Acts 5:34 Then one in the council stood up, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in respect by all the people, and commanded them to put the apostles outside for a little while. 35 And he said to them: "Men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what you intend to do regarding these men. 36 For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody. A number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was slain, and all who obeyed him were scattered and came to nothing. 37 After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, and drew away many people after him. He also perished, and all who obeyed him were dispersed. 38 And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; 39 but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it--lest you even be found to fight against God."
Sometimes the wisdom of the world is correct. After all, everything about God is entirely logical and common-sensical, because God invented logic and common sense. When logic and common sense are applied, even by worldly men, they often arrive at opinions which are Biblical, even if unintentional – or even accidental.
Gamaliel is just such a man. At a time when the rulers of the Jews were attempting to stamp out the early church, and belief in Jesus as the Messiah, Gamaliel voiced rational truth that brought relief to both sides.
In a sense, what Gamaliel was saying was: “If it (Christianity,) flourishes, we’ll know God is in it.” That makes a lot of sense. By the same token, Gamaliel also said, “If it comes to nothing, we’ll know God was not in it.”
Since they were having such a difficult time stamping out the fire that would become The Church anyway, those listening to Gamaliel chose to accept and at least temporarily follow his suggestion. After all, Gamaliel was known to be a very wise man, and he was a teacher of the teachers of the laws of the Jews. He was well-respected. In fact, even Paul bragged about having been trained at the feet of Gamaliel, (though not in the normal context of bragging – it was stated more as an absurdity.)
So here’s the question we are left with: Did Christianity flourish? Another question is like it: Has anything EVER flourished as Christianity has flourished?
There are many logical and common-sensical arguments you could make on behalf of Biblical Christianity, and this is certainly one of them. But the real reason The True Church flourishes is not logic or common sense, it is the power of the Holy Spirit at work in the world. God is FOR the Church, and His Power in the Church is living proof of His abiding interest in and love for the Church. God loves His Bride, and He will not allow those who fight against His Bride to succeed. No matter the odds, Gamaliel was right, you cannot fight against God.
- Pastor Bill
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Principled Peter
Acts 4:5 And it came to pass, on the next day, that their rulers, elders, and scribes, 6 as well as Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the family of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem. 7 And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, "By what power or by what name have you done this?" 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: 9 If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, 10 let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. 11 This is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.'12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." 13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.
I remember a book back in the ‘60’s explaining the concept of ‘The Peter Principle.’ (I have no idea if the name somehow sprung from the apostle Peter.) Here is an explanation of the principle:
In business organizations, this theory states that any ambitious person will continue to rise within an organizational structure until they arrive at the position at which they are least effective. Amazing, and unfortunately, true. How often we see those who are great at everything along the way suddenly prove to be completely horrible at say…management. Completely ill-equipped. The whole organization suffers by the rise of many into positions of ineffectiveness.
It makes you wonder about the financial crisis our country (and the world) finds itself in at the present time. Perhaps some of those top-level finance & banking guys have risen higher than their ability affords? Perhaps some are in oversight in legislative branches that are over-matched intellectually? Is the ‘Peter Principle’ in play here?
The apostle Peter had been somewhat of an example of this ‘promotion-to-failure’ principle with his own life – and so perhaps the originator of the ‘Peter Principle’ concept was thinking of Peter as he wrote the book. But there was a dramatic turn in the life of the apostle Peter which completely belied the principle of promotion-to-failure, which we can use as a powerful example in our lives. Suddenly, and I might add, supernaturally, Peter went from being a fearful wimp in dread for his life, denying association with Jesus even to a slave girl – to a bold witness for Christ, at great risk of his life, even before the leading members of the Sanhedrin. The answer is Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit. Do you need power over ineffectiveness in your life? The answer is the same: Be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Filled with the Spirit of God, Peter became a principled man who backed down from nothing.
- Pastor Bill
I remember a book back in the ‘60’s explaining the concept of ‘The Peter Principle.’ (I have no idea if the name somehow sprung from the apostle Peter.) Here is an explanation of the principle:
In business organizations, this theory states that any ambitious person will continue to rise within an organizational structure until they arrive at the position at which they are least effective. Amazing, and unfortunately, true. How often we see those who are great at everything along the way suddenly prove to be completely horrible at say…management. Completely ill-equipped. The whole organization suffers by the rise of many into positions of ineffectiveness.
It makes you wonder about the financial crisis our country (and the world) finds itself in at the present time. Perhaps some of those top-level finance & banking guys have risen higher than their ability affords? Perhaps some are in oversight in legislative branches that are over-matched intellectually? Is the ‘Peter Principle’ in play here?
The apostle Peter had been somewhat of an example of this ‘promotion-to-failure’ principle with his own life – and so perhaps the originator of the ‘Peter Principle’ concept was thinking of Peter as he wrote the book. But there was a dramatic turn in the life of the apostle Peter which completely belied the principle of promotion-to-failure, which we can use as a powerful example in our lives. Suddenly, and I might add, supernaturally, Peter went from being a fearful wimp in dread for his life, denying association with Jesus even to a slave girl – to a bold witness for Christ, at great risk of his life, even before the leading members of the Sanhedrin. The answer is Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit. Do you need power over ineffectiveness in your life? The answer is the same: Be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Filled with the Spirit of God, Peter became a principled man who backed down from nothing.
- Pastor Bill
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
What in the World is Going On?
Zech 12:1 The burden* of the word of the Lord against Israel. Thus says the Lord, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him: 2 "Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. 3 And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it. 4 In that day," says the Lord, "I will strike every horse with confusion, and its rider with madness; I will open My eyes on the house of Judah, and will strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. 5 And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, 'The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in the Lord of hosts, their God.' 6 In that day I will make the governors of Judah like a firepan in the woodpile, and like a fiery torch in the sheaves; they shall devour all the surrounding peoples on the right hand and on the left, but Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place--Jerusalem.
The prophet Zechariah was serving the Lord 500 years before the coming of Jesus Christ. At the time of his prophecy, Jerusalem was a wide spot in the road, just beginning to recover from complete destruction at the hands of the Babylonians some 70 years previous, and having just been re-occupied by a smallish band of Israelites who had chosen to return to their homeland following the years in exile in Babylon.
The nation was weak, and Jerusalem was struggling to survive - threatened by enemies all around, and threatened by Spiritual weakness from within. Early attempts to get the city back off the ground had mostly failed, as those who had returned focused on their own personal needs in desperation. The city they returned to was a burned out crater with nothing to offer. No temple, no walls of protection, and no place for anyone to live. It is completely natural the people would become despondent and turn to creature comforts first. Building up their own home-places became the priority.
Along came the prophets Haggai and Zechariah to spur the people to action on behalf of the Lord. Those who had stolen from the building supplies gathered to build the temple for their own homes were chastised by Haggai. Those who were overwhelmed by the staggering nature of the work which lay before them were encouraged and exhorted by Zechariah.
The amazing things Zechariah had to say pertained to Jerusalem, and to the return of the Messiah to this particular city at a future point in time. What Zechariah was telling the people on behalf of God is that Jerusalem, this small smoldering hunk of land torn and devastated, would soon become the most important piece of real estate on the face of the earth. How impossible that must have seemed to those present at the time. “Yeah…sure!”
Fast-forward 2500 years and we find Jerusalem at the center of the universe, the most sought-after real estate on the face of the earth – exactly as Zechariah had described – a cup of drunkenness over which all the earth is staggered.
- Pastor Bill
The prophet Zechariah was serving the Lord 500 years before the coming of Jesus Christ. At the time of his prophecy, Jerusalem was a wide spot in the road, just beginning to recover from complete destruction at the hands of the Babylonians some 70 years previous, and having just been re-occupied by a smallish band of Israelites who had chosen to return to their homeland following the years in exile in Babylon.
The nation was weak, and Jerusalem was struggling to survive - threatened by enemies all around, and threatened by Spiritual weakness from within. Early attempts to get the city back off the ground had mostly failed, as those who had returned focused on their own personal needs in desperation. The city they returned to was a burned out crater with nothing to offer. No temple, no walls of protection, and no place for anyone to live. It is completely natural the people would become despondent and turn to creature comforts first. Building up their own home-places became the priority.
Along came the prophets Haggai and Zechariah to spur the people to action on behalf of the Lord. Those who had stolen from the building supplies gathered to build the temple for their own homes were chastised by Haggai. Those who were overwhelmed by the staggering nature of the work which lay before them were encouraged and exhorted by Zechariah.
The amazing things Zechariah had to say pertained to Jerusalem, and to the return of the Messiah to this particular city at a future point in time. What Zechariah was telling the people on behalf of God is that Jerusalem, this small smoldering hunk of land torn and devastated, would soon become the most important piece of real estate on the face of the earth. How impossible that must have seemed to those present at the time. “Yeah…sure!”
Fast-forward 2500 years and we find Jerusalem at the center of the universe, the most sought-after real estate on the face of the earth – exactly as Zechariah had described – a cup of drunkenness over which all the earth is staggered.
- Pastor Bill
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Waiting for What?
Acts 2:1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5 And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. 6 And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. 7 Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, "Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born?
I hate to wait, don’t you? It’s probably one of the greatest sources of constant irritation in my life. Waiting in traffic, waiting in lines at the store, waiting for the package to arrive, waiting for the diagnosis. The list is endless of things we must wait for in life. All the while, our flesh grates against it.
And now, even Jesus had told His disciples to wait. It would seem with the importance of getting the world-wide church started, that Jesus would have His followers off and running, but instead He has given them the most important command of all: “Wait.”
“Wait for what?” we would probably have been inclined to ask. It’s a normal question. “Why do we have to wait? Is what we are waiting for going to be worth the wait?” Ah, the ever-present questions of the flesh…
Jesus has told them to, “Wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father.”
Herein lies one of the greatest examples of what we are to DO in our Christian lives, and it is really the first command given to what would become the church. “Wait.” Man, that just kills my flesh! You?
And so, the disciples waited. Jesus had told them to wait - and then He left, ascended up into the clouds, not to be seen again by physical eye by those who had seen Him ascend. They waited. They waited. And they waited some more. Ten days they waited secluded in a room, cloistered to themselves. What a way to build a church – eh? What if Jesus told us to wait like that?
Wait a minute – in actuality He has, and is. You see, the Christian life is all about waiting on the promise of the Father. It seems we are never all we can be, and it seems we are always building and moving, and never completely achieving what we seek – that is, perfection. Holiness. We are always seeking perfection, and waiting on holiness. Waiting for the promise of the Father – that we may be made whole, and that the church may be all it can be. It just kills my flesh to wait. You? Hmmm…And suddenly there comes a sound from heaven, a rushing mighty wind…
- Pastor Bill
I hate to wait, don’t you? It’s probably one of the greatest sources of constant irritation in my life. Waiting in traffic, waiting in lines at the store, waiting for the package to arrive, waiting for the diagnosis. The list is endless of things we must wait for in life. All the while, our flesh grates against it.
And now, even Jesus had told His disciples to wait. It would seem with the importance of getting the world-wide church started, that Jesus would have His followers off and running, but instead He has given them the most important command of all: “Wait.”
“Wait for what?” we would probably have been inclined to ask. It’s a normal question. “Why do we have to wait? Is what we are waiting for going to be worth the wait?” Ah, the ever-present questions of the flesh…
Jesus has told them to, “Wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father.”
Herein lies one of the greatest examples of what we are to DO in our Christian lives, and it is really the first command given to what would become the church. “Wait.” Man, that just kills my flesh! You?
And so, the disciples waited. Jesus had told them to wait - and then He left, ascended up into the clouds, not to be seen again by physical eye by those who had seen Him ascend. They waited. They waited. And they waited some more. Ten days they waited secluded in a room, cloistered to themselves. What a way to build a church – eh? What if Jesus told us to wait like that?
Wait a minute – in actuality He has, and is. You see, the Christian life is all about waiting on the promise of the Father. It seems we are never all we can be, and it seems we are always building and moving, and never completely achieving what we seek – that is, perfection. Holiness. We are always seeking perfection, and waiting on holiness. Waiting for the promise of the Father – that we may be made whole, and that the church may be all it can be. It just kills my flesh to wait. You? Hmmm…And suddenly there comes a sound from heaven, a rushing mighty wind…
- Pastor Bill
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