Random Reflections
Here are a few observations as I read and blog my way through the book of Acts.
It seems like baptism was a much bigger deal than we make it. There were so many instances where people got baptized immediately--Acts 2:41, the Ethiopian Eunuch, and even Paul in Acts 9:18. There is virtually no gap. I think we've downplayed the role of baptism as a rite of passage. We've always made baptism a big deal. I think our baptism by the bay and bonfire baptisms are some of the best things we do as a church. But I wonder if we need more frequent opportunities for people to get baptized. Part of the challenge is that most theaters don't have baptismals!
I'm amazed at how often God gives such specific direction. He tells Philip to "Go south on the desert road." He tells Ananias to "go to the house of Judas on Straight street." He reveals specific instructions to Peter while he praying on the rooftop in Acts 10. I think most of us wish God spoke to us with this much clarity. I also realize these are instances where there was no room for error. I have gotten specific direction before, but God generally leads in more subtle ways. I do have a fall-back position that gives me confidence. God wants us to get where God wants us to go more than we want to get where God wants us to go. And God is awfully good at getting us there!
James was martyred in Acts 12:2. Here is what that tells me. Amazing miracles happen. But amazing "tragedies" happen too. I wonder if that "tragedy" shook their faith at all? God, why didn't you protect him? How could you let this happen? I think I'm realizing that it really boils down to this: how can I most glorify God? Miracles and martyrdom both accomplish that purpose in different ways.
In some ways, the early church was just like the 21st century church. There were early adopters, late adopters, laggards, and resisters in the early church too. A major shift happens in Acts 10 when Peter goes to the home of a gentile named Cornelius. Eating with uncircumcised gentiles was not Kosher, but God revealed to Peter that it was ok. But that didn't mean it didn't make waves. Acts 11:2 says, "The circumcised believers criticized him." There always has been and always will be resisters to the move of God. And they are often well-intentioned. These resisters were the protectors of "orthodoxy." It's been said that the last seven words of the church are: "We've never done it that way before." This is the first instance of that. Thank God the early church had early adopters who had the courage to do church the way it's never been done before. They broke thousands of years of tradition, but I'm the beneficiary for their willingness to do something unprecedented.
The story in Acts 12 is one of my all-time favorites because I can relate to it. The believers pray for Peter in prison and there is an angelic jailbreak. And Peter shows up at the house where the people are praying for him. He knocks on the door, but they don't believe it's him. They couldn't believe it when God answered their prayers! I think a lot of my prayers are like that a lot of the time. I'm more surprised when they are answered than when they're not. It's just good to know that despite all the amazing things that happen in the books of Acts, the early believers weren't unlike me. Sometimes they had a hard time believing that God did what they asked Him to do.
It seems like baptism was a much bigger deal than we make it. There were so many instances where people got baptized immediately--Acts 2:41, the Ethiopian Eunuch, and even Paul in Acts 9:18. There is virtually no gap. I think we've downplayed the role of baptism as a rite of passage. We've always made baptism a big deal. I think our baptism by the bay and bonfire baptisms are some of the best things we do as a church. But I wonder if we need more frequent opportunities for people to get baptized. Part of the challenge is that most theaters don't have baptismals!
I'm amazed at how often God gives such specific direction. He tells Philip to "Go south on the desert road." He tells Ananias to "go to the house of Judas on Straight street." He reveals specific instructions to Peter while he praying on the rooftop in Acts 10. I think most of us wish God spoke to us with this much clarity. I also realize these are instances where there was no room for error. I have gotten specific direction before, but God generally leads in more subtle ways. I do have a fall-back position that gives me confidence. God wants us to get where God wants us to go more than we want to get where God wants us to go. And God is awfully good at getting us there!
James was martyred in Acts 12:2. Here is what that tells me. Amazing miracles happen. But amazing "tragedies" happen too. I wonder if that "tragedy" shook their faith at all? God, why didn't you protect him? How could you let this happen? I think I'm realizing that it really boils down to this: how can I most glorify God? Miracles and martyrdom both accomplish that purpose in different ways.
In some ways, the early church was just like the 21st century church. There were early adopters, late adopters, laggards, and resisters in the early church too. A major shift happens in Acts 10 when Peter goes to the home of a gentile named Cornelius. Eating with uncircumcised gentiles was not Kosher, but God revealed to Peter that it was ok. But that didn't mean it didn't make waves. Acts 11:2 says, "The circumcised believers criticized him." There always has been and always will be resisters to the move of God. And they are often well-intentioned. These resisters were the protectors of "orthodoxy." It's been said that the last seven words of the church are: "We've never done it that way before." This is the first instance of that. Thank God the early church had early adopters who had the courage to do church the way it's never been done before. They broke thousands of years of tradition, but I'm the beneficiary for their willingness to do something unprecedented.
The story in Acts 12 is one of my all-time favorites because I can relate to it. The believers pray for Peter in prison and there is an angelic jailbreak. And Peter shows up at the house where the people are praying for him. He knocks on the door, but they don't believe it's him. They couldn't believe it when God answered their prayers! I think a lot of my prayers are like that a lot of the time. I'm more surprised when they are answered than when they're not. It's just good to know that despite all the amazing things that happen in the books of Acts, the early believers weren't unlike me. Sometimes they had a hard time believing that God did what they asked Him to do.
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