‘Changing the world’ is a grandiose phrase we often bandy around, but most of us struggle to believe our small acts of random kindness can have much of an impact on anyone and therefore deal daily with a sense of worthlessness which can be as sapping as the recent humid heat.

This past week I have visited an unobtrusive museum in Birmingham which tells the history of pen manufacture in that city.

Pen manufacturing seems an unlikely topic for world revolution and yet the manufacture of pen nibs in the 18th and 19th centuries revolutionised literacy in the entire world. From these factories in Birmingham, 90% of American schoolchildren received the means to learn to write and 75% of the whole world gained access to a pen – and therefore access to the wonderful world of writing. In our days of mass-produced ballpoint pens (another revolution not dealt with in this particular museum!) and computers which render the physical art of writing virtually obsolete, it’s easy to overlook the revolutionary nature of a metal nib when compared to writing with a feather quill.

Sheffield-based cutlers facing a slump in their trade moved to Birmingham and found a new use for their metal skills. A pen nib used to cost enough to be accessible only to the privileged rich; their technology meant a gross (144 nibs) could be produced for the same price as one nib previously cost. Each factory worker produced approximately 18,000 nibs per day. This quiet revolution proved the maxim ‘the pen is mightier than the sword’! The museum holds so many nibs, it’s overwhelming to see – and the marketing of these became a work of art in itself.

As a wordsmith who loves to write, this museum was a delight to behold and a testament to people whose fame had happily passed me by until that moment. It reminded me that God can use our skills and talents for His glory, however obscure, insignificant or irrelevant they may seem to us. It also showed me that significance and worth simply cannot be measured in boxes, as the pen nibs were! Only God sees the measure of what we do and invests in it its true worth.

Nowadays in the same area of Birmingham, the streets are full of jewellery shops which measure the worth of precious stones in thousands of pounds. Frankly, I can’t understand how anyone can afford such jewellery or why a particular stone has that particular worth. But this is why we have to allow God to measure our offerings and why we must trust Him with our most precious gift: the offering of ourselves, our talents and time, to Him.

The theme of suffering and persecution is one which runs throughout the book of Acts and yet we live in a society which does not like to talk about these things. The openness of the apostles as they faced opposition and the faith and courage of Christians throughout history demonstrate to us that we simply cannot afford to be ostriches, with our heads buried in the sand, when it comes to this topic.

Jesus told His disciples that in this world they would have trouble (John 16:33) and both Peter and John told us not to be surprised at suffering and hatred (1 Pet 4:12, 1 Jn 3:13). Paul went even further and said that ‘everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.’ (2 Tim 3:12) How we can be so surprised when suffering and persecution come is a mystery – presumably one which reflects our lack of Biblical reading.

The book of Acts narrates many instances of opposition and persecution, such as that experienced by the apostles in Acts5:17-42. This included imprisonment and physical beatings as well as the prohibition to speak in the name of Jesus (something which is occurring with frightening regularity in the United Kingdom, as any supporter of charities such as The Christian Institute or Christian Concern will know.) Yet what stands out in this passage is not simply the intensity of the opposition, but the boldness and confidence of the apostles. They rejoiced because they had been counted worthy of suffering for the Name (Acts 5:41); they knew what James meant when he wrote, ‘consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance (James 1:2-3)

Rejoicing and suffering go hand in hand in the Bible (see also Matt 5:10-12, Rom 5:1-4). This is only possible because the apostles had complete confidence in the sovereignty of God (after all, if He could raise Jesus from the dead, nothing was impossible for Him!) and because they were willing to take the long-term view. Paul reminds us, ‘our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us’ (Rom 8:18) and goes on to tell us that ‘our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we 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 4:17-18) If we want to have the same attitude to persecution and suffering as the apostles, we need to develop this long vision!

The fact that the apostles were not killed in Acts 5 was (from a human point of view) due to the intervention of a man named Gamaliel – an unlikely mediator!

Gamaliel was a grandson and follower of the liberal Rabbi Hillel and mentor to a man called Saul, who was later to feature predominantly in the spread of Christianity. A Pharisee with a reputation for scholarship, wisdom and moderation, Gamaliel was honoured by all the people and renowned for his piety. His intervention in the ongoing dispute between the apostles and the Sanhedrin was largely responsible for persuading the furious Sadducees to take a more conciliatory tone and thus averted yet more violence.

Gamaliel’s plea for restraint and caution reminded the Sanhedrin that movements of human origin would come to nothing without any interference by the Jewish authorities, whereas if the movement were inspired by God, it would be dangerous to take action against it. (Acts 5:33-40). He cited two examples of rebellion (one led by Theudas and one by Judas the Galilean, both of which had fizzled out once these leaders were killed) and advised the Council to leave the men alone. (Acts 5:37) Whether he actually thought this was a movement of God is not known, but his common sense approach definitely diffused the tension of the moment.

Gamaliel’s speech persuaded the others, who were content (for now) to flog the apostles (‘a serious lesson to offenders’, as Howard Marshall comments) and dismiss them with further warnings not to speak in the name of Jesus. (Acts 5:42) His words were a reminder to us all of the benefits of restrained speech (‘the one who has knowledge uses words with restraint, and whoever has understanding is even-tempered’ Prov 17:27) and the fact that God can – and does! – frequently use the most unlikely people to further His plans. It’s perhaps no coincidence that Gamaliel’s pupil, Saul, was chosen by God to be His apostle to the Gentiles. We serve a God of endless surprises!

A key verse in this portion of Scripture (Acts 5:12-42) is found in verse 29: ‘We must obey God rather than human beings.’ Here, in a nutshell, Peter points out where the Christian’s ultimate allegiance must lie.

Broadly speaking, Christianity teaches obedience to the stage, with Paul reminding us that human authority is given by God for our good. (Romans 13:1-7) We are called to be conscientious citizens; Jesus recognised a distinction between civil and religious loyalties (Luke 20:24-26), but commended honourable living in society. Paul reminded us ‘to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good’ (Titus 3:1) and Peter, whose impulsive actions had led to the loss of a man’s ear when Jesus was arrested, went on to command submission ‘for the Lord’s sake to every human authority, whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.’ (1 Pet 2:13-14)

Yet at the same time, the apostles also recognised limits. ‘If the authority concerned misuses its God-given power to command what He forbids or to forbid what He commands, then the Christian’s duty is to disobey the human authority in order to obey God’s.’ (John Stott, ‘The Message of Acts’, P 116). This, in essence, was the heart of Peter’s refusal to obey the Sanhedrin’s prohibition on preaching.

In both Acts 4 and Acts 5, the apostles were warned not to preach in Jesus’ name. On both occasions, they openly disregarded this injunction and risked death (Acts 5:33). The key was the Sanhedrin’s refusal to obey God and heed what He had done by raising Jesus from the dead. The apostles clearly recognised their divine mandate to preach took precedence over the Sanhedrin’s ruling. God’s commands had priority over man’s.

This principle remains true today and can have enormous implications for how we live. May we have both the boldness and the courage of these early disciples and obey God rather than men!

Paradox is a key part of the Christian life; things that seem contradictory actually can sit alongside each other snugly. Jesus told us the greatest must become the least (Luke 9:48), that if we want to gain life, we must first be prepared to lose it (Matt 16:25). Paul takes this theme and expounds it in 1 Cor 1:18-25, teaching that the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom and that His weakness is stronger than human strength. The kingdom of God turns the world’s way of thinking on its head, and unless we grasp the topsy-turvy nature of paradox and its role in God’s kingdom, life will very often seem elusive and baffling to us.

In Acts 5:12-42, we see a number of paradoxes. The miraculous signs and wonders performed by the apostles resulted in the paradox ‘no one else dared to join them’ (Acts 5:13) living alongside the truth ‘more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number.’ (Acts 5:14) As John Stott puts it, the power of God will always be ‘alarming to some and appealing to others.’ (‘The Message of Acts’, P 116)

Another paradox was the ability of the apostles to reconcile persecution with joy. Naturally speaking, opposition and persecution (especially when these lead to physical pain and distress such as the apostles experienced after being flogged) do not lead to joy. They usually leave us broken and dispirited (which is why torture and imprisonment are seen as highly effective weapons.)

Despite all the Sanhedrin prohibitions on preaching, the apostles were not daunted. Imprisonment did not deter them – in this passage, an angel of the Lord acts as their deliverer, unlocking the prison doors and commanding them to go to the temple courts and continue to preach (Acts 5:18-20). They used every opportunity to testify to the resurrection of Jesus (Acts 5:29-30) and were not broken by beatings: ‘the apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.’ (Acts 5:41)

The paradox of persecution producing joy had been predicted by Jesus (Matt 5:10-12; Luke 6:22-23) and has been the ongoing experience of the Christian community throughout history. Tertullian said, ‘The more you mow us down, the more we grow; the seed is the blood of Christians.’ Bishop Festo Kivenge said, on the second anniversary of the martyrdom of Archbishop Janani Luwum of Uganda, ‘without bleeding the church fails to bless.’ We cannot expect to avoid opposition and persecution, but can know the paradox of blessing and rejoicing in the middle of it if we, like the apostles, can understand the privilege of being counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.

Last night we had a dedication service for our newest arrival, Rebekah. Such services provide memorable moments for every family and the church has always acknowledged these moments in life (often known colloquially as ‘hatching, matching and despatching’ services!) Rebekah’s parents have always tried to hold such services on memorable dates and their two children both have memorable birthdays (Christmas Eve and April Fool’s Day!)

Memorable moments can be planned (and often the planning is part of the fun), but can also arrive unexpectedly; many memorable moments are wonderful (including holidays, meetings with friends, the awe we feel at times when faced with God’s wonderful creation), but some are painful and tragic (the loss of a loved one, the break-up of a relationship, the loss of a job.) In all of life, however, there is one memorable moment which is totally life-changing: this is the moment when a person is born again.

Jesus spoke about this experience in John 3:1-21, and Nicodemus was confused about this whole concept. A baby is born; how can an adult be born again? Jesus was referring not to natural birth but to spiritual birth which reconnects us to God. This second birth is the only way we can see and enter the kingdom of God. (John 3:3, 5). A child has no say into which family it’s born, but God gives us the right to become children of God if we choose life (see John 1:12, Deut 30:19-20).

This choice has an impact on our children too; Moses says, ‘Choose life, so that you and your children may live.’ (Deut 30:19) At a dedication service, parents give thanks to God for the gift of new life, but also vow to bring this new child up in the Christian faith. We have a duty and responsibility to talk about the memorable things God has done in our lives so that our children may hear and know who God is and what He is like (see Josh 4:21-24). All of us have the responsibility to tell us the story of what God has done (see Ps 107:2).

Secondly, Moses said, ‘Choose life, so that you may love the Lord your God, listen to His voice and hold fast to Him.’ (Deut 30:20) When we choose God, we have access to His unfailing love, to His guidance throughout our lives and can live in the knowledge that He is working for our good in all circumstances. We have a hope that lasts beyond our years on earth, for ‘whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.’ (John 3:16) Jesus went on to say, ‘Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.’ (John 3:36) Our choices now affect not only our everyday lives here on earth but our eternal futures.

Rebekah is too young to remember the dedication service, but we believe it’s a memorable moment in her life. Dedication does not make a person a Christian, but acts as a service of thanksgiving and an opportunity for a family to make promises before God. When a person chooses life, however, and responds to God’s offer of salvation, that becomes the most memorable moment of all. (2 Cor 6:2)