God’s co:mission requires that we never compromise the message of the gospel...

This week we are looking at a story in which a man named Paul becomes involved in a disagreement about the message of the gospel that was so significant that it almost destroyed this new community called the church. Yesterday, we discovered that as far as Peter and the other closest followers of Jesus were concerned, God clearly made no distinction between Jew and Gentile. Both Jew and Gentile were to be rescued from selfishness and rebellion the same way. And that way was by placing one’s confident trust in God’s transformational intervention and activity through Jesus life, death, and resurrection.

However, there was still another person’s opinion yet to be heard on this issue; an opinion that carried great weight. Luke introduces us to this person and his opinion beginning in verse 13:

After they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, "Brethren, listen to me. "Simeon has related how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name. "With this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written, 'AFTER THESE THINGS I will return, AND I WILL REBUILD THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID WHICH HAS FALLEN, AND I WILL REBUILD ITS RUINS, AND I WILL RESTORE IT, SO THAT THE REST OF MANKIND MAY SEEK THE LORD, AND ALL THE GENTILES WHO ARE CALLED BY MY NAME,' SAYS THE LORD, WHO MAKES THESE THINGS KNOWN FROM LONG AGO. "Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood. "For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath."

After listening to Paul and Barnabas, the Jewish followers of Jesus, and Peter, Luke tells us that a man named James spoke. James was the half brother of Jesus who was the Senior Pastor at the church in Jerusalem. James was the man who wrote the letter of James that is recorded for us in the New Testament of our Bibles today. James was one of the most respected leaders in the church, so when James spoke, people listened.

After gathering their attention, James explains that the story that Peter shared was not to be viewed as being abnormal and as going against God. Instead, James explains that Peter’s experience and story makes perfect sense in light of God’s plan that is recorded for us in the Bible. And to reinforce this reality, James quotes from a section of a letter that is recorded for us in our Bibles called the book of Amos.

In Amos 9:11-12, the prophet Amos predicted and proclaimed that God, at the end of his story here on earth would restore the Jewish people to a position of prominence in the world. And at that point, both Jews and Gentiles would be able to experience the relationship with God that they were created for. James point is that God’s plan all along was rescue Jews and Gentiles, and that rescue was not based on circumcision and what one did for God. Instead that rescue was based on whom God called and rescued through Jesus. James is revealing the reality that the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel was a universal message and that God’s kingdom mission was a universal mission.

God was not abandoning His divine plan by bringing Gentiles to Himself; instead, He was fulfilling His plan. And because of the reality, James recommended that Jewish followers of Jesus not trouble Gentiles followers of Jesus by failing to accurately communicate the message of the gospel. Instead, James suggests that a letter be written to the members of the church at Antioch to explain what had happened and to provide clear instructions when it came to what was required when it came to following Jesus and His message and teachings. James states that Gentile followers of Jesus should abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood.

Now two questions arise at this point. The first question is “what is he talking about here?” By things contaminated by idols, James is referring to sacrificial meat that was offered as an act of worship in the temples of the false gods of the gentiles. Part of this meat would be burned on the altar as the deity’s portion, part was eaten at a solemn meal at the temple, and part was sold in the local meat market for home use. Fornication refers to any unlawful sexual intercourse, which is any sexual activity outside of a covenant marriage relationship; whether it is sex before marriage, sex in addition to marriage, which we call adultery, homosexual sexual activity and any other sexual activity that occurs outside of marriage. By what is strangled by blood, James is referring to animals that were killed and eaten without having the blood drained from them. All of these behaviors were in direct violation of the Law.

Now a second question that arises here is why did James pick out these three specific issues to address among Gentiles who had become followers of Jesus? Of all the commands recorded in the Law, why would James focus on these three? I believe that James focused on these three issues for two specific reasons. First, these three issues all revolved around a singular issue, and that issue is idolatry, which is worshipping something other than god as God. Second, these three issues were all an integral part of idolatrous worship that had been previously practiced by these Gentiles who had now become followers of Jesus.

You see, whether in to Old Testament or in the New Testament, we discover that the God of the Bible was to be worshipped in a manner that was distinctively different than any other religious system. And, as a result, followers of God were to live their lives in a way that was distinctively different. James made these recommendations to unpack the reality that the core message of the gospel results in a lifestyle of worship that is radically different when it comes to how we view our relationship with God and our relationships with others.

For those who were concerned that the Gentiles would not learn about the history of the Jewish people and the Law, James explains that they could go to the synagogues and listen to the Law. After hearing James recommendation, a spirit of unity and agreement entered into their conversations. God’s transformational intervention and activity, backed by the truth of His word, brought all involved in this controversial dispute into agreement. Luke tells us that James, along with the leaders of the church in Jerusalem and the Apostles, then shared their recommendation to the entire church for their affirmation. Luke then records what happened next:

Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas-- Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren, and they sent this letter by them, "The apostles and the brethren who are elders, to the brethren in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia who are from the Gentiles, greetings. "Since we have heard that some of our number to whom we gave no instruction have disturbed you with their words, unsettling your souls, it seemed good to us, having become of one mind, to select men to send to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. "Therefore we have sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will also report the same things by word of mouth. "For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication; if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell."

And it is in this story that we see revealed for us another timeless principle that is necessary to embrace if we are to fully engage in the co:mission that we have been given by partnering with God in order to advance His mission as we live our day to day lives in a way that reveals and reflects Christ. And that timeless principle is that God’s co:mission requires that we never compromise the message of the gospel.

There are within Christianity some aspects of the faith which are open-handed and debatable. There are some aspects of Christianity that are debatable issues that are not clearly expressed in the message and the teachings of the Bible. Other aspects of Christianity, however, are close-handed issues and are not open for debate. There are some aspects of Christianity that are clearly expressed in the message and the teachings of the Bible, thus there is no need for debate.

Where we get into trouble as followers of Jesus is when we attempt to take closed handed issue and make them open handed, while at the same time taking open handed issues and making them closed handed. And the timeless reality is that the message of the gospel is a closed handed issue, it is not open for debate. When we compromise the message of the gospel, by either removing the more offensive parts of the message in order to make it easier to hear, or by adding to it in a way that results in a faith plus works message, we not only compromise the message of the gospel, we also compromise the co:mission we have been given.

We compromise the co:mission we have been given by either providing a false sense of security that comes from embracing less than the truth, or by providing a false barrier that results in a failure to embrace more than the truth. However, when we clearly communicate the message of the gospel, the result is that God’s kingdom mission is advanced and God’s reputation is enhanced. We see this reality reveal itself as Luke concludes this story:

So when they were sent away, they went down to Antioch; and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. When they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. Judas and Silas, also being prophets themselves, encouraged and strengthened the brethren with a lengthy message. After they had spent time there, they were sent away from the brethren in peace to those who had sent them out. But it seemed good to Silas to remain there. But Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch, teaching and preaching with many others also, the word of the Lord.

As a result of the godly leadership of James, the elders of the church at Jerusalem, and the Apostles, a controversy and debate that could have destroyed this new community called the church was avoided. And it was God’s transformational intervention and activity in the lives of these early followers of Jesus that resulted in us having clarity when it comes to the message of the gospel. Because, as we have seen, God’s co:mission requires that we never compromise the message of the gospel.

The message that God responded to the selfishness and rebellion of all humanity by sending His Son Jesus, who entered into humanity and allowed Himself to be treated as though He lived our selfish and sinful lives so that God the Father could treat us as though we lived Jesus perfect life. The message that it is not what we do for God that makes us right with God, but it is in placing our confident trust in what God has done for us through Jesus. The message that we can receive forgiveness of our selfishness and sin and experience the relationship with God that we were created for by placing our confident trust in what God has done for us through Jesus by believing, trusting, and following Jesus as Lord and Leader.

Does Trust in Jesus + Doing for Jesus = the Gospel?

This week we are looking at a story in which a man named Paul becomes involved in a disagreement so significant that it almost destroyed this new community called the church. Yesterday, we discovered that this controversy and debate over the message of the gospel was so heated that the members of the church at Antioch decided to send Paul and Barnabas, along with other members of the church, who would serve as witnesses to what had happened, to Jerusalem so the leaders of the church at Jerusalem could hear this controversy and render their decision as to who was right. So Paul, Barnabas and the others traveled to Jerusalem to attend what would become the first church council. Luke records for us what happens next, beginning in verse 4:

When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them. But some of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, "It is necessary to circumcise them and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses."

After arriving in Jerusalem, Paul and Barnabas were warmly welcomed by the Apostles, who were Jesus closest followers while He was here on earth, and the leaders of the church at Jerusalem. Paul and Barnabas began sharing all that God had done through them during their mission trip to southern Turkey. They shared how they were able to use the spiritual sign gifts that they had received from the Holy Spirit to do the miraculous, which served to confirm and authenticate that the message of the gospel was in fact from God and not simply made up by man.

They shared how the Gentiles had responded to the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel by believing, trusting, and following Jesus as Lord and Leader. They shared how these Gentile followers of Jesus were living lives that were controlled, influenced, equipped and empowered by the Holy Spirit to reveal and reflect Christ to others.

However, some Jewish followers of Jesus who had previously been involved in the Jewish religious system as Pharisee’s stood up and objected to what they were hearing. Their objection was straightforward and to the point: "It is necessary to circumcise them and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses." The Law here refers to the first five books that are recorded for us in our Bibles today, which the Jewish people referred to as the Law or Torah. These books contained a list of commands that they Jewish people believed that they needed to follow in order to be right with God. And one of those commands was circumcision.

If their objection was communicated in the language we use today, their objection would have sounded something like this: “no that’s not right, these Gentiles need to not only believe, trust, and follow Jesus; they also need to follow the commandments of the Law. They need to identify themselves with us Jews by being circumcised. They need to become like us Jews, in order to be considered Christians. To be followers of Jesus, they need to have faith plus works, they need to not only trust in what God has done through Jesus, they need to do for Jesus”.

Maybe you can relate to what the Jewish followers of Jesus are saying. Maybe you are wondering if forgiveness and a right relationship with God is based on what you do for God. Maybe you are wondering if forgiveness and a right relationship with God is based on faith in Jesus plus works. Maybe you find it hard to believe that Paul and Barnabas are right, that forgiveness and a right relationship with God is solely based on trusting in what God has done through Jesus. If I have just described you,I just want to let you know that those are great questions to be wrestling with. And fortunately for us, Luke records for us how this council wrestled and answered these significant questions. So let’s look at it together, beginning in Acts 15:6:

The apostles and the elders came together to look into this matter. After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, "Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe. "And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. "Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? "But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are." All the people kept silent, and they were listening to Barnabas and Paul as they were relating what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.

After a lengthy discussion, Peter, who was the leader of these earliest followers of Jesus, shared the story of his encounter as a Jewish man with Gentiles. Luke records this story for us in Acts 10-12. Peter shared the story of how God led him to share the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel with Gentile named Cornelius, who was a commander in the Roman Army who lived in northern Israel. Peter shared the story of how, as he shared the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel to these Cornelius and his family and friends, that they received the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues. Peter shared the story of how the speaking in tongues served as a sign to Peter and to the other Jewish followers of Jesus with him that God’s co:mission was a mission to the Gentiles and that Gentiles were to be a part of this new community called the church. Peter shared the story of how he and other Jewish followers of Jesus responded to God’s transformational intervention and activity in the lives of these Gentile followers of Jesus by baptizing them.

Peter then asked a question that served to provide clarity to the controversy and debate over the core message of the gospel: "Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?” In other words, “why are you attempting to test God in order to discover whether God could really rescue Gentiles? Why are you testing God by saying “well, if God had really rescued the Gentiles, then they should be willing to be circumcised and follow the Law? How did that work for us anyway? How well did we do as Jewish people when it came to keeping all the commandments of the Law? We failed miserably, so why would you even think to place the Gentiles in a similar position under the same requirements that we failed to keep?”

As far as Peter and the other closest followers of Jesus were concerned, God clearly made no distinction between Jew and Gentile. Both Jew and Gentile were to be rescued from selfishness and rebellion the same way. And that way was by placing one’s confident trust in God’s transformational intervention and activity through Jesus life, death, and resurrection. However, there was still another person’s opinion yet to be heard on this issue; an opinion that carried great weight.

Tomorrow, we will see Luke introduce us to this person and his opinion...

A Disagreement over the Gospel...

For the past several months, we have been looking at a letter that is recorded for us in our Bibles called the book of Acts, which records the story of how early followers of Jesus responded to the mission that they were given to be the vehicle that God used to reveal His Son Jesus as they partnered with God to advance His kingdom mission in the world. This week I would like for us to spend our time together looking at a story in which Paul becomes involved in a disagreement so significant that it almost destroyed this new community called the church. So let’s enter into the story together as Luke provides us the context in which this disagreement takes place, beginning in Acts 14:27:

When they had arrived and gathered the church together, they began to report all things that God had done with them and how He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. And they spent a long time with the disciples.

Luke begins by sharing how Paul and Barnabas gathered together the members of the church at Antioch, which was located in what is now modern day Syria, to report to them all God had accomplished through them during a mission trip to southern Turkey. This was the first of three mission trips that Paul would take and is recorded for us in Acts chapters 13-14. In Acts 13-14, Luke records for us how God had used Paul and Barnabas as the vehicle to reveal His Son Jesus and the message of the gospel in powerful ways throughout this region. Upon returning to Antioch, Paul and Barnabas spent a great deal of time sharing all that had happened. Now the church at Antioch was the largest church in this region and was comprised mainly of Gentiles, which are people that are not Jewish ethnically or culturally. And it is this context that this significant disagreement appears, beginning in Acts 15:1. Let’s look at it together:

Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved." And when Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate with them, the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue. Therefore, being sent on their way by the church, they were passing through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and were bringing great joy to all the brethren.

Now, to fully understand the nature and significance of this disagreement, we first need to ask and answer several questions. First, who were these men were traveled from Jerusalem to Antioch? These men were Jewish ethnically and culturally who attended the church at Jerusalem. And as a result of their Jewish background, they began to teach and preach to the Gentile members of the church at Antioch that unless they were circumcised according to the custom of Moses, they cannot be saved.

But what does that mean? What is the big deal about circumcision? Circumcision is a surgical procedure that involves removing the foreskin from the male genitals with a surgical knife, or in this case, a knife made of stone. And right about now every man is cringing at that thought.

The reason that circumcision was so significant was that circumcision was a covenant sign that identified the Jewish people as being God’s people. Circumcision was a religious act that was required to be performed under the Law so that you would be able to be identified as being right with God as part of the Jewish religious system. Circumcision was something you did for God in order to be right with God. The vast majority of Gentiles, however, having not been a part of the Jewish religious system, had not been circumcised.

So what these Jewish members from the church at Jerusalem were saying to these Gentile followers of Jesus was this: “If you want to become a follower of Jesus, not only do you have to believe, trust, and follow Jesus as Lord and Leader; you also have to follow all the Laws that God gave the Jewish people through Moses. And one of those laws is that you have to be circumcised”. In other words, these Jewish followers of Jesus were basically telling these Gentile followers of Jesus that a person needed to become a Jew before they became a Christian. That becoming a follower of Jesus involved faith plus works.

Now imagine yourself as a 20-something male member of the church at Antioch. You are at church one Sunday and, all of a sudden, a Jewish guy comes up to you and says “oh, by the way, in order for you to be a part of this community, you first need to be circumcised. We have a booth right around the corner where we can take care of that for you. But if you do not become circumcised, you can’t be a part of this community and you are not really a follower of Jesus and right with God”.

Now, how would you respond? Would you be more likely or less likely to buy into this new community called the church? Do you think that this would be a help or a hindrance to the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel advancing? This was a huge issue that caused a huge controversy and disagreement. Luke tells us that Paul and Barnabas, upon hearing about these Jewish men and their teaching had great dissension and debate with them. In other words, Paul and Barnabas had words with these Jewish men. They engaged in a heated and aggressive discussion that involved strife and disunity. Neither side was going to budge.

You see, this was more than a disagreement over a potentially painful surgical procedure. This was a disagreement over how a person was able to enter into a right relationship with God. This was a disagreement over the message of the gospel. Is the message of the gospel that we are rescued from our selfishness and rebellion because of what we do for God? Is the core message of the gospel that we are rescued from our selfishness and rebellion because of what we do for God plus trusting in what God has done for us? Is the gospel faith plus works? Or is the core message of the gospel that we are rescued from our selfishness and rebellion because we place our confident trust in what God has done for us through Jesus Christ and nothing else?

This was a huge issue and a huge disagreement. This is a gospel issue that threatened the very existence of the church during the churches infancy. Most scholars believe that this debate and controversy occurred in 49 A.D., which is within fifteen years of the birth of the church. In addition, Paul provides us greater detail of this conflict in the second chapter of a letter that he wrote that is recorded for us in our Bibles called the book of Galatians.

Luke tells us that this controversy and debate was so heated that the members of the church at Antioch decided to send Paul and Barnabas, along with other members of the church, who would serve as witnesses to what had happened, to Jerusalem. The leaders of the church at Antioch desired that Jesus closest followers and the leaders of the church at Jerusalem, would hear this controversy and render their decision as to who was right. So Paul, Barnabas and the others traveled to Jerusalem to attend what would become the first church council.

Tomorrow we will look at what happened during this council...

God's co:mission is about transformation that leads to multiplication...

This week, we are looking at a story in the Book of Acts that records the impact that the death of Stephen had on early followers of Jesus. Yesterday, we saw Luke share the story of an encounter that a man named Saul had with Jesus that would forever change his life and the life of this new movement called the church. Today, we will see that after this encounter Saul was never the same, for Saul had been fundamentally changed by God’s transformational intervention and activity in his life. A change that Luke reveals for us beginning in the second half of verse 19:

Now for several days he was with the disciples who were at Damascus, and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, "He is the Son of God." All those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, "Is this not he who in Jerusalem destroyed those who called on this name, and who had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?" But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ. When many days had elapsed, the Jews plotted together to do away with him, but their plot became known to Saul. They were also watching the gates day and night so that they might put him to death; but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a large basket.

After recovering physically from His encounter with Jesus, Saul entered into the synagogue of Damascus to share with the Jewish religious leaders and people the mission and message that drove him. What he shared however, was not what they expected to hear. Saul began to publicly and powerfully proclaim the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel. Luke tells us that the Jewish people of Damascus were amazed at what they were hearing. As we have previously discovered, this word amazed literally means to feel astonishment caused by an event which is extraordinary and difficult to understand.

These Jewish religious leaders and people were beside themselves; they were at a loss to explain what was happening. “I thought Saul was coming to help rid us of this new movement, but instead he is now promoting this movement?” When Luke says that Saul was increasing in strength and confounding the Jews, the word confounded literally means to cause dismay and consternation. You see, Saul had graduated at the top of his class in Torah school. He knew the Old Testament better than anyone. And now, the man who was supposed to pillage and destroy followers of Jesus was now the main apologist for Jesus, proving that Jesus fulfilled the promises and predictions recorded in the Old Testament.

In verse 23, Luke explains that after many days, the Jewish people had enough of Saul. We know from other letters in the Bible that Saul was in Damascus for a period of three years. After three years of frustrating the Jewish religious system and its leaders, the Jewish people decided that they would try to kill Saul. The transformation of Saul resulted in the rejection of Saul by those who would have previously welcomed and accepted him.

And in the same way today, God’s transformational activity can result in rejection by those who were previously close to us. So often, a person who becomes a follower of Jesus will experience a loss when it comes to a previous relationship or friendships. As the Holy Spirit transforms our character and conduct, those around us who have rejected Jesus often respond by rejecting Jesus and the Holy Spirit that they see active and at work in us.

Luke tells us that Saul was rescued from the plot to kill him by other followers of Jesus, who lowered him in a large basket over the city walls. Saul then traveled back to Jerusalem, where he experienced a different response. A response that Luke records for us in verse 26:

When he came to Jerusalem, he was trying to associate with the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and how at Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus. And he was with them, moving about freely in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord. And he was talking and arguing with the Hellenistic Jews; but they were attempting to put him to death. But when the brethren learned of it, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus.

As Saul tried to engage and experience community with the members of the church at Jerusalem, the followers of Jesus there responded to Saul with apprehension and fear. Instead of coming alongside and welcoming, loving and serving Saul in a way that resulted in his spiritual good and growth, the followers of Jesus in Jerusalem avoided Paul. They found it hard to believe that Saul had been transformed and rescued. They were apprehensive to welcome him, fearing that it was all a facade.

How often can we find ourselves tempted to act just like the early followers of Jesus in Jerusalem? How often can we find ourselves tempted to look through the prism of skepticism when we see or hear that someone has become a follower of Jesus? How often are we tempted to take the approach “I’ll believe it when I see it?” Or find ourselves tempted to spiritualize and rationalize our skepticism with phrases like “let’s wait and see if there is any fruit in their life”.

Fortunately for Saul, there was a follower of Jesus named Barnabas who welcomed, loved, and served as an intermediary between Paul and the leaders of the church. Barnabas shared Saul’s story of his encounter with Jesus and God’s transformational activity in his life that was evidenced in his character and conduct in Damascus. Barnabas took the time to engage Saul and to hear his story.

And as a result of Barnabas willingness to engage, love and serve Saul, Saul was welcomed into the community and was used by God to reveal and reflect Christ throughout Jerusalem. Luke then explains that just as it was in Damascus, Jews who were Greek ethnically responded to Saul by attempting to kill him. Despite their attempt, Saul was ushered out of Jerusalem safely to Tarsus, where he would spend the next fourteen years preparing for the amazing role that he would play in God’s co:mission.

And it is in the story of Saul that we discover a timeless principle that is necessary to embrace if we are to fully engage in the co:mission we have been given in a way that reveals and reflects Christ. And that timeless principle is this: God’s co:mission is about transformation that leads to multiplication. The story of God’s mission in the world is a story about transformation. God used the persecution that arose from the death of Stephen at the hands of Saul to position His followers so that they would engage in the co:mission that they had been given to be the vehicle that revealed His Son Jesus and His message of rescue through the message of the gospel to the world.

And it was God’s transformational intervention and activity in the life of a man Saul that resulted in God’s co:mission advancing to the uttermost ends of the world. You see, while you may not hear much about Saul after Acts chapter 9, there is another character that will soon take center stage in God’s co:mission. A character that carried the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel to the countries of Turkey, Greece, Rome, and Spain: A character that wrote the vast majority of what we refer to today as the New Testament in our Bibles: A character that received a new name as a result of God’s transformational activity and intervention: A character named Paul.

You see, God’s co:mission is all about taking people like Saul and transforming them into people like Paul. Same physical body, but transformed by the power of God in order to advance the kingdom of God and advance the reputation of God. We see Luke reveal this reality as he concludes this story:

So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase.

Luke tells us that as a result of God’s transformation of Saul into Paul, the church experienced peace from persecution and was marked by the encouragement of the Holy Spirit as followers of Jesus connected in community with one another. And as a result of God’s transformational activity, we read that the church continued to multiply and increase in size and scope.

And in the same way today, God’s co:mission is about transformation that leads to multiplication. It is God’s transformational intervention and activity that rescues people from selfishness and rebellion and brings them into the relationship with God that they were created for. It is God’s transformational intervention and activity that also equips, empowers, and unleashes those same individuals to be the vehicle that He uses to reveal His Son Jesus and His message of rescue through the message of the gospel to the world.

A Transformational Encounter...

This week, we are looking at a story in the Book of Acts that records the impact that the death of Stephen had on early followers of Jesus. Yesterday, we saw Luke provide two examples from an early follower of Jesus named Phillip to reveal how the persecution that arose after Stephen’s death served to move God’s co:mission outward to Samaria and beyond in the north and to Judea and beyond in the south. Today, we will see Luke shift the focus to a new character in the story of God’s co:mission in the world. We meet this new character together, beginning in Acts 9:1:

Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

In Acts 8, Luke introduced us to a man named Saul, who he explained had begun to ravage the church. Now the phrase to ravage, in the language that this letter was originally written in, was used to describe an animal ravaging his prey. Saul hated the church; Saul despised early followers of Jesus. In Acts 9:1-2, Luke tells us that Saul was breathing murderous threats against the church. And his hatred for followers of Jesus was so consuming that he requested permission to travel all the way to Damascus Syria, which was a distance of 135 miles, so that he could arrest followers of Jesus and bring them back to Jerusalem for trial, in order to put an end to this new movement called the church.

Saul was consumed with hate and driven to fan the flames of hate when it came to the great persecution that was occurring. After receiving permission, Saul proceeded to begin the trip to Damascus. On that trip, however, Saul had an encounter that he did not expect with someone he did not expect: an encounter that would forever change his life and the life of this new movement called the church. An encounter that is recorded for us in Acts 9:3:

As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; and he fell to the ground and 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 get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do."

As he traveled toward Damascus bent on destroying this new movement called the church, Saul and his caravan were overwhelmed by a light from Heaven so powerful that it knocked Saul to the ground. And as Saul looked up, he found himself face to face with a being who reflected the glory of God. This being then asked a simple question: Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” Notice that the question was not “why are you persecuting these people?” The question was “why are you persecuting Me?” Saul, recognizing that he was in the presence of God, asks “who are you Lord?” In other words, “God, who are you, because I am not trying to persecute you, Yahweh”.

What Saul was not prepared for was exactly what he heard next: “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting”. At that moment, Saul, face to face with the resurrected Jesus Christ in His glory, had identified Yahweh, the God of the Old Testament, with Jesus. He had recognized that he was face to face with God and that Jesus was God. Luke tells us that Jesus gave Saul a simple instruction: go to the city of Damascus and wait until I tell you what you need to do. We see Saul’s response recorded for us in verses 7-9:

The men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

As a result of his encounter with Jesus, Saul was blinded by the glory of God. Saul’s encounter with Jesus would permanently mark him. Most scholars believe that Saul suffered from significant vision problems the rest of his life. In a state of shock over what he had seen and heard, Saul spend three days, blind and without a desire to eat and drink. Luke then records what happens next:

Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." And he said, "Here I am, Lord." And the Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight."

I bet Saul was praying. Imagine yourself as Saul. Everything that you believed about God, every theological category that you had when it came to God, has just been blown up by an encounter with Jesus. Everything that you believed, everything that drove the decisions and desires of your life has now been thrown into question. You have just had an encounter with God and God is Jesus, who you have been persecuting. You’re Saul: wouldn’t you be praying? And as Saul prayed, he was given a vision. A vision that a man named Ananias, who was a follower of Jesus in Damascus, was going to pay him a visit to heal him. Luke tells us that Jesus also appeared to Ananias in a vision, commanding him to go visit Saul. We see Ananias response to Jesus request in verse 13:

But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints at Jerusalem; and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name."

Now imagine yourself as Ananias. You have heard about Saul. Word has gotten back to you about his hatred and opposition to followers of Jesus and the church. You have heard that he was coming to town to do the same thing in Damascus as he had done in Jerusalem. Would you want to go talk with Saul? No, you would want to run from Saul, wouldn’t you? Despite the fact that Jesus Himself has told Ananias that he was to engage Saul, there was hesitation, there was fear, there was a desire to avoid Saul rather than engage Saul.

How often can we find ourselves feeling like Ananias? How often are we tempted to respond to God’s prompting in our lives to engage someone who we have heard is far from God and hostile to God by avoiding them instead of engaging them? Even though we do not know them, we have heard something about them; and what we have heard about them cause us to hesitate engaging them, despite God’s prompting to engage them. Luke records for us what happens next:

But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name's sake."

Jesus reply is straight and to the point: “Get going; don’t worry about what you have heard about Saul, because he is going to be the vehicle that I use to reversal myself and to carry the message of the gospel to the non-Jewish world. Saul is going to be the vehicle that I use to carry the message of the gospel to those who are in power and authority. And Saul is going to be the vehicle that I use to carry the message of the gospel and how it fulfilled the Old Testament predictions to the Jewish people. And Saul will understand firsthand what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Saul will understand what it means to be rejected and to endure ridicule, scorn and shame”. We see Ananias response in verse 17:

So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized; and he took food and was strengthened.

Luke tells us that Ananias responded to Jesus command by going to the Street called Straight, which is still one of the main thoroughfares through Damascus today, and met with Saul. Notice Ananias words: Brother Saul, my brother in Christ, Jesus, who you saw on the road, has sent me to heal you and to give you a mission. This healing will confirm to you that the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel are true, that what you saw is true and that God will dwell in you and unite you by the Holy Spirit to be a part of the community of the church. And God has sent me here to commission you to have a special role as a leader in the co:mission that we have been given.

As Ananias finished speaking and commissioning Saul, Luke tells us that Saul was filled with the Holy Spirit and that something like scales fell from his eyes and was able to see. Saul responded to His encounter with Jesus and his conversation with Ananias by publicly identifying himself as a follower of Jesus through baptism. And from this point forward, Saul was never the same, for Saul had been fundamentally changed by God’s transformational intervention and activity in his life.

Tomorrow, we will see Luke reveal that change for us...

Why Persecution?

This week I would like for us to spend our time together picking up where we left off last week as a man named Stephen was killed as a result of opposition to the mission and message of Jesus. Because it was the death of Stephen that introduced a new dynamic into the co:mission that they had been given, along with a new character into the story of the lives of these early followers of Jesus. And it is this new character that reveals for us a timeless principle that is necessary to embrace if we are to fully engage in the co:mission we have been given by partnering with the presence of God as we advance that mission and as we live our day to day lives in a way that reveals and reflects Christ. We see this new dynamic unfold in Acts 8:1:

Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death. And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Some devout men buried Stephen, and made loud lamentation over him. But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, he would put them in prison. Therefore, those who had been scattered went about preaching the word.

As we enter back into this story, Luke explains that Stephen’s death at the hands of the leadership of the Jewish nation resulted in a great persecution of this new community called the church in Jerusalem. To understand the underlying conditions that led to this persecution, we first need to understand what was happening in Jerusalem as a result of this new community called the church. At this point in the history of the church, many scholars believed that the church was composed of between seven and ten thousand people. Many people who had become followers of Jesus at the birth of the church had chosen not to travel back to their hometowns, but remained in Jerusalem.

To give you a little bit of perspective, most historians believe that the population of the city Jerusalem at this time in history was around 25-30,000 people. So between one fifth and one third of the population of Jerusalem had become followers of Jesus in the span of months. And as thousands of people continued to gather in the temple to worship a man that the Jewish religious leaders had just killed, tensions began to mount. As these early followers of Jesus gained influence and impact in the city of Jerusalem, tensions continued to mount. As these early followers of Jesus failed to be persuaded by threats and beatings to stop talking about Jesus, tensions continued to mount. And the events that surrounded Stephen served as a pivot point that galvanized and ignited those who were opposed to the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel to express that opposition through persecution.

Now a natural question that arises here is “well, if the church was God’s idea and if followers of Jesus are to be the vehicle that God was going to use to advance His kingdom mission in the world, then why would He allow the church to be persecuted? If I have just described what is running through your mind, I just want to let you know that is a great question to be asking. I believe the answer to this question is found by looking at the mission that these early followers of Jesus were given.

We began this series with Jesus giving His followers the mission: “you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth”. Yet, while these early followers of Jesus were doing a great job of being witnesses in Jerusalem, they were not engaging in the co:mission they had been given outside of Jerusalem. People were coming to Jerusalem and were responding to the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel. But instead of returning to the cities an countries where they lived, they chose to remain in Jerusalem.

And it is here where we see a timeless temptation that we face as a community of believers. As a community of faith, there is a natural temptation to focus and look inward instead of engaging outward. Our natural temptation is to focus on what the church is doing for me instead of engaging in what God has called me to do for others. And that is exactly what was happening in Jerusalem.

After the persecution, began, however, Luke tells us that followers of Jesus were forced to scatter in all directions from Jerusalem. And as they scattered, these early followers of Jesus proclaimed the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel wherever they went. God used this persecution that arose from the death of Stephen to begin engaging His followers in the co:mission that they had been given to be the vehicle to reveal His Son Jesus and His message of rescue through the message of the gospel to the world.

In the rest of chapter eight, Luke provides for us two examples of God’s co:mission advancing through the life of an early follower of Jesus named Phillip. In Acts 8:5-25, Luke records for us the story of Phillip’s travels from Jerusalem to Samaria. Samaria was located north of Jerusalem. The Jewish people had a profound dislike of Samaritans and viewed them as “unclean”, as they were an ethnic mix of Jewish and Assyrian cultures.

Following the persecution, Phillip traveled to Samaria and shared the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel. As Phillip exercised the sign spiritual gifts that God had given them to do the miraculous, these spiritual gifts served as a sign that authenticated that the message of the gospel was from God and not simply made up by man. And God’s activity through Phillip resulted in many Samaritans placing their confident trust in the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel.

In Acts 8:26-40, Luke records for us the story of Phillip’s travels from Samaria to a desert road south of Jerusalem that led to Gaza. Phillip was led by the Spirit of God to engage in a conversation with a traveling official of the Queen of Ethiopia. As a result of that conversation, the Ethiopian official placed his confident trust in Christ, was baptized and then proceeded to travel to Ethiopia, where he would have an opportunity to be the vehicle that God used to reveal His Son Jesus.

Luke provides us these two example to reveal how the persecution that arose after Stephen’s death served to move God’s co:mission outward to Samaria and beyond in the north and to Judea and beyond in the south. In chapter nine, Luke then shifts to focus on the new character to the story of God’s co:mission in the world.

Tomorrow, we will meet this new character...

God’s co:mission recognizes that there will always be opposition to the mission.

This week, we are looking at a story that is recorded for us in the book of Acts that reveals a pivot point in the lives of these early followers of Jesus as they engaged in the co:mission that they had been given. Yesterday, we saw a man named Stephen respond to the charge that he was advocating the destruction of the temple and the Jewish religious system by explaining that he had not demeaned and disrespected God and God’s word. Instead, it was the Jewish people who had demeaned and disrespected God throughout their history. Today, we will see Stephen change the subject to address the charge that he was advocating the rejection and destruction of the temple and the Jewish religious system in verse 44:

"Our fathers had the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, just as He who spoke to Moses directed him to make it according to the pattern which he had seen. "And having received it in their turn, our fathers brought it in with Joshua upon dispossessing the nations whom God drove out before our fathers, until the time of David. "David found favor in God's sight, and asked that he might find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. "But it was Solomon who built a house for Him. "However, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands; as the prophet says: 'HEAVEN IS MY THRONE, AND EARTH IS THE FOOTSTOOL OF MY FEET; WHAT KIND OF HOUSE WILL YOU BUILD FOR ME?' says the Lord, 'OR WHAT PLACE IS THERE FOR MY REPOSE? 'WAS IT NOT MY HAND WHICH MADE ALL THESE THINGS?'

Stephen reminds the council that the Jewish people had the Law and a place for God’s presence to be present with them throughout their history. The Law and the tabernacle, which was the place where God’s presence was present among the people, and where the Jewish sacrificial system of worship occurred, was with the Jewish people after their deliverance from slavery in Egypt. The Law and the Tabernacle accompanied Joshua and the Jewish people into the Promised Land until the time of King David. King David planned and King Solomon built the Temple.

Stephen then quotes from a section of a letter that is recorded for us in the Bible called the book of Isaiah to remind the council that the Law and the Temple was not what made the Jewish people right with God. Instead it was the Law and the Temple that revealed what was wrong with the Jewish people. You see, the Jewish people were so focused on the Temple and a set of rituals that they forgot that God cannot and was not confined to the temple. The Jewish people were so focused on what happened in the Temple that they missed that a relationship with God is not based on what was done in the Temple. Stephen then hammers this point as he concludes his sermon in verses 51-53:

"You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. "Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become; you who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it."

Here we see Stephen expose the problem for the council to see- “you are doing just as your father did”. Throughout the history of the Jewish people, God repeatedly sent rescuers to rescue and deliver the Jewish people from selfishness and rebellion. God sent Joseph; God sent Moses; God sent prophets like Amos and Isaiah. Finally, God sent His Son Jesus into humanity in order to reveal Himself and provide an opportunity for all of humanity to be rescued from selfishness and rebellion.

And throughout their history, the Jewish people had responded to the rescuers that God had sent by resisting, rejecting, and opposing them. And this very council who had arrested, tried, convicted and killed Jesus were following in their footsteps. And the rejection and opposition only revealed the reality that they were stubborn, hard hearted and not living in a right relationship with God. We see how the council responded to Stephen’s sermon and defense as the story concludes:

“Now when they heard this, they were cut to the quick, and they began gnashing their teeth at him. But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; and he said, "Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." But they cried out with a loud voice, and covered their ears and rushed at him with one impulse. When they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul. They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!" Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them!" Having said this, he fell asleep.

The council responded in a violent rage that resulted in the execution of Stephen. Luke explains that Stephen, who had been influenced and controlled by the Holy Spirit throughout his trial, was equipped and empowered to respond to the anger and rage that he experienced by reflecting and revealing Christ up to the very point of his death. And it is here that we are introduced to a young religious zealot who was devoted to protecting the Jewish religious system at any cost; a man named Saul.

Next week, we will hear more about him. We will hear more about him because this story marked a turning point for these early followers of Jesus. This story marked a turning point for this new community of believers called the church. And it is in this story that Luke reveals for us a timeless and sobering truth when it comes to the co:mission we have been given. And that timeless truth is this: God’s co:mission recognizes that there will always be opposition to the mission.

Throughout human history, there has always been opposition to God and to His kingdom. If you do not think that is the case, just consider this. After Genesis 3, the Bible is the story of His response to the opposition and rebellion that He faced from those who He created to live in relationship with Him and one another. The Bible is the story of God’s mission of rescue towards selfish and rebellious humanity.

Throughout the pages of the Bible, we see opposition to that mission. And, until Jesus returns, the harsh reality is that there always will be opposition to that mission. You see, the question is not “are we going to experience opposition?” The question is “how are we going to respond to the opposition we experience?”

So, how are we going to respond to the opposition we experience?

Opposition towards a Rescuer that was Repeated...

This week, we are looking at a story that is recorded for us in the book of Acts that reveals a pivot point in the lives of these early followers of Jesus as they engaged in the co:mission that they had been given. Yesterday, we saw a man named Stephen respond to the charge that he was advocating destruction of the Temple and the Jewish religious system by preaching a sermon to the most powerful people in the Jewish nation. Stephen pointed out that in spite of the fact that Joseph’s brothers rejected Joseph as their deliverer, in spite of their act of selfishness and rebellion against the deliverer that God had provided them that God used that selfishness and rebellion to position Joseph in a position to deliver the Jewish people from certain death.

Today, we will see Stephen remind the council of another person who played a prominent role in the history of the Jewish people in Acts 7:17:

"But as the time of the promise was approaching which God had assured to Abraham, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt, until THERE AROSE ANOTHER KING OVER EGYPT WHO KNEW NOTHING ABOUT JOSEPH. "It was he who took shrewd advantage of our race and mistreated our fathers so that they would expose their infants and they would not survive. "It was at this time that Moses was born; and he was lovely in the sight of God, and he was nurtured three months in his father's home. "And after he had been set outside, Pharaoh's daughter took him away and nurtured him as her own son. "Moses was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians, and he was a man of power in words and deeds. "But when he was approaching the age of forty, it entered his mind to visit his brethren, the sons of Israel. "And when he saw one of them being treated unjustly, he defended him and took vengeance for the oppressed by striking down the Egyptian. "And he supposed that his brethren understood that God was granting them deliverance through him, but they did not understand. "On the following day he appeared to them as they were fighting together, and he tried to reconcile them in peace, saying, 'Men, you are brethren, why do you injure one another?' "But the one who was injuring his neighbor pushed him away, saying, 'WHO MADE YOU A RULER AND JUDGE OVER US? 'YOU DO NOT MEAN TO KILL ME AS YOU KILLED THE EGYPTIAN YESTERDAY, DO YOU?' "At this remark, MOSES FLED AND BECAME AN ALIEN IN THE LAND OF MIDIAN, where he became the father of two sons.”?

Here we see Stephen remind the council of another character from the story of the Jewish people that was very familiar to them. This story involved a man named Moses and is recorded for us in the second book of our Bibles, called the book of Exodus. In the first two chapters of the book of Exodus, we read the story of the birth and early life of Moses. When Stephen states that Moses was lovely in the sight of God, this phrase, in the language that this letter was originally written in, conveys that Moses appearance would have positioned him to be accepted by the Egyptians.

In other words, Moses was positioned by God so that he would be accepted by the Egyptians and be in a position to rescue and deliver the Jewish people in the future. Yet, when that future time came, when Moses visited his people with the intent of rescuing them, Stephen reminds the council that the Jewish people rejected him. Stephen then quotes Exodus 2:13-15 to reinforce the reality of Moses rejection. And as a result of their rejection, Moses fled from Egypt and spent forty years as an outsider living in exile in the land of Midian. Stephen then reminds the council that God was not done with Moses, which we see beginning in verse 30:

"After forty years had passed, AN ANGEL APPEARED TO HIM IN THE WILDERNESS OF MOUNT Sinai, IN THE FLAME OF A BURNING THORN BUSH. "When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight; and as he approached to look more closely, there came the voice of the Lord: 'I AM THE GOD OF YOUR FATHERS, THE GOD OF ABRAHAM AND ISAAC AND JACOB.' Moses shook with fear and would not venture to look. "BUT THE LORD SAID TO HIM, 'TAKE OFF THE SANDALS FROM YOUR FEET, FOR THE PLACE ON WHICH YOU ARE STANDING IS HOLY GROUND. 'I HAVE CERTAINLY SEEN THE OPPRESSION OF MY PEOPLE IN EGYPT AND HAVE HEARD THEIR GROANS, AND I HAVE COME DOWN TO RESCUE THEM; COME NOW, AND I WILL SEND YOU TO EGYPT.' "This Moses whom they disowned, saying, 'WHO MADE YOU A RULER AND A JUDGE?' is the one whom God sent to be both a ruler and a deliverer with the help of the angel who appeared to him in the thorn bush. "This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in the land of Egypt and in the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years. "This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, 'GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM YOUR BRETHREN.' "This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness together with the angel who was speaking to him on Mount Sinai, and who was with our fathers; and he received living oracles to pass on to you. "Our fathers were unwilling to be obedient to him, but repudiated him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt, SAYING TO AARON, 'MAKE FOR US GODS WHO WILL GO BEFORE US; FOR THIS MOSES WHO LED US OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT-- WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM.' "At that time they made a calf and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and were rejoicing in the works of their hands. "But God turned away and delivered them up to serve the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, 'IT WAS NOT TO ME THAT YOU OFFERED VICTIMS AND SACRIFICES FORTY YEARS IN THE WILDERNESS, WAS IT, O HOUSE OF ISRAEL? 4'YOU ALSO TOOK ALONG THE TABERNACLE OF MOLOCH AND THE STAR OF THE GOD ROMPHA, THE IMAGES WHICH YOU MADE TO WORSHIP. I ALSO WILL REMOVE YOU BEYOND BABYLON.'

In other words, Stephen explains “even though the Jewish people rejected Moses as their deliverer, God was not finished with Moses. God revealed Himself to Moses in a burning bush and sent him back to rescue and lead the Jewish people out of slavery. And the miracles that occurred through Moses showed that He was a rescuer sent by God and that his message and teaching was from God. Yet despite the fact that God’s presence was present with Moses; despite the fact that God gave Moses the Law that is the foundation for the Jewish religious system that you follow to this day; despite the fact that Moses was the first one that predicted and proclaimed that God would send the Messiah that you claim to look for, the Jewish people rejected him.

Instead of following Moses as their rescuer and leader, the Jewish people rejected him and turned their hearts back to idolatry and selfishness and rebellion. And God responded to their rejection of the deliverer that He had sent and to their rebellion and idolatry by rejecting them and allowing them to die off in the wilderness. God even sent the prophet Amos to remind future generations of the Jewish people of the rejection and idolatry of that generation. Yet this rejection of God and idolatry continued throughout their history and led to the Jewish people being conquered by the Babylonians”.

Stephen’s point was that he had not demeaned and disrespected God and God’s word. Instead, it was the Jewish people who had demeaned and disrespected God throughout their history. The Jewish people rejected Moses not once, but twice as their rescuer and deliverer. And not only did they reject Moses, they also rejected God and the word of God contained in the Law in order to pursue and worship something other than God as God.

Tomorrow, we will Stephen address the charge that he was advocating the rejection and destruction of the temple and the Jewish religious system...

Opposition Towards a Rescuer who was Family...

This week, we are looking at a story that is recorded for us in the book of Acts that reveals a pivot point in the lives of these early followers of Jesus as they engaged in the co:mission that they had been given. Yesterday, we saw that a man named Stephen was arrested and charged with attempting to destroy the Temple and the Jewish Religious system that the Law imposed. Today, we will see Stephen respond to these charges by preaching a sermon to the most powerful people in the Jewish nation. So let’s look at this sermon together, beginning in Acts 7:2:

And he said, "Hear me, brethren and fathers! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, and said to him, 'LEAVE YOUR COUNTRY AND YOUR RELATIVES, AND COME INTO THE LAND THAT I WILL SHOW YOU.' "Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. From there, after his father died, God had him move to this country in which you are now living. "But He gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot of ground, and yet, even when he had no child, He promised that HE WOULD GIVE IT TO HIM AS A POSSESSION, AND TO HIS DESCENDANTS AFTER HIM. "But God spoke to this effect, that his DESCENDANTS WOULD BE ALIENS IN A FOREIGN LAND, AND THAT THEY WOULD BE ENSLAVED AND MISTREATED FOR FOUR HUNDRED YEARS. "'AND WHATEVER NATION TO WHICH THEY WILL BE IN BONDAGE I MYSELF WILL JUDGE,' said God, 'AND AFTER THAT THEY WILL COME OUT AND SERVE ME IN THIS PLACE.' "And He gave him the covenant of circumcision; and so Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.

Stephen begins his sermon by reminding the council that God had made a promise to Abraham, who was the father of the Jewish people. And in the very first letter that is recorded for us in our Bibles, called the book of Genesis, we read that God appeared to Abraham and made a promise that he and his descendants, who became the Jewish people, would have a special relationship with Him. God also revealed to Abraham that the Jewish people would spend time in slavery at the hands of the nation of Egypt.

God then explained to Abraham that He would demonstrate the fact that He was a promise maker and a promise keeper in two significant ways. First, God would send the Jewish people a deliverer, a rescuer to bring them out of slavery.
Second, God gave the Jewish people the covenant sign of circumcision. Circumcision was a covenant sign that identified the Jewish people as being God’s people.

Circumcision was an outward sign was done in order to demonstrate an inward commitment and relationship to God. Circumcision was a religious act that was required to be performed under the Law so that you would be able to be identified as being right with God as part of the Jewish religious system. Stephen then reminded the council that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob all identified themselves with God and with God’s promises. Stephen then continues his sermon by reminding them of the story of the twelve sons of Jacob, whose descendants formed the Jewish nation:

"The patriarchs became jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt. Yet God was with him, and rescued him from all his afflictions, and granted him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he made him governor over Egypt and all his household. "Now a famine came over all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction with it, and our fathers could find no food. "But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers there the first time. "On the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph's family was disclosed to Pharaoh. "Then Joseph sent word and invited Jacob his father and all his relatives to come to him, seventy-five persons in all. "And Jacob went down to Egypt and there he and our fathers died. "From there they were removed to Shechem and laid in the tomb which Abraham had purchased for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.

Now most of us have probably heard of the story of Joseph, which is found in Genesis 37-50. Joseph was one of the twelve sons of Jacob who would later form the Jewish nation. And Joseph was the son who had a dream where God revealed to him that he would be the deliverer and leader of the Jewish people. Stephen reminds the council that Joseph’s brothers, out of jealousy of Joseph being Jacob’s favorite son and because of the dream that he had been given by God, responded by throwing him into a pit and selling him into slavery.

After being falsely accused of rape and being thrown in prison; after being all but forgotten by his family and by those who he had helped while in slavery and in prison for thirteen years, Joseph rises to be second in command of all of Egypt and is used by God to deliver the Egyptian nation and the Jewish people from starvation at the hands of a devastating famine.

Stephen’s point is that in spite of the fact that Joseph’s brothers rejected Joseph as their deliverer, in spite of their act of selfishness and rebellion against the deliverer that God had provided them; God used that selfishness and rebellion to position Joseph in a position to deliver the Jewish people from certain death. Stephen then reminds the council of another person who played a prominent role in the history of the Jewish people.

We will meet that person tomorrow...

The Context of Opposition...

For the past two months, we have been looking at a letter that is recorded for us in our Bibles called the book of Acts, which records the story of how early followers of Jesus responded to the mission that they were given to be the vehicle that God used to reveal His Son Jesus as they partnered with God to advance His kingdom mission in the world. In this series, we have discovered that God’s was now sending His Spirit in order that followers of Jesus would be indwelt and united together as a part of a new community called the church. And this new community called the church was given a co-mission; a mission that would be powered by the Spirit of God in order to advance the kingdom of God and enhance the reputation of God.

This week, I would like for us to pick up where we left off last week. And as we enter back into the story of how these early followers of Jesus engaged in the co:mission that they were given, we come to a story that reveals for us a pivot point in the lives of these early followers of Jesus as they engaged in the co:mission that they had been given. So let’s begin our time together where Luke begins, which is in Acts 6:8:

“And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people. But some men from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and argued with Stephen. But they were unable to cope with the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. Then they secretly induced men to say, "We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God." And they stirred up the people, the elders and the scribes, and they came up to him and dragged him away and brought him before the Council. They put forward false witnesses who said, "This man incessantly speaks against this holy place and the Law; for we have heard him say that this Nazarene, Jesus, will destroy this place and alter the customs which Moses handed down to us." And fixing their gaze on him, all who were sitting in the Council saw his face like the face of an angel.” The high priest said, "Are these things so?"

Luke begins by revealing for us a confrontation that sets the scene for what will unfold in this story. Stephen, who we met last week as one of the seven men who were selected and commissioned to fulfill a new role in the church as a deacon, was being used by God in mighty and powerful ways. Luke tells us God’s transformational intervention and activity in Stephen’s life was evident for all to see. As Stephen lived his day to day life in a way that was controlled and influenced by the Holy Spirit, he was performing many wonders and signs. As Stephen shared the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel, these wonders and signs served to confirm and authenticate that this was a message, not made up by a man, but from God that could not be ignored or minimized.

However, a group of religious Jewish people, called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, began to argue and debate with Stephen regarding the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel. Luke tells us that while they debated and attempted to discredit the message and teachings of Jesus, these men were no match for the wisdom that Stephen possessed as a result of the equipping and empowering of the Holy Spirit.

After losing the debate, Luke records for us that these religious Jewish people employed a different strategy to deal with Stephen. They instigated a group of people to claim that Stephen spoke blasphemous words against Moses and against God. Now to blaspheme is to say things that defame, demean, or denigrate another. Unable to disprove the message, these men decided to attack the messenger, claiming that Stephen had demeaned Moses, who was considered the greatest deliverer and religious leader of the Jewish people, and God.

Luke tells us that these charges stirred up the Jewish religious people in Jerusalem to the point that they were able to have Stephen arrested and brought before the council. As we talked about a few weeks ago, the council was the Sanhedrin, which was the governing body of the Jewish nation and was comprised of the political, judicial, and religious leaders of the Jewish people. These were the most powerful people in the nation gathered together in one room.

Luke states that Stephen was brought before the council for trial and then explains the charges that were brought against him: "This man incessantly speaks against this holy place and the Law”. The Holy place refers to the Temple, which served as the center and focus of the Jewish religious system. The Law refers to the first five books of our Bibles today, which the Jewish people referred to as the Law or Torah and was the foundation of the Jewish religious system. Luke tells us that false witnesses appeared at the trial and accused Stephen of repeating Jesus claim to destroy the temple and the Jewish religious system that the Law imposed.

Now, as you might imagine, these were extraordinarily serious charges. These charges, in the Jewish culture of the first century, were the equivalent of treason and placed Stephen’s life in the balance. And yet, as Stephen was face to face with the most powerful people of the nation facing charges that placed his life in the balance, there was something about Stephen’s face that caught the attention of the council.

When Luke uses the phrase “like the face of an angel”, this phrase conveys the sense of appearing as though He had been in the presence of the glory of God. Stephen’s face reflected that God’s glory and presence was present in His life. After hearing the charges, Caiaphas, who was the High Priest, the same High Priest that oversaw Jesus arrest, trial, and crucifixion asked a simple question: "Are these things so?"

Now imagine yourself as Stephen. You are face to face with the most powerful people in the nation who had condemned Jesus. One word from these men and you are dead. So, what would you be thinking? How would you be feeling? And how would you respond? Because it is this context that we enter into this story that serves as a pivot point for these early followers of Jesus as they engaged in the co:mission that they had been given. Stephen’s response will begin a cascade of events that would forever change the influence and impact that this new movement called the church would have in the world. You see, Stephen responded to the charges that he faced by preaching a sermon to the most powerful people in the Jewish nation.

And this week instead of me telling you what Stephen preached, I would like for us to look at what Stephen preached 2,000 years ago, word for word. In this sermon, Stephen gives us an amazing overview of the Old Testament. So, if you have never had an opportunity to read much of the Old Testament, this time together will give you a concise picture of the message and teachings of the Old Testament. And it is in this sermon we discover a timeless principle that is necessary to recognize when it comes to the co:mission we have been given.

Tomorrow, we will begin to look at this sermon...

God’s co:mission requires teamwork...

This week, we are looking a story that is recorded for us in the book of Acts about a challenge to the early church that involved meeting the pressing and practical needs that arose as a result of the co:mission that they had been given. Yesterday, we saw the the leaders of the early church recommended that a new group of leaders be formed within the church that would assist the existing leaders of the church so that they could devote themselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.

In other words, this new group of leaders would focus on helping and assisting the existing leaders of the church by meeting the pressing and practical needs of the church, which would enable the existing leaders of the church to focus on protecting, caring, leading, and feeding the church spiritually. The disciples would be able to love and serve from their spiritual gifts and strengths, while unleashing another group of leaders to come alongside and assist them in the advancement of God’s kingdom mission by loving and serving from their spiritual gifts and strengths. Luke then records how the rest of the early church responded to this recommendation in verse 5:

The statement found approval with the whole congregation; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch. And these they brought before the apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them.

Luke records for us that the early church responded to this recommendation by fully embracing and acting on their recommendation. The early church carefully inspected, evaluated, and recommended seven men to present before the leaders of the church. These early leaders then prayerfully inspected and evaluated the seven based on the qualifications that they had presented. And after being affirmed through their prayerful inspection and evaluation, the seven were commission to fulfill a new role in the life of this new movement called the church; a new role that the Bible refers to as a deacon.

At City Bible Church, here is how we apply what the Bible teaches when it comes to leadership within the church. As a church, we have three specific leadership positions, which are referred to as Elders, Deacons, and Deaconess. The first leadership position, which are called Elders, are responsible for protecting, leading, caring, and feeding, the church. The second group, which are called Deacons, are responsible for assisting the Elders as part of a team that ministers to the pressing and practical needs of the church.

The qualifications for Elders and Deacons are provided for us by God in two letters that are recorded for us in our Bibles, called 1 Timothy and Titus. 1 Timothy 3:1 and 10 state that these men must meet the qualifications of being above reproach, which means that no one can point a finger of accusation against them that is accurate. Verses 2-9 of 1 Timothy 3 lay out for us what being above reproach practically looks like in the lives of these leaders. The third leadership position, which are called Deaconess, are responsible for assisting the Elders as part of a team that also minister to the pressing and practical needs of the church with a focus on the needs of women.

Now you might be wondering “but Dave, you did not mention a pastor as part of the leadership of the church. Where does a pastor fit in?” If that question is running through your mind, I want to let you know that it is a great question to be asking. To understand the answer to this question, we first need to understand what would happen in a church in the first century. A church in the first century would be what we describe today as a church plant. In many cases, when a new church is planted, the leadership of the church work full time jobs elsewhere to support their financial needs. The church is small and the main ministry occurs once a week.

As a church grows, more people are attending and more ministry is happening. The needs of the church call for a greater time commitment by the elders. It soon becomes apparent that leading the church, especially in the preaching and teaching aspects, becomes overwhelming when combined with a full time job. So what happened in the first century church, and in churches today, is that a decision is made to support one of the elders financially so that they can place their full energy into the day to day leadership of the church. In our culture today, we often refer to this position as a pastor.

It is important to understand however, that Biblically a pastor is an elder who has been placed in a position of full time commitment to the ministries of the church and receives compensation so that he can commit his time and his energy toward that responsibility. At City Bible Church, I am a part of the Elder team who has been placed in a position where I am financially compensated in order to fully devote my time to the preaching and leading of the church. And as an Elder team, we work together with the Deacon team and Deaconess team to ensure that we are fully engaged in the co:mission that we have been given as a community of believers called the church.

And it is in this story that we see Luke reveal for us a timeless principle that is necessary to embrace when it comes to the co:mission we have been given. And that timeless principle is this: God’s co:mission requires teamwork. Throughout this series, we have seen that the mission God has given us is not a solo mission. It is a mission where we partner with the presence and power of God to advance His Kingdom and enhance His reputation. The co:mission that we have been given is also a mission in which we partner with one another as followers of Jesus. As followers of Jesus and a part of the community called the church, we are to work together as a team as we engage in the mission we have been given. We are to invest the spiritual gifts, the talents, the time, and the treasure that we have been given in a way that works together for God’s glory, our spiritual growth, and others spiritual good.

And as we work and serve together as a team that is serving from our spiritual gifts and our strengths, we position ourselves as individuals and as a church to partner with God in the co:mission that we have been given to be the vehicle that He uses to reveal His Son Jesus and His message of rescue through the message of the gospel to the world. We see this reality revealed to us as Luke concludes this story in verse 7:

The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.

As these early followers of Jesus embraced working together as a team and in a way that they were loving and serving others from their strengths and gifting, God’s kingdom mission advanced and God’s reputation was enhanced. As the early leaders of the church that we would now refer to as Elders led from their strengths and gifting to protect, care, lead and feed the church; and as this new team of leaders that we now call Deacons led from their strengths and gifting that assisted the Elders by meeting the pressing and practical needs around them, the early church functioned in a way that equipped, empowered, and unleashed followers of Jesus to fully engage in the mission from their strengths in a way that revealed and reflected Christ.

Luke tells us that even members of the Jewish priestly class were embracing the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel in a way that resulted in them placing their confident trust in Christ and following Christ. God’s co:mission continued to advance as the early church functioned as a healthy and effective team that served from the spiritual gifts and their strengths and that was focused on revealing and reflecting Christ. Because God’s co:mission requires teamwork.

So here is a question to consider: Are you engaged in God’s co:mission as part of a team? Are you investing your spiritual gifts, your talents, and your abilities by leveraging those strengths in a way that results in God’s glory, others good, and your spiritual growth? Or are you on the sidelines as others invest their time, talents and energy outside of their strengths and our gifting to advance the co:mission we have been given?

Serving from Strength...

This week, we are looking a story that is recorded for us in the book of Acts about a challenge to the early church that did not come from outside the church. Instead, this challenge came from inside the church. A challenge to resolve not only a tension between differing cultures that arose from inattention; this was a tension that involved meeting the pressing and practical needs that arose as a result of the co:mission that they had been given. Today, we see Luke record how the early church responded to this challenge in Acts 6:2:

So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, "It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables.

Luke tells us that Jesus twelve closest followers responded to the challenge that lay before them by calling the first church business meeting. Can you imagine what that must have looked like? Can you imagine what it would have looked like to see thousands of followers of Jesus fill the temple courts? And as these early followers of Jesus filled the temple courts, the disciples shared with the early church the challenge that they faced. "It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables.” Now at first glance, that statement could come across as arrogant, couldn’t it? This statement could easily come across as “It is beneath me to serve tables. I am way more important to waste my time handing out food to widows”.

However, that is not the heart behind the twelve who had been given the responsibility to lead this new movement called the church. And we know that was not their heart because of this little phrase “neglect the word of God in order to serve tables”. This little phrase, in the language that this letter was originally written in, conveys that sense of setting something aside for the sake of something else. In other words, the leaders of the early church were saying “We can’t do both. We can’t protect, care, lead, and feed the church spiritually and serve the pressing and practical needs physically. We do not have enough time or energy to do both. And we do not believe that Jesus would be pleased if we were to focus our time and our energy outside of our strengths and our gifting”.

You see, this is not an issue of arrogance. This is not an issue of power or position. For these early leaders of the church, this was an issue involving how they were going to serve. This issue revolved around whether or not they were going to serve from their strengths and the gifting that they had been given by God. We see this reality revealed for us by what these early leaders of the church recommended when it came to overcoming this challenge in verse 3:

"Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. "But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word."

Luke tells us that these early leaders recommended that the early church identify seven men who would become the first of a new group of leaders in the church. This new group of leaders would be given the responsibility to ensure that the pressing and practical needs of those who were in need were being met. What is interesting is that when Luke uses the word select here, this word literally means to make a careful inspection that results in a selection. This was not to simply be a popularity contest. These seven men would have to meet specific qualifications.

First, we see that these men were to have a good reputation. These men would have to be men who were well spoken of when it came to their character and conduct. Second, we see that these me were to be full of the Spirit. These were to be men who were spiritual mature and lived their day to day life in a way that was controlled and influenced by the Holy Spirit. Third, these were men that were full of wisdom. Now when the Bible uses the word wisdom, this word refers to a developed skill for living life that brings positive results. These were to be men that lived their life in a way that demonstrated a grasp of the message and teachings of Jesus that was applied to their lives in a way that produced the fruit or results of Christ-like character and conduct.

These early leaders then provided the reason for selecting this new group of leaders in verse 4. These new leaders were to assist the existing leaders of the church so that they could devote themselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word. In other words, this new group of leaders would focus on helping and assisting the existing leaders of the church by meeting the pressing and practical needs of the church, which would enable the existing leaders of the church to focus on protecting, caring, leading, and feeding the church spiritually. The disciples would be able to love and serve from their spiritual gifts and strengths, while unleashing another group of leaders to come alongside and assist them in the advancement of God’s kingdom mission by loving and serving from their spiritual gifts and strengths.

Tomorrow, we will look at how the rest of the early church responded to this recommendation...In the meantime, if you are a follower of Jesus, here is a question to consider: Are you aware of the spiritual gifts and strengths that you have?

A Challenge from Within...

Last week, we looked at a story that revealed the reality that God’s co:mission is either enthusiastically embraced or violently opposed. The timeless reality is that the message and teachings of Jesus have always provoked a strong response, with some responding to Jesus message and teaching by enthusiastically embracing them, while at the same time, others responding to the same message and teachings with violent opposition. And many times, those who violently oppose the message and teachings of Jesus will position themselves in a way that presents challenges to us when it comes to engaging in God’s co:mission in a way that advances that mission and enhances God’s reputation.

This week, I would like for us to spend our time together picking up where we left off last week. And as we enter back into the story of how these early followers of Jesus engaged in the co:mission that they were given, we come to a story that reveals for us the reality that the challenges that can come with partnering with God to advance His mission in the world not only come from outside the community of faith. The challenges that we can face when it comes to partnering with God to advance His mission in the world can also come from inside the community of faith. And it is in this story that we will see Luke reveal for us another timeless principle that is necessary to embrace in order to fully engage in the co-mission that we have been given by God to partner with Him in a way that advances His kingdom mission as we reveal and reflect Christ to those around us. So let’s look at this story together, beginning in Acts 6:1:

Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food.

Luke begins this story by revealing for us a challenge that had arisen that posed a threat to these early followers of Jesus and the co:mission that they had been given. To fully understand the nature of this threat, however, we need to answer several questions. First, we need to understand the context in which this story was taking place. We then need to understand who Luke is referring to when he talks about the Hellenistic Jews and the native Hebrews. We then need to understand the context of what it meant to be a widow in the first century. So let’s take a minute and answer these questions.

At this point in the history of the church, many scholars believed that the church was composed of between seven and ten thousand people. In Acts 4:4, Luke tells us that the number of men that became followers of Jesus came to be about 5,000. That number does not include women or children. In Acts 5:14, Luke records that multitudes of men and women were being added to their number. Many people were traveling from the regions immediately around Jerusalem as word began to spread about this new movement called the church.

In addition, many people who had become followers of Jesus at the birth of the church had chosen not to travel back to their hometowns, but remained in Jerusalem. To give you a little bit of perspective, most historians believe that the population of the city Jerusalem at this time in history was around 25-30,000 people. So between one fifth and one third of the population of Jerusalem had become followers of Jesus in the span of months.

Luke tells us that amongst these early followers of Jesus there were Hellenistic and Hebrew Jews. Hellenistic Jews were those who were Jewish ethnically but spoke Greek and had lived outside of the Jewish nation. By contrast, native Hebrews were Jewish ethnically and lived in the Jewish nation and spoke Hebrew. Luke records that a complaint arose from the Greek speaking Jews against the Hebrew speaking Jews.

Now when Luke uses the word complaint, this word, in the language that this letter was originally written in, literally means to utter ones displeasure in a low tone of voice or to murmur under one’s breath. In other words, in the life of the community of the early church, there became an undercurrent of grumbling and murmuring. Conversations began to occur behind the scenes; conversations of grumbling and complaining. The undercurrent of complaining that began to occur behind the scenes involved a disparity in how widows were being treated.

To understand the significance of this disparity, we first need to understand the plight of widows in the first century. Before the message and teachings of Jesus, women were practically slaves, having little or no freedom and dignity. In the culture of the first century, that vast majority of women received their status and support from being a part of a family, first as the daughter of a father, then as a wife toward a husband. A woman was provided, protected, and cared for by her husband.

And because of that reality, when a woman became a widow at the death of her husband, she entered into a very vulnerable state. If her husband had not provided sufficiently for her and if there were no family to care for her, a widow found herself dependant on either remarrying or on the generosity of others. There were very few career working women in the region around Jerusalem during the first century.

Luke explains that widows who were Jewish ethnically but Greek culturally were being overlooked when it came to meeting their pressing and practical needs. While ethnically and culturally Jewish widows were being loved and served in way that met their pressing and practical needs, there was a lack of focus and attention that resulted in neglect towards those widows who were not ethnically and culturally Jewish.

And it was this tension from inattention that resulted in the early church facing a challenge. A challenge that did not come from outside the church; this was a challenge that came from inside the church. A challenge to resolve not only a tension between differing cultures that arose from inattention; this was a tension that involved meeting the pressing and practical needs that arose as a result of the co:mission that they had been given.

Tomorrow, we will see Luke record for us how the early church responded to this challenge...