Reflections on Acts
As we looked back over the whole of the book of Acts, we discussed a range of things which we have learned from this part of Scripture:
1) the fact that our faith is based on historical events which give us a firm foundation on which to stand. Within the Book of Acts there are over three hundred references to people, places, events, cities, districts and titles of various officials. With so many references of a historical nature, there are many chances to see if this work matches up with known reality; Sir William Ramsey was one historian who found, much to his surprise, that the historicity of this book is trustworthy: “I may fairly claim to have entered on this investigation without prejudice in favour of the conclusions which I shall now seek to justify to the reader. On the contrary, I began with a mind unfavourable to it, for the ingenuity and apparent completeness of the theory, had at one time quite convinced me. It did not then lie in my line of life to investigate the subject minutely, but more recently I found myself brought into contact with the Book of Acts as an authority for the topography, antiquities and society of Asia Minor. It was gradually borne upon me that in various details the narrative showed marvellous truth. In fact, beginning with a fixed idea that the work was essentially a second century composition, and never relying on its evidence as trustworthy for first century conditions, I gradually came to find it a useful ally in some obscure and difficult investigations.” (Sir William Ramsay, St. Paul the Traveler and Roman Citizen. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1962, p. 36) Our faith is based on fact, not fiction.
2) the importance of the Holy Spirit in the life of believers and the church. Throughout the book, we see Him moving in different ways. Ultimately, God’s mission will be completed because of His involvement in it!
3) the amazing fact that God chooses to use ordinary people to share in His work! We talked about the many people who featured in the book, not only the apostles (Peter, John, Paul) but those ‘incidental’ characters (like Ananias, so helpful to Paul after his conversion) whose presence reminds us how God uses each one of us to fulfil His will.
4) the importance of faith and prayer in our lives, looking at how often prayer featured in the book.
5) the corporate nature of the church, where every believer has a part to play and where God works through us, often in miraculous ways
6) the importance of team (the New Testament indicates the need for personal faith, but nowhere do we find ‘solo’ Christians; Acts is the story of the church, God’s people working together; even Paul took people with him on his missionary journeys and relied on the prayers and gifts of other Christians.)
7) the unavoidable fact of suffering and persecution (seen in the martyrdom of Stephen and James, but also in the everyday lives of so many believers and in Paul’s life especially).
8 ) the boldness, confidence and joy known by believers who were filled with the Holy Spirit. The transformation from terrified disciples to fearless apostles and from diffident followers to those who talked boldly wherever they went is astounding, but is testimony to what can happen when we are filled with God’s Spirit.
9) the providence, guidance and sovereignty of God and the mission of the church to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth. This mission is ongoing!
Pentecost Trail (2)
Here are some photos from yesterday’s wonderful Pentecost Trail.
Pentecost Trail
At our Pentecost Trail yesterday on the Railway Embankment, we looked at the Holy Spirit’s arrival on the Day of Pentecost, having a dove trail for children to explore (the doves had messages about the gifts and fruit of the Spirit in other languages as well as English and looked at the names of the Holy Spirit given in the Bible).
We also looked at the fruit of the Spirit which God wants to grow in our lives (Galatians 5:22-23) – character traits such as love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, patience and self-controol. We enjoyed real fruit, remembering that God is the gardener and pondering on our connection to Jesus the vine. (John 15)
As we coloured in fruit shapes, painted fruit suncatchers and made bark rubbings of fruit, savouring the beautiful outdoor space carved out for us from wastelands by local residents who love where they live, we were able to reflect on the life God wants us to live and take photographs to remind us of how we need to grow.
Spiritual growth continues throughout our lives – these themes are not just for children!
God Speaks
God speaks to us in many different ways, but today, He has spoken to me through an advert for Buxton water. Here’s the advert:
I think it’s quite a pretentious advert for mineral water, actually, but today, it’s done a much better job than advertise water. It’s become something of a reminder of the living water I’m supposed to drink from each day!
Don’t give up. Simple words, but so often, we feel at breaking point. We feel we can no longer carry on. It doesn’t always have to be something major that precipitates this feeling, but we can easily reach the place where we just want to give up. “What’s the point?” we say to ourselves. We feel we’re not making a difference. We feel our witness goes unnoticed. We feel the weight of everyday troubles. We just don’t feel full of life and peace and joy. But into that feeling, the simple words ‘Don’t give up’ stir something with us. Our Scripture memory stirs.
Rise up. Again, instead of just leaving us with a negative command, we’re given something positive to do. Again, our Scripture memory stirs.
Our song memory is stirred too! You can listen to a very old song based on Micah 7:8 here. This is no modern version, no famous singer, but it’s never a bad thing if you’re singing Scripture verses!
And that’s how God speaks. Unexpectedly. Through unconventional sources. With the Holy Spirit reminding us of truth committed to memory long ago, suddenly brought to life at exactly the right moment.
Don’t give up. Rise up.
Questions to Job
In our series looking at questions God asks us, today we focussed on the questions He asked Job in Job 38-42. We see from the book of Job many questions (from Job and his friends and from God to Job), but we also see that questions don’t automatically lead to neatly packaged answers. God seems to bombard Job with questions in these last chapters, asking over 70 questions related to creation and the natural world which might seem more at home in a David Attenborough documentary series than in the Bible! These questions ultimately demand answers that are beyond human understanding and ability. They mark God out as being sovereign over all, the Maker of heaven and earth, present at creation, sustaining all things by His powerful word. (Heb 1:3) They reveal to Job his inadequacy and mortality, his humanity in all its frailty, and remind Him of the transcendence and omnipotence of God.
The questions posed in Job 40:8-9 show us how, in their questions, Job and his friends have discredited God’s justice and condemned Him in order to justify themselves. We so rarely see the bigger picture and understand our suffering in the context of eternity. God’s questions pierce our souls (see Heb 4:12). They result in Job’s repentance and true understanding of God’s greatness (Job 42:1-6), for God’s words are like living javelins, piercing us but also bringing unexpected healing. Paul reminds us that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us (Rom 8:18) and that we must fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Cor 4:18) Job is given a glimpse into the eternal plans of God and into His authority through the questions God asks Him. This leads to greater blessing than Job has previously known (Job 42:10, 16-17). We must never be afraid of God’s questions, even though they can be painful to bear!
Trinity Sunday
The first Sunday after Pentecost is known in the Christian calendar as ‘Trinity Sunday’, when we celebrate one God in three persons, Father, Son and Spirit. Often, the Holy Spirit is the neglected person of the Trinity; it seems that in church history, the first battles were around proving the divinity of Jesus Christ and in that debate, the Holy Spirit was forgotten. Nonetheless, in modern days, there has been a reawakening of interest in the Holy Spirit as He has worked in power throughout the whole world.
The Holy Spirit is personal, not merely a ‘force’. Just as the Father and Son are holy, He too is holy. His work is to bring people to holiness, to draw people to the Father through the Son. We use different symbols to represent Him (dove, tongues of fire, streams of living water etc.), but these are only symbols, not the full picture. Trinity Sunday reminds us of the need for Father, Son and Spirit (see Matt 28:19, 2 Cor 13:14). We can know fellowship through the Holy Spirit; we must never relegate His importance, nor must we grieve Him. (Eph 4:30) He has a mind and will and can be praised and grieved, but must never be ignored.
