After Jesus' resurrection, he appeared to no fewer than five hundred people over a period of 40 days. Five hundred eye-witnesses is a staggering number in any court case, but a small number if you think of it this way: the rest of the world, save five hundred or so, would have to go on someone else's word that Jesus rose from the dead, and that he was in fact Lord and Christ.
Then why were so many people convinced? --because of the amazing transformation of the disciples. It was standard operating procedure for the rulers and chief priests to imprison or kill leaders of various uprisings, which always scattered their followers and stopped their movement in its tracks. But not this time. These men, who feared for their lives and denied they even knew Jesus at the crucifixion, were now fearless even when their own lives were at stake. Whether the gospel message was true or not, something happened. This new Spirit Courage and Spirit Power of the disciples didn't just come out of nowhere, and people were running out of explanations other than that their story was true.
Even though we've already been talking about why we don't see the miraculous as much these days, I don't think God's plan has really changed that much. The greatest and most irrefutable evidence of Jesus Christ, in any time or any culture, is a transformed life. New courage. Absence of Fear. Love where there wasn't any before. Strength of character where there was once weakness. Confidence where there was once only doubt. We all know that a person can't muster those things by willpower. Only the Holy Spirit can transform a person, and that transformed life has always been refreshing and attractive to those around it.
"For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline."
2 Timothy 1:7 TNIV
Following Christ is not merely about belief, and even less about religious practices; it is about transformation. It is a life characterized by the Core Virtues, which only the Holy Spirit can generate and develop. It is the difference between "practical agnosticism" and the "baptism of the Holy Spirit."
Are we different? Are we refreshing and winsome? Or have we exchanged the attractiveness of the Core Virtues for the weirdness of religious practices to distinguish ourselves as Chrisitans? Come Holy Spirit, and wash the religion off of us. Make us the people You want us to be, with lives that bear witness to Jesus and His transforming power.
Come Holy Spirit, and wash the religion off of us. Make us the people You want us to be, with lives that bear witness to Jesus and His transforming power.
ReplyDeleteAmen and amen. I dont' want a life characterized by religious practice, but by transformation. What Peter and the others had.
For me, this chapter is liking watching Braveheart or Gladiator. This story stirs my spirit. I love the line in the message after they come to tell Peter and John that they need to stop speaking the name of Jesus. Peter replies, "Whether it's right in God's eyes to listen to you rather than to God, you decide. As for us, there's no question—we can't keep quiet about what we've seen and heard." (18-20) No question? No question.
ReplyDeleteI've never been a fan of the word religious. I can do anything religiously, but what about the meaning behind it? I guess that's what speaks to me about the vision of this church. To some, it may seem "irreligious" to not have traditional church service every week, but have those people who walked into a building, stood, sat, recited, kneeled, and repeated as instructed had the same kind of dialogue and thought within the text of the Bible that we have this week? Maybe they have, but does that make our approach wrong? I can't say that it does. As a teacher, I look for my kids to be engaged in my lesson. That's when learning takes place. I'm engaged right now. I'm learning.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree that it was very Gladiator. I was waiting for the lions and the thumbs down signal. I definitely questioned if I could be that brave.
What I think is cool is the way God does things opposite of the way the world. In this instance, we are all over Gladiator type thoughts (me too)- "let's get it on"!!! Bring it Saducees!!! But something tells me this was all about Peace. Peace that there was NOTHING the religous leaders could do that the Holy Trinity couldn't handle. Peace that they didn't have to do anything other than to keep on doing what they know they were supposed to do. GOD had their backs. Peace doesn't have to be all about flowers and hippies and laid back wimpy attitudes.
ReplyDeleteAs a boy growing up, I had to learn about male confrontations - you know, fights and threats of fights and getting beat up, or doing the beating up. As I got older, a common pattern started to become apparent - that being, the guy that did the most talking up front very rarely did the beating up. It was the guy that stood there and listened to all the yap-yap from the other guy and just stood there.... refrained, but poised.... at peace. THAT is the guy you don't want to mess with.
I don't know how the real deal went down with Peter and the boys that very day, but it is very apparent that they were poised and knew where their source was. They weren't rattled or scared or embarrassed or compromising. That's what i want to be like as life throws its challenges of getting beat up (which sometimes happens, unfortunately). At peace..... man.