Old Greenbrier Baptist Church

Blog for Week of September 24, 2017

James: Wise Leadership

Acts 15:1-21

Our country needs wise leaders today. There are many issues that divide our nation. One example of a divisive issue, and there are many, is health care reform. The Senate's effort to pass a stripped-down version of an Obamacare repeal measure -- the so-called "skinny repeal" of the Affordable Care Act -- recently failed 49-51. Certainly we want everyone to have the health care that they need at an affordable cost to all of us. There is no easy answer to this problem, and there are strong feelings on both sides of the issue. The way forward will not be easy and the coverage offered will not please everyone. What can you and I do as our nation faces divisive issues such as this one? One thing we can always do is support our leaders by:

• Encouraging them and holding them accountable to do the hard job they were elected to do, which is to lead us to a peaceful solution.
• Studying the facts and seeking God's guidance on what is best for everyone and not just ourselves.
• Expressing thoughts/opinions with kindness and sincerity without berating, badgering, or belittling those who disagree with us.
• Praying for our leaders, for the needs of others, and for the unity of our nation.

The early church needed wise leaders to handle divisive issues. Divisive issues have been, are, and will always be with us both in the world and in the church. Our journey through Acts brings us today to a critical and divisive issue in the early Christian church: Should Gentiles (i.e., non-Jews) be included in the church or was the gospel of Jesus only for Jews? In Acts 10, Peter, led by God's Spirit, carried the gospel to Cornelius and other Gentiles living in Caesarea. In Acts 11 and 13 Barnabas worked with Paul to take the gospel to Gentiles in Antioch, Cyprus, and Asia Minor. Sharing the gospel with Gentiles appeared to many believers to be consistent with Jesus' command in Acts 1:8 that they were to be his witnesses ". . . to the ends of the earth."  However, not all Jewish believers were convinced that this was truly God's will.

This critical issue, concerning the nature of the gospel, was addressed by a special church council meeting in Jerusalem. Both sides were allowed to speak. Division and disagreement seemed imminent. James, the head of the Jerusalem church, spoke wisely and led the early church forward.

¹ Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” ² This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. ³ The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad. ⁴ When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.

⁵ Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.”

⁶ The apostles and elders met to consider this question. ⁷ After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. ⁸ God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. ⁹ He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. ¹⁰ Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? ¹¹ No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”

¹² The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. ¹³ When they finished, James spoke up. “Brothers,” he said, “listen to me. ¹⁴ Simon has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles. ¹⁵ The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:

¹⁶ “‘After this I will return
    and rebuild David’s fallen tent.
Its ruins I will rebuild,
    and I will restore it,
¹⁷ that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,
    even all the Gentiles who bear my name,
says the Lord, who does these things’—
¹⁸     things known from long ago.

¹⁹ “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. ²⁰ Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. ²¹ For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath” (Acts 15:1-21 NIV).

In this passage, I find at least four things that wise leaders must do as they lead God's people.

Wise Leaders Recognize Issues (1-3)

Christianity to this point was a sect of Judaism with new believers becoming Jews and then Christians. Paul and Barnabas had returned from a first missionary journey and reported on their work among Gentiles. Some Christian Jews from Jerusalem came to Antioch teaching one must keep the Law of Moses before becoming a Christian. In other words, Gentiles cannot be Christians without being Jews first. This was a critical issue in the young church. A storm was brewing that could not be ignored.

Wise Leaders Listen Carefully (4-5)

Paul and Barnabas were sent to Jerusalem to speak for Gentiles becoming Christians directly (4). The leaders of the Jerusalem church also listened to the other side of the issue (5). We must listen carefully to everyone, even those with whom we disagree. God may be speaking through them to us. One of my seminary students this week complained about reading books by "liberal" theologians. I told him that we must hear what others say, even if we don't agree, so that we can not only better understand their views but also better formulate and support our own views.

Wise Leaders Discern Spiritually (6-18)

Having recognized the issue and listened carefully the “. . . apostles and elders met to consider this question” (6). The leaders discussed this critical issue among themselves (7a). They listened to key leaders as they shared their experience of God at work. Peter shared about his change in viewpoint based on his rooftop revelation from the Holy Spirit and his experience of preaching in the home of Cornelius where the Spirit moved powerfully (7b-11). Paul and Barnabas shared the miraculous signs and wonders done by God among the Gentiles to whom they had ministered both in Antioch and in Asia Minor (12). James, the head of the Jerusalem church, spoke at last (13-19). James the Just was the half-brother of Jesus and was converted after Jesus’ resurrection. He pointed the church back to God’s word in Amos 9:11-12 (16-18). God had confirmed both in his word and in the experiences of believers the truth that Gentiles can become Christians the same ways as Jews—by faith in Jesus Christ alone.

Wise Leaders Lead Rightly and Respectfully (19-21)

Conflict arises in every organization and relationship—politics, church, marriage, parenting. One sad reality of life today is that we are fast losing our ability to disagree agreeably and to still work together for the good of all. James sought to lead the early church both rightly and respectfully. He led rightly based on evidence of what the Holy Spirit had done (13) and what God’s word said (16-18), even when it might have been different than his personal opinion. He led respectfully by asking Gentiles to be sensitive to the ceremonial/food laws of the Jews. Pagan worship centered on cult prostitution and the sacrifice of animals to false gods. So, James asked Gentile Christians not to have anything to do with these pagan practices. The whole church affirmed the decision of their wise leaders and shared their decision in a way that sought to unite all believers, Jews and Gentiles, in mutual worship of and service to God (22-31). “The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message” (31).

The Church Still Needs Wise Leaders to Lead It Today

The church today still faces many difficult and potentially divisive issues:

• Social issues such as Obamacare, gay rights, and immigration reform;
• Ministry issues such as the role of women in ministry and whether the primary direction of church ministry should be inward on the church's needs or outward on the needs of the community;
• Practical issues such as changes or repairs to a church building or how best to respond to the reality of declining attendance and giving; and
• Personal preference issues such as the best Bible version or the best style of worship.

What must we do as we face these challenging issues today? We must act on the Acts. We must recognize the issues, speak up, and share our concerns and ideas about them. We must listen carefully and respectfully to each other, especially when we disagree. We must discern together spiritually what God's will for us is as we read his Word and watch the activity of his Spirit. We must trust our God-appointed leaders (i.e., pastors, deacons, trustees, committees). Our leaders must trust fully in God not only to show them the way but also to help them lead his people rightly and respectfully in that way. Even when we disagree, we must continue to work together for the glory of God and for the good of our shared ministry in his name.

Blog for Week of September 17, 2017

Joseph: Son of Encouragement

Acts 11:19-26

Jean Nidetch in the early 1960s was a 214-pound homemaker desperate to lose weight. She went to the New York City Department of Health where she was given a diet devised by Dr. Norman Jolliffe. Two months later, discouraged about the 50 plus pounds still to go, she invited six overweight friends home to share the diet and talk about how to stay on it. Eventually she founded a group known as Weight Watchers. You most likely have heard of it. I have been a member of it in the past. Jean's circle of weight watching friends has grown to millions of women and men around the world from Brazil to New Zealand. Why was Nidetch able to help people take control of their lives? To answer that, she tells a story. When she was a teenager, she used to cross a park where she saw mothers gossiping while their toddlers sat on swings with no one to push them. "I'd give them a push," says Nidetch. "And you know what happens when you push a kid on a swing? Pretty soon he's pumping, doing it himself. That's what my role in life is—I'm there to give others a push."

Joseph in Acts was a Jew, a Levite, originally from Cyprus. Like Nidetch he liked to give others a helpful push. People recognized this in him and gave him the nickname Barnabas, “Son of Encouragement.” He worked in the background but kept popping up at critical moments throughout the Acts story. The Holy Spirit (Gk., parakletos) is an encourager; Barnabas was an encourager; We should be too.

Five Characteristics of an Effective Encourager

Barnabas exhibited five characteristics of an effective encourager in the Book of Acts.

1. Generous Giver - In Acts 4:36-37, Barnabas gave a push of encouragement by selling some of his land and giving it to the church.

³⁶ Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”), ³⁷ sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet. (Acts 4:36-37 NIV).

The effect of this encouraging push was that the physical needs of poorer brother and sisters in Christ were met and other wealthier Christians were encouraged to give generously. Whom can we encourage by giving to meet a need or whom can we challenge to join us in giving to others. Our giving can be more than financial as we give our time and talents to the glory of God as well.

2. Effective Advocate - In Acts 9:26-28 Barnabas stood up for Paul after his conversion to Christianity.

²⁶ When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. ²⁷ But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. ²⁸ So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord (Acts 9:26-28 NIV).

Other believers did not trust Paul, who shortly before his conversion had persecuted Christians. The effect of Barnabas' push of advocacy was that Paul was accepted in the Christian community and continued to grow and minister.

3. Godly Match-maker In Acts 11:25-26 Barnabas gave Paul a holy push into ministry by being a godly matchmaker for Paul and the young church at Antioch.

²⁵ Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, ²⁶ and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch (Acts 11:25-26 NIV).

The effect of Barnabas' encouragement was that both Paul and the Antioch believers grew. As a bonus, an effective ministry team was formed between Paul and Barnabas, and a strong base for missions was established in the Antioch church.

4. Gospel Proclaimer - In Acts 13:1-3 Barnabas joined Paul on a missions journey.

¹ Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. ² While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” ³ So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. (Acts 13:1-3 NIV).

The effect was that Paul and Barnabas obediently carried the gospel “to the ends of the earth” as Jesus prophesied in Acts 1:8.

5. Sensitive Reclaimer - In Acts 15:36-41 Barnabas encouraged John Mark, his cousin, who made mistake while on a mission trip with Paul and Barnabas. John Mark apparently deserted Paul and Barnabas about midway through their trip. He went back home to Jerusalem instead of continuing on the journey with Paul and Barnabas (cf., Acts 13:13).

³⁶ Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” ³⁷ Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, ³⁸ but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. ³⁹ They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, ⁴⁰ but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. ⁴¹ He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches. (Acts 15:36-41 NIV).

The effect of Barnabas' encouragement resulted in two effective ministry teams being formed. Paul went out with Silas, and Barnabas went out with John-Mark. The gospel was proclaimed, and John Mark’s life and ministry were reclaimed for Christ. Later in his life, Paul would write encouraging and complimentary words about both Barnabas (cf., Ro 8:) and John Mark (cf., 2 Tim 4:11).

Be an Effective Encourager Today

Joyce Landorf Heatherly has been a Christian singer, speaker, writer since the 1960s. She suffered a traumatic head injury in 2001 which has limited here ministry in subsequent years. Her life has been marked by tragedy in the death of an infant son, a divorce, and chronic pain from both TMJ and her head injury. But in the midst of all these difficulties she continues to encourage others with her testimony and her books. Here is what she said about the importance of encouragement and affirmation in her book Balcony People.

As I write about our relationships with others, our expectations of our own gifts and abilities, and our perception of these subjects, I have about concluded that there are only two basic types of people in the world: the evaluators and the affirmers (i.e., encouragers).

I am sure, if there were a way to view a movie and see instant replays of all the strategic change points in our lives, that we'd instantly spot the people who either broke our spirits by critical or judgmental evaluations, or who healed us by loving, perceptive affirmations.

To be honest, I seem to be able to remember the negative comments of evaluators faster and more clearly than the positive remarks of the affirmers. I'm not alone in this ability to recall the negative, as immature as it is, for many of you have verified that you, too, think along those same lines. I suspect that not far from anyone's conscious level of thinking lies the memory of an evaluator who pulled on his or her spiked boots and stomped deliberately over our bare soul and personhood. . . .

We all have the choice to replay the harmful remarks from evaluators, or we can choose to let them pass on. We can even choose to make allowances for their discouraging, destructive words. But best of all is the choice to willingly focus our minds and hearts on today's person who is affirming us.

Let me ask you. Who is the affirmer in your life, who by one small sentence or more, has changed and lifted your opinion of yourself? Who was the person early in your life who recognized the first sparks of originality in the labyrinths of your mind and soul, and saw what no one else saw? And who is the special affirmer who catches quick glimpses of the flames from the fires of your potential and tells you so? Who, by his or her words, helps you to respect and believe in your own value as a person? And who is the affirmer who encourages you to stretch and dream beyond your self-imposed limits and capabilities?

Whoever these people may be, I know their name, for they are called Affirmers, with a capital A. I have known only a few genuine affirmers, but one affirmer is worth a thousand evaluators. . . .

. . . I must be affirmed, and I must be an affirmer to others. Otherwise I miss one of the main concepts of the New Testament - to love one another and to bear one another's burdens [Joyce Landorf  Heatherly, Balcony People (Balcony Publishing 1984)].

As Christians we are to give others “a push,” like Barnabas did, to be an affirmer like Joyce described, to love one another as God has commanded. Who has been an encourager to you? Who is an encourager to you right now? Thank God and them! To whom is God calling you to be an encourager—a generous giver, an effective advocate, a godly match-maker, a gospel proclaimer, a sensitive reclaimer? Do you need encouragement today—to believe, to join, to serve? Let me encourage you to respond as God's Spirit speaks to your heart right now.

Blog for Week of September 10, 2017

Peter: Continuing to Grow

Acts 10

In this blog we take a final look at Peter in the Book of Acts. We have seen Peter, the powerful preacher in Acts. We have seen Peter, the miracle-worker who healed a crippled beggar in Jesus' name in Acts 3. We have heard Peter's bold and powerful prayer in the face of opposition in Acts 4. In Acts 10, we will examine the fact that Peter continued to grow in his faith and ministry. We never know everything about God, life, and ministry. Just when we think we have it all figured out, God surprises us with a new insight or a new call. Like Peter, we must continue to hear God's word and respond by faithfully following God.

In Acts 10, we meet Cornelius, a Roman centurion and Gentile, who was a devout and God-fearing man. Cornelius lived in Caesarea Maritima on the seacoast of Palestine. Apparently he was a convert to Judaism and definitely one seeking God with his whole heart. God sent an angel to him and told him to send for Peter, who was then in Joppa 30 miles to the south. Cornelius sent a devout soldier and two of his servants to bring Peter to him. God prepared Peter for this visit by giving him a vision of what was to come.

⁹ About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. ¹⁰ He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. ¹¹ He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. ¹² It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. ¹³ Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”

¹⁴ “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”

¹⁵ The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”

¹⁶ This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven (Acts 10:9-16 NIV).

Peter's Strange Vision (9-16)

What's the strangest food that you have ever eaten? A few years ago I travelled to Chengdu, China to teach an Old Testament course. During our stay, my wife and I ate some strange and different foods. I especially remember the evening that we shared hot pot with some of our students at a restaurant. We boiled a variety of vegetables and meats in a hot pot of spicy peanut oil. Some of the items were normal, like broccoli and shrimp. Other foods, such as fish heads and other strange but unidentified items, were quite different.

People who live in other places eat foods that we would never consider putting into our mouths. In Vietnam they eat fried bees, silkworm larvae, and fresh boiled rat. In Korea dog meat is a delicacy. In Ecuador lemon ants are a treat, and in Alaska whitefish ice cream is on the menu. We may be revolted by some or all of these food items.

The Jews had strict dietary laws. There were many things they were commanded by God not to eat. To understand Peter's vision and its meaning, we need background on the foods that were clean (i.e., kosher) and unclean for Jews. According to Lev 11:3, Jews were to eat only land creatures who had split hooves AND who chewed the cud. So, they were not to eat camel, coney, rabbit, or pig as their neighbors did. Lev 11:9 says that water creatures with fins AND scales are clean. So Jews were not allowed to eat lobster, shrimp, crabs, and eels. Lev 11:13 declared that all scavenger birds, such as eagles and vultures, were unclean. Lev 11:20 says that  all flying insects that walk on all fours are unclean except those with jointed legs for hopping (e.g., locust, katydid, cricket, grasshopper). According to Mk 1:6, John the Baptist ate locusts, which were allowed, and wild honey. Lev 11:29 declared the weasel, rat, lizard, gecko, skink, and chameleon were unclean. Lev 11:41 declared that all creatures that move about on the ground on their bellies on all fours or many feet were unclean. Lev 11:46-47 concludes, “These are the regulations concerning animals, birds, every living thing that moves in the water and every creature that moves about on the ground. You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between living creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.”

The vision that God sent to Peter was of the animals, fish, birds, and insects that Jews were forbidden to eat. God commanded Peter to kill and eat these forbidden foods. That was a very unsettling command, since as Peter pointed out that these were "impure" and "unclean" foods (14). But three times, a number of completion, God gave Peter this same vision and command.

The Meaning of the Vision (24-29a)

As Peter was pondering the meaning of this disturbing vision, the messengers sent by Cornelius arrived.

²⁴ The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. ²⁵ As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. ²⁶ But Peter made him get up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself.”

²⁷ While talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. ²⁸ He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean. ²⁹ So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection (Acts 10:24-29a NIV).

The meaning of Peter’s vision about clean/unclean foods became clear to him. The vision wasn’t about food but about people. Peter took a brave risk both in entering a Gentile home and in preaching the gospel to Gentiles. Cornelius and those gathered before him were considered unclean and unworthy by Jews and to this point Christians had not shared the gospel with the unclean Gentiles. Peter grew in his understanding of God’s grace based on his time with the Lord and the vision God gave to him.

The Result of Peter's Growth in the Lord (34-35, 44-47)

³⁴ Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism ³⁵ but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. . . . ⁴⁴ While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. ⁴⁵ The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. ⁴⁶ For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, ⁴⁷ “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” ⁴⁸ So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days (Acts 10:34-35, 44-48 NIV).

God had been at work before Peter came to Cornelius' home in Caesarea. God had prepared the hearts of Cornelius and his household to receive the Word. Peter preached a bold message that Jesus died for all people. As soon as Peter shared the Good News, God produced a big result as his Spirit filled the Gentiles. This was a radical move of the gospel/Spirit from exclusively Jews to also include Gentiles. This was cutting edge ministry which was not completely accepted at first, but it was of God. God revealed to Peter and the other believers that the Good News of Jesus is for everyone! Religious and ethnic background, economic status, political affiliation, social position; nothing separates any person from the love of God for them in Jesus Christ.

There are at least five lessons that we can learn from Peter’s vision and obedience to God.

• Spend time with God regularly and be ready when God speaks to listen carefully with an open mind.
• Trust God to lead the way even when you do not fully understand or see it.
• Be willing to take a brave risk in following Christ when others may not.
• Remember that God loves everyone, even those that you may not love or believe to be unworthy of his love.
• Be ready to join God in the work he is already doing. The results will be glorious.