Acts 13 :: Long Conversations

Acts 13 in The Message and TNIV translations

The most obvious stand out for me this morning as I read chapter 13 was Paul's clear presentation of the Gospel - the Good News of Jesus...the rescuing of a father's children.  I thought as I read that, "Where has that message gone?"  I thought of the unofficial church growth mantra for planning messages, "There three things people want to hear about:  sex, end times and will there be sex in the end times?"  Our messages as churches have been reduced to our needs as people and often not given any more power than Dr. Oz's latest visit to the Oprah show.  I wonder how our church will be different if the Gospel was central in all of our teachings...

The less obvious stand out is continuing to ring in my ear.  In verse 43, Paul and Barnabas hung around talking with people after Paul's message and "urged them in long conversations to stick with what they started, this living in and by God's grace."  As a conversationalist, I love this.  There is nothing I like better than sitting down and having a good long conversation with someone about things that matter - like endurance and grace.  The problem for me is that my time doesn't allow for this.  I have worked myself into a dilemma, one that you may also be familiar with.  I have no margin.  I get up early, go to the office early, work later than I plan, get home and start on job #2.  I do make time to eat with my family and have a little time with them before putting them to bed and moving on to job #3.  I go to bed tired and I wake up tired, only to start the whole day over again.  I tell myself this is just a season, but how long does a "season" last before it becomes a "lifestyle"?  This hasn't always been the case.

With little discipline and perhaps more prayer, I believe that my choices can be better made to create the desired margin - space for long conversations, space to sit and visit with you perhaps and space to share the important things in life with others - again.

What are your stand-outs from this chapter?

Acts 5 :: Are You Kidding Me?

Acts 5 in The Message and TNIV translations

Two things for this morning:

1. What in the world is going on with Ananias and Sapphira? Sounds like a story I would tell my kids to get them to do what I want them to do. You know, like "PooPoo Monster." Once upon a time there was a little boy who refused to give his poop to the PooPoo Monster (toilet) and the monster came and ate him in his sleep. Then the kid poops regularly. I mean David plotted a murder to cover up an affair and he gets serious adulation, but these two yahoos keep back some money from the group and they get dropped on the spot. What is going on?

2. How good is this? "Get your hands off these men! Let them alone. If this program or this work is merely human, it will fall apart, but if it is of God, there is nothing you can do about it - and you better not be found fighting against God!" (38-39)

What do these two things do for you?

Acts 1 :: Drawing Straws

Acts 1 - text from The Message & TNIV

Yesterday, I taught from Acts 1:1-14, so I'll just give you the link if you want to hear that. Here are my high points from the teaching.

• For 40 days, Jesus appeared to the disciples at random times during face-to-face meals to explain what had happened and how it all related to the Kingdom of God.
• His promise of a baptism by the Holy Spirit was about to come, and when this consuming experience of the Spirit came they would be able to be witnesses to the Kingdom right where they were.
• The disciples were dumbfounded as Jesus left them and disappeared in the sky, staring at the blank sky. We cannot get caught staring at blank skies, wishing for a better day when Jesus felt closer. He is here now.
• The twelve and their families gathered together and committed themselves to the way of the Kingdom for good. They were completely together - in belief, in action and in purpose.
• The disciples were freed from their anxiety because things were right with God, with themselves and with each other.

Today, the stand-out for me was how the disciples replaced Judas Iscariot. They gathered the ones who had been with Jesus from his baptism to his ascension, made a nomination, prayed and took a vote...no, there was no vote. They drew straws! They're selection brought them two men, then they left it up to God to decide from their. They didn't spend a lot of time praying about it or weighing the options.

The question ringing in my heart this morning is whether or not I have enough trust in God to leave a big decision up to drawing straws, or flipping a coin. I can look back on my life and realize I got to two good options on some big decisions and some I think I made the right decision and others I'm not as sure. Could I get to that point and simply take a coin and say, "Okay God, you know me from the inside out. Make plain which of these two decisions you'd like me to make," flip it and accept the outcome as from God?

Is this something we should apply to our personal lives? How should this approach to decision making impact our church? Does it seem different than how you see churches making decisions?

Post a comment on this or any other thought you have about chapter one.

Core Virtue :: PEACE

I am free from anxiety because things are right between God, myself and others.

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.

Philippians 4:6-7

Well, it's late and this typist is a little tired. As I went to turn off the computer, I saw that Cameron had not posted today. I must have missed my turn. I thought about waiting until morning, but as I read through the creed for today, something hit me. I just finished watching the season finale of 24. In case you don't watch this show, it is about a special counter-terrorist agent named Jack Bauer. Jack Bauer defends his country at any cost. In many ways, I want to be Jack Bauer. He is what we call in west Texas, a "bad-ass." But Jack also has a dark side. He has secrets and wounds that haunt his soul. This forces him to walk a very blurry line between right and wrong.

Many of us carry secrets and wounds too. These areas of our lives cause inner chaos within us. They make an otherwise clear line between right and wrong, blurry. When things are not right between myself and God, my chaos produces anxiety in me. I worry more. I manipulate others more. I dwell on the negative more. When things are not right between myself and others, I become bitter. I critique more. I slander more. I lie more. The lines become more blurry between right and wrong.

This anxiety also can be the root issue of health problems for many people - high blood pressure, depression, sleep disorders, eating disorders, etc. Nothing seems to work right when we lack peace. One of the fastest growing sections in our bookstores is the self-help section, and I think most people scanning those shelves are looking for peace. Unfortunately for them, they will not find an all-satisfying peace there. The peace that we need is only found in God - the peace that passes all understanding. That peace will guard our hearts and our minds in Christ. That peace will keep the lines of right and wrong clear...even if they exist in grayscale. This peace satisfies at our deepest core.

How do I get this kind of peace? It starts with a commitment to walking in the Spirit of Life. As we are following Christ and walking in His Spirit, this peace will be the fruit of that journey. 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.

Other competencies related to Peace :: Personal God, Single-Mindedness

Parenting This Virtue ::

KidsKreed :: I am worry-free because God is in control.

Kids have a natural tendency to worry. Sunday, I asked our kids what they worry about. I got answers like, "I worry that an asteroid is going to hit the earth." I also got answers like, "I worry that my brother's not coming home from Iraq." Kids are sensitive and they need to be assured that when we seem like everything is out of control, we don't have to worry because God is in control. If this is an area that your child particularly struggles with, spend some time this week helping them memorize the two verses for the week - Philippians 4:6-7. Let them know that God has given them those words to help them be worry-free. You'll find your soul refreshed as well.