So often history follows the leaders, but we also need a People’s History of the Church, where we learn from the stories of the common people. There are thousands and millions of supporting actors whose faithfulness and sacrifice in small ways provides a foundation for the advancement of the Kingdom. Many people like you and I who will likely never get our names in the history books.
We’ve been studying Acts 9:1-31, the conversion story of one of the biggest names in church history, Saul (aka the Apostle Paul). But instead of focusing on Saul, we’ve been trying to focus on the supporting cast. First, I would like to nominate two candidates for best supporting actor: Ananias and Barnabas, both faithful followers of Jesus who courageously and sacrificially stick their necks out to welcome Saul and help him in his mission.
There was also an amazing supporting cast: Saul’s men, the disciples in Damascus, and the Christian brothers in Jerusalem. All of them were faithful, courageous and sacrificial.
We learn from this supporting cast that faithfulness to Christ will almost always call us to sacrifice in some way, such as our time, comfort, ease, finances. But the joy of being sacrificially faithful wins in the end.
What we see in this amazing story is that all of us have a vital role in the Kingdom. It doesn’t matter if there is a pandemic and you are mostly confined to your house. You don’t need to be a pastor or a worship leader or a missionary to pursue the mission of the Kingdom. We all have a critical role to play.
I believe this is perhaps the major question of the quarantine: how do we, the supporting cast, follow the mission of Jesus given our current situation? The method has changed, but the mission remains the same, and it is a mission for us all. Is fear and uncertainty keeping you from saying “yes” to a possible way of being sacrificially faithful to the mission of the Kingdom of God?
How are you making disciples in your own home? Parents, that is a mission for all of you. Grandparents, you can participate in this too. What can it look like to raise up the next generation, even while we are on quarantine? My family, for example, has several text threads going on with different sets of family members. I know that my kids’ grandparents are stuck in their homes, but they are daily praying for every one of us.
Parents, I know that many of you are feeling the heavy burden of facilitating your kids’ education like never before, unless you had done homeschooling before. But what about your kids’ spiritual development? You are a vital supporting cast member in that.
Then consider your neighbors and friends. Of course following the guidelines of social distancing, how can you be creative and innovative in expressing the love of Jesus to them. Saul’s disciples lowered him through the city wall in a basket! How wonderfully creative. Let’s allow quarantine to inspire us to experiment like that.
My next door neighbor has been diagnosed with Covid-19, so Michelle baked her some cookies, and we texted her that they were on her back porch, saying we were praying for her. We are talking as a family about what else we can do. Thankfully our neighbor is recovering, and this week was able to go back her job at the hospital.
We are all the supporting cast! What a privilege and honor. The mission of Jesus is our mission too! Let us be willing to live a faithfully sacrificial life for our good and gracious God. Over the years I’ve heard numerous people say that when they were feeling “stuck” in life, if they chose to step outside of themselves and reach out sacrificially into others’ lives, it helped them feel a bit less stuck as they helped someone else! Why? Because we are meant to be about other people. We are created for mission.
Let’s continue to be supporting members on a mission for the Kingdom of God. Let’s allow our perspective and our thoughts to roam just a bit more on who God is, and dwell on what is going on in families outside our four walls, and how our families might be able to be just a bit more focused on the needs of others around us. As we do that, let’s watch God work, and let’s sacrificially join him in his work.
Do you have a nickname? I love nicknames. I don’t believe I’ve ever had one that stuck, though.
Sometimes nicknames meander through a progression, like the nickname Michael Scott gives Daryl Philbin on the TV show, The Office: “Michael refers to him as “Mittah Rogers”—a nickname which began as “Regis” (as Darryl’s last name is Philbin, a reference to Regis Philbin who is producer Michael Schur’s father-in-law), then “Reeg”, “Roger” and then finally settling on “Mittah Rogers”.”
Many nicknames are like that, based on the person’s actual name. But in the next part of our study this week of Acts 9:1-31, a man who we met earlier in Acts re-enters the story, and this man had a nickname that was about to make a huge difference in Saul’s life.
After his disciples help him escape, Saul now heads to Jerusalem, which is a bold move. This is the one place where you’d think he should not go. Jerusalem, the headquarters of the Jewish leaders, who by now might have heard from Damascus how Saul betrayed them, and how Saul escaped. Or maybe Saul got to Jerusalem first? We don’t know. What we’ll see is that Saul’s choice to travel to Jerusalem is basically doomed from the start.
When he arrives, he tries to join up with the Christians, but they, too, and I would say rightly so, are super suspicious of him. He had previously persecuted them. How would you feel if the bully who over and over and over again hurt you, shows up one day asking to be your friend? How would you feel if the co-worker who betrayed you and lied to you, now says they want to work together on a project? You would think, “No way, buddy!” You would think to yourself, “This guy is a menace, and he has hurt so many people, and he has hurt me, and I am not letting him near me. I am going to be wise and impose boundaries on him.” And none of us would blame you for that.
Those disciples in Jerusalem were thinking like that. Or they might have been thinking, “Nice try, Saul. Go back to your Pharisee buddies. You’re not changed. This is a trap.”
That bring us to the next candidate for the best supporting actor award in this story, Barnabas. We met him before in chapter 4:36-37. Back then he sold a field and gave it to the apostles to help those in need. His name was Joseph, but he was called Barnabas, which means “Son of Encouragement,” perhaps a sort of nickname. It sure fits. Barnabas loved Jesus, and sought to live the way of Jesus, which is the way of sacrifice. Here in chapter 9:27, Barnabas is willing to take a sacrificial risk on Saul.
He brings Saul to the Apostles, and vouches for him. What an encouragement! Saul is finally welcomed, and he continues his bold ministry in Jerusalem!
But in verse 29, the Grecian Jews, the same ones that were so opposed to Stephen in chapter 6, now come against Saul, trying to kill him. Are you noticing a pattern in Saul’s early days as a Christian? Twice now he has people wanting to kill him. Jesus was right in verse 16 when he told Ananias that Saul was going to suffer for Jesus. Saul had to flee for his life in Damascus, and now again in Jerusalem. So some Christians brothers take Saul to Caesarea, which was a Mediterranean port city to the west of Jerusalem, and from there Saul caught a boat to Tarsus, his home town. Again, the supporting cast saves Saul’s life. They are faithful and sacrificial to the call of Jesus to be all about the Kingdom of God where they are at in their lives.
The author tells us in verse 31 that with Saul gone, the threat now transformed into an ally, the church in Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and growth.
This is an astounding story that features the work of God in Saul’s life, and the faithfulness, sacrificial love and obedience of the people of God in supporting the mission, even when they were quite afraid and uncertain because of Saul’s reputation. There would have been a lot of very real and valid reasons for them to not step out of their routine and step up in obedience to God in this. But they chose faithful sacrifice to the Kingdom.
Are you choosing likewise? What does faithful sacrifice look like for you? It can and should look like encouragement of those who are struggling. How are you being an encourager?
Are you thinking differently about any aspects of life because of the coronavirus pandemic? I am. As I, and every single other person, was wearing a mask in the grocery story the other, it struck me how rapidly things change. Three months ago, if you told me that scene was about to happen in just three months, I would have said, “Not a chance.” But the virus has changed us. While it remains to be seen how many changes will remain after the virus, no doubt many will. I heard a news report today about how necessity is the mother of invention, detailing new products that have already been developed during the pandemic. One is a hook that people can use to open doors so we don’t have to touch door handles, which are big culprits for carrying the virus. But what about the mission of God? Are we thinking inventively about that? Should we? Or has our response been something like, “Well, church is closed, so I’ll just watch online and I’m good to go”? In other words, have we checked out of the mission? Have we interpreted the mission as “going to church”?
But here’s the thing…going to church was never the mission. As we’ve discussed many times on this blog, the mission of Jesus is making disciples. Today we’re going to learn how some people’s creativity and innovation, even in the middle of a crisis, propelled the mission of Jesus to make disciples…and it features a big basket.
This week we have been studying Acts 9:1-31, which is the account of the dramatic conversion of the Christian-killer, Saul. But we have been keeping the focus on the supporting cast. In the previous post, we learned about the the gracious, sacrificial outreach of a Christian living in the city of Damascus, named Ananias who not only trusts that God has transformed his once-enemy, Saul, into his “brother,” but Ananias also heals Saul, gives him the Holy Spirit, and baptizes him.
What happens next is wild. If you want to see for yourself, look at Acts 9, starting in the middle of verse 19, and read through verse 22.
Saul spends time with the Christians there in Damascus, more supporting cast members. They also could have feared for their lives and shunned Saul, but they sacrificially do the opposite. They embrace the work of God in Saul’s life and welcome him. Amazing! They sacrificially put the mission of God first, in the midst of possible fearful and confusing changes.
Then it gets even crazier. Right away Saul starts preaching in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. Saul doesn’t wait. He doesn’t travel to Jerusalem to spend time with the Apostles first. He just starts telling the story. I find that so interesting. Bold. Risky. But that is Saul, and we’re going to hear a lot about him in the weeks and months to come as we continue reading Acts.
The people in Damascus are freaked out. I get it. There was a dramatic 180 degree turn in a Saul’s life. He went from being the greatest threat to Jesus’ church, to being a bold preacher of Jesus. We read that he grew more and more powerful in this, proving to them that Jesus was the Messiah.
The Jews in Damascus, we learn in verses 23-25, are particularly baffled by Saul. Saul was their shining star! What happened to him? Could he really have changed his mind? They must have been very disappointed and angry! He was doing their dirty work, and now he has turned on them? They are not having it, so they plot to kill him, but Saul’s followers help him flee, dropping him in a basket through an opening in the city’s wall. The author of Acts flies by this so quickly, but this is some intrigue, right? Can you imagine? Let’s take a closer look.
First of all, the supporting cast are called “his followers.” We know in verse 23 that he had been in Damascus “many days,” so it seems Saul had time to raise up followers. But still, doesn’t it seem quick for Saul to gather followers? He’s a brand new Christian. Even if he was in Damascus for a couple weeks, or even a couple months, it seems like he would be far too soon for him to have followers. Is there any way we can know how long he was there?
There is! In Galatians 1:17-18 Paul writes that three years passed between his conversion and his trip to Jerusalem. But he didn’t spend all of those three years making disciples in Damascus. He tells the Galatians that he went to Arabia during that time as well, but we don’t know what part of Arabia or how long he spent there. At some point, he says, he then went back to Damascus, which he also writes about in 2 Corinthians 11:32, including the basket story. So we don’t know precisely how long it took Paul to have followers, but that isn’t the point. What the author of Acts, Luke, wants to highlight is that he had followers!
Interestingly, that word “followers,” in verse 25 is the same word as “disciple” in verse 19. So verse 25 could be translated as referring to “his disciples.” This is where Saul is a great example for us. We don’t know if he was intentionally obeying Jesus’ command to make disciples, or maybe he was such a natural-born leader that people followed him. The point is that Saul had such a thoroughly transformative encounter with Jesus, that he lives out the mission of Jesus: Make disciples!
Second, in our closer look at the basket story, those disciples are more amazing supporting cast members. They were aware of needs and of what needed to happen and they saved his life, helping him to stay on mission, even at a possible threat to their own lives. I wonder what those followers were thinking? Did they have to answer questions the next day about Saul’s whereabouts? Did the Jewish leaders know they were friends with Saul? Yet, these followers play an important role in the story, right? They are so creative and innovative, helping Paul escape in a basket, dropped through a hole in the city wall, so the Jews who were watching the gates of the city wouldn’t see him leave.
After his disciples help him escape, Saul now heads to Jerusalem, which is a bold move. This is the one place where you’d think he should not go. Jerusalem is the headquarters of the Jewish leaders, Jewish leaders who could have easily heard from Damascus how Saul betrayed them, and how Saul escaped. Or maybe Saul got to Jerusalem first? Check back in to the next post as we find out what happened to Saul in Jerusalem, with our eye on the amazing actions of the supporting cast.
Today, remember the disciple-making heart of Saul. He wasted no time in sharing the good news story of Jesus and helping others join in the mission of Jesus. Saul was a disciple-maker, and he is a wonderful example for us. How are we making disciples? I encourage you to evaluate that in your own life.
Finally, reflect on the sacrificial creativity and ingenuity of his disciples. They were willing to risk their lives for Saul. How are you being sacrificially creative and innovative for Jesus? During the global pandemic, though much of life is shut down and we are quarantined, we still have Jesus’ call on our lives to make disciples, but we might have to think differently about that mission. Just as Saul’s disciples helped him escape in a basket through a hole in the wall, how can you think out-of-the-box to make disciples? Take some time now and pray for God’s Spirit to invigorate your creativity and thinking. Start writing down ideas for disciple-making. And then go for it!
Who in your life is very difficult? Who bothers you? Who is that person you really try to avoid? Maybe it is more than one person. Let’s start by thinking about that person. What makes them so distasteful to you that you want to avoid them? Keep that in mind, because today we meet a man who was asked to do the incredibly risky, go help his enemy.
This week we’re studying Acts 9:1-31, which is all about the astounding conversion of the Christian killer Saul. But instead of focusing on the lead role, Saul, we are paying special attention to his supporting cast. In the previous post, we saw Jesus break out of heaven and intervene in Saul’s life, and we watched as the men in Saul’s posse, ignoring their own bewilderment, sacrificially helped him out. In today’s post we meet the first candidate in the story for best supporting actor, a Christian named Ananias living in Damascus. If you’d like to follow along, please open your Bible to Acts 9:10, and there we read that Jesus appears to Ananias in a vision.
I need us to stop right there. We could move past this quickly because dreams and visions occur in this story as if they are just everyday happenings. It seems to me the author of Acts presents it that way, like it is no big deal. “Hey Ananias!” and Ananias responds, “Oh, hey Jesus, what’s up?”
It reminds me of the rise of group video chats in recent years, and especially now during the pandemic. We hop on Zoom and can have a school class with 20 other people. Faith Church has been worshiping using Zoom. Just doing what has become normal. Could you imagine what people even 25 years ago would be thinking if they could look into what would be the very near future and see Zoom? Their minds would be blown.
I think we should be equally amazed when we hear that Jesus appears to Ananias in a vision. I mean, was Ananias afraid? Excited? Freaked out a bit? Or was this so run-of-the-mill that he felt it was normal? Did Jesus check in on guys like Ananias regularly? We have no indication that it was a common thing, so it strikes me as fascinating how the author of Acts writes this as if it was common. Or maybe the author, Luke, just knew so well all that God is capable of that nothing surprised him anymore.
Take a look at Jesus’ instructions to Ananias. Jesus cracks me up here: “There is a guy from Tarsus named Saul, he’s in town, and I want you to go to him, because I gave him a vision that you were going to heal him of blindness.”
Jesus totally plays off the fact that Saul is the Christian killer! Instead Jesus tells Ananias, “Saul is just some guy from Tarsus who is praying.” As if this Saul guy is some unknown religious blind guy who needs help. And Jesus says, “I gave him a vision, too, that you are going to heal him.”
Heal him? This is wild stuff. Was Ananias healing people on a regular basis or was this news to him? If God came to me in a vision, I would be shocked. If he told me to heal someone, I would be doubly shocked. If he told me to heal an evil man, I would be triply shocked.
Ananias’ response is great. You can tell he doesn’t want to disrespect Jesus at all, and yet he has a very different way of describing Saul: “Lord, I have been hearing about this guy, and he is a monster. He’s here in Damascus to arrest us disciples.” Read between the lines, and you can get a semblance of what might be going on in Ananias’ heart and mind. He could be thinking that Saul is just faking. Or he could be thinking to himself, “Jesus has to know who Saul really is, right? But what if he doesn’t know? I have to make sure. I have to mention that this is THE Saul who is a Christian killing machine. Does Jesus really want me to go to help Saul?”
Of course Jesus knows what he is doing, though, and what he says in verse 15 and 16 is amazing. “Go, Ananias. I have a mission for Saul.” Basically Jesus is saying, “I know what I’m doing.” Then, as if to assure Ananias that Jesus was quite aware of how awful Saul had been, he says, “I will show Saul how much he will suffer for my name.” It could sound like an ominous statement, and in some way it was, because it turned out to be very true in Saul’s life, as he would suffer a lot for the mission of Jesus in years to come. In fact, that suffering already started with the blindness, and there is more suffering in store for Saul before we finish chapter 9.
Jesus’ command was enough for Ananias, and he goes to the house where Saul was staying.
At the house, we learn about another supporting cast member. Saul is staying at that house of a man named Judas. We don’t know anything about him, except that he apparently allowed Saul to have shelter. While it is a very brief reference, it is more evidence of people being sacrificial to support Saul.
Back to Ananias. He must have been a huge lover of Jesus. No doubt it would be amazing to have a vision where Jesus comes and talks to you, like Jesus did for Ananias. I would like to believe that if I had a vision of Jesus, I would instantly obey whatever he told me to do. But I also know how fickle I can be.
Ananias, though, is a rock. He obeys Jesus right away, despite his misgivings about Saul, who was obviously a horrible guy. Consider how sacrificial Ananias is. He walks right into the enemy’s lair, face to face with the man who is evil personified. Was Ananias shaking at all? Even with the vision from Jesus, was Ananias thinking, “I have a bad feeling about this”? Was he anxious?
OR maybe Ananias is wrestling with some anger? Think about it. This is a chance to get revenge. He could have hidden a sword in his cloak, and whipped it out to kill Saul. He could have thought, “Jesus has given me the opportunity to avenge the church for all the persecution Saul did!”
Instead Ananias trusts Jesus, in the midst of not fully understanding what is going on, in the midst of possible fear, in the midst of possible anger, he chooses to trust and to stay on the mission of God’s kingdom. Ananias’ greeting to Saul confirms that: “Brother Saul.” He could have accused Saul of being a killer, an ungodly man, or a whole host of other names. Instead, because of what Jesus told him, Ananias now calls Saul, “Brother.” What a picture of trust and of grace.
This gracious response continues as Ananias heals Saul, gives him the Holy Spirit, and baptizes him. Then Saul breaks his fast, and what happens next is wild. Check back tomorrow to learn about that.
For now, think about the gracious transformation Jesus brings to lives. The enemy has become the brother. That’s what his Kingdom is like. Taking the broken and making it whole. Saul is transformed, and Ananias affirms it. How might that relate to your life? Is there an enemy in your life that needs to be transformed to brother or sister? Are you struggling with someone who is difficult for you? Perhaps someone who has hurt you or hurt someone you love? What will it look to bring the grace of Jesus to them?
Were you in a school play? Were you a lead role? Or maybe you were a supporting role? Perhaps a part of the crew?
If you ever go to a play or musical, you know that the lead roles get their picture in the program, along with usually a paragraph with their bio. But if you were a part of the supporting cast, or worked behind the scenes, maybe your name was one line in a program. Maybe you weren’t mentioned at all.
It is vital to remember this because in this week’s posts we’re going to talk about a man who would become one of the most important leaders in the church. He was in the lead role. While his story is amazing, we’re going to pay close attention to his supporting cast. We’ll meet a couple of them by name, but many of them are just listed as a group. So often in a story, we focus on the main characters, but the behind-the-scenes people are equally important, as will become readily apparent in our posts this week.
If you’d like to follow along, feel free to open a Bible to Acts 9. When we paused the Acts series a month ago, we had studied chapters 6 and 7, and the tragic killing of Stephen. In that story, the author of Acts introduced us to another man who quickly became the arch-enemy of the church. In chapter 7, verse 58, we read that while the Jews were stoning Stephen, they laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named, Saul. Just a few verses later, as Stephen dies, we read that Saul gives approval to Stephen’s death. That was only the beginning of his treachery.
As we continue reading in chapter 8, we learn that a great persecution breaks out against the church, causing most of the Christians in Jerusalem to flee for their lives. Specifically, take note of Acts chapter 8:3, where we read that Saul was fueling this persecution, dead set on destroying the church.
In rest of chapter 8 we learned how the church, led by the Holy Spirit, pursued the mission of Jesus beyond the walls of Jerusalem.
Today we come to chapter 9. Saul is back in the story, and he, too, is thinking beyond the walls of Jerusalem but for the opposite reason. While the Christians fled the city, trying to get away from him, look at what Saul is doing in verses 1-2.
Saul is laser-focused on destroying the followers of Jesus, so he mounts up a posse and heads to the city of Damascus with letters of verification from the high priest in Jerusalem, eager to round up Jesus’ followers and bring them as prisoners back to stand trial in Jerusalem.
On the road near Damascus, Saul is in for the surprise of his life. Look at verses 3-9.
This is a famous story that Saul will come back to many times, and for good reason. But our attention is on the supporting cast.
Look at verse 7. We don’t know anything about men in Saul’s posse, except that at the moment Jesus breaks into the scene, they heard the sound of voice, but they didn’t see anyone. Imagine their bewilderment! I wonder if they told their family and friends about this for years to come, as it would have been an astounding moment.
Rather than focus on whatever feelings of fear or terror they might have been experiencing at that moment, though, they are willing to sacrificially put that aside and act on their loyalty to Saul, because we learn they help Saul complete the basic mission Jesus gave him: Go to Damascus, get more instructions there.
Check back in for tomorrow’s post as we learn more about those instructions, and we meet our first nominee for best supporting actor in this story!
How do you feel about the statement: “God is not in control?” Maybe you disagree. Maybe you look around the world and think, “It sure does NOT seem like a world where God is control.” Maybe the thought that God might not be in control is scary to you. Maybe you want some reassurance that he is in control precisely because the world is so messed up.
In this week’s series of blog posts on the question, “Is God in Control?”, I’ve suggested that God does not control the universe in a meticulous way like a grand puppet master. Instead, he has authority, while creating us with free will. It might seem frightening to think we live in a world where God is not fully in control. I believe, however, that, if I am right, and God is not fully in control, he made a fantastic choice, and I am so thankful for it. Here’s why:
When we read Romans 8:28, it shows us that God is working within things that aren’t going as they should. If all was in his control and happening just as he would dream and hope it would, then he would have no reason to promise us that, “All things work together for good…” He wouldn’t need to be working anything together. It would be an unnecessary promise.
God has authority and power and enough goodness and love for me and for you to turn the brokenness of this world for good. Whether that is a world-wide pandemic or a mess of our own making. Jesus came and walked this earth and healed sickness; he did not come and cause sickness. He had compassion and was moved to tears when people (his real treasure whom he chose to die for) felt pain. And Jesus on earth was an earthly representation of God. So what we say about Jesus is also the character of God.
We conclude where we started. The verses supposedly about God’s control have turned out to not actually be about his control, and yet they are still beautiful verses that can be a gift to us in times when we are feeling like life is out of control, when there is pain and difficulties. In these verses God gives us a powerful reminder that we need to dwell on when we are struggling: We can rely on him in the midst of the fear and pain.
As we continue with the difficult reality of life that is the coronavirus pandemic, I urge you to go to God. If you are wondering how to spend time with him, consider writing him your thoughts in a journal. Listen for the Spirit to talk with you. Talk with your family and friends about him. Hear him give you words of comfort as you read these verses again.
Isaiah 41:10 “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Philippians 4:6-7“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
It is in his goodness that we have free will. It is out of love and relationship that we have free will. It is out of his goodness that he sits with us and cares for us in the midst of troubles and pain. There he offers his amazing strength and power and peace. There he hears our cries and answers them. There he works in the muck of this world for our good. His authority is a beautiful powerful thing. He has the victory, and after we are finished on this beautiful, but very broken, world, we have hope of eternity with our good God who loves and treasures us.
What good does Jesus’ authority matter when the world feels out of control? I often think I just want him to step in and make it all stop, to show us his power and make it all be done. I pray every day for him to intervene and stop the virus, asking him to help scientists create a vaccine, even if they don’t believe in him. I believe it is right to pray for this, all the while knowing that God might not intervene. I do want to add that I definitely believe that God does hear our hearts, and answer our prayers, and can help scientists with a vaccine to the pandemic, because he is in relationship with people; people are his heart. Even those who don’t yet believe in him. He isn’t causing harm to his treasure but loves to hear from us and to work with us to create good out of the muck of the world.
We could be in for months of this, and many more deaths. What is the distinctly Christian way to respond to those difficult thoughts?
Remember that the disciples were persecuted after Jesus went to heaven. Remember the passages in our series in Acts when they were jailed, falsely accused, beaten, and in Stephen’s case, stoned to death, for following Jesus’. It is quite reasonable to imagine the disciples lamenting, just the like the Psalms of Lament, “Lord, step in and make this stop. Rescue us!”
But he didn’t make it all stop. He also wasn’t the cause of it. The sinful human leadership was the cause of most of early church’s pain. Yet God did not step in and change that. Out of the persecution, he brought new revelation of who he was to them. He had also given them the Holy Spirit to be with them always, and he promised them an abundant life when they followed his ways and teachings. Abundant life does not mean a life free from pain. Finally he promised them future wholeness and a lifetime with him in eternity.
That is why authority matters. He is the final victory. In the end and through the mess, God is on our side. The good God is on our side! We need to let him and his ways and heart invade our minds, our actions, so we can see more of who he is in the mess of the brokenness of our earthly world. We can for sure pray for mercy and for more of “his kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven,” and we can work and make it our life’s passion to partner with him in that.
It’s maybe a little bit like teaching your child to ride a bike. This example breaks down if you look at it too closely, but bear with me. You kind of know, don’t you, that your child, once the training wheels comes off, will fall down and get hurt. They will probably turn the handle bar too quickly, while peddling too slowly, and the bike crashes to the ground. Some other kid might even run in front of them and cause a crash, injuring both of them. As they learn to ride the bike, there is so much that go wrong! Even we adult riders crash sometimes.
But when you are teaching them to ride, you are the authority. You give good guidelines. You show them the best methods. You explain the joy of it all and the dangers ahead. And when the inevitable hurt happens, you can teach them through the pain, as you are there with them. You are not causing bad to happen to them, though you are basically 100% sure that pain will happen in the process. When it does, you can love, comfort, encourage, teach and walk with them, helping them to learn from their skinned knees and bruised emotions.
Riding a bike brings pain, yes, but also great fun and joy! Learning a new skill adds layers of beauty to your child’s life, even with the potential of layers of pain and harm. You are not the cause that pain, but when it happens you will be right there and bring good from it with them.
That is a picture of God’s authority and presence in our lives too!
When we are going through a difficult time, such as the coronavirus pandemic, it can seem like God is nowhere to be found. Deism is a view of God that says that God created the universe, he set things in motion, but is now hand’s off. Like a bowler releasing her bowing ball. The bowler can do all sorts of things to direct the ball, give it angle, spin, and speed, but once that ball slides off the ends of her fingertips, the bowler has no more influence on the outcome of the ball. Is God like that with our world? Is deism right?
To answer that question, we need to consider Jesus. If we are to think and talk in a distinctly Christian way about God and his interaction with the world, then we would do well to look at Jesus. Jesus is God is the flesh. (John 1:1–14)
As we read the story of Jesus’ life in the four biblical accounts, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, we read who God is, what his heart beats for, what his character is. What do we notice? That God is hands off? No. The farthest thing from it. In the Bible we can learn so much about who God is by studying Jesus, but here are a few points that relate to our current pandemic:
Jesus personally entered our world and became one of us.
Jesus healed sickness, he did not cause it.
Jesus showed us how to live life, and he gave his life, to be the solution to the brokenness of the world; he did not cause it to be more broken.
Read John 9:1-7 for a fascinating conversation Jesus and the disciples have about a blind man they encountered, and I think you’ll see how the story relates to this post.
The disciples assume that either the blind man’s parents or the blind man himself had sinned, and thus God brought the blindness on the man because of sin. Jesus responds that they were thinking wrongly. Instead he shows that the man’s blindness is an opportunity for the work of God to be displayed in the man’s life. Then he heals the man, displaying that work of God. The point Jesus makes is not that God causes the pain, but that God can and does work in the middle of the pain as we reach out to him.
If you look around social media right now you will see that many consider sickness, such as the coronavirus pandemic, as sent by God to build our character or to judge us, assuming something very much like the disciples assumed about the blind man. But Jesus, especially considering his goodness, speaks directly against that view. God is good. Thus the Bible, when it answers the question about God’s involvement in the world, points to God’s authority rather than control.
In our previous series of posts on Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” But what does that mean?
Consider the analogy of human parents. We have authority in our homes, but not full control. Clearly. Right, parents? Or consider human bosses or management have full authority, but not full control. Children and employees have guidelines to follow, but they have the freedom to not follow those guidelines. The difference between control and Jesus’ authority is similar to that.
Jesus’ authority is perfect, good, loving, and just, but that is different than control. That is different than causing all things to happen. Even when his Spirit indwells and fills us, we don’t lose our free will. So we look to Jesus, our authority, to show us how to live.
Observe how he lived his life. He did not control the disciples. He allowed them to make their choices, some of which were very poor. Because he is so good, he took their poor decisions and made beauty grow out of them, when they were genuinely repentant. Perhaps the best example of this is when Peter denied Jesus. Peter was repentant, and Jesus restored him. (John 21) In his authority, Jesus taught the disciples, guided them, directed them, but they each had freedom to choose how they were going to respond to him. Know that he treats us the same loving way.
Also notice that Jesus did not promise ease. He knew that sickness, hurt, and persecution would come to them, because he knows we live in a broken, fallen, sinful world. He said, “In this world, you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world.” That is different than being the cause of pain. Instead he assures that he can help us to have victory in the middle of the pain.
It is very natural, though, to ask why an all-knowing, all-powerful, good God, doesn’t just step in and stop all of the negative, painful things from ever happening to begin with? If he loves us so much as he says he does, then you’d think he’d get in there and put an end to the pain, right? Wouldn’t you do that to the kids you love? Or would you?
Maybe you have seen adults who seem unable to handle “real life,” and what do we speculate about them? That perhaps their parents always rescued them, and never let them fail? A wise member of our congregation has often remarked to my wife, Michelle, “Sometimes natural consequences are the most efficient; let your kids learn the hard way sometimes.” When kids, including adult children, go through difficult time, it doesn’t mean their parents caused the pain!
So let’s follow that thought through to its logical end. I’m referring thought that if God loved us he’d step in and stop the pain/the sickness each time it happened. To choose to just step in every time anything bad happens, that would mean God is ridding the world of sin. It would mean he is removing not only all brokenness, but also the capability for brokenness to occur.
Do you see the ramifications of that? It would require God to do one of two things.
First, he would have to change human nature so that we can’t or don’t sin anymore. That kind of change to humanity would be basically the same as making us all robots. It would remove our free choice to follow or to disobey his desires. What I am talking about is the removal of free will. When we look around the world, from the beginning of time, that is simply not the choice God has made. Instead he wants us to have free will, including the choice to disobey him, even if that means there will be people who disobey him, and the consequences of their disobedience is destructive. He wants us to have free will because it opens up the possibility of a genuine loving relationship with him. That is part of what makes him so good. Because a genuine relationship with him is so so good. It is good for us, and it is good for him. He desires that and when we have a taste of it we just will continue to desire it more and more. He is a relational God!
What about the second option? For God to have a world where nothing bad happens, if he did not choose to remove free will, it would then require him to remove all the sinners and any potential sin out of this world.
What would that mean? God would have to remove all people. Obviously God has chosen not to use this option. He wants people, he creates people because he loves us and wants to be in relationship with us. Yes, this too is a risky move for God, because when he creates people with free will, God opens the door to pain. It is nearly identical to the close relationships in your life. Consider your spouse, your children, your parents, or your closest friends. Would you want them to have no freedom to do anything except exactly what you want them to do all the time? Parents, after a month of quarantine, you might be saying, “YES! I want that.” I think all of us parents feel each other’s pain these days, but the reality is that we would tire of that. Even the most advance artificial intelligence that seems real, we actually know is just programming. We can’t have a real relationship with an entity that does not have free will. Only human relationships with free will can be defined by true love.
If we take away free will, we also have to take away love. That is drill sergeant parenting, like an extreme boot camp kind of relationship. That is not God. That is not a loving, good father. God chose love. When we allow him to invade our hearts and our minds with his love, that love flows out of us in selflessness, caring and giving and showing love to our neighbor as ourselves. His love allows us to learn good things about him and to feel his presence in the midst of the muck that sin and brokenness bring.
So know this. People are God’s treasure. Our loving heavenly father does not bring harm to his treasure. He sent his son to die for us. In our broken, sinful world harm does come. Jesus promises to be with us in the middle of the pain, and he promises to ultimately have us live eternally with him in wholeness and all goodness. He promises that when we go to him in the midst that we will find peace that passes all understanding in the midst of hurt and pain that this world brings.
So, what good does Jesus’ authority matter when the world feels out of control? We’ll try to answer that in the next post.
Is God in control? People use that phrase a lot, but is there anywhere in the Bible that teaches that God is in control? In the previous post we looked at an article that said it was going to list verses that confirmed God’s control, but ended up not doing so. So are there other places in the Bible that teach that God is in control?
It depends who you talk to. There are biblical scholars who say without a doubt the Bible clearly teaches that God is in control of all things. There are also biblical scholars who say that the Bible does not teach that God controls all things.
First let’s look at an example of the people who say that God controls all things. A classic verse they point to is Ephesians 1:11, “In him [Christ] we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.”
Sounds pretty convincing, right? The question, though, is whether that means God is essentially the universal puppet master, controlling the strings of every single thing that happens. We would call this meticulous control. Perhaps that is how Paul is describing God in this passage.
Maybe, except that there are Christians who have a very different interpretation of Ephesians 1:11 and the other verses like, and I am one of them. In fact, the denomination Faith Church is a part of, the Evangelical Congregational Church, is part of a Christian heritage that understands these verses differently. We do not believe the Bibles teaches God as controlling all the trillions upon trillions of minute details of human existence throughout the ages. Instead we believe that what Paul is saying in a verse like Ephesians 1:11 is that God has a larger plan, in Christ, and he will accomplish that plan.
The presence of sin in the world is perhaps the clearest example of what I am talking about, that God does not meticulously control all things. God does not want sin. Sin is by definition that which goes against God’s will. If we believed that God was meticulously controlling all human behavior, then we would have to believe that includes sin. Notice how illogical and against God’s nature our beliefs would have to be if this were true: we would be saying that God decrees that sin is wrong, but because he is in control, he also causes sin to happen.
I disagree with that line of thinking, and thus I understand Paul’s teaching in Ephesians not as saying that God is in control of every detail, but that he has a master plan in Christ which he will bring to consummation.
What that leaves us with is the hope of God’s larger plan, while we live in the reality of sin, difficulty, disease, struggle, and pain, as a real part of our daily existence in the world. But we know that when our world is difficult, God is good. And he loves us.
Just knowing that God is good is often not enough, though, when we are in pain. When we are living with difficult realities, we can struggle to explain God’s role in them, or his relationship to us.
That’s why I think so many of us say, “God is in control!” Not because we believe that God is controlling every single detail of our lives, but because he is faithful and we can trust him in the midst of our pain. But even in the pain, it is important to think and talk rightly about God.
When we struggle with pain, such as the coronavirus pandemic, what is the right way to think and talk about God?
Let’s start by remembering what the Bible says about the world we live in. While it is so beautiful in so many ways, and we should strive to care for creation, we also need to recognize that it is a fallen world. There are at least three ways Christians talk about the falleness of the world.
First, something scientists call the second law of thermodynamics – this is a principle of heat transfer that says things, generally, move from order to disorder. The technical word for this is entropy. Things rot, they rust, they wear out, they break. It is the super-rare exception that a car, for example, would improve its working order. Cars break down and need tune ups. Our bodies heal, yes, but the normal tendency is that they age and break down. This is what Paul is likely referring to in Romans 8:21 when he says that creation is in bondage to decay.
Second, Satan is real and he is in the world, tempting, lying, and as we read in Scripture, devouring. And he is no joke. We should be cautious in our view of Satan’s influence. I so often hear that a person is going through a difficult situation because of Satan. But we really don’t know that Satan is responsible, do we? If your car is broken down, it’s almost certainly not because of Satan; it is because cars follow the second law of thermodynamics, and they break down. It seems to me that we are generally too quick to blame Satan, and maybe we blame Satan when it was actually our own fault. He is real, though, and powerful, and he does tempt and devour.
The third way to describe our world is talk about the broken and fallen nature of people. People use their free will in ways that are selfish and harmful. Sometimes we deal with pain of our own making. Sometimes the pain is brought on us by others. Sometimes it is both. Because we have free will, and we don’t always use it in a way that is in keeping with God’s Kingdom, it leads to pain. But does that mean God is hands off? Deism is a view of God that says that God created the universe, he set things in motion, but is now hand’s off. Like a bowler releasing his bowing ball. Is God like that?
In our next post, we’ll try to answer that question.
This year, I started doing a “Current Events” sermon once per quarter. It’s time for our next one! The way the current events sermons work is that I wait until the week of the sermon to decide what to preach about, because I want the current events topic to actually be current. Last quarter I had a bunch of options, and even in the middle of the week I wasn’t sure what to talk about. You can read the series of blog posts about that sermon starting here. This time the topic was rather apparent.
What have you been hearing about God’s role in the coronavirus pandemic?
Have you heard that God sent the coronavirus to America because our nation needs to be pushed down to its knees? Even if you haven’t heard that, some people have suggested it.
I find that idea troubling. I want to respond with, “Are you telling me that God sent a virus to punish America, and in the process he was okay with the virus killing thousands of people in China, Italy, and many other places around the world? All because he wanted to punish America?”
“Well,” the person might say, “Maybe he is trying to get the attention of the whole world. He started the virus, and he won’t allow it to be eradicated until the virus has accomplished his purposes for it.”
“Wait a minute,” I answer, “God would send a pandemic to kill thousands and thousands of people just to get our attention? Does that sound like God?”
Again the person might suggest, “Well, no, that doesn’t sound like God, and yet if God is in control, isn’t that what is happening?”
Ah, there we have it. Our topic for today: God is in control.
I can’t tell you how many times I have heard the phrase “God is in control” in connection to the virus. There are many similar statements Christians say when we’re going through hard times. Have you heard any of these?
“Through this virus God is taking away our worldly idols – celebrities, sports, entertainment, our money.”
“God never takes away something in your life without replacing it with something better.”
“So thankful that, even though I don’t know why God brought this virus on us, I know I can trust him and he has good lessons for me to learn.”
Do any of these statements represent a healthy way to describe God’s interaction with the world? More importantly, what does the Bible say about God’s involvement in the world? Does the Bible teach that God is in control?
I googled “Does the Bible say that God is in control?” and found that the internet has a lot to say about this topic! One article from Beliefnet lists 8 Bible verses the article claims show that God is in control. The point of the article is to give comfort to those struggling with difficult times, and I love that. But not a single one of the 8 verses listed say that God is in control.
Here are a few the article lists:
Isaiah 41:10 “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”
Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Check the other examples yourself: 1 John 4:18, Psalm 94:19, Luke 12:22-26, Psalm 27:1, Revelation 1:17. Every single verse is amazing and truthful, but none of them say the words, “God is in control” or teach something like that. Instead they all say that God is strong, and because he is strong and loving he is with us in the midst of the trouble. While that is true and wonderful, and a needed reminder during this pandemic, it is very different from the idea that God is in control.
So is there anywhere in the Bible that teaches that God is in control? It depends who you talk to. There are biblical scholars who say without a doubt that the Bible clearly teaches that God is in control of all things. And there are biblical scholars who say that the Bible does not teach that God controls all things.
Check in to the next post as we’ll take a look at some of both.
Engaging Scripture 