Today let's continue digging into a passage that was briefly mentioned by Pastor Steven during Wednesday night's revival service.
"And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul" (Acts 19:11). Yesterday we dealt with the "how": the miracles were effected by a community of faith that took healing virtue with them from the church to the persons outside of church in need of healing.
Today we look at "why": I believe the answer to "why" is, because there was a larger community outside of the community of faith that was in dire need of healing and deliverance.
"...and the diseases departed from them..." It really is amazing when you consider that an average churchgoer, with just a handkerchief, walks up to Pastor Sam- sorry, I meant Paul- after service and touches Paul with a kerchief, then takes the subway to Montefiore Hospital- oh, I meant the churchgoer walks to the other side of Ephesus- and sees his friend laying down sick, and says, "In service today the power of the LORD was present for healing, and I just want to lay this kerchief on you and pray for you..." and before he can pray, the healing virtue of God is released through the kerchief to his sick friend, and all of a sudden the sick friend is no longer sick. Guess what? That still happens today. We don't see it much in this country, but God has not lost His power. And God is no respecter of persons, so there is no reason to believe that the graces afforded the first-century church are no longer available for His twenty-first century children.
"...and the evil spirits went out of them". It's interesting to note the distinction between physical illness, which scripture refers to as a spirit of infirmity, and the reality of psychological illness, which can be attributed to the work of evil spirits. Later on in the Acts 19 passage we see an incident involving the sons of Sceva, men who were not submitted to Jesus but who were known to be successful exorcists. While there is precedence for persons outside of the counsel of God to be able to perform certain wonders, there always comes a point where the power of God is clearly demonstrated to be superior to any other power (see Exodus chapters 7 through 12).
Is there a lesson for us here in the twenty-first century? Yes. Let's come to church expecting to meet God, and expecting to have an encounter with Him. We do not get to choose how God shows up, but we can know that He will show up. Additionally, let's embrace the idea of carrying the power of God with us from the service to the streets. Yes! We can bring healing and deliverance without saying a word: let's touch people and allow the Spirit of God to work through us.
As has become our custom, there will not be a blog posted on Sunday. By God's grace I hope we'll continue this spiritual journey together on Monday. Blessings and peace to each of you!
Showing posts with label Acts 18 and 19. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Acts 18 and 19. Show all posts
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Friday, October 24, 2008
Special Miracles
Today let's begin digging into a passage that was briefly mentioned by Pastor Steven during Wednesday night's revival service.
"And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul" (Acts 19:11). How? And why? Let's look at the explanation given in Acts 19:12.
"so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him..." Apparently there was a community of people who either heard something or saw something during Paul's ministry, because they were bringing these kerchiefs and cloths with them to church. Also note that Paul was not selling cloths, and in fact we can argue that Paul was not even touching the cloths- the verse says "handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him", a scene reminiscent of the phenomenon of the woman with the issue of blood (Mark 5:25-34). Just as Jesus did not touch the woman, but it was the woman who touched Jesus' clothes, in the same way the Acts passage implies that it was the people touching Paul's frame with their kerchiefs, not Paul reaching out to touch anything.
"...were taken to the sick..." Paul was not traveling around visiting sick people. It was the community of Christians who took upon themselves the ministry of visitation. The laity, not the leadership, carried these aprons and kerchiefs to those who were too sick to come to the service. Some Christians, who are caught up in a 'cult-of-personality' mindset, get very upset when they are sick and are visited by a lay person instead of being visited by a pastor. If that's you, get over it. The pastors are called to preach. There are others that the Lord has called to the ministry of visitation.
How was Paul's ministry of miracles made manifest? Through a community of believers who not only had faith in the power of God to heal, but who took the initiative to carry that healing with them when they left the church.
Tomorrow we will continue with the remainder of Acts 19:12. See you then!
"And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul" (Acts 19:11). How? And why? Let's look at the explanation given in Acts 19:12.
"so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him..." Apparently there was a community of people who either heard something or saw something during Paul's ministry, because they were bringing these kerchiefs and cloths with them to church. Also note that Paul was not selling cloths, and in fact we can argue that Paul was not even touching the cloths- the verse says "handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him", a scene reminiscent of the phenomenon of the woman with the issue of blood (Mark 5:25-34). Just as Jesus did not touch the woman, but it was the woman who touched Jesus' clothes, in the same way the Acts passage implies that it was the people touching Paul's frame with their kerchiefs, not Paul reaching out to touch anything.
"...were taken to the sick..." Paul was not traveling around visiting sick people. It was the community of Christians who took upon themselves the ministry of visitation. The laity, not the leadership, carried these aprons and kerchiefs to those who were too sick to come to the service. Some Christians, who are caught up in a 'cult-of-personality' mindset, get very upset when they are sick and are visited by a lay person instead of being visited by a pastor. If that's you, get over it. The pastors are called to preach. There are others that the Lord has called to the ministry of visitation.
How was Paul's ministry of miracles made manifest? Through a community of believers who not only had faith in the power of God to heal, but who took the initiative to carry that healing with them when they left the church.
Tomorrow we will continue with the remainder of Acts 19:12. See you then!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Refinable or Rebukable
With apologies to those of you who usually look for my blog at two or three in the morning, here is today's post.
Let's briefly reflect on the postmodern "shifts": Pastor Steven spoke about one on Sunday night, and I propose the second one based upon my own reflections.
The church is being refined. We have shifted from "watching" to "doing". Services are no longer spectator events, they are events where the congregation is expected and encouraged to participate through the singing of hymns and choruses, through prayers, through giving, and through responding to the preached word during altar calls. Beyond services, the church community is being formed, fashioned, and discipled into the image of God. This occurs through our individual relationships with God and through the ministry of His Spirit.
The church is being rebuked. You really would have to be a simpleton not to realize that, over the past few years, the LORD has been sending the same message through several pastors and prophets: abandon sin and turn to the LORD with all your heart. Further, a clear warning has been sounded: those "in" the church who have not submitted themselves fully to God's refinement process will be removed.
Yes, refinement is painful. And it is humbling to be rebuked. But the only alternative for those who bypass these two processes is to be removed. Remember the parable of the wheat and the chaff? And remember that great line from an old hymn: "The flames shall not hurt you- I only design thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine"... Let's embrace the refining fire and endure the rebuke!
Let's briefly reflect on the postmodern "shifts": Pastor Steven spoke about one on Sunday night, and I propose the second one based upon my own reflections.
The church is being refined. We have shifted from "watching" to "doing". Services are no longer spectator events, they are events where the congregation is expected and encouraged to participate through the singing of hymns and choruses, through prayers, through giving, and through responding to the preached word during altar calls. Beyond services, the church community is being formed, fashioned, and discipled into the image of God. This occurs through our individual relationships with God and through the ministry of His Spirit.
The church is being rebuked. You really would have to be a simpleton not to realize that, over the past few years, the LORD has been sending the same message through several pastors and prophets: abandon sin and turn to the LORD with all your heart. Further, a clear warning has been sounded: those "in" the church who have not submitted themselves fully to God's refinement process will be removed.
Yes, refinement is painful. And it is humbling to be rebuked. But the only alternative for those who bypass these two processes is to be removed. Remember the parable of the wheat and the chaff? And remember that great line from an old hymn: "The flames shall not hurt you- I only design thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine"... Let's embrace the refining fire and endure the rebuke!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Stage Theories
The logical progression, if I were to write in a logical fashion, would be to continue the theme of energy which Pastor Steven spoke about this past Sunday (and which we have blogged the last two days). But I think it might be more interesting to double back to the beginning of the sermon, so that we might reflect on the concept of church as a living, growing entity. This will be a shorter blog than usual: I just want us to have a quick recap of the sermon so we can spend less time reading and more time thinking.
In learning about the Ephesian church, we can read scriptures from Acts, Ephesians, Timothy, and Revelation. These scriptures paint pictures of the church in various stages of development. As a new church, it enjoyed the zeal of radical apostles who were unafraid to challenge the world system of their day. As a growing church, it modified itself to accomodate the new forms of leadership that each era promoted. And finally, we see the exhortation from the resurrected Christ to the mature Ephesian church: "Yet I hold this against you, you have left your first love..." Not the greatest assessment, but they at least could repent and change their ways.
When Jesus pays you a visit, what will He say?
In learning about the Ephesian church, we can read scriptures from Acts, Ephesians, Timothy, and Revelation. These scriptures paint pictures of the church in various stages of development. As a new church, it enjoyed the zeal of radical apostles who were unafraid to challenge the world system of their day. As a growing church, it modified itself to accomodate the new forms of leadership that each era promoted. And finally, we see the exhortation from the resurrected Christ to the mature Ephesian church: "Yet I hold this against you, you have left your first love..." Not the greatest assessment, but they at least could repent and change their ways.
When Jesus pays you a visit, what will He say?
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Energized Leaders
Today, let's continue reflecting on Sunday's sermon. Yesterday we looked at the concept of energized people; today we'll review Pastor Steven's comments regarding energized leaders.
If there is going to be strength in any community, there must be strong leadership present. The apostles did not remain in the upper room after the Holy Spirit empowered them. As leaders, we have a mandate to go out into the "front lines" of the world and make disciples of all nations. The apostles were present and active in the early church: present in Jerusalem, present in Antioch. And they reproduced themselves by instituting other leaders: evangelists, deacons, elders, bishops. Leaders begat leaders, and the church grew in strength and numbers.
If there is going to be diversity in any community, there must be diversity present in the leadership. This comment is actually a combination of what was preached Sunday morning and the prophetic word we received on Sunday evening. The church in Ephesus reflected mixed leadership: there were men and women in leadership roles, and the leaders also reflected variation in levels of experience- that is, less experienced leaders were allowed to preach and hold positions of authority, and were discipled by more experienced leaders (for example, the Acts 18 and 19 references to John's disciples being instructed in the way of Jesus Christ).
Pastor Steven expanded on this idea of diversity during Sunday evening, when he implored the congregation (comprised largely of Jamaican immigrants) to make room for worshipers of other racial and cultural extractions. As you can imagine, there was a particular and palpable resistance to the prospect of Bronx Bethany no longer being identifiable as a "Jamaican" church. But God has a way of breaking down idols, and for some congregants Bronx Bethany as it exists today has become an idol. Watch out.
My friends, let's not forget- this is the LORD's church. God has begun expanding our pastoral staff: one-third of our pastors are Latino (Pastors Publio and Marta). That expansion will continue as God increases the diversity of His leaders, as a model of the diversity that will appear in the laity. And it will appear soon.
Bronx Bethany, are you ready? God is.
If there is going to be strength in any community, there must be strong leadership present. The apostles did not remain in the upper room after the Holy Spirit empowered them. As leaders, we have a mandate to go out into the "front lines" of the world and make disciples of all nations. The apostles were present and active in the early church: present in Jerusalem, present in Antioch. And they reproduced themselves by instituting other leaders: evangelists, deacons, elders, bishops. Leaders begat leaders, and the church grew in strength and numbers.
If there is going to be diversity in any community, there must be diversity present in the leadership. This comment is actually a combination of what was preached Sunday morning and the prophetic word we received on Sunday evening. The church in Ephesus reflected mixed leadership: there were men and women in leadership roles, and the leaders also reflected variation in levels of experience- that is, less experienced leaders were allowed to preach and hold positions of authority, and were discipled by more experienced leaders (for example, the Acts 18 and 19 references to John's disciples being instructed in the way of Jesus Christ).
Pastor Steven expanded on this idea of diversity during Sunday evening, when he implored the congregation (comprised largely of Jamaican immigrants) to make room for worshipers of other racial and cultural extractions. As you can imagine, there was a particular and palpable resistance to the prospect of Bronx Bethany no longer being identifiable as a "Jamaican" church. But God has a way of breaking down idols, and for some congregants Bronx Bethany as it exists today has become an idol. Watch out.
My friends, let's not forget- this is the LORD's church. God has begun expanding our pastoral staff: one-third of our pastors are Latino (Pastors Publio and Marta). That expansion will continue as God increases the diversity of His leaders, as a model of the diversity that will appear in the laity. And it will appear soon.
Bronx Bethany, are you ready? God is.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Energized People
On Sunday our guest speaker, Pastor Steven, began a series of sermons on the church at Ephesus. Today we will take a brief look at one source of that church's energy: the people.
In Acts chapters 18 and 19 reference is made to the disciples of John. As we learned yesterday, John's disciples had two characteristics that distinguished them as powerful men and women of God:
They had revolutionary power. The disciples of John, like John himself, did not limit themselves to the social norms of the day. John chose to bypass the traditional system of worship and instead preached in the wilderness: and scripture tells us that people went into the desert to hear John preach. John was simultaneously radical and relevant, and his doctrine touched the hearts of the people.
They had repentance power. As Pastor Steven shared, life is not just about social justice. John's disciples embraced a ministry of repentance... and here is where many Christians today drop the ball. Repentance is critical to conversion, and is critical to being in a position to influence society for good. If we want to see a better society, we would do well to first take a step towards bettering ourselves.
But, we cannot better ourselves by ourselves! It is a work of the glorious Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit who "teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions". Today, and everyday, let's submit ourselves to Him: so that He might convict us towards repentance, and that He might start a revolution in us that transforms our lifestyle, our family, our community, and our world.
In Acts chapters 18 and 19 reference is made to the disciples of John. As we learned yesterday, John's disciples had two characteristics that distinguished them as powerful men and women of God:
They had revolutionary power. The disciples of John, like John himself, did not limit themselves to the social norms of the day. John chose to bypass the traditional system of worship and instead preached in the wilderness: and scripture tells us that people went into the desert to hear John preach. John was simultaneously radical and relevant, and his doctrine touched the hearts of the people.
They had repentance power. As Pastor Steven shared, life is not just about social justice. John's disciples embraced a ministry of repentance... and here is where many Christians today drop the ball. Repentance is critical to conversion, and is critical to being in a position to influence society for good. If we want to see a better society, we would do well to first take a step towards bettering ourselves.
But, we cannot better ourselves by ourselves! It is a work of the glorious Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit who "teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions". Today, and everyday, let's submit ourselves to Him: so that He might convict us towards repentance, and that He might start a revolution in us that transforms our lifestyle, our family, our community, and our world.