The Opportunity of Persecution

Scripture Text: Acts 8:1-25

The death of Stephen triggered a wave of persecution of the believers. Generally we think of persecution as a negative think as it often makes it more difficult to proclaim Jesus openly. In the book of Acts as persecution grows, the mission of God in Jesus Christ grows. There appears to be a connection with persecution and spreading of the Gospel.

Most people want their lives to be easy and with as few challenges as possible. So when difficulty shows up it is assumed we are doing something wrong, or that something about the situation is wrong. The reality is we can be doing all the right things, in all the right places and still face trials and tribulations.

In fact the most dangerous times of our faith are when things are going along well. During times of easy going it becomes more likely we will reduce our reliance of God. When we face struggle or persecution there is a clarifying of our faith and a reliance of God. Challenges in life and our relationship with Jesus have the capacity to bear fruit like few other opportunities.

After the ceremony was done. Upon arrival home from the honeymoon. After the gifts had all been opened and thank yous sent. We thought married life would simply continue to go on in a state of eternal bliss. Then we got a dose of reality. This marriage thing is hard work and often there is struggle. The struggles we face in marriage are not a sign of a poor marriage or even a sign that we are doing it wrong. It is a sign that we are married.

Not everyday of marriage should be a struggle. Through the years we can point to more times of delight and joy than we can point to struggle. Yet during the times of struggle have been when our relationship has grown the most. During the times of struggle we have had to rely of God more deeply and hold onto each other more tightly. We do not need to seek after persecution or struggle, it will show up on its own. At the same time we need not be afraid, we must be ready to grow.

Follow Jesus Above Anything Else

Scripture Texts: Acts 7: 33-60; Proverbs 9

Stephen continues to tell the familiar story of the history of the people of God. By this point in the telling the religious leaders might have begun to mentally wander some as the were beyond familiar with the story. That is until Stephen departs from the story as they have always told it to levy an accusation at the religious leaders.

By the end of the chapter the religious leaders are having Stephen killed because he is more interested in following Jesus than following the religious leaders of his day. There is a certain irony in the choice Stephen makes. The very people who should have been most ready to hear and experience the Messiah were the ones who rejected most violently.

Fast forward a couple thousand years and we are left to wonder if we would be Stephen or the religious leaders. The first reaction would be that we are Stephen, yet we must wonder how often we are actually more like the religious leaders. It is easy to miss what God is doing in our midst for the sake of preserving that which we like and benefit from.

We live in what feels like a unique time. Great debate is being had about the nature of marriage with the two major sides of the debate both claiming a religious foundation for their belief. It is quite possible both sides of the issue are correct and both sides are not. One thing is for certain, for some it is no longer about what God desires it is about protecting and preserving something that is liked and from which there is benefit.

The biggest marriage question to wrestle with is not about our preference or benefit, it is about how our lives are lived in light of Jesus Christ. We are not invited to follow some religious system driven by our own personal preferences or desires. Rather we are to be driven by following Jesus with reckless abandon.

We have our opinion about the status of marriage in our current context. Further we are clear about our preference and the way that we think best honors the love and grace of God as found in Jesus Christ. However, in the end our understanding is not as important as following Jesus with reckless abandon. Stephen was not killed because of wrong belief, nor was he killed because because he embodied the compassion of Christ to the world. He was killed because he refused to settle for anything less than following Jesus Christ with reckless abandon.

May we use our marriage as a path to follow Jesus with reckless abandon. May we be willing to put aside the way we would like to see the world so that the world can see Jesus. May we live our marriage in a way that we stand with Stephen and Jesus, and Jesus stands with us.

The Windshield Not The Rear View

Scripture Text: Acts 7:1-32

Stephen was clear about the past. Not only the past in his own life but the past of the people of God. With great detail Stephen tells the story about how God has guided the people and the leaders along the way who God used. We also know Stephen was not stuck in the past that he knew so well.

Often times we live our lives based more on what we see in the rear view mirror than what we see looking out the windshield. We know our past in detail and we get focused on the past. Looking back we can see days of great accomplishment, we can also see days of great pain. One thing is for certain, when we look back we see the circumstances that helped develop us to be who we are. We do not see the person we currently are, or the person we are becoming.

Our past informs who we are. No matter what our past holds it does not hold us any longer. A healthy life spends more time looking ahead rather than behind. Looking only in the review mirror of life will result in not moving at all, or a crash. It is amazing how crash after crash we continue to look through the rear view more than the windshield.

Each person's past in a marriage has significant implications for the present relationship. We must be clear about our past as individuals and as a couple. The events which lead up to this moment are critical in our formation, however they will not move us toward the future.

We cannot ignore the past, yet we cannot be defined by it. Nor can we spend all our time trying to relive or correct the past. A healthy marriage cannot be lived through the rear view mirror. An occasional glance to remind us what is behind is important. Still our primary focus is straight ahead to where we are going. No matter what the road of the past has looked like, there is a glorious future when we keep focused on the One leading us, that is Christ Jesus.

Remembering Our Role

Scripture Text: Acts 5:17-42

A great amount of time is spent debating about what and who is right in our world. When we begin to look to the church we find no real difference in the discourse. Each perspective that presents their view is convinced of their being right and that any other opinion on the topic is wrong. In this midst of this there are a great number of human driven perspectives being presented as God's perspective.

Perhaps it is time to learn from one of the lesser known characters from the early years of the church. Gamaliel offered words of wisdom as the high council, all the religious people of the day were ready to have the Apostles killed. Essentially the message is to let God sort these matters out. If what is happening among the followers of Jesus is only driven by humans it will die on its own. If it is driven by God, there is nothing that can stop it.

Our human tendency is to exchange roles with God. We take on the role of determining right and wrong, what is just and unjust, who counts more in the kingdom of heaven than others, or who receives grace and who does not. These are all the work of God and not people. Our role is to follow after God, through Jesus Christ, with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. Yet we desire to have God follow us as we make the decisions.

This not only happens in the life of the church. Unfortunately this happens in a marriage just as easily. As a married couple pursues their hopes and dreams it is easy to lose sight of who is God and who is the follower. In the end we begin to live our marriage in a way that asks God to bless whatever we are doing instead of seeking to do what it is God longs for us to do.

Whether in the church or in a marriage the key to remembering our role is to walk with humility and submission. Those are two words that have become strange to our world, yet we must reclaim them if we are going to cultivate the life and marriage God longs for us to live. We must be humble to remember this journey is not about us. We must submit to God and trust that God knows best how our lives are to be lived.

In both cases this will mean letting those around us live their life in a way that is different than we think should be lived. Even when we are convinced God is on our side. It would be of benefit to all of us if we were to heed the words of Gamaliel, if it is of human origin it will fail, if it is of God it cannot be stopped, and we might find ourselves fighting against God.

The Dangerous Game

Scripture Texts: Acts 4:32-37; Acts 5:1-16; Psalms 44

The account from Acts 5 is one of the more troubling passages in the New Testament. Gathered together is the community of grace, the church, and they are receiving a gift from others in the group. When the couple practice deception they both end up dead. That does not appear to be a gracious response.

Looking close at the passage we cannot lose sight of what has happened. This couple who were under no obligation to give all of the proceeds to the church made a show and display about presenting their gift. Before the gift is presented to God through the church the couple is given an opportunity to come clean, yet the plot of deception is left to run its course.

Had the couple admitted they were holding some back rather than tell everyone they were giving it all, the story would have ended in a very different way. Because the church is a community of grace, the honest confession would have certainly been met with forgiveness. When there was clearly the presence of repentant hearts and contrite spirits, the church would have offered the forgiveness of Christ.

Deception is a dangerous game to play, and it always comes into the light. In the case of a relationship, deception can erode the quality of a relationship quicker than almost anything. When we attempt to deceive someone, especially our spouse, we are setting the stage for a broken relationship. In all of creation there is one person who we are to have no secrets from and that is our spouse. The health of the marital relationship depends on no secrets, and no deception.

The issue with the couple in Acts was not what they did with their money, rather what they did with their deception. The actions can be challenging, however nothing is more damaging than trying to cover up poor actions with grand deception. The truth always comes out, so it is better to live in the truth from the beginning rather than after an attempt at deception. There will still be anger, there will also be more room for grace.

Seize The Moment

Scripture Texts: Acts 3:11-26; Psalm 43

"Peter saw his opportunity." That is what Luke, the writer of Acts, tells us Peter saw a chance to proclaim the message of Jesus to the people and he did not miss the chance. Seizing the moment, Peter explains the power by which the man was healed. Peter also goes on to invite people to repent of their sins and follow Jesus.

Quite possibly one of the most significant differences between the disciples we read about in the Bible and many of us today is the seizing of moments. The longer the early disciples followed Jesus, the fewer opportunities that went un-seized. Daily there are opportunities to share the Good News of Jesus. Likewise, there are daily opportunities to invite others to join us in following Jesus. We need to learn from the early disciples and seize every opportunity that comes our way.

When we choose to live a marriage in ways that keep Christ at the center, the world around us tends to notice. The values at the core of our marriage tend to be different than those who do not keep Christ at the center. The decisions we make with our time, relationships and money are often different than those around us. All of this generated opportunity to tell others about Jesus.

In a day and age when so few relationships, secular or religious, reflect the values of Christ, when we live our marriage in Christ people notice. Over the course of our marriage people have wondered about the decisions we have made. From an earthly standpoint they have not made any sense. From the standpoint of following Jesus, it was the only logical path.

Not every time have we seized the opportunity to tell others why we live our lives the way we do. At the same time we are ever-increasing in seizing our opportunities. Peter was living his life following Jesus is such a way that others noticed the difference. That is the first part. Once people noticed and Peter saw the opportunity to point others to Christ, he did not delay. That is the second part. From there we can rest assured we did not miss the opportunity, and we can trust that God is at work in out lives and the lives of others.

A Life of Intention

Scripture Texts: Acts 2:42-47; Acts 3:1-10

The first followers of Jesus were people who were intentional about the way they lived their lives, and how they cultivated a deep relationship with Christ. A pattern for daily living included, meals together, prayer together, worship together, and meeting the needs of other people together. These were not activities that were practiced with rigidity, they were practiced with intention.

The first followers wanted to pattern their lives so that whenever and whatever God called them to do, they were ready. To put it another way, they were intentional about living their lives in such a way that God could use them to add daily to the number of people being saved.

It is not only the first followers who need to be intentional about the patterns of our lives. We must find ways to practice the disciplines of our faith, prayer, worship, service, fellowship, and time of deep community. In fact the journey of faith is meant to be a communal journey. Practicing the disciplines of our faith in a private way will leave our faith short of all that God has in mind. To experience the fullness of God requires a community of believers journeying together.

Marriage requires intention as well. To cultivate a fulfilling marriage we must pattern our lives in such a way that we are developing the relationship with our spouse to the fullest. This includes prayer, study of Scriptures, worship, fun time, date time and times of intimacy. Like the disciplines of our faith, these marital disciplines prepare us to live the marriage God longs for us to live.

Living our marriage or our faith by happenstance will result in a poor outcome. This does not mean we have to rigidly follow a schedule. Rather it means we need to find a pattern or rhythm to our lives. A regular way to practice the disciplines that lead us to the life we crave and that God desires for us. If you already have an established pattern, great keep at it. If you do not have a pattern, personally or in your marriage, invest in the time to explore living intentionally.