Acts 4:1-13
In recent years I have found myself thinking about life in terms of stories. Yesterday, my daughter asked me, “Dad, why do you think some stories turn out one way and some turn out another?”. (I am so grateful that all three of my kids feel the freedom to ask questions regarding spiritual matters.) Today’s reflections are a continuation of my attempt to answer her question.
I think about the experiences of institutions, families, individuals and nations that make up their stories and I ask, “how did they get to this or that particular place?” Two stories that have intrigued me the most is the story of the early Church and the story of the modern western Church, of which I am a part. They capture my attention because the Head of this Body, Jesus, who is the same yesterday, today and forever, is Lord over both, yet for some reasons, with radically different outcomes. We are told that the early church turned the world upside down. It seems though that today (at least in the west) the world may be turning the church upside down.
That last sentence may seem harsh to some of you. You might be thinking,”now hold on, our church is a good church; it has had the same pastor for X number of years; we are supporting missions with a growing percentage of our budget; our membership is growing; we have programs that are meeting the needs of most of the believers who attend”. If this was your response, please let me qualify my statement.
When I use the word Church, I am not just speaking about the various groups that assemble weekly and the things that happen beneath the roofs of those institutions. The Church I am referring to, strictly speaking, cannot be attended because, from God’s perspective, it is not a place, an event or an organization. It is a Body of people joined together in Christ.
We cannot attend Church. We are the Church. Granted, many but not all, may be found beneath those roofs on Sunday, giving and involved in programs, but the Church I am referring to are those people, from the first chapter to the one being written now, who have been forgiven of their sins, who have been filled with the Holy Spirit and who live in communion with God the Father as His children.
What provoked this lengthy introduction is the context of today’s passage which is captured well by Acts 4:16. The Council, comprised of the elders, priests, and scribes had assembled and were asking themselves this question, “What shall we do with these men? For the fact that a noteworthy miracle has taken place through them is apparent to all who live in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it”. After hearing the story just given boldly by Peter and John, “and seeing the man who had been healed standing with them” they (the educated and elite rulers) had nothing to say”. Wow! This was usually not a problem for them.
Let me share a few more verses and then I will try and make my point. Acts 4:33 says, that it was “with great “power” the apostles were giving witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. In my effort to answer Kelli’s question and account for the very different experience of the Church then and now, I have to say that at least one major difference I see is “power”.
Really, the whole of the New Testament is a collection of “noteworthy miracles”. There is no question that these supernatural events attracted people to the gospel and brought glory to God. (Acts 4:4, 21b). The modern western church can speak of abundant grace, but really, do we have power and is it upon us all? And, are we free enough to ask, “what has happened to that power and its broad distribution?”. How do you answer this question? Do you think it is an important question? How would your pastor answer this question?
I think the freedom and encouragement to ask questions when things do not measure up to biblical standards is a healthy place to be. I contend that honest questions are an important variable in how stories turn out. I think questions that are asked of God, in the right spirit, in particular by men and women who spend time with Him, contribute to how stories turn out.
While the elite stood by with nothing to say, they “observed the confidence of Peter and John, and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were marveling, and began recognizing them as having been with Jesus. As cliche as it sounds, I believe stories turn out differently in large part because time has been spent in close proximity to Jesus Christ. Therefore, I will echo a prayer Paul’s prayer;
“And now Lord, take note of their threats and grant that Thy bond-servants may speak Thy word with all confidence, while Thou dost extend Thy hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Thy holy servant, Jesus“. Amen.