TO READ: Acts 1:1-11
Men, Movements, and Monuments
But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about me everywherea"in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Acts 1:8
In the history of human endeavors, there is a natural progression from amana to amovementa to amonument.a A charismatic individual typically comes on the scene, mobilizes others to join him, and achieves great things. When the leader dies or leaves, his followers continue for a while in his spirit. But the movement generally lacks the founderas dynamism and eventually loses momentum. Subsequently, it either fails outright or becomes only a monument to its former, departed glory. Man, movement, monument.
Christianity did not follow the aman-movement-monumenta scenario. Jesusa charisma cannot be denied. But when he died, he died alone. And after he rose from the dead, he had to appear to his disciples repeatedly to convince them that he was truly risen from the dead (1:3). He had to explain to them again that his kingdom was far different from the one they imagined (1:3, 6; see John 18:36). Even when he made his dramatic exit to heaven, they stood staring into the sky (Acts 1:11)a"they apparently still misunderstood that his departure was planned and his return was inevitable!
Not a very promising beginning! And yet Jesusa acausea not only survived but has even thrived, so that the four corners of the globe and the most remote stretches of the world resound to the praise of the Lord Jesus two millennia later. What happened?
Prior to his departure Jesus told his disciples, aIn a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. . . . You will receive power and will tell people about me everywherea (1:5, 8). This power of the aSpirit of G.o.d, who raised Jesus from the deada (Rom. 8:11) imparted to them supernatural power that made them compelling witnesses for Christ.
Rather than losing momentum after the first generation, this movement of the Holy Spirit has continued, empowering Christas followers to serve him. The Holy Spirit has winged their message to many hearts and has performed mighty works of grace, turning people afrom the power of Satan to G.o.da (Acts 26:18).
There is no denying that Christianity has in some instances degenerated into a monument, and its places of worship into museums. But it is equally true that, where ordinary men and women in the power of the Spirit have proclaimed the Good News of Christas saving grace, the church has continued to grow and thrive. When this happens, there is no man-movement-monument syndrome. The Man, Christ Jesus, is still at work through the Holy Spirit, doing what only he can doa"and doing it well!
December 24
TO READ: Psalm 141
aPlease Hurry, Lord!a
O LORD, I am calling to you. Please hurry! Listen when I cry to you for help!
Psalm 141:1
Temptations come when you least expect them: when youare off guard, when youare feeling down, when youare rejoicing in a triumph, or when youare licking your wounds in defeat. Without warning, without consideration, without compunction, and without asking permission, they come roaring in like a whirlwind or sliding in like a serpent. Overt or covert, obvious or insidious, temptations have only one goal: to bring you down.
When temptations come, reaction time is cut to a minimum. That is why prayer must be instantaneous and urgent. aO Lord, I am calling to you. Please hurry!a (141:1).
aPlease hurry, Lord, because if you delay it might be too late. I may already have said what I ought not to have said. Out of malice I may have spoken a half-truth, out of anger I may have retorted viciously. My words may already have been fired at their target without any chance of recall, arrowing their way to an unsuspecting heart. They may already have poisoned someoneas thoughts about an innocent person, ruined a reputation, or opened a barely healed wound.
aPlease hurry, Lord, or I may already have entertained such l.u.s.tful desires that I have actually fed on the delicacies of evil. How could I do it, Lord? How could I think such desires were delicious and partake of such evils, knowing how wrong they are? But Iam capable of this, Lord. I need your help because, after Iave tasted what seemed delicious, I can scarcely rid my mouth of the lingering, loathsome taste.
aLord, my prayer is urgent to the point of being abrupt, but it comes from a heart that trusts you to see it as a pleasant offering of need and desire. A declaration of dependence!
aLord, should you see fit to answer my prayer by sending a brother who will put me straight, that will be fine. It may hurt, it will probably sting, but it will save the day. Iall accept what he tells me as being a word from you, and Iall do what he says as if you were standing right there. But please send him quickly. Reaction time is desperately short.a When temptations rear their ugly heads, if G.o.d doesnat make haste the devil will wreak havoc. But the only reason he would not make haste is because we havenat made a point to cry for help.
December 25
TO READ: Acts 19:21-41
The Way to a Manas Heart
As you have seen and heard, this man Paul has persuaded many people that handmade G.o.ds arenat G.o.ds at all. And this is happening not only here in Ephesus but throughout the entire province! Of course, Iam not just talking about the loss of public respect for our business. Iam also concerned that the temple of the great G.o.ddess Artemis will lose its influence and that Artemisa"this magnificent G.o.ddess worshiped throughout the province of Asia and all around the worlda"will be robbed of her prestige!
Acts 19:26-27
Many are of the opinion that athe way to a manas heart is through his stomach.a According to this theory, if you keep a manas basic needs met, heall be pretty docile and amenable! There is, however, a quicker way to a manas heart, and that is through his wallet. Few things can be counted on to make a man pa.s.sionate more quickly than money. Paul certainly discovered this during his ministry in the great city of Ephesus.
A number of lucrative businesses had sprung up around the temple of Artemis in Ephesus. A craftsman called Demetrius had a lucrative business making the silver shrines of the G.o.ddess (19:23-24). When Paulas teaching was turning people away from worshiping Artemis, Demetrius was incensed that his business was in jeopardy. He called together his craftsmen, along with other men whose businesses were likewise suffering (19:25), and he complained about what Paulas teaching was doing to their business and to the prestige of their G.o.ddess (19:27). At this the anger of the men boiled over, a demonstration took place, and crowds joined in, even though amost of them didnat even know why they were therea (19:32). An ugly, dangerous situation developed, but the mayor handled it superbly and averted a disaster.
Demetrius was at least honest enough to say that he was worried first about his wallet, then about his prestige, and then about the status of Artemis! Granted, the crowd did not chant, aGreat is the wallet of Demetrius!a Their rallying cry was, aGreat is Artemis of the Ephesians!a But behind the solidarity for the G.o.ddess was a profound concern for threatened wallets.
It is certainly appropriate for a man to react pa.s.sionately if he is in danger of losing his livelihood. But many men have the same problem as Demetriusa"their pa.s.sionate concern for their wallet overrides all other interests and priorities. Such men may make appropriate religious noises, but their underlying interests are financial rather than spiritual. They may show some interest in the things of G.o.d, but little pa.s.sion. Pa.s.sion is reserved for the wallet. They devour the Dow with relish, show off their possessions with delight, and revel in the good of their goods.
Sadly, these men have forgotten athat it is the Lord your G.o.d who gives you power to become richa (Deut. 8:18). Perhaps if they could recover that insight they might get pa.s.sionate about him!
December 26
TO READ: Acts 26:1-32
Taking Opportunities
Agrippa interrupted him. aDo you think you can make me a Christian so quickly?a Paul replied, aWhether quickly or not, I pray to G.o.d that both you and everyone here in this audience might become the same as I am, except for these chains.a Acts 26:28-29
The difference between an optimist and a pessimist is that the pessimist sees a difficulty in every opportunity, while the optimist recognizes an opportunity in every difficulty.
When Paul faced difficulty, he recognized opportunity, and he was not slow to grasp it. His difficulties were many and serious. He had been within an inch of losing his life at the hands of the mob in Jerusalem. Rescued by Romans and smuggled out of the city, Paul was detained in prison. One day he was summoned before King Agrippa. Surrounded by his retinue, the king sat in splendor. Before him stood the apostlea"in chains! In such an intimidating situation, Paul was totally unintimidated. His primary concern was not to save his own skin but to save his hearersa souls.
The way Paul s.n.a.t.c.hed an opportunity from the jaws of difficulty is instructive. He was unfailingly courteous, he spoke with deep conviction, and his message was focused on Christ. He commended the king for his expert knowledge of aJewish customs and controversiesa (26:3), and he expressed appreciation for the opportunity to speak to him. When Festus rudely accused him of being insane he responded courteously: aI am not insane, Most Excellent Festusa (26:25). Paulas defense was not a dry theological or political oration but a heartfelt explanation of personal experience. He pointed everyoneas attention to the Lord Jesus, with particular emphasis on his death and resurrection.
Jesus appointed his disciples ato tell people about [him] everywherea (1:8). The message and its presentation have not changed. A courteous respect for the feelings, opinions, objections, and misunderstandings of the person being addressed must not be lost in the enthusiasm or stress of the moment. And there is no subst.i.tute for the compelling simplicity of an account of saving grace in the life of the witness. But everything must be centered in an explanation of who Jesus is, what he has done, what he offers, and what he desires, deserves, and demands.
Agrippa walked away from the encounter with Paul knowing exactly what the apostle was aiming at (26:28). The witness is not reponsible for his heareras reaction, but only for presenting his hearer with an unmistakable and clear account. With this in mind, we should recognize opportunities and learn to grasp them, like Paula"with clarity, courtesy, and conviction.
December 27
TO READ: Romans 1:1-5, 16-20.
Those Who Will Not See
From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that G.o.d made. They can clearly see his invisible qualitiesa"his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing G.o.d.
Romans 1:20
There are none so blind as those who will not see,a my mother used to tell me when I couldnat find something. She imagined that I did not want to find the offending article! At times she implied that it was a peculiar masculine aberration. She may have been right!
G.o.d has a similar complaint about humanity. All people can aclearly see [G.o.das] invisible qualitiesa"his eternal power and divine naturea (1:20) in the creation all around them. The creation abounds with clear evidence of G.o.das being and character. As a result, athe truth about G.o.d is known to them instinctivelya (1:19). But men reject what is clear to thema"they push the truth away from themselves. It is not that man cannot know G.o.da"it is that he will not respond to the knowledge available on every hand. There are none so blind as those who will not see.
There is more. Man has taken his refusal to see G.o.d a perverse step further. He has crafted alternative theories about reality that deny and reject G.o.d. He has put in G.o.das place things that could never be responsible for creation (1:23). Man prefers what G.o.d has made to the G.o.d who made it! Throughout the world man is guilty of worshiping materials and rejecting the Maker. This is the ultimate folly, but man does not see it. Man regards this foolishness as evidence of the superiority of human wisdom! There are none so blind as those who will not believe!
A wise man will examine the intricacy of all creation and determine whether it looks like an accident or a created order. He should then ask if the order suggests an intelligence behind the order. G.o.d apparently expects man to see enough in creation to convince him of G.o.das existence and power. Should a man arrive at the conclusion that there is a Creator, he should then see if there is further information available about the Supreme Being. If he reads, learns, and inwardly digests the Scriptures, he will find the answers to questions about his origin, purpose, reason for being, personal longings, and much, much morea"and all in Christ our Lord!
Nothing is more crucial for manas well-being in life and eternity than finding G.o.d. The G.o.d who revealed himself partially in creation leads the seeking man to discover more of his self-revelation in Christ. Eventually the man comes to see the truth in Christ and to experience the salvation found only in him.
There are none so blind as those who will not seea"and none so blessed as those who willa"and do!
December 28
TO READ: Romans 15:1-13