Opportunity and Opposition...

Yesterday, we looked at the beginning of a story in the Bible where we saw that the message of the gospel, confirmed and authenticated by the miraculous activity of the Holy Spirit through the spiritual sign gifts, resulted in the church swelling in size. God’s co:mission was being enthusiastically embraced as followers of Jesus lived their lives as missionaries that revealed and reflected Christ as they shared the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel and as they loved and served those around them.

We imagined what it would have looked and sounded like to walk into the temple to see between 5 and 6 thousand people in genuine and authentic community as the early leaders of the church shared the message and teachings of Jesus with them. Today, we will jump back into this story and into this scene to see what happens next, beginning in verse 17:

But the high priest rose up, along with all his associates (that is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy. They laid hands on the apostles and put them in a public jail.

As the early leaders of the church continued to share the message and teachings of Jesus, and as the crowds continued to gather and grow, this caught the attention of the religious leaders of the day. Now as you might imagine, the Jewish religious leaders were not too pleased to hear that the Apostles were still speaking about Jesus just outside the temple, as these religious leaders were the very people who had killed Jesus. These religious leaders had already arrested and warned Peter and John to quit talking about Jesus. Seeing that they had not heeded their warning, the religious leaders responded by walking through the crowds of thousands as they were teaching and laid hands on them, which is a nice way to say that they grabbed them very aggressively and arrested them.

Luke reveals that the reason for such public and aggressive action was that the religious leaders were filled with jealousy. The Apostles were rock stars; the Apostles were popular; the Apostles were thought of spoken of more highly than they were. And the Jewish religious leaders viewed this reality as a threat to their position, their power, and their prominence. So, these religious leaders made a public statement to show that they still had the power and that they were still large and in charge by publicly and aggressively arresting and putting the Apostles in jail. What these religious leaders were not prepared for, however, was what happened next:

“But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the gates of the prison, and taking them out he said, "Go, stand and speak to the people in the temple the whole message of this Life."

Jesus sends an angelic messenger to free the Apostles from prison and then gives them a simple command: “Go back to doing what you have been doing. Go back to the very place where you were arrested and continue to share the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel as the means by which all can have the opportunity to experience forgiveness and life with Me forever. Don’t water down the message. Share the entire message”. Now this morning, imagine yourself as one of the Apostles. You have been beat down and arrested; you have been put in jail because you continue to talk about Jesus. Jesus then sends an angel to free you and tells you to go back to doing the very thing that got you arrested in the first place. You are now free. Would you go back? How would you respond? Luke records how the Apostles responded:

Upon hearing this, they entered into the temple about daybreak and began to teach.

The Apostles responded by waking up the next morning and going back to the very place that they had been arrested and began to share the message and teachings of Jesus. At the same time, the Jewish leaders were preparing to deal with Apostles. Luke then records their plan to deal with the Apostles and what happens next in the verses that follow:

Now when the high priest and his associates came, they called the Council together, even all the Senate of the sons of Israel, and sent orders to the prison house for them to be brought. But the officers who came did not find them in the prison; and they returned and reported back, saying, "We found the prison house locked quite securely and the guards standing at the doors; but when we had opened up, we found no one inside." Now when the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them as to what would come of this. But someone came and reported to them, "The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!"

The Jewish leaders plan was to convene the council. As we talked about a few weeks ago, the council was the Sanhedrin, which was the senate and Supreme Court of the Jewish nation. These were the most powerful people in the nation gathered together in one room. In our culture today, this would be the equivalent of having the members of the house, senate and the justices of the Supreme Court together. In addition, there were the religious leaders of the Jewish people. These religious leaders had called for the Apostles to be brought to the Sanhedrin to stand trial.

Imagine the surprise, then, when the religious leaders learned that the Apostles were not in the prison. Where did they go? Who was responsible for their release? And how are we going to explain this to the most powerful people of the nation, who we have gathered together in order to try people that are not even in our custody anymore? The religious leaders were perplexed; they were at a loss to explain what had happened or what they were going to say to explain what had happened. They had some explaining to do and they had no answers. That is until they received a report that the very people that they had arrested the day before were back at it again sharing the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel to thousands of people in the temple. Luke then tells us what happens next:

“Then the captain went along with the officers and proceeded to bring them back without violence (for they were afraid of the people, that they might be stoned).”

How would you have liked to be the captain of the temple guard? Can you imagine what that conversation would have sounded like? “Hey guys, I know I was a little harsh yesterday. Would you come back with me to see the Sanhedrin? Please?” The temple guard feared the people because the temple guard knew that all the Apostles would have to do is resist or call for resistance and they would have been hopelessly outnumbered. Instead of resisting the government authorities in an unlawful manner, the Apostles comply with their request and accompany them to the Sanhedrin, where they would be, once again, face to face with the most powerful people in the nation. Luke then provides us access to the courtroom scene in verse 27:

When they had brought them, they stood them before the Council. The high priest questioned them, saying, "We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man's blood upon us."

The high priest, acting as prosecuting attorney, confronts the Apostles with the charges against them. The charges, if stated in the language we use in our culture today, would have sounded something like this: “You were here once before, and, at that time, we commanded you to quit talking about Jesus. However, instead of obeying our command, you have chosen to continue to talk about and to teach others about Jesus. And we believe that you are doing this because you have a plan and are conspiring together in order to try and get the people to believe that we are responsible for His death”. After hearing the charges, we see the Apostles response in verse 29:

But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men. "The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross. "He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. "And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him."

In other words, Peter explains “We told you last time that you needed to judge amongst yourselves and decide whether it is right to obey you rather than God. You need to do what you think you need to do, but we need to do what we need to do. And what we need to do is to continue obey God and share all that we have seen Jesus do and all that we heard Jesus say. And besides, you did kill Him, but God raised Him from the dead. And the fact that Jesus was raised from the dead by God reveals the reality that Jesus is the Messiah whom God had promised would come and provide all humanity the opportunity to turn a life that is moving away from God back to God”. We are simply affirming and testifying to all that we have seen and heard. And the Holy Spirit and His miraculous activity in and through us is also testifying to the fact that what we are saying is true”.

Now, as you might imagine, this was not what the members of the Sanhedrin expected to hear. And this provoked a strong response from these leaders, which Luke records for us in the very next verse:

“But when they heard this, they were cut to the quick and intended to kill them.”

The phrase cut to the quick, in the language that this letter was originally written in, literally means to be infuriated. And in their anger, in their rage, the immediate course of action that came to mind was to kill them. “How dare they! Let’s just kill them and be done with them!” And in this scene of rage and anger, Luke introduces us to a man who offers another perspective.

Tomorrow, we will meet this man and his perspective...

The Trouble with Performance...

Last week, we looked at a story that revealed the reality that while you can pull the wool over everybody else’s eyes, you cannot pull the wool over God’s eyes. God wanted the members of this new movement called the church, and followers of Jesus throughout history to clearly understand that testing God brings trouble. So God provided a shocking and stunning example to grab their attention. This week, I would like for us to enter back into the book of Acts, where we see Luke reveal for us what was happening as a result of this shocking example as these early followers of Jesus continued to engage in the co:mission that they had been given, beginning in Acts 5:12:

At the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were taking place among the people; and they were all with one accord in Solomon's portico. But none of the rest dared to associate with them; however, the people held them in high esteem. And all the more believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women, were constantly added to their number, to such an extent that they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on any one of them. Also the people from the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together, bringing people who were sick or afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all being healed.

Luke begins to give us glimpse of what was happening in the lives of these early followers of Jesus by revealing God’s transformational activity through the leadership of the early church. The Apostles, which were Jesus closest followers while He was here on earth, were using the Spiritual sign gifts that they had received through the Holy Spirit to perform the miraculous. And the miracles that the Apostles were performing served to confirm and authenticate that the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel was from God and not simply made up by man. Luke also explains that as the crowds would walk into the temple mount area, what they would see was thousands of early followers of Jesus gathered together in one accord. There was an unmistakable sense of unity and community amongst these early followers of Jesus as they gathered together to hear the message and teachings of Jesus, to pray together, and to proclaim the message of the gospel through the celebration of communion.

In verse 13, Luke states that those who were not followers of Jesus dared not to associate with them. However, even though those who were far from God held these early followers of Jesus in high esteem. Those who were far from God spoke and thought highly of this new community that followed Jesus, but did not feel like they could join and be involved in a close relationship with them. That seems weird, doesn’t it? I mean, isn’t our natural tendency to want to hang out with people that we respect and think highly of? So why would those who were far from God not have the courage to try to connect with these early followers of Jesus?

To understand why those who were far from God had a high opinion of these early followers of Jesus, but did not have the courage to connect with them in community, we need to go back to what we looked at last week. After God gave the world the shocking example of Ananias and Sapphira to serve as a reminder that testing God brings trouble, all those in Jerusalem and the region around Jerusalem were gripped with fear and anxiety. Those who wanted to live a hypocritical lifestyle when it came to following Jesus were scared off.

And those who were far from God had great fear when it came to following Jesus, because they did not want to become like Ananias and Sapphira. They were worried that their performance for God would result in their death at the hands of God. They thought that they had to get their life together before they could even think about having a relationship with God.

Maybe I have just described how you view a relationship with God. Maybe you think that you have to get your life together before you could even think about having a relationship with God. Maybe you think that a relationship with God is based on your performance for God. If I have just described you, I want you to understand that it is not your performance for God that results in whether or not you have a relationship with God. Instead it is placing your confident trust in what God has done for you through Jesus that results in you having the opportunity to experience forgiveness of sin and the relationship with God that you were created for.

We see evidence of this reality revealed for us in verse 14, as Luke records that as early followers of Jesus engaged those who were far from God with the claims of Christ and message of the gospel, multitudes of men and women were constantly added to this new community. As those who were far from God heard the message of the gospel, their fears of failing to perform were replaced by a confident trust in God’s performance for them. The message of the gospel, confirmed and authenticated by the miraculous activity of the Holy Spirit through the spiritual sign gifts, resulted in the church swelling in size.

Most historians believe that at this point in the book of Acts, the church consisted of between 5,500 and 6,000 people. God’s co:mission was being enthusiastically embraced as followers of Jesus engaged in the mission that they had been given to live their lives as missionaries that revealed and reflected Christ as they shared the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel and as they loved and served those around them.

Now imagine yourself in this story. Imagine walking into the temple to see between 5 and 6 thousand people in genuine and authentic community as the early leaders of the church shared the message and teachings of Jesus with them. Can you imagine what that looked like? Can you imagine what that sounded like?

Because, tomorrow it is in this context that we see an amazing confrontation take place...

God’s co:mission recognizes that testing God brings trouble...

This week, we are looking at a troubling and disconcerting story that is recorded for us in the Book of Acts. Yesterday, we looked on as God took out a man named Ananias for lying. We questioned how this story lines up with the grace and mercy of God and the church being the vehicle to reveal and reflect Jesus. We wondered if there was something bigger going on here in this story that we are just not seeing. Today, as the story continues, we see the tension of these questions only increase as Sapphira arrives on the scene in verses 7-8:

Now there elapsed an interval of about three hours, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. And Peter responded to her, "Tell me whether you sold the land for such and such a price?" And she said, "Yes, that was the price."

Three hours later, Sapphira shows up to meet with Peter and the other leaders of the church. She has no idea what has happened to her husband and wonders where he is at. Peter responds to Sapphira’s questions by asking her about the land that had been sold. Peter wanted to understand whether Ananias was acting alone in his attempt to deceive, or if Sapphira was a willing participant in the plan. Sapphira, having no idea of what happened to her husband, followed the plan that they had concocted to deceive the church to think that they were more generous and spiritual than they were. While Peter gave Sapphira the opportunity to tell the truth; while Peter gave Sapphira the opportunity come clean, Sapphira instead chose to stick with the story. Peter, after giving Sapphira the opportunity to tell her story, proceeds to ask a question. And it is in Peter’s question that provides us answers to many of the questions that this story provokes. We see Peter’s question in verse 9:

Then Peter said to her, "Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test?

This question, if asked in the language we use in our culture today, would sound something like this: “Why would you two agree to test the nature and character of the Spirit of the Lord? Do you think that you could deceive God and get away with it? Did you both actually agree to deceive God thinking that God would just look the other way and ignore it?” You see, Ananias and Sapphira presumed that God would simply tolerate their selfish and rebellious attempt to deceive the church. Ananias and Sapphira wondered whether or not God would really notice the sin and whether or not God really cared enough about their sin to punish their sin. The couple wanted to test the limits of how far they could push when it came to selfishness and rebellion before God pushed back.

How often can we find ourselves acting like Ananias and Sapphira? How often do we presume that God will just tolerate our selfishness and rebellion? How often do we find ourselves acting like God doesn’t notice, or doesn’t care enough about our sin to punish our sin? How often can we find ourselves pushing the limits of how far we can go when it comes to selfishness and rebellion before God will push back? Well, God pushed back, as we see in the second half of verse 9:

Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well." And immediately she fell at his feet and breathed her last, and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. And great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard of these things.

God pushed back by taking Sapphira out. Luke records that the young men returned from burying her husband, only to find her dead, which meant another trip to the cemetery to bury Sapphira by her husband. This story is one of the most troubling and disconcerting stories in the Bible. For followers of Jesus, it is troubling and disconcerting to think that God took out someone for lying. And at first glance, God’s response here seems harsh. And at first glance, this story does not seem to make sense. This story does not seem fit the story of Jesus and the co-mission we have been given. The story of Jesus coming to bring grace and forgiveness. The story of the mission of God partnering with and using the church as the vehicle to reveal and reflect Jesus to the world.

But the reason that this story does fit the story of Jesus and the co-mission we have been given is exactly because of the co-mission we have been given. You see, at this point in God’s story, this new community called the church was only months old. This new community was to be the vehicle that He would use to reveal Himself and His message of rescue through the gospel to the world. And for the first time, something had entered into this new community that threatened the community from revealing and reflecting Christ. And God responded to this first threat to the new community called the church by providing a shocking and stunning example in order to grab our attention and provide a timeless principle. A 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 God in a way that advances God’s kingdom mission as we reveal and reflect Christ to those around us.

And that timeless principle is that God’s co:mission recognizes that testing God brings trouble. You see, you can pull the wool over your pastor’s eyes; you can pull the wool over your community groups eyes; you can pull the wool you’re your families eyes; you can pull the wool over your friends eyes; but you cannot pull the wool over God’s eyes. The Apostle Paul, in Galatians 6:7, relayed this principle this way: Do not be deceived; God is not mocked. God wanted the members of this new movement called the church, and followers of Jesus throughout history to clearly understand that testing God brings trouble. So God provided a shocking and stunning example to grab their attention. We see how this example grabbed their attention as the story concludes:

And great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard of these things.

As those in Jerusalem and the region around Jerusalem heard what had happened to Ananias and Sapphira, both followers of Jesus and those who were not followers of Jesus were gripped with fear and anxiety. They were gripped with fear because God gave the world a shocking example to serve as a reminder. A reminder that the church has been divinely designed to be a community of faith that is striving to reveal and reflect His Son Jesus. A reminder that God takes the reputation of the church and the mission that it has been given very seriously. A reminder that while God is full of Grace He is also full of truth. A reminder that while God extends grace and forgives when it comes to sin God is still holy and just and still hates sin. A reminder that while grace is free, it is not cheap; it cost the life of His Son. A reminder that there comes a point that when we decide to push the limits when it comes to how far we can go when it comes to selfishness and rebellion, that God will push back.

So are you testing God? Are you presuming that God will just tolerate your selfishness and rebellion? Are you acting like God doesn’t notice, or doesn’t care enough about your sin to punish your sin? Are you pushing the limits of how far you can go when it comes to selfishness and rebellion before God will push back?

Deception for Our Reputation's Sake...

This week, we are looking at a troubling and disconcerting story that is recorded for us in the Book of Acts. Yesterday we discovered that just like Barnabas, as followers of Jesus, God’s grace, God’s transformational activity in our lives is most evident as we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to live a life that reveals and reflects Christ in our heads, our hearts, and our hands. When we are investing our time in a community group listening and learning the message and teaching of the Bible; when we are investing our talents serving God by serving others in a ministry, and when we are investing our treasure through regular and proportional giving that reflects the generosity of Jesus, the Holy Spirit transformationally moves in and through those environments in a way that results in us revealing and reflecting Christ.

After painting us the backdrop of the state of the early church to provide the context for this story, Luke then brings us into the center of this troubling story in Acts 5:1:

But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife's full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles' feet.

Luke contrasts the generosity of Barnabas, who sold his property and brought the entire price to the apostles to be distributed to those who were in need, with a couple named Ananias and Sapphira. Luke explains that Ananias and Sapphira concocted a plan by which they would sell a piece of property that they owned and then bring part of the proceeds of the sale to the leaders of the church, while keeping back a portion of the proceeds for themselves. This couple then put their plan into effect by selling the land and then bringing the money to the leaders of the church. Well that seems like an o.k. plan, doesn’t it? I mean that seems generous? As Luke continues, however, we quickly discover that there was a part of this plan was not o.k.:

But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land?

You see, a part of this plan was that Ananias and Sapphira would tell the leaders of the church that they were giving them all of the money that they had made on the sale of the land, when in fact they were only giving them part of the money that they had made. While Luke does not tell us exactly how he became aware to their plan, Peter becomes aware and confronts the husband Ananias in a very clear and direct manner: “why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land?”

Now, there are several questions that come to mind when reading Peter’s words here. First, what does Peter mean when he uses the phrase “why has Satan filled your heart”? This phrase conveys the sense of someone influencing one’s decisions and desires that flow from the center and core of our beings. In other words, Peter is asking Ananias, why have you allowed Satan to so influence your decisions and desires so that you would lie. The word lie, here, in the language that this letter was originally written in, literally means to attempt deceive by lying.

The second question that arises here is what does Peter mean when He accuses Ananias of lying to the Holy Spirit? The answer to this question lies in the nature of the church. The very nature of the church is that the very Spirit of God is present when followers of Jesus gather together in community and to engage in God’s kingdom mission. Part of God’s kingdom mission in this story was to meet the pressing and practical needs that were arising by reflecting God’s generosity. And when we are involved in God’s kingdom mission as a church, whether it is investing our time, our talents, or our treasure, the very spirit of God is present and active to use that investment to capture hearts and transform lives. The Holy Spirit was present and it was the Holy Spirit, as well as the leaders of the church that Ananias was attempting to deceive.

Now a third question that arises here is “why even lie? Why be so deceitful?” And this is the exact question that we see Peter ask in Acts 5:4:

"While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God."

Peter is saying “Wasn’t the land yours before it was sold? And after you sold the land, wasn’t the money yours and at your disposal to do with it as you willed?” In other words, Peter is explaining that this was not a socialistic or communistic redistribution of wealth where Ananias was forced to sell his land and give all the proceeds to the church. This was voluntary. And because it was voluntary, Ananias could have simply said “hey I sold some land and I am giving half of the money to the church”. There was no reason to be deceitful here, which is why Peter asks “Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? Why did you concoct this plan?” So why did Ananias and Sapphira attempt to deceive the leaders of the church, and ultimately, the Holy Spirit?

I believe Ananias and Sapphira attempted to be deceitful because Ananias and Sapphira wanted to appear more generous than they really were. Ananias and Sapphira wanted to appear more spiritual than they really were. Ananias and Sapphira wanted to be viewed more highly than Barnabas was viewed. Ananias and Sapphira were more concerned about their position and prominence in the eyes of others than they were with revealing and reflecting Christ.

How often can we find ourselves tempted to do the exact same thing? How often can we find ourselves tempted to be more concerned about our position and prominence in the eyes of others than with revealing and reflecting Christ? How often can we find ourselves tempted to deceive others to think that we are more spiritual than we really are?

Peter then explains “you have not lied to men but to God”. In other words, Peter is saying “your real issue is not with us, although you have an issue with us. Your real issue is with God. Your real issue is with the triune God; God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit”. Peter here reveals for us the reality that the Holy Spirit is God. The Holy Spirit is not a force or an aura. The Holy Spirit is not an it. The Holy Spirit is a person who is the third member of the Trinity. And Ananias has just attempted to deceive God, whose presence is present as part of the church. Luke then records for us what happens next in verses 5:

And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last;

In other words He fell down dead. God responded to Ananias’ attempt at deceit by taking him out. Luke then records for us the response to what had just occurred:

and great fear came over all who heard of it. The young men got up and covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him.

All who heard what happened were gripped with fear and anxiety? Ya think? How would you like to have been the young men who got to bury Ananias? Would you want to go near someone who God just took out? Does anyone find this story a little troubling? Does anyone find this story a little disconcerting? I mean God just took out someone for lying? What about grace? What about mercy? What about Jesus coming to bring grace and forgiveness? What about the church being the vehicle to reveal and reflect Jesus?

Imagine yourself as a resident of Jerusalem, or as an early follower of Jesus who was a part of the church. Would this event make you more excited about church? Would you want to go to church after that? I mean is there something bigger going on here in this story that we are just not seeing?

I don’t know about you, but those were questions that were going through my mind as I read this story. And if those questions are running through your mind, I want you to know that these are great questions to be wrestling with. And as the story continues, we see the tension of these questions only increase as Sapphira arrives on the scene. Tomorrow, we will discover answers to the questions and tensions that this story provokes through Sapphira...

The Transformation That Leads to Reflection...

For the past several weeks, we have been looking at a letter that is recorded for us in our Bibles called the book of Acts. This week, as we enter back into the book of Acts, we come to a story that is one of the most troubling stories in the entire Bible. This is a story that provokes strong emotions and many questions. And it is in the emotions and the questions of this story that we discover a 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 God in a way that advances God’s kingdom mission as we reveal and reflect Christ to those around us. To fully understand this story, however, we first need to understand the context in which this story takes place, which Luke provides for us beginning in Acts 4:32. Let’s look at it together:

And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all.

In these verses, we see Luke provide for us an overarching statement that summarized the state of the early church in the months after arriving on the scene. When Luke uses the phrase “the congregation of those who believed, he is revealing for us the reality that the church, by its very nature and essence, is composed of individuals who believe, trust, and follow, Jesus as Lord and Leader. While those who are searching, seeking, or skeptical about the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel are always welcome to attend church, they are not, by definition, a part of the church.

The early church in Jerusalem, and churches throughout history, are a community of individuals who had placed their confident trust in the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel by believing, trusting, and following Jesus as Lord and Leader. The church has been divinely designed by God to be placed in a distinctive environment to be distinctively different, as followers of Jesus gather together in community to be the vehicle that He uses to reveal His Son Jesus to the world.

And that was exactly what was happening in the church at Jerusalem. Luke explains that these early followers of Jesus were of one heart and soul. From the seat and center of their beings, there was an unmistakable sense of connection and unity with God and one another. And because of that connection and unity, Luke explains that no one claimed that anything belonging to him was his own. In other words, these early followers of Jesus recognized that they did own anything. Instead, they recognized that God owned everything and had generously given them all that they had. As these early followers of Jesus gathered together,

Luke explains that with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. You see, preaching and teaching the message and teachings of Jesus and the Bible have always had a prominent place in the life of the church. As the message and teachings of the Bible is clearly and accurately proclaimed, the Holy Spirit powerfully takes the word of God to capture hearts and transform lives.

And as these early followers of Jesus recognized God as owner and provider; as God’s word was clearly and powerfully proclaimed, Luke states that abundant grace was upon them all. Now the word grace here refers to God’s divine favor upon someone that occurs as a result of God’s transformational intervention and activity in their lives. Now a natural question that arises here is “well how did they know that abundant grace was upon these followers of Jesus? And how do we know today when God’s grace is present and evident in our lives?” Luke provides the answer to these questions in the verses that follow:

For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles' feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need.

You see, God’s grace, God’s transformational activity is present and evident in our lives as individuals, and in community with one another, when our lives are reflecting and revealing His transformational activity. God’s transformational intervention and activity resulted in these early followers of Jesus reflecting His generosity by meeting the pressing and practical needs of those around them. Many who initially came to Christ only a few weeks earlier after Peter preached a sermon on Pentecost were not from Jerusalem, but remained in Jerusalem to be a part of this new movement called the church. They did not have homes or jobs, so there were pressing and practical needs that arose.

And these early followers of Jesus responded to these pressing and practical needs by voluntarily selling assets such as land and homes and then bringing the proceeds from that sale to the leaders of the early church, who were given the responsibility for the oversight and distribution of the money to those who were in need. The continued preaching and teaching of the message and teachings of Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, resulted in God’s gracious and transformational activity being evident as these early followers of Jesus reflected Christ’s character and conduct. Luke then provides an example of such a transformation in Acts 4:36-37:

Now Joseph, a Levite of Cyprian birth, who was also called Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means Son of Encouragement), and who owned a tract of land, sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet.

And just like Barnabas, as followers of Jesus, God’s grace, God’s transformational activity in our lives is most evident as we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to live a life that reveals and reflects Christ in our heads, our hearts, and our hands. When we are investing our time in a community group listening and learning the message and teaching of the Bible; when we are investing our talents serving God by serving others in a ministry, and when we are investing our treasure through regular and proportional giving that reflects the generosity of Jesus, the Holy Spirit transformationally moves in and through those environments in a way that results in us revealing and reflecting Christ.

After painting us the backdrop of the state of the early church to provide the context for this story, Luke then brings us into the center of this story in Acts 5:1. Tomorrow, we will explore this troubling story together...

The Source of Boldness...

This week, we are looking at a prayer that early followers of Jesus prayed after two of their leaders, named Peter and John were arrested by the leaders of the Jewish people. And it is in this prayer by these early followers of Jesus that we see God reveal for us a timeless principle that God’s co-mission requires boldness. These early followers of Jesus recognized that there would be opportunities that would continue to pop up. And with those opportunities would be opposition. With those opportunities would be threats. With those opportunities would be fear and hesitation. And those realities drove these early followers of Jesus to ask for boldness, for the courage to speak up when an opportunity popped up to share the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel.

And in the same way today, to fully engage in God’s co-mission requires that we have the boldness to speak up when an opportunity pops up. Because when we are faithful to speak up when the opportunity pops up, we create the space for God to partner with us in His co-mission to do what only He can do. We see this revealed for us as this prayer in Acts 4:29:

"And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence, while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus." And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.

These early followers of Jesus prayed that as they demonstrated the boldness to speak up when the opportunity popped up, that God would enter into those situations to do only what He could only do. The healing, the signs and the wonders that they were referring to in this prayer referred to the spiritual sign gifts that God was working through in the lives of these early followers of Jesus that resulted in the miraculous, which served to authenticate and confirm that the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel was from God and not made up by man.

Luke then explains that as these early followers of Jesus finished praying for boldness, God entered into their prayer in a powerful way. God’s presence became powerfully present, causing the room where they were praying to be shaken. You see, prayer is as much or more about communion with God than it is about communication with God. And while we may never experience God’s presence to the point that it shakes the room we are in, when we pray, our focus should be less on an answer to prayer as it is to be in the presence of God in communion with God.

Luke reveals for us that God not only responded with revealing His presence in a powerful way, God also responded by granting their request. These early followers of Jesus were equipped and empowered by the Holy Spirit to have the boldness to speak up when the opportunity popped up. And that is exactly what they did. Because to fully engage in God’s co-mission requires boldness. So here is a question to consider: Are engaged in God’s kingdom mission with boldness? How are we responding when opportunities pop up to talk about the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel?

Do we respond to the opportunities with loudness? Do we respond to the opportunities with confrontational coldness? Do we respond to the opportunities by trying to win an argument? Do we respond to the opportunities by avoiding or running from those opportunities? Or do we respond by having courage to speak openly and frankly when an opportunity presents itself? Because, at the end of the day, boldness is simply the courage to speak up when an opportunity pops up.

God's co:mission requires boldness...

This week, we are looking at a prayer that early followers of Jesus prayed after two of their leaders, named Peter and John were arrested by the leaders of the Jewish people. Yesterday, we discovered that these early followers of Jesus prayed in a way that recognized God as being large and in charge as the Creator of the universe. Today, as we continue looking at this prayer, we see Luke reveal what these early followers of Jesus prayed next in Acts 4:25:

who by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David Your servant, said, 'WHY DID THE GENTILES RAGE, AND THE PEOPLES DEVISE FUTILE THINGS? 'THE KINGS OF THE EARTH TOOK THEIR STAND, AND THE RULERS WERE GATHERED TOGETHER AGAINST THE LORD AND AGAINST HIS CHRIST.' "For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur.

In other words, these early followers of Jesus are proclaiming through prayer that “while we were surprised at the events that have occurred, God you were not surprised. While we were surprised that the Jewish religious, political and judicial leader had arrested Jesus, tried Jesus, convicted Jesus, and handed over Jesus to be crucified by the Romans, God you were not surprised. While we were surprised, you were not surprised because this had been you plan all along. And you had revealed your purpose and plan hundreds of years earlier to King David, who wrote your plan down in a Psalm that we had read growing up about the Messiah.

In Psalm 2:1-2, you predicted and proclaimed that the Jewish people and the Gentile Roman government would take your Son, who you appointed as the Messiah and gave Him the mission to rescue us from selfishness and sin, and would kill Him. And while they thought that they were in control and while we thought that things were spinning out of control, Lord we now see the reality is that You have been in control all along. Lord, You are large and in charge and You are in control because You have had this plan in mind all along. You are not surprised at what is happening to Peter, to John, to us, because this has been your purpose and plan before time began”.

You see, for these early followers of Jesus, their eyes had been opened to the reality that they were a part of God’s predetermined plan to deal with the problem of selfishness and rebellion that plagued humanity. Their eyes had been opened that they were a part of God’s co-mission. And their response to all that they had heard as Peter and John shared their story was to pray to God in community with one another in a way that recognized that the Lord was large and in charge and was inviting them to partner with Him as He advanced His kingdom mission. And it was this recognition that led to their response of worship as they began this prayer. And it was this recognition that led them to make an amazing request in verse 29:

And now, Lord, take note of their threats,

Now place yourself in the shoes of these early followers of Jesus. You have seen two of your leaders arrested and questioned by the most powerful people in the Jewish nation. These powerful people have threatened that there would be further arrests and increased consequences if they continued to mention the name and talk about the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel. You have gathered together to pray. Would this be what you and I would pray? I mean wouldn’t we be tempted to pray that God would protect us from the threats? Wouldn’t we be tempted to pray that God would deliver us from the threats? Wouldn’t we be tempted to pray that God would hinder, harm, or destroy those who are threatening us?

But that is not what these early followers of Jesus pray. Instead these early followers of Jesus ask that the Lord would take note of their threats. “God we just want you take note of our present situation. We just want you to see that we are being threatened and that we may be facing a similar situation to what Your Son Jesus faced.” Then notice what they pray for next:

and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence,

And grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence. Now this word confidence, in the language that this letter was originally written in, literally means to have a state of boldness. These early followers of Jesus responded to the threats that they were facing by praying that God would equip and empower them to share the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel with boldness. And it is in this prayer by these early followers of Jesus that we see God reveal for us a 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 God in a way that advances God’s kingdom mission as we reveal and reflect Christ to those around us. And that timeless principle is this: God’s co-mission requires boldness.

Now boldness, simply put, is the courage to speak up when an opportunity pops up. Boldness is not standing on a street corner screaming through a bullhorn while holding signs saying “turn or burn”. That is not boldness; that is something else that we will talk about in another sermon. Boldness is not loudness; boldness is not confrontational coldness. Boldness is not about winning an argument. Boldness is to courage to speak openly and frankly when an opportunity presents itself to do so. Boldness is the courage to invite a classmate to AWANA. Boldness is the courage to engage another Jr. or Sr. High student when they ask questions about what you believe. Boldness is the courage to buy a ticket and invite a coworker to the church picnic. Boldness is the courage to invite the neighbors to come to a community group with you. Boldness is the courage to invite a mother who is in line with you at Wal-Mart to MOP's.

You see, these early followers of Jesus recognized that there would be opportunities that would continue to pop up. And with those opportunities would be opposition. With those opportunities would be threats. With those opportunities would be fear and hesitation. And those realities drove these early followers of Jesus to ask for boldness, for the courage to speak up when an opportunity popped up to share the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel. And in the same way today, to fully engage in God’s co-mission requires that we have the boldness to speak up when an opportunity pops up. Because when we are faithful to speak up when the opportunity pops up, we create the space for God to partner with us in His co-mission to do what only He can do.

Tomorrow, we will see how God entered into their prayer to do what only He could do. In the meantime, how would you define boldness? And are you exercising boldness?

The Connection Between Content and Focus...

For the past several weeks, 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 pick up where we left off last week, with Peter and John being released from custody and threatened with further arrest if they continued to talk about Jesus. The religious, political, and judicial leaders of the Jewish people basically said to Peter and John “You are free to leave on the condition that you no longer mention the name of Jesus or tell others about Jesus. However, if you continue to talk about Jesus; if you continue to tell others that we killed Jesus, then you will be rearrested and come before us again. And next time we will not be as nice”.

Now place yourself in the shoes of Peter and John. What would you be thinking? How would you be feeling? How would you respond to your release? How would you respond to the threats that you had received? What would you do? Let’s look together at what Peter and John did as soon as they were released as we jump back into this story together, beginning in Acts 4:23:

When they had been released, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them.

Luke tells us that as soon as Peter and John were released, they sought out the rest of the disciples and other family and friends who were followers of Jesus and shared their story. They shared the story of being before the most powerful people in the Jewish nation. They shared the story of the questions they were asked. They shared the story of how God empowered them by the Holy Spirit to respond to the questions. They shared the story of waiting and wondering their fate as the religious, political and judicial leaders debated what to do with them. They shared the story of the threats that these leaders made to them.

Picture yourself in the room with Peter and John as they shared their story. Can you imagine what that scene looked like? Can you imagine the interaction that would have been occurring among those listening to the story? “You mean they asked you that? What did you say then? Really, you called them out for killing Jesus? You’re kidding? How did they respond? Oh I bet that really irritated them when you said that. What happened next? You said that you were not going to stop talking about what we had seen and heard? How did they respond? And they still released you? How did they threaten you? What did they say?” Can you imagine what that would have looked like?

And as Peter and John finished sharing their story, something happened in that room. Someone, upon hearing the story, suggested that they should pray. Upon hearing the suggestion, the room filled with responses of agreement. “Yeah we need to pray. Let’s pray.” And with one accord; with a unity of mind and purpose; with one impulse compelling their response, these early followers of Jesus began to pray together.

And it is in this prayer that we see these early followers of Jesus ask God to do something. These early followers of Jesus ask God to do something amazing, something remarkable, something that, if we are brutally honest, we usually do not ask God to do in our lives. And it is in this prayer that we see revealed 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 God in a way that advances God’s kingdom mission as we reveal and reflect Christ to those around us. So let’s look at this prayer together, beginning in verse 24:

And when they heard this, they lifted their voices to God with one accord and said, "O Lord, it is You who MADE THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA, AND ALL THAT IS IN THEM,

The little phrase here, O Lord, this phrase, in the language that this letter was originally written in, was a title for God as the one who has the supreme power. In our culture today, this phrase would be stated this way “O Sovereign Lord; O You who are large and in charge of everything. O Sovereign Lord who created the entire universe and all that is in it”. These early followers of Jesus then quote from a section of a letter in our Bibles called the book of Psalms. In Psalm 146, we read the Psalmist proclaim the Lord as Creator. Now this morning, here is a question to consider: how often do we start our prayers this way? How often do we start our prayers in a way that acknowledges who God is as the Creator and Sustainer of the universe? How often do we start our prayers by saying “O sovereign Lord, you are large and in charge, you are my Creator and my Master”?

I mean, if we are brutally honest, if people could consistently listen to our prayers, what would people walk away with when it comes to the focus of our prayers? How often can we find ourselves praying something like this: Dear God, thank you for this day. OK, got that out of the way. Now God please bless me, bless me bless me, please help me get that job, please help me get a good grade on the test, please make that girl go out with me, please make him be interested in me, please make my kids behave and listen to me, please help my spouse to listen to me and do what I want them to do; please help me to have a wrinkle free life that has no problems. In Jesus name Amen. Oh and help Aunt Edna with her corns, Amen”.

How often can we find ourselves praying me centered prayers? How often can we find ourselves treating our prayer life and God like He is our spiritual Santa Claus or, worse yet, like a dog on a chain that we jerk around to get Him to do what we want? Or maybe I am the only one that can so easily fall into this temptation? Maybe I am the only one who can find that I am praying general, bless me, protect, me provide for me prayers that are not specific and have little or nothing to do with what God wants to do in me and through me?

Is it just me, or can we all find ourselves in a place where we are praying general, me centered prayers? “O sovereign Lord, you are large and in charge, you are my Creator and my Master. Everything is from you, everything is for you, and everything is to you”? After worshipping God, Luke records for us what these early followers of Jesus prayed for. We will look at that prayer tomorrow.

In the meantime, what does the content of you prayers reveal about the focus of your prayers?

Risk and Reward...

This week, we are looking at a story in the book of Acts where Peter and John are in a room surrounded by the most powerful and prominent men in the Jewish nation as they begin to question and interrogate them regarding how they were able to heal a man who had been crippled and unable to walk his entire life. And it is in Peter and John's response to the questioning that we discovered the timeless principle that God’s co-mission requires courage to live in a way that reveals and reflects Christ.

Despite the risks that we may face, to fully engage in God's co:mission requires courage because it is in the times of great risk to our position or our popularity; it is in the times when our faith is questioned; it is in the times where we are challenged when it comes to our faith that provide us the greatest opportunity to live a life that reveals and reflects Christ. We see this reality revealed for us as the story continues in Acts 4:15:

But when they had ordered them to leave the Council, they began to confer with one another, saying, "What shall we do with these men? For the fact that a noteworthy miracle has taken place through them is apparent to all who live in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.

After ordering Peter and John to wait outside the council chambers of the Sanhedrin, the religious, political, and judicial leaders of the Jewish nation began to ponder how they were going to respond to what these uneducated and untrained fishermen had said and done. “What shall we do with these men?” These leaders recognized that something remarkable had occurred in their midst; something that only God’s intervention could have accomplished. And the whole city was aware that God had intervened and acted in a miraculous way. There was no denying it. The question was “what do we do about it?” Luke then reveals the decision that these leaders made in the very next verses:

"But so that it will not spread any further among the people, let us warn them to speak no longer to any man in this name." And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.

To understand why these leaders came to this decision, we first need to understand the dilemma that they were faced with. While these leaders could not deny that evidence of God’s activity in the fact that Peter and John had miraculously healed someone, they could not have Peter and John coming into the temple on a regular basis talking about Jesus. They could not have Peter and John going around talking about Jesus because these were the very people who had arrested, tried, condemned and handed over Jesus to be killed.

You see, Peter and John now posed the same threat that Jesus posed to these leaders. Peter and John were now threatening the very religious system and power that these men possessed. And the threat that Peter and John posed was that through their continued sharing of the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel, the new community called the church would continue to grow and the message of the gospel would continue to spread.

So these leaders decided that the easiest way to deal with this problem was to warn, which is a nice way to say threaten, Peter and John to no longer share the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel. They could come to the temple; they could worship God; they just could no longer speak no longer to any man in this name. They just need to stop talking about Jesus.

Has anything changed? So often, people will tell me that we live in a time and culture that is dark and devoid of spirituality. But to say that our culture is devoid of spirituality is inaccurate. On the contrary, we are living in a very spiritual culture where people have no problem talking about religion or spirituality. Yet, while most people have no problem with anyone talking about religion and spirituality, whenever you bring up the name Jesus, there seems to be a change. People are much less willing to talk about Jesus. The name Jesus evokes strong opinions and strong responses. And many times, a discussion about religion and spirituality will come to a screeching halt as soon as Jesus is introduced. This is not a new phenomenon; this has been occurring for 2,000 years.

Now, imagine yourself as Peter and John. You have been questioned by the most powerful people in your country, the equivalent of the congress and the Supreme Court. And now, after they have deliberated about your fate, you are brought before them to hear their decision. And this is the decision that you hear: “You are free to leave on the condition that you no longer mention the name of Jesus or tell others about Jesus. However, if you continue to talk about Jesus; if you continue to tell others that we killed Jesus, then you will be rearrested and come before us again. And next time we will not be as nice”. What would you be thinking? How would you be feeling? How would you respond? We see how Peter and John responded in verse 19:

But Peter and John answered and said to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard."

Peter and John respond to the most powerful people of the Jewish nation clearly and simply. If Peter and John would have responded in the language that we use in our culture today, their response would have sounded something like this: “You need to judge amongst yourselves and decide whether it is right to obey you rather than God. You need to do what you think you need to do, but we need to do what we need to do. And what we need to do is to continue to share all that we have seen Jesus do and all that we heard Jesus say”.

Now, as you might imagine, this was not what the political, religious, and judicial leaders of the Jewish people expected to hear. Their bluff had been called. And once again, they were face to face with the same question: “What shall we do with these men?” Luke reveals for us how they responded to their bluff being called as the story concludes:

When they had threatened them further, they let them go (finding no basis on which to punish them) on account of the people, because they were all glorifying God for what had happened; for the man was more than forty years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed.

As these leaders pondered their options, they could not escape two truths. First, they could not escape the truth that Peter and John had not done anything worth continued imprisonment. Second, they could not escape the truth that throughout Jerusalem, the people were attributing the healing of this crippled man to the hand of God through Peter and John. So, not wanting to make Peter and John martyrs, and fearing the people, the leaders further threatened Peter and John and then released them. And as a result of the courage that Peter and John displayed to live in a way that reveals and reflects Christ, God’s kingdom mission was advanced and God’s reputation was being enhanced in the sight of the people.

And in the same way today, God’s co-mission requires courage to live in a way that reveals and reflects Christ. So here is a question for us to consider: Are we courageously living a life that reveals and reflect Christ? Are we demonstrating the courage to live a life that reveals and reflects Christ by investing and inviting those around you who are far from God to explore faith? Are we demonstrating the courage to live a life that reveals and reflects Christ by doing the right thing, even when it is not the easy or popular thing to do? Are we demonstrating the courage to live a life that reveals and reflects Christ by standing firm in your faith when your faith is ridiculed or questioned? Are we demonstrating the courage to live a life that reveals and reflects Christ, even when it could result in the loss of friendships or relationships, of position or popularity at school or work?

Because, the timeless reality is that God’s co-mission requires courage to live in a way that reveals and reflects Christ.

God's co:mission requires courage to live in a way that reveals and reflects Christ...

This week, we are looking at a story in the book of Acts where Peter and John are in a room surrounded by the most powerful and prominent men in the Jewish nation as they begin to question and interrogate them regarding how they were able to heal a man who had been crippled and unable to walk his entire life?” After revealing the ridiculous nature of the situation they were in, Luke records Peter’s answer for us in Acts 4:10:

"let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead-- by this name this man stands here before you in good health. "He is the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED by you, THE BUILDERS, but WHICH BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone. "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved."

In other words, Peter states “I want you all to be sure to understand that the reason that we were able to physically heal and save this person from a lifetime of physical suffering was so that you would know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus Christ is God-in-a-bod; that Jesus was the promised Messiah and you killed Him. You know Caiaphas, you were there. Annas, you were there. You arrested Him, you tried Him, you condemned Him, and you handed Him over to be killed and made an example of. But Jesus is not dead, He is alive because He was raised from the dead. And this man stands before you saved and rescued from physical suffering is a witness and a sign that Jesus was who He said He was”.

Peter then quotes a section of a letter that is recorded for us in our Bibles, called the book of Psalms, to prove his point. In Psalm 118:22, the psalmist predicted and proclaimed that the Messiah would come and be rejected. Peter is explaining that this prediction by the Psalmist had been fulfilled by the very people in the room who were questioning them. Caiaphas, Annas, and others in the room: the very people who had the power to arrest and punish him: the very people who held his and John’s fate in their hands.

And if that was not enough, Peter then concludes his response by explaining the exclusive nature of the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel. “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved”. Peter reinforces the reality that this miraculous healing was to serve as a sign to the Jewish people. This miraculous healing was to serve as a sign to confirm that the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel was from God and not simply made up by man.

Just as Jesus was the only one who could save and rescue this crippled man physically, it is Jesus and the message of the gospel alone that provides salvation and rescue from the selfishness and rebellion that separates us from a right relationship with God. Can you imagine the scene in that room? Can you imagine the tension, the emotion that must have filled that room? Luke records for us the response of the political, religious, and judicial leaders to Peter’s defense in the very next verse:

Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in reply.

As the political, religious, and judicial leaders of the Jewish people listened to Peter’s response, they began to perceive something about Peter and John. The most powerful people in the Jewish nation began to recognize something about Peter and John. And what they came to recognize was the confidence of Peter and John. Now this word confidence, in the language that this letter was written in, literally means to display a state of boldness and courage. Peter and John had the courage to speak openly and frankly. In front of the most powerful people in the nation, Peter and John did not cower; instead they displayed the courage to stand face to face with them and speak the truth to them.

What caught these leaders so off guard however, was who they were talking to. These were not two political leaders from the ruling class; these were not two religious leaders who had studied under a rabbi. These were not two men who went to Bible College and seminary. They were uneducated and untrained fisherman. And these powerful religious leaders were amazed at the courage that they were displaying in their presence. Now this word amazed literally means to be extraordinarily impressed or disturbed by something. Now I believe that these religious leaders were both extraordinarily impressed and extraordinarily disturbed at the same time. The reason why I believe that was the case is because of what appears next in this verse: they began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.

In other words, these powerful religious, political, and judicial leaders began to connect the dots that that Peter and John had been with Jesus. They had heard things like this said before and they knew who said those things before-Jesus. They connected the dots that Peter and John sounded and acted like Jesus. They connected the dots that Peter and John revealed and reflected Jesus in their attitude and actions.

And as these religious, political, and judicial leaders began to connect the dots; and as these powerful leaders looked and the man who had been healed by Peter and John, Luke states that they had nothing to say in reply. In other words, they had no response, they had nothing. Nothing to contradict what they had said, no answer, no explanation. And it is here that we see revealed 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 God in a way that advances God’s kingdom mission as we reveal and reflect Christ to those around us. And that timeless principle is this: God’s co-mission requires courage to live in a way that reveals and reflects Christ.

You see, while we may never have to face a trial in front of the congress and the supreme court of the United States for being a follower of Jesus; while we may never experience a situation where our lives are in danger because we are a follower of Jesus, engaging in God’s co-mission requires courage. It requires courage to live a life that reveals and reflects Christ by investing and inviting those around you who are far from God to explore faith. It requires courage to live a life that reveals and reflects Christ by doing the right thing, even when it is not the easy or popular thing to do.

It requires courage when living a life that reveals and reflects Christ requires you to stand firm in your faith when your faith is ridiculed or questioned. It requires courage when living a life that reveals and reflects Christ results in the loss of friendships or relationships. It requires courage when living a life that reveals and reflects Christ results in a loss of a promotion at work. It requires courage when living a life that reveals and reflects Christ results in a loss of a position of popularity at school.

But it is in the times of great risk to our position or our popularity; it is in the times when our faith is questioned; it is in the times where we are challenged when it comes to our faith that provide us the greatest opportunity to live a life that reveals and reflects Christ.

Tomorrow, we see this reality revealed for us as the story continues...

An Intimidating Situation...

This week, as we continue looking at a letter in our Bible called the book of Acts, I would like for us to pick up where we left off last week, with Peter and John spending the evening in jail after being arrested by the religious leaders of the day. And as we will back into this story, we will discover 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 God in a way that advances God’s kingdom mission as we reveal and reflect Christ to those around us. So let’s jump back into this story together, beginning in Acts 4:5:

On the next day, their rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem; and Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of high-priestly descent. When they had placed them in the center, they began to inquire, "By what power, or in what name, have you done this?"

As we enter back into the story of Peter and John’s arrest, Luke paints for us the scene that will provide the backdrop to what will happen next. After spending the night in jail, Peter and John were brought before the Sanhedrin. Now the Sanhedrin was the senate and Supreme Court of the Jewish nation. The Sanhedrin comprised the political, religious, and judicial leaders of the Jewish people that formed their governing body. These were the most powerful people in the nation gathered together in one room. In our culture today, this would be the equivalent of having the members of the house, senate and the justices of the Supreme Court together.

In addition, there were the religious leaders of the Jewish people. Luke tells us that both Annas, who was the former high priest, and Caiaphas, who was the current high priest, were present at the meeting, along with two men named John and Alexander. While we are not exactly sure who John and Alexander were, those reading Luke’s letter would be very familiar with who John and Alexander were. What is so significant about these men is that these were the very men who had condemned Jesus to death. These were the very men, who only a few months earlier had arrested Jesus, tried Jesus, convicted Jesus, and handed over Jesus to be crucified. And now Peter and John found themselves not only before the very men who had condemned Jesus to death; Peter and John also found themselves before the entire political and judicial leadership of the Jewish nation.

Now, imagine yourself in this story as Peter and John. Put yourself in the shoes of Peter and John as they stand in the middle of the room surrounded by the most powerful and prominent men in the Jewish nation. And as you stand in the center of this room surrounded by 70-80 of the most powerful men of the Jewish nation, they begin to question and interrogate you. And the question that they ask you is direct and to the point: "By what power, or in what name, have you done this?" In other words “How were you able to do this? How were you able to heal this man who had been crippled and unable to walk his entire life?”

You are Peter and John; what would you be thinking? How would you be feeling right about now? You are face to face with the very men who had condemned Jesus. You are face to face with the most powerful people in the nation. 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? Luke records for us Peter’s response in the verses that follow. Let’s look at them together:

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers and elders of the people, if we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man, as to how this man has been made well,

Luke tells us that Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit. As he faced the religious, political, and judicial leaders of the Jewish nation, Peter was equipped and empowered by the Holy Spirit to respond to their questioning. And Peter begins his response by revealing the ridiculous nature of the situation, because the situation that Peter and John were in seemed to make no sense. Normally, in the Jewish and Roman culture of the day, a person who performed such an act of healing or rescue would be brought before the Sanhedrin to receive a civic award. But Peter and John were not receiving a reward for what they had done; instead Peter and John were being put on trial for what they had done.

If Peter was making his response in the language we use in our culture today, his response would sound something like this: “So you mean to tell me that we have been ordered to testify at a judicial hearing in front of the most powerful people in the Jewish nation because we saved someone from a devastating physical disease? Seriously? Instead of giving us an award, you want to put us on trial because you want to know how we were able to save someone from a lifetime of physical suffering? Well, if that is why we are in front of you today, if you want to know how and more importantly why we were able to heal this man, here is the answer.”

Tomorrow, we will see their answer and discover a timeless principle. In the meantime, have you ever been in an intimidating situation. What were you feeling? What were you thinking? How did you respond to that situation?

God’s co:mission requires a desire to deflect the glory toward Jesus...

This week, we are looking at a miraculous story that is recorded for us in a letter in our Bible called the Book of Acts. Yesterday, we saw that two men, named Peter and John, were faced with a decision when it came to how they were going to respond to the glory they were getting. We discussed the reality that, if we are brutally honest with ourselves, our natural inclination is to be glory hogs. Our natural inclination and desire is to absorb glory, to bask in glory, to allow glory to wash over us like a refreshing shower. We love to be in the center, we love to be the focus. And we all struggle with that temptation to absorb the glory that comes from attention, applause, and affirmation that receive from others.

And because we struggle with temptation to absorb glory, we often respond to that temptation by ignoring glory. We ignore the attention; we ignore the applause; we ignore that affirmation. We then asked if ignoring glory was any better than absorbing glory. We asked if there was a third way, a right way of responding to the glory that people attempt to bring our way. Today, we will see in Peter and John’s response to the glory that they were getting a third way revealed to us. So let’s look at their response together, beginning in Acts 3:12:

But when Peter saw this, he replied to the people, "Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this, or why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made him walk?

In other words, Peter says “Why are you so impressed with us? Why are you staring at us? Do you think that it is because of our own charisma or capabilities that we made this man walk? Do you think that we are deserving of the glory that you are trying to give us?” Peter continues:

"The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus, the one whom you delivered and disowned in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him. "But you disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, but put to death the Prince of life, the one whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses. "And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all. "And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers did also. "But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. "Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time. "Moses said, 'THE LORD GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM YOUR BRETHREN; TO HIM YOU SHALL GIVE HEED to everything He says to you. 'And it will be that every soul that does not heed that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.' "And likewise, all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and his successors onward, also announced these days. "It is you who are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, 'AND IN YOUR SEED ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH SHALL BE BLESSED.' "For you first, God raised up His Servant and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways."

Peter takes the attention and the glory that the crowds were trying to give to him and, like any good preacher, turns it into an opportunity to preach a sermon. Peter’s sermon is simple and to the point: “We do not deserve the attention or the glory that you are giving us. The reason that this man is able to walk is because of what God has done in us and through us through Jesus. It is Jesus who should get the attention and glory, because it is Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit, who healed this man. Jesus should get the power and the glory because even though you refused to acknowledge that He is God-in-a-bod, who came to rescue us; even though you delivered Him over to the Romans to be killed, God proved that Jesus was who He said He was by raising Him from the dead."

"And while you were unaware that you were actually killing God who came to rescue us, we know that Jesus Christ is God and is alive because we have seen Him and we are here to testify that the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel is true. And the miraculous and unexplainable events that you have witnessed today are to show and to prove that the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel are true. This miracle was done so that Jesus would receive glory and so that you might respond to what you have seen and heard today by recognizing and feeling remorse for how you are living life so as to change the trajectory of your life that is moving away from God back towards God by believing, trusting, and following Jesus as Lord and Leader.”

And it is in this sermon by Peter that we see revealed for us a third way that we are to respond when people try to give us glory. And it is this third way that also reveals for us a 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 God in a way that advances God’s kingdom mission as we reveal and reflect Christ to those around us. And that timeless principle is this: God’s co:mission requires a desire to deflect the glory toward Jesus.

You see, God’s co:mission is not a solo mission. God’s co:mission is not a mission that is focused on us absorbing that glory that rightfully belongs to God. And God’s co:mission is not about us ignoring the glory that rightfully belongs to God. Instead, God’s co:mission is all about us deflecting the glory that rightfully belongs to God as God uses us as the vehicle to reveal His Son Jesus to those around us.

And when we engage in God’s co:mission by living our lives as missionaries that genuinely and authentically follow Jesus teachings in a way that deflects the glory towards Jesus as we love and serve those around us, we will experience two potential responses. We see those responses experienced by Peter and John in the opening verses of Acts 4:

As they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them, being greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they laid hands on them and put them in jail until the next day, for it was already evening. But many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.

As Peter and John continued to deflect the glory away from themselves and toward Jesus, the crowds continued to gather and grow, which caught the attention of the religious leaders of the day. Now as you might imagine, the Jewish religious leaders were not too pleased to hear Peter and John speaking about Jesus just outside the temple, as these religious leaders were the very people who had killed Jesus. The religious leaders responded by laying hands on Peter and John, which is a nice way to say that they grabbed them very aggressively and arrested them. But, in spite of the arrest of Peter and John, many people responded to what they had seen and heard by placing their confident trust in the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel by believing, trusting, and following Jesus as Lord and Leader.

You see, as is often the case, the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel are either enthusiastically embraced or they are violently opposed. Peter and John experienced both in this story. And you and I will experience both as we engage in the co:mission that we have been given. Regardless of how the response, it is important to remember that we are not responsible for the response. What we are responsible for, however, is how we live our lives as followers of Jesus and how we respond to those who would want to give us glory. Because God’s co:mission requires a desire to deflect the glory toward Jesus.

So how will you respond to those around you who desire to give you glory for what God is doing in you and through you? How will you respond to those around you who want to give you glory for all that God has given you? Will you absorb the glory? Will you ignore the glory? Or will you deflect the glory to Jesus?

The Temptation That Comes With Attention, Applause, and Affirmation...

This week, we are looking at a miraculous story that is recorded for us in a letter in our Bible called the book of Acts. I this story, a beggar who had never walked before was miraculous healed by God through Peter and John, who were two early followers of Jesus. Luke, who was the author of the book of Acts, tells us that the beggar responded by doing something that he had never done before, he walked himself into the temple with Peter and John jumping for joy and worshipping God.

Now imagine being a person that was in the temple courts that afternoon. Imagine the scene as you walked this man who had never walked get up and walk, run, leap and rejoice all the way into the temple. For years you had seen this man sitting outside the entrance to the temple begging for money. And now he is in the temple praising God with two guys who picked him up off of the ground and told him to walk. What would you be thinking? Luke shares the crowds response in what we read next:

And all the people saw him walking and praising God; and they were taking note of him as being the one who used to sit at the Beautiful Gate of the temple to beg alms, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. While he was clinging to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them at the so-called portico of Solomon, full of amazement.

Luke tells us that the crowds were filled with wonder and amazement. You think? Now this word amazement conveys that sense of having such a profound emotional experience that one is at the point of being beside oneself. The crowds were astonished and amazed as a result of the unusual events that they had seen and heard about. They were at a loss to explain what had happened. And as Peter, John and this beggar emerged from the temple after the service, the amazed crowds did what people who are beside themselves in amazement do; they ran toward the three men.

You see, the crowds recognized that before this beggar met Peter and John, he was lame, he was a cripple. And now, after meeting Peter and John, he was healed, he was healthy, he was whole. The crowds recognized that Peter and John were the ones who were new to this man’s story. And the crowds believed that Peter and John were responsible for the unexplainable. The crowds believed that Peter and John were responsible for the miraculous. The crowds looked at Peter and John in the same way as we look at rock stars or professional athletes. The crowds were captivated be Peter and John and were extraordinarily impressed by what they had seen and heard.

And it is at this point that Peter and John were faced with a decision. And that decision involved how they were going to respond to the attention, the accolades, and the praise that they were receiving. How were they going to respond to the glory that they were getting. “Wow you guys are awesome! You totally healed him! How did you do that? What else are you guys able to do?” Peter and John were faced with the same decision that you and I can be faced with as followers of Jesus.

You see, Peter and John had been used by God as the vehicle to reveal His Son Jesus. And while God does not normally use you and I to do make the crippled walk, God continues to use His followers as the vehicle to reveal His Son Jesus to the world around us. As we live our lives in a way that genuinely and authentically followers the message and teachings of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit, those around us take notice. They take notice and they often respond by engaging. They engage us with questions: “How is it that you never seem to get angry when things go bad at work like the rest of us do?” They engage us with compliments: “Boy you guys seem to have such a great family” Or “hey, you did an awesome job with your presentation” or “you are so smart, you always seem to get straight A’s”. They engage us with attention that results in praise, approval, and glory.

And it is at that point that we are faced with the same decision that Peter and John were faced with. How are we going to respond to the glory we are getting? Are we going to absorb the glory that we are receiving from others? Are we going to ignore the glory that we are receiving from others? What are you going to do with the glory that we are receiving? If we are brutally honest with ourselves, our natural inclination is to be glory hogs, isn’t it? Our natural inclination and desire is to absorb glory, to bask in glory, to allow glory to wash over us like a refreshing shower. We love to be in the center, we love to be the focus.

I know that is my inclination. I know that my selfish and narcissistic nature apart from Jesus and the Holy Spirit’s activity in my life is to want to be a glory hog. I mean, it is great to receive glory isn’t it? It feels good, it enhances our self esteem. And there are times that I struggle with the temptation to be a glory hog. And, we all can struggle with that temptation, can’t we? The glory that comes from attention; the glory that comes from applause; the glory that comes from affirmation.

And because we struggle with temptation to absorb glory, we often respond to that temptation by ignoring glory. We ignore the attention; we ignore the applause; we ignore that affirmation. But is ignoring glory any better than absorbing glory? Is there a third way, a right way of responding to the glory that people attempt to bring our way? I believe there is. And it is in Peter and John’s response to the glory that they were getting that we see this third way revealed to us.

Tomorrow, we will look at their response that reveals this third way...