TOMS: Acts 10

For an introduction to this series, click here.

June 10, 2007

My computer monitor fizzled last week, so I went most of the week without a computer. No computer, no blog. But we're back now!

This chapter is one of the crucial passages in all the Bible. It tells the story of how Gentiles were brought into the Church. We are not sure exactly when this took place, but we assume it was at least a couple of years, perhaps longer, after the church began. For all of the church's existence up to this point, it was a Jewish religion. Kind of an offshoot of Judaism. The Apostles really had no idea that God planned to bring Gentiles into the family of Christ, even though there are hundreds of passages in the Old Testament about Gentiles coming to know the Lord.

Anyway, the story starts out by introducing us to a Roman centurion by the name of Cornelius. Here was a man who had been influenced somewhat by the Jews. He "feared God" which means he probably made sacrifices to God and possibly attended the synagogue. We are told that he prayed and gave alms. Then he saw a vision of an angel, appearing to him and telling him to send for a man named Peter.

Meanwhile Peter was seeing a vision of his own. He saw a vision of all kinds of unclean animals and a voice from heaven that said "Rise, Peter; kill and eat." (10:13) Peter refused, saying "By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean." (10:14) God responded with "What God has made clean, do not call common." (10:15) Of course God was trying to introduce Peter to a new concept: that Gentiles were going to be welcome in the new church.

Peter learned his lesson well: "You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without objection." (10:28-29) It was this moment that expanded the church to what it is today. The Apostles really had no idea what they were starting, but they just let the Lord lead.

Luke records that the people who believed began to speak in tongues: "While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God." (10:44-46, ESV) This passage more than any other demonstrates the true purpose of the gift of tongues. The gift was to demonstrate to the Jews that the church, and secondarily the expansion of the church to include Gentiles, was a legitimate work of God. Once there was no need to vindicate God's work, there was no need for the gift. 

I have a lot of questions and doubts as to whether any of the gifts described in the New Testament are for the church today. I know there are lots of people who try to differentiate between the gifts, saying that some are for today and some ceased, but nowhere in the Bible will you find that there was a difference between the gifts. Paul and the other New Testament writers treat them all the same. 

Maybe I have struggles with this topic because I don't see any sort of gift in my life. I also must say I have never heard any truly Biblical teaching on the subject that makes me want to believe in it. All I have ever heard is that gifts are an outworking of one's personality. The teaching either consists of stories demonstrating how different people approach life in the church differently or I am handed a bad "personality test" and then told what my gifts are based on the results. I'm sorry, but it's not miraculous when everybody has a different personality. When Paul tells the Corinthians to desire the best gifts, is he telling them to change their personality? Most teachers today would say no, but by their teaching Paul is telling the Corinthians to perform an impossibility. I don't know. I know God can change people's outlook and approach to life. I've seen it happen. Is that changing someone's personality? Perhaps it is. I would appreciate any feedback.

TOMS: Acts 9

For an introduction to this series, click here.

June 4, 2007

This chapter tells the story of the conversion of Saul. Saul was the leading enemy of the church after the death of Stephen. I didn't mention him specifically in the previous chapter, but Luke does, saying that he was ravaging the church.

As a result of the persecution, the church began to scatter and grow. And so now there were believers all over, not just concentrated in Jerusalem. Saul decided his next target would be the believers at Damascus. And then the unthinkable happened: "As he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?' And he said, 'Who are you, Lord?' And he said, 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.'" (9:3-6) It was certainly unthinkable for Saul. He thought he was doing the work of God by throwing the believers in jail, trying to root out this false doctrine. Now here comes Jehovah God to him and tells him that He is the one Saul is persecuting. 

Now Saul's conversion is unlike any in history. If one didn't know any better, they might think that God was doing Saul a favor by appearing to him in this way. Somebody might say that if God would appear to them like that, they would be saved too. The foolishness of such a statement is apparent if we think about it. No one who would make such a statement can deny that they are unaware of the Gospel. If people who have heard the Gospel reject it, that is not God's fault. On the other hand (to answer a question I just dismissed) I believe God is the one who ultimately brings all of us to salvation - even the faith to believe is a gift from God. So at some level God does a special work in every believer's life, so to claim that Paul was privileged is nonsense. God's call in Paul's life was just more dramatic than just about everyone else.

Saul's conversion bore immediate fruit, as he began to preach Jesus in Damascus. So much so that the Jewish leaders were planning to kill their former enforcer, and Saul had to be let out of the city in a basket. He came to Jerusalem, and the believers were afraid of him. It took Barnabas to come and introduce him to the church.

The last section of this chapter tells the story of two miracles by Peter. The first is the healing of a crippled man, Aeneas. The second is the resurrection of Tabitha. It is always touching to read about how the people came to Peter and showed him the things Tabitha had made for them. This lady was certainly someone who made a difference in her community.

TOMS: Acts 8

For an introduction to this series, click here.

June 3, 2007

The Sanhedrin had done it: they had stoned a man for preaching Christ. They began to systematically attack the church, which initially had the desired effect of getting the Christians out of Jerusalem: "And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him." (8:1-2) The Christians were stunned by this development, and many left Jerusalem in fear for their lives. But as they scattered, they did not let that stop them from preaching the Gospel. 

Philip, one of the six remaining deacons, made the first significant move, preaching the Gospel in Samaria. Remember the Samaritans were mixed-race and were despised by most Jews. But Philip had a wonderful ministry in their midst. 

But there was a problem in town, named Simon. The Bible tells us Simon held a lot of sway over the people because of his magic and other tricks he was able to do. They all thought of Simon as a spiritual leader, even though he himself knew it was all sleight of hand and nonsense. So when Philip came preaching and led many of Simon's followers away, Simon figured these new guys were just like him: "Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, saying, 'Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.' But Peter said to him, 'May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.' And Simon answered, 'Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.'" (8:18-24)

Simon thought the Apostles were hucksters like him. He was surprised when he found out that this was not a trick. Whether or not Simon believed after what Peter said to him, we don't really know. We assume that he did not, but perhaps he did after all.

In the midst of this great work, an angel came to Philip and said, "Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." (8:26) Remember that the first few years of the church were a special time. God used visions and even angels to help the church accomplish God's purpose. These things were both a sign to the Jews and an encouragement to the believers.

As he is traveling across the desert, he meets up with a caravan and hears a man reading from the book of Isaiah out loud, "Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth." (8:32-33, ESV)

This of course is the story of the Ethiopian eunuch. This man was probably the treasurer of the kingdom who happened to be Jewish (why else would he be traveling from Jerusalem with a copy of Isaiah?) And I'm sure you are familiar with the story, how Philip used the text from Isaiah and told him the Gospel. He believed, and famously asked to be baptized at a watering hole they came to. 

Baptism, of course, has its roots in Judaism. Perhaps this man was a converted Jew and not a born one. This man had perhaps been baptized into Judaism, and doubtless he had witnessed baptisms. He was familiar with the custom, and understood the significance of the ceremony: that of renouncing a former religion and adopting a new. He may have seen some Christian baptisms in Jerusalem.

If you are not aware, Ethiopia was for many centuries the only Christian kingdom in sub-Saharan Africa. The kings of Ethiopia claimed to be the descendant of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, although that has never been proven. Today we think of Ethiopia as the epitome of famine and want, but for most of the last millennium that was not the case. Ethiopia was for many years a prosperous kingdom, and was the only area of Africa not to be dominated by a European power between 1800 and the end of World War II. It was a series of corrupt governments and bad economic and weather conditions in the last 40 years that led to the severe famines and other problems many of us associate with Ethiopia.

TOMS: Acts 7

For an introduction to this series, click here.

June 1, 2007

This is an incredible chapter. I know I'm not going to give it justice here, because I don't have time to dig into all the details. This chapter gives Stephen's sermon to the council.

The sermon focuses on God's purpose through the history of Israel, going all the way back to Abraham. He hits most of the highlights, jumping from Abraham to Joseph to Moses, on whom he spends most of his time. After he finishes his story of Moses, Stephen quickly mentions Joshua, David and Solomon and then gets straight to the point of the sermon: "You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it." (7:51-53)

He had them when he was talking about Abraham and Moses, but when Stephen started blasting them, they were disappointed, to say the least: "But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul." (7:57-58, ESV)

This may sound a little weird, but the Jewish leaders finally came to grips with what they were fighting with Christianity. They were not dealing with resentful hero-worshipers who were still mad that they had crucified their leader. They were dealing with confident people who knew that God was leading the world in a new direction. They were proclaiming that the death of Jesus was a part of God's plan to bring in a new way of worshiping and knowing Him. And it was happening right in Jerusalem, the very city where Jesus was killed and the heart of Judaism.

I want to say something else here that may be controversial, but hear me out before you accuse me of blasphemy. A lot has been made of Stephen's sermon and the apparent differences in the outline of the facts in his sermon and the way they occur in the Old Testament, particularly his timeline of Abraham's life. Skeptics point out the differences and say that somebody is lying, and others spend a lot of time trying to reconcile the two. 

May I go so far as to say that it doesn't matter? Stephen's account probably reflects the understanding of most 1st century Jews, but we shouldn't give it any more weight than that. This does not mean this section of Acts is not inspired. All that is necessary for that is for Luke's account to accurately reflect what Stephen said. Stephen never claimed to be inspired, he was just preaching a sermon. Lord knows if you took every sermon to be inspired, you would get into trouble in a hurry. If you can logically reconcile Stephen's sermon with the Old Testament account, fine. But don't spend too much time on it. If you come to a place where they can't be reconciled, just stick with what was intended to be an accurate historical account: the Old Testament.

TOMS: Acts 6

For an introduction to this series, click here.

May 31, 2007

This is the shortest chapter in Acts, but it is significant.

We are not sure how far along these events come in the progression of the church, but we assume it is less than a couple of years. Remember that the church was still basically concentrated around Jerusalem, and the church there was still in this arrangement where they shared everything. And we have our first schism in the church. It seems the Diaspora, Jews who were born elsewhere in the world and who spoke Greek as their mother tongue but returned to Jerusalem, were mad at the native Palestinian Jews, who were the majority. They accused the Apostles of favoring the native Jews when they made their distribution of food to the widows.

The idea of Peter and John and the other Apostles driving a wagon around Jerusalem delivering food is a strange one for us to think about, but it really happened. It's a picture I thought about a lot when I was delivering pizza for a living (for those of you who know me, it's pretty obvious I'm writing this section in 2015). They couldn't have been serving food at a central location, because if they were I highly doubt that anyone would be turned away. They had to have been delivering it to people's houses. Perhaps many of the foreign-born Jews lived on another side of town from where the Apostles were living. Whatever the reason, it was unfair to accuse the Apostles of favoritism. But that's exactly what the Diaspora did.

The Apostles were tired of this distraction: "It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables." (6:2) They came up with a good solution: "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." (6:3-4)

These men are usually referred to as the first deacons. Notice their names: "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." (6:5) The last five of these men all have Latin or otherwise non-Jewish names. The Apostles and the church at large were sensitive enough to these issues to recognize that enlisting some men from among the foreign contingent would be a positive step toward rectifying the hurt feelings in the church. The Diaspora were no doubt treated as second-class citizens by the general population of Jerusalem. The church was not a place for such sinful behavior.

The office of deacon is designed to assist the pastor and to serve the church. The first deacons were more like assistant pastors than the deacons we have now in most of our churches, middle-aged business men who act as a board of directors. These deacons knew who the primary authority was, the Apostles. They were certainly leaders, and they had spiritual as well as practical authority. This is true for all times, since Scripture outlines the specific qualifications for a deacon. They are not as stringent as those for an elder, but they do carry spiritual authority. The Scripture is broad enough that I don't think I have seen very many churches where the relationship between elders/pastors and deacons is unbiblical, but we should think through these things. The church is too important for us to just assume that since this is the way it's always been done, that's the way it's supposed to be.

We can see what kind of spiritual leader Stephen was. He went out and preached and performed miracles in the city. Then some Jews paid some other people to come to the council and say, "This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law, for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us." (6:14, ESV) Then the council had Stephen arrested. And that is where the chapter ends. Stephen's defense makes up most of chapter 7.