TOMS: Acts 15

For an introduction to this series, click here.

June 15, 2007

Here is another important chapter for the history of the church. Gentiles were joining the church in droves, and things were getting a little testy between Jews and Gentiles. The Jews saw the Gentiles as newcomers, and they should adapt to Jewish ways. The Gentiles were excited about their new faith, but they resented being told they needed to be circumcised (that would annoy me too) or that they needed to stop eating "unclean" foods.

The Apostles and other church leaders were not sure what to do. These things were tearing the church apart. We will discuss this a little bit more later, but even Paul and Peter butted heads over this issue. So they called Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem where the rest of the Apostles were, to discuss the matter. Luke tells us there were a contingent of believing Jews who were Pharisees who demanded that all new Christians should be circumcised. Finally it was Peter who stood up and put the issue to rest: 
"Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will." (15:7-11)

James, the half-brother of Jesus, who was the leader of the Jewish church at Jerusalem, proposed a compromise: "Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues." (15:19-21)

The Apostles agreed and sent out a letter to all the churches to that effect. There are a few people who believe that this letter is binding upon Christians today. I think that last sentence sheds some light on what James and the Apostles were expecting when they sent out that letter. The church was still made up of Jews, at least a large percentage, and so to keep from making offense and creating division in the church, these things should be observed. Today, the church is established as its own religion and there is no need to avoid offending potential converts from another faith. They will have to get over that themselves if they want to join.

I like the fact that the Apostles had to sit down and discuss an issue like this and come to a solution. They were not infallible (like the Catholic church claims Peter was) and they tried to develop these doctrines, with the Lord's help of course, as they went along.

The end of this chapter gives us another glimpse into the fallibity of the Apostles: "Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord." (15:37-40, ESV)

Mark had left Paul and Barnabas in chapter 14, and Paul apparently held that against him, at some level, and did not want to bring him along as they left Jerusalem. But Barnabas wanted to bring him along. Now of course Mark would go on to write one of the four Gospels, so it is not like we can say Paul was right and Barnabas was just soft-hearted. But we also cannot say that Paul was wrong and that Barnabas was right. I think if you asked Mark years later about this incident, I think he would tell you they were both right. He needed to know that he had let Paul down, and there are consequences that follow. But he also needed the encouraging voice of Barnabas to keep him from leaving the faith discouraged.

TOMS: Acts 14

For an introduction to this series, click here.

June 14, 2007

This chapter details the further journeys of Paul and Barnabas. They followed the pattern of preaching in a synagogue, and usually they made several converts and made the rest of the congregation mad. Then those who were mad would get Paul and Barnabas thrown out of town. The first place Paul and Barnabas came to in this chapter was Iconium. This exact pattern happened there.

Next they came to Lystra, where they experienced more extreme reactions. When they came into town they saw a crippled man, and Paul healed him. This really got the crowd going: 
"And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycaonian, 'The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!' Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds. But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out, 'Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.' Even with these words they scarcely restrained the people from offering sacrifice to them." (14:11-18)

This was an impossibly good reaction. So good, in fact, that it turned into a negative. They had to keep the people from going overboard in their excitement, and they had to get the people re-focused on Jesus instead of worshiping their false gods in the name of Paul and Barnabas. Paul and Barnabas were not concerned about drawing a big crowd and putting on a show. They were more concerned about preaching the gospel of Jesus. I wonder what some of the publicity hucksters that call themselves preachers today would do in this situation. I have a sneaking suspicion that they wouldn't care that the people would be worshiping another god, as long as they were giving them money and praise at the same time.

But then things went from crazy high to crazy low. In a hurry: "But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe." (14:19-20, ESV)

This shows you how fickle people can be. First they thought they were gods, and then they turned on them and stoned Paul. Whether Paul really was dead and God resurrected him or whether Paul just appeared to be dead we aren't entirely sure. There are some who say that this is the experience when Paul writes about in Corinthians when he saw the "third heaven." I don't know, personally, and really it is not that critical either way. But either way Paul got up and went right back to his ministry. Paul was not going to be stopped. I doubt if I would have his determination.

TOMS: Acts 13

For an introduction to this series, click here.

June 13, 2007

This chapter marks a transition in the book of Acts. For the first 12 chapters, the star has been Peter, with the other Apostles and other leaders mentioned from time to time. From this point until the end of the book almost all the focus is on Paul.

We were told in Chapter 11 that Barnabas was at Antioch and went to Tarsus to get Saul. Antioch was quickly becoming the center of the Gentile church. The church there was experiencing tremendous growth. But right in the middle of that great work, the Holy Spirit came in the midst of their prayer meeting and told them to separate Paul and Barnabas for a special work. Now of course the Holy Spirit does not come to us today in an audible voice- this is something not even the radical Pentecosts claim. There is no getting around the fact that the Apostolic Age was a special time in the history of the church. Yes, God always has the power to do miraculous things, but the problem is He rarely chooses to use that power. God was going to make sure the church got started on the right foot, and so He helped the Apostles not only by supervision, but also by direct special revelations.

And so off Paul and Barnabas went. They first went to Cyprus, which is where Barnabas was from. They met a magician named BarJesus or Elymas, who opposed their work. Finally Paul struck him blind for a season.

The next section is mostly a sermon by Paul in the synagogue of Antioch of Pisidia, which is in what is now southern Turkey. Luke records Paul's sermon, which is no doubt typical of the sermon that he preached in many synagogues. He started with the history of Israel in Egypt through David and the prophets and leads from there to explain how Jesus was the fulfillment of the Old Testament scriptures.

I will let you read Luke's account of the results: "And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, 'It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, "I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth."' And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed." (13:43-48, ESV) 

This is the pattern Paul followed throughout the rest of his ministry: he preached first in the Jewish synagogue, and then when he ran into opposition from the synagogue he began preaching to the Gentiles. The Jews were the people who had and knew the Word of God. They would be the ones most open to hear about God sending a Messiah Redeemer into the world. The general culture of Roman times believed in a literal pantheon of gods who lived in a separate world from our own. They would not understand or accept monotheistic religion the way a Jewish person would. 

In this way Paul adapted to the cultural realities of his time. And we should do the same. It definitely would not involve preaching Jesus in synagogues today. Our time is different. I'm not saying I have all the answers, but we are still commissioned to proclaim the Good News in a way that many will hear and believe. Don't be afraid to proclaim it, but also don't be afraid to change how you proclaim it if that becomes necessary.

TOMS: Acts 4

For an introduction to this series, click here.

May 29, 2007

This chapter carries forward the story of the early church. The Jewish leaders were afraid of what was happening. They thought they were rid of Jesus and the threat He posed to their religion and way of life. And then here come His disciples, proclaiming the Resurrection and claiming that Jesus had established a new faith. They weren't afraid of stooping  to murder to get rid of Jesus; they were beginning to think they would need to do something similar to His disciples.

The miracle Peter and John performed had all of Jerusalem in an uproar. They were all talking about what they did and how they claimed to do it in the name of Jesus. The men of the council had Peter and John arrested and brought them in, demanding to know what they were doing. Peter preached them a short sermon, ending with this: "This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." (4:11-12)

I'm sure the members of the council were furious with Peter and John, but they kept their cool for the time being. "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." (4:13) The leaders could not think of anything to say publicly against the disciples. They had an irrefutable miracle standing in front of them, and even those who did not believe in Jesus were excited about the things that were happening. They did command them to stop teaching in the name of Jesus, but Peter and John pretty much said they were going to ignore the command and preach anyway.

The disciples came back from their grilling and continued to praise God for what He was doing in their midst. And they prayed for boldness to continue the work.

The chapter ends with an introduction of Barnabas. Luke reiterates the conditions in which the church lived, how they had all things common. I don't know how this worked. Obviously God was blessing them, but we are not told how long they kept this up, whether it was a few months or a year or several years. Eventually, famine and persecution ravaged the church in Jerusalem to the point that we find many of Paul's epistles where he mentions a huge ongoing project to raise money for the saints there. I have heard some people say that the failure of this communal experiment is proof of the folly of such living. Don't be so sure about that. We do know there was a serious famine in Judea that affected everyone. And Jerusalem was not exactly the best place to proclaim Jesus and keep a good job or gain influence in society. The Christians were severely persecuted there, which meant they were already in a financial hole when the famine struck.

Anyway, Luke records that "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 apostle's feet. (4:36-37, ESV) Barnabas would become a significant figure over the next few years, and this is how we first get to know him.  Here is Barnabas giving to the church, which probably desperately needed the money. No wonder he was called a son of encouragement. Barnabas' name was changed that day. His given name, Joseph, is never recorded again in Scripture after this gift to the church.