The Book of Acts Introduction Acts introduces the reader to the mission posed by Christ to his disciples and followers of the time to spread the gospel and convert all nations, the Great Commission. Chapter 1 Jesus remains with his followers, numbering about 120 (1:15), for forty days and has shown signs to many that he is alive. No longer is doubting Thomas the only one to wants to see convincing proof that Jesus is still alive!
Here Jesus makes it clear that he does not want the Great Commission to get off on the wrong foot lest the disciples go unto the world and preach things that are not inspired by God Himself. An interesting comparison is the different baptisms that are mentioned. John (the Baptist) performed baptisms by dunking people into the river Jordan as they repented for their sins. Here Jesus speaks of a deeper kind of baptism where the spirit of God, the "Holy Spirit" enters the heart of man. In other scripture Jesus speaks of being one with the Father and when we are one with him he dwells within us. By being baptized in the Holy Spirit, not in water, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in our soul. This is an exciting time for the new believers. Jesus has come back from the dead, a feat that separates him from the other profits and truly realizes his mission to save the people of earth. However, even with all this going on, they still do not understand the grander mission of Christ. They ask:
We must not forget that we are in a time of oppression of the people of Israel. The Roman Empire still rules most of the known earth and the Jews are a proud lot who feel a strong destiny to self-rule. In one commentary I read, the origin of the name of Judas "Escariot" is derived from the same root word that gives us "Zealous" and "Zealot". The Zealots were a group of political activists in the time that were in hopes of the "savior" being a "political" leader who would overthrow the Roman rule over the Jews and restore the Promised Land. Some feel that the "traitor", Judas, was a Zealot and that his "betrayal" was a misguided effort to force the hand of our Lord to bring about the destruction of the Roman rule. It backfired, of course, as this is not the true divine mission of Christ. It seems that among the believers of the day, there remained Zealots who felt that now that Christ was back, he would restore the Promised Land to the Jews. However, Jesus counters:
Here we are finally treated to the true divine mission of the Lord which
is to have the people of the Earth understand the message of the Gospel.
That the Lord God gave his only Son to be sacrifices so that we could know
eternal life. Peter gets this later on after the Spirit has indeed come
upon the believers. We are also treated at this time with a prophecy as to how Jesus will
return to the Earth. Two men in white appear to the believers shortly after
Jesus has disappeared behind a cloud. They look at the gaping mouths of
the believers and tell them, in essence, to quit staring at where God has
gone and get on with the Great Commission! We don't hear any more about
these two "angels", but it is apparent that our God has had to continually
exercise great patience with his people! As the group of believers gathers again we learn of the fate of Judas:
The fact that they would mention that all his intestines spilled out
is interesting. Later in the dark history of man's effort to understand
evil and sin, the punishment for sin was disembowelment, the forceful removal
of one's internal organs while the poor soul was still alive. Still alive
so that he may confess the sins of his making before a beheading brought
the whole affair to a more sudden end. It was thought that sin was contained
in these body parts. Most likely this is a continued carry over from the
oft-quoted opinion that stated that one could be defiled by what they took
in, or ate. Jesus did not agree with this in that he certainly felt that
it was that which comes out, or is said and demonstrated, of a person that
defiles or sanctifies them. Here we see, though,, the search for a replacement for Judas. Apparently
early prophecy dictated that they should do that so they looked among their
members to see who among them may be a fit replacement to make the uneven
11 disciples and nice 12. The criteria presented are that the individual
needed to have been among them from the beginning (of Christ's ministry)
in order that they may also serve as a "witness". After prayer, they cast
lots (a democratic vote!) and elected from two choices, Matthias as the
new "Disciple". This may be a lesson in the way in which we should elect officials to
represent us in more mundane aspects of human society, like politics. Should
the person be one among us who has been where we have been and can be a
good "witness" to what we have seen? Should we then pray about our choice
and trusting God's hand in the decision, cast out individual vote and elect? I like the term "witness" here. It is referred to by Jesus earlier in that we are to be "witnesses" of his gospel. What did Jesus do that was so great? His teachings were not uncommon in the time, particularly in the East, where philosophers were teaching the "Golden Rule" many generations before Christ walked the Earth. What Christ did is teach and then defeat the greatest of all fears of man, death. No other has been able to add that to their resume and it truly distinguishes Jesus as divine! Is not the most important holiday of the Christian calendar Easter? On this day, when he rose from the grave, Jesus truly showed his metal. THIS is what the original believers were a "witness" to and it is the power of this witness, which later takes over the Roman Empire. With this the entire message of Jesus takes on a different importance! Chapter 2 In Chapter 2 we are introduced to the Pentecost event. Pentecost refers
to the day that occurs fifty days after the Jewish feast of Passover. The
disciples gathered together and were "filled with the Holy Spirit and began
to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them" The reference to "other tongues" in this instance can only mean one
thing as is obvious later in the chapter. The disciples were filled with
the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other Human languages. The community,
at the time filled with Jews from all over the world who had been in Jerusalem
for the Feast, heard them and heard the Gospel preached to them in their
own native language. This amazed them. However, there is still some confusion about the state of mind and behavior
of the disciples during this event. It is unclear as to if the disciples
began to just speak in other languages (as happened in Babylon many eons
before and the origin of the word Babble) or were the disciples in a state
of ecstatic euphoria which is typical of the experience that many who "speak
in tongues" today exhibit. Some in the community thought that the disciples might have been drunk.
Possibly some were "drunk in the Spirit" and overwhelmed by the experience
they were going through, "They have had too much wine." (II, 13) Peter,
apparently less effected by the goings-on, shed some light on the event
for the community to hear. Interestingly, the speech of Peter to the community
was understood by all so it may be that God, the Holy Spirit, effected
the listener as well and enabled Peter to bring understanding of what was
going on to many people from around the area. Peter refers to Joel, a prophet, who had said what would be the signs
of God pouring his Spirit upon his people. Among these things were: Sons and Daughters with Prophesy Young men will see visions Old men will dream dreams Wonders in heaven above … and signs on the Earth below …blood and fire and billows of smoke …the sun will be turned to darkness …the moon to blood …And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Following this, Peter admonishes the people of Israel for the crucifixion
of Christ. However, he states that this was God's plan so that he could
show his power over Death. Again we return to the most important theme
of the resurrection, that of the conquering of death by Jesus. Peter only hints at an explanation for the "speaking in tongues" in
his reference to David and that his "tongue rejoices" (II, 26). Vague at
best in that there are many references to singing as a "tongue rejoicing",
and that is probably what David was talking about, particularly when he
had all of Solomon's songs to sing! David was a pretty well respected King in the collective memory of the
Jews. Peter takes a daring step at this point by placing Jesus above David
in that David was just a Prophet and that he died and his grave can still
be seen. In fact, Peter refers to David's discussion on not being "abandoned
to the grave" (paraphrased), as a prophecy of the coming of Jesus. We must remember that the majority of people who had heard about Jesus
were probably thinking that he was "just" another prophet. There were a
lot of would-be prophets at the time and there was even a process in the
law for determining if a person was a real prophet or not. Peter's effort
here is to sway the crowd from just thinking this low status of Jesus.
He was not a prophet, but the fulfillment of prophecy; the Savior that
they had been waiting for. Peter also states that David did not ascend into Heaven as did Jesus.
So, Peter proclaims the right of the fellowship as having "witnessed" the
raising of Jesus from the dead and his accenting into heaven following
that. Once Jesus was at the right hand of the Father, He fulfilled his
promise and that which the people saw happening to the disciples was the
pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon them. Remember that the Great Commission is in full swing and Peter is out
to convince the onlookers that they are seeing something very special.
That this was the evidence that Jesus was the Lord. His speech moved the
crowd greatly, "they were cut to the heart" (II, 37) and the people pleaded
from Peter instructions as to what they could do. Here is a key part of
the Gospel, the true instructions as to how individuals can become witnesses
and receive the Holy Spirit:
There is so much to be said of these few lines. Peter is speaking to
a specific audience, to the people whom only a few moments ago he was blaming
for the Death of Jesus (though it was in God's plan). If we were to look
at this speech in the context in which it occurred, Peter is giving the
Jews a way to repent for the killing of the Savior. Remember that in the
end of the trial of Jesus, Ponteous Pilot washed his hands of the matter
and placed the debt of killing an innocent man on the people of Israel
and their descendants. As was customary at the festival of Passover, the
ruling class of Romans would release a prisoner and pardon them. The people
in the crowd, spurred on by Pharisees and Zealots alike, chose Barrabus
instead of Jesus. (It is interesting though that Jesus was crucified instead
of stoned to death. It is the tradition of the Romans to Crucify whereas
among the Jewish tradition, stoning was more common. So, the death of Jesus
remains a bit of a mystery, if the Romans washed their hands of it, why
was the sentence carried out in Roman fashion rather than Jewish fashion?) Anyway, back to the speech. Peter is telling the Jews that they are
responsible and what they need to do to clean the slate again. The reference
to "your sins" might be as specific as the "sin" of crucifying Jesus. So the Jews are told they must repent for having killed their savior
and they must be baptized in the Holy Spirit. This refers to the distinction
that Jesus made when he spoke of the Baptism of Water that John the Baptist
did and the Baptism of the Spirit that is performed by the Holy Spirit.
We are not told if there is any ritual that is associated with becoming
Baptized in the Spirit as we know there are many rituals abound that associate
to being Baptized in Water. All we know is that those who accepted his message were baptized. From
this, we assume, it is the acceptance of Jesus Christ as the Savior and
Son of God that a person becomes baptized in the Holy Spirit. And by acceptance,
we mean here that the person truly accepts this as fact, as factual as
the original witnesses of the mission of Christ. Through this process a
person is transformed by the spirit and becomes a new person, a witness
of the resurrection, just as the original disciples were. No proof needed.
Blessed are those that believe without seeing. (That comes from somewhere!) The "gift" of the Holy Spirit is another spot for some thought. Is Peter
referring to the "gift" as the actions and behaviors being exhibited by
the disciples ("drunk in the spirit", "speaking in tongues", etc. as given
by the spirit) or is he referring to the Gift of the Holy Spirit (i.e.
that the "Spirit" is the "gift".)? When Jesus left his disciples and went home, he said he would send his
father's "gift" and made the disciples promise that they would not leave
Jerusalem until this happened. This is necessary in that Jesus wanted them
to do the right thing once they were on the road and knew that they would
need much spiritual strength to endure the hardships that were certain
to abound. The "gift" is the Holy Spirit itself. This is truly what Jesus
promised he would give us; the strength and fortitude to withstand the
temptations of the world and profess rightly the word and Gospel of Jesus. Remember that the Bible was written as a persuasive argument. It is
written to convert individuals to the way of Christ. Evidence is shown
to allow individuals to be convinced that the Jesus of the Bible was not
just another prophet, he was the promised savior as foretold in the Old
Testament. About three thousand were added to their numbers following this most
moving of pleas by Peter, though many did not as he tried to warn and plead
them with other words as well. (Most probably did not want to face the
guilt of having killed off the Savior!) Now we are faced with the perplexing question as to if Peter was talking
only to the current people he faced, or was the message intended to be
a general guide as to how to become a witness and be baptized in the Holy
Spirit? It's placement in the book of Acts can only mean that these are the
specific instructions that Peter has left with us as to how to become a
disciple of Christ. We must be repentant first, without feeling sorry for
our sins we are too stained to approach the alter of God, of Christ. We
must then truly believe his mission and the purpose and accomplishments
of Christ on Earth. Through this we are transformed into actual Witnesses
to the resurrection and Jesus (the Holy Spirit) takes up residence in us.
When we face the judgement day and all of our selves are exposed to God,
he will see that the Spirit resides in us and he will accept his Son home
again. Glad that he is back and ready for the feast in celebration, as
that son was "dead" and is now alive again. Peter then talks of the community of fellowship that the followers of Jesus became and the democratic way in which wealth was dispersed based on an individual's need. (We continue to try and recreate this in our social institutions of welfare and taxation and continue to not pray enough about the elected officials who are supposed to put this in action!) Chapter 3 Peter heals the crippled beggar. On their way into the temple, John
and Peter are confronted by a beggar who sits by the gate. Expecting their
attention to bring about some monetary gift, the beggar is surprised to
find that he can now walk. This healing is different than most of the healing we have seen to date
and approaches the power that lies in being filled with the Holy Spirit.
In all of the healing that Jesus did, the person who was healed (all except
Lazarus, I think) needed and succeeded in showing great faith and belief
in the lord in order for him to heal them. Here we see the healing occurring
because those filled with the Holy Spirit are able to "direct" the power
of God to someone, and their faith (the healer's) is the crucial component
of success. It is no small matter that the man who was healed was not preached the
Gospel and received healing from Jesus none the less. He was simply told
to walk in the "name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth". The name becomes important here. Baptisms, blessings and prayers said in the "name of Jesus Christ" identify within the individual that they are speaking in such a manner as to associate themselves with Jesus and that Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, resides in that person. It is this power that we bring to bare on our lives when we do things in "the name".
In today's world we are desperate for powerful leaders and look to others
to provide the solutions and direction that we need. We need look no further
than in our hearts, provided we have invited the Holy Spirit to reside
there. From this we will bring good works to the Earth as we will be inspired
and motivated by the power that dwells within us and we will be able to
direct the power of God in the manner that He sees fit. We need only believe
(be baptized in the Holy Spirit) and evoke the name of our savior, Jesus. It may be safest in prayer to pray only to be an instrument of the will
of God. The holy justice of the Lord is totally incomprehensible for us.
What we see as right and just and deserved may in the eye of God be much
different. We only appear to have the power of God if we are truly fulfilling
the will of God in our efforts. Provided we are filled with the Holy Spirit,
our actions will be directed by God and we will be true instruments of
his grand design. Of course, all the people around recognized the man and were amazed.
(Three years of Jesus being around and the people remain amazed…wake up,
Israel!) Seeing the amazement in the eyes of the onlookers, Peter takes the opportunity
to preach the Gospel again. He asks why people are so amazed at what they
see and forbids them the opportunity to think that he, Peter, is the source
of this power. He calls upon the names of all the prophets and a reiteration
of the death of Jesus to call to attention the fact that God is acting
in the world. He asks the onlookers to repent for the death of Jesus and
for their sins. He does soften the blows by stating that he knew that the people, and
their leaders, acted out of ignorance. He says, however, that if fulfilled
the will of God for Jesus to die and to be raised again which fulfilled
the many prophets that have come to the Jews over the centuries. Repenting will bring them Christ, the Holy Spirit, even Jesus himself.
Christ, in this sense is used to describe out personal savior or the Holy
Spirit for our own needs and protection. However, it is in God's hands
when Jesus will return to Earth and it will be at the time that God will
restore everything (to the state of Eden, presumably, but also "restore"
may refer to the restoration of the Promised Land to the Jews--remember,
the Jews at this time, and at many times throughout history, have been
slaves and a conquered nation, this is very deep in the minds of all the
people that were present during the time of Acts.) Again, the time of Acts is the beginning of the Great Commission, to convert nations into followers of Christ. Peter continues to remind and provide proof that the Savior that all have been waiting for has come and gone and that there is some serious sin to be repentant about. Chapter 4 In this chapter we are introduced to the effect that the presence of
the Holy Spirit in the original saints had on the established order of
the day. You see, the apostles were healing people in the land in the name
of Jesus Christ. The Sadducees came upon them and placed a hold on them
for a night so that they might question them the next day. The Sadducees were a Jewish sect that had forsaken the divinity of the
original books of Moses and the Law, had rejected the divinity of the later
books, rejected the idea of the spiritual self and immortality and believed
in the absolute moral freedom of man. Although they are mentioned as a
group in the New Testament on numerous occasions, as are the Pharisees,
the group never possessed much influence in the day that they existed and
they disappeared from the scene during the first century of the Christian
era. (according to the bible dictionary in the Holman KJV Bible I'm using
now!) Now, it is often thought that the books of the bible were written long
after the events took place and it may be assumed that this group, the
Sadducees, was of very little import to people of the day when the books
were actually being written. Also, being an inspired text, dare we guess
at the intent of God in including the events associated with the reaction
of the Sadducees to the original Christians? I venture to support that the dictionary at the end of my bible is mistaken
in terms of the disappearance of the sect of Sadducees. Although it may
be supported that the group no longer associated themselves with the Jewish
(in that they rejected outright, most of that which makes the Jewish faith),
I feel they simply went underground and sprung up later in history during
the "enlightenment". Humanism, the field of philosophy that places the emphasis of human
experience on the human mind and views the thoughts and feelings of the
individual to be the most important path to understanding existence has
a strong hold on much of contemporary society. This philosophy has expressed
itself in liberal thinking, liberal education (the Humanities) and in a
common and very present trend in contemporary society of religious, spiritual
and moral relativism. Moral relativism contends that what is right for me is right for me
and what is right for you is OK for you. It holds that there is no such
thing as an absolute right and wrong and that truth is much more relative
to the perspective of the individual than it is to any absolute measure
of morality. So I return to my original question and ask, why does God intend for
this group to be present in the Word? This group, and the Pharisees, represent
in modern society, the two most powerful forces that the Great Commission
with encounter. First the Pharisees: this group represented what we see
and hear today as legalism in the church of Christ. "Pharisees" of today
are inspired witnesses to the resurrection but emphasize the "image" or
"actions" particularly as to public display of behavior, that they feel
is important in being a Christian. This extends to the practice of using
particular text within the word to justify any number of "rules" of conduct
from "no dancing" to "no cutting of women's hair". Although, as were the Pharisees, these individuals are seeped in the
word of God, they are misled to think that with all the celebrations and
outward displays of being a "Christian" they are truly serving God in the
manner that God has prescribed. These individuals can also be traced back
to the Puritanical beginnings of the US where strict adherence to specific
codes found or "interpreted" from the word of God led to practices such
as lynching and witch-hunts. Modern day Pharisees also tend to hold themselves slightly above the
masses as they appear to possess something (like God's phone number, or
something!) that can only be achieved through the path laid out by the
organization or leadership. This group is also typified by the continued perception in our society
that God will reward on Earth, the people who follow his will. This dates
back many years to our European ancestors who proclaimed that they were
in God's favor because they were rich and the development of the concept
of Manifest Destiny which prescribed that since "we" have the goods on
how this God thing works, the goals that we set for ourselves all have
a divine blessing to go along with them and we are righteous in nearly
all of our actions. Manifest Destiny has led to more wars and skirmishes throughout history.
This is the concept that enslaved Africans and other minorities worldwide
and the philosophy that justified the mass extermination of Native Americans
in the pursuit of the land, which was, willed to us by God Himself. Sadducees, on the other hand, represent the humanists and relativists
of today. The intelligentia who hold themselves to have the goods on existence
by virtue of the education they have received and the scientific method. The scientific method was developed during the Enlightenment in European
history to standardize the scientific study of naturally occurring phenomena
so that better understanding of the underlying rules of the universe could
be tested over and over to provide either support on non-support for a
particular view of reality. The problem inherent in the scientific method, as with all human endeavor,
is the presence of the human in the equation. The method holds that observation
of the world with the skilled mind will lead to insight as to the goings
on in the natural world. With this insight a scientist can develop a theory
as to the relationship between two or more components of reality. Armed
with the methods of "controlling" the effects of other aspects of reality
not covered in the theory, the scientist can test the validity of their
ideas and provide support for their model of reality. He myth of the scientific method lies in the aspect of "control". Science
seeks not only to describe (nomenclature) and understand (philosophy),
but also to control (edification of man) the environment. Great strides have been taken in human science that I would prefer to
not do without, such as advances in medicine and in the sciences that make
us able to use microwave ovens and such things to simplify our lives (we
think!). However, this method has led to a rather haphazard formulation of theory
that takes on a decidedly relative viewpoint, in that, true reality can
never be described because as Quantum Mechanics supports, the very act
of observing a phenomena in nature, effects and changes the nature of the
phenomena. A little heady on this one, but follow me. This is a strong contention against the establishment of a moral way
of thinking that relies on the system of belief prescribed by Jesus. Without
scientific proof should not the whole thing just be tossed aside. With modern forms of education emphasizing utilitarian knowledge with
little attention to the thinking about knowledge and the ethical considerations
of knowledge, we are plunging forth into a relatively deep abyss of unknown
consequences to our own behavior. Did we, as a collective humanity, understand
the significance of the development of nuclear power? Do we now understand
the importance and potential dangers associated with the mapping of the
human genome, or genetic code? I think not. We simply stumble forth into the future and we will let the next generation
of scientist figure out if we really should have performed these experiments
at all. An irresponsible stand for science to take when such things as
genetic engineering and cloning lie within the foreseeable future. The
days of the noble scientist so aptly presented in the classic science fiction
novels of Isaac Asimov and to an even greater degree, Jules Verne, are
somewhat lacking in the modern lab. Back to the Bible! God gives us the tools to deal with the "Sadducees"
and "Pharisees" of today through the actions of how Jesus and the disciples
encountered these individuals. As Peter addresses the group (4,8) we are again reminded of the true
gift that we receive when we are in the Holy Spirit. John was not in rapture
nor was he in an any less clear state of mind as he was that morning over
breakfast. Being filled with the Holy Spirit as Jesus intended provided
him with the confidence and power to confront and eventually overcome the
influence of the Sadducees. The "ignorant" and "uneducated" confound the
"educated" with the words God has given them to speak. "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that
they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge
of them, that they had been with Jesus." (4,13) We also see a prophetic statement from Peter as he refers to Jesus as
the stone that was tossed away which will become the cornerstone in the
new order. People of the day took this to mean something more here-and-now…it
is apparent that Peter is talking about the eventual worldwide spread of
the Good News and the rebuilding of the Roman empire as Christianity becomes
the accepted and dominant religion (4,11) They attempted to threaten the group of Christians into not spreading
the word of Jesus despite admitting to the presence of a miracle in the
midst. This denial of reality is very apparent in some areas of the scientific
world. What real power they had to actually threaten the disciples is unknown,
but it had no effect on the grand design of the Lord in that Peter and
others continued to preach the word. When they were finally released, they went back to the others and told
them of what they had been through with the Sadducees. This was cause for
much rejoicing as when one overcomes a powerful and skilled opponent in
a game of chess. It is true validation of what one believes when the "educated"
cannot come up with a satisfactory explanation for the reality of your
experience. Here we find the group filled with the Holy Spirit again and they spoke
the word among themselves with great authority and confidence. Here is
an instance, again, of the true wealth of strength that the Holy Spirit
represents in our lives. It is through invoking the powers of God through
the Holy Spirit that we may speak for him and inspire others to travel
the path of Christ. Finally the chapter ends with a further description of the communal nature of this original group. People sold what they had and the group distributed the wealth to those in need based on what it is that they need. Chapter 5 Chapter 5 of Acts provides an interesting contrast in the treatment
of his people by God. We are first introduced to Anninias and his wife,
Sapphira. They has a possession that they sold when the joined the group
of believers of which they kept part of the money they got for it. The
expectation in this communal living arrangement was that each member would
sell their possessions, give the value over to the apostles and the wealth
was redistributed based on need. The "spirit" of efforts like this was the same effort that spurned the
development of communal living arrangements in the US during the 60's and
in many European countries as well. Congregate housing and sharing of resources,
as a philosophy, holds a lot of merit in being an ideal way of life. Peter rebukes Anninias reminding him that despite knowing the will of
God, he disobeyed and thus lied to the Holy Spirit. Anninias immediately
fell down and died. When Anninias' wife, Sapphira, exposes that she is
part of the plan as well and held full knowledge of what Anninias did,
she too, suffered his same fate. Key in Peter's rebuke is the statement that Anninias and Sapphira conceived
of this in their own hearts. This is different than that which is brought
to us by the Devil through temptation. All about us lies temptation and
there is relief from this in a dedication to reading the word of God. However,
to conceive of a plan or to understand the will of God and then act out
of accordance with it, seems to be a different story. My read on this passage is that the spirit of evil will certainly tempt
us and we will fail in the eyes of our Lord, but to plan to defy the word
and will of God will be met with a swifter justice. It most likely angers
God the more to have helped someone see the light and then to have that
person deny the will of God. This is not too dissimilar to the feelings
that a parent may have regarding a child that seems to understand your
will, yet seems to also seek ways to disobey. Very frustrating! Before moving on to the contrasting story in the same chapter it
may do well to discuss the concept of communal living and the difficulty
this presents to people in America and across the world. In the times of Jesus and Acts, the people in the area were of a
racial and ethnic decent that emphasised the value of family and culture
as a key aspect of a persons' identity and sense of worth. Many times we
hear throughout the bible references to the importance of ancestory and
the association of people by blood lines. Sociologists would tell us that this is the principle aspect of the
Christian faith which makes it a truly "Eastern" religion (if I can use
the term religion here to bring it into sociological terms). It is Eastern
in that in contrast to Western it emphasises the communal identity of culture
rather than the individual identity of culture. In the west, we have developed a sense of identity based mostly on
the accomplishments and activities of us as individuals. In the past, and
in many non-westernized cultures, the stronger aspect of identity was one's
association with the communal, or shared, aspects of culture. For example: In New York City many Italian immigrants landed on the
shores on Ellis island to begin their lives in the New World, in America.
They brought with them traditions and culture from the Old World and reinstituted
these in the new. An Italian family living in New York had a strong connection
to extended family living together and to the traditional roles of women
and men in the household. Granted, many of these individuals did not have much choice in this
if they wanted to continue to live in the supported atmosphere of the extended
family and community, but non-the-less, they chose their path. Individuals in later life, in these areas, will reflect on the roles
that they played in the community and the connections they have with others
around them and from this draw a significant satisfaction in having been
able to fulfill the role intended for them. In Westernized cultures, the results are different. The West has
become more and more individualistic with an emphasis on personal accomplishment,
skill, talent, achievement and personal wealth as signs of a person's worth
in a society. Diminished is the connection to the local community, one's
personal traditions, congregate living and sharing of resources locally.
To, as some Developmental Psychologists would support, the detriment of
the individual and society. A side-lesson, possibly, in the 5th chapter of Acts, is
a challenge to the west to recapture the caring nature of communal living
and the sharing of self across a group instead of focused in more individualistic
concerns. This is a tremendous challenge in our society here in America. Our
collective culture, though there are many pockets of close-knit communities,
emphasizes the individual vs. the collective to a degree that the ancients
could not have anticipated. Everything is individualized from a person's
grade school education plan to their own personal walk with God. This allows for a tremendous amount of freedom in the approach to
these issues, but does not allow for the equal, but necessary amount of
responsibility that comes with each individual. By standing out as individuals
have we not each taken on the role of leadership, if not only in our own
lives, but as an example to all those around us? I believe that the apostles had their work cut out for them to assist
people in living as a group, but I think the difficulty of this in that
time pales in comparison to the task set before leaders today. On we go… The work of the Apostles begins to magnify and the healing powers of
peter and others attract many people throughout the region to join their
group. And, not to anyone's surprise they all ended up in prison, persecuted
by those whose role it was, traditionally, to lead the spiritual direction
of the people. The spirit of the Lord delivers them out of the prison and tells them
to teach in the temple the next day. As the Sanhedrin assembles to question
the Apostles, news of their true whereabouts brings about concern in the
group that this information "would grow" to further magnify the reputation
of this group of believers. When the apostles were carefully brought back to be questioned Peter
dug into them the guilt that lay upon their hearts for the slaying of Jesus
and that they were going to do whatever God commanded them to do, (i.e.
continue to spread the word). We then see one of the wisest men in the Bible speak, Gamaliel, a doctor
of the law. He brings a great deal of wisdom to the group and sets the
stage for the historical validation of the mission of Christ on Earth!
Gamaliel states that in the past individuals have come to prminance among
the people claiming to be prophets of people sent from God. Gamaliel makes
the bold statement that supports that we, as men, do not know who is sent
of God and who is not. We can, however, trust that if a person is truly
sent of God, there will be good works and the results of God's hand in
the actions and following of that person will be apparent. Gamaliel simply states that if the movement is not of God, nothing will
come of it and it will die its own death. If, however, it is from God,
we must not place ourselves in it's path in that we will be defying God. Oh, this is such good stuff! The wisdom of this is that we do not
know the will of God and how He will work his hand into the fabric of the
world. We can be vigilant, however, that if God's hand is truly involved,
it will last. This can be said of great works of philosophy and learning as well.
I have always contended that much of what we see today and pop-psychology
and pop-theology and "New Age" are mere pale reflections of the great works
of the ancients. There is nothing "new" in "New Age". It is simply a restating
of ancient realities that due to their very nature have survived for thousands
of years. Herein lies my faith in the nature of ancient culture and religion
vs. new-modeled faith and moral relativism. Ancient scripture of all kinds
undergoes a test similar to the test of prophets of days gone. The text
that survives has within it grains of universal truths that are recognizable
to the reader and to those that study the words. The Bible is like this.
It has controversey, contradiction and a whole slew of mystery, but it
lasts from generation to generation because it is the product of a divine
intervention. I do not see the Bible as a perfect representation of the mind of
God, just as a painting is not a perfect representation of an artist's
imagination. The brushes of a painter, the paints and the canvas all contain
flaws that diminish the ability to render the idea. God too, was limited
by his instruments as is apparent throughout the Bible. But, the Spirit
of God continues to inspire the text and the stories for multiple generations. In Chapter 5 we see a contrast being made between the story at the beginning
and at the end. In the beginning people disobeyed the word that they knew
to be true and were struck down. In the end, people obeyed the spirit of
God and were released from prison to continue the work. Interestingly,
God used the very skills that the Sanhedrin possessed in their logic and
knowledge to set the Apostles free and further enhance their legendary
stand among the people. The lesson of this chapter is obedience. We are commanded in Deuteronomy to obey the word of God (26:16), to contemplate on it day and night (Joshua 1:8 see note below), 1 Samual tells us that obedience is better than sacrifice (15:22) and
Mathew reminds us that not all who say the law ("Lord, Lord…") shall enter
into heaven, but only those that "doeth the will of my Father." (Mt. 7:21) Note on Joshua 1:8 The book of Joshua opens with God appointing Joshua to succeed Moses.
He commands in 1:7 that he should do according to the law and continues
in 1:8 that the law is not to come out of his mouth but that he will meditate
on it day and night so that he may be able to live by the word. God furthers
this by stating that by this way, he will achieve prosperity and will be
successful. I would present that this served, in the past, to justify many actions
as being the will of God. Prosperity here is not necessarily referring
to money or wealth or other kinds of Earthly success. It is apparent that
in Joshua's mind at this time is how in the heck he is supposed to succeed
Moses! How is he to fill those shoes! Joshua is filled with the spirit to do the will of God. It is to
this end that God refers to Prosperity. Meaning, if one is to be successful
at fulfilling one's mission as dictated to them by the Spirit of
God, he must contemplate the law night and day and strive to live as the
law commands. If Earthly prosperity is to come to someone, that may be
a whole different story in God's plan for us. In regard to it's relevance to Acts Chapter 5, this reference just
serves to remind us that we must contemplate the law and apply it in every
day life, not just talk about it! Chapter 6 In chapter 6 we are introduced to the first of the division of labor efforts made in the early church. There arose rumors that the apostles (the priests), though filled with the Holy Spirit, had neglected to take care of the members of the early church who were poor. Here they are referred to as the "widows", or more accurately, "women without men". At the time of Jesus and the time of Acts the wealth of the family rests with the patriarchal or male side. Treasure and wealth is passed on from generation from father to son, not from father to daughter, and mothers have very little to do with it all! The apostles heard the rumors of their neglect in the fervor of their efforts to save souls and appointed seven "deacons" to assist the work of spreading the word and in organizing the efforts of the church to not let the needs of the poor go unmet. Seven deacons are chosen among whom is Stephen. Selected from his peers as a man "full of faith and the Holy Ghost" the apostles laid hands on him. The laying of hands upon others from the apostles has been a concept that remains active in the church today. It may be that many feel it is a way to focus prayer and to indicate to the individual upon whom hands are being laid, that God is going to begin working in him or her. In Timothy we see that the Gifts of the Holy Spirit may be transmitted, or at least the awareness of the presence of the gift, by the laying on of hands. None-the-less, Stephen is said to have been filled with the power of the Holy Ghost and performed wonders and great miracles among the people. He was on fire! The text does not mention that Stephen had received any specific gifts from the Holy Ghost. OK. So here we have Stephen who is on fire with the word of Christ. He speaks to the crowds and brings upon himself the wrath of a few people from the synagogue. However, as with many filled with the spirit, the words that dripped from the tongue of Stephen did move the hearts of these men and they were unable to dispute with him. (Not surprising if you think that one filled with the Holy Ghost is speaking the words and carrying on the work of our Lord. Ever try to win an argument with the Lord?) Unable to beat him with wisdom and certainly feeling that their authority and position among the people threatened, they hired men to bring false witness against Stephen. Again we see, in the end of this chapter, the sin of the Jewish people of the time. Spurred by men of position within the Jewish body of faith, the people felt secure and confident in the ritual and ceremony of the traditional laws of Moses. How better to enrage the people than to say that Stephen spoke against the Law of Moses, and thus against God. They captured Stephen and brought him before the elders. They were struck by the aspect of his face. He looked as if he were an angel. Remember that Stephen is on fire here and he feels the energy and the spirit of God running through his veins. (We know he was preparing to give a message to the Elders straight from God, and they are not going to like what he was going to say!) A repeated theme we see here is that the word of Christ, as was Christ himself, is said to be in conflict with the original Law of Moses. The people of the time try ardently to live up to the expectations of the law. It is surprising that this is happening at this time, if the original Jews running around the desert for 40 years had the same commitment, they might have found the Promised Land a lot earlier than they did! But here we are as Stephen is said to have blasphemed against the synagogue by saying that Jesus said he would destroy this place and change the customs of Moses. Now, one would think that this is not too far from the truth, taken out of context. In the context of what Jesus really said, the temple he referred to as being destroyed was himself. In regard to the customs of Moses, one must look at the word custom. A custom is a practice or activity that is associated with a relatively deep-rooted cultural identity. It is the customs of groups of people that we look at when we discuss differences in culture. Customs grow and evolve among people over time and become engrained into the every day practice of the group. Sadly, as with most ceremony and custom in religious faith, the activity of the people begins to supercede the meaning of the activity and the activity begins to be performed as a matter of habit. Jesus came to us to break our habits! The Jews had become complacent in their faith feeling that as long as they follow the customs of the law, they were nearly guaranteed a place in heaven. What Jesus refers to in terms of changing the customs is that he would remind the Jews as to the meaning behind the custom. He would also point out that a custom in the absence of the spiritual significance of the event, at the root of the custom, is meaningless. We must remember that Jesus, first and foremost, was a Jew. He wished to remind the Jews of their sacred trust as the people of God and to enliven the faith within the people the sense of their spirituality. It is in this way that he is said to have come to change the customs of Moses. Chapter 7 Stephen is now questioned by the authorities as to what Jesus said regarding the destroying of the temple. (How prophetic that the grandchildren of this generation would live to see the actual destruction of the temple!) Again we are reminded of the culture of the area here, the Temple is a most sacred of place and in the time, is believed to be the actual home of God. To say that it will be destroyed is to say that you are more powerful than God, or that you are working for the other side and this is very threatening. Stephen then launches into quite a long speech regarding the history of the Jews. He is however, doing much more than reciting from a history lesson. He is, point by point, bringing to light each of the major instances in which the Jews not only disobeyed God, but actually went against the chosen one of God. The point that Stephen makes is that the murder of Jesus is to be considered along the lines as just another example of the Jews rejecting the chosen one. First Abraham is given the promise that his seed will have the land and from Abraham the twelve tribes of Israel came. Joseph, one of the twelve, is sold into bondage to Egypt (I wonder how this relates to the fact that later the entire people would be sold into bondage in Egypt? It may be that the eleven patriarchs actually, on a spiritual level, sold the entire tribe of Israel to the Egyptians.) God, however, gave favor to the one, Joseph. Joseph came to some power within Egypt and did good for himself there, under the careful, watchful eye of his God. When the drought came and there was no food, his family was sent for and they came to reside in Egypt. This is interesting symbolism that may be discussed in the Genesis, but it seems that the one, Joseph, may represent Jesus, who has found favor with the lord on Earth. He calls his people out of a "Spiritual Wilderness" where there is spiritual drought. Those that choose to come to him also find favor in the lord. At this point it is interesting to note that neither Jacob (Joseph’s father) nor Abraham lived to die in the Promised Land. These righteous men, who followed God without fail, were all denied the promises here on Earth because they needed them not to follow the will of God. It is the common people that needed the "real" stuff of a "promised land" or property, in order to follow God truly. However, because this situation is a human one, it changes, unlike the Lord. A new king arises who does not remember the deal made with Joseph. The new king comes to treat the Jews cruelly, as a possible divine punishment for the selling of Joseph into bondage. Events of the day are brought to light as it was done that the Jews were commanded to throw, or cast out, their young in "order that they may not live". It may be that at the time, the Jews were following rituals that were necessary for survival of the people. It is not uncommon that among less technologically oriented people that any deformity, disability or other lack of perfection in a child is seen as an abomination and the physical manifestation of the evil one in the child. These children are either cast away or killed outright. The Egyptians may have also ordered this process in order to control the population of the Jews. The Egyptians were well known for thinking very far ahead in all the matters that concerned them. It is noted, however, that Stephen makes note of the fact that Moses was "exceeding fair" and that his parents kept him in their homes for the first three months of his life. It is only then that he is cast out and the daughter of Pharaoh adopts him as her own. (I hope you are picking up on the similarity between this and the casting out of Joseph into the welcoming hands of the Egyptians…though the reason for the casting out is very different.) Moses grows up among the Egyptians and learns of their wisdom and performs many great deeds. It seems here that it is never lost to Moses that he is actually a Jew and when he comes to forty years of age he goes to his people. And of course, they reject him. (Remember that Stephen is pointing out all the times that the Jews have rejected the chosen one of God.) You could say that Moses, in this aspect of the story is going through a midlife crisis. At midlife, according to many researchers, people look at their lives and begin to question the path that they are on. They wonder what legacy they are going to leave behind as they realize, probably for the first time, that they are not immortal. Psychologically, people conduct a review of their current path and compare it to their values as to what is most important to them. If there is a conflict between them then the person may choose to make some rather radical changes in their lives. This is, of course, assuming that the ages reported here are accurate. We will see elsewhere that Moses, if the years are correct, is over 80 years old before he leads the Jews out of Egypt. One could also phrase this story as a story of adolescence in which we chop each of the ages in half and portray Moses as confronting his identity as a Jew when he was twenty. Being rejected by his peers he escapes to another land (runs away). Once in that land for twenty years he comes to 40 years old and enters midlife, ready for a new direction dictated by God. (I personally like this interpretation better as I don’t really care how accurate the ages are in the Bible, and this gives us an additional gift of some understanding of the feelings and insecurities that go along with being a man during adolescence and into adulthood and midlife.) After Moses was in Madian God commanded him to return to Egypt to free his people. He did this and was a powerful leader of the Jews. However, while in the wilderness, as Stephen points out, the Jews become restless and long for the predictability of their former existence. At least when they were slaves, they had work to do, direction in their life, and some level of predictability. Now they knew not where they were going and were scared and tired of wondering. It is here that must be said that if they had chosen the right and true path and stuck to following the dictates of God, they would have found the Promised Land much sooner than they did. The Jews once again reject the chosen one of God, Moses, and choose to worship other gods. God rejects them and brings them further into the wilderness. Here Stephen brings up the tabernacle. He, Moses, is shown how to make the tabernacle that the Jews are to bring around with them as a place for worship. However, Stephen becomes bold with the Holy Ghost and challenges the idea that the tabernacle is the actual home of God. Stephen states that God is in Heaven and that the Earth is his footstool (with this Stephen has condemned himself to death, as this is the most sacrilegious thing he could have said!) Now, Stephen the instructor becomes Stephen the accuser! He admonishes the priests of the day for being "stiffnecked" and "uncircumcised in heart and ears" and for continuing the tradition of not abiding by the will of God as the forefathers had done! Stiffnecked here refers to the stubbornness of the people. In image it would mean that the people are too set on the path they have set in front of them to notice the things going on around them, thus they could not turn their heads to see what is really going on. Throughout the bible the people of God are referred to as stiffnecked and stubborn. Exodus 32:9 has God Himself referring to the people as stiffnecked, as in Samuel 8:19 the people heed not the word of Samuel and refuse his kingship. (Is this not a running theme throughout the Bible? A people running from their Heavenly King?) The point of all this is that "stubbornness" when one knows the will of God is a sin against the Holy Spirit. As we discussed in Acts 5:3, God does not take sin against the will of the Holy Spirit lightly! Mathew 12:13 tells us that all forms of sin will be forgiven to men save sin against the Holy Spirit. Mark 3:29 supports that this sort of sin will not be forgiven and that he that sins in this manner is in danger of eternal damnation. Here Stephen is telling the priests that because the "know better" and are in the position they are in, their sin is the most egregious of all! It is they, in all their pompousness, the leaders of the spiritual practice of the nation, who are most in danger of damnation! Well, as you will recall, Jesus said nothing like this to anybody and they crucified Him! (He usually got them to confuse themselves enough with their own words to come the conclusion themselves, truly a master debater!) Stephen knows what his fate will be, he has pushed them to declare him in violation of the sacred Law of Moses and he is put to death in traditional Jewish manner, he is stoned to death. However, somewhat prophetically, we are introduced to Saul at this point. Saul, who will become Paul later in this reading, collects the payment (garments) of the witnesses to the execution of Stephen and allows each to throw rocks as Stephen until he dies. In true Christian imitation Stephen calls out to God and asks Him to not lay the blame of his death on the people as he called out Jesus’ name. With this he "falls asleep". I am unsure as to the nature of using the phrase "falls asleep" instead of "giving up the ghost" or simply "dying". It is simply a phrase meaning death that is used in instances throughout the Bible. Just a thought, not knowing the original text from which it was translated, "falling asleep" in English, has a meaning different than death. For the English it has a meaning of temporariness associated with it. This would mean that the original authors did not see death as a final part of life, but simply a transition to the next aspect of living, much the way sleep as we know it is simply a transition from one day to the next. This would lend great understanding to the power of the Holy Spirit as it manifested itself in the early Christians. This is a group that did not, and still does not, fear death. It is merely a "falling asleep" waiting to be woken at the end of time. Chapter 8 Chapter 8 introduces us to the darker side of the beginning of Saul’s (Paul’s) career. This young man is a part of the effort to persecute the new Christians. He consented and oversaw the stoning of Stephen and led the crusade to persecute other Christians. Under the threat of Saul, the early Christians dispersed throughout the land. Here we see how the hand of God is shown even when evil seems to have the fight won! It is through this dispersion of the early Christians that many new souls were added unto their numbers. Where the people went so did the word of Jesus! Two great conversions, prior to the conversion of Saul, are discussed in this chapter. The forming of the church at Samaria and the conversion of the eunuch. Samaria is important in the total mission of the early Christians since the Samaritans were considered an unclean people in the view of the Jews. This is the point of the parable of the "Good Samaritan" in the Gospels. One could possibly assume that this would be similar to writing a story that portrays a "Good Gang-member" or of preaching to a group of Bloods in New York City. In the mission of Christ there is no distinction between Jews and Gentiles, all have the right to receive the message of Christ. In fact, it is most likely that the "Chosen People" title that the Jews have held for so long under God has been expanded to include all of the people of the world. Possibly as a reaction to the sin of the Jewish people in rejecting their prophets and leaders. One must be careful in these days to draw such conclusions about an entire group of people. Among the Jews, I’m sure, there were many who were devout and pious to the real meaning of the rituals that were practiced. Many feared the Christian movement in that it removed from their lives a large part of their identity as a people waiting for their savior to arrive. In addition, to assume that God was punishing the Jews for their disobedience to Him and his prophets by focusing the Christian message on the Gentiles is merely an interpretive read of the text. It is apparent in the New Testament that God is displeased with the fact that the Jews have rejected the very Savior they had been waiting for. It is, however, not surprising, in that the Old Testament seems to be a document filled with the convoluted relationship between God and the Jews and their vacillating relationship as at one time victory and reward is given to the Jews at one point and the Jews reject the message of their Lord at the next. As Philip goes to Samaria he finds that that land is filled with unclean spirits, which, of course, cannot resist the healing of the Holy Spirit and are cast out in droves. The character that enters the stage at this time is Simon. Simon was a man of some influence in the land of Samaria and had gained this influence through the use of sorcery and had bewitched his people. The reference here to sorcery and "bewitching" is one that is more along the interpretation of deceit. Here we are confronted with the comparison between the truth and the lies of the Evil One. It is said that the people of Samaria believed that Simon was the power of God. Thus is the way of Satan! For one to stand in front of Satan and see his works first hand would lead that one to feel he is in the presence of the Lord. That is the ultimate lie! Was it not Lucifer, the brightest of all angels under God, who wished to be like God? Was he not cast into hell for the very sin of wanting to be like God? What better way to lead the people of the Earth away from God, but by imitating him? The power of the story of Simon in Samaria is that he was baptized. He was made one of the brotherhood of early Christians and stayed with them a while and marveled at the works they did. Now, up to this point, Simon has only witnessed the Baptism of Jesus Christ and the chasing of demons and spirits out of the people. He has not seen the Baptism of the Holy Spirit until Peter and John are sent from Jerusalem. Upon their arrival they laid their hands on the people and they received the Holy Spirit. Again, here we speak of the receiving of the Holy Spirit as the power of God becomes available to the people and they enter into their personal relationship with God as they try to fulfill their purpose in God’s great plan. The Baptism of Jesus Christ removed all sin and saved them (in essence killed them in the Spirit), the Baptism of the Holy Spirit gives them a new life and a new purpose. When one witnesses the power of God entering a person and they receive a new life it is an amazing event. Some lives are completely turned around, relationships are healed, hope is seen in the eyes of the hopeless and a fire burns in the soul. It is very powerful. Here we see Satan acting through Simon as Simon’s lust for power is brought forward. Remember that until the Christians arrived Simon was considered to have the power of God, and as one would suppose, that gave him a lot of power over the people. Now he witnesses the "true" power of God as the Holy Spirit changes lives and he tries to buy this power from Peter! Peter, being filled with the power of God, sees the wickedness of this matter and rebukes the offer and tells Simon that his money will parish with him if he is to think that the power of God could be purchased. He sees Simon caught in the "gall of bitterness" (jealousy) and the "bond of inequity" (a bondage that has Simon serving someone other than God). Have we not encountered within ourselves the feeling of jealousy and of loathing for the fortune of others, the power that they may have, the influence they possess? Have we not seen people, or perhaps ourselves, consumed with this rage and fear to the point of sin? The lesson of this point in the chapter is that as Christians we must be sure that the power and connection we seek with our Lord is to fulfill His purpose, not our own. It is attractive to think that with the power of the Holy Spirit within us we attract many to us who long to feel the power of God rush from our eyes and warm them with our embrace. All of this is attractive to the flesh a man as well. Who would not deny that popularity and prominence in society is a sought after condition? We must always remember that the powers given unto us from the Lord are for his purpose and must be exercised in great care and with a prayerful heart so that we do not find ourselves caught in the improper use of these gifts. As well, we must learn to appreciate and not envy the gifts that God has given others. As humans we often compare ourselves to others. In and of itself this is not so bad, but it seems we also have a tendency to judge the others worthiness of the gift or compare our own worthiness and our relative lack of something or another. Remember, we are mostly talking about how we perceive good fortune and gifts in others as they relate to our desire for the same in our own lives. We find ourselves wondering what it is that we need to do to get what that person has (Did not Simon ask to "purchase" the power?). We may also be caught in the tendency to point out reasons why the person does not deserve the gifts they have been given, but again this is mostly done in the light of trying to provide attention to the personal characteristics we may have that certainly make us a more worthy candidate for the particular piece of luck or gift that God has dolled out to the person in question. We must always make effort to remove ourselves from the position of comparison, not only does this promote sin, but for us to attempt to understand the righteous justice of God using our own perceptions of truth is futile, disappointing and quite frankly, depressing! I know, I’ve tried it! I find myself looking at the world and all the injustice that occurs in it. Who am I to judge what is just? The second conversion starts with Philip being instructed by God to go into Gaza, a desert area. On the road to Gaza, Philip comes upon a eunuch of great power under the queen of the Ethiopians. Ethiopia is of great importance in this instance in relation to its position in the ancient world. Riches are associated with Ethiopia in the bible. In Job 28:19, the riches of the spiritual life are compared to the topaz, which is in Ethiopia. Isaiah refers to the riches in Ethiopia and all it’s "merchandise" as something that God has given to His people. Finally, Psalm 68:31 prophesizes that Ethiopia will reach its hand out to God. Ethiopia is a land of great riches and merchandise. A great trading area where many nations meet to bargain and exchange goods. This is an important way in which culture was spread around the ancient world, it was through trade. Equally important is also the fact that the man is a eunuch. A eunuch is a man whose penis has been cut off in order to allow him to work in close proximity to queens and princesses without the sexual urges that could come along with that kind of work. It also served to lower the testosterone level in the men making them more docile and less prone to violence. The importance of the eunuch becoming one of the followers of Christ, and possibly the bearer of the good news to a great many people back in Ethiopia and around the world, is that eunuchs are perceived of as being unclean. Deuteronomy 23:1 clearly states that eunuchs will not enter "into the congregation of the Lord". This is countered in Isaiah 56 as eunuchs are counted as being part of the promise of the Lord and that they will be given a "place and a name". Jesus, in Mathew 19:12, even places eunuchs as people who may have chosen their way in order to fulfill their purpose and mission for God. In a day where the passing of wealth and property was through the patriarchal blood line it is not surprising to see throughout the bible, numerous references to the male sex organ and the ability or non-ability to have children. Eunuchs were not perceived of as real men. (not too different as impotence is viewed now, at least among most people, otherwise drugs such as Viagra would not be selling so well.) The baptism of the eunuch, particularly this eunuch, is of importance to the early church in that the eunuch was a very important man in Ethiopia and was in charge of all the queen’s treasure. To have the queen and her treasure involved in the work of God is sort of like what would happen if Bill Gates became a born-again Christian! (He may be one already, I don’t know!) Philip assists the eunuch in understanding how Jesus fulfills the scripture he was reading. The eunuch is inspired and asks to be baptized. I really like the way he asks as well as he requests to be baptized in a way that clearly shows his humbleness to the work of Jesus through Philip…he states, "See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?" He does not request that he be baptized, he simply asks to be told what it is that may prevent him from being baptized. This may seem a minor point, but this is a man of great power and wealth in the world who meets another on the road and yet he still remains the student of wisdom in whatever manner it comes by him! Awesome! Philip then takes a spirit filled leave of the eunuch (he disappears) and the eunuch is left to rejoice on his own. Again, a point may be here that Philip knew that he did not need to spend much more time with the eunuch in that the eunuch was an educated and wise man. He, Philip, trusted that the eunuch would continue to study the word of the lord and would continue to see the fulfillment of that word in the life of Jesus. Remarkable that the people of God, the Jews, needed to be shown time and time again the way of the Lord and still they did not grasp the nature of Jesus. Here we see a wise eunuch launch himself on the words of a stranger and the power of the Holy Spirit. Chapter 9 Saul, soon to be Paul, is converted from his wicked ways in this most important of chapters. Saul requests the he be given permission to seek out the Christians in Damascus and bring them bound to Jerusalem. Jesus had something else in mind. He appeared before Saul and asked him why he (Saul) persecuted Him. Saul was confounded and asked what he should do. Jesus blinds him for three days and places him in the care of Ananius. Now, Ananius is a little concerned about his latest assignment as a new Christian. He had heard about this man Saul and that he was in Damascus for the reason to bring Christians bound to Jerusalem. But, Ananius obeyed and met with Saul, cleansed his eyes and presented him to the local Christians. Saul immediately began to preach and talk of his experience with the Lord. The Lord has once again confounded the efforts the Evil One by using the very person who was persecuting the Christians to win more to his fold. It is important to recognize that the church at this time was actively putting down the movement that Christ had begun and Saul had been at least one of their main individuals assigned to carry out the task. With his conversion Saul became a very influential individual in that he exemplified the true power of the Cross as it even converted one whom was so against Christ. The Jews planned to kill Saul for the reason that he was sure to be able to contribute greatly to the mission of the early church. Fortunately, Saul was snuck out of the city wall and returned to Jerusalem. When he arrived he was understandably not welcomed in the group of Christians. They were not on the road to Damascus with him and who is to know that he was not lying only to learn of the whereabouts of all the Christians so that he may capture them? Barnabas brought Saul to the local Christians in Jerusalem and convinced them of his conversion. Saul, at this point, begins his long journey of persecution. He is first hunted by Jews then by Grecians, escaping to his home city of Tarsus. The conversion of Saul represents one of the most significant messages of the Bible. God can and will use anyone that he chooses to fulfill the mission He has for his people. Sometimes it is the individuals who seem the most far from the Lord that God is working with in order to bring them about to a place where they can be useful to the larger plan that He has. A second meaning of the conversion of Saul is that any one of us throughout our lives have probably found ourselves persecuting Christians. It may not be in the way of hunting them down, but it is persecution to look upon others who claim to be Christians and judge them as not because traditions they have may differ from the ones you have come to believe. It is not persecution to reject in someone else their beliefs? For someone to simply claim a belief in Jesus and the cross is enough to call them Christians, to split hairs on the details of how to live day-to-day life is to move against God. The God that Jesus told us about is a loving God. God worked in Saul and had a plan for Saul even on the day that Stephen was killed. It may be that the lesson we walk away from after reading chapter 9 is that in each person there is a piece of the grand design of the Lord and it may not be up to us as to whether or not a person is fulfilling their calling for the Lord or not. As hard as it may be to do sometime, we are called to be loving even to those who are different. Is it not more difficult to love them than to love what is known and familiar? The chapter then turns to the further mission of Peter as he journeys around the country to look in on the various churches and groups that have come to be to serve the lord and spread His message. He performs miracles in the name of Jesus first healing Aeneas from a palsy that left him in bed for eight years and then raising Tabitha from the dead. Peter has become a powerful leader of the local churches and with prayer continues the work of Jesus. Chapter 10 In the tenth chapter we are introduced to the Italian centurion named Cornelius. Cornelius is a devout, god-fearing man who had a vision that he should call for Peter to come and visit him and that Peter would tell him the things that God wished him to know. Peter received a couple of visions that are of vital importance to the future of the Christian church at the same time. While in a trance sitting on a roof Peter is presented with a vision of many beasts being in a vessel descending out of the sky. A voice asked Peter to kill something and feed. When Peter proclaimed that he would not eat anything that is unclean or common (non-Kosher, I would presume) God proclaims that he must not call "common" anything that He has cleansed. In the meeting that comes about between Peter and Cornelius we bring the visions together and Peter proclaims the word of Christ to the Gentiles. Peter proclaims that God does not care from where the believers come but that they believe and are baptized. The centurion and his family and friends are baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit in the presence of Peter. They spoke in tongues and magnified the Lord. Many of the early Christians approached Peter about the fact that Gentiles had had the Holy Spirit poured on them just as it had on the original believers. Peter commanded them to be baptized and the first group of Gentiles joined the Christian movement! This is a significant change in the direction of the early church. Up until now the existence and belief in Christ has been mostly seen as a fulfillment of the original scriptures, that the messiah had come to Earth and the Jews had rejected and killed him. Thus the focus has been on the Jews as a race that needed to be redeemed for their sins against God. Now we see the wider mission of Christ unfolding as the redemption of his Blood is given to all the people of the world! It is not that this has not already been in progress in that other nations have been exposed to Christ as was seen in the previous chapter with the eunuch. This does open a floodgate of possibilities for an international church, an all-accepting church. This is the door through which Saul would venture in his efforts to establish churches throughout the land. Chapter 11 Upon Peter’s arrival back in Jerusalem he was greeted without great favor and accused of taking the word to the Gentiles. Peter relates the entire story as it occurred between he and Cornelius the Centurion. Peter displays a great heroic action as a leader of the early church. He himself broke with tradition in his own church and followed the will of God. In his words, what else was he to do but the will of God? As stated before, the church has only been preaching Jesus as the fulfillment of the Jewish prophets not a savior for the world. Personally I am not surprised that God has now chosen this path. It had become obvious that the "chosen people" failed to listen to their own prophets and leaders even when the presence of God was clear and apparent. Peter’s actions remain a symbol of the kind of courage that leaders need to have when they are filled with the Holy Spirit. As stable and predictable as God is, He has no room in his mission for the tendency for individuals to stick with aged tradition for the sake of security. Security. One of the challenges now facing the early church is one of inclusion. It is felt among psychologists and sociologists that individuals in groups acquire a great deal of security through the process of exclusion of others in favor of individuals of their choosing. Children will often be found engaging in this kind of behavior when they create clubs that exclude particular peers, either particular individuals, or whole groups of individuals such as a little boys club that does not allow girls. This extends itself into many aspects of our society and we see around us the emergence of numerous "secret societies" whose only separateness from the masses is the fact that the members of the group undergo rituals that are not known to others outside the group. Religion is this way. As open as many churches are, there is often a requirement of membership and "proving" that must occur prior to being brought into the "inner circle" of individuals in the church. Through this exclusion of others the members gain a heightened sense of importance and meaning in their lives. Importance, meaning, predictability and separateness from others are definitive aspects of a person’s sense of security. The early Christian church had a great deal of personal mission in being separate from the rest of the world. This, in essence, is not worthwhile to the Lord. He changes the face of the Jewish nation by having them join with the Gentiles and the distinctions between the people, in regard to their faith in Jesus, is wiped away. In one manner this expands the influence of the church and opens the doors for much diversity within the group which will add to its strength, but, for the early Christians, it was a dangerous step towards a decreased amount of personal control over their church and over the predictability and homogeneity of the group. Word of this begins to spread throughout the churches in the surrounding areas and many Gentiles are added to the numbers of believers. Foremost became the church at Antioch to which Barnabas was sent. When Barnabas saw that the progress of the church was good he went to Tarsus to fetch Saul who stayed with him in Antioch. Prophets at Antioch see that there will be a great famine that is to take over the world and a great concern is made for the believers who are in Jerusalem. Barnabas and Saul venture to Jerusalem to assist the church there. The fact that the prophets in Antioch saw a great famine overtake the world may not have been only a prediction of the coming famine involving a lesser amount of food, but may have also been pointing to a world-wide spiritual famine that is to occur in the distant future…today. There is little doubt that the world today is impoverished in terms of their relationship to God. Not only have people over the years moved to more worldly comforts, but multicultural environments such as the United States and moved into a state of moral and ethical relativism, the crown jewel of the evils of Satan. Starving for spiritual relevance and importance individuals in the US continually seek out a variety of sources for spiritual awakening. Anything from drumming to worshiping animal spirits have great numbers of practitioners. It is not to say that any of these religious practices is inherently evil. I would go as far as saying, in their entirety, these faiths, as practiced by the ancient people of the world, were pure and may well have been other manifestations of our Lord in different lands. With that I fall victim to the relativism that I speak of. I am a true believer in the freedom of religious faith and not organization of people should dictate to others how they should practice their spiritual life. Truth will let itself be known in good time and the true God will always triumph over the false ones. Was it not early in Acts that we saw the wise Pharisee tell the others that they should leave the disciples alone and that if it is truly the work of the Lord, they will survive and if it is not, it will disappear on its own accord? I digress. I speak now to the practice in America of taking bits and pieces of sacred manuscripts, the Bible included, and piecing together an eclectic personal religion. This is wrought with danger and misguided intention as we are all imperfect creatures and may well and easily fall into the traps of configuring a very unchallenging and simple religion that accepts all of our failings and provides us with little in the direction of spiritual or personal growth. With this comes an acceptance of the wide range of behaviors that a great number of people can have. The behaviors here are those concerned with morality and ethics. Without a strong, time-tested basis for settling what is right and wrong, people of this age are left to their own resources in determining what is right and wrong based on their own made-up set of ethics and moral principles. Time tested truths of the great religions all look similar because they have stood the reality test of thousands upon thousands of years of real world application. We in America are in a dangerous spiritual time. With this danger, however, has arose opportunity. Never has there been, in the history of the US, a stronger and more widespread revival of "old-time religion" as what is going on these days. People are returning to churches by the droves as their hunger leads them to places of good bread and water. It is extremely important in this exciting time that the leaders of these churches abandon the aspects of their churches that are more separatist in nature and join the many churches around them that preach the words of Jesus. As people are coming back to the buildings of the traditional churches, lets not let them experience the individualism and eclecticism that divided the early churches in the first place. Chapter 12 Now the King of the Jews, Herod, who succeeded Herod the Great and was eventually given all of Herod the Great’s land and power, was active in the persecution of the Christians with the support of the general population. He beheaded James and imprisoned Peter. However, much to the surprise of everyone including Peter, the Angel of the Lord came to Peter in prison and released him. Interesting is the statements of preparation that the Angel of the Lord tells Peter when they are about to leave the prison. "Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me." Acts 12:8 The message of how to deal with being persecuted against is not lost in this simple set of words by the Angel. First, we are instructed that in times of tribulation we are to "tighten our belts". Meaning that we are to be lean, possibly fast, and go without some of the comforts of being in more peaceful circumstances. We are to "buck up" and face bravely that which we are faced with. Second, we are to "bind on (our) sandals". As has been referred to in other parts of the Bible, sandals may represent our "understanding" of the will of God and may also represent the foundation upon which we base our "walk with God". It is what protects us from the stones that may trip us in our journey and from the sharpness of the difficult path that lies before us. Finally, we are to wrap ourselves in our "garment". This may mean that we are to wrap ourselves in the word of the Lord in that, if we are truly Christians, is represented in the world by what others see is clothed in. As a person who is righteous is perceived of as being wrapped in righteousness. These instructions made clear and obeyed, Peter readies himself to flee from the prison and enjoys the full assistance of God to the point that the gates and barriers open before him and he overcomes hurdles without a hitch. Such is the way of the Lord as He manifests himself in our lives. Tightening our belts, relying on our understanding of the will of God and clothing ourselves as Christians, living as a Christian, no barrier can resist the strength and will of God! Peter’s appearance outside of the prison is not only a great surprise to Peter himself, but also to the members of the church that he meets first. The woman who answers the door is so shocked that she runs inside to tell the others without letting him it! Now it is to be assumed that the church did not feel that they would ever see Peter again in that they so vividly recall the death of James earlier. When Peter does appear they think that it might be his ghost! Peter tells them that his freedom is yet again confirmation that they are following the will of the Lord. Harod was quite displeased and had the guards that were supposed to have looked over Peter killed. Poor guys didn’t stand a chance against God! Neither, as we will see, does Herod. Now while this is all going on, Herod negotiates peace with two neighboring countries. Had there been a local country club they would have all probably cut the deal on the "back nine" and then gone in the clubhouse for a few rounds. Herod’s efforts here are to point the attention of the people towards his own power and influence in their lives. On a chosen day, Herod, all decked out for the occasion, makes a few speeches to the masses and they, the masses, declare that the words that come out of the mouth of Herod, are the words of God. Herod is much pleased with this perception in that it moves the focus of the public’s attention on their worldly ruler and not the heavenly one that the Christians speak of. Not to be outdone by a mere mortal, God smites the king down he dies a miserable death of being eaten by worms. He must have been sent some disease from on high. I believe that this happening is mentioned here as additional proof
that the will of God was not to be thwarted by the wills of Earthly kings
such as Herod. Not only is a king able to hold a simple Christian
prisoner, but efforts to out-do the Lord are met with vengeance. In Chapter 13 the Holy Sprit makes it clear that Barnabas and Saul (now called Paul) have a special peice of work to do for the Lord. That is, to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles. This is quite a move and will end up getting Paul into a lot of trouble as he continues to defend his ministry. Up to this point, the Jews have felt that they were the only ones who the Convenant with Abraham applied to...it may still apply in a unique way to the Jews, but now, through Paul and his ministry, the salvation that was previously reserved for "God's People" now encompasses all people, or all nations. Paul tells the story of the People of God and their triump in Egypt only to be enslaved. Moses leads them out into the desert for 40 years but then the next generation conquors "seven nations" and is provided the "promised land". After this God gave the people Judges and then Kings...because they asked for it...though God did not think that they needed Judges or Kings. Along comes David who is, according to God, "after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do". And from David decendants we have Jesus...who, having come for the Jews and being rejected, comes for the whole world (as planned!) Paul begins to preach to teh Gentiles that all they need to do is believe in Jesus and they have the same justification as the Jews have by the Laws of Moses! Wow....we got it easy! Although this made them very popular with the Gentiles who were worshiping God, other Jews stirred up a rebellion against them. There is no small degree of ethnocentrism among the Jews here! Up to now the true God was theirs alone....as small a nation as they were (and still are) this is a large part of the cultural identity of the Jews and they are not going to give it up easily. Let alone the assertion that they may have had in their presence the savior they have been waiting for and that they rejected him. This is a tough pill for many Jews at the time to swallow. |