A Time for Everything

“But after Paul and Barnabas had engaged them in serious argument and debate, they arranged for Paul and Barnabas and some others of them to go up to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem concerning this controversy.” (Acts 15:2 CSB)

Solomon tells us in the Book of Ecclesiastes that “there is a time for everything under the sun.” While few people enjoy fighting, there is a time when it is important if not critical to take a stand. Paul and Barnabas found themselves at that point following the completion of their first missionary journey. Some men from Judea went down to Antioch and began teaching that any Gentile believers had to first be circumcised before they could become Christians, that circumcision and the keeping of the law were an essential part of the salvation process, in other words. Paul and Barnabas wasted no time in engaging these men in vigorous debate, and the controversy spilled over so that the matter was taken to Jerusalem for review by the apostles and elders in the church there.

In Jerusalem, folks got together and began to debate this issue back and forth. Peter, uncharacteristically quiet during most of the debate, finally stood up and reminded them of how God had used him to introduce the Christian faith to the Gentiles, and God poured out His Spirit on the Gentiles just as He had on the Jews who believed on the Day of Pentecost. Peter challenged those of the circumcision party that it made no sense to put restrictions on Gentiles that not even the Jews had been able to follow.

Barnabas and Paul began then to share from their hearts how God had used them in outreach to the Gentiles. When they stopped speaking, James, the half-brother of Jesus, who by then was the main leader of the Jerusalem church, gave affirmation to the viewpoints Peter, Barnabas, and Paul espoused, and added that the Gentiles should still be asked to abstain from “things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from eating anything that has been strangled, and from blood.” (verse 20) This was written up, and Judas and Silas were dispatched from Jerusalem to the church in Antioch along with Paul and Barnabas to communicate this affirmation.

To us today, this all does not seem to have very much impact, but it was likely one of the most critical issues the church has ever faced. The question was: What does it take for someone to be saved, to be a Christian? The point Paul and Barnabas was making is that we are saved by God’s grace through faith – plus nothing else, minus nothing else. The circumcision party was saying that we are saved by God’s grace through faith – plus circumcision, plus following the law, and that these have to come BEFORE someone can become a Christian.

No one enjoys fights like this, but there are times when Christians of conscience must take a stand about what they believe about what is right and what is wrong. An entire direction could depend on it.

Lord, Help us to be certain when there is a time to take a stand, and when it is not time for that. Help us to know which battles are to be fought, and which are not. Amen.

A Call to Fulfill

“At that, Jesus said to Peter, “Sheathe your sword! Am I not to drink the cup the Father has given Me?”

One of the most remarkable aspects of the cross event is that it actually did not have to happen. God did not have to send His Son. No one had the capability of twisting God’s arm, so to speak. Jesus did not have to go to the cross. He did not have to suffer. He was not forced. In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus said, “Or do you think that I cannot call on My Father, and he will provide Me at once with more than 12 legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53 CSB)

While the crucifixion did not have to happen in that sense, in other perspectives it did have to happen.

The cross had to happen because death was God’s judgment on sin. That judgment had already been passed on you and me and all other human beings because, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Death and hell awaited us in our future, but God decided to provide us with a means of receiving eternal life. He sent His Son to die in our place and take on Himself the judgment that was due us. People sometimes try to explain sin away or dress it up in finery, but the reality is that sin – all sin – is unholy and horrible in God’s eyes, and it is because of sin that Jesus died.

The cross had to happen also because of God’s grace. While God is holy in the absolute, He is also a compassionate and loving God, slow to anger and full of patience. The cross had to happen because of God’s very nature. Whereas sin demands a verdict of guilty, grace leads the way to guiltless. The God who is love provided an open door that we did not deserve, and He did so because of who He is.

The cross had to happen because of Scripture. God spoke through prophet after prophet about the Messiah, who He was to be, what He would be like, and what would happen to Him. The Scripture had to be fulfilled that the Christ would suffer, die, and be raised from the dead.

And then, the cross had to happen because of the call of God on the life of Jesus, His Son. God sent Him and “called” Him to fulfill this purpose. Someone who is called to a purpose has within himself or herself an overwhelming drive to carry out that for which he or she was called.

Father, We recognize that the cross did not have to happen, but that it also did have to happen for our sake. We thank You for Your grace and love, and we thank You for the forgiveness that has led to eternal life for us who believe in You. Amen.

Life Lament

“I am like a desert owl, like an owl among the ruins.” (Psalm 102:6 CSB)

In your mind, picture a heap of rubble. This rubble is from the stones of a building, torn down and strewn all around. On top of the rubble, see an owl perched, sitting alone, with feathers ruffled by the wind. The owl is light brown in color, almost the color of the stones, making it nearly invisible. Only the occasional blinking of an eye tells you it is not a stone you are seeing. The only sounds are the wind and the owl’s occasional mournful hooting, for he is completely alone among the ruins.

That is what this psalmist felt like. The psalmist spoke of his affliction, and how it appeared to him that his life was being cut short in “midcourse.” He felt as though his days were like vanishing smoke, or withering grass. His food was ashes, and his drink was tears. He felt that God’s indignation and wrath were the source of his affliction. He lamented the brevity of this life. At the same time, though, he celebrated the eternity of God and the fact that God would raise up one generation after another to continue the work of His kingdom. He expressed his belief that God would have compassion on Zion.

This is pretty much all we know about this psalm and the writer. We do not know what happened to him beyond this. But he helps us to learn something.

We may sometimes feel that the Lord has brought some kind of affliction our way. Based on the teaching of Scripture, we would have to say that this is at least a possibility. Another psalm writer said, “In righteousness You have afflicted me.” He believed it was right of God to do so, because God always does what is right, whether or not we understand it. Our measure of what is right and what is not is not the one that counts, because “My ways are not your ways,” said the Lord. We cannot comprehend all the ways and works of God.

It is also true, however, that God may not necessarily always be the source of some affliction we suffer. It may be that God allows it to come into our lives. It may also be that an affliction comes as the result of some action we have taken or not taken. If someone runs a red light and in an accident kills someone you love, that does not mean that God is the author of that affliction. The driver of the other car is the one responsible. And if a doctor tells you to take a medication that can save your life and you do not, the doctor is not the one responsible for the affliction that ensues.

Sometimes it is clear that the source of an affliction is the Lord himself, but there are also times when this is not clear at all. So, what do we do? We do the same thing this psalmist did: we go to God, we express our fears, our hurts, our concerns, and our laments, but we also end up in the place of faith, and hope, and love. We end up there because we come to the full realization that our God is a loving God, an awesome God, and that His eternal purposes are going to prevail. And we have been privileged to be part of His purposes, whether this life continues or not. And we will reign with Him forever and ever.

Lord, Put life and death in the right perspective for us, and help us today to live life fully, trusting all of it to Your purposes. Amen.

Pray with Expectation

“So Peter was kept in prison, but prayer was being made earnestly to God for him by the church.” (Acts 12:5 CSB)

Let’s quickly review the rest of that story. King Herod brutally attacked some who belonged to the church in Jerusalem. He beheaded James the brother of John and proceeded to arrest Peter. He intended to execute Peter the next day, but the church earnestly prayed to God for Peter. God sent an angel during the night who opened doors and led Peter unseen past the guards through doors and into the city before disappearing. Peter went to the home of Mary the mother of John Mark where he knew some believers would be. Initially, the church thought that Rhoda, the servant girl, was crazy for thinking that Peter was at the gate, but they shortly learned that it really was him. Peter told them to report everything to James. This was James the half-brother of Jesus. Then, Peter departed to another place.

From this story we learn some important lessons about prayer.

First, we learn that prayer is a powerful event and probably one that is more powerful than we realize. The reason it is more powerful than we realize is because God is more powerful than we sometimes think He is. This has more to do with our human limitations. The church prayed earnestly for Peter, but when he was released and at the door, the church did not believe it. They prayed earnestly, but probably with not a lot of expectation.

Second, we learn that when we as a church pray together and pray with unity in seeking God and asking Him to do something we need, we can expect a clear answer or direction from God. Jesus said that whatever we ask in His name, He will do. God will respond according to His will, but we also need to understand that God is capable of changing His mind. God knows the future, and we trust it all to Him. But when something weighs heavily on our minds and hearts, we need then to come together as one in earnest, concerted, on-going, and believing prayer to God.

And when God answers, let’s not be quite so surprised!

Lord, We thank You that You are the power of prayer. It isn’t prayer, but it’s You. And You respond when Your people come before You in earnest prayer. Help us to turn to You in prayer expectantly. Amen.

Determined to Help

“So each of the disciples, according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brothers who lived in Judea. This they did, sending it to the elders by means of Barnabas and Saul.” (Acts 11:29-30 CSB)

A group of prophets from the church in Jerusalem went to Antioch to visit with the church there. One of them was named Agabus. Agabus prophesied that a famine was coming soon to the Roman Empire, and it happened during the reign of Claudius.

The result of the famine was devastating to the church in Jerusalem. First, food was in short supply. Second, the Jerusalem church was no longer as popular as it had been. Third, the Jerusalem church was especially unpopular among the Jewish leadership because its growth threatened the foundations of Judaism. So, with regard to food distributions, which the temple leaders could influence, people related to the Jerusalem church would have been “lowest on the totem pole,” so to speak.

When Agabus made his prediction, well before the event, Christians in the church at Antioch took it seriously. Little by little, the disciples in Antioch set aside money that could be sent to Jerusalem to provide some relief to the brothers there. At a point when someone judged the need to be acute, the money was sent to Jerusalem via Barnabas and Saul.

This expression of “agape” love came about because the believers in Antioch were determined to help. They heard the message, and they made a determination that they would be ready to help when the time came. It all began with a decision.

In the modern western world of Christianity, churches sometimes seem to be in competition with one another. Obviously, that is not always true, and many pastors and church members alike would deny it. But actions, and lack of actions, suggest that there are at least some who act as if they are.

Perhaps we need to be reminded of some realities. In Christ, all of us – church or individual – are on level ground. If a church is genuinely “christian,” it is preaching Christ. If the church’s theology is Bible-based rather than oriented to the ebb and flow of political correctness or other social pressures, then it is a true sister church. And if churches like this are hurting for some reason, and another church has a resource that can help, then that church needs to determine that it is going to offer its help. Any sense of competition needs to be thrown out the window. There is far too much at stake to allow pettiness or some level of competition to keep us from helping a genuinely sister church. As we have the ability to do so, churches need to determine that they will help anytime it is needed.

Lord, Remind us that as true fellow believers we are all on the same page, serving the same Lord, for the same purposes. Show us ways to support and help one another. Amen.

Explain, Please

“When Peter went up to Jerusalem, those who stressed circumcision argued with him, saying, ‘You visited uncircumcised men and ate with them!’ Peter began to explain to them in an orderly sequence.” (Acts 11:2-4 CSB)

Our 21st century mind-set is clueless to understand the importance of circumcision to 1st century Jews and Jewish Christians. From their viewpoint, a man who was uncircumcised could not get into heaven. It was a requirement for salvation, a man’s “ticket to heaven” so to speak. Association with men who were uncircumcised was, in their view, something akin to a committed believer hanging out in a honky-tonk. Only much worse. So, when these guys got word that Peter preached the gospel to uncircumcised men, went into their homes, and actually ate with them, they were offended to the core. So when Peter made it up to Jerusalem, they challenged him publicly.

Peter had the good sense to take six other Jewish Christians with him, to attest to everything that happened. There could be no arguing with the facts of what happened, which is exactly the way Peter explained it. The outcome is that, for the time being at least, these of the circumcision party, as it came to be known, were silenced and then glorified God that the Gentiles had received repentance resulting in life. The issue was far from over, but for the time being they were silent.

Think about this for a moment. Who was Peter? Well, he was only the head honcho. He was THE leader of the Jerusalem church, the primary spokesman on the Day of Pentecost, the one who healed a man who was crippled, the man who raised Dorcas from the dead. His resume was not too shabby. And yet, here we see this Spirit-filled, powerful leader being called on the carpet by some men who did not get it yet. And even more surprising, we see Peter giving a sequenced, full, detailed explanation of exactly what happened.

It if is not apparent yet, what this suggests to us is that all of us are accountable, even those who have impeccable records in leadership. Some church leaders and pastors can, at times, behave as if they have no accountability, but the reality is that all of us have an accountability to the church and to individuals in the church, regardless of where they may or may not be in their spiritual development. Servant leadership demands such of all us. Pride tells us we do not have to explain anything, but pride needs to be displaced by humility which tells us that everyone matters.

Father, Help us to neither fear nor avoid accountability, but to use even that as an opportunity to glorify You. Amen.

Opportunity Dilemma

“The Lord said to Moses, ‘How long will these people despise Me? How long will they not trust in Me despite all the signs I have performed among them?” (Numbers 14:11 CSB) “When I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ, a door was opened to me by the Lord. I had no rest in my spirit because I did not find my brother Titus, but I said good-bye to them and left for Macedonia.” (2 Corinthians 2:12-13 CSB)

Opportunities abound for the people of God, but sometimes an opportunity may also present a dilemma. Shall we take advantage of the opportunity, or should we not?

Moses led Israel to the brink of the promised land, and at the Lord’s direction sent spies to check out the land. They all brought back a glowing report about the land, but they brought a negative report about the people. They saw some very large people in the land, and that caused them to see themselves as “grasshoppers” by comparison. Caleb and Joshua urged that they move ahead and trust the Lord to give them the land, but on that day fear won out. The people talked about stoning Moses and Aaron and choosing a new leader who would take them back to Egypt. Faith lost out to fear that time. The people paid a huge price for their lack of faith and vision. They wandered in the desert 40 years, until all of that generation age 20 and up died in the wilderness.

Paul the apostle once went to the city of Troas, looking for Titus his co-worker and brother in the Lord. The Lord opened a great door of opportunity for an effective ministry in Troas, but Paul was so uneasy in his spirit because of not finding Titus that he had to decline the opportunity until he could find his brother. In this instance, his relationship with his brother in Christ took precedence, so he departed Troas to go on to Macedonia to find Titus. Sometimes God gives an opportunity, but it is not always His will that we take advantage of the opportunity.

What we have here are two equally valid biblical stories about opportunities. Neither were taken, but for different reasons. One was declined because people allowed their fears to overcome their faith in God. One was declined because a spiritual relationship had a greater priority than the opportunity. One decision was sinful, and the other was not. Interestingly, in that same city of Troas years earlier, Paul saw a vision from the Lord that led him to take the opportunity to introduce the gospel into Europe for the first time.

When opportunity comes, how can we discern if it is from the Lord, and be certain that we should proceed?

First, we need an awareness that the Lord is leading us toward the opportunity. This awareness is not whimsy. It is not the product of imagination, but it is a genuine opportunity that comes about in ways that tell us it is not of our own doing. Leaders see this, and they “hear” the Lord speaking about it and urging them forward.

Second, the opportunity needs to be one that challenges and calls us to a deeper faith. It enables us to develop our walk with God and with one another. The opportunity makes it obvious that only by proceeding in faith can it be achieved, and we know already that God wants our faith and trust in Him to deepen.

Third, the opportunity should bear the marks of relationality, in that it offers us the chance to deepen our relationships with one another. Relationships have to take priority. Of course, the relationship we each have with the Lord takes the highest priority, but the fellowship and relationships among God’s people is also a high priority. God wants those relationships to be strengthened.

Fourth, the opportunity should represent great forward progress in the work of God’s kingdom. God’s priority is the growth of His kingdom. That was foremost in the thinking of Jesus, and it should be the same for us.

Fifth, after reviewing all the pros and cons of an opportunity, we can be sure it is genuinely from the Lord when we are convinced in our hearts and minds that this is the leading of the Holy Spirit, that it is the will of God, that it is the right thing to do.

In the long run, if God wants us to follow Him into an opportunity, we dare not shrink back in fear, and if He does not want us to take an opportunity, we dare not presume to take it. The bottom line is that we must seek Him, His will, and to the best of our understanding follow Him in faith. “Now faith is the reality [certainty] of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1 CSB)

Lord, In each opportunity that comes our way, help us to understand and discern Your will and make decisions that will glorify You. Amen.