SERIES
Acts: Empowered to Extend
2018-04-15T08:00:00-05:00
1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
12 “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright (c)2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. http://www.esv.org
The season was always festooned with lightning bugs. And there was homemade ice cream, dusks that lasted 'til bedtime and picnic dinners on the ground. It was summertime, and the livin' was indeed easy. Sadly though, the same season usually included at least one episode of clenched fists and jutted jaws; grownups raising voices and pawing the dirt with wildness in their eyes. Rarely were there blows, but the spectacle was no less frightening to an elementary age preacher's kid.
Such was the world of church-league fast pitch softball, where Christian men would wrangle over a missed call by an umpire or a player sliding cleats high with nefarious intent. It was unsettling to hear opening prayers give way to murderous shouts.
God's people are no strangers to conflict. In part, that's because God's people have always been a diverse bunch, called from very different backgrounds into the presence of the Lord. And then the Lord's plan is that His people will be united by God to bear God's image in God's world, to be lights to the nations.
The New Testament church felt the strain of diversity immediately and acutely. Think about it, slaves worshiping with their owners, each ransomed by the same finished work of Jesus. Jews and Gentiles, men and women, rich and poor were gathered by the unimaginable, unmerited grace of God to create a new race of humanity. Then those new creations were embedded in cultures all around the globe. United in Christ, the church draws others to Christ by proclaiming the good news of Christ. And every culture notices when natural enemies become supernatural allies.
So after no small debate, and guided by the Holy Spirit, the council in Jerusalem emphatically proclaims that the message of the church is, "come to Jesus." It is not, "become just like us." And that same message is particularly poignant today. Wisely managing relationships inside the church and lovingly proclaiming Jesus by the church remain the mandate of the church.
It's hard to imagine what the Apostle Paul must have felt as he wrote his letter to the church in Rome. Here he was, a Jewish rabbi, with a career preaching Jesus to Jews and Gentiles alike writing encouragement to a Christian church in the capitol city of the empire many Jews hated. His was truly a miraculous call to keep the focus on Jesus!
Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. (Romans 12:9-13)
That's way more important than winning.