Answers for Today, March 2, 2011, originally written 10-08-08
Seeing Jesus
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. But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, 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. 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.” So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 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, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” 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. For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old. Acts 4:13-22
We need some miracles. But I don’t know if we’ll get many, since every time something borderline miraculous happens, it seems some “Christian” jumps on it and takes the credit, then turns it into a freak show. If we were as careful to give all the credit to Jesus as the apostles were, I think we’d see much more of His power, and more people would believe. Can God trust us with miracles?
Different sorts of people need different sorts of witness. Some require a bold, in-your-face approach before they pay attention. Others need consistent, gentle, accepting love. We need missionaries of all kinds and temperaments. We need people who are willing to spend the night in jail, if need be, in order to witness for Jesus.
We need God’s power—which I think He will give to us if we put ourselves in a situation where it’s needed, instead of hovering around our safety zones while asking God for power with which to show off.
Most of all, the focus needs to be on Jesus, instead of on ourselves, our churches or our “power.” The apostles didn’t take even a little percentage of the glory for themselves; it all went to Jesus.
People need to be able to look at our lives and know without asking, “They’ve been with Jesus.”
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: If we’re really walking with Jesus, the world will know it.
Answers for Today, March 3, 2011, originally written 10-09-08
Christlike Boldness
When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God...
And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. Acts 4:23-24,29-31
After their release, the disciples didn’t pray for God to take away their enemies; they didn’t pray for spiritual transformation for their community; they prayed for boldness. They got it. They also prayed together for the Lord’s healing and signs and wonders to continue. God liked their prayer, judging from the earthquake that followed, and the answer to their boldness prayer.
Where are the bold Christians in America? I’ve seen a few obnoxious ones, who seemed to enjoy negative attention, but I haven’t encountered that many who were just plain bold, and still Christlike kind at the same time.
If the Church would come together to pray for boldness, instead of not coming together at all, or coming together to pray that our enemies would disappear or that life would be easier, we’d probably see some significant results. Until we’re willing to pray for a Christlike boldness, we’re probably not going to see much more than the arm of man can deliver, which is not much.
We can pray however we want—for some, any kind of prayer whatsoever would be a big improvement. But it makes a difference whether we’re praying to be bold or to be safe, whether the focus is on our rights or righteousness. We definitely need to focus more on praying together as believers. But we also might pay attention to what it is we’re asking when we pray. It makes a big difference!
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: Christlike boldness is there for us, if we actually want it.
Answers for Today, March 4, 2011, originally written 10-10-08
One Heart and Soul
Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet. Acts 4:32-37
The “every man for himself” philosophy of Christianity currently in vogue stinks. Jesus never intended for His Church to be a roving band of consumers seeking spiritual thrills without commitment to anything or anyone, but this has become the normal attitude, for many. I don’t think God is going to require us to replicate the “commune” type of lifestyle in which the Early Church engaged, but if we would just wholly commit to Jesus and to some fellow believers, it would be a huge step in the right direction!
It’s no accident that the verse which describes the unity of the Early Church and their commitment to one another is followed by one telling of the power of their testimony. Their unity was their testimony! There was not a needy person among them. That statement alone makes for a great witness!
There were heroes, but they were heroes of faith, commitment and generosity, like Barnabas, who already had the nickname “Son of Encouragement” when he sealed his reputation as an encourager by selling his land and giving all to the Church.
Maybe in these days we don’t need to go as far as “commune,” but could we at least do “community”?! We’ll have some decent power in our witness again when we start taking care of the needy among us, and we commit to one another as an act of devotion to Christ. The Church will also appear to society as much more gracious than it currently does. The “one heart and soul” part, we really need to work on. I have a feeling God would help us, if we’re interested. I have a feeling the world would be interested, if God helped us.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: “One heart and soul” commitment makes a powerful witness.
Answers for Today, March 7, 2011
Fortune Cookie Wisdom
Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity
than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool.
Desire without knowledge is not good,
and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way.
When a man’s folly brings his way to ruin,
his heart rages against the LORD.
Wealth brings many new friends,
but a poor man is deserted by his friend.
A false witness will not go unpunished,
and he who breathes out lies will not escape.
Many seek the favor of a generous man,
and everyone is a friend to a man who gives gifts.
Proverbs 19:1-6
The tidbits of wisdom which make up Proverbs sometimes remind me of fortune cookies. They are short, sweet, memorable. They require little explanation. They are general in nature, applying to everyone, so it doesn’t matter who the reader is. Proverbs are “tidbits for today,” little droplets of wisdom which can be carried in the soul. They are great little navigational aids, both practical and plain. God wants us to do more than just “get through” in life, so our kind Father has given us pocket sized instruction. Fortune cookies are a really pale substitute for wisdom-fortified Proverbs!
In the six little proverbs which begin Proverbs 19 we are reminded:
—Poverty is not a bad thing, if a person has integrity. Better that than riches and lies, and a foolish lifestyle!
—Desire without knowledge is not good—we need to figure out what we’re doing—and it’s easy to miss the way if we get in a hurry.
—People blame God for things which are their own fault. Don’t.
—Wealth brings “friends” who are not; poverty reveals who our true friends are.
—God doesn’t overlook lying and false testimony, even if others do.
—There is a power in generosity and gift-giving which is real. We may as well use it to be a blessing to people.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: God has made so much wisdom available to us!
Answers for Today, March 8, 2011
Stirred Up
Daniel declared, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. Daniel 7:2-3
Does it seem like things are being stirred up? The past couple months have seen the overthrow of a long-time dictator, with another one on the ropes. Both of these nations (Egypt and Libya) border the Mediterranean Sea, which, if Daniel had ever seen a sea, would probably have been the only one. And while a case can be made that the vision Daniel saw in chapter 7 has long since been at least partially fulfilled with a succession of kingdoms which have come and gone on the earth, it certainly looks to me (and others) like it will be fulfilled once again, except this time, completely.
The clear references to things which are “end times” in the context of the vision (“the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened,” for example), make me think this is an “end time” prophecy to be fulfilled. Daniel is told at the end of the vision, “These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.” (Dan 7:17-18) The rest of the chapter describes an interpretation I can’t see as anything other than “end times.”
So, things are stirred up! But who is doing the stirring? Is it mankind, the workers uniting to overthrow tyranny? Is the stirring a result of conspiracy plans? The stirring is from God. He’s the One who is able to tell someone two millennia in advance exactly what will happen, even though the knowledge gives the poor guy a headache and he has no idea of the meaning of what he’s writing down. God is the One who can stir up kingdoms as easily as a human might stir up a batch of cookies. God is the One who calls His shots with 100% accuracy from thousands of years away.
While it is of interest to us to know where we fit in prophecy’s time-line, what ultimately matters is our relationship with the One who stirs it up, then brings it to eternal resolution. If we know Jesus, we’re fine. If we don’t have a relationship with Jesus Christ, we’re not fine, no matter what else we think we know.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: It’s God who is doing the stirring. If we know Jesus, we’re fine.
Answers for Today, March 9, 2011, originally written 10-15-08
Fooling God
But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. Acts 5:1-5
Peter didn’t tell Ananias he was going to die; he just told him he knew the truth (and Ananias died). By the time Sapphira showed up, Peter knew what was going to happen to her, and he did tell her she was going to die. The point is, Peter didn’t kill anybody, he just told one of them what was going to happen.
If Ananias and Sapphira would have just said, “We want to be part of the Church, but we’re afraid for our own financial security, so we’re giving part of the money to the Church and keeping some back for our own use,” everything would have been fine. The money would have been received as a gift, they would have gotten at least some acknowledgment of their generosity, they would have stayed alive. It wasn’t the lack of generosity that got them; it was the lie, especially the collaborated, premeditated lie.
We are people who are to be totally committed to Christ. Along with that comes a commitment to each other. The commitment to each other is not to be as strong as the commitment to God, but it is to be substantial; it is also to be honest. One didn’t have to sell off all property in order to be part of the Early Church, but it was expected that people be honest regarding their level of commitment.
When I look at this paragraph, I see the Church in America presently lacking in all counts! Totally committed to Christ? No comment needed. Committed to each other? Not hardly. Honest with one another? Rarely. You know, we could start anywhere on this list of three things and try to make improvements, and it would help us. We ought to be the kind of people who are admired from afar, because there is such a power in our honest commitment to Christ and one another that anything less than that is exposed. What is stopping us from living the way they did?
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: No one is going to fool God. Honest commitment is the answer.
Answers for Today, March 10, 2011, originally written 10-16-08
How to Get High Esteem
Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people, by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico. None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them. The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed. Acts 5:12-16
The Early Church was distinct from the world: “None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem.”
The Church met regularly. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico.
Evangelism was a regular occurrence, apparently daily. Believers were being added, multitudes of them!
We need to apply the principles of the Early Church in the way we operate. Christlike disciples would restore the reputation of the Church, if we consistently lived like Jesus, and stopped pretending church attendance was discipleship.
We could concentrate on evangelism as a daily part of life, like they did. Most of their evangelism seems to have taken place when they were not meeting together as believers. When they gathered, they gathered as disciples of Jesus.
Non-believers didn’t even dare join them, until they were serious about a commitment to Christ. The Church grew rapidly, and daily.
We should be clean channels through which God can do signs, wonders and healing, if He so chooses, as a way of drawing people to Him. Jesus gets the glory!
We need to be together with other believers. Freestyle, solo Christianity is not working. We need to be together, spiritually, in relationships where people who are committed to us and love us have access to our soul. When we gather in large groups, those meetings should be Spirit-led, not consumer-driven.
Evangelism should be daily and personal. Trying to lure people into our buildings to find the Lord is an expensive, inefficient way of promoting the Gospel. It’s more effective if we are constantly vigilant for opportunities to testify to God’s goodness, ministering on the spot to whomever God sends our way. Then the church meeting becomes the time of the week when we just minister to God and to one another, in preparation for returning to our daily ministry to the world.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: The Church is held in high esteem when we live like Christ.
Answers for Today, March 11, 2011, originally written 10-17-08
New Ways or Old?
Many believers these days are caught between old and new. Proponents of “new” methods often seek something more effective and relevant when it comes to church, while traditionalists grasp “the good old days,” grieving changes they deem pointless and ill-informed. Both sides are trying to pursue Christ. Who is right?
We should pray, but we won’t all get the same answer. Some have already been led out of traditional church settings into other types of fellowships which seem “new” to Americans, yet which may actually be closer to the Church in Acts. Others are in the process of seeking ways of living out the Christian faith in community with others that seem more faith-building and challenging than anything they’ve previously experienced. For still others, it is clear that the place God wants them to remain is within the realm of the established church system.
It all goes back to “Follow Jesus.” Wherever He leads us will be right. His individual plan for our life will not necessarily be applied to everyone else who is sincerely trying to follow Him, so we’re in need of much grace when it comes to accepting one another, both those in the traditional Church and those in the one sometimes termed “organic.” (By “institutional Church” I’m talking about the organized, established Church with which most of us are familiar; by “organic Church” I’m referring to small fellowships of believers who gather for worship and community without many of the trappings of the institutional Church).
I don’t think God wants everyone in the Church in America to abandon their buildings, denominations and traditions and go “organic.” For the most part, traditional believers would find little comfort in the changes awaiting them in the “organic” Church. Plus, there are still a lot of building payments to make, back home in the established Church! And what of the thousands of trained church leaders who would have no clue how to adapt to a new structure, even if it was “older” or more biblical? For all those who love the established church structure and feel it’s the most effective place in which to serve, please stay put! If we move into what is for us “uncharted” territory, it needs to be because God called us out. Otherwise, we’re liable to be even more frustrated than before!
Contentment is key. We get contentment when we pray through about God’s will for us, obey Him completely, then choose to be content wherever He puts us. If He leads us to remain in our present situation, we can choose to be content (or at least at peace) in it. If God leads us to something new, we trust and obey, then choose contentment. And we have grace for those God led to the other side.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: God will show us what He wants us to do. We need lots of grace.
Answers for Today, March 14, 2011, originally written 10-17-08
Team-mates with Different Instructions
Why would God lead people in different ways, when it comes to something as big as “institutional Church versus organic Church”? Because we are individuals, and He loves us!
There are people who fit the institutional Church like a glove. They love everything about it! Ministry is a delight to them. The church building is one of their favorite places. It all makes sense to them. They are very effective in ministering to people within this framework. Why would God want them to abandon something which has brought such joy to their lives, only to replace it with something frustrating and strange to them?
Then there’s the other side. For a great many unbelievers, and even some believers who have grown up in the institutional Church, the Church has little appeal to them. Why? A lot of reasons, but the point is, the institutional Church is not reaching them. They may tolerate what we do in the buildings with the steeples on top, but it is of no interest to them. Something much more likely to get their attention is the thought of a fellowship of people committed to each other, who are sincerely trying to find the answers to spiritual questions, but without the authoritative setting and some of the turn-offs they associate with the institutional Church.
We need to apply maximum grace to those who sense God leading them into serving Him in smaller, less organized settings, which may not look or feel very much like “church” to those of us who have spent our entire lives in the traditional setting. I also want to strongly caution those in leadership to not take away from people the things they have long loved, which in their minds constitutes “church,” replace them with substitutes completely foreign to them, and expect them to like it! The end result is pretty predictable: Nobody will like it, and the lost aren’t attracted to this train wreck, either.
Here’s my summary: We should stay in the institutional Church unless God leads us out of it. We should follow Jesus wherever He leads, even if it’s unfamiliar territory. We should apply lots of grace to everyone, without judging them. We should pray! And we should try not to react against things we don’t like—God may be using them to bring people to Him. We need to remember that all of us who love Jesus are on the same team. We should ask God where He wants us to play, then choose to be content there, without questioning the spirituality of our team-mates who received different instructions from our Lord.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: We should ask God where He wants us, follow Him, be content.
Answers for Today, March 15, 2011, originally written 10-20-08
What Really Changes Society
But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison. Acts 5:17-18
They never like it. Unless they’re John the Baptist or the same caliber, the religious leaders go jealous every time. Those in power like to stay in power.
The Sadducees tried to quarantine the Church into remission. It didn’t work. The believers chose God over men. It got them jail time and revival.
Because America is a republic, in theory we get whatever we want if we get a majority and elect the right people. In practice, this means we spend a lot of energy trying to get “our” people elected, which usually results in disappointment, even if we win. Genuinely good politicians are hamstrung because they need the cooperation of a majority in all branches of government in order to do much.
The apostles skipped the whole thing. I’m sure they would have faithfully voted, had they been handed a democracy, but since they had (corrupt) government not of their choosing, they just lived with it or ignored it, as the case might be, and served Jesus without putting any trust in government as an agent for societal change. In that respect, it was a blessing that they didn’t have a vote! It made it so they didn’t waste any time on trying to change the system; they just changed people’s hearts, one by one (which eventually changed the entire system). Here’s what I think needs to happen in America. I think believers should be more involved than ever in politics, at every level of government. I think Christians who are elected should focus on serving the people, with a strong emphasis on integrity and serving God, with the assumption that they’ll only do this for one term, and with little or no effort toward getting re-elected. I think believers should vote their conscience and have the highest level of voter participation in society. Meanwhile, we put our hope fully in Jesus Christ, without illusions of political change being the solution.
What do we do? Pray, then vote. Be willing to run for public office, if directed by the Holy Spirit. If elected, focus on serving the people more than on gaining political power or being re-elected. Serve God without waiting for any kind of governmental change or even ecclesiastical change to grant “permission” to do what you know God has called you to do. Be willing to go to jail rather than disobey God. Obey God, no matter what. That’s what really changes society.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: Obeying God is what really changes society.
Answers for Today, March 16, 2011, originally written 2-9-05
To Keep Us From Being Ineffective
For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. 2 Peter 1:5-10
I’ve been trying to figure out why the church in America is so ineffective— maybe this passage is a key. Actually, when I look at the list, many American Christians don’t seem to possess much of any of these traits! No wonder we’re ineffective!
What qualities? Faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection and love. Peter arranges them like building blocks. This passage makes me think of a “faith pyramid.”
It starts with faith. Regrettably, this is also where it ends for some Christians—they have a little bit of faith, just enough to feel “saved”—and they stop there. Some cling to their theology as justification for not trying too hard to act like a Christian; it’s all about “believing” you are one. Wouldn’t want anyone trying to work their way into heaven, you know! Um... so that means we’re more spiritual if we never attempt anything which could be confused with “work”? Not according to Peter.
Peter says we are to supplement our faith with virtue. Then we add knowledge to the virtue. We add self-control to the knowledge. Steadfastness is added to self-control. Godliness is added to steadfastness. Brotherly affection is next. Last of all, we add love—not because it’s least important, but because without a good foundation, there won’t be much of it, nor will it endure.
Why are we so often ineffective? Maybe because we either stop at a little faith and don’t go on, or we presume that the love we’re supposed to have is automatic, and we can dispense with the gritty things like self-control and steadfastness, and still make it happen. Let’s face it. God knows how to build stuff. Including our faith. He knows how to keep us from being ineffective.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: God’s list will keep us from being ineffective, if we build His way.
Answers for Today, March 18, 2011, originally written in 2005
TV Discipleship
How would it feel to pay out a fortune for a 30-second Superbowl commercial, only to find that’s when a great many viewers chose to take a bathroom break? If historians ever needed to know exactly when commercials were played during a Superbowl broadcast, all they would need to do is look at water usage records during the game. Every commercial break would show a spike. So, why is television commercial time worth millions? Influence.
Television is a daily, constant influence on our lives. Even those who have chosen to live without television still find themselves influenced by a society around them who watch it. It’s hard to abstain from TV. I know. I’ve tried it.
But what if television were only available two hours a week? Not two hours of our choosing, either, but two hours chosen by someone else, and without benefit of any recording devices to make it fit our schedule. Let’s say TV was only available for a couple hours, back to back, in the morning on a weekend. And then, when we did turn it on, only one channel was available: The pitiful, local cable channel, the one with no budget. What if it cost us the same as we’re currently paying for cable TV with hundreds of choices, but instead of multi-million dollar productions featuring highly paid professional actors, all we got were the re-broadcasts of Winter Holiday programs of various local schools, and things on that order? Would we blow the family budget on a large screen TV, if all we got was school programs and city council meetings, for two hours a week?!
Probably not. If this were the TV situation in America, how much influence would television have on American society?
Nothing like it is, now! If all we could get on television was two hours a week of low-budget local cable, would we even bother with it? And if we did watch it, would it dramatically affect the rest of our lives?
I’ve just described the influence of the Church in America.
The majority of Americans have checked out, when it comes to church. They are as interested in it, and it has about as much influence on their lives, as a budget local cable TV show, available for a couple hours on Sunday mornings. Even when they do stumble across it, they just go on. The Church has little to no influence on their lives. They don’t think about church, they don’t wonder about it—it just has nothing to do with their lives. Influence? It doesn’t even register.
What’s the answer? Daily discipleship. In order to influence society, we need to serve Jesus all the time, not just a couple hours on Sunday morning.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: When Christianity permeates our lives, then we have influence.
Answers for Today, March 21, 2011, originally written in 2005
Full-time Influence
These days, the “faithful” are considered to be those present when the church doors are open. Two hours on Sunday morning, maybe even another hour or two on Sunday night or Wednesday night, or in a small group. The faithful attenders are regarded as deeply committed participants by the church.
But what if that’s it? Two or three hours a week, faithfully attending religious services, and then you’re done? What will be the influence of church on our lives, if it’s two hours a week?
It will probably be noticeable, but not all that much. Right? If that’s all it is—a couple hours put in every week, but that’s where it stops? Kind of like the influence of a couple hours a week of one lonely local cable program on TV, vs non-stop programming on hundreds of channels, available to everybody.
There are two messages I’m getting out of the comparison between church influence and television influence:
(1) Unless Christianity is something that is a constant part of the lives of Christians, all of the time, everywhere they go, we have almost no influence on the society around us, and we are only kidding ourselves if we think we do!
(2) Unless Christianity is what drives our daily life, spending several hours a week in a church building is not going to have a really big impact on our life, or who we are as a person.
I’ve been re-reading the book of Acts, in the Bible. Christianity for them was not something they practiced on weekends; it was every day! And the Early Church had daily results, too! The tendency among American Christians is to come together once a week, with a very minimal commitment to one another, yet expect to see the same results the Early Church got when they met every day, with a huge commitment to one another!
It’s not happening. Weekly discipleship is (A) not going to change the world, and (B) not going to produce the kind of Christians who influence others toward Christ. The difficult truth is, “weekly” disciples are “weakly” disciples, and discipleship is a daily deal; otherwise, it’s not discipleship. Christ never called followers to part-time service. It was “Follow me”... as in, full-time, and forever.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: Full-time influence requires full-time discipleship.
Answers for Today, March 22, 2011, originally written 10-22-08
Run for the...Temple?
But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.” And when they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and began to teach. Acts 5:19-21
It was God who arranged the apostolic jailbreak. Once again, the Lord does the unexpected: Instead of urging the men to head for the hills, so the leadership of the Church won’t be killed, the angel tells them to go preach in the Temple! That would be right under the noses of those who had jailed them, in a building under their control! I would have thought, maybe somewhere out in the woods?
Their bold obedience was part of God’s plan to save them. The supposed spiritual gatekeepers of Jerusalem can’t very well murder unarmed miracle workers in the middle of a sermon they are preaching to adoring fans, so they quietly cart them off and beat them up, warn them not to talk about Jesus anymore, and let them go.
Another part of God’s plan was the presence of Gamaliel, who successfully reasons with the Council, and prevents further harm from coming to the disciples.
The courage of Peter and the apostles disarmed the religious leaders: “We must obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29) A principle which needs to be applied! The spiritual firestorm swirling in Jerusalem centered around the witness of the disciples. Had they been content to just do a little teaching, and not get in people’s faces with the power of Jesus, a less powerful form of the Church might have existed, unharmed, for quite a while. Instead, the rage of the Sanhedrin was incited by the direct preaching of Peter and the others. Sometimes, that’s just the way it needs to be! The apostles were called to be witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection. Are we called to be something different? Sure, we didn’t see Him in bodily form, either before or after the Resurrection, but where is the bold witness in the Church, today? And where are those who are willing to stand for Christ, even if it means getting beaten up or killed?
There are a couple pieces missing in our witness, these days. One is the kind of boldness that could possibly land us in jail, in the first place. The other is the kind of obedience which, when miraculously released, would cause us to head for the Temple instead of the trees. Boldness and obedience. It would be a good way to jumpstart our witness. And it looks like a bold witness is safer than a weak one.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: Boldness and obedience to God actually make for a safer witness.
Answers for Today, March 23, 2011, originally written 10-22-08
Neutralized by Freedom
But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.”
Acts 5:29
Part of our problem in America is that we are neutralized by our freedom. This nation was founded on religious freedom, yet the Constitution is used today as an excuse to shut Jesus out of public life. Our situation isn’t so far off from that of the apostles—“It’s fine to do miracles and stuff, but don’t use the name of Jesus, at least not in public. What you do in your church buildings is different; we don’t care so much about that, so long as you keep it to yourself.”
So, we have religious freedom—regulated. It’s quarantined, it’s banned from the public square, it’s personalized so that if you try to tell anyone else about it, you are looked upon as infringing upon their rights.
What if there were no religious freedom in America? What if, like some other countries, we could be tried and executed for speaking the name of Jesus in public (or even private)? Americans are naturally rebellious enough that it would be like Prohibition! People would be defiantly skirting those laws all the time! Maybe what we need in America is a law that punishes anyone who speaks the name of Jesus in love, anywhere. Maybe then we’d start talking about Him!
For much of the U.S., it’s as if the courts had said, “Don’t speak of Jesus anywhere unconverted people might hear you—just do it in your church buildings,” and our response was, “O.K., we’ll be good.”
We need not pick a fight. But neither should we ignore God’s commands to us, and surrender to the dictates of a society which would very much like for Jesus to just go away and leave them to their sin. If we need God’s protection in the face of danger, we’ll get it. If we get to be martyrs for the faith, He would give us courage and grace for that, too. Are we neutralized by our “freedom”? We have just enough of it to think it best not to make waves, to enjoy our quarantined “freedom” to speak the Good News to one another in our buildings, which gives us the perfect excuse not to bother being witnesses anywhere–not even in church. I’m glad the apostles didn’t take this route. I’m sorry that I so often have.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: We shouldn’t let our “freedom” limit our witness.
Answers for Today, March 24, 2011, originally written 10-23-08
God’s Kind of People
If the Church in America approached the world with a bold kindness that unflinchingly pointed to Jesus, observed the secular society rules that prevent other religions from forcing their faith on people or having our tax dollars pay for their buildings, even as it prevents Christians from doing the same, we have plenty of freedom to get the name of Jesus out without even breaking any laws. Fighting for prayer in public schools or at high school graduations? I guess it’s O.K. for some people to try to regain some of these privileges, but it looks like we’d be much further ahead if we just focused on praying more when we weren’t at school—as in, praying in our homes, unfortunately a too rare occurrence among Christians.
I guess my point is, we have plenty of opportunities to witness for Christ in ways that don’t break any laws and are winsome to society, rather than obnoxious. If we would just do that, it would have more of an effect on getting the laws reversed than any kind of protest or whining is going to have. It would also be a more powerful witness. There is a time to get in people’s face with the Gospel—the apostles were talking to the very individuals who had condemned Jesus to death only months earlier; we’re not talking to those people. We’re talking to Gentile pagans and cultural Christians who don’t know anything much about Jesus; they just know they can’t stand Christians who impose their values on others for reasons they can’t understand. The approach of a “bold witness” is not needed nearly so much in our case as is genuine compassion—and that’s not even against the law!
What we’ve found with things like Servant Week (hundreds of Christians from dozens of churches coming together to do acts of service for their community) are that compassion and kindness open lots of doors, and Jesus becomes welcome because Christians are showing they care. The city council used to hate to see us coming, because we only showed up when we had a problem; now they invite us to the meeting so they can present us with an award for all we’ve done to help the community! Go figure.
Yes, we’re supposed to be witnesses. But witnessing and demanding our rights are not the same thing. Kindness carries a lot further than shoving public officials into uncomfortable positions because we no longer have most-favored status. God’s kind of people are God’s kind people.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: A kind witness is a bold witness!
Answers for Today, March 25, 2011, originally written 10-24-08
Never-ending Witness
And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. Acts 5:42
This is not a handful of apostles teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ; this is the whole Church! Most of today’s Church is on the sidelines, and most of the professional pastors and evangelists are occupied with preaching to the choir, so the world isn’t hearing much from the Church about Jesus—only an occasional flyer or media program about their latest, greatest thing. And we wonder why we have such minimal results.
They never stopped telling about Jesus. This is immediately after they were beaten and threatened with worse if they continued! They rejoiced to suffer dishonor for the Name.
They also did not confine their teaching and preaching to a secluded sanctuary, separated from the world, like we do. They spoke in a very public place—the Temple, and they taught and preached “from house to house,” the more intimate, friendly settings where there could be one-on-one exchanges. No evangelism programs were needed, no advertising, no scheduled services with an evangelist. They just made talking about Jesus a part of all their daily lives, and the rest is history. Something to learn, here?
We need to practice Christianity on a daily basis, rather than isolating it from the rest of our lives and keeping our faith “at church.”
The expression of faith on a regular basis should be part of every believer’s life, not just the ordained, seminary-educated few. The professional clergy need to allow and affirm this.
The faith we express to one another and to outsiders needs to be focused on Jesus the Christ, rather than our peculiar doctrines about Him, our traditions or our churches, programs or leaders. These days, America isn’t hearing enough about Jesus from the Church; they’re hearing about us, and it’s not working.
Who is going to tell the world that God is good? Are they going to just figure it out? We are to be witnesses, everywhere, continually. When we get serious about Christianity being more than a part of our lives, and allow a love for Jesus to consume us, we will see what the Early Church saw—lives transformed by the power of Christ. Starting with our own.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: A daily, loving witness for Christ would make for daily results.
Answers for Today, March 28, 2011, originally written 11-14-08
Little Problems and Big Decisions
Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
Acts 6:1-4
With growth comes problems—in this case, the Hellenists (Greek-speaking Jews) being neglected in the daily distribution. The way the Early Church handled this problem was absolutely critical to the future health of the Church.
What were the options for the apostles?
Option A. Have one of the apostles oversee the distribution, to make sure it’s done right. He could be the “food apostle.” He might not be that good at it, but at least he’s already highly respected.
Option B. Since there are so many people, this might take all the apostles, in order to really do it right. They’ll need to know Greek, which will be a struggle for some. (The more things change,... ) They’re now taking Greek, so as to be able to adequately oversee the food distribution, they’re needing to learn management techniques so they can do it right, and there’s not so much time left for prayer or preaching. The Hellenists are still complaining, because it will be a while before their needs are really adequately met by people who can understand them, and now complaints have started to arise from those who resent the fact that the apostles, who used to just wait on God and preach and pray and tell marvelous firsthand stories about being with Jesus don’t have very much time for that, anymore. The Church is starting to resemble a consumer-driven social agency, they say—it’s all about giving people what they want, physically, and it hardly even seems like church, anymore. And the apostles have gotten grumpy! The Church is no longer growing like it was. Nobody is enjoying it like they were before. The joy seems to have departed from the Church. Aren’t there other options?! Yes.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: The Early Church wisely stayed on track through problems.
Answers for Today, March 29, 2011, originally written 11-14-08
Little Problems and Big Decisions, Part 2
And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.
And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith. Acts 6:5-7
We’ve already discussed a couple options the apostles had: Designate a “food apostle” to be the CEO of Early Church Food Distribution, or to just have the whole team of apostles dive in and make sure the administration gets done. Another little hitch here, with Option B: The apostles will have to learn Greek, in order to be qualified to be apostles, now, since that’s a lot of the problem—the overlooked people speak Greek! (Funny—in order to be an ordained minister in our time, one may be expected to learn Greek, which presents a struggle for many who become ministers, and a burden for some congregants who are regularly reminded that their minister learned it).
Anyway, apostles who didn’t already know Greek weren’t forced to learn it, because, fortunately, they still had additional options to solve the problem.
Option C. They could have had an all-church conference to figure out what to do. They might have ended up with some favoring putting the apostles in charge of it, and some who didn’t agree with that idea, leaving the apostles with the option of having folks upset with them, regardless of what they did.
Option D. They could have done what they did—have the group choose some men for the task (seven men with Greek names and good reputations), while the apostles went back to focusing on prayer and the ministry of the Word.
This was a little problem, but a really big decision! Had the apostles taken any option other than the one they chose, it would have been a loss for the Church. As it is, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, what they did was exactly right. And they even ended up with Church growth!
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: When we focus only on God’s assignment for us, we do really well.
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