is just no room for unholy fault lines in the church. Paul wrote in Galatians 3:26-28,

It is your faith in the Anointed Jesus that makes all of you children of God because all of you who have been initiated into the Anointed One through the ceremonial washing of baptism have put Him on. It makes no difference whether you are a Jew or a Greek, a slave or a freeman, a man or a woman, because in Jesus the Anointed, the Liberating King, you are all one.

In that culture, there were fault lines between Jews and Greeks, slave and free, and men and women (I guess the Samaritan one had already been addressed). Today we might talk about separating, judging, and creating hierarchies of value over things like race, nationality, class, education level, gender, age, citizenship, etc. Every culture at every time has its own things that hinder God’s people from uniting in Christ.

One thing is clear. God allows no place for this. God demands that the good news of the saving gospel of Jesus be given to all people at all places at all times, and that when we are genuinely united by the Spirit of God, the ground will be level at the foot of the cross, and whosever will may come.

The Kingdom, rightly expressed, chooses service over control.

Simon will provide us with what an example of at least one thing that will ruin a joyful community: pride; or the need to be in control to elevate oneself.

Justin (The) Martyr, martyred in 165, had Samaritan lineage. He claimed that almost all the Samaritans considered Simon the highest god (our translation gives the title “the Great Power of God.”) Whatever Simon was doing must have been impressive. Yet, Simon appears to have responded to the message of the Gospel: he “believed” and was “baptized.” Then he apparently saw something really powerful when the Holy Spirit arrived, and he wanted a piece of that action.

“Give me also this ability/authority so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit...”

Peter saw into the root of the problem and called it out:

“Your heart is not right before God… you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”

Bitterness seems like an odd choice of words – unless it has something to do with being angry that he had lost the spotlight. He seems to have desired power, a stage, a reputation, importance, admiration, etc. To accomplish those things, he was willing to turn the Holy Spirit into a commodity to distribute. It looks like he was more interested in people being impressed by him than transformed by the Holy Spirit.

It’s a terrible practice to use the things of the Kingdom to magnify ourselves. The Kingdom invites surrender; we do not have hearts right before God when we continue to desire control and seek power or try to make sure the spotlight does not waver in its focus on us.

We see Simon’s un-right heart on display when Peter invited repentance.[12] Simon didn’t repent; he just asked Peter to “pray that nothing bad happens to me.” Apparently Peter did, because there is no record that anything bad happened to Simon.[13]  

There’s probably a whole sermon to preach here  but if “hope deferred makes the heart sick,” I wonder if “pride deferred makes the heart bitter.” Here’s something to watch out for: if it makes us mad and/or jealous when the spotlight wavers from us and focuses on someone else, we need a heart check. The church is meant to filled with servants, not attention-seekers. We need servers, not celebrities. Remember what the ground is like at the foot of the cross? That’s the landscape on which God’s church is meant to be built.

Quick recap:

The Kingdom, rightly expressed, brings blessing and joy. It will attract because it makes life better when rightly lived. But that kind of blessing alone doesn’t lead to faith. It opens doors (or eyes and ears) into which “the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ” can be preached. Practical provision is an important good that can transform someone’s practical condition, but only the gospel transforms hearts. It’s good to do both.

The Kingdom, rightly expressed, erases unholy fault lines.  God made the apostles lay hands on Samaritans – a people previously loathed by the Jewish people - so that everyone would know that no one is second-class in the kingdom of God. The Spirit unites what all the divisive “-isms”[14] would tear apart.

The Kingdom, rightly expressed, chooses service over control. Simon wanted the benefits of the kingdom without surrendering to its King. He wanted the Spirit’s power in his hands rather than over his life. The King of  this Kingdom confronts this. The kingdom is not magic, manipulation, or power—it is surrender, transformation, and a new kind of life of cruciform love empowered by the Holy Spirit.

* * * * *

Acts 8 gives us a warning and a hope.

The warning: We can go through all the motions—believe, get baptized, follow the miracles—and still miss the heart of the kingdom. Matthew 7:15-23 notes:

“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.

 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits. Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 

Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.’

This is a wild passage. Apparently, people can prophesy, cast out demons, and do miracles, while being practitioners of lawlessness who are not part of the kingdom. Those verses suggest that sometimes prophecy, exorcism and miracles are actually bad fruit. That should sober us when we are drawn to someone’s ministry simply because of signs and wonders.

It’s those who do the will of the Father – those who increasingly look like Jesus - whom Jesus recognizes as his own. There is something about faithful obedience in response to God’s love and grace that is really, really important. It’s the fruit of the Holy Spirit that offers testimony to true discipleship. Let’s never elevate impressiveness over character, or charisma over righteous maturity. 

The hope: When Peter confronted Simon, he invited him to repent. This participates in a theme we see over and over in the Bible.

"Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord." (Acts 3:19)

"He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them finds mercy." (Proverbs 28:13)

 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

 “Rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.”[15] (Joel 2:13)

Grace remains offered to even the worst offenders. Simon’s sin is pretty terrible: treating the Holy Spirit like a magical toy. And yet he is told,

“Repent and pray to the Lord in hope that he may forgive you.”

Or, as Peter will later say,

“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)

The is the heart of “the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ.” God will make us new, and invites us into life in His kingdom.

 ___________________________________________________________________________

[1] Aramaic Bible in Plain English

[2] “Simon Magus the sorcerer is frequently mentioned in ancient writings outside the Bible as the archenemy of the church and one of the leaders of the Gnostic heresy. Gnosticism (named from the Greek word gnosis, meaning “knowledge”) taught that a person gained salvation not by the merit of Christ’s death for sinners, but by special knowledge about God. Justin Martyr (died c. a.d. 165), himself a Samaritan, says that almost all the Samaritans considered Simon the highest god (the “power of God,” v. 10). Irenaeus (died c. a.d. 180), who wrote extensively against the Gnostics, regards Simon as one of the sources of their heresies.” (ESV Reformation Study Bible) 

[3] HELPS Word-studies 3686 ónoma – name; (figuratively) the manifestation or revelation of someone's character, i.e. as distinguishing them from all others. Thus "praying in the name of Christ" means to pray as directed (authorized) by Him, bringing revelation that flows out of being in His presence. "Praying in Jesus' name" therefore is not a "religious formula" just to end prayers (or get what we want)! 

["According to Hebrew notions, a name is inseparable from the person to whom it belongs, i.e. it is something of his essence. Therefore, in the case of the God, it is specially sacred" (Souter).]

[4] “The eager reception by the people (v. 12) is due in part to the foundation laid by St. Photini, the Samaritan woman of Jn 4, who brought news of the Messiah before His crucifixion (see Jn 4:39).” (Orthodox Study Bible)

[5] The Orthodox call this chrismation, the “anointing for the reception of the Holy Spirit”.

[6] Peter is using language from Isa 58.6.

[7] “He offered Simon an opportunity to repent, for Simon, unlike Ananias and Sapphira who died instantly (5:5, 10), was quick to ask for prayers so that the curse pronounced by Peter would not take effect (8:24).” (Africa Bible Commentary)

[8]  “Spirit-given delight that arises from the redemptive acts and abiding presence of God.” (Topical Lexicon)

[9] Think of things that could bring about relational earthquakes that shake or fracture the church.

[10] “The Lord waited to demonstrate the full power of the Holy Spirit (vv. 15–16) until some of the apostles themselves could be present. This way there would be no question at all that the Samaritans had received the Holy Spirit in the same way that the Jewish Christians had (see Rom. 11:13–24; Eph. 2:11–22).” (ESV Global Study Bible)

[11] I am summarizing parts of an article from The Master’s University called “The Unlikeliest Ally.” https://www.masters.edu/thinking_blog/the-unlikeliest-ally/

[12] Something he had not done with Ananias & Sapphira. They lied to the Spirit; Simon tries to buy the Spirit. That’s seems equally egregious. Hmmmm…..

[13] “According to tradition, he afterwards returned to his magical arts and was a bitter enemy of the Church.” (Orthodox Study Bible)

[14] Racism, sexism, classism, etc.

[15] #Godcreed

What Would Stephen Say? (Acts 6:8-15; Acts 7)

Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people.  Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen[1] (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia—who began to argue with Stephen. 

But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.”

So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. They produced false witnesses, who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. 

 For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”  All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these charges true?”

I am not going to read his speech today for the sake of time, but I encourage you to do so. Stephen's speech in Acts 7 (verses 1-50) responds to these accusations by recounting Jewish history in a way that highlights a recurring cycle.

Rejection of God's Messengers: A major recurring element is the people's rejection of God's appointed leaders, specifically Moses, who was rejected in the wilderness (Acts 7:27-29, 35). His final point is that they are doing that yet again with Jesus – and Stephen.

God's Presence Beyond Sacred Spaces: He shows that God was active and faithful before the Temple, the Law, or even the land of Israel was established (Acts 7:2-16). Abraham hears God in Mesopotamia (outside the Holy Land), Joseph thrives in Egypt, and Moses encounters God at the burning bush in the wilderness (vv. 2-4, 9-10, 30-34).

The Temple. The temple is critiqued as a human-made house that can't contain God (vv. 44-50, quoting Isaiah 66:1-2). This hints that the Temple system has become an idol, a substitute for living faith and obedience.

Israel's Consistent Unfaithfulness: Despite receiving the "living words" through angels, the ancestors resist, persecute prophets, and fail to obey. Terms like "stiff-necked" (from Exodus 32:9, after the golden calf) and "uncircumcised hearts" (from Deuteronomy 10:16 and Jeremiah 9:26), emphasize their pattern of resisting the Holy Spirit.

He finishes with this:

“You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit!Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him -  you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.” (51-53)

This highlights their hypocrisy: they cherish the Law but have completely failed at the core ethical demands of the Law. They are repeating the same pattern of resistance to God’s chosen deliverers and to His Spirit. They prove Stephen’s point immediately by killing him.

# # # # #

I did some research on what the prophets they rejected had to say. I think it’s really important that we learn from our spiritual history. This is going to become a two part series.

• The Old Testament prophets condemned behaviors that broke covenant. That’s going to be our focus today.

• The New Testament apostles will follow in their history but confront behaviors that betray Christ. That will be next week.

So today we are going to let the Old Testament prophets speak to us by looking at 8 primary themes to which they kept returning. We don’t want to reject timeless principles God has given his people that will define what covenant community does and does not look like.

1. Idolatry and Syncretism

What they did: Worshiped other gods, idols, or wealth instead of Yahweh. They sought security in alliances with nations like Egypt or Assyria rather than trusting God. Isaiah (e.g., Isa 30:1–5, 31:1–3) and Jeremiah (e.g., Jer 2:18, 37:5–10) emphasize this, as does Hosea (e.g., Hos 7:11). “Ephraim mixes himself with the nations.” (Hosea 7:8) “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help.” (Isaiah 31:1)
What God called them to: Exclusive covenant loyalty and wholehearted devotion unmixed with other gods, nations, or things (Deuteronomy 6:4–5; Joshua 24:14–15; 1 Samuel 12:24; Matthew 22:37)

2. Injustice and Oppression of the Vulnerable

What they did: Exploited the poor, widows, orphans, and foreigners; bribed the courts; and favored the rich. “Woe to those who make unjust laws…” (Isaiah 10:1–2) Amos is particularly focused on this (e.g., Amos 2:6–7, 5:11–12), as is Micah (e.g., Mic 2:1–2, 3:1–3), Isaiah (e.g., Isa 1:17, 3:14–15) and Jeremiah (e.g., Jer 7:5–7).
What God called them to: Basically, defending the defenseless and giving voice to the voiceless (Isaiah 1:17; Micah 6:8; Zechariah 7:9; Matthew 5:6–7; Luke 4:18).

3. Covenant Betrayal and Unfaithfulness

What they did: This includes neglecting commandments, Sabbaths, and festivals. Jeremiah (e.g., Jer 11:1–8), Ezekiel (e.g., Eze 20:10–26), and Hosea (e.g., Hos 8:1) emphasize this. “There is no faithfulness or steadfast love… only swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and adultery.”  (Hosea 4:1–2)
What God called them to: Faithful love and truth-filled integrity (Deuteronomy 7:9; Hosea 2:19–20; Matthew 19:6; 2 Timothy 2:13).

4. Religious Hypocrisy and Empty Ritual

What they did: They performed sacrifices, fasts, and feasts while ignoring justice and mercy. “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” (Hosea 6:6) “Stop bringing meaningless offerings…” (Isaiah 1:13–17).  See also Jeremiah (e.g., Jer 6:20), Amos (e.g., Amos 5:21–24), and Micah (e.g., Mic 6:6–8).
What God called them to: Authentic worship emerging from righteous integrity (Psalm 51:16–17; Amos 5:21–24; Micah 6:6–8; John 4:23–24).

5. Corrupt Leadership — Political, Priestly, Prophetic

What they did: Jeremiah (e.g., Jer 23:1–2), Ezekiel (e.g., Eze 34:1–10), and Micah (e.g., Mic 3:5–11) devote significant space to condemning shepherds who exploit or mislead. “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep.” (Jeremiah 23:1) Leaders enriched themselves, priests profaned the temple, false prophets flattered for gain. “Her leaders judge for a bribe… her prophets tell fortunes for money.” (Micah 3:11)  
What God called them to: Humble servant leadership that speaks truth while reflecting God’s heart (Ezekiel 34:2–4, 15–16; Jeremiah 3:15; John 13:14–15; 1 Peter 5:2–3).

6. Pride and Arrogance

What they did: Israel’s pride and self-reliance, often linked to prosperity or false security, are rebuked in books like Isaiah (e.g., Isa 2:11–17), Amos (e.g., Amos 6:1–8), and Zephaniah (e.g., Zeph 3:11). They boasted in strength, wealth, and status; they rejected correction. “Though you soar like the eagle… from there I will bring you down.” (Obadiah 4) “Woe to those wise in their own eyes.” (Isaiah 5:2)
What God called them to: Humility, dependence, and repentance (Proverbs 3:34; Micah 6:8; Isaiah 57:15; Philippians 2:3–8).

7. Refusing to Repent or Listen to Correction

What they did: The prophets lament Israel’s refusal to repent despite warnings. This is explicit in Jeremiah (e.g., Jer 5:3, 8:4–7), Ezekiel (e.g., Eze 3:7), and Zechariah (e.g., Zech 7:11–12) They rejected warnings, hardened hearts, and silenced God’s messengers. “They made their hearts as hard as flint.”  (Zechariah 7:12)  “You always resist the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 7:51)

What God called them to: Soft hearts and a repentant readiness to return to God (Ezekiel 18:30–32; Joel 2:12–13; Matthew 11:28–30; Luke 15:20–24).

8. Greed and Materialism

What they did: Hoarded wealth, seized land, crushed the poor. “Woe to those who join house to house.” (Isaiah 5:8) “They covet fields and seize them.” (Micah 2:2)

What God called them to: Generosity and contentment (Deuteronomy 15:7–11; Proverbs 19:17; Luke 12:33–34; 1 Timothy 6:6–10, 17–19).

*****

Stephen’s audience was convinced that they cherished Moses, the Law and the Temple in a way that pleased God. And in principle, their reverence was something that pleased God!! The Law and the Temple played a huge role in understanding who God was, how God intended to interact with humanity,  and what God called them to do. Reverence for these things was a good thing! 

But….they missed the point. They neglected their hearts. They justified their ungodly attitudes. Their motivations became tainted, and eventually the expression of their worship became evil rather than good. #killingJesus

So keep in mind that Stephen wasn’t saying their respect for these things were wrong in principle. He wasn’t trying to stop them from a proper honoring of Moses, the Law and the Temple. They were just wrong either in motivations or in practice. Their observance had stopped being life-giving; now it was robbing people of life. Literally, in the case of Stephen.

This got me thinking. If Stephen were with us today, I wonder what kind of speech he would give to church leaders? What would it sound like to say, “Look! You are not listening to the prophets!!!”

So I am going to offer something Stephen might say to us today. I’m going to do it as a conversation between a (national) Modern Church Leader (MCL)  representing the American church, and Stephen. Think of it as the MCL responding after Stephen’s speech and defening themselves. I hope to do three things

1.  Offer a MCL position about things that are good in principle.

2.  Echo Stephen’s challenge to assess our hearts, our motivation.

3.  Offer an opportunity to ask ourselves if our practice is forming a church community in line with the vision of the Prophets.

Once again, it’s not the position that will be inherently bad. It’s how our sin nature can take something that is good in principle and turn it into something bad in motivation or practice. 

A prophetic voice is supposed to be jarring and even unsettling. I hope to participate fully in that tradition. If I have prepared this right, all of you will be uncomfortable at some point as I have been this week. I think that, at some point in my life, I have probably found myself in all of the categories I am about to offer. I invite you to be uncomfortable with me this morning as we all try to take seriously the kind of discipleship to which God has called us.

In the process, we will use that uncomfortableness to point toward the beauty of what could be in a kingdom community centered around the heart of God for the world.

MCL: We’ve been blessed! Our church is thriving! Three campuses, a broadcast network, thousands tuning in online. We’re showing the world what excellence for God looks like!

Stephen: Spreading the gospel aligns with the Great Commission, so well done. Growth like that can be a sign you are doing church well. Just remember that God does not dwell in houses made by hands (Acts 7:48–50), so be careful not to automatically equate square footage or screen time with success. Growth is empty if it doesn’t reflect Christ’s compassion and love. Imagine a church culture where success is not counted in buildings or clicks, but in hearts transformed and lives shared, as the early believers did (Acts 4:32–35).

MCL: We’ve got influence! We pray with leaders, advise policymakers, and shape culture for Jesus. When it comes to promoting biblical values, we’re making a difference from the top down with laws and policies.

Stephen: When the church is salt and light, that’s beautiful, and it’s needed in all places. But remember the prophets who said, “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help” (Isaiah 31:1), when Israel trusted in worldly alliances. Might you sometimes be tempted to feast at tables of influence rather than tables of those in need? You must guard your heart, lest your political alliances make you blind to systems that harm the vulnerable. Imagine a church culture where influence flows not from proximity to power, but from lifting the lowly, uniting all sides to serve the “least”.

MCL: We are promoting biblical values from the bottom up: marching for justice, raising our voices for the voiceless, and deconstructing toxic systems of oppression in our communities.

Stephen: “Let justice roll down like waters” (Amos 5:24). Your passion for justice reflects God’s own heart. But even as you pursue justice, keep in step with the Spirit (Acts 7:51). Even well-intentioned movements for justice can lose their way.  You risk this when you denounce the sins of the systems but overlook the sins of the soul. The prophets called for repentance alongside justice (Joel 2:12–13), because justice without holiness breeds new injustices. Imagine a church culture where justice and righteousness meet at the cross, where every cause for which you march leads to reconciliation with God and each other.

MCL: We must join the culture wars, fight for what’s right and defend our way of life from the decay around us! We’re standing for our nation’s moral foundation - keeping God in schools, in government, in every institution – so that secularism doesn’t crush us.”

Stephen: The gospel in every sphere is a worthy aim. Just remember how easy it is for compromise to creep in, to let noble ends justify ignoble means. You might bless blistering partisan battles and call them righteous, or use intimidation rather than invitation to further the kingdom, or force your faith into spaces instead of living in such a way that makes others want to join. Imagine a church culture where Jesus’ kingdom grows not through winning debates and “owning” the other side, but through love that shares tables with those who disagree.

MCL: In our church, everyone belongs. No shame, no judgment, no majoring on whatever sin you bring to the table. We just offer love.

Stephen: It is good that all are welcome at a loving table. God’s grace is wide and deep. But don’t forget that the table still belongs to a King. You’ve rightly thrown out harsh judgment that brings shame, but don’t forget that godly sorrow brings a repentance that restores the broken to God (Joel 2:12–13). Jesus is called the Great Physician because He plans to heal people. Imagine a church culture where all are welcomed to a table where the King heals the broken we have already embraced, leading them with truth and grace into transformation.

MCL: We speak loudly in culture for traditional values—strong families, biblical morality, and the historical church stance on sexuality.

Stephen: Faithfulness in family and sexuality absolutely matters deeply to God too. Just don't forget the log in your own eye. There is a reason that “judgment begins in the house of God.” (1 Peter 4:17): too often, “Your faithfulness is like a morning mist” (Hosea 6:4). Without humble, faithful adherence to biblical morality yourselves, your voice will carry no weight with those who need to hear it. Imagine a church culture that beckons to the surrounding culture because biblical morality is consistently modeled in humble obedience, reflecting God’s covenant purity in every aspect of our lives.

MCL: We’ve been blessed! Our people give generously. Our budget is growing. We’re building really beautiful churches for God’s glory.

Stephen: That sounds like a wonderful congregation responding to God’s call to generosity. Just don’t get complacent: "Woe to those who are at ease in Zion" (Amos 6:1) if the outstretched hands of the needy are ignored. “Woe to those who join house to house and field to field!” (Isaiah 5:8) when suffering people lack houses and fields. Be sure you are not expanding your barns while Lazarus sits at your gate unseen. Imagine a church culture where generosity empties hands to serve the poor, building God’s kingdom in hearts before expanding the spaces.

MCL: We’re not like those churches that put so much money into all the bells and whistles. We’ve embraced a simple lifestyle of “fasting” from materialism and practice self-denial in everything!

Stephen: Fasting and self-denial are good spiritual practices, but it’s the Pharisee who prays, “I thank You, Lord, that I am not like them.”  Don’t let your simplicity become your idol. Don’t turn rejection of excess into a self-righteousness built from contempt. Imagine a church culture where simplicity means we are using excessive resources to spread Christ’s love through sincerely and humbly sharing our provision with others as God calls us to.

MCL: We’re training bold leaders—people who speak with authority and even brashness! We tell it like it is! We will own them (liberals or conservatives).

Stephen: Boldness can be a wonderful gift, but don’t resist God’s Spirit through pride (Acts 7:51).Micah once said, “Her prophets tell fortunes for money” – which sounds a lot like viral “gotcha” moments that generate applause and revenue by publicly embarrassing people. A boldness for truth is a gift only when guided by humility and grace. Imagine a church culture where leaders wield a towel and basin first for those to whom they speak truth, with the kind of grace and love that draws even enemies to Christ.

MCL: We’re nothing like those Christians. They’ve lost their way.

Stephen: That’s what every side has said in every generation. Probably some of them were right. But be careful - the desire to be right can build its own golden calf. The prophets warned that some ended up “worshipping the work of their own hands” (Isaiah 2:8) and, “They made their hearts as hard as flint” (Zechariah 7:12). It’s possible to hold the best doctrine possible and still have a poisoned heart. The ground at the cross doesn’t tilt toward your side. Imagine a church where we hold conviction and compassion together, where we kneel together before we speak, and where truth never costs us kindness

* * * *

Pastor:
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: you have spoken through prophets, apostles, and your Son. You have called your people to truth, justice, mercy, and humble faith.

People:
Forgive us, Lord, for the ways we have resisted your Spirit. Turn our hearts again to you.

Pastor:
When our worship or preaching becomes performance, our wealth or our frugality becomes a point of pride, and we compromise a message of holiness with acts that are unholy.

People:
Have mercy, Lord. Create in us clean hearts, and renew a right spirit within us.

Pastor:
When we harden our hearts against correction, or despise true instruction that challenges what we have believed to be righteous in thought or deed,

People:
Break our hearts of stone. Give us hearts of flesh that beat with your love.

Pastor:
When we forget the poor, ignore the broken, or justify the systems that oppress, endanger or dishonor image bearers of God…

People:
Open our eyes, Lord. Show us how to participate as your justice rolls down like waters, and your righteousness like a mighty stream.

All:
Renew your Church, O God. Cleanse us from idols, remove unrighteousness, and renew a purified witness. May your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.

[1] Hellenistic Jews who had been freed from slavery.

The Cost Of Following Jesus: Salt and Fire

I noted last week:

“When it stops being culturally hard to be a follower of Jesus—when it starts to be to our cultural advantage to be Christian—historically, that has always presented a danger of compromise and corruption in the church.But when the cost of being a child of God is high, a purified church filled with love and hope shines like a city on a hill into a world dark with hate and despair.”

There is something about this reality for the institution of the church that has importance for the individuals in the church as well. There is always going to be a cost to following Jesus, and it’s for our good. If we aren’t willing to pay it, we will not experience the fullness of life in the Kingdom of God.

Today I am not going to talk about what others do to us; I am going to talk about the costly discipleship God asks us to participate in with him.

• David said, “I will not give to God sacrifices that cost me nothing.” (2 Samuel 24)

• Jesus told his disciples to count the cost, as if there was going to be a cost. (Luke 14)

• We are called to “deny yourself, take up your cross” (Matthew 16), “die daily” (1 Corinthians 15), “present your bodies as a living sacrifice” (Romans 12), “discipline your body” (1 Corinthians 9). 

In other words, Jesus calls us to die in the sense of making choices so that the things within us that are evil and destructive die, and that which brings life moves front and center.

Think of the Rich Young Ruler, so close to following Jesus except for that one thing. Jesus asked him if he would embrace poverty if asked, and it was too much. (Mark 10) There was something about his wealth and the life it brought him that was too high of a cost to pay in exchange for life in the Kingdom.

Think of the Sadducees, for whom staying cozy with Rome was far more important than taking Jesus seriously. The miracles done by Jesus and the apostles should have drawn them to hear the truth about Jesus. But if Jesus was who he said he was, the cost was higher than they were willing to pay.

The Pharisees loved purity and holiness (that’s a good thing), but it kept them from loving all their neighbors: the Samaritans, the prostitutes, the tax collector, the leper. The unclean. If following Jesus meant doing the messy work of interacting with the “unclean” up close and personal, it was too high of a cost.

This cost, this dying, is not pain for pain’s sake. It’s the fire of refinement, and refinement is hard but good. What comes out the other side is something purified and true.

“For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness  to the LORD. (Malachi 2:3)

“Everyone will be salted with fire and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt... Have salt in you and be at peace with one another." (Jesus, in Mark 9:49-50)

What shall we do with that imagery of salt and fire? I like the commentary from the Cambridge Commentary For Schools And Colleges:

“Salt, like a subtle flame, penetrates all that is corruptible and separates that which is decaying and foul, whilst it fixes and quickens that which is sound. Fire destroys that which is perishable and thereby establishes the imperishable in its purest perfection, and leads to new and more beautiful forms of being. Thus both effect a kind of transformation.

Now “everyone,” our Lord saith, “shall be salted with fire;” either (1) by his voluntary entering upon a course of self-denial and renunciation of his sins, and so submitting to the purifying fire of self--transformation; or (2) by his being involuntarily salted with the fire of… judgment (Hebrews 10:27; Hebrews 12:29).”

We are going to talk about the first way today. If we aren’t feeling the “purifying fire of self-transformation,”we have stopped short of really embracing what it means to be a follower of Jesus, and this stoppage will take from us the joy of bringing offerings of righteousness to the Lord.

Good news! The Bible shows us what that salt and fire look like, as well as how to apply it. There are ways to purposefully embrace the purifying costliness of our faith for the sake of transformation. Let’s start with an example, then move to principles.

When Paul talked about all the different groups to whom he took the gospel, he noted:

19 For since I am free from all I can make myself a slave to all, in order to gain even more people…I have become all things to all people, so that by all means I may save some… I do all these things because of the gospel, so that I can be a participant in it.

He then used an Olympic racing analogy to describe how hard this was:

Each competitor (in a race) must exercise self-control in everything… So I do not run uncertainly or box like one who hits only air. Instead I subdue my body and make it my slave, so that after preaching to others I myself will not be disqualified. (1 Corinthians 9)

It must have been hard work to get to know others so well in order to “speak their language.” It must have meant surrendering his preferences for how to share the Gospel in light of the best way they could understand the gospel. He had to live with integrity so as to not poison his words. And he did all this so that he could participate in the gospel. In 1 Corinthians 10 he notes,

“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive.  No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.”

Partnering with what God is doing in the world is going to require, work, wisdom, self-control, and self-sacrificial relationships so we can participate in the gospel. We will have to get salted with that purifying fire of transformation. Here are some ideas.

1. Salty Generosity

Jesus was poured out for us; what does it look like to pour out our lives for others? A very practical way is with our resources.

 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.  Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.”

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion. (2 Corinthians 9)

Give money, time, a listening ear, a car ride – whatever your resource is -  for the sake of others. Help those who can’t return the favor. Let them borrow stuff you like. Make it uncomfortable for yourself.

The story is told of the preacher who was invited to preach at a church as part of a fundraising drive for repairing several churches in a parish. One attendee told him, “I could pay to fix one of those churches and not even feel it.” The preacher responded, “Why don’t you fix two and feel it?”

What does it look like to give from whatever provision God has given us until we feel it? And in that uncomfortable space, God does work as we will need to trust on His storehouse of provision.

2. Salty Hospitality

“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.  Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. (Romans 12)

This could be a cousin to the point I just made. Be practically hospitable by giving people a place at the table in your life or in your home. The table of Jesus should always have an extra seat.

But right now I am thinking about the hospitality of our head and heart. It’s the idea that we give the benefit of the doubt to people; we ascribe the best intentions to them until we are proven wrong.

Someone at church doesn’t talk to you one Sunday. You don’t know why.  Assume good in them and not ill. It might be really hard to deal with the anxiety or fear you have; that’s a great opportunity to give it to Jesus.

You got cut off in that roundabout? Pray that the person driving is okay. Who knows; they may have a family emergency. They might have just gotten terrible news and were distracted. Pray for them.

There is a social media post, and it really gets under your skin. You want to feel the salt of purification? Ascribe the best of intentions to the poster. If you are going to try to read between the lines, write the best narrative you can. If you wonder what the attitude of their heart is, give them the grace that you want others to show you when they are confused.

It’s easy to stew in our own assumptions and judgments, and for most of us, that stew is toxic. When we do the work of cooking with ingredients of generosity, kindness, and hope, it’s a much better meal.

3. Salty Discomfort

Fasting from food is a classic tradition. It’s a way of taking control of our body’s needs. Maybe think of fasting as challenging our bodily urges or earthly desires and focusing on Jesus to bring us peace.

Some people do digital fasting: intentionally go without screens, social media, or streaming to make space for prayer and silence. Maybe it is fasting from instant gratification – waiting for your paycheck to get something you want instead of putting it on a card.

Fasting is not punishment; it’s practice. It trains us to say ‘no’ to lesser things so we can say ‘yes’ to Jesus. Discomfort for Christ now is preparation for faithfulness when we hit even harder times in life.

4. Salty Service

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” (Philippians 2)

“Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with the hunble. Do not be conceited.” (Romans 12)

Go regularly into places where you’re not in control or where your social status or reputation doesn’t matter (food banks, prisons, nursing homes, refugee centers, homeless shelters[1]). Commit to relationships with people who can’t “give back” -  the poor, the lonely, the marginalized, the overlooked. Maybe it is short-term or long-term service in a context that stretches your cultural or emotional comfort. Maybe it’s local mission in hard neighborhoods or to groups that make you uncomfortable.

It’s joining Jesus in the margins.  If we want to join Jesus in what he is doing today, we will often find the most tangible evidence where the need is greatest. God offers some transformation in those spaces as we “become all things to all people” because of the gospel, so we can participate in it.

5. Salty Relationships (repentance and forgiveness)

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” (Colossians 3)

This will require honesty. Confess sin openly to trusted believers. Let them love you, correct you, encourage you, or lead you. Be humbled and lifted up.

Don’t hide from people you have wronged. Move toward them. Humbly. Honestly. Just say, “I’m sorry,” without the need for padding. Commit to not repeating whatever it was that hurt them. Do what is in your power to do for reconciliation.

Don’t reject people who offer you their repentance. Forgive them. Refuse to hold a grudge or nurse bitterness. We will talk more next week about the dynamics of forgiveness, but for today, remember that Jesus calls us to forgive.

Refuse to retaliate. Choose blessing over cursing. Pray for the people you are stewing over in your mind – not imprecatory prayers, but prayers for God to do good, healing work in their lives for their good and His glory.

6. Salty Witness

“As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4)

Live the gospel all the time: that will pave the way for speaking the gospel.

Don’t be ashamed of the gospel even when it is uncomfortable. As much as is possible, live at peace with people, but don’t be afraid to own your faith. When people are talking about life, talk unashamedly about the rhythms of your faith in your life. ‘How can we not speak of what we have seen and heard?’”

Some spaces are meant for listening. Sometimes, the best thing we can do is offer a faithful presence that (hopefully) feels a lot like Jesus. Other times, the Holy Spirit is going to nudge us. Share the gospel when the Holy Spirit tells you it’s time, even if it is awkward or risky socially. Part of being salted is being patient when we want to barge in; the other is being responsive even if we are nervous.

7. Salty Sexuality

“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister.” (1 Thessalonians 4)

Staying within God’s boundaries in our actions and our hearts is going to test us. It’s…

• surrendering our sexual desires to the lordship and boundaries of Christ

• treating others with honor and thinking of them with honor

• building their dignity in our minds rather than fantasizing about them

• refusing to reduce people to objects of gratification, but refocusing on them as imago dei.

• refusing to take advantage of the bodies of others, but rather insisting that they all leave our presence having felt valued, not used.

I read a definition of chastity that talked about “directing all sexual emotions towards the holy dignity of the person.” If you let that fire salt you, the ‘you’ that emerges will be safe, honorable and holy (set apart from the world) in a beautiful way.

8. Salty Communication

One of our greatest areas for the potential work of God’s purifying fire to do its salty work is in the area of our words.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. (Ephesians 4)

 [The tongue] is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. (James 3)

If we want to be uncomfortable, tested, challenged, made to explore our hearts, surrender our opinions to God, work on self-control, and practice hospitable thoughts for others, this is a really great area of life for that.

There are things we must say as Christians that are necessary (truth, the gospel). There are things we can’t say if we want to follow Jesus well (slander, gossip, and lies). Then, Paul said there were things that were permissible but not beneficial or constructive.

Every word we speak is either building a bridge or burning one. If Jesus is Lord of our hearts, he must also be Lord of our tongues. If we want to get refined by a fire that will burn us into maturity, this is a really, really, really good one.

9. Salty Disciplines

“People do not drift toward holiness.” (D.A. Carson)

This is #1-#8. Spiritual disciplines will do a salty work in us. Let me add some classics.

It’s early morning prayer when you’d rather sleep, or praying instead of listening to music while you are driving. It’s studying Scripture when your mind wants to be scrolling. It’s embracing silence and solitude to talk with Jesus and appreciate God’s creation when you want noise and distraction.

Spiritual disciplines are not hoops to jump through—they’re habits that shape who we are becoming. Discipline is the training ground where desire for Christ becomes delight in Christ.

* * * * *

Yes, following Jesus costs us something. We need to be salted with the refiner’s fire. But the refining is never for our destruction; it’s for the destruction of that which is sinful in us, and that’s a good thing.

Jesus promised that those who lose their life for His sake will find it. That means that on the other side of the cost is the reward of a life marked by peace, joy, and love that this world cannot take away. The abundant life of the Kingdom is not only good for us—it overflows to bless our families, our neighbors, and even our enemies.

When we embrace costly Christianity, we become a living testimony to a watching world that Jesus is real, that His Spirit transforms, and that His Kingdom is breaking in even now.

__________________________________________________________________________________

[1] See Matthew 25

The Reputation of Virtue Without the Cost of Virtue (Acts 4:32-5:16)

After the Sanhedrin couldn’t do anything to Peter and John because the people loved them, Peter and John returned to their friends – which I take to be the 120 disciples of Jesus. They prayed, the Holy Spirit surged again, and they all “began speaking God’s message with courageous confidence.” (Acts 4:31) Next, we get a repeat of something we heard earlier, but it’s going to move us into an uncomfortable story.

4:32 During those days, the entire community of believers was deeply united in heart and soul to such an extent that they stopped claiming private ownership of their possessions. Instead, they held everything in common. The apostles with great power gave their eyewitness reports of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.

Everyone was surrounded by an extraordinary grace. Not a single person in the community was in need because those who had been affluent sold their houses or lands and brought the proceeds to the emissaries of the Lord. They then distributed the funds to individuals according to their needs.

One fellow, a Cyprian Levite named Joseph, earned a nickname because of his generosity in selling a field and bringing the money to the apostles in this way. From that time on, they called him Barnabas, which means “son of encouragement.”

5:1One man whose name was Ananias[1], with his wife, whose name was Sapphira, had sold his field.  And he took some of its price and concealed it while his wife was aware of it, and he brought some of the money and placed it before the Apostles' feet.

And Peter said to Ananias, "Why has Satan filled[2] your heart[3] to lie to the Spirit of Holiness[4] and to hide some money of the proceeds of the field? Was it not yours until it was sold? And after it was sold, again you had power over its proceeds. Why have you conceived in your heart to do this thing? You have not cheated men but God."

And when Ananias heard these words, he dropped dead and breathed his last.[5] And great fear came upon all those who heard. And young men among them arose and gathered him up, and they took him out and buried him.

And after three hours had passed, his wife also entered, not knowing what had happened.  Peter said to her, "Tell me if for these proceeds you sold the field." But she said, "Yes, for these proceeds."

Peter said to her, "Because you have conspired to tempt the Spirit of the Lord Jehovah, behold the feet of those who buried your husband are at the door and they will take you out."  And at that moment she fell before their feet and breathed her last, and those young men came in and found her dead.[6]

And they took her up and brought her out and buried her beside her husband.  And there was great fear (phobos) upon the entire church among all those who heard.[7] And there were occurring by the hands of the Apostles signs and many mighty acts among the people and they were all assembled together at the porch of Solomon.

And none of the other people dared to join them, but the people were magnifying/exalting them.[8] And those who were believing in Jehovah were added all the more, multitudes of men and women, so that they were bringing the sick out into the streets lying in litters, that when Peter would come, at least his shadow might overshadow them.[9]

And many were coming to them from the other cities which were around Jerusalem, as they were bringing the sick and those who had evil spirits, and they were all being healed.

I have a lot of questions about this event.

• It reads like Ananias and Sapphira make one mistake, and they are done.  One and done. It feels like there must be more to it than that.

• Why had no one told Sapphira what happened? Would she not have repented in front of Peter instead of continuing the lie?

• Peter says that Satan filled Ananias’ heart and  Ananias conceived to do this in his heart. Is it both? Did Ananias plant and Satan water?

• Peter would have been raised to practice the following in the face of an accusation: two or three witnesses had to know of the impending sin, warn of the impending sin and its consequences, and then see the sin occur.  Matthew 18 gives a whole process that wasn’t followed. Why not?

• Jesus rattled people, but He never cursed someone to die on the spot. Forgive 70x7, overcome evil with good, bless your enemy and pray for them that despitefully use you. I don't see "curse them to die or perish on the spot" on that list in Matthew 5:38-48.[10] What has changed?

• The burial does not follow Jewish protocol. There is no family involvement and no ritual.[11]

•  “Other people” didn’t dare join them after this. Is it other disciples from the 120 (Acts 1:15)? Religious leaders? Gentiles? Is this good or bad?

• Was the fear (phobos – wide range of meaning) a good thing?

• Peter had said after healing the lame man, “Why are you staring at my friend and me as though we did this miracle through our own power or made this fellow walk by our own holiness? 13 We didn’t do this—God did!” (Acts 3) Now, the people are magnifying/exalting them. There seems to be no deflection of glory here. Is that a bad sign?

Let’s walk through three main ways followers of Jesus have interpreted this passage, and then land on some things that are clear in spite of uncertainty.

OPTION #1 

This is divine judgment, pure and simple. This is an inaugural event in the early church: it’s not going to be the norm (just like tongues of fire aren’t the norm), but it establishes how seriously God takes hypocrisy and deceit.[12] The "great fear" that follows sounds ominous in my ears, but it promoted holiness and growth. The church continued to draw Jewish converts, so this act of God was not off-putting to them. Perhaps they just hyper-linked to God’s demands for holiness in the OT.  Same God, new covenant.

Things that make me say hmmm…

• The text does not explicitly state that God killed them.

• Peter’s response clashes with Jesus' mercy for sinners, culminating in a prayer for forgiveness for his murderers. Is killing God worse than lying to Him?

• If this established that God demanded holiness, it doesn’t seem to have worked any better than Old Testament punishments stopped God’s people from straying.[13] Just read the NT letters and study church history.

• It did actually deter at least some people from joining. There was respect but a reluctance to join. If the death penalty instantly applied to sin, I could see how that would be off-putting.

• “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.” (1 John 4:18) What do we do with that?

OPTION #2

Maybe Satan is the one who took their lives. Peter asked Sapphira, literally, "Why did the two of you agree to pressure the Spirit?" It carries the idea of pushing away the protective presence of God.[14]Paul will later instruct the church to “hand [a] man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 5).[15] Perhaps Ananias and Saphira were handed over to Satan. Their flesh was destroyed, but their spirits were saved (the text doesn’t say they were damned for what they did, just punished).[16]

HMMMMM….

The text doesn’t say that Satan killed them, just that Satan had “entered in” in the same way Satan entered into Judas in Luke 22:3. At one point Jesus had said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle in my way, because you are not thinking the thoughts of God but those of men.” (Matthew 16:23) And then Satan didn’t kill Peter. So what is different here?

This view seems to give an uncomfortable amount of power to Satan and suggests that, depending on what our sin is, Satan can just take us, even though God denied Satan that kind of power in the story of Job.

OPTION #3

What if this is a descriptive story but not a prescriptive one? In other words, it shows what happened,but not necessarily what should have happened. Peter confronts publicly without private warning. There is no attempt to rebuke Satan; no prayer; no attempt to lead in repentance and restoration.

Peter, the Son of Thunder, has a thunderous history: cutting off the ear of a servant in his Zealotry to protect Jesus; denying Jesus with oaths in a volatile  moment. He was also part of a group that asked Jesus to rain down fire on a Samaritan town (Luke 9) before Jesus countered by sending them there as missionaries.

“Did Peter show them the same grace he himself received when he betrayed the Lord three times in one night? Did Peter extend God's grace to them to NOT hold this sin to their account, as Jesus did, as the martyr Stephen did, or did he even try to minister repentance to them, to counsel them, to pray for them, to intercede for them, to lay hands on them to be forgiven and healed, or any of the other things Scripture and later Church practice advised?

What about this passage? "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted." (Galatians 6:1) Why, in Jesus' name, was the space to repent NOT offered to Ananias and Sapphira in this situation by Peter?”[17]

That seems like a really good question.

It also seems to have elevated Peter in an unhealthy way.  The rest of the 120 disciples of Jesus either don’t feel worthy of hanging with them or don’t want to; the people start thinking that just the shadow of Peter might heal them. This doesn’t seem healthy.

“If we, as part of a young and inexperienced church body, saw a revered leader such as Peter appear to instill such fear that people dropped dead, literally scared and condemned to death, then we too might start to idolize his ‘shadow…’ It can be argued that the ‘great fear’ that came on the church in the wake of this event, and the subsequent healing of the sick from Peter's cast shadow, came more from men wrongly, excessively and fearfully elevating Peter rather than through the exercising of pure faith in Christ.”[18]

HHHHMMMMM….

Even if it is descriptive rather than prescriptive, Luke narrates without critiquing Peter and not clearly stating something like, “Yep, he overstepped his authority.” And the positive church growth that continued from within the Jewish community afterward must be considered. Whatever involvement Peter had was interpreted by the Jewish people in such a way that it grew the church.

* * * * *

So what do we do with this story? Maybe this is settled for you and I should say, “What do I do with this story?” I am still wrestling with this story. It is just so jarringly different from its textual and historical context.

What if this story is meant to unsettle us? What if it’s meant to resist a neat, packaged explanation? Perhaps we are meant to wrestle with the text and not let go until we find the blessing in it (#jacob)

My main area of wrestling is over the question of what God is like. Clearly, God is not a God to be managed or manipulated. The Spirit of God is holy and weighty.  Conspiring to sin is playing with the fire of God. And yet, the same God who warned us that sin brings death is the God whose cruciform love brings holiness and mercy together in love. This God forgives, restores, and offers new life to even those who killed him and betrayed him.

I wonder if this kind of account invites us to hold two things at once: “The soul that sins will die!” (Ezekiel 18) and, "The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him" (Daniel 9:9). This invites us to explore God’s holy and merciful love more deeply.

If it’s just about holiness that demands an account from the sinner, how, then, is Peter still standing? Why am I still standing? Why are you?

That’s the wrestling part, at least for me.

Other parts are more clear.  If we are invited to wrestle, we are also invited to participate in the lifestyle of the Kingdom: radically generous, full of integrity and truth, speaking God’s message with “courageous confidence.” When the church lives like that, there is “extraordinary grace” for us all. When deceit and corruption creep in, the Kingdom suffers.

This story reminds us to be the kind of people who take personal integrity seriously, recognizing the moldy nature of sin: it starts in one spot, but it never stays there. There is always a ripple effect. We must take seriously our commitment to following Jesus for the sake of all of us.

So we are invited to wrestle, to join the mission, and to live with holy integrity.  Ananias and Saphira appear to have wanted the reputation of virtue without the cost of virtue.

Perhaps this is a good time for introspection. What are reputations we want without the cost of obedience? What are the crowns we want without the cross of presenting our lives as a living sacrifice? National headlines have too often revealed the lack of integrity in many of those who claim to follow Jesus.

• They want the reputation of generosity without the cost of giving in ways they feel.

• They want the reputation of defending traditional marriage while hiding their own secret affairs.

• They want the reputation of honoring the Ten Commandments while breaking them in their own lives.

• They want the reputation of being guardians of modesty and purity while going places and doing things that are anything but modest and pure.

• They want the reputation of upholding family values while neglecting or mistreating their own family behind closed doors.

• They want the reputation of loving the poor and powerless while not contributing in any meaningful way to their care.

• They want the reputation of standing for truth while letting gossip and slander pass far too easily through their lips.

• They want the applause of righteousness without the refining fire of holiness.
  

I said “they” to make it more objective. Could it also be “we”?  Can you find yourseIf on that list? Are you thinking of something else? If this leaves us unsettled, maybe that’s exactly where we need to be. Unsettled hearts are being called to repent. The Holy Spirit is doing some work.

I would like us to close today by spending some time in surrender and repentance.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.”  (Psalm 139:23-24)

________________________________________________________________________________-

[1] The import of his name, חנניה chananiyah, the grace or mercy of the Lord, agrees very ill with his conduct. (Adam Clarke)

[2] I wonder if this is a contrast to Peter having just been filled with the Spirit?

[3] As was said of Judas (John 13:2; John 13:27).

[4] “Likely this means by lying against Him who dwelt in the Apostles whom he was seeking to deceive.” (Ellicott’s Commentary For English Readers

[5] The LXX uses ekpsychō in a few spots: Judith 16:17: the ungodly “shall weep and breathe their last in pain forever.” 4 Maccabees 15:24: a martyr “breathed his last.” 3 Maccabees 5:42: persecuted Jews “breathed their last.” In these contexts, it’s usually about violent, dramatic, or martyr-deaths—not “ordinary passing in bed.” So already in Jewish-Greek literature, the word can have a sense of dramatic expiration.

[6] Annanias and Sapphira may be hyperlinking to Abram in Gen 14 refusing to 'hold back for himself any portion of the proceeds'. Also, Achan in Joshua 7 took that which was harem – set apart for God – and used if for himself. It was not a good idea.

[7] “The question of the salvation of Ananias and Sapphira has not been a little agitated; and most seem inclined to hope that, though their sin was punished by this awful display of the Divine judgment, mercy was extended to their souls. For my own part, I think their sin was what the apostle, 1 John 5:16, calls a sin unto death; a sin which must be punished with temporal death, or the death of the body, while mercy was extended to the soul.” (Adam Clarke)

[8] This feels different than Peter’s first miracle, in which he said, “You thought we did this, but it was Jesus.”

[9] “It does not appear…that any person was healed in this way. The sacred penman simply relates the impression made on the people's minds; and how they acted in consequence of this impression.” (Adam Clarke)

[10] God vs Evil, by Richard Murray

[11] Typically, the body was first prepared for burial [the body was stripped, bathed, anointed with oils and certain burial spices, and then the body was wrapped in cloths before burial #jesusburial] The burial procession started at the home of the deceased, surrounded by family members.

[12] Onlookers may have thought of Nadab/Abihu in Leviticus 10 or Achan in Joshua 7. 

[13] Later, Peter will tell Simon Magnus, who attempted to buy the Holy Spirit, “Your money perish with you.” Simon said, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.” There is no record that he or his money perished. I would think trying to buy the Holy Spirit has to rank up there pretty high in “Things Not To Do To The Holy Spirit,” and yet Simon lived. Hmmm.

[14] God at times judges by giving people over to their sins (Romans 1:24-26).

[15] Jesus had told his disciples that the “thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” (John 10) The writer of Hebrews claims that even though God has freed us from the fear of death having the final word, Satan “holds the power of death” (Hebrews 2:14)

[16] There is a psychological/spiritual view that has to do with Ananias and Sapphira being so scared they died. “I have witnessed this very thing in Africa where many people deeply believe in witchcraft. Many people there die a premature death because they have been convinced to believed that a witch doctor has put a curse on them. Many times even the medical profession will confirm that there is not a medical reason for their death.” (https://arthurmeintjes.com/what-about-ananias-and-sapphira/)

[17] God vs Evil, by Richard Murray

[18] God vs Evil, by Richard Murray

Whose Commands Will We Obey? (Acts 4:1-22)

The scene: Peter and John before the Sanhedrin, the ruling authorities for the Jewish people. The back story: Peter and John had just healed a lame man, followed by Peter giving a speech about Jesus to an astonished crowd.

The conversation continued for a few hours there in Solomon’s porch. Suddenly, the head of the temple police and some members of the Sadducean party interrupted Peter and John. They were indignant and angry because Peter and John were enthusiastically teaching that in Jesus, resurrection of the dead is possible—an idea the Sadducees completely rejected.

So they arrested Peter, John, and the man who was healed and kept them in jail overnight.  But Peter and John had now convinced about 5,000 people to believe their message about Jesus (nearly two thousand converts since the day of Pentecost).

The next morning, the Jewish leaders—their officials, elders, and scholars—called a meeting in Jerusalem presided over by Annas (the patriarch of the ruling priestly clan), along with Caiaphas (his son-in-law), John,[1] Alexander,[2] and other members of their clan. They made their prisoners stand in the middle of the assembly and questioned them.

Jewish Leaders: “By what kind of power or what kind of name (whose authority) did you do this?”

Peter[3] (filled with the Spirit):  “Rulers and elders of the people, yesterday a good deed was done. Someone who was sick was healed. If you’re asking us how this happened, I want all of you and all of the people of Israel to know this man standing in front of you—who has been made whole[4] —was healed by the authority of Jesus of Nazareth, the Anointed One.

This is the same Jesus whom you crucified and whom God raised from the dead. He is “the stone that you builders rejected who has become the very stone that holds together the entire foundation”[5] on which a new temple is being built. There is no one else who can rescue/save us, and there is no other name under heaven given to any human by whom we may be rescued/saved.”[6]

Now the leaders were surprised and confused. They looked at Peter and John and realized they were typical peasants— they “did not know the scrolls” and were untrained (idios).  The leaders recognized them as companions of Jesus.  But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together.

Jewish Leaders: “What do we do with these fellows? Anyone who lives in Jerusalem will know an unexplainable sign has been performed through these two preachers. We can’t deny their story. The best we can do is try to keep it from spreading. So let’s warn them to stop speaking to anybody in this name.”

The leaders brought the prisoners back in and prohibited them from doing any more speaking or teaching in the name of Jesus. Peter and John listened quietly and then replied,

Peter and John: “You are the judges here, so we’ll leave it up to you to judge whether it is right in the sight of God to obey your commands or God’s. But one thing we can tell you: we cannot possibly restrain ourselves from speaking about what we have seen and heard with our own eyes and ears.”

The council threatened them again, but finally let them go because public opinion strongly supported Peter and John and this man who had received this miraculous sign. He was over 40 years old, so his situation was known to many people, and they couldn’t help but glorify God for his healing.

* * * * *

The Trouble With Truth (it might be different than we think it is)

Jesus said, 

“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32)

“IF you hold to my teaching.” The Sanhedrin already had a theological framework about what they assumed God must be like, and it wasn’t Jesus. Peter’s eyewitness accounts of Jesus (and the healed man standing right there) destabilized them. They had to choose: cling to their certainty in something that they were wrong about, or be open to God doing something new in Jesus.[7] This is the way truth works. It isn’t neutral; it always takes a side. It either affirms us or challenges us. When God does work in our lives, whatever is false is going to have to go and get replaced with whatever is true. Don’t be surprised if this hits all areas of our lives.

• Considering 2000 years of different traditions and denominations, could we have misunderstood God’s nature due to distorted teachings or traditions?

• Are we too tied to just one view of the cross, like Penal Substitution, when church history offers other perspectives that also offer beautiful insight?

• What do we do when we find out that a leader we admire is actually drawing us away from Jesus rather than closer either through their words or through the model of their life?

• What if we find out that the way we are representing Jesus is pushing people way instead of drawing them closer?  Could we recognize that our end goal is noble but that our means of getting there is not great?

In all these situations, we have the opportunity to respond to or resist the nudging of the Holy Spirit. Will it bring out humility or a hardness of heart? Will it make us inquisitive or defensive? Will we be excited about learning more, or will we be dismayed that we might have been wrong?

Truth is that it might be different than we thought it was, and we have to make choices about what to do when we find this out.

The Sanhedrin: The Problem of Power and Privilege

This is the problem the Sanhedrin is facing. The Sanhedrin’s resistance to truth was both theological and personal.

First, they had an idea of what the Messiah must look like, and it wasn’t an itinerant carpenter from Galilee who was going to challenge them rather than applaud them.

Second, the religious leaders listed in Acts were very cozy with Rome. The Sadducees blended the leadership of God’s people with the power of Rome.[8] The leader named John apparently “found favor in the eyes of Ceasar,” and Alexander was “highly esteemed by Agrippa.”[9] Rome wasn’t impressed by their witness; Rome was pleased at their subservience. For the Sadducees, embracing Jesus meant risking Rome’s wrath.

The people were offered Jesus, and they chose Barabbas, a Zealot, in hopes of crushing Rome with a more violent Messiah. The Sanhedrin were offered Jesus and they chose Rome, in hopes of keep their status quo comfortable.

When truth challenges our status, comfort, or plans,  we face the same choice. Are we acting in Jesus’ name -embodying His character – or are we acting in the name of someone or something else?

Filled With The Spirit (that he already had)

Unlike the Sanhedrin (who clung to cultural power) or the people (who kept joining Zealot revolutions), Peter and John leaned on the power of the Holy Spirit in their stand for truth.

Peter had received the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. Yet in Ephesians 5:18, Paul wrote to Christians in Ephesus who already had the Holy Spirit, “Cram yourself full with the Spirit.”[10]

Somehow, we have it – and there’s more! Maybe think of the Holy Spirit as a great lake we have been given. For you Great Lakes fans, there are special types of water movements, called storm surges and seiches, that happen when a storm moves across the lake. There isn’t less water; it just sometimes surges.

There are moments when the Spirit surges in power for witness, courage, and clarity. When this happens, ordinary people represent Jesus well and spread the good news of the gospel in ways they never thought possible. And when we cooperate with the work of the Holy Spirit, the Kingdom of God takes back some ground from the enemy of our souls.

No Other Name Will Save Us

Empowered by the Spirit, Peter boldly told the Sanhedrin that only Jesus saves. That exclusive claim still shapes our witness today. No one but Jesus can take our sins upon Himself and trade it for His righteousness. No one but Jesus conquered the power of death. No one but Jesus has both the power and the love to redeem any soul. John tells us God did this for the world[11] -  whosoever will may come.[12]

This makes Christianity an inclusive faith in that all are invited to the spiritual banquet Jesus provides, but we make the exclusive claim that salvation is found only in Jesus.

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

"For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." (1 Timothy 2:5)

It is the unique sufficiency of Christ who alone bears our sin, conquers death, and gives life, and gifts the Holy Spirit of God to fill and guide us. And that will lead to situations where the work God does is impossible to miss.

He Was Standing Right There

Speaking of work God does that is impossible to miss, the healed man was standing right there before the Sanhedrin. After 40 years, he was walking in front of the whole community. People can push back against doctrine – and they do - but it’s much harder to argue with a changed life. When we think of different kinds of “apologetics” for this faith,  a changed life remains powerful.

• The greedy person who is now the most generous in the church

• the addict who is free

• the gossiper who now speaks words of life

• the sexual sinner who chooses a life of purity

• the angry dude who is now the gentlest in the group

• the one who lets go of years of bitterness and rage and forgives the one who hurt them

These stories are all around us to remind us that Jesus does good work in the world. They are standing right there – or sitting right next to you this morning.

Whose Commands Will We Obey?

The story starts with a question: “By what name…?” It ends with, “Whose commands will we obey?” [13] Jesus asks us the same thing: Who will we obey? Who will we cooperate with when we do work in the world?

Peter and John’s witness forced the Sanhedrin to either embrace God’s truth in Jesus and enter the Kingdom, or cling to their old beliefs and miss out. What will we do? Will we let Jesus’ truth reshape our lives? Here’s what that might look like.

• When the world says to hate our enemies, Jesus says the way of the Kingdom is to love them (Matthew 5:43–44; Luke 6:27–28).

• When the world says that “lording it over others” shows who is important, Jesus tells us the way of the Kingdom is to wash each other’s feet in humble service (Mark 10:42–45; John 13:12–15).

• Where the world loves boasting, Jesus values humility (Luke 14:11; Philippians 2:5–8).

• When the world tramples on “the least of these,” Jesus says that those in His kingdom should care for them (Matthew 25:40).

• When the world equates our value with productivity and usefulness to others, Jesus says, “Come to me…in my Kingdom I will give you rest”(Matthew 11:28–30).

• When the world says gentleness and kindness are weak, God gives them as fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23), proof that the Holy Spirit is moving in us with power.

• When the world loves mockery and name-calling, Jesus insists that his Kingdom should be full of words of life (Matthew 5:22; Colossians 4:6; James 3).

• When the world says “It’s your life; do what you want,” Jesus says, “Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me” (Luke 9:23–24) as we look out for “one another” (94 verses in the New Testament).

So we are going to have make choices as God’s truth calls us out from the value systems of empires and into the righteous calling of the Kingdom.

But in Acts 4, Peter and John weren’t yet challenging Rome. They were challenging the Sanhedrin. They were challenging religious leaders who claimed to speak for God but did not and were steering God’s people in the wrong direction. With that in mind, let’s look inside the American church to see where, even today, we must be wise in discerning if we are listening to God’s truth or a distortion of it.

When today’s Christian leaders…

• …tell us that wealth and luxury are markers of faith, Jesus challenges us to give generously, store up treasure in heaven, and identify with the poor (Luke 12:15–21; Matthew 25:35–40), warning how hard it is for the wealthy to enter into the Kingdom of God (Mark 10).

• …tell us that the church’s reputation must be protected at all costs by covering up sin and silencing victims, Jesus calls us to expose unfruitful works of darkness, confess our sins, bring hidden things into the light and seek restoration (Ephesians 5:11; James 5:19; Luke 12:2–3; 1 John 1:7).

• …stoke panic over the newest area of cultural decline (“It’s us against them!”), Jesus calls us to trust in His sovereignty and love fearlessly, building bridges across divides (1 John 4:18; Matthew 5:44–45)” (It’s us for them!”) as we go to the highways and byways to let everyone know the King is inviting them the banquet table of His love. (Luke 14).

• …insist that getting every little detail of theology perfectly right is the way to please God, Jesus reminds us that loving God and loving others with justice, mercy and humility pleases God (Micah 6:8; John 13:34-35; Colossians 1:10; Hebrews 13:16)

• …that it’s okay to fight culture wars with culture’s weapons (the ends justify the means), Jesus reminds us not to forget the Jesus way: blessing enemies, and overcoming evil with good (Matthew 5:43–48; Romans 12:20–21), so that the means don’t ruin us in the end (Leviticus 10:1-2; 2 Timothy 2:5).

• …that a proud exclusion of outsiders (people whose sin offends us more than our own sin does) is being faithful to God, Jesus shows us the way of agape love: inviting the outsider in, eating with sinners, and practicing repentance together (John 4; Luke 15:1–2; James 5:16).

Check out the list of what we just covered. If you look at all the wonderful things Jesus calls us to, if this characterizes us consistently, is this not a vision that is life-giving in so many ways?

We would be freed from the pressure to prove ourselves, perform for others, or conform to passing cultural trends. Instead, we could rest in the love of Christ and be filled with the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:17–19)

Our church communities would be marked not by scandal, division, or pride, but by cruciform love— lifting up the name of Jesus by bearing each other’s burdens, practicing honesty and repentance, and welcoming whosoever will come (Galatians 6:2; Romans 15:7; Revelation 22:17). The church would be a living witness to God’s kingdom breaking into this world.

Our local community would not look at Christians and see they hypocrisy, greed or unrighteous judgment that headlines love to point out. They would see humility, generosity, and sacrificial love. As Jesus Himself promised: 

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).

_____________________________________________________________________________________

[1] “This was  [likely] Jochanan ben Zaccai, who was very famous at that time in the Jewish nation. Of him it is said in the Talmud, Jucas. fol. 60: "Rabbin Jochanan ben Zaccai the priest lived 120 years. He found favour in the eyes of Caesar.” (Adam Clarke)

[2] “This was probably Alexander Lysimachus, one of the richest Jews of his time, who made great presents to the temple, and was highly esteemed by King Agrippa.” (Adam Clarke)

[3] “Now was fulfilled the promise of Christ, Matthew 10:18-20; And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake; but take no thought how or what ye shall speak; for it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaketh in you.” (Adam Clarke)

[4] “The verb, as in our Lord’s words, “Thy faith hath made thee whole” (Mark 10:52; Luke 7:50), has a pregnant, underlying meaning, suggesting the thought of a spiritual as well as bodily restoration.” (Ellicott’s Commentary)

[5] (Psalm 118:22)

[6] “St Peter thus intimates that the cure of the lame man is only a sign of the power of salvation for the soul which was in Jesus. The people were to draw from the effect produced by “Arise and walk,” the conclusion that the same power could as surely give the greater blessing, “thy sins be forgiven thee” (Matthew 9:5).” (Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges)

[7] Gamaliel’s is soon going to comment that “If this is of God, you will not be able to stop it.” (Acts 5:38-39). And of course, they didn’t stop it. What would the Sanhedrin do with that?

[8] We covered this in a fair amount of detail in our Gospel Harmony series.

[9] According to Adam Clarke

[10] Okay, it is “be filled” with the Holy Spirit in most translations, but the verb tense suggests it’s an ongoing process of being filled to the brim.

[11] John 3

[12] Romans 22:17

[13] The Old Testament prophets had already called the people of God to choose wisely (Joshua 24:15: “Choose this day whom you will serve.”) In Revelation 13 vs. Revelation 14, John uses the image of a beast vs. a Lamb and asks whose mark we will take.

God’s Plan To Bless The World (Acts 3:17-26)

Last week we read that Peter and John healed a lame man. When an astonished crowd gathered, it was time for a speech!

“The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Servant Jesus; whom you delivered up, and denied before the face of Pilate, when Pilate had determined to release him. You denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted unto you,  and killed the Prince of life; whom God raised from the dead, whereof we are witnesses.[1] 

And by faith in his Name has his Name made this man strong, whom you see and know:  the faith which is through him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. 

The good news: Jesus, the Prince of Life, the long awaited Messiah, healed that man. The bad news: you killed him. This week, we are picking up from there.

“Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance (when you crucified Jesus), as did your leaders.[2]  

Ancient Near East thinking had a legal principle that ignorance removes culpability. Judaism had a variation on that. In Jewish thinking, ignorance lessens blame but doesn’t remove guilt in the sense that wrong things still happened and they must be addressed.

“Now if the whole congregation/a leader/one of the common people of Israel strays unintentionally…and they violate any of the LORD’s commandments and incur guilt by doing what is forbidden, when they become aware of the sin they have committed, then [they] must bring [an offering]. (Leviticus 4)

Even if they didn’t mean to do it, it happened, and it must be addressed.  There’s a line in Hamlet where he says to another character, whom he had wronged: “I shot an arrow over the house and hurt my brother.” It’s that idea. He didn’t mean to hit him, but he did – maybe he shouldn’t have been casually shooting arrows over a house? - and now that he is aware, there needs to be a repentant response.

* * * * *

“I know that you acted in ignorance (when you crucified Jesus), as did your leaders. But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer.” 

To a Jewish audience, Peter points to the prophecies of suffering Messiah. He will cite Deuteronomy 18:15 in v. 22. He could have added Isaiah 53 (#sufferingservant), Psalm 16:8–11 (#resurrection), and Psalm 22 (#crucifixion). Contrary to the Zealot’s hope, Jesus was a Messiah who would save the world through giving His own blood instead of taking the blood of others. The Messiah was arriving in the power of cruciform love.

* * * * *

 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,  and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. 

The idea of blotting out had roots in Israel’s Scriptures and rituals. In Numbers 5, a priest literally washed ink from a scroll into water, erasing the written curse as part of a judgment ritual. In Psalm 51, David pleads for God to “blot out” his transgressions, using the language of wiping a wax tablet clean, while Isaiah 43 and 44 picture God blotting out sins as effortlessly as a cloud vanishing from the sky.

The people had said, “His blood be upon us, and upon our children” (Matthew 27:25). They are going to need some “blotting out” of the curse they called upon themselves. To hear that sins could be “blotted out” was to hear that the record of transgression could be erased, the cloud of guilt could dissipate, and the covenant relationship could be fully renewed.

This repentance brings times of refreshing, which could mean, according to various commentaries: the gift of the Holy Spirit; the ongoing, renewing presence of Jesus; life in the age to come; the millennial reign of Jesus (depending on your view of End Times); a window of time before the fall of the Temple in AD 70.[3]

Though people disagree on some points on that list, this much is clear: a refreshing repentance involves turning away from sin and turning toward God in faith. The image in the original language is that of changing direction. I was going that way; I have pivoted and am not going this way. It’s an active change of habit and lifestyle that reflects the goodness of life in the Kingdom of God.

* * * * *

He has blotted out by his authority the bill of our debts which was adverse to us and he took it from the midst and nailed it to his cross. Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised from ages past[4] through his holy prophets.

“Restoring everything” (apokatastasis) is reversal of brokenness: order instead of chaos, peace where there is strife, a groaning creation restored and whole. The Prophets foretold this:

“The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them… They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11:6-9)

How thoroughly does water cover the sea? Entirely. Is “the earth” referring to Israel? Humanity? The entire cosmos? Church history has been full of speculation. This is for sure: It points to a renewal of creation (think of the New Heaven and New Earth in Revelation) and the restoration of God’s children. Adam Clarke has a good summary.

In Acts 1:6, when the disciples said to Christ, “Will you at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” they meant, “Will you take the kingdom from the Romans, and give it back to the Jews?” But [the restitution of all things] must mean the accomplishment of all the prophecies and promises contained in the Old Testament relative to the kingdom of Christ upon earth…

The grace of the Gospel was intended to destroy the reign of sin; its energetic influence is represented as restoring all things, destroying the bad state, and establishing the good, taking the kingdom out of the hands of sin and Satan, and putting it into [the hands] of righteousness and truth.

In every believing soul, all things are restored… and the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keeps the heart and mind in the knowledge and love of God…Jesus Christ comes to raise up humanity from a state of ruin, and restore to us the image of God, as we possessed it at the beginning.” (Adam Clarke)

* * * * *

For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people.’  Indeed, beginning with Samuel, all the prophets[5] who have spoken have foretold these days.[6] 

His argument is basically that taking Moses seriously will lead to a true belief in Jesus.[7] Jesus was the new and better Moses, a law-giver of new law that would build upon and then supersede the old law. [8]

* * * * *

And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’[9] When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”

This is full of hopeful promise. While they may be guilty, they are the heirs of the promise made to Abraham that through them all peoples on earth shall receive blessings.[10] Peter had not yet had the vision to take this message to the Gentiles (Acts 10),[11] so it is possible that Peter did not yet appreciate the full scope of this promise. Everyone, everywhere would benefit from the presentation of Jesus. Like Jesus said, he would draw all people to himself. [12]

Paul will eventually teach that all those who follow Jesus are now “Abraham’s offspring” (Galatians 3:16, 29), the ones through whom God intends to bless the nations. And that’s us  More on that in a minute.

I thought I might try to offer this in one smooth presentation of the passage with all the commentary we just covered blended in. I think it’s helpful to go through each part, but then it’s easy to lose sight of the forest for all of the trees. Let’s check out the forest before we hit some closing points.

Acts 3:17–26, Rewritten with Commentary Embedded

Brothers and sisters, I know you acted in ignorance when you rejected Jesus—and I know your leaders did the same. If you had truly recognized Him as the Messiah, you would not have crucified Him. Even so, ignorance doesn’t erase responsibility.

You still bear guilt. But take heart: your sin is not beyond forgiveness. Remember, even as Jesus was dying, He prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Yet all of this—your rejection, His suffering, His death—was not outside of God’s control.

This is precisely what God foretold long ago through His prophets: that the Messiah would suffer. You’ve read of Isaiah’s Servant “pierced for our transgressions” (Isaiah 53). You’ve prayed the Psalms that describe His crucifixion (Psalm 22) and His resurrection (Psalm 16).

You didn’t realize it then, but all of that pointed to Him. So now, repent. Turn away from sin and turn toward God. Do this so your sins may be wiped away—blotted out, erased like ink wiped off parchment. The record of guilt that condemns you, the handwriting of your debts, will be destroyed.

Think of Israel’s rituals, when the curse written in a book was washed away with bitter water. God offers something greater—the erasure of every accusation against you by the cleansing of his blood. Repentance is not loss. It leads to life. It opens the floodgates of refreshment from the Lord.

That refreshment may come as the Spirit’s presence filling you, as the healing you’ve longed for, as renewal of your soul, or as the foretaste of the kingdom still to come. And in the end, when the time is right, God will send the Messiah once more.

But for now, heaven must hold Him, until the day comes for God to restore all things. Remember what the prophets promised: creation renewed, peace between wolf and lamb (Isaiah 11), a new heaven and earth (Isaiah 65), the restoration even of those once cast off (Ezekiel 16).

That is restoration: a world once ruined, brought back to its true order, humanity restored to the image of God. The grace of the gospel destroys the reign of sin and Satan, and gives the kingdom back to righteousness and truth. That restoration will fill the whole earth, as Scripture itself promises.

Moses told our ancestors, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people. You must listen to everything He tells you.” Moses was pointing to the final Prophet, the true Mediator, the new Lawgiver. To listen to Him is to remain in covenant blessing; to refuse Him is to cut yourself off from life itself.

From Samuel onward, every prophet spoke of these days. Samuel anointed David, to whom God promised an everlasting kingdom. You are heirs of those promises. God said to Abraham, “Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.” That offspring is Christ—and through Him the blessing now extends to all nations.

And notice the order of grace: God raised up His Servant, Jesus, and sent Him first to you—to bless you by turning each of you from your wickedness. You, the children of the covenant, the ones who called for His blood, are the first invited to receive the mercy provided by His blood.

And in turning back, you will not only find forgiveness—you will discover the life of faith, love, joy, and hope that He gives.

* * * * *

So where does that leave us?

First, it means we live in hope. That the people could be forgiven for killing Jesus ought to give all of us hope. It’s hard to imagine a greater crime than deicide. And yet here is Peter – who had betrayed Jesus himself – reminding them of the mercy of God. I was thinking of this great song by Julie Miller called “Broken Things.”

“You can have my heart, though it isn't new
It's been used and broken, and only comes in blue
It's been down a long road, and it got dirty along the way
If I give it to you, will you make it clean and wash the shame away?

You can have my heart, if you don't mind broken things
You can have my life; you don't mind these tears
Well, I heard that you make old things new, so I give these pieces all to you
If you want it, you can have my heart

The same God who restored those guilty of crucifying Jesus can restore us from our guilt and shame. Our history is not our destiny. When we are that lost sheep- whether because we sprinted away or we just got lost – how long does Jesus look? Until he finds us.[13] If you are thinking, “I am a lost sheep, and I don’t feel found,” don’t worry – he’s coming for you. He said he would.

Second, it means we live in repentance. Peter calls his audience — and us — to turn back to God, to align ourselves with the Messiah who brings blessing. Repentance isn’t about groveling; it’s about walking into the light of restoration. Awareness of our sin is not meant to drive us to despair. It’s meant to bring about a godly sorrow that leads to repentance and draws us to the grace-filled, loving forgiveness of Jesus. Think of how the Father cut off the Prodigal Son in the midst of his prepared speech. The son didn’t need to grovel. He needed to get ready for a celebration because he was home.

Apparently when we embrace repentance as a normal part of our life, we will experience refreshing.  I suspect it’s more than just an inner spiritual reality; I think it’s also practical. When we learn how to sincerely repent to each other, it’s refreshing to us. We don’t have to carry around our defensiveness and self-justification. We can let go of the anger we use to bully our way through confrontation to avoid acknowledging our own failure. We can be free to honestly asses ourselves an imperfect image bearer of God and be really pleased with what looks like Jesus in us and surrender what doesn’t to the restorative power of Jesus. And it’s refreshing to be able to do that honestly, without shame or hiding. 

Third, it means we live on mission. If God’s heart is to bless all people through Jesus, then our calling as the “body of Christ” is to let everyone around us know that God plans to bless all people through Jesus.

We do this with our words when we speak the good news of the Gospel: God so loved the world that He gave Son so that we may have life and not death.[14] We tell them we know a Great Physician who can heal even the sickest of souls. We tell them and remind each other, “Come, all who are weary and heavy laden, and Christ will give you rest.”[15]

We do this with our lives by embodying cruciform love, expending our lives in expressions of love that follow the lead of Jesus. We love everyone, even our enemies; we bless those who curse us; we protect and provide for “the least of these”; we bring healing where there is hurt; we offer a faithful presence to the lonely and the wandering and invite them into a community of Jesus followers who will be faithfully present with them as God does His work. We get the privilege and responsibility of showing the world — through our words and our lives — what Jesus is like, so that the world experiences the blessing God intends for all.

St. Clement of Rome (A 1st century disciple of Peter)

“Grant us, Lord, to hope in your Name, the source of all creation; open the eyes of our hearts, that we may know you alone are highest among the high, ever faithful, showing mercy to those who trust in you. Through Jesus Christ, the high priest of our offerings, the guardian and helper of our souls, through whom be glory and majesty to you now and for all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

__________________________________________________________________________

[1] Note again the collective responsibility we talked about a couple weeks ago. All had some accountability even if they had not participated directly.

[2] Adam Clarke calls this “a very tender excuse for them.” This is a gentle approach for Peter after just pointing out that THEY KILLED JESUS.

[3] For example, “When the times of refreshing shall come —signifies a breathing time, or respite, and may be here applied to the space that elapsed from this time till the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. This was a time of respite, which God gave them to repent of their sins, and be converted to himself.” (Adam Clarke)

[4] “Since the world began. — it is sometimes applied, by way of accommodation, to denote the whole course of any one period, such as the Mosaic dispensation. Genesis 21:33. It may therefore here refer to that state of things from the giving of the law; and as Moses is mentioned in the next verse, and none before him, it is probable that the phrase should be so understood here..” (Adam Clarke)

[5] Samuel was the prophet who anointed David to be king and spoke of the establishment of his kingdom (cf. 1Sa 16:13; see also 13:14; 15:28; 28:17). Furthermore, Nathan's prophecy regarding the establishment of David's "offspring" as recorded in 2Sa 7:12-16 was accepted in certain quarters within Judaism as having messianic relevance and was taken by Christians as having been most completely fulfilled in Jesus (cf. 13:22-23, 34; Heb 1:5). (Expositor's Bible Commentary (Abridged Edition): New Testament)

[6] Interestingly, Moses and Samuel are mentioned in the same breath by David. Psalm 99:6 states: "Moses and Aaron were among his priests, and Samuel also was among those who called on his name. They called on the Lord, and he answered them."

[7] Expositor's Bible Commentary (Abridged Edition): New Testament

[8] “A new commandment I give to you: Love one another, as I have loved you.”

[9] Genesis 22:18

[10] “Once again we are reminded of the inclusiveness of the gospel (see also 2:39).” (Africa Study Bible)

[11] (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary of the New Testament)

[12] John 12:32

[13] Luke 15:3-7

[14] John 3:16, my paraphrase

[15] Matthew 11:28

“His Name Made This Man Strong” (Acts 3: 1-26)

Now Peter and John were going up into the temple at the hour of prayer (the ninth hour). And a certain man who was lame from his mother’s womb they laid daily at the door of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple. Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked for some alms. 

And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him, with John, said, “Look on us.” And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “Silver and gold have I none; but what I have, that give I up. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”[1] 

And he took him by the right hand, and raised him up: and immediately his feet and his ankle-bones received strength. And leaping up, he stood, and began to walk; and he entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.[2] 

And all the people saw him walking and praising God,  and they took knowledge of him, that it was he that sat for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple. They were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him.[3]

And as he held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in Solomon’s Porch[4] greatly wondering. And when Peter saw it, he said to the people, “You people of Israel, why do you marvel at this man? Why do you fasten your eyes on us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made him to walk? 

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Servant Jesus; whom you delivered up, and denied before the face of Pilate, when Pilate had determined to release him. You denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted unto you,  and killed the Prince of life; whom God raised from the dead, whereof we are witnesses.[5] 

And by faith in his Name has his Name made this man strong, whom you see and know:  the faith which is through him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. 

What does it mean that “His Name made this man strong”? I’ve been doing some work on this verse, and I am pleased to tell you…I have a tentative answer that may not satisfy you as we explore our faith and the faithfulness of God :)

First, of all, what is this ‘Name’? And what does it mean that faith in this Name brought strength?

“The Name… is not the syllables which are sounded ‘Jesus Christ.’ They are, in the view of the Old Testament, attempts at a summary description of things by their prominent characteristics… the ‘Name’ of God [is] equivalent to ‘that which God is manifested to be’…[6]

In Acts 5 we read that the Apostles ‘departed from the council rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for ‘the Name,’ and we find at a much later date that missionaries of the Gospel are described by the Apostle John as going forth ‘for the sake of the Name.’” (Maclaren’s Exposition)

That’s a good summary of what is noted in many commentaries. The Name of God is the being and reputation of God, revealed specifically in Jesus.

When in John 14:13-14, Jesus promises, "Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do," he is saying that when you ask for something that aligns with his character and nature – and thus his will – he will do it.

In Philippians 2:9-11, Paul declares that God has given Jesus ‘the name that is above every name’ – I mean, he was God in the flesh - so that every knee will bow and every tongue joyfully confess the lordship of Jesus. They won’t bow because of the syllables; they will bow in awe of Jesus.[7] Jesus IS the Name above all names.

It reminds me that the commandment not to take God’s name in vain is not about the syllables (though how we treat the spoken name of God reveals something about our heart toward God). Don’t claim to be in God’s family and then blaspheme God’s reputation. [8]

Meanwhile, who is having faith in this verse? Check out this translation, which highlights the ambiguity in the original language.

“And by the faith of his Name, this one whom you see and know, he has restored and healed, and faith in him has given him this health before you all." (Aramaic Bible in Plain English)

In this translation, the man is restored and healed by the faith of his Name – or, the faith/faithfulness of Jesus. There is faith in him, but it’s not clear what the source is. Was it his? It doesn’t seem to be, because he didn’t even ask to be healed. Was it the faithfulness of the Name in him? Was it the faith inside of Peter and John?

This isn’t the only time we see this kind of room for discussion. Galatians 2:20 can be rendered two different ways:

"The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in/by the faith(fulness) of the Son of God."

So, let’s explore the word we translate as “faith” in the New Testament, which has a range of potential meaning. In Scripture, “faith” (pistis) can mean:

·      trust, belief, conviction (something you feel)

·      faithfulness and reliability (something you do)

Both God and humanity are said to have pistis (faith or faithfulness):

·      At times it is what we feel and do (if we have faith in God)

·      Other times, it points toward the posture of God toward us (He is faithful to us).

Romans 3:3 is a great example:

“What if some were unfaithful? Will their faithlessness (apistia) nullify the faithfulness (pistin) of God?”

So, is faith something we work to build, or do we have it in the measure God gives it to us? Or both? Is it like genetics, where we have been dealt a hand and we can decide if we want to maximize it by working at it? Or is it more like being given a finite allotment, and allowance, and some will get more than others? As you are likely already thinking, these differences matter.

If faith – the feeling or belief - is something that we work to build, then it seems like when miraculous things (like the healing of the lame man) do or don’t happen, it’s because of us. This would mean my dad died because he or those of us around him lacked faith. God was just waiting for us to get stronger, and we ran out of time. This would mean that our bad health reflects weak faith. This would look at almost every situation in which there is sin or sickness and lay the blame at our feet for our lack of faith. That’s a heavy burden to carry when we have been promised a yolk that is easy, and a burden that is light.[9] I wonder how Paul would respond to this considering how he prayed for a “thorn in his flesh” to be removed (2 Corinthians 12:9) and Jesus basically said, “No, but relax. My grace is sufficient.”

On the other hand, maybe a big part of understanding faith has to do with understanding God’s faithfulness towards us, how God is faithfully present with all of us in whatever journey we are on, working and moving as God sees fit, sometimes moving by His Holy Spirit, and sometimes moving tangibly through us. This would mean my dad’s story unfolded the way it did not because we didn’t even have faith the size of a mustard seed,[10] but because God’s sovereign plan did not involve my dad’s temporary healing in this world, but instead involved his ultimate healing in the world to come.

This list could go on. Name the situation in your life that did not go or is not going as you hoped it would. In this view, God is present, active, and faithfully at work not either because of our faith or in spite of it. (Here I am thinking of Paul again, when God intervened in his life while he was persecuting followers of Jesus).

The Bible seems to say both these things at different times, almost as if faith is complex and God wants us to wrestle with this together My goal today is to accomplish two things: I want to help us to rest in the confidence that God, the author and finisher of our faith, has given us a measure of faith by His grace. I also want to invite us to embrace what that means as we step into the high calling that comes with faith.

Let’s start with verses (and there are definitely more!) that present faith as something we are given, and then we strengthen it.

·      “But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver…”(James 1:6) 

·      “Beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith…keep yourselves in the love of God...” (Jude 20–21).[11]

Then there are the verse that suggest it’s something God gives us.

·      Christ is “the author and finisher of our faith.” (Hebrews 12:2)

·       “To another, faith by the same Spirit” in reference to spiritual gifts. (1 Corinthians 12:9)

·       “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has measured out to each of you.” (Romans 12:3)[12]

* * * * *

So, how is it both God’s free gift and something we build?

The Eastern Orthodox church likes to talk about the synergy of faith: God initiates; we respond and build with the help of the Holy Spirit in the process of becoming more and more like Jesus. God's grace-filled gift of a measure of faith is the primary and essential factor, yet we respond to this through our choices, actions, and spiritual striving (think of Paul “pressing on to the high calling of God” in Philippians 3:14). 

In this view, perhaps we could think of faith as a dance. When our boys got married, Sheila and I practiced dancing. This was not in my wheelhouse. It was fascinating to me to slowly learn the subtleties involved in leading and responding in slow dancing. We both had to be attuned to the rhythm of th song, paying attention to nudgings and promptings. It took us a while, but we figured it out. It was such a better way of dancing than we had tried before.

Where God leads with His grace-filled offer of faith, we are invited to respond, to follow His lead through obedience and trust, becoming more like Christ by cooperating with the Holy Spirit. God is always going to lead, and we are daily choosing to follow His lead or not. We will need to be attuned, responding to the nudges of the Holy Spirit. We will need to be focused with that relationship as the primary point of our focus. And then we dance a holy dance filled with faith as we follow the lead of our Savior.

If you like gardening analogies, think of God planting a seed we are called to tend.[13] God’s going to make it grow (1 Corinthians 3), but we participate by adding fertilizer, watering, etc. God gives us the privilege of investing sweat equity in His plan.

You might be thinking that this means we CAN tell who has the most impressive faith. They will have more impressive fruit, right?  (And usually by that we mean an outward sign or wonder like Peter and John did).

Since God “assigns the measure of faith”, we must remember that the result of our cooperation will look different. Don’t forget what we just read:

“Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has measured out to each of you.” (Romans 12:3)

When Paul wrote to the church in Corinth about the way they were being generous with the finances they had been given, he noted an important principle:

“For if the willingness is there, the what you give is acceptable according to what your have, not according to what you don’t have.” (2 Corinthians 8:12)

It would have been easy to see what others were giving and reach a conclusion about the state of their heart. Only a dollar? I doubt THEY are righteous and generous. Yeah, but what if they only had ten dollars, while the critic had a thousand and gave ten? Who is the most generous?

This is a good reminder not to compare people and make assumptions about whether or not someone is walking in faith based on marquee events like healing. We don’t know what measure of faith God has given to others; we don’t have insight into how they are tending the seeds of faith God has planted.

Someone who looks like they are crushing it might be squandering an immense gift they have been given. Someone who looks like they are struggling might be tending their mustard seed of faith with great care.

It also might be the case that a different kind of sign and wonder is taking place that others don’t see. A transformed heart, a healed soul, a new ability to love, a first step into repentance or forgiveness, freedom from greed or lust. All of this is indeed a wonder. It’s all a sign that faith is making us whole. (Mark 5:34)

I wonder sometimes if part of what makes faith hard to understand is that we assume it to be grand and showy and outwardly observable, when it is often quiet and ordinary and transformative in ways not so easily seen.

* * * * *

We still haven’t landed on a clean definition of what faith is. I’m looking for foundational things. Let’s go to Hebrews 1. I find this translation to be helpful.

“Now faith is the foundation of that for which we hope, and a conviction of the reality of things which we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1)

We already noted that a faithful God gives us a measure of faith as a foundation for our lives. What results from that? What does this enable us to do according to Hebrews?

First, it enables us to believe in the reality of things we can’t see with our eyes. I think this is a call back to Jesus telling Thomas that those who didn’t have to see Jesus in order to believe in him were blessed.[14] I do have that faith: I believe that Jesus was who he claimed to be: God in the flesh, the Savior of the world, the Great Physician, the Healer and Restorer we all long for in our hearts. If you believe this too, we are joined together in this kind of faith in Jesus.

Second, having hope in the power and love of God to do hopeful things in the world seems to be a sign of having faith. Another good way to think of this is having trust. If we trust that God has in fact reconciled the world to himself through the cruciform love of Jesus,[15] and that He is going to finish the work He begins in us, and that one day He will make all things new,[16] then we are joined together in our trust in the faithfulness of God.

I have often wondered just what kind of man of faith I am. I’m just looking for a mustard seed’s worth.[17] Like I said, I’ve never healed a lame person. I have prayed for the sick, and sometimes they got better and sometimes they didn’t. I have dealt with anxiety for years, and also had really good stretches of peace. Sheila and I had times of despair in our marriage where it was not at all easy to lean on Jesus in trust and hope, and then other times when it was clear that God had not abandoned us at all. There have been times when, like the Psalmist, I want to yell, “Where are you?” and then other times I think: “Oh. You were right here all along.”

So because I wonder this a lot, I started to make a list this week of what measure God has given me if I gauge what it means to have faith by biblical standards. I am sharing this with you not because I expect it to put me on a pedestal - there will be no healings on this list - but because I am inviting you to find yourself in this list to find the seeds of faith God has given you to nurture.

·      I trust that Jesus is who He said He is: God incarnate, the hope of our salvation, the Risen Savior who takes away the sin of the world. I think that’s faith.

·      I trust that God can do anything God wants to do, and that whatever God wants to do is good even if I can’t see it. I think that’s faith.                                                               

·      I trust that God is love by nature, and that “the steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning,”(Lamentations 3:22–23), even when I don’t feel it.  I think that’s faith.

·      I trust that God heals us either by healing us now or by ushering us into eternity for our ultimate healing when He reconciles all things to Himself (Acts 3:21) and will wipe all the bitter tears from my eyes. I think that’s faith.

·      I trust that following His lead in the dance of faith is good, even if I don’t understand it and even while I might question Him about it. I think that’s faith.

·      I trust that the path of righteousness God has laid out is for my good and God’s glory, so I have sought to follow His loving path through my love-motivated obedience. I think that’s faith.

·      When I stumble in the path or wander from it, I trust that He runs toward me not away from me because God is for me, not against me, and a good Father does not abandon His children, but will instead search for His lost sheep until they are found. I think that’s faith.

·      I trust that God can take my life and make something good of it[18], in spite of all my attempts to undermine it, or in spite of the harmful things done to me by others. I think that’s faith.

·      Here is my last, and most important one. I rest in the fact that God’s faithfulness depends on His nature, not my perfection. “If we are faithless (apistoumen), He remains faithful(pistos), for He is not able to deny Himself.” (2 Timothy 2:13). I rest in that. I think that’s faith.  

I invite you to anchor in this unshakeable truth: God is faithful. Whether your faith feels strong or fragile today, God's faithfulness holds you in the measure you have been given. God is enough, and His gift will be enough.

Whatever role Peter and John played in the lame man’s healing, the man ultimately walked because of the faithfulness of Jesus’ Name. We too are being made whole — maybe not always in the ways we expect, but always by the same faithful Name. The Great Physician will complete His good work in you, restoring all things in His time. Let us respond in trust, stepping into His mission with hopeful hearts, knowing His mercies are new every morning

________________________________________________________________________________

[1] Interesting that this isn’t about the lame man’s faith (since he likely didn’t know Jesus).

[2] The Messianic age is here. Isaiah 35:3-6 prophesied the lame leaping like deer in the messianic age.

[3] Quick note: this is a Jewish audience at the Temple. Peter’s upcoming speech is going to pull from their Jewish history.

[4] A covered walkway in the outer courtyard.

[5] Note again the collective responsibility. All had some accountability even if they had not participated directly.

[6] Proverbs 18:10: “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run into it and are safe.”

[7] In Acts 4:12, Peter boldly proclaims, ‘There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.’ The Name of Jesus isn’t just a label—it’s the embodiment of His authority, His character, and His saving power.

[8] “Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges notes, “This use of name = power, and even as an absolute equivalent for God, is very Jewish; cp. Acts 4:12. The usage grew out of such passages as Psalm 106:8, “He saved them for His name’s sake.”

[9] Matthew 11:30

[10] Matthew 17:20

[11] Or this one: “[Abraham] grew strong in his faith…” (Romans 4:20-21)

[12] Or these: “By grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not from works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)  “It has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him.” (Philippians 1:29) Peter will later talk of believers as those “who by Him do believe in God, that your faith and hope might be in God.” (1 Peter 1:21)  

[13] “Faith is not what makes God’s love true for us; faith is what allows us to enjoy and participate in it.” (Brad Jersak)

[14] John 20:29

[15] 2 Corinthians 5:19

[16] Revelation 21:5

[17] Matthew 17:19

[18] Romans 8:28

“All The Believers Were Together” (Acts 2:42-47)

The Situation: Jerusalem was filled with a TON of Jewish people there for Pentecost. Thousands had just joined the ranks of the church. Maybe think of what is described at the end of Acts 2 as an initial “honeymoon” phase as everyone is really excited about becoming part of the Kingdom of God with all its implications.

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.[1] All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.   

Every day they continued to meet in one accord in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.[2] 

If this is how it started, this is probably going to have some implications for how it is going to keep going, even for us. So, let’s take a look at details.

The apostle’s teaching. What is often considered the first creed in the early church is found in 1 Corinthians 15:1-11.

“Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6 

After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born (?)[3]. 

For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.

I once preached a sermon called, “You Are What You Creed.” I made the point that Christianity is a creedal religion, and I covered a lot of the historical creeds and our Statement of Faith (which is on our website). I am more inclined now to say, “You Are What You Love,”[4] with the idea that Christianity is primarily relational, not creedal. We put structure around the relationship to make sure we don’t get confused about who it is that we love or why we love them – and that’s the creeds.

Here’s an analogy. I can give you a whole creed about who Sheila is. I can tell you her birthday, her favorite foods and TV shows, what her ideal day looks like. I can differentiate her from anybody else. I could even put it in a formal statement and recite it every day. But that’s not the foundation of our relationship, our covenant. I know her; I interact with her; I spend time with her. We fellowship. It’s personal, and it’s defined by love.

Creeds aren’t the heart of our faith; Jesus is. But creeds matter, because they remind us who Jesus is so that our love is properly focused, and we don’t wander or forget.

Fellowship. Fellowship included the sharing of material goods, but it was about more than that. Being “in one place” or “in one accord” had to do with being united around Jesus, on a shared mission, in which they looked out for each other. Remember how I said Acts 2 describes a honeymoon phase? Later, Paul is going to have step in do some correction. Here’s an excerpt from a letter to the church in Corinth (1 Corinthians 10).

For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea.  They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food  and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them.

Everything was really good, until it wasn’t. It turns out there was a problem. (I’m skipping ahead in the chapter).

Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf… “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive.  No one should seek their own good, but the good of others…

A selfish dynamic had crept in. They were together, but not looking out for each other. They were together, but not considering one another. They were all about “me,” not “us.” If you read the whole chapter, Paul calls this idolatry.

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God -  even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.

As much as it was in his power, Paul wanted to remove anything that would cause others to stumble. If there was a way Paul could say or do something differently to connect to those around him without compromise, he wanted to do that. If he needed to reign in his liberty to protect those around him, he would.

That’s a lot of work. Doing that requires observation, reflection, pray, and patience. We might have to get to know people before we bless them with our profound insight for their lives. We might have to walk with them for a while so that our advice matches what they are going through. 

But if we are all in communion with Jesus – eating and drinking from his provision – that’s what life together will look like. We are going to seek the good of the many, just like Jesus does.

The breaking of bread. This was likely both the Lord’s Supper and a larger fellowship meal.[5] This was often done together. Here is the ideal vision from my commentary crush, Adam Clarke:

They had no severe fasts…and no splendid feasts: all was moderation, and all was contentment. They were full of gladness, spiritual joy and happiness; and singleness of heart, everyone worthy of the confidence of their neighbor; and all walking by the same rule, and minding the same thing.” (Adam Clarke)

That sound great. It’s a beautiful vision of community. It just didn’t always happen. Paul again, having to do some later correction where once again they are looking for their own good instead of the good of others:

“In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good.  In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it.  No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval. 

So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? 

What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter!... So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 

For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment.[6] 

Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world. So then, my brothers and sisters, when you gather to eat, you should all eat together. Anyone who is hungry should eat something at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment.” (1 Corinthians 11)

In Corinth, partaking of the Lord’s Supper together included a full meal meant to display the unity and love of Christ’s body. But the wealthy were arriving early, eating and drinking to excess, while the poor came later to find little or nothing left. Paul’s warning about eating “in an unworthy manner” has something to do with failing to honor Christ and His body — both in the reverent taking of communion and the reverent care of His people.

I suspect that the judgment was real and practical: some were overindulging and becoming sick, others were going hungry to the point of illness or death. God’s discipline aimed to correct them- and save them in a very practical way. The solution was simple: wait for one another, share equally, and if you’re just hungry, eat at home. The shared supper is not about satisfying appetites but proclaiming the cruciform love displayed in Christ’s death by living with unity and love. Once again, seeking the good of the many.

Prayer. “Prayers is literally “the prayers” in Greek, perhaps referring to specific liturgical prayers, such as the Psalms. Because the Psalms point so clearly to Christ, Christians immediately incorporated them into NT worship.[7] To this day, for example, Psalm 145 is recited three times a day by observant Jewish worshippers, a custom that was in place when Jesus was alive. When the first followers of Jesus met in the temple and prayed, they were almost certainly following this custom. Liturgical churches today would have a similar service. In our non-denominational, evangelical tradition, the equivalent is probably singing together.

They and had everything in common, selling property and possessions to help those in need. The Greek word for “fellowship” is Kiononiai; the word for “common” is Koina. Fellowship is going to mean that every fellow was on the same ship. They were a crew, together, sailing in the same direction, working together for a common goal.

There was an already existing custom in Jerusalem during public religious feasts in which homes, beds, cooking equipment, and water were freely shared. In Acts 2, this seems to have gone further: believers sold possessions and distributed the proceeds to meet needs. This was likely because the new converts were staying longer than planned after Pentecost, and there were a lot of them.

Later instructions for church collections (1 Cor. 16:1) show that both wealthy and poor still existed in the church, and participation in selling goods was voluntary (Acts 5:4).[8] People still had personal possessions (see Acts 12:12; 18:7). But this was the bottom line in Christian community:

“The early Christians… valued people more than property.” (NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible)

What we see in Acts and other places in the NT letters is that when churches saw need, they consistently met the need. Sometimes it was great, and the sacrifice was great. Sometimes it was less, and less was required.

“St. Chrysostom noted…that in this poverty of spirit, in this sense of brotherhood, “the poor man knew no shame, the rich no haughtiness.”  (Expositors Greek Testament)

Basically, they responded to the situations in front of them. Our generosity is meant to be a response to God’s generous grace to us, which we can pass on in very practical ways.

This sharing of all one’s real estate and personal property was the inevitable fruit of lives that were filled with the Holy Spirit. It has been said, “A real Christian could not bear to have too much when others have too little.” (Believer’s Bible Commentary)

This is, once again, a commitment to seeking the good of the many even if it is through costly generosity, just as Jesus himself modeled for us.

* * * * *

A final note: “They enjoyed the favor of all the people.” Mark recorded of Jesus that “the common people heard Him gladly.” (Mark 12:37) This seems to be the case with the apostles as well.

“It does not mean that all the people had become reconciled to Christianity; but their humble, serious, and devoted lives won the favor of the great mass of the community, and silenced opposition...there it nothing so well suited to do this as the humble and consistent lives of [Christ’s] friends.” (Barne’s Notes on the Bible)

I had the impression growing up that the more people outside the church disliked me, the more it was likely I was doing something right. If I got along too well with non-Christians, it probably meant I wasn’t standing up boldly enough for my faith. Tension was a good sign of faithful witness.

Sometimes, tension is a sign of faithful witness. If we are going to speak and live with prophetic integrity, we are going to create some tension. We will come across this later in the book of Acts, and we will address that approach when we get to it. And there have certainly been times in church history where Christians have been persecuted by all.

That is true, but this is true also: the first followers of Jesus enjoyed the favor of all the people, and the common people who heard Jesus gladly likely heard what they had to say with the same response.

There can be two dangers I see here. One is thinking that being liked means were being effective, and that’s not necessarily true. Jesus wasn’t always liked, and he was very effective going about his Father’s business. The other is thinking that being disliked means we are being effective, and that’s not necessarily true either. Jesus was often liked, and that didn’t mean he wasn’t being bold enough.

Paul said when he preached of a crucified Christ, it was a stumbling block to his Jewish audience and foolishness to his Greek audience. (1 Corinthians 1:23-25) The Holy Spirit is going to have to do Holy Spirit work. That’s in God’s hands. What is in our hands? How loving and grace-filled we are in the presentation of Jesus, both through our words and our lives.  Maybe think of it this way.

If Morgan Freeman was the spokesperson for a planned community, I would be ready to move there right now, because everything I know about Morgan Freeman is so great. If that community has that kind of people there, I want to be a part of it.

If Jeffrey Epstein was the spokesperson, not only would I not want to live there, but I would actively tell others not to live there. If that community is going to have that kind of person there, no thanks.

The Apostle Paul said that we kind of function like that on behalf of Jesus:

“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.” (1 Corinthians 5:20)

Good ambassadors say good and true things on behalf of the one who sent them – that’s one kind of message. They also live a particular way on behalf of the one who sent them – that’s another kind of message.

Ambassadors for Jesus are called to talk and walk like Jesus. When this happens consistently, something powerful takes place: people catch a glimpse of a better kingdom. Not everyone will want it, but many will — because it looks like Jesus, and Jesus is still good news. The early church showed us that it’s possible to speak truthfully, live humbly, and win the favor of even those who don’t yet believe – but who often soon will.

We cannot control how people respond to the content of our message, but we can embody the message in a way that’s clear, kind, and compelling. “Let your light shine before others,” Jesus said, “so that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16) Let’s be that kind of people, the kind that make others say, “If that’s what Jesus is like, I want to know Him.”

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[1] God gave the apostles (this book is called the “Acts of the Apostles ) the power to display the arrival of a new Kingdom through signs and wonders that revealed the heart of God and brought about receptivity to the gospel. Hebrews 2:3-4 “This salvation was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, and was affirmed by God through signs, wonders, various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will.” 2 Corinthians 12:12 “The marks of a true apostle—signs, wonders, and miracles—were performed among you with great perseverance. ”Romans 15:19 “…by the power of signs and wonders, and by the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.”

[2] Also Acts 4: 32-35 “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.”

[3] “The apostle refers to a proverbial way of speaking among the common people at Rome, who used to call such supernumerary senators in the times of Augustus Caesar, who got into the senate house by favor or bribery, "abortives…" and therefore calls himself by this name, as being in his own opinion a supernumerary apostle.” (Adam Clarke)

[4] I highly recommend James K.A. Smith’s book on this. The title is…wait for it…. You Are What You Love.

[5] The same verb [klaō] is used of breaking bread at the ordinary meal (Lu 24:30) or the Lord’s Supper (Lu 22:19)

[6] “His attitude toward the Lord at His table revealed with shocking evidence the spiritual condition of many a Corinthian Christian—his carnality and blindness as one “not distinguishing the body”. (Expositor’s Bible Commentary) This is some type if temporal, not eternal punishment, as the reason assigned for these judgments is that they might not be condemned with the wicked -  1 Corinthians 11:32. (Barne’s Notes On The Bible) “We see from ver. 32 that this "judgment" had a purely merciful and disciplinary character.” (Pulpit Commentary)

[7] Orthodox Study Bible

[8] Peter told Ananias and Sapphira that they did not have to sell their property and give away the money (5:4).