05/02/2012 - E100.77c – Acts 13:42-52, The light of the world
Paul was invited to come and speak again at the synagogue the following week. However, when the day arrived, practically the whole of the town gathered to hear what Paul had to say. This drove the Jews to jealousy – they had never had a congregation like this for their own preaching. So they opposed Paul and contradicted all that he was saying.
Paul declared that since the Jews were now rejecting his message he would turn to the Gentiles, for that is the command God had given him. Paul then cites the command, quoting Isaiah 49:6, "I have made you a light for the Gentiles that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth."
Isaiah 49:6 is one of the passages about the Servant of the Lord. In this verse, the Lord says of his Servant that it is too small a thing for him to rescue the children of Israel and restore them to their inheritance: God will make his Servant a light to the Gentiles/nations that his salvation may reach the ends of the earth. Jesus came into the world to take upon himself the calling of Israel and to be the light of the world. He is the Suffering Servant through whom the salvation of God shall reach the ends of the earth.
But that salvation shall reach the ends of the earth through the testimony and ministry of Jesus' disciples. Paul understands this well when he takes this verse from Isaiah as a command to himself: as a follower of Jesus Christ he must be a light to the nations; he must take the message of salvation to the ends of the earth. In taking this as God's call upon his own life, Paul is doing no more than following the teaching of Jesus who called his disciples to follow him in being "the light of the world" (Matthew 5:14).
And this is our calling also. God's saving plan for the world is put into effect through the testimony of our lives and our words. The salvation of the world awaits our shining testimony.
Lord, help me to shine today.
04/02/2012 - E100.77b – Acts 13:13-41, Pisidian Antioch
Paul and Barnabas were invited to speak at the synagogue in Pisidian Antioch (not to be confused with the Antioch which was their sending church). Paul recounted the story of God's dealings with Israel, as Stephen had done in Jerusalem. Though Paul had colluded in Stephen's death, something of Stephen's message seems to have made a lasting impression on him.
Paul emphasises that his namesake and fellow Benjaminite, King Saul, was the king the Israelites had asked for. By way of contrast, David was the king raised up by God since God had found in David "a man after my own heart who will do all that I want."
Nevertheless, David was only mortal. He died and was buried and that was the end of his story. But God raised up from his descendants the Saviour Jesus. Though he was put to death and buried, God raised him from the dead and has given him David's throne. He is the one who fulfils all that was spoken by the prophets. Forgiveness of sins is given through him.
The phrase I found particularly striking was the description of David as one who will do all that God wants of him. Despite this commendation from God, David failed to be all that he should have been – most notably in the incident with Bathsheba. But this description is entirely true of Jesus, one whose whole delight was to do the Father's will – even though it took him to the cross. Jesus could say that he had fully completed the work that the Father had given him to do.
And this should be the mark also of those who follow him. The heart that God found imperfectly in David, a reflection of his own heart, is seen in all its perfection in Jesus Christ. That should be the heart God finds in us – a heart that beats in tune with the Father and longs only to please him.
Father God, give me the heart you found in David. No, rather, give me the heart of Jesus, David's greater son. Give me a heart devoted to doing your will, no matter the cost. May I delight in pleasing you and completing the work you have given me to do.
03/02/2012 - E100.77a – Acts 13:1-12, Paul and Barnabas Commissioned
Acts 13 marks a key moment in the book of Acts. Barnabas has been caring for the young church at Antioch. He had recruited the help of Paul who has now been engaged in multi-cultural ministry for more than a year. In this time others have begun to share the task of leadership within the church. Now it's time for Paul and Barnabas to move on; its time for Paul to begin the ministry prepared for him by the Lord and for which he is now fully prepared.
We read that it was while the leadership team were worshipping the Lord and fasting that the Holy Spirit instructed them to set aside Barnabas and Saul for the work to which the Lord was calling them. (Before the chapter is out, Saul has become Paul and has taken the lead in the new team; henceforth it's Paul and Barnabas.) Having received this message we read that the leadership team devoted themselves to prayer and fasting before commissioning the missionaries with the laying on of hands. The remainder of the book of Acts will be devoted to the missionary activity of Paul.
Now I like my food. More than that, I enjoy it with thankfulness, receiving it as a gift from God. I have to confess to finding such references to fasting uncomfortable (in the strict meaning of the term). Could it be that in the complacent – though thankful – enjoyment of our comforts we are missing out on some of the ministry and blessings which the Lord has for those who love him more than their necessary food? I find this food for thought.
Lord God, teach us to have right priorities in all things and to seek first your kingdom and your righteousness. Increase our passion for prayer that our life of communion with you might be more like that of the Lord Jesus. Guide us by your Spirit into the work you would have us to do and give us a willing heart in the doing of it.
02/02/2012 - E100.76b – Acts 9:19b-31, Damascus and Jerusalem
The book of Acts is soon to focus on the developing ministry of Paul; he will occupy centre stage. But we should not miss the key role played by minor figures in the drama.
First there is Ananias. He had heard that Saul the Pharisee was on his way to destroy the church in Damascus. Then, one day, the Lord appeared to Ananias in a dream, telling him that Saul had arrived and that Ananias should go and meet him. Ananias’ initial response is, in effect, ‘Lord, you must be joking!’ Nevertheless he goes as directed and, on finding Saul, greets him as ‘Brother Saul’. Through the ministry of Ananias, Saul regains his sight, is baptised and becomes part of the fellowship of Christians in Damascus. We know nothing else of Ananias, but he plays a key role in the life of Saul/Paul and of the developing spread of the gospel.
And then there is Barnabas. He plays a larger part than Ananias, but again, it’s a minor role compared with that of Paul. Paul had been under threat for his life and only escaped Damascus by being lowered from the city wall in a basket. When he arrives back in Jerusalem he seeks to join himself to the Christian community there. They, however, are reluctant to accept him, fearing perhaps that he is merely pretending to be a disciple in order to infiltrate their ranks and destroy them from the inside. It is Barnabas the encourager who spends time with Paul, listening to his story and then introducing him to the apostles. It is through the friendship and care of Barnabas that Paul is welcomed into the Christian fellowship in Jerusalem.
But before long, Paul has to flee also from Jerusalem. And Luke tells us that it was only after Paul had left Jerusalem that the church enjoyed a time of peace and growth. Paul may have begun to doubt the calling he had received from the risen Lord Jesus. Was he more of a curse to the church than a blessing? It will take Banabas again to thrust him into the work for which he is being prepared.
Don’t underestimate the contribution made to the kingdom by simple acts such as that of welcoming and encouraging the newcomer. Who knows, such acts may be instrumental in nurturing a ministry that will be used of God to transform the lives of thousands.
Lord Jesus, help me always to be an encourager that I may enable the ministry of others in the work of your kingdom.
01/02/2012 - E100.76a – Acts 9:1-19a, Saul's conversion
Saul the Pharisee had watched Stephen being stoned to death and was glad to see him dead. But there were many more who professed that Jesus is the Christ and Saul is intent on destroying them all and stamping out this new sect. To suggest that Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified by the Romans, was the Jewish Messiah was not only ridiculous, it brought shame on Judaism – it perpetuated the mockery of Pilate who had placarded the crucified Jesus as the king of the Jews. This madness needed to be stamped out, and Saul was the man to do it.
But he had reckoned without one small matter; Jesus had been raised from the dead and that made all the difference. God himself had owned Jesus as Messiah and had raised him to a place of power and authority. His resurrection from the dead meant that the age to come had broken into the middle of human history – the age of the Messiah, the age of the Spirit, the age when the Gentiles would come to share in the blessings of the God of Abraham. All of Saul’s thinking is turned on its head by his encounter with the risen Jesus.
And it’s not just his thinking that’s turned upside down; his life is turned around. The one who was intent on destroying the church of Jesus Christ becomes an apostle, one sent by Jesus to proclaim his name among Jews and Gentiles. The one who came to destroy the Christian community in Damascus and root Christians out of the synagogues becomes their chief advocate, preaching in the synagogues and proving that Jesus is the Christ. Saul, the persecutor of Christians now becomes the focus of Jewish opposition and persecution.
Jesus’ resurrection from the dead changes everything. It did then and it does now.
Risen Lord, continue that work of transformation you have begun in me. Make my every thought captive to you and every part of my life an act of service of you and your kingdom. You gave yourself for our redemption; keep us from half-hearted devotion to you.
31/01/2012 - E100.75c – Acts 11:1-26, Rejoicing in the grace of God
When Peter returned to Jerusalem he was immediately involved in controversy. There were many among the Christians in Jerusalem who argued that if Gentiles were to be accepted as followers of Christ they needed to be circumcised – "They need to become like us." This is the beginning of a controversy that will dominate a significant part of Paul's ministry – but that is still to come.
Peter's visit to Cornelius does not seem to have led to significant evangelistic activity among the Gentiles. But those who had been scattered by the persecution following the death of Stephen spread the good news about Jesus wherever they went – though only among Jews. The news eventually reached Cyprus and Cyrene. Some converts from these regions travelled to Antioch where, seeming to ignore the ground rules, they spoke of Jesus to both Jews and Gentiles. The church at Antioch appears to have been the first church made up of a real mixture of Jew and Gentile believers.
When the apostles in Jerusalem heard what had happened in Antioch they wanted to know what was really going on and sent Barnabas to find out. Here again we meet this remarkable man who had a heart for the encouragement of other believers. We read that when Barnabas arrived at Antioch he rejoiced to see signs of the grace of God and encouraged these young disciples to go on following Jesus. And to help them grow in knowledge of Christ, Barnabas went off to Tarsus, looking for Paul and dragged him back to Antioch to help with the instruction and encouragement of these disciples. Here Paul learned to minister to Jews and to Gentiles.
Can you imagine the situation Barnabas encountered at Antioch? Here was a church made up of very young Christians from a variety of backgrounds. He could have easily have seen a truckload of problems in the making. But what Barnabas saw was that God was at work and he was eager to join in the work of God. He wanted to do all that he could to encourage these believers. More than that, he dragged Paul out of premature retirement and pushed him into the ministry that was to occupy the rest of his life. All because he had an eye for where God was at work and a heart to work with God and to promote others in the work of God.
Lord, deliver me from a spirit of suspicion and make me more like Barnabas. Give me an eye to see where you are at work and a heart that is devoted to working with you. Give me an eye also for how I may encourage others in the ministry for which you have equipped them.
30/01/2012 - E100.75b – Acts 10:24-48, Cornelius welcomed as a Christian
When Peter arrived at the house of Cornelius the Centurion he discovered that Cornelius had assembled a party of relatives and friends, all of them eager to hear what Peter had to tell them. Or to be more accurate, Cornelius explains that an angel had instructed him to send for Peter and that they were therefore assembled in the presence of the Lord waiting to hear what he had to say to them.
Peter explains how the Lord had also appeared to him and enabled him to overcome the taboo against associating with Gentiles. Peter then goes on to speak of Jesus as one who was empowered by the Holy Spirit during his earthly ministry. He speaks also of Jesus' death and resurrection and tells the assembled crowd that all of the prophets spoke of Jesus. He is the one whom God has appointed to judge the living and the dead. All who put their trust in Jesus will have their sins forgiven – for them the judgment verdict has become history.
As Peter is speaking to them the Holy Spirit fell upon these Gentiles in unmistakable fashion; they praised God and spoke in other languages. This astonished many of those who had come along with Peter; they were not expecting that Gentiles would receive the Holy Spirit in the same way as they had. But in the face of these unmistakable evidences of their faith in Jesus and their acceptance by God Peter has them baptised and welcomed into the family of Jesus.
Why were some of Peter's companions so amazed that the Holy Spirit who had empowered Jesus ministry and had been poured out on the first disciples at Pentecost, was now poured out on these Gentiles? After all, the Lord had appeared to Peter and told him to go to Cornelius and had appeared to Cornelius to tell him to send for Peter. If the Lord had done all this, why be surprised when he brought them to faith and gave them the Spirit? Furthermore, this is what Jesus himself had said in commissioning the disciples just before his ascension into heaven – they are to take the message to all peoples. Nevertheless, when God shows that he accepts the Gentiles through faith in Jesus in precisely the same way as he accepts Jews they are taken by surprise.
Like these Jews, we become used to the status quo and, despite the promises and purpose of God, don't really expect him to act in unfamiliar ways. When were you last surprised by God's unexpected activity in someone's life?
Lord, surprise me today and then make me ashamed of my surprise.
29/01/2012 - E100.75a – Acts 10:1-23, Angels and visions
I was recently in conversation with someone who told me that they really do not understand the food laws of the Old Testament. They just seem rather odd.
Some have suggested that the food laws were all to do with health and hygiene; it’s best to avoid eating pigs as their meat can easily give you food poisoning if not properly cooked. But if it’s all about health, why were the food laws swept away by Jesus (Mark 7:19) rather than with the invention of the refrigerator?
The food laws form part of the holiness code of Leviticus. Holiness is all about separation; avoiding mixing things up that don’t belong together: don’t sow a field with two types of crop; don’t wear clothes made of two types of thread. Similarly, animals that seem to be a mixture of two sorts are viewed as unclean. Animals that chew the cud and have a cloven hoof are clean, but if they do one and not the other they are unclean – they are mixed up animals. Animals/fish that swim in the water and have fins and scales are clean but those without fins or scales are unclean – they are hybrids. By these laws, which seem so strange to us, God was teaching his people to be separate. The food laws kept them distinct from the nations around them, and that was important to preserving the revelation God had given them.
But with Jesus, everything changed. God’s people are no longer ethnically and culturally separate. Jesus and Jesus alone is to be our distinctiveness; holiness flows from a heart captivated by him and transformed by his Spirit.
This may seem obvious to us, but it was a hard lesson for Peter to learn. He had never eaten anything unclean and he was not in the habit of associating with Gentiles. It required a personal lesson from God himself, complete with visual aids let down from heaven, for Peter to begin to understand the radical nature of the good news about Jesus Christ. But he was beginning to learn; when Gentile visitors came knocking at the door he invited them in and they stayed the night with him. A couple of days later, Peter would be entertained in the home of a Roman centurion.
How well do we learn this lesson? We find it all too easy to live in our own closed sub-culture, the gated estate of our own Christian ghetto. We think to preserve our distinctiveness by physical separation from those who are ‘not like us’. Jesus came to break down the barriers that divide people. Let’s join him in breaking them down rather than rebuilding them.
Lord Jesus, break down the barriers in my mind and understanding that I may be your agent in making you known to people of every background. Enable our churches to be places where divisions are broken down rather than reinforced; may they reflect the variegated character of your kingdom.
Peter Misselbrook