Tunnel Vision

In the book of Acts there were Jewish leaders who wanted the apostle Paul dead for his conversion & missionary lifestyle. As far as they were concerned he was a traitor to the Jewish faith and since they could not stop the positive effect he was having on God's Kingdom, they decided to kill him. Circumstances led to Paul being imprisoned and left unable to travel or speak publicly to share the truth of Christ. Most of us would tend to neglect Paul at this point and pull back on the ferocity of our attacks on him. The Jewish leaders refused to do this, but were instead pushing hard for his death two years after he had been locked up.

As I read this I found myself thinking about the life of these religious leaders during those two years. What other things did they forsake in that time because they were so focused on ruining Paul? What needs in their family & community did they miss because they were consumed with ill-conceived notions of revenge? While we might agree that these leaders were overzealous it might help us to examine our own obsessions. Where do we place our passions that ends up being a waste of time? How do we reconcile these wasted efforts in light of the bigger picture of need for our families, churches, and communities?

Evidence of Grace

In Acts 11, the church at Antioch is growing tremendously and growing through outreach to Gentiles. This is not the standard practice of that day and causes some concern amongst the church leaders.They decide to send Barnabas to investigate and see exactly what is happening. The text tells us that when Barnabas arrived he was able to see evidence of the grace of God in their church.

This should be a defining characteristic of all God's churches. We should be a center of grace and hope for all people in the community. It can't happen in the church if it's not happening in our own lives though. We have to strive to make the way we live a reflection of the grace that God has given us. That is a message that the rest of the world is searching for and that God's people have readily available.

Imagine how much more effective the church would be if we were committed to allowing the evidence of grace to be highly visible to all who interacted with us.

Opposition

I am reading in the book of Acts and it is obvious that the early church was growing-often by thousands in a single day. It is also obvious that as they grew they faced serious opposition-sometimes to the point of death and imprisonment.

The formula is still true today: a growing church will face opposition. Sometimes this will come from the community around it and unfortunately it will sometimes come from within.

Understanding this principle of spiritual warfare leaves leadership with a decision to make. A church can desire to avoid conflict so much that it refuses to grow and instead becomes a dried out husk of a building that is more social club than a thriving, active extension of Christ. Leaders can also choose to accept the trials that will face God's true church and look to the strength and vision that comes from the Holy Spirit to persevere and fulfill our calling here as centers of hope, grace, repentance and redemption.

Not really a difficult decision when you think about it.