For the love of Christ

A Chronological Harmony of the Gospels Leading to Easter  2/21/2013
(Click on link below for readings.) 
John 1:15-51; 2; 3:1-22

"For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."

John 1:17

 

    Too much to share from today’s reading, so I’m not even going to try.

 

    Okay, just kidding. But in just three chapters we go from John the Baptist’s testifying of Christ, the water to wine, money changers, and Nicodemus’ call to be born again. This is getting way ahead on The Story but we’ll catch back up next week. Today I want us to focus on love, especially the love of Christ.
 

     First, look at the tender love we see when the disciples, John and Andrew, follow Christ. “What do you seek?” When we follow our Lord, He’ll invite us tenderly to “Come and see.” The love of Christ bids us come and follow Him.
 

     Second, the love of Christ is seen in meeting the needs of the marriage. This miracle is not insignificant in that it shows us that Jesus loves us in caring for our inadequacies and short-fallings. Jesus did the miracle, but Mary did the asking and the servants did the filling. Someone said, “If you’re praying for rain, why aren’t you carrying an umbrella?” And notice what results from the love of Christ, followed by faithful obedience: God is glorified and the disciples are edified in their faith (John 2:11). We are saved by faith alone but saving faith is never alone.

     Thirdly, the love of Christ is seen in passionate zeal for the Father and His house. The religious people of Jesus' day thought they could make some money on God, but Jesus turned the tables on them (don’t groan, please). Are we zealous for God's House for Him or for what we get out of it? To be honest some just want to get out of God's House period. Never complain, "Oh, I didn't get anything out of service today." That reflects a sad and selfish heart, much like the money changers. We go to God's House for service, not "serve us." It's not what we get but what we give and I'm not just talking about money.

     Brevity, Tim, brevity. Devotional, not a sermon ... 500 words...Whew. Okay.

     But notice the common denominator in chapter 2 in the water to wine and the turning over of the tables: it increased the faith within the disciples (2:11 and 22).

     Finally, the love of Christ is seen in the kingdom of God being seen by being born again. “For God so loved…” Love gives forgiveness and a future. Religion has man seeking to ascend to heaven, but Christianity has Christ seeking humanity by descending to our level (3:13). He doesn’t condemn, we are already condemned by our hateful disobedience. Yes, every time we sin, we are showing our hatred of the light (3:20).

     For the love of Christ, we follow, we have faith, we have forgiveness and we have a future.

Pray: God, give me heart that says “Where You go, I’ll go,” when You say “fill pots,” I fill pots. Give me a heart that is zealous for You and Your house. And let me be born again in You today. Amen.

For more on these rich chapters, go to johnoneday.blogspot.com.

How important is it that Jesus was fully human?

 A Chronological Harmony of the Gospels Leading to Easter  2/20/2013
(Click on link below for readings.)
Matthew 2:16-23; Luke 2:39-52; Luke 3:1-20; Matthew 3:13-17; Luke 2:23-38; Luke 4:1-15

"Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem and Joseph and his mother knew not of it"

 

   Seriously, don’t you love it when a preacher gives a sermon illustration about a child? Aren’t you drawn to facebook pages with pictures of kids? I’m sure there’s a few curmudgeons out there that don’t care that much for l'il tots (okay, even I get a little strained when I’m at a restaurant or, ahem, in church and a child starts doing what children do naturally).

  

   Still, we can all relate with kids. The children’s choir Sunday night was great, especially when they sang “There’s a Sweet Sweet Spirit In this Place,” a closing anthem for almost every church I was a part of in the 1970s.  I noticed Rief did the old “and I know that it’s the” pause “of the Lord.” (We are never sure if it’s “presence” or “spirit” and the words were vacant on the screen).

  

    Today’s devotional is about the childhood of Christ and especially the story of Mary and Joseph losing Jesus. Someone in our church said they had that terrifying moment when they couldn’t find their child at the carnival the other night. Can you imagine losing the one and only, only begotten, totally unique, virgin-born Son of God (and you’re the virgin!). For three days?

    I confess, we lost our oldest once at the Houston airport. And another time, Melissa and I left both boys (under ten years old, mind you) at church by themselves and didn’t realize it until we got home! But three days? Can you imagine how Mary felt? Talk about self-doubting, low self-esteemed feelings of inadequacies. And don’t even think about Joseph coming out of this unscathed. Something tells me the whole three days was somehow Joseph’s fault, at least in Mary’s mind.

  

   You better believe it’s important that Jesus was not only divine, but totally human. It makes God somehow more approachable. “He was tempted in every way, just as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15). “He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted” (Heb. 2:18). Are you dieting? Jesus went 40 days and nights! Are you lusting? Jesus attracted prostitutes and had women falling at his feet (literally). Are you angry? Please don’t get mad at church like He did! Frustrated? Can you say “12 clueless disciples”? Betrayed? Hello, Judas’ kiss. Shall I go on?

  

    In the book Life of Pi (much, much better than the movie, by the way), Pi cannot get over the frailty and suffering of God in the flesh. And yet, such tender love amidst apparent weakness drew Pi to Christ. “Why would (God) send his only son to atone for the sins of the whole world?...That made no sense…But I could not get this Christ out of my mind. The more I got to know Christ, the more I liked Him.”

  

    Love demonstrated is oh so much greater than love declared. Love in action is far more comely than love in abstraction. Was Jesus human? Never was there anyone more human than Christ! That’s why I love Him so! He loves me not despite my humanity, not even because of my humanity; He loved me through HIS humanity.

  

Pray: Dear Jesus. Thank You for clothing Your deity in humanity. Thank You for being tempted. Thank You that You had no tears for Your own griefs, but You sweat drops of blood for mine. How marvelous, how wonderful is Your love for me.

How Important Is It That Jesus Fulfilled Prophecy?

 A Chronological Harmony of the Gospels Leading to Easter  2/19/2013
(Click on link below for readings.)
Luke 1:61-80; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 2:1-38; Matthew 2:1-15

"“that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet…”

   Did anyone notice the asteroid which narrowly missed the earth, coinciding with a meteor which actually fell to the earth on the same day? The two were not related, as they came from opposite directions, but they coincided with one common intersection (thankfully, not an exact intersection) on the same day. 

   Did I say "did anyone notice..."? How does that not make anyone and everyone wake up and notice how precariously perched we are? How vulnerable? How fragile?

   If script writers can put Bruce Willis to move an asteroid, I know +God was able to put both on course years and years ago (how many? I have no idea) and perhaps even just nudged one to come perilously close to us but not too close to get us to be looking up.

   (By the way, there is a prophecy that a heavenly body is coming that will in fact collide with the earth and the destruction of it will be one third of the waters and like Pompeii and worse, many will die as a result--See Rev. 8 and also Rev. 6.)

   In today’s reading, +Matthew 1:22 says “that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet…”

   One of the exciting things about reading through “The Story” is that we see that the entirety of history is His Story, God’s Story, with a beginning, middle, climax, resolution and ending.

   Well, maybe not an ending…more like the end of one segment of an ongoing cliffhanger, only to be filled with hints of an upcoming sequel.

   As often has been said, the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed.

   That God knew Jesus was coming is self-evident for an omniscient God. But that He gives hints and prophecies and foreshadows is a craftsman of authors indeed. Concealed in the Old Testament are promises of a coming Messiah. Not always explicit, but like a good mystery writer, enough to elevate the interest of us all.

   Prophecy shows that God is in charge. He didn’t just wind up the universe like a Jack-in-the-Box toy and wonder when something would pop out. God is sovereignly in charge.

   God is in charge of the universe. God is in charge of history. God is in charge of the future. And He is the author of the Bible. Look at how many times in just a few short passages, the Bible says “that it might fulfill”. Click on the link to see the actual readings.

Mat 2:15,23; Mat 5:17; Mat 8:17; Mat 12:17; Mat 13:35,21; 1Ki 8:15,24; Ezr 1:1; Luk 21:22; Luk 24:44; Jhn 10:35; Jhn 12:38-40; Jhn 15:25; Jhn 17:12; Jhn 18:9; Jhn 19:36,37; Act 3:18; Act 13:27-29; Rev 17:17

   There are books almost ad infinitum about the various prophecies about the coming of Jesus 2,000 years ago and also His return which I believe to be soon and very soon. Revelation 19:10 says the very “testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

   Jesus’ first coming was a fulfillment of prophecy. His second coming will be a fulfillment of prophecy.

Pray: Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us a book that is so holy and so God-breathed that we can trust it when everything else fails. Thank you that in a world where life can seem upside down, Your Word can give us an assurance that our very hairs are numbered and that Your care for the sparrow, for the lilies of the field and for us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

How Important Is The Deity Of Christ?

 A Chronological Harmony of the Gospels Leading to Easter  2/18/2013
(Click on link below for readings.)
  John 1:1-14, Matthew 1:1-17, Luke 1:1-60

I was on a run with my dog Rocky this morning (okay, a walk with bursts of occasional slow jogs and more than occasional stopping to sniff interesting smells in the ground along the way) when I thought that perhaps I should write daily devotionals to go along with the chronological harmonious readings of the Gospels during Lent (and yes, I meant the dog was stopping to sniff, with no encouragements from me).

So a day late here is a brief word to go along with the readings (found with a link at the bottom of the page).

How important is the deity?

We love to cling to the humanity of Jesus, but how important was the deity of Christ? After all, Jesus often referred to Himself as the Son of Man. What difference does it make?

Plenty!

Looking at the harmony of the gospels, isn’t interesting that Matthew traces Jesus’ royal lineage (that through Joseph, the son of David back to Father Abraham), Mark emphasizes the humanity of Christ, Luke traces Jesus’  human lineage (that through Mary, we presume and back to Adam), but John traces Jesus’ divine lineage, back to “in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning.”

Without the divinity, Jesus’ was merely another in the long line of philosophers and religious leaders, albeit deceived or deceiving as He clearly proclaimed His own equality with God and not only did He testify of Himself, but pointed to numerous other “testimonies” or witnesses.

Without the divinity, Jesus’ life was merely another in the long line of great moral leaders, not unlike Gandhi, Lincoln, or Mother Teresa, who taught as much with their lives as they did with their lips. True the miracles are hard to explain without the divinity, but not unique as tall tales often accompany great men and women.

And without the divinity, Jesus’ death was merely another in the longest of lines of mere mortals. His death, while tragic, was not uncommon of martyrs. Didn’t Socrates and Joseph Smith of the Latter-day Saint faith, also die an untimely death? Isn’t there a song that only the good die young? Sad? Yes. Tragic? For sure. But earth shattering? Hardly, some think.

But in fact Jesus was divine and yes, His death was literally earth shattering (“The earth shook and the rocks split” Matt. 27:51). From his prophetic coming, His miraculous birth, the sinless life and death without blemish, all point to His divine origins, but nothing greater than His resurrection points to the eternality of our Lord and our Savior and our God, Jesus Christ.

Pray: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we confess our faith in you as the Holy Trinity without our fully understanding how You are, we receive and accept the fact THAT You are who You always have been, the Great “I am”. We confess that Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever. Let that truth sink into us today. In the holy name of Jesus, Amen.

When your strengths become your weaknesses

Key Principle #8: conflict Resolution

      Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, (Grecians-KJV) because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution.

Acts 6:1

     In anything, even in Christianity, there will be conflict. When there is a problem, go to the source and address it. Don’t gripe about it. Always remember, “It’s better to light a candle than curse the darkness.” Previous to Acts chapter 6, one of the greatest strengths of the church was its unity. However, here it is division that is causing the problem.

     Hellenists were those who did not speak the Hebrew language as well or at all; in this case, they were Greek Christian converts. The widows were apparently being neglected in distribution of food. Maybe Meals on Wheels didn’t go by that part of the membership in the church’s distribution. Whatever was the problem, it apparently stemmed from racial or religious prejudices and an apparent lingering on of legalistic taboos from Judaism and not eating with the Gentiles.

     Satan doesn’t always attack us in our weaknesses. Sometimes he attacks us in our strengths, and that was true in the early church and true today; just look at the proliferation of churches and denominations. Even after a church splits or a denomination is formed, it is not long before that congregation becomes involved in some turmoil.

     Some people have left the church altogether because of conflict. But even that is not the solution to conflict, it is merely avoidance. In fact, avoidance of conflict and dropping out of the church is perhaps the worst type of response to conflict. One person humorously spoke about the old adage of conflict within marriage: “Don’t go to bed mad, stay up and fight—it’s much more fun!”

     Having had my full share of conflict within marriage and within churches, I strongly disagree that it is more fun, but it is healthier to work through conflict. The resolution of conflict and not the absence of conflict is truly the mark of God’s presence in the church, and it is a key principle in church life and personal discipleship.

     After Peter, we see the next leader in the church was James, the half-brother of Christ. The problem of conflict did not go away after Acts chapter 6, and as almost everyone who has been in churches over the last 2,000 years can attest; it still has not been vanquished from the body of believers.

      James wrote this in chapter four of his epistle to all of the churches which were scattered abroad. “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” And you thought your church fight was bad!

     The Holy Spirit through the apostle James essentially gives us three reasons why we have conflict:

1. Because we are different

2. Because we are the same

3. Because we are selfish.

     There are undoubtedly more reasons than that, but in Acts 6, we see all three of those reasons evident in the first recorded major conflict. Suddenly the church’s major strength, unity, is about to become its major weakness, division. As you read this conflict today, ask God to reveal both your strengths and weaknesses and how both of these can become a source of attack from the enemy.

     There was grumbling and complaints in the early church and when it came to the leadership, there was such a degree of trust between the leaders and those within the church that the apostles told the people to do the right thing. They said “seek out from among yourselves seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom.”

    If you experience conflict, it may mean that God is about to multiply your ministry, especially if you resolve it in a godly fashion. Notice that sandwiched on either side of the conflict is a multiplication of ministry (verses 1 & 7). Once the leadership prayed over conflict and the congregation worked together to solve the problem under the leadership of God, the ministry exploded.

    ¹ Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists,* because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution… ⁶ whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them. ⁷ Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.

     Read Acts 6:8-15. Because Stephen was faithful to serve in the waiting of tables, God used him in a powerful way. However, again a conflict erupted, this time outside of the church. List a description of what Stephen’s face and countenance was when he faced conflict (verse 15):

      If conflicts are inevitable, the key question is not if but when, and when it comes, how will you handle it? When faced with conflict or opposition, ask God to allow your face and countenance to appear as the face of an angel.

Pray now over your strengths and weaknesses and ask God to protect you from conflict in both areas.

When the Church is united, Christ is delighted

Key Principle #6: Communion-ity (part 3)

“And through the hands of the apostles many signs

and wonders were done among the people. 

And they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Porch…

(and the unchurched) people esteemed them highly.”

Acts 5:12

A Powerful Witness And Great Grace

        I mentioned in a previous blog posting something about getting in a support group like Celebrate Recovery. What I like about C.R. is that you can go there and absolutely be yourself and for some of us, that is not always a good thing! But it sure beats superficiality.

        That wonderful sense of communionity provided such a powerful witness for the Resurrection to the church leadership and the apostles. When the church is united, Christ is delighted. When the church is divided, Christ is so slighted.

        Acts 4:33 talks about great power and great grace. The Great Power was given in providing a witness to Christ. Being of "one heart and one soul" (Acts 4:32) can provide a marvelous platform. Was it that the body of believers had nothing about which to divide themselves? Hardly! Remember the disciples were constantly divided when they walked with Jesus, refusing to wash one another's feet and jockeying for a seat at Jesus' right hand and at His left hand. Someone pointed out to me just today that if a disciple was in fact to be seated at Jesus' left hand, he would be sitting in the very lap of Jehovah! Talk about "be careful what you ask for." 
       So what made the change in the apostles and the early believers to where people like Barnabas, a nickname meaning the "Son of Encouragement," would want to be with this newly formed faith? To paraphrase a line from Spiderman, "with great power comes great grace." It was the grace and favor of God which brought about that communionity. 

       Sometimes it’s hard to know what type of “grace” the Bible is speaking about. In this case, it seems that the people had more patience, forgiveness, and understanding with others, especially those who were in financial need. If someone needed something, there was plenty of gracious people who were willing to help out. Where did the church get that type of grace? From God, yes, but from God within, the Holy Spirit. One Bible dictionary defines grace as "of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues."
       Once you truly receive that type of grace, it's easy to give it but you cannot give it away. Why can't you give it away? Because the Lord will replenish more grace when you give it. What happens if you "hold back" on grace? I think it is interesting that the death of Ananias and Sapphira occurs right in between two passages on grace. Nowhere does it say that God killed them. No! It was sin that killed them, perhaps a stressed and guilt-ridden heart led to a sick body and heart attack. 
       Be a dispenser of grace and you will likely find you will live longer and certainly you will live more freely. Last time I looked, no one appointed you or me to be the dispenser of guilt. But God has appointed us to be dispensers of grace. Great grace.

        John Maxwell preached a sermon years ago called “Five Things I Know About People” which was broadcasted on Focus on the Family. In every church I’ve been at since then, I’ve tried to get my leaders to listen to these five principles, because the early church knew them so well. The five principles are:

1. Everybody Wants Be Somebody

2. Nobody Cares How Much You Know, Until They Know How Much You Care

3. Everybody Who Belongs to the Body of Christ Belongs to Everybody Who Belongs to the Body of Christ

4. Anybody Who Helps Somebody Influences A Lot of Bodies

5. God Loves Everybody.

        It was especially principle number four that helped the early church grow. No one was too low to help another and the ministry to “the least of these” never escaped anyone’s attention, especially the Lord’s (see Matthew 25). The apostles were literally hands-on in the ministry. "And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And ... the people esteemed them highly" (Acts 5:12a, 13b). Neither did it escape the attention of others.

        Five times in the first five chapters of Acts, Dr. Luke records that the believers were of "one accord." Ask God to give you a sincere love for every Christian and that as a result, you will “have all things in common” with one another, meaning that everyone will be on the same level in everything.
 

What Kills Communion-ity?

Key Principle #6: Communionity (part 2)

³ But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? ⁴ While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart?  You have not lied to men but to God.”

Acts 5

        As you look at the book of Acts, notice that in the church, there was a submission to and a trust of leadership. All of the funds were voluntarily laid at the feet of the apostles, a poetic way of stating that once they sold their property, it was no longer under their control, but rather under the direction of the leaders of the early church. That speaks highly of both sides, because the leadership had proved themselves trustworthy. Would you trust the leaders in your church with all of your finances? If you are a leader, would you deserve it?

        Again, I’m not recommending that this would be a practice that we could do today, but would you be willing to trust others that much? Someone has said if you want to know what is truly important to people, look at their calendars and their checkbooks (although people don’t use checkbooks now, so look at their "bookings and budget").  Many today are not willing to trust the church with even one percent of their income, let alone ten percent and certainly not 100 percent.

        Communionity can be shown by a resource more important than money and that is with time. People have different amounts of money, but everyone has the same amount of time and all of it is precious. You can lose a fortune and gain it back, but you cannot regain one single moment of time. When people give time to the community of the church, the church needs to be as careful with it as it is with money. And even more so.

    Are you and others in the church at a point where you could be described as of one heart and one soul (Acts 4:32)? If not, commit now to pray for the church that they (and you) would be deserving of such trust and that you would be willing to not hold back in areas that are needed for the church to be where God wants it to be.

        My experience has been that we are sadly a far cry from where God wants us to be as a communionity. In Chapter 5, the sin of Ananias and Sapphira was not that they kept a portion of the money back. In fact, their sacrificial giving was actually quite commendable. It probably would be welcomed today in many churches, even if they were a little disingenuous to the leaders…and, oh yeah, to God…and to the Holy Spirit.

        But therein lies the problem. They weren’t just a little disingenuous, they lied to the leaders and they lied to God. And the motivation for their lie was demonic.

        There is a danger of appearing to be spiritual and yet all the while, harboring a willful sin and hypocrisy within. The key principle of communionity is that we need to be sincere. That means to be transparent, open, and not “two-faced,” not only privately with God but with one another.

        If you didn’t catch it, Ananias and Sapphira saw what others were doing, especially Barnabas, and saw the applause they were getting and decided they wanted to do something like that.

        They probably originally planned to give the whole proceeds of the sale to the church. But Ananias decided to hold some of it back. He talked to his wife, and she didn’t have any problems with it either. He could have kept the possessions, and he would have spared his life. Or he could have sold it and kept the money, and not even tell the church. Or he could have just been honest and gave a portion of it in all sincerity. But he lied, held back on God and held back on honesty to the church. As a result, he was struck down. So, the issue was not what he did but why he did it.

   Communionity occurs when the church does not “hold back” on God. It may not be money or time, but it could be your sincerity, or in your openness, or your spiritual giftedness, or something else. Ask God what is holding the church back from true communion within the community.

   One last thought: Communionity is important not only in the church, but any relationship, especially marriage and families. Are there friendships, work relationships and other areas that you are holding back on? Just remember the lessons of Ananias and Sapphira: Holding back can be a killer in communionity.

For an introduction to communionity, go to Timothy McKeown: Coining a Koinonia Communion-ity 

 

 

Coining a Koinonia Communion-ity

Key Principle #6: Communion-ity (part 1)

³² Now the multitude of those who believed
were of one heart and one soul;
neither did anyone say that any
of the things he possessed was his own,
but they had all things in common.  

Acts 4:32

        That is not a typo in the Key Principle, it is a word I coined to convey two words that have lost their meanings due to the faultiness of the church. I could have called it simply community, but many churches today are going by “community” or “fellowship” rather than “church.” While the churches may have put those words in their name, they are really a church, going by another name. They are not necessarily a communion-ity (pronounce it like communion and then put an “-ity” at the end). Or, I could have called the key word study “communion” but that would convey the Lord’s Supper. (Many Baptists think communion is for Catholics anyway, but I know I’m writing to a lot of non-Baptists. Also, “Lord’s-Supper-ity” sounds even stranger than “communionity.”)

        The early church did something extremely radical. Actually, virtually everything they did was extremely radical, so much so that 2,000 years later, we can hardly relate to what was a common occurrence for them. Churches even 100 years ago could do things like the New Testament church did, and several have tried, but such good-intentioned believers who want to go back to the New Testament church should be advised to remember this: the New Testament church wasn’t perfect and what it sometimes did was inadvisable in their day too and was soon abandoned. But what they did as described in Acts 4:32-Acts 5:11, was unusual even in their day but based with good intentions. Members within the congregation gave up all of their possessions and gave the proceeds to be distributed as needed within the church.

I Bet You Think I Wrote This About You

        I knew someone in a previous church that no matter what you shared with him, he would turn it around and make it about himself. No matter what you told him, he would, within a matter of moments, start talking about himself. You probably know someone like that. If not, you might look in the mirror and ask yourself if it is you who is like that. Some people can be so self-absorbed that they think they are being empathetic, but they are only thinking of themselves.

        After being around this person for a certain length of time, I came across Philippians 2 and committed it to memory, just so that I would always have a mental and spiritual guard rail up for myself so that I too wouldn’t become so egocentric.

        I smile as I write this, because I’m reminded of Carly Simon’s song You’re So Vain (you probably think this song is about you). If this book ever does get published (or if he reads this blog) and my brother in Christ reads it, he’ll likely think I’m talking about him.

        At another church where I served as pastor, one of my deacons would jokingly say, “Well, you must have had my picture on your desk when you wrote that sermon, because that’s exactly what I needed to hear.” The funny thing about that was that he only thought he was joking!

        It’s okay to be egocentric sometimes but at some point in our Christian life, we need to get over ourselves and put the needs of others first at least every once in a while. The early church did that in Acts Chapter five.

        That attitude of sacrificial sharing is essential in the church today and needs to extend beyond sharing materially with one another. In Philippians 2, Paul wrote about how we should esteem the needs of others as more important than ourselves.

         Read some excerpts from Philippians 2 below and put a check beside the ones that describes

you.

• I’m like-minded with other believers in love and without conflict. (v. 2)
• I don’t do anything for selfish ambition or conceitedly. (v. 3)
•  I look out for the needs of others as much as I do for my own needs. (v. 3)
•  I have a Christ-like attitude and mindset. (v. 5)
•  I purposely empty myself of privileges that rightfully belong to me. (v. 7)
•  It doesn’t bother me to be treated like a servant (v. 7)
•  I voluntarily obey others, sacrificially, even if I don’t have to. (v. 8)
•  I don’t ever complain or dispute with others. (v. 14)
•  I am really happy when I serve others, even if they don’t appreciate it. (v. 17)
•  When someone talks to me about their needs, I sincerely listen. (v. 20)
•  If I’m sick, I still think about what others need (v. 26)
•  I would be willing to die for someone else (v. 30)

        Now if you checked that all of the above apply to you, you need to quickly get involved in a Celebrate Recovery group for being co-dependent. No one could possibly be all of those things, but the problem is that in the church and as Christians, few are even trying to do even a portion of those things.

Getting Bolder

Key Principle #5: BOLDNESS (part 2)

²⁹Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness
they may speak Your word, ³⁰ by stretching out Your hand to heal,
and that signs and wonders may be done
through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.”

Acts 4:29-30

How To Get Bolder

        Just as it was in the days of Peter, few today can argue with a changed life. If you lack boldness and find it difficult to speak about your faith with others, perhaps at work, with your family, or even to total strangers, imagine how Peter must have felt with such hostility. Yet notice what he says, “we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” One thing that will give you more boldness is to experience Jesus in your own life by following Him.

        But if you truly want boldness in your life, and you pray for such, God will put you in situations where you will absolutely need the infilling of the Holy Spirit to have such power to overcome intimidation. And the church and the Christian who truly seek to be filled with the fullness of the Almighty Holy Spirit will be a magnet which will attract persecution. So how badly do you want boldness?

        If you’ve ever done something heroic and only later realize just how heroic you were or how closely you came to injury or death because of what you did, you’ll probably appreciate the fact that after Peter and John went back to the disciples, they probably only then began to tremble.

        Perhaps their companions wondered aloud if they would have been able to have done what Peter and John did. They were soon to find out. If you do feel intimidated and afraid to seek for bold, you are wise. But don’t avoid it, instead, counter your fear with a prayer like the prayer which the disciples prayed in Acts 4:24-30.

²⁴ So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, ²⁵ who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: ‘Why did the nations rage, And the people plot vain things? ²⁶ The kings of the earth took their stand, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against His Christ.’ ²⁷For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together ²⁸to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. ²⁹Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, ³⁰ by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.”

        Notice what the disciples did not pray. They did not pray to ask that the threats and intimidation stop. They did not ask for their own protection. They did not say, “God, make the mean people leave us alone!” Instead, they prayed and acknowledge that heaven and earth and the sea and all of the contents of them were made and in control by God. They acknowledged that troublesome times were nothing new or surprising to the people of God, even for David. They confessed that it was God’s hand and purpose for Christ to have been crucified.

        And like God’s servant David, and like God’s Servant Jesus, the disciples squared their jaws, tightened their belts, lowered their chin and figuratively extended their hands out and palms up toward the adversaries in the physical and spiritual realm, and motioned their fingers to come here and bring it on! “Grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your Word.”

        They knew that God often uses our weaknesses and fears in order to show Himself strong and bold through us. After their prayer, the Bible says they were filled with the Spirit (verse 31). As a reminder of what being “filled with the Spirit” means, read Ephesians 5:18, “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit…”

        Being drunk with wine means to be in the state where you are so intoxicated by the alcohol that it is controlling you, making you do things that you’ll later regret. Being “filled” with the Spirit means to be under the influence and so invigorated by God’s Spirit, you’ll do things you will never forget and never regret. Being filled with the Spirit is the opposite of being drunk; the Spirit of God is in control. 

Key Principle #5: Grant to Your servants...boldness

Key Principle #5: BOLDNESS (part 1)

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John,
and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men,
they marveled.
And they realized that they had been with Jesus.

Acts 4:13

        We saw in Acts 3 that God promises refreshing, blessing and the very presence of the Lord when we repent of our sins. And when we do that, everything will go smoothly the rest of our lives.

        Well, not exactly.

        If that were true, then Peter and John would not have been arrested in Acts 4. “Yes, and all those who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution,” (2 Tim. 3:12). Peter and John were arrested but that was a small consequence of having a total number of 5,000 men to be converted.

        Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the dead or the afterlife at all. In our walk with Christ, we face those of different beliefs. Imagine the intimidation Peter, a lowly fisherman, could have felt, standing in before priests and the captain of the Temple and the extremely well-educated men who didn’t even believe in any type of resurrection, let alone that Jesus was raised from the dead. Not to add any pressure, but the next day, they brought in Annas, the high priest, Caiaphas, John and Alexander, the family of the high priest. They might as well have brought in Caesar himself!

        Now let’s see, where have we heard the name Caiaphas before? Oh, yes, seems that Jesus went before Caiaphas in Matthew 26:57-58 and look, who was that following there in distance. “But Peter followed Him at a distance to the high priest’s courtyard. And he went in and sat with the servants to see the end.” This didn’t look good for Peter. The last time he was in this predicament, he was anything but bold.

The Growing Need for Boldness

        During the 20^th century, the church, at least in the Western world, didn’t struggle with a need for boldness because many Christians didn’t suffer much in persecution for living godly lives. However, with the dawn of the 21^st century, we are seeing this change rather quickly, militant groups target those who take a stand for godliness and protesting Christians as “hate-groups.” Pastors are willing to forgo their tax-exempt status for their churches and some have even faced jail sentences for preaching the Word of God in the United States. Christians who go into predominately hostile neighborhoods, proclaiming salvation and freedom through Christ, need police escorts for their safety. But this is nothing new for the church compared to its 2,000 year history and it is certainly not new for churches in the rest of the world, especially areas dominated by other religions.

        The church, even the church in America, will be needing boldness in the coming days.

        So how did Peter, the man who denied Christ three times in the court of the high priest, do in front of the man who accused Jesus Christ of blasphemy on months earlier?

⁸Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel…¹⁰ let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. ¹¹ This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ ¹² Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” ¹³ Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.

        Not bad for a rookie preacher. Now what gave Peter and John such boldness? It wasn’t their education, for they were lowly fishermen. It wasn’t their proper training because they were untrained by the “accredited schools,” of the religious leaders. However, it was very apparent that Peter and John had been clearly trained by Jesus. Being “filled with the Holy Spirit” put a fiery boldness on Peter’s tongue.

        The boldness of Peter’s proclamation in verse 12 was especially profound when you remember that this was only a few short weeks since Jesus was crucified. Peter not only stated that there was a resurrection, but it can only be achieved through the power of Jesus’ name.  There was no earthly reason why the religious leaders could not have been harsher with Peter for what he said, especially by claiming that very man, “whom you crucified,” was the very Chief Cornerstone rejected by the builders.