Sunday, October 19, 2008

Sunday, October 19, 2008: Generous Faith

Generous Faith
Acts 16: 6 – 15.


I. Introduction.

There is a real crisis taking place in our nation right now. It is very difficult to watch any news programming without hearing the bad news about our slumping economy. Housing values are falling. Unemployment is rising. The price of gas and milk is up. And the stock market is up sometimes but down within an hour—it is like a roller coaster ride.

Working families are struggling. Retired people are anxiously watching their retirement savings. The federal government has committed $700 Billion to bailout our credit and lending system. But none of us really know who they bailed out. Did they bail out “Wall Street?” “Main Street?” Or the street we live on?

This crisis goes beyond Wall Street and Main Street to affect Church Street. Of course, you know our church depends on your voluntary, charitable gifts to operate. And, Yes, we have experienced our own type of “economic downturn” in our church’s budget. But there is an even greater crisis on Church Street.

While not many people will stand up and admit this in public, money is the national god of the United States of America. We worship our salaries, earning potential, saving accounts, credit cards and 401 (k) retirement accounts. After all, the terrorists who attacked our country in 2001 had religious motives. They attacked our culture, but they also attacked our religion—the Pentagon (military power) and the World Trade Center (economic power).

I do not mean to suggest that our current economic woes are the result of the 2001 terrorist attacks. No. We did this to ourselves. But we feel helpless as we watch our national gods crumble before our eyes. How will Americans respond now that it is apparent that money cannot save us? How will you and I respond? How will we break away from our idolatrous culture? How will we live in a committed relationship with the One True God who can save us—the God who sent his Only Begotten Son, Jesus, to live, die and rise again?

Idolatry affects all of us. However, men and women think differently about money. Both men and women are susceptible to an idolatrous dependence on money. But we do it for different reasons. Men tend to idolize money because of the power and prestige money brings us. Men look up to and admire other men who have more money. Women tend to idolize money for the safety and security money brings.

In 2006, The Washington Times published a survey of 2,000 women and their views on money. 90 percent of the women who participated in the survey indicated that they were fearful of becoming destitute by the end of their lives. Surprisingly, this was also true of women who had annual incomes over $100,000.[1]

The story we read today from the Book of Acts is about a financially successful woman named Lydia. Perhaps Lydia struggled with her own fears of one day being destitute. We don’t really know if she did or not. But we do find in Lydia a model for wealthy people to break free from an idolatrous view of money. Lydia worked hard for the security of a high salary and large savings account. Yet, Lydia did not worship her money.

Read Acts 16: 6 – 15.

The story does not begin by introducing us to Lydia. Rather, the story begins with Paul and his traveling companions.

At the end of Acts 15, Paul suggested to Barnabas that they go on their second missionary journey together. Barnabas wanted to take John Mark with them. Paul was adamantly opposed to this idea. After a sharp disagreement, these two missionaries decided to go there separate ways. Barnabas took John Mark and traveled West to Cyprus. Paul took a man named Silas and traveled North to Syria.

Paul and Silas began their mission by visiting the same cities where Paul had first preached the Gospel with Barnabas. The first mission had been very difficult, but they had found some success. In the first mission, Paul and Barnabas went into the Jewish synagogues for Sabbath worship and preached about Jesus as the fulfillment of all the Jewish prophecies about the Messiah. Typically, the Jews heard the Gospel with mixed responses. Some of the Jews believed in Jesus. Most of the Jews were angered and threatened to kill Paul and Barnabas. These threats caused Paul and Barnabas to turn their attention to the Gentiles. Many of the Gentiles accepted the message of salvation. Then, Paul and Barnabas helped these new believers organize themselves into Christian churches. The second missionary journey began as an encouragement to the new Christians and to check on how the new churches were doing.

In the city of Lystra, Paul and Silas met a young man named Timothy. Timothy was from a mixed backgrouns. His father was a Greek, but his mother was a Jew. Timothy was a fine Christian young man. He had a great reputation among the people of Lystra. More than likely, Timothy had become a Christian as a result of Paul’s preaching in Lystra. Either Timothy had become a believer during Paul’s first visit there. Or, Timothy had become a Christian through the church Paul helped establish. Which ever was the case, Paul was so impressed with Timothy that he invited Timothy to join them in the mission. The mission team grew from two to three.

Paul was a man with a plan. Now that he had checked on the churches, he wanted to go into a new region. Specifically, Paul wanted to go into the province of Asia. But, sometimes even godly men like Paul have to change their plans. Paul wanted to go to Asia, but the HOLY SPIRIT prevented him. We don’t know if this was a physical problem—like an illness—that kept him from his plans or some kind of mystical experience. All that matters is that Paul changed his plans when his plans did not match God’s plans. The mission trip was interrupted by God.

Paul adjusted his plans a second time. This time he planned to take his group into Bithynia. And, once again, Paul’s plans were interrupted by God’s plans.

Timothy was not the only person to join Paul and Silas on the mission. In verse 10, we witness a subtle shift in the narration of the Book of Acts. (Acts 16: 8 – 10…“So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision of a man from Macedonia standing and begging him, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.” After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia.”

Two things happened in these verses. First, Paul had to change his plans AGAIN, for the third time. This time, we know it was the result of a mystical experience. Paul saw a vision from God. Second, Paul picked up another traveling companion. Since we believe the Book of Acts was written by a man named Luke, and here the narration shifts from third person to first person, we can assume Luke joined the mission team. Paul, Silas, Timothy and Luke traveled into Macedonia to preach the Gospel in a new area.


II. Paul Was Surprised by God.

The call to go to Macedonia was filled with surprises. This was not Paul’s first choice of where he wanted to go. Paul’s first choice was to go to Asia. Macedonia was not Paul’s second choice. Bithynia was Paul’s second choice. Macedonia was Paul’s third choice. But Macedonia was God’s first choice for Paul.

The mission trip was interrupted by God. The mission team was surprised by God. Can you relate to what Paul was experiencing here? We know that the call to Macedonia came through a mystical experience. But we don’t know how God told Paul not to go into Asia or Bithynia. It could have been a legal reason, a physical reason, or dare I say a financial reason. Some of us might be in the midst of a financial change of plans right now. Retirement might not look like we thought it would look. Leisure time might not look like we had always dreamed. But God might be using these change of plans to put new people in our lives.

In addition to the change of plans, God had another surprise in store for Paul. In the mystical vision, Paul saw a Macedonian MAN calling and begging him to come to Macedonia. Yet, when Paul arrived in Macedonia, he encountered a WOMAN. Actually, he encountered a group of women.


III. Lydia: The Macedonian Woman.

Paul followed his typical pattern when he arrived in the region of Macedonia. First, he identified the major city of the area. In Macedonia, this major city was Philippi. Next, he identified the Jewish synagogue.

In Philippi, there does not seem to be a Jewish synagogue. In fact, not every city in the Roman Empire had a Jewish synagogue. In the First Century, it was commonly known that Jews who lived in cities without a synagogue would hold Sabbath worship services near a body of water. In Philippi, that body of water was the river.

The Jewish faith was full of various laws and regulations. Many of those laws appear in our Old Testament. Even more laws appear in the oral and written traditions of the Pharisees. One of those laws, which we don’t find in the Old Testament, is a law about how many people are required to form a synagogue. The law required ten Jewish men—not including the women—in order to form a synagogue. For some reason, Philippi did not have enough Jewish men to form a synagogue. It appears that the only Jews in Philippi were a group of women who prayed together by the river on the Sabbath.

One of those women was a wealthy woman named Lydia. We know she was wealthy for a couple of reasons. First, she is identified as a business owner. She owned and operated a clothing boutique. She made purple clothing. Second, we know she was wealthy, because of the type of clothing she sold—purple clothing. Purple was the most expensive dye in the ancient world. It was worn exclusively by the wealthy and by the royal families. Third, we know that Lydia was wealthy, because she owned her own house—notice the Bible does not refer to this house as Lydia’s husband’s house. More than likely, this was a large house. At least it was large enough that Lydia could host four overnight guests—Paul, Silas, Timothy and Luke. Lydia had the means to extend hospitality to the entire mission team.

Lydia was a secure woman. She had a career; she operated a successful business; she owned a large house; but Lydia did not have everything. When she heard the Gospel for the first time, she recognized that she was missing the eternal security that comes with a relationship with Jesus as Lord of her life.

When Lydia believed the Gospel, she became a generous person. In verse 15, we read about the two things Lydia shared generously with others. First, she shared her faith with every member of her household. Second, she shared her resources with the mission team. This is a pattern that continued for the rest of Lydia’s life.


IV. The Church at Philippi.

As a Jewish women, Lydia was very limited in what she could do. She could own and operate a business. She could own her own house. BUT, Lydia could not be a founding member of a Jewish synagogue.

When Lydia became a Christian, she continued to operate her business and maintain her household. AND, she became the first founding member of the church at Philippi. This was a very special church to Paul throughout the rest of his ministry. It was so special to him, that he wrote them a letter that is included in our New Testament.

Read Philippians 4: 14 – 20.

Lydia’s generous faith was a significant characteristic of the church at Philippi. These people who became a part of the church at Philippi modeled generosity in ways none of Paul’s other churches demonstrated. They gave away their faith. They gave away their financial resources. They supported Paul financially, even when no other church supported him. AND, they continued to give to Paul’s missions.


V. Conclusion.

The church at Philippi did not worship the false god of material wealth. We know this, because they gave away their resources to something bigger and more important than money. They gave financially to the work of ministry and the spread of the Gospel. And they learned a lesson we need to learn…

When we break away from the idolatrous hold money has on our lives, we will discover what the church at Philippi discovered… “My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”


[1] Jenifer Harper. “Nearly Half of Women Fear Life as a Bag Lady.” The Washington Times. August 23, 2006.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Sunday, October 12, 2008: When Good Christians Can't Get Along

When Good Christians Can’t Get Along
Acts 15: 36 – 41.

I. Introduction.

It’s an old story, but it is one I like to tell…About the man who was stranded on a desert island. He lived there for months, alone. He learned how to eek out an existence with limited resources. Eventually, he was rescued by a group of sailors.

The sailors first noticed three hand-built, thatch huts lining the edge of the beach. They asked the man how he had built the huts. He described his struggle to find wood and cut it into lengths without any tools.

They asked what the huts were. He answered: “The first one is my house. The second one is my church. The third one is where I used to go to church.”

Some of us have found ourselves in that situation before. Church is a special place for all Christians. Church is supposed to be a place where we are surrounded by Christian men and women who share our love for Jesus and our passion to do God’s work. In an ideal world, that would be enough—to love Jesus and to feel a sense of calling to do God’s work. However, we don’t live in a perfect world. We live in a very messy world. Sometimes, even good Christians can’t get along.

God did not create this world to be a messy place. But the world became messy when sin became our way of life. Beginning with the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3, we have felt the daily consequences of sinfulness in our lives. Sin has led to all of our human frailties—disease, natural disasters and even broken relationships.

The church is not immune to the consequences of sin. The church will always face disease, natural disasters and broken relationships as long as the church consists of imperfect, sinful human beings.

Whenever there is a conflict within the church, someone usually comes forward with a call for the church to become more like the church of the New Testament. The common misconception is that if our church were more like the New Testament church, then we would not experience conflict. Which New Testament church do you think we ought to be like?

The church at Corinth? This is the church which had begun to splinter into rival factions based on petty arguments like who was the best Christian preacher. They divided over how “speaking in tongues” was to be used in public worship. There was even a church leader at Corinth who was “living in sin” with his father’s wife.

Maybe the church at Galatia? This is the only church Paul did not write, “I thank my God on every remembrance of you.” Paul was not happy with them, because they had abandoned the Gospel. They stopped thinking the Gospel was sufficient for salvation. They thought it was necessary for a person to believe in Jesus and to keep the Old Testament Law.

Or perhaps we should be like the church found in the book of Acts? That is what we might gather from the sermons I have preached lately. But, not everything in the early church was rosy. They, too, had their share of conflicts. One such conflict is the disagreement between Paul and Barnabas in Acts 15.

Read Acts 15: 36 – 41.

This story marks the beginning of what we call “Paul’s second missionary journey.” His first missionary journey began in Acts 13 and ended in chapter 14.

On one hand, the first missionary journey had been successful. Paul and Barnabas preached the Gospel to the Jews first in synagogue worship services and then to the Gentiles in other gatherings. The Jews did not respond well to the Gospel, but the Gentiles did! These new converts were gathered together into local churches, and Paul and Barnabas helped these churches find their first pastors.

On the other hand, the first missionary journey had been very difficult work. Paul and Barnabas were driven out of most of the towns they preached in. The Jews who did not like the message of the Gospel joined forces with some of the pagan Gentiles to threaten Paul and Barnabas’ lives. In one of the towns, these threats actually materialized into a beating. Paul was stoned by the Jews and dragged outside of the city limits where he was left to die. However, Paul did not die. He got back on his feet and did the unthinkable—he went back into the town to continue preaching the Gospel.

We don’t know exactly how long it has been since Paul and Barnabas returned from their first mission. We can assume it was long enough for Paul’s wounds to have healed and long enough for Paul and Barnabas to have forgotten how painful their persecution had been. (Or perhaps it was like the pains of childbirth, where a mother’s joy in the birth of her child overshadows the pains she went through.) All we know about the timeframe is what the Bible tells us. It was “some time later (Acts 15: 36).”

One of the things we know about Paul’s ministry is that he took a holistic approach to evangelism. Paul was not like a modern-day evangelist who rides into town to lead people to Jesus, never to see them again. No. Paul was intimately involved both in the events which led to conversion as well as the ongoing work of growing new believers into mature Christian men and women. This is why Paul wanted to go back out a second time. He wanted to check on the health of the new churches and to learn about the progress and growth of the new Christians.

Now that the wounds have healed and the pain of persecution was a distant memory, Paul said to Barnabas: “Let’s go back to the places where we once preached and check on the new Christians.”

That’s what Paul said. But that is not what Barnabas heard. Barnabas thought Paul said, “Let’s get the gang back together for a reunion.” So, Barnabas tried to recreate the original mission team. Barnabas was willing to go on a second mission, but he wanted John Mark to go with them again.

I wish we knew more about what took place in this conversation. The biblical text leaves a lot of questions unanswered. The Bible simply says that Paul and Barnabas had a “sharp disagreement (Acts 15: 39)” that led them to part ways. Something happened that changed the relationship between Paul and Barnabas. These two missionaries who had recently celebrated their successful partnership were no longer able to work together.

II. Who Was Right?

Paul and Barnabas disagreed over John Mark. Barnabas wanted to take John Mark along on the second missionary journey. Paul did not.

It makes sense that Barnabas wanted John Mark to go with them for several reasons. First, John Mark went with them on the first journey. Second, John Mark was Barnabas’ cousin. Third, Barnabas had a reputation as an “encourager.” In fact, that is what Barnabas’ names means: “Son of Encouragement.”

However, it also makes sense that Paul did NOT want John Mark to accompany them on the mission. Acts 15: 38 presents Paul’s side of the disagreement: “Paul did not think it wise to take him (John Mark), because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work.”

This is another occasion where the Bible leaves a lot of unanswered questions. We simply do not know why John Mark chose to leave the first mission. Acts 13: 13 tells us simply “John left them to return to Jerusalem.”

I find it a little unusual that John returned to Jerusalem. Jerusalem was John Mark’s hometown, but the Jerusalem church was NOT the church that sent John Mark out as a missionary. The Antioch church sent him out. Why would John Mark return to Jerusalem instead of Antioch? It would make more sense to me if John Mark had returned to Antioch and report the success of the mission to the church which sent out the missionaries. This tells me John Mark left for a specific reason.

Some people think John Mark abandoned the mission for personal reasons. Perhaps he was homesick and wanted to be close to his mother. Perhaps he had a girlfriend whom he missed. But these reasons don’t explain why Paul was so adamantly opposed to John Mark’s accompanying them on the second mission.

Other people think John Mark left over a personal conflict with Paul. In fact, the verse that describes John Mark’s decision to leave the mission is the first verse in the book of Acts where Paul is listed before Barnabas. In other words, the mission was no longer Barnabas and Paul. It was now Paul and Barnabas. John Mark’s cousin was no longer the group leader.

Another possibility is that John Mark left for theological reasons. Jerusalem was his hometown, so he might have felt more comfortable with the Jewish-Christian expression of faith prevalent in Jerusalem. If this is true, then John Mark was probably uncomfortable with Paul’s preaching Grace and not requiring the new converts to become practicing Jews. (This makes sense to me, because it explains why John Mark left to return to Jerusalem instead of Antioch.)

This is where conflict gets messy. It makes sense that Paul would not want John Mark on the team. But it also makes sense that Barnabas did want John Mark. So, which Christian missionary was right? Paul, the greatest missionary and church planter in the early church? Barnabas, the “Son of Encouragement?” They were BOTH right!

Paul was right to insist on a unified team. Barnabas was right to stand by John Mark. They were just motivated by different reasons. In fact, I think they were motivated by their different spiritual gifts. Paul was gifted and called to be an Apostle and therefore focused his attention on the mission. Barnabas was gifted and called to be an encourager and therefore focused his attention on the man. Paul was called to redeem the world. Barnabas was called to redeem John Mark.


III. Which Side Did God Choose?

While I am hesitant to say God is the One who caused the conflict, I do see the results of the conflict as bringing glory to God. Think of what might have happened if either Paul or Barnabas had “given in” to the other’s wishes. If Paul had “given in,” then John Mark would have gone on the mission. Paul would not have been as effective. If Barnabas had “given in” to Paul’s desire, then Paul and Barnabas would have gone out on mission without John Mark. More than likely, Barnabas would not have been as effective.

As it turns out, Paul and Barnabas settled on a solution that was a “win” for both parties. Barnabas took John Mark with him and set sail for Cyprus. Paul took Silas with him and traveled to Syria.

The very best thing Paul and Barnabas could do was to part ways and to use the gifts God had given them. They could go separate ways and accomplish separate missions by focusing on what God called them to do. In fact, they could accomplish more apart from each other than they could have accomplished together. Before the conflict, there was only one missionary team. After the conflict, there were two missionary teams.

We would be hard pressed to make a case that God chose Paul’s side over Barnabas’. God was with each mission team.

The way Paul and Barnabas parted ways is a wonderful model for us to follow when we encounter other Christians we can’t get along with. In my imagination, Paul and Barnabas left on their separate missions by saying something like this: “We are going North. You and your team go West. May God bless you in your work.”

This is not the way most Christians deal with disagreements today. I recently saw a cartoon that describes what we try to do. In the cartoon, there was a man standing beside a large table. There were five people seated at the table. The caption read: “Let’s summarize. Five people are in favor. God and I are opposed.”

Paul and Barnabas never took this attitude in their disagreement. Paul did not say, “You and John Mark go West. God and I are going North.”

Paul knew that God is able to use even the most difficult and painful situations to accomplish his good purposes.


IV. How Did the Story End?

As far as we know, Paul and Barnabas left on separate missions without resolving their differences. If this were the end of the story, it would be a tragedy. But this is not the end. Look at what Paul says in his later writings:


1 Corinthians 9: 6… “Or is it only I and Barnabas who must work for a living?”

The church at Corinth was founded on Paul’s second missionary journey, AFTER Paul and Barnabas had their disagreement. Paul’s words indicate that eventually he and Barnabas worked together in Corinth.


2 Timothy 4: 11… “Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.”

Eventually, Paul recognized Mark as helpful.


Romans 12: 18… “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”

Paul acknowledges that peaceful cooperation is not always possible.


Romans 8: 28… “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”



V. Conclusion

Sunday, October 05, 2008

Sunday, October 5, 2008: Christian Life

Christian Life
Acts 15: 1 – 21.

I. Introduction.

One of the things that separates the Christian faith from all other world religions is the difference between the two words “Do” and “Done.”

Most religions adopt a kind of worldview in which it is very important what you do for God. In other words, a person should live his or her life in such a way as to try to be good more often than bad. Be kind to people and animals. Don’t kill other people—even when you feel like it sometimes. Be faithful to your wife or husband. Spend a few moments in prayer every day. Hopefully, by the end of your life, all these good things will outweigh all the bad things you have done.

The Christian faith does not share this view of salvation. No. For Christians, salvation is not a matter of what we can do for God. Salvation is what God has done for us. Another way we can say this is to put it in terms of a search for God. After all, salvation is based on a proper relationship with God.

You can spend your entire life trying to do the right thing or to live a life that God will notice. Then, at the end of your life, you can still feel like you have not found God. That is because all of our efforts to search for God culminate in failure. You cannot work your way to God, no matter how good your life might be.

The Good News is that we don’t have to search for God. God is searching for us. John 3: 16 tells us, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

God’s search for us culminated in the Incarnation. God came down to earth in the form of a human being—Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus lived a perfect and sinless life to set an example of how we should live. Jesus willingly gave his life to die on the cross. His crucifixion demonstrates the depth of God’s love and search for us. The death of Jesus is the sacrifice, the ransom, the payment for all our sins.

Salvation is not accomplished through the things we “do” for God. Salvation is accomplished by what God has “done” for us in the death of Jesus.

We don’t have to search for God. We simply have to open ourselves to God’s search for us.

This is the message of Good News and salvation Paul and Barnabas have been preaching in the book of Acts. They started out preaching this message to Jewish men and women. They told the Jews—in no uncertain terms—that Jesus is the fulfillment of all the Old Testament promises God made to Israel. God promised to send a Messiah, from the lineage of David, to be the eternal ruler over God’s people. Jesus fulfilled this promise in the least likely of ways: he gave his life as a sacrifice, a ransom, a payment for all our sins.

Some of the Jews accepted this message, but most did not. Therefore, Paul and Barnabas turned their attention to the Gentiles—men and women who were not Jews by race or religion. The Gentiles readily accepted the message of the Cross and salvation. There was a religious wildfire spreading across the Greco-Roman world. Of course, it is not easy to keep a wildfire from being noticed. Eventually, the Jerusalem Church noticed the way the Gentiles were coming to faith. So, Paul and Barnabas had to give an account to the Jerusalem Church about what was going on among the new churches.

Read Acts 15: 1 – 21.

This story falls at the center of the Book of Acts. Literally, it is the middle of the book. Symbolically, this is a turning point for the spread of the Good News about Jesus. The chapters leading up to this story focus primarily on the Jewish men and women who accepted Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s promises to Israel. The chapters following this story do not really mention what is going on in Jerusalem.

The Jewish Christians remained in Jerusalem. They had a kind of religious practice that we rarely see today. They followed Jesus as Lord, AND they continued to take seriously the teachings of the Old Testament.

Paul and Barnabas left Jerusalem and led a missionary movement outside of Jerusalem that literally turned the world upside down. This missionary movement took a significant turn away from what was taking place in Jerusalem. The Gentile people outside of Jerusalem did not know the Jewish Scriptures, and therefore did not know how Jesus had fulfilled God’s promises to Israel or how to live like a Jew.

It may surprise you to know that the Jewish religion of the First Century was also a missionary religion. The Jews understood themselves to be God’s chosen people. God had chosen them to tell the world about God and his offer of salvation. However, their missionary endeavors were based on adherence to the Jewish Law found in the Old Testament Scriptures.

The Jews had done a fair job of teaching and preaching their Scriptures to non-Jewish people. Jewish synagogues could be found in most major cities of the Roman Empire. As a result, many Gentiles had become proselytes to Judaism over the years. These proselytes were required to do two things. First, all men had to be circumcised. This was the outward mark that these men had become a member of the Jewish faith. Second, men and women had to submit themselves to the moral and ritual codes of the Law. They had to adopt the dietary rules as well as strictly maintain the ethical requirements of the Old Testament.

Since the Jewish Christians of Jerusalem were already familiar with doing missionary work and requiring new believers to adhere to the Jewish practices, they assumed new Christians would also have to go through similar steps. However, Paul and Barnabas had not preached about these kinds of practices. They simply preached about Jesus. And so began the conflict.

In simple terms, there were two opposite views of how Gentiles could become Christians. On one hand, Paul and Barnabas preached about Jesus. On the other hand, the Jerusalem Church preached Jesus and the practice of Jewish faith. In their view, a person had to clean up his or her life first by becoming a Jew. THEN, the person could accept Jesus as the fulfillment of Jewish expectation.

Fortunately for Paul, he never had to defend himself. (That is the best way to win a debate or argument. Let someone else defend your side.) Peter spoke up and reminded the Jerusalem Church about the time God told him to preach to a Gentile soldier named Cornelius. The church should remember the story Pater is talking about, because they made him explain his actions. At the time, he only had one explanation: God told him to do it. After Peter shared the Good News with Cornelius, Cornelius and his entire family placed their lives in Jesus’ hands. They believed the message of salvation. Then, God confirmed their decision by giving them the Holy Spirit. It was obviously genuine faith, because God only gives his Spirit to those who place their faith in Jesus.


II. God Purified Their Hearts by Faith.

Peter’s testimony about Cornelius’ faith is significant, because he blames all this on God. And Peter was right. God was obviously involved in the spread of the Gospel. God told Peter to preach to non-Jewish people, and God confirmed this before Peter’s eyes by giving the Holy Spirit to Cornelius and his family.

Notice what Peter said in verse 9: “He (God) made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.”

It was a big step for Peter to move outside the Jewish tradition to extend the message of salvation to Cornelius. The first lesson he learned was that God loves Jews and non-Jews alike. In God’s eyes, there was no distinction between Jews and non-Jews.

The second lesson Peter learned was that salvation is not about what we can “do” for God. Salvation is what God has “done” for us.

If salvation really was about what we can “do” for God, then Cornelius would have been required to do some purification first. Since Cornelius was not a Jew, he was considered unclean by Jewish standards. Since Cornelius was a Roman soldier, he was considered an enemy of God’s people.

God did not require Cornelius to “do” anything to be saved. God did all the purification Cornelius needed.

This is important for us today. We need to remember that God has called us to share the message of salvation with people who do not live like we live. We should never expect people to “clean up their lives” before coming to church. That is what God does. God accepts anyone who has faith, exactly like we are right now. Then, God begins the work of purifying our hearts.



III. God Showed that He Accepted Them by Giving the Holy Spirit.

Now, look at what Peter said in verse 8: “God, who knows the heart showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us.”

I think Peter got ahead of himself, because he started his argument with his conclusion. The Holy Spirit was confirmation that God accepted the faith of Cornelius and his family. BUT, the Holy Spirit did not come to Cornelius until after he placed his faith in Jesus.

This is the way God does the work of purification in our lives. On one hand, God does not expect us to “clean up our lives” before we have faith in Jesus. On the other hand, once God gives his Holy Spirit to us something changes in our lives. God accepts us the way we are. But God does not leave us the way we were. He changes us. He purifies us.



IV. We Should Not Make It Difficult for Gentiles who Are Turning to God.

The second person to speak in the church council was James the brother of Jesus. James was more than likely a Jewish Christian. He was not a disciple of Jesus during Jesus’ earthly life and ministry. But, James became a believer after the Resurrection. History tells us that James never left Jerusalem. He was an important figure in the Jerusalem church, but he was never a missionary. He continued to follow the practices of the Jewish faith while believing that Jesus was the promised Messiah.

James’ words in verses 19 – 20 are interesting: “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead, we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.”

On first glance, it seems that James is suggesting additional requirements for the new Gentile Christians. His suggestions come directly from Leviticus 17 – 18. These were God’s “minimal standards” for people living within the covenant with God. Since these suggestions come from the Old Testament, they sound like additional requirements.

However, I like to think of them differently. I interpret James’ suggestion to mean something like this: “Don’t live like the rest of the world.” The rest of the world constantly faced questions about idolatry and sexual morality. Christians should live by a standard different from the rest of the world.


V. Conclusion.

When we take Peter’s story and James’ suggestion together we get something like what Martin Luther taught about righteousness. A biblical understanding of righteousness does not mean that we ought to work our way to salvation by the way we live our lives. No. Biblical righteousness is basically being in a right relationship with God. A right relationship with God is not something we can accomplish for ourselves. It is something God offers us by Grace, through faith in Jesus.

One of Luther’s important writings was entitled “Two Kinds of Righteousness.” He described the first kind of righteousness as “Alien Righteousness.” It does not come from inside of us. It is alien, or foreign to us. In Peter’s words, God purifies our hearts through faith.

The second kind of righteousness is “Proper Righteousness.” This is the kind of clean living that we do AFTER we come to faith in Jesus. In other words, we respond to God’s Grace by living a new kind of life—a life that is different from the world around us. This life is only possible when the Holy Spirit is living within us.

This is the difference between “do” and “done.” God does not ask us to “do” anything to clean up our lives and achieve our own salvation. God purifies our hearts through faith in what he has already “done” for us in the death of Jesus. But, watch out. Once you give your life to Jesus in faith…The Holy Spirit will change your life to live by a different standard.

Saturday, October 04, 2008

Saturday, October 4, 2008: What Does God Look Like?

What Does God Look Like?

Luke 22: 66 – 71.

I. Introduction.

This is the single most distinctive belief of the Christian faith: If you want to know what God looks like, look at Jesus! Because, Jesus is God. He is God who came to earth as a human being; living out a perfect life without sin; teaching a new kind of ethic; performing healing miracles; and eventually dying on the cross to offer us God’s love and the forgiveness of sins.

I realize that to claim Jesus is God defies all of our modern sensibilities. After all, God is immortal and all powerful while human beings are limited by mortality and imperfect power. It seems to be logically inconsistent for us to claim that an immortal, all powerful God came to earth as a human being. Yet, this is exactly what Jesus claimed to be. Jesus actually claimed to be God.

We can study the life of Jesus in much the same way we can study the life of any ancient, historical person. We turn to historical writings. None of us has ever met Abraham Lincoln. However, we can study the life of Abraham Lincoln by reading historical writings about his life. None of us has ever met Plato. But, again, we can study the life of Plato by reading historical writings about his life.

The historical writings about Jesus are contained in the Bible. There are four historical writings that tell us the story of Jesus’ life: the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Read Luke 22: 66 – 71.

This is part of the story about the crucifixion of Jesus. I find it significant that in this Scripture, Jesus actually claimed to be the Son of God.

By claiming to be the Son of God, Jesus was claiming to be “of the same nature” as God himself. This is significant for two reasons. First, this explains why the Jews wanted Jesus to be executed. The Jewish Law of the Old Testament says that anyone who claims to be God is guilty of blasphemy, which is punishable by the death penalty. Since Jesus claimed to be God, they wanted him to die.

Second, this is significant, because it shows very clearly that Jesus himself claimed to be God. Divinity was not a later concept that other people projected onto Jesus. Jesus himself claimed to be God.

Some people reject the historical value of the writings about Jesus’ life, because they are contained in a religious book. Other people say we should treat these writings in the same way we would treat any work of history. If we do treat the writings about Jesus in the same way we would treat a biography of Abraham Lincoln or a book about Plato, we discover something very interesting about the Bible. We discover that the Bible is every bit as reliable as any other historical writing.

On one hand, the claims the Bible makes about secular history have been verified by archaeological discovery and by other writings outside of the Bible. No historical claim in the Bible has ever been “overruled” by archaeology or by other historical writings.

On the other hand, scholars have done extensive work to place dates on when the various books of the Bible were written. This work has led us to a general consensus that the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were written before A.D. 100—less than 70 years after the life of Jesus. In other words, these books about the life of Jesus were written within the life time of men and women who actually saw Jesus and heard his teachings and the claims he made about himself.

Since the Gospels were written while eyewitnesses were still living, it was very possible that the claims Jesus made about himself would have been refuted by people who had been there. Yet, no one in the period of time in which the Gospels were written ever said that Jesus never claimed to be God. That is a modern phenomenon. How arrogant for us to think that we know more about Jesus and what he said than people who lived with Jesus 20 centuries ago!
Jesus claimed to be God. Now, what are we going to do about that? I believe Jesus’ claims about himself leave us with only three options. We must decide: Was Jesus a Liar? Was Jesus a Lunatic? Is Jesus Lord?

II. Was Jesus a Liar?

Almost everyone who has ever read the Gospels says that Jesus was a good and wise teacher. In fact, that is what Gandhi said about Jesus. However, Jesus cannot be a good man if he was a liar.

When Jesus claimed to be God, he has forced us to choose between two options. Either Jesus is God, or Jesus is a liar and a bad person. To say Jesus is God is offensive to non-Christians. To say Jesus is a bad person is offensive to Christians. To say Jesus was a good person is an attempt to offend no one. But it is an offense to Jesus.

If Jesus were a liar, then perhaps we can find his motive for lying. Everyone who lies is motivated by some selfish reason. Lying is an attempt to gain money, fame, pleasure or power. But, Jesus got none of these from his claim to be God. Instead, Jesus lived a life of poverty, hated by the world, tortured and eventually killed. Jesus even shunned all attempts people made to enthrone him as a political ruler. Jesus spent his time with the poor and oppressed, not the powerful elite.

III. Was Jesus a Lunatic?

There are people in mental health institutions who believe they are God. Perhaps Jesus did not intentionally lie to us. Perhaps he genuinely believed he was God, but was wrong about it.

People who have what is known as a “divinity complex” demonstrate certain diagnosable characteristics. They are egotistical, narcissistic, predictable and unable to love others. These characteristics do not fit what history says about Jesus. Jesus demonstrated wisdom by the answers he gave to his critics. He considered the needs of other people. He was unpredictable in the ways he lived and responded to others. And, Jesus showed love for other people by the way he ministered to needs and eventually gave his life as a sign of God’s love for us.

IV. Conclusion: Is Jesus Lord?

If Jesus was not a Liar or a Lunatic, then we should take him at his word. He is the Son of God, who lived as an example for us and died to give us forgiveness of sin. God sent his Son to search for you. All of our efforts to search for God will fail. But God’s effort to search for us will succeed in our answer to the question: Who do you believe Jesus is?


□ I want to seek the truth about God.
· God, I don’t even believe you exist. But, if you do exist, I want to find you. I want to know the truth. If you exist, show yourself to me.



□ I want to become a Christian.
· God, I know that I have sinned and that my sins separate me from you. I believe that your Son, Jesus, died on the cross to forgive me of my sins and was resurrected on the third day. Please forgive me of my sins. I invite Jesus to be the Lord of my life. Help me to follow Jesus in the way I live my life.