It's been a while since I could post. Here is something I've learned only during the past few weeks. Thanks Jeff Gage of Bryan's First United Methodist Church for introducing me to this concept.
I believe in growth through study. I am also a devout Wesleyan in how I view my Christian life and service. John Wesley was a man way ahead of his time in how he viewed the Christian life and our responsibilities to our fellow man. He was chased out of many towns and churches for preaching hard truths and forcing them to think about what they were doing and why they were doing it.
I’ll write more about John Wesley another time though, as today I want to discuss the “Wesley Quadrilateral.” First know that Wesley never wrote directly about this, but people who have studied his writings and journals have summarized his views this way.
The Wesley Quadrilateral is a way we can study the Bible to come to various theological conclusions (truths) about how to live our lives as Christians. I have recently heard a radio preacher speaking about women preaching and how the Bible expressly forbids this. He then said, “You can’t pick and choose what you believe and don’t believe. It’s in the Bible, therefore you have to do it.”
Really? So when your brother dies, you marry your sister in law to keep the bloodline strong? You take part in stoning adulterers? Oh that part doesn’t apply? But you just said, “You can’t pick and choose what you believe and don’t believe.”
So how do we find the answers we seek? What are the truths that God reveals to us in the Bible? Wesley’s thoughts on this are my own and they come down to the famous Wesley Quadrilateral.
First the Bible is divinely inspired and is the primary way we learn of God’s will for our lives. Wesley taught that the Bible was “primary, but not solitary.” This meant that the Bible is where all instruction begins and all the answers are there, but we must also apply reason, experience, and tradition to truly come to the understandings we so desperately seek.
I’ve heard a minister say, “The King James version of the Bible is the only Bible.” Really? What about all the other Bibles printed or copied since the 3rd century? The King James was an English language version in the 16th century marking a Reformation movement for people to be able to read the Bible in their own language. See Education and the application of REASON are important. God would not have given us reason if he did not expect us to use it. I’ve also heard another minister teach that it is “easier for to get a camel through the eye of the needle, than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” He then held up a sewing needle basically emphasizing that no rich man could ever get to Heaven. Okay, let’s apply some reason here. The “Eye of the Needle” was the gate leading to where the Camels and other animals were kept in the “barnyard.” Camels are big, dumb animals and have to be kicked and prodded to be brought into the yard through the gate, but they do make it inside, usually on a daily basis. See this changes the entire meaning of the quote. Don’t half-quote scripture, and do not attempt to apply it without Reason!
To truly understand what Paul was saying about lady ministers we must understand the culture and times he lived in, the basic morals and values, and traditions of that time. If you read the scripture, apply Reason, personal experiences, and church (universal) traditions then you can come to an understanding of what is right and wrong, what are the truths, and how they effect your PERSONAL relationship with God.
Personal experiences are also important in our understanding of God’s love and grace. I believe that every person must “seek God with fear and trembling” as each of us must answer to him for our own lives. My experiences in various churches growing up had both positive and negative effects on me. My personal growth through study in my Church and in my life have given me some insights that may be wrong, but I hope are right. My goal is to live an authentic, Christian life that may help others to know the love and grace of Jesus Christ. My goal is not to attack my brother’s and sisters, to be judgmental, or to drive them away from knowing God’s love and grace. How has God worked in my life and how can I grow and develop from these experiences? We do not exist in a vacuum, and God is ever revealing himself to us in our personal relationship with him. If you came to the alter to get married, you wouldn’t say goodbye as soon as the ceremony was done and leave to live the rest of your life without your spouse. The conversion experience is like that. You must foster a personal relationship with God to grow in that relationship. This is the purpose for your life.
Finally there is the idea of church traditions. Why do Methodist’s always do Communion during the 1st Sunday of a Month? A hundred years ago, itinerate ministers rode from town to town and would perform Communion and weddings while he was there, usually once a month. The Bible actually doesn’t prescribe when to have the Communion service. Jesus said, “Do this as often as you eat it.” Does this mean every meal, or does this mean when we stop to remember him? The church must change and grow with the times. It does not make sense for the church to practice and teach as it did 1000 years ago. The truths may be the same, but the culture, the technology, even the literacy rates are different.
Only by using the Bible as the primary source for learning, and then applying reason, experience, and traditions can we truly discover the truths of God’s grace and love for us and further our personal relationships with him.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
The Ever-Revealing God
Who is God? What is he? She? How did humanity move from being mostly polytheistic (worshipping many gods), to being mostly monotheistic (worshipping one God)? In 1912, Father Wilhelm Schmidt, in his book, The Origin of the Idea of God,” suggested that there had been a primitive monotheism before men and women had started to worship a number of gods”. He states that this original, High God, was replaced by the “more attractive gods of the pagan pantheons.” However, most anthropologists believe that most of the ancient world was polytheistic.
It was with an ancient man named Abraham in the land of Sumer, outside of the city-state of Ur, that the God of the Jews is revealed. Abraham is said to have left Ur and eventually settled in the land of Canaan sometime between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries BC, or about 4000 years ago. God tells Abraham that he has a special destiny as the father of a great nation. His sons become the fathers of the tribes of Israel and eventually move to Egypt to escape a famine. Abraham knew Him as El Shaddai. In these ancient times God would appear and walk among men in an intimate manner. They could talk to him and even wrestle with Him, as Jacob did on the West Bank of Jabbok. God tested Abraham’s trust (faith) when he ordered him to sacrifice his son Isaac. This is a horrible story to our modern understanding, and many Christians have debated what this was for. We need to understand that many of the gods of ancient days practiced human sacrifice as they required “the input of energy from men and women.” God did not, and by stopping the sacrifice of Isaac he was distancing himself from these other human-created gods. Abraham had proven his faith and the covenant was secure. God was seen as a jealous, war-like God, who protected His elect, and punished all who stood against them. So afraid of Him were the Jews, that they refused to call him by name (they believed that names had power, and that no mere mortal could contain the power of God by naming him). Ancient Hebrew writing YHWH, left out the vowels so His name would not be pronounced.
Later, when God led Moses and the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, he sent many plagues and finally the Angel of Death to strike down all the first born males of Egypt, then destroyed Pharaoh’s army by swallowing them up in the miracle at the Sea of Reeds. At this time the Israelites saw God as a God of War, also known as Yahwek Sabaoth, the God of Armies. God would make a new covenant with Moses. The people of Israel were to worship only God and would keep to his laws. He required obedience, but time and time again the Israelites would fail in their part of this agreement.
Eventually the Jews created a temple as a place to house the Ark of the Covenant and they began to see it as a “replica of Yahweh’s heavenly court.” His worshippers saw him as a being of fire and power, though Elijah would show another aspect of God when he took refuge on a mountain of the Sinai peninsula. He sheltered in the rocks and waited to see God. There was a mighty wind, but God was not in it. Then a great earthquake, but God was not in it. Then fire, but again God was not in it. After the fire came the sound of a gentle breeze. Elijah knew God was there and he “covered his face with a cloak.” Unlike the pagan gods, the God of the Hebrews was not in any of the “forces of nature but in a realm apart. He is experienced in the scarcely perceptible timbre of a tiny breeze in the paradox of voiced silence.”
Around 900 B.C., the Hebrew’s ideas of God began to change again. God’s prophets communed with him and new ideas of social justice began to develop. What was in men’s hearts was more important than the outward observances of Jewish traditions. God, ever seeking a closer relationship with man was continually being revealed. In fact, a basic tenet of the Jewish religious beliefs includes studying the Torah, as well as the ever-revealing truth of God. This is something that many Christians have lost in their traditions. God is always seeking a closer relationship with us and is ever-revealing Himself to us. Jews were required to profess their faith in the Shema: “Listen Israel! Yahweh is our God. He alone! You shall love God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. “
At the time of Christ, the most progressive of the Jewish sects were the Pharisees. Yes, I know they have been depicted as hypocrites in our modern churches, but some scholars suggest that Christ was one of them as he often debated with them in their style of questioning and debate (only other Pharisees were allowed to debate in this manner). They believed that everyone in Israel were “called to be a holy nation of priests. God could be present in the humblest home as well as in the Temple….Jews could now approach [H]im directly without the mediation of a priestly caste and an elaborate ritual. They could atone for their sins by acts of loving-kindness to their neighbor; charity was the most important mitzvah in the Torah; when two or three Jews studied the Torah together, God was in their midst.”
One story of Pharisaic Master Hillial, states he was approached by a pagan and told that the man would convert if the Master could recite the Torah while standing on one foot. “Hillial replied: ‘Do not do unto others as you would not have done unto you. That is the whole of the Torah: go and learn it.”
Another story, following the destruction of the temple by the Romans has the Rabbi Yohannan teaching another not to be upset, that “We have another atonement as effective as this. And what is it? It is the acts of loving kindness, as it is said: ‘For I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’”
So God is ever revealing himself to us. He desires a personal relationship with us. His grace calls to us. He loved us enough to take on human form, to live amongst us, to suffer loss, end experience the joys and sorrows of mankind, and to finally experience death on a cross in our place, so we may come to him justified, and have life-everlasting in him.
God loves you. Accept it.
Most of this was extracted from the book A History of God by Karen Armstrong and from the Bible.
It was with an ancient man named Abraham in the land of Sumer, outside of the city-state of Ur, that the God of the Jews is revealed. Abraham is said to have left Ur and eventually settled in the land of Canaan sometime between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries BC, or about 4000 years ago. God tells Abraham that he has a special destiny as the father of a great nation. His sons become the fathers of the tribes of Israel and eventually move to Egypt to escape a famine. Abraham knew Him as El Shaddai. In these ancient times God would appear and walk among men in an intimate manner. They could talk to him and even wrestle with Him, as Jacob did on the West Bank of Jabbok. God tested Abraham’s trust (faith) when he ordered him to sacrifice his son Isaac. This is a horrible story to our modern understanding, and many Christians have debated what this was for. We need to understand that many of the gods of ancient days practiced human sacrifice as they required “the input of energy from men and women.” God did not, and by stopping the sacrifice of Isaac he was distancing himself from these other human-created gods. Abraham had proven his faith and the covenant was secure. God was seen as a jealous, war-like God, who protected His elect, and punished all who stood against them. So afraid of Him were the Jews, that they refused to call him by name (they believed that names had power, and that no mere mortal could contain the power of God by naming him). Ancient Hebrew writing YHWH, left out the vowels so His name would not be pronounced.
Later, when God led Moses and the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, he sent many plagues and finally the Angel of Death to strike down all the first born males of Egypt, then destroyed Pharaoh’s army by swallowing them up in the miracle at the Sea of Reeds. At this time the Israelites saw God as a God of War, also known as Yahwek Sabaoth, the God of Armies. God would make a new covenant with Moses. The people of Israel were to worship only God and would keep to his laws. He required obedience, but time and time again the Israelites would fail in their part of this agreement.
Eventually the Jews created a temple as a place to house the Ark of the Covenant and they began to see it as a “replica of Yahweh’s heavenly court.” His worshippers saw him as a being of fire and power, though Elijah would show another aspect of God when he took refuge on a mountain of the Sinai peninsula. He sheltered in the rocks and waited to see God. There was a mighty wind, but God was not in it. Then a great earthquake, but God was not in it. Then fire, but again God was not in it. After the fire came the sound of a gentle breeze. Elijah knew God was there and he “covered his face with a cloak.” Unlike the pagan gods, the God of the Hebrews was not in any of the “forces of nature but in a realm apart. He is experienced in the scarcely perceptible timbre of a tiny breeze in the paradox of voiced silence.”
Around 900 B.C., the Hebrew’s ideas of God began to change again. God’s prophets communed with him and new ideas of social justice began to develop. What was in men’s hearts was more important than the outward observances of Jewish traditions. God, ever seeking a closer relationship with man was continually being revealed. In fact, a basic tenet of the Jewish religious beliefs includes studying the Torah, as well as the ever-revealing truth of God. This is something that many Christians have lost in their traditions. God is always seeking a closer relationship with us and is ever-revealing Himself to us. Jews were required to profess their faith in the Shema: “Listen Israel! Yahweh is our God. He alone! You shall love God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. “
At the time of Christ, the most progressive of the Jewish sects were the Pharisees. Yes, I know they have been depicted as hypocrites in our modern churches, but some scholars suggest that Christ was one of them as he often debated with them in their style of questioning and debate (only other Pharisees were allowed to debate in this manner). They believed that everyone in Israel were “called to be a holy nation of priests. God could be present in the humblest home as well as in the Temple….Jews could now approach [H]im directly without the mediation of a priestly caste and an elaborate ritual. They could atone for their sins by acts of loving-kindness to their neighbor; charity was the most important mitzvah in the Torah; when two or three Jews studied the Torah together, God was in their midst.”
One story of Pharisaic Master Hillial, states he was approached by a pagan and told that the man would convert if the Master could recite the Torah while standing on one foot. “Hillial replied: ‘Do not do unto others as you would not have done unto you. That is the whole of the Torah: go and learn it.”
Another story, following the destruction of the temple by the Romans has the Rabbi Yohannan teaching another not to be upset, that “We have another atonement as effective as this. And what is it? It is the acts of loving kindness, as it is said: ‘For I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’”
So God is ever revealing himself to us. He desires a personal relationship with us. His grace calls to us. He loved us enough to take on human form, to live amongst us, to suffer loss, end experience the joys and sorrows of mankind, and to finally experience death on a cross in our place, so we may come to him justified, and have life-everlasting in him.
God loves you. Accept it.
Most of this was extracted from the book A History of God by Karen Armstrong and from the Bible.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Sunday School Commentary by Dale Timien
Dale is a good friend of mine and he is leading our Sunday School class. Each week we discuss something new about the Bible or pose questions to the group for study. Dale responds by writing a commentary that is good to get us started on our journey of discovery. I've asked, and gotten his permission, to post these on this blog. Here is the first one. It is about Acts 5 and the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira.
Acts 5
Ananias and Sapphira
1-2 But a man named Ananias—his wife, Sapphira, conniving in this with him—sold a piece of land, secretly kept part of the price for himself, and then brought the rest to the apostles and made an offering of it.
3-4Peter said, "Ananias, how did Satan get you to lie to the Holy Spirit and secretly keep back part of the price of the field? Before you sold it, it was all yours, and after you sold it, the money was yours to do with as you wished. So what got into you to pull a trick like this? You didn't lie to men but to God."
5-6Ananias, when he heard those words, fell down dead. That put the fear of God into everyone who heard of it. The younger men went right to work and wrapped him up, then carried him out and buried him.
7-8Not more than three hours later, his wife, knowing nothing of what had happened, came in. Peter said, "Tell me, were you given this price for your field?"
"Yes," she said, "that price."
9-10Peter responded, "What's going on here that you connived to conspire against the Spirit of the Master? The men who buried your husband are at the door, and you're next." No sooner were the words out of his mouth than she also fell down, dead. When the young men returned they found her body. They carried her out and buried her beside her husband.
11By this time the whole church and, in fact, everyone who heard of these things had a healthy respect for God. They knew God was not to be trifled with.
Commentary:The death of Ananias and Sapphira.
The sin of Ananias and Sapphira was, that they were ambitious of being thought eminent disciples, when they were not true disciples. Hypocrites may deny themselves, may fore-go their worldly advantage in one instance, with a prospect of finding their account in something else. They were covetous of the wealth of the world, and distrustful of God and his providence. They thought they might serve both God and mammon. They thought to deceive the apostles. The Spirit of God in Peter discerned the principle of unbelief reigning in the heart of Ananias. But whatever Satan might suggest, he could not have filled the heart of Ananias with this wickedness had he not been consenting. The falsehood was an attempt to deceive the Spirit of truth, who so manifestly spoke and acted by the apostles.
The crime of Ananias was not his retaining part of the price of the land; he might have kept it all, had he pleased; but his endeavoring to impose upon the apostles with an awful lie, from a desire to make a vain show, joined with covetousness. But if we think to put a cheat upon God, we shall put a fatal cheat upon our own souls. How sad to see those relations who should quicken one another to that which is good, hardening one another in that which is evil! And this punishment was in reality mercy to vast numbers. It would cause strict self-examination, prayer, and dread of hypocrisy, covetousness, and vain-glory, and it should still do so. It would prevent the increase of false professors. Let us learn hence how hateful falsehood is to the God of truth, and not only shun a direct lie, but all advantages from the use of doubtful expressions, and double meaning in our speech. (Ac 5:12-16)
Acts 5
Ananias and Sapphira
1-2 But a man named Ananias—his wife, Sapphira, conniving in this with him—sold a piece of land, secretly kept part of the price for himself, and then brought the rest to the apostles and made an offering of it.
3-4Peter said, "Ananias, how did Satan get you to lie to the Holy Spirit and secretly keep back part of the price of the field? Before you sold it, it was all yours, and after you sold it, the money was yours to do with as you wished. So what got into you to pull a trick like this? You didn't lie to men but to God."
5-6Ananias, when he heard those words, fell down dead. That put the fear of God into everyone who heard of it. The younger men went right to work and wrapped him up, then carried him out and buried him.
7-8Not more than three hours later, his wife, knowing nothing of what had happened, came in. Peter said, "Tell me, were you given this price for your field?"
"Yes," she said, "that price."
9-10Peter responded, "What's going on here that you connived to conspire against the Spirit of the Master? The men who buried your husband are at the door, and you're next." No sooner were the words out of his mouth than she also fell down, dead. When the young men returned they found her body. They carried her out and buried her beside her husband.
11By this time the whole church and, in fact, everyone who heard of these things had a healthy respect for God. They knew God was not to be trifled with.
Commentary:The death of Ananias and Sapphira.
The sin of Ananias and Sapphira was, that they were ambitious of being thought eminent disciples, when they were not true disciples. Hypocrites may deny themselves, may fore-go their worldly advantage in one instance, with a prospect of finding their account in something else. They were covetous of the wealth of the world, and distrustful of God and his providence. They thought they might serve both God and mammon. They thought to deceive the apostles. The Spirit of God in Peter discerned the principle of unbelief reigning in the heart of Ananias. But whatever Satan might suggest, he could not have filled the heart of Ananias with this wickedness had he not been consenting. The falsehood was an attempt to deceive the Spirit of truth, who so manifestly spoke and acted by the apostles.
The crime of Ananias was not his retaining part of the price of the land; he might have kept it all, had he pleased; but his endeavoring to impose upon the apostles with an awful lie, from a desire to make a vain show, joined with covetousness. But if we think to put a cheat upon God, we shall put a fatal cheat upon our own souls. How sad to see those relations who should quicken one another to that which is good, hardening one another in that which is evil! And this punishment was in reality mercy to vast numbers. It would cause strict self-examination, prayer, and dread of hypocrisy, covetousness, and vain-glory, and it should still do so. It would prevent the increase of false professors. Let us learn hence how hateful falsehood is to the God of truth, and not only shun a direct lie, but all advantages from the use of doubtful expressions, and double meaning in our speech. (Ac 5:12-16)
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Paul's Contributions
The Apostle Paul is one of the key figures in the growth of Christianity from simply a splinter-Jewish group to the largest religion in the world today. How could one man make such a difference?
What's even more bizarre is that Paul was a Hellenistic Jew (named Saul), trained as a Pharisee, who hated the Christians and even led the early assaults in Jerusalem against them. He was a witness to the murder of St. Stephen and was considered one of the biggest anti-Christian's in Israel. Not satisfied with his "threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord" in Jerusalem, he attainted letters from the High Priests to go to the synagogues in Damascus to search for any members of the Way (Christians). On the road to Damascus he had a personal interaction with Jesus that changed his life forever.
Acts 9:3-9:9 Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" He asked, "Who are you Lord?" The reply came, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do." The men who were traveling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
First we need to understand that the original persecution following the stoning of St. Stephen was according to God's plan. The Christians of Jerusalem had to be broken up to spread into the rest of the middle east. The communal life style of their first few years was set up to await His coming, and did not really go forth to preach the Good News to all the Earth. The persecution led by Paul caused many Christians to spread into Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and soon the rest of the Roman Empire.
Second, we need to know that Saul was a Godly man, who was devout in his Hebraic studies, and lived as a Pharisee. He was attacking the Christians because he believed they had blasphemed the Lord of Abraham, and the laws of Moses. God knew his heart, and that is why he chose Saul to become his instrument on Earth to spread the Gospel to the Gentiles and to help start the early Church.
Third, as devoted as he was as a Pharisee, he was just as devoted to the Lord following his conversion, if not more so.
Time and again in the Bible we learn that God chooses those whom we would not. Moses suffered from a speech impediment, David from Lust, and Saul the Christian hating Pharisee!
He can use anyone! He can use you!
Will you answer the call?
Will you stand for Jesus?
De Colores
What's even more bizarre is that Paul was a Hellenistic Jew (named Saul), trained as a Pharisee, who hated the Christians and even led the early assaults in Jerusalem against them. He was a witness to the murder of St. Stephen and was considered one of the biggest anti-Christian's in Israel. Not satisfied with his "threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord" in Jerusalem, he attainted letters from the High Priests to go to the synagogues in Damascus to search for any members of the Way (Christians). On the road to Damascus he had a personal interaction with Jesus that changed his life forever.
Acts 9:3-9:9 Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" He asked, "Who are you Lord?" The reply came, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do." The men who were traveling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
First we need to understand that the original persecution following the stoning of St. Stephen was according to God's plan. The Christians of Jerusalem had to be broken up to spread into the rest of the middle east. The communal life style of their first few years was set up to await His coming, and did not really go forth to preach the Good News to all the Earth. The persecution led by Paul caused many Christians to spread into Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and soon the rest of the Roman Empire.
Second, we need to know that Saul was a Godly man, who was devout in his Hebraic studies, and lived as a Pharisee. He was attacking the Christians because he believed they had blasphemed the Lord of Abraham, and the laws of Moses. God knew his heart, and that is why he chose Saul to become his instrument on Earth to spread the Gospel to the Gentiles and to help start the early Church.
Third, as devoted as he was as a Pharisee, he was just as devoted to the Lord following his conversion, if not more so.
Time and again in the Bible we learn that God chooses those whom we would not. Moses suffered from a speech impediment, David from Lust, and Saul the Christian hating Pharisee!
He can use anyone! He can use you!
Will you answer the call?
Will you stand for Jesus?
De Colores
Friday, December 4, 2009
Stephen, the First Martyr
The two groups of Christian-Jews were experiencing some difficulties in their communal living arrangements. The Hebrews, those born in Israel, were taking better care of the Hebraic widows, while the Hellenistic (Greek-foriegn born) widows were being "neglected in the daily distribution of food."
The Apostles realized that something had to be done, but they had too much on their plate already. So they ordained seven others to see that the apportionments would be equal for all. One of the men they chose was Stephen, "a man filled with the Holy Spirit," who was "full of grace and power, did wonders and great signs among the people."
Stephen was on fire for the Lord and preached to all who would listen. He spoke of the good news that Christ was the Savior to such an extent that one Jewish group was offended by his words and accused him of blasphemy against God and Moses. They had Stephen arrested and brought to the ruling Sanhedron to have him judged. They had many "false witnesses" who swore that Stephen spoke against the "holy place and the law; for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazereth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses handed on to us."
The book of Acts then says that as they looked upon him, his face was "like the face of an angel." What does this mean? Perhaps it means he was quiet and serene. Some think the Holy Spirit was with him, and it was obvious for all who looked upon him that day.
Then they asked him to reply to these charges. Stephen took the opportunity to preach! He boldly spoke of the history of Israel and of how time and again they turned their backs on God and his prophets. His harangue started with Abraham then went to Joseph, to Moses, to Jacob, then he attacks the idea that God lives in a temple, "Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made with human hand." He's really rolling in his attack on them now and ends with, "You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in the heart and ears, you are forever opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do. Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, and now you have become his betrayers and murderers. You are the ones that recieved the law as ordained by the angels, and yet you have not kept it."
Okay. This made them furious! He had just told the most "religious" men of Israel that they did not hear, nor head the Holy Spirit, that they persecuted the prophets, and had murdered Christ! I wonder if the "Angelic face" made them realize that he spoke for the Lord, as they lost all control and took him out to kill him. They "dragged him out and began to stone him" to death. God was with Stephen through this. He was "filled with the Holy Spirit," and "gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jsus standing at the right hand of God!" As they were killing him, Stephen prayed for them, "Lord Jesus, recieve my spirit." He knelt down and cried, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them."
You can imagine the anger and venom with which each stone was hurtled at Stephen's head. One of the men there that day with the Council was Saul. He held the coats of those that killed Stephen and he "approved of their killing him." Saul hated the Christians and led much of the persecution against them that began following Stephen's martyrdom.
The Book of Acts states that the Church of Jerusalem was scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria. Saul led many righteous Jews and Romans against the Christians and was "ravaging the church by entering house after house; dragging off both men and women," and placing them into prison.
Where did the Christians go and what did they do? They went forth and spread the Good News "from place to place." Samaria became the next place where the Good News would take hold and many were converted to Christianity, thanks to the work of Philip and the testamonies of Peter and John.
This would only be the first of many times of persecution, but the Church would grow with each organized attack on it.
Remember, the early Christians "boldly" spoke the Good News.
Go Boldly into the World and proclaim the Good News, "Jesus died, Jesus is Risen, Jesus will come again."
The Apostles realized that something had to be done, but they had too much on their plate already. So they ordained seven others to see that the apportionments would be equal for all. One of the men they chose was Stephen, "a man filled with the Holy Spirit," who was "full of grace and power, did wonders and great signs among the people."
Stephen was on fire for the Lord and preached to all who would listen. He spoke of the good news that Christ was the Savior to such an extent that one Jewish group was offended by his words and accused him of blasphemy against God and Moses. They had Stephen arrested and brought to the ruling Sanhedron to have him judged. They had many "false witnesses" who swore that Stephen spoke against the "holy place and the law; for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazereth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses handed on to us."
The book of Acts then says that as they looked upon him, his face was "like the face of an angel." What does this mean? Perhaps it means he was quiet and serene. Some think the Holy Spirit was with him, and it was obvious for all who looked upon him that day.
Then they asked him to reply to these charges. Stephen took the opportunity to preach! He boldly spoke of the history of Israel and of how time and again they turned their backs on God and his prophets. His harangue started with Abraham then went to Joseph, to Moses, to Jacob, then he attacks the idea that God lives in a temple, "Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made with human hand." He's really rolling in his attack on them now and ends with, "You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in the heart and ears, you are forever opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do. Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, and now you have become his betrayers and murderers. You are the ones that recieved the law as ordained by the angels, and yet you have not kept it."
Okay. This made them furious! He had just told the most "religious" men of Israel that they did not hear, nor head the Holy Spirit, that they persecuted the prophets, and had murdered Christ! I wonder if the "Angelic face" made them realize that he spoke for the Lord, as they lost all control and took him out to kill him. They "dragged him out and began to stone him" to death. God was with Stephen through this. He was "filled with the Holy Spirit," and "gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jsus standing at the right hand of God!" As they were killing him, Stephen prayed for them, "Lord Jesus, recieve my spirit." He knelt down and cried, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them."
You can imagine the anger and venom with which each stone was hurtled at Stephen's head. One of the men there that day with the Council was Saul. He held the coats of those that killed Stephen and he "approved of their killing him." Saul hated the Christians and led much of the persecution against them that began following Stephen's martyrdom.
The Book of Acts states that the Church of Jerusalem was scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria. Saul led many righteous Jews and Romans against the Christians and was "ravaging the church by entering house after house; dragging off both men and women," and placing them into prison.
Where did the Christians go and what did they do? They went forth and spread the Good News "from place to place." Samaria became the next place where the Good News would take hold and many were converted to Christianity, thanks to the work of Philip and the testamonies of Peter and John.
This would only be the first of many times of persecution, but the Church would grow with each organized attack on it.
Remember, the early Christians "boldly" spoke the Good News.
Go Boldly into the World and proclaim the Good News, "Jesus died, Jesus is Risen, Jesus will come again."
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Christianity Threatened traditional Jewish Traditions
The Sadducees had already brought Peter and John before them and told them to no longer proclaim Jesus as the Savior. Peter and John responded by praising the Lord and continuing to spread the Good News. The people of Jerusalem continued to respond, even to the point where the sick were carried out into the streets and laid on cots and mats in order for Peter's shadow to fall upon them as he came by, hoping for healing. The Book of Acts states that "they were all cured."
The High Priest of the temple (A Sadducee) was "filled with jealousy" and arrested the Apostles and put them in prison to await punishment. However, in the night an Angel of the Lord "opened the prison doors, brought them out," and told them to "Go stand in the temple and tell the people the whold message about this life." Peter and the others returned to the temple and began to teach. Later that day the High Priest arrived and called together the council and all the Elders of Israel, and sent for the prisoners to be brought to them. The police returned and stated that the Apostles were no longer inside, but the prison had been "securely locked and the guards standing at the doors." He soon learned that they were in the temple teaching. Again they were arrested and brought before the council.
The High Priest accused them of teaching in Jesus' name and placing his blood (or death) upon the Jewish leaders of Jerusalem. Peter's answer, "We must obey God rather than any human authority." This angered the Priests, but Peter's next words almost signed his death warrent: "The god of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom YOU had killed by hanging him on a tree." Uh oh! When they heard this, "they were enraged and wanted to kill them."
Peter and the others were saved from death by a leader of the Pharisee's on the Council, Gamaliel. He warned of making them martyrs and causing even more trouble with the Roman rulers of Israel. He also warned that "if this plan is of human origin, it will fail, but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them- in that case you may even be found to be fighting against God."
The Council was convinced and had the Apostles flogged.
How did the Apostle's respond to the whipping, which split their skin, and the public humiliation?
They "rejoiced that they were considered worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name." And despite being told once more to not speak in the name of Jesus, they continued to "teach and proclaim Jesus as the Messiah."
What can we learn from this? We are called to go "boldly" to proclaim Christ the Savior to the world. We may face trials, tribulations, ridicule, or even physical threats and responses, possibly even death, but if we are listening to God's will and following his plan, we will never be "overthrown."
God never leaves us. He never abandons us. He is always there. Even after we have walked away from him. That is his forever, prevenient grace. He loved us before we were born, he loves us today, and he will love us tomorrow. We fail.
I know I fail often.
He never does.
Amen.
The High Priest of the temple (A Sadducee) was "filled with jealousy" and arrested the Apostles and put them in prison to await punishment. However, in the night an Angel of the Lord "opened the prison doors, brought them out," and told them to "Go stand in the temple and tell the people the whold message about this life." Peter and the others returned to the temple and began to teach. Later that day the High Priest arrived and called together the council and all the Elders of Israel, and sent for the prisoners to be brought to them. The police returned and stated that the Apostles were no longer inside, but the prison had been "securely locked and the guards standing at the doors." He soon learned that they were in the temple teaching. Again they were arrested and brought before the council.
The High Priest accused them of teaching in Jesus' name and placing his blood (or death) upon the Jewish leaders of Jerusalem. Peter's answer, "We must obey God rather than any human authority." This angered the Priests, but Peter's next words almost signed his death warrent: "The god of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom YOU had killed by hanging him on a tree." Uh oh! When they heard this, "they were enraged and wanted to kill them."
Peter and the others were saved from death by a leader of the Pharisee's on the Council, Gamaliel. He warned of making them martyrs and causing even more trouble with the Roman rulers of Israel. He also warned that "if this plan is of human origin, it will fail, but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them- in that case you may even be found to be fighting against God."
The Council was convinced and had the Apostles flogged.
How did the Apostle's respond to the whipping, which split their skin, and the public humiliation?
They "rejoiced that they were considered worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name." And despite being told once more to not speak in the name of Jesus, they continued to "teach and proclaim Jesus as the Messiah."
What can we learn from this? We are called to go "boldly" to proclaim Christ the Savior to the world. We may face trials, tribulations, ridicule, or even physical threats and responses, possibly even death, but if we are listening to God's will and following his plan, we will never be "overthrown."
God never leaves us. He never abandons us. He is always there. Even after we have walked away from him. That is his forever, prevenient grace. He loved us before we were born, he loves us today, and he will love us tomorrow. We fail.
I know I fail often.
He never does.
Amen.
Monday, November 23, 2009
The Church in Jerusalem...Socialism?
The Apostles and the converts to Christianity were truly on fire for God as "when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness." The Book of Acts 4:32-35 says "the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common...There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need."
Wow...they were...Socialists!
This used to bother me. I'm a devout Capitalist, and a believer in things like Popular Sovereignty, Republicanism, Separation of Powers, Checks and Balances, and Civil Liberties. I believe in personal liberties, equality, and the basic idea that you can achieve anything you are willing to work for.
Then I started considering why the early church was this way. First they did not know how long Christ would be away from the earth, and many wanted to sit around and wait for his return. Second, it makes sense as far as spreading the Good News to have the devout followers in one place, working together to extend the blessings of God's promise to everyone. Many missions were undertaken to spread Christianity thoughout not only Israel, but to the various ends of the Roman Empire. Of course these were originally meant only for Jewish converts, but that would soon change.
So this communal living arrangement worked for the early Church in Jerusalem, but ultimately it failed. Why? Some waited around and did not want to work. Bickering between the various Jewish-Christian groups (particularly the Hellenistic and Jerusalem Jews) caused schisms, and then the growth of various heresies over the next three hundred or so years of history.
It is also worth noting that the Essenes movement (prior to Christ) also believed in Communal living and that the end times were here, and this may have played a part in the early development of the Church in Jerusalem.
In fact is was expected that those in the commune give everything to the Church. One story is told in Acts 5 about Ananias and his wife Sapphira. Apparently they sold a piece of property, gave some of the money to the Church, but told everyone they had given all. Peter was very grave about this saying that Ananias had not just lied to the apostles, but to God. Ananias and his wife then died on the spot for putting the Spirit of the Lord to the test. Why did this happen?
This is one of those passages that gives me pause. It doesn't seem to jive with everything else that had happened from the birth of Christ to the formation of the Church in Jerusalem. The only thing I can think of is that this happened so God could show the people that this Church was real, the Holy Spirit was real, and they were not just playing at creating something new. The passage goes on to state that a "great fear seized the whole church and all who heard of these things." The word fear is not a true translation of the ancient Hebrew/Aramaic as I understand it. It does mean fear, but it also means respect and honor. I wonder if the tale of Ananias and his wife was really a "course correction" for the early church?
More to come...
Wow...they were...Socialists!
This used to bother me. I'm a devout Capitalist, and a believer in things like Popular Sovereignty, Republicanism, Separation of Powers, Checks and Balances, and Civil Liberties. I believe in personal liberties, equality, and the basic idea that you can achieve anything you are willing to work for.
Then I started considering why the early church was this way. First they did not know how long Christ would be away from the earth, and many wanted to sit around and wait for his return. Second, it makes sense as far as spreading the Good News to have the devout followers in one place, working together to extend the blessings of God's promise to everyone. Many missions were undertaken to spread Christianity thoughout not only Israel, but to the various ends of the Roman Empire. Of course these were originally meant only for Jewish converts, but that would soon change.
So this communal living arrangement worked for the early Church in Jerusalem, but ultimately it failed. Why? Some waited around and did not want to work. Bickering between the various Jewish-Christian groups (particularly the Hellenistic and Jerusalem Jews) caused schisms, and then the growth of various heresies over the next three hundred or so years of history.
It is also worth noting that the Essenes movement (prior to Christ) also believed in Communal living and that the end times were here, and this may have played a part in the early development of the Church in Jerusalem.
In fact is was expected that those in the commune give everything to the Church. One story is told in Acts 5 about Ananias and his wife Sapphira. Apparently they sold a piece of property, gave some of the money to the Church, but told everyone they had given all. Peter was very grave about this saying that Ananias had not just lied to the apostles, but to God. Ananias and his wife then died on the spot for putting the Spirit of the Lord to the test. Why did this happen?
This is one of those passages that gives me pause. It doesn't seem to jive with everything else that had happened from the birth of Christ to the formation of the Church in Jerusalem. The only thing I can think of is that this happened so God could show the people that this Church was real, the Holy Spirit was real, and they were not just playing at creating something new. The passage goes on to state that a "great fear seized the whole church and all who heard of these things." The word fear is not a true translation of the ancient Hebrew/Aramaic as I understand it. It does mean fear, but it also means respect and honor. I wonder if the tale of Ananias and his wife was really a "course correction" for the early church?
More to come...
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