What to do? What to do?

Read: Acts 4:13-22

13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.
14 But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition.
15 But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another,
16 saying, “What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.
17 But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.”
18 So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.
19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge,
20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”
21 And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened.
22 For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old.

Reflect:

What to do?  What to do?

In the passage above two groups of people are faced with the same question – what will we do?  The first group of religious leaders were perplexed at the miracle performed in the name of Jesus.  Their response to “warn them to speak no more to anyone in (Jesus) name” was really one of compromise because they were afraid of the people.

When face with the same question, the response of Peter and John is one of stark contrast: “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot speak of what we have seen and heard.”

Respond:

Take a look at the newspaper headlines today.  There are plenty of opportunities for the Christian to respond either in compromise or integrity.  Let’s follow the example of the Spirit-filled life of Peter and John and stand boldly.

Times of Refreshing

Acts 3: 19-20

19 Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out,
20  that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus,
21 whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.

At the funeral I attended last week I saw a number of people who were clearly uncomfortable with the circumstances of the day. Conversations were polite and a few mentioned how young the deceased was – in his early 60′s.  Yet beneath the comments and handshakes was a sense of not knowing…is this life all there is? Blaise Pascal was a brilliant mathematician and more importantly philosopher and follower of Christ. The following is a paraphrase of his belief in the meaning of life.

“There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus.”

We can fill our lives with many things in order to attempt to find the “times of refreshing” in our lives.  People all around us are doing just that everyday, but their lives remain empty. Some are depressed.  Others are, at least on the surface, unaware of their situation, but all are looking for something that satisfies.

When the people gathered to see the lame man who walked, Peter took the opportunity to point the crowds directly to Christ. You may have an opportunity to do so today. Look for it.

No Other Gospel

Galatians 5: 1

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

Galatians 5: 1 will be our theme verse over the next few weeks as we consider the Gospel as presented by Paul to the churches of Galatia. It was Christ and Christ alone who set us free to live in (what else) FREEDOM. This is not just some kind of abstract idea or concept. Today, in Christ, we can live in freedom from our past life of sin, freedom from our failures and experience freedom to live a life wholeheartedly pursuing the one who freed us.

What keeps us from a life of Freedom in Christ? In his first epistle John warns about the threat from outside the church referring to the love of the world. But for the churches in Galatia, the challenge to the Gospel was altogether different. The Galatians had been led away by perverted teaching within the church.

We face the same type of challenge today with at least three different methods of “Jesus Plus” types of teachings.

In the next post, we’ll begin with the first chapter of Galatians. We’ll consider what makes the Gospel the Gospel and how to spot the difference and we’ll consider the life of a person whose life was literally transformed by the power of Christ.

No Clever Schemes

Skeptics are everywhere. From the early days of the church some have questioned the authority of God’s Word.  Not much is different today.

In his second epistle Peter wrote:

“For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty… knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation.  For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

2 Peter 1:16, 20-21

How would the disciples described themselves in the narrative of the Gospels if they were attempting to build a “cleverly devised myth”?

Without a doubt Peter would have edited out some of the more embarrassing moments in his life had the New Testament been a cleverly devised myth.  To the contrary Peter writes that man’s contribution to Scripture was one of obedience as “men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

Have you chosen to make the Bible your authority?

If you believe that the Bible contains the very words of God to mankind how should you respond?  Will it change the direction of my heart? How will it affect the way I think about the world I live in?  Will it change the direction of my feet as I make choices in my life?

God, Government and You

Tonight I spoke with a physician who has two sons attending two very different schools.  The older son attends a school where any talk of God could cause trouble, while the younger son attends a private school in the Cleveland area where prayer to God is encouraged and expected.

Talk about controversy!  Just mention the government and God in the same sentence and all kinds of emotions are stirred.

After telling us to do our part to live in peace with others in chapter 12 of Romans, Paul now shifts his focus onto public life. The Christians of the first century were not exactly popular in their culture.  So why would Paul encourage the believers to be “subject to the governing authorities”?

The answer is in the sovereignty of God who has placed those in authority.  We are expected to follow the laws of the land.  As verses six and seven tells us, we are to pay our taxes.  We are to respect the laws of the land.  We are to honor those in authority.

He’s not saying we necessarily agree with them in all things.  I personally, don’t want to pay any additional taxes than what I owe.  But I am still to pay my taxes.  Before Paul wrote these words, Jesus answered the question on taxes and said to “give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God those things that are God’s.”

Now you might ask, do we honor authorities in all things at all times?  I believe the Scripture is clear on this.  Moses’ parents didn’t obey Pharoah’s command which demanded the death of their newborn.  When Peter and John were commanded to stop speaking in the name of Jesus, they answered with the question as to whether it is better to obey man or God.

There are areas where authorities may push us into a corner and ask for compromise in our Faith.  We are to stand firm just as those believers in the first century did.

I think a question to ask might be- Am I focusing on obeying God or am I using my Faith as a reason to oppose authority?

Here’s Some Hope

In a time of desperation for the people of Israel, Jeremiah wrote these words of hope.  Take a minute and read the scripture:

21 But this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:
22 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 The LORD is my portion, says my soul,
therefore I will hope in him.
25 The LORD is good to those who wait for him,
to the soul who seeks him.Jeremiah remembers and therefore has hope!  What is the source of his hope?  The steadfast love of the Lord is without end.  His mercies are new every morning. (Lamentations 3: 21-25 ESV)
Jeremiah’s hope is in the Lord.  He hopes in Him. He seeks Him.

We’ve been talking about trials for the last few weeks and it is easy to feel a little worn down during a trial.

On this day read this portion of scripture again. And again.  Believe it deep in your soul.

Overcoming Evil

When asked about the importance of the Law, Jesus summed up the commandments with two basic perspectives.  Love God.  Love Others.

Some of the “others” in our lives include those individuals who intend to harm us.  Both Jesus and Paul tell us to love our enemies.  We are to rejoice with them.  We are to feel compassion for them.  We are to forgive them.

Verse 17 of Romans 12, tells us to never repay evil for evil.  Revenge is not an option.  We are to do our part to live peacefully with those around us.  Why?  We usurp God’s authority and generally make a mess of things on our own.

To the contrary we are to feed our enemies if they are hungry.  We are to give him a drink if he is thirsty.  How easy is all of this for you?

In order to live this kind of real life love, a supernatural work must begin inside of me and end on the outside of my life and this continually refers me back to the beginning of this chapter as Paul commands us to surrender our lives everyday.

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Supernaturally.

Am I a Puppet?

How do we balance the sovereignty of God with the choices we make in our lives? I’ve read several commentaries from “both sides of the aisle” on this passage of Romans.  While we don’t necessarily agree on every point, I have found the comments of James MacDonald to provide a fair treatment of the question he proposes – “Am I a puppet?” In a nutshell, he states that Scripture gives us a clear picture of God’s sovereignty in Romans 9.  If you read the words in a straightforward way, Paul is making the case that God chose Abraham and then Isaac – but not Ishmael.  God chose Jacob to continue the line instead of the elder brother Esau. Instead of destroying Pharaoh and his people immediately, God chose to use Pharaoh’s hardness of heart to display His awesome power. God is in control. Yet throughout Scripture we are encouraged to make choices. Moses wrote in Exodus 30:19, 20 - I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, 20 loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them. Joshua 24:15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve…..But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. Mark 8:34 And he called to him the crowd with his disciples and said to them, If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. By just looking at a few verses we see both God’s Sovereignty and the choices He allows in our lives.  The caution in an either/or position here is that we may gather a stack of Scripture to support one line of thought and ignore the other. Responding to the Sovereignty of God. Deuteronomy 29:29 says that “the hidden things belong to the Lord our God, but the revealed things belong to us and our children forever…” 1. I will be obedient when told.    (Isaiah 66:2) If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” John 14:15 2. I will be righteous when tempted Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.    James 1:12 3. I will be submissive when tried.

Power and Influence

Several years ago I learned that a family watched a particular movie because of the fact I mentioned the movie as part of an illustration while teaching a group of high school students. Who am I that a decision would be made based on my opinion?

James 3:1 says, “we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” The experience with that one family caused me to think carefully about what I say and how I conduct my life going forward.

Recently, I was part of a panel discussing some hotly debated topics within the church and I have been reminded again of the power our lives have to influence others in our community and in our family.

Over the last few weeks I have touched on sexual morality, heaven and hell, and this issues related to tobacco and alcohol. The Bible speaks clearly on drunkenness, but what about the person who chooses an occasional glass of wine with dinner? Does my stance on a hot topic affect others? What are the consequences of my actions whether intentional or not? Am I tearing others down or encouraging them in their faith?

The key is remaining faithful to Scripture and apply Biblical principles to life in 2011.

Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother…Romans 14:13

Am I living a surrendered life to Christ and considering the needs of others before myself?

An Opportunity

Life, impact, and making a difference are the result of people who make personal commitments and keep them. Personal commitments make it possible to stay pure and to resist the power of peer pressure when every fiber of your body wants to do what everyone else seems to be doing. Personal commitment is the difference between marriages that last and marriages that fail. Personal commitment is the difference between ministries that endure and those that end when circumstances become difficult. Personal commitment is the difference between staying and benefiting from a tough course or quitting and flunking out of school. Personal commmitment, over the long haul, makes up what we call character. When character, along with a dislocated hear, a broken spirit and a radical faith, devise the kind of strategic plans that further God’s agenda in the world, Holy Ambition has reached maturity in another life.” Let’s think about your life and mine  Where do we need to make a personal commitment?  Not a good intention.  Not a desire to try a little harder but a personal commitment.