Persecution, the great victory

Act 8:1 NIV  And Saul approved of their killing him. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.

The stoning of the first martyr, Stephen, must have seemed the ultimate tragedy for the church in Jerusalem. Up till then they had been living in an atmosphere of success and glory. They were a substantial number. After all there were 3000 converted on the day of Pentecost. The new church then grew daily as people saw the witness of the new believers. They were heavily involved in looking after the needy as well demonstrating the life hat Jesus preached and lived.

How big was the church of Jerusalem at that stage? We cannot tell, but something in excess of 5000 would not seem unreasonable.

Then the religious leaders became worried about this new challenge to their authority and arrested Stephen. Here was their chance to bring this new cult back under their control. But it didn’t turn out that way.

Stephen’s speech recounted the essence of salvation history and ended in a direct challenge to the authorities that could not be ignored. 

Act 7:51-53 NIV  "You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit!  (52)  Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him--  (53)  you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it."

(PS This could equally be said of much of the modern day church which has abandoned the teaching of Jesus, and of many individuals who just go along with it).

So Stephen  was stoned to death without further ado. The crowd went along with this, and Saul (later to be the great apostle Paul) was prominent in the stoning.

The result was as the leaders had expected; the new believers left Jerusalem in a hurry and were scattered throughout the Roman Empire. This could have been the end of the infant church, it certainly must have seemed that way to the Apostles. They were among the few who remained behind to nurture what was left of the believers.

But God had a bigger plan. The scattering of the believers just enabled the spreading of the gospel further abroad. The church grew from strength to strength in small pockets throughout the Empire. The basis was laid for the work of Paul and the other Apostles in the years ahead, until within a generation it could be said that the whole world was filled with the Word of God.

What a dramatic demonstration of the power of God. What seemed like a tragedy and the end of all the dreams of the early church, was in reality the beginning of the greatest move of the Holy Spirit in all of human history. 

The love invasion of Jesus was now underway and nothing would stop it.

What a timeless lesson this is. The words of Isaiah were now fulfilled in the greatest possible way.

Isa 55:8-9 NIV  "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.  (9)  "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

It is easy to imagine the remaining believers in Jerusalem sitting around, wondering what to do. When all the time God was powerfully at work in ways that could only be seen through the Spirit.

So it is for us today. God is still on the throne. He is still working His purposes out. He has not forgotten individual believers or the corporate church, irrespective of the immediate circumstances. He has not been caught by surprise by the state of the world or the state of the church. His solutions may seem strange, but they are effective. 

He is the King of kings and Lord of lords, now and always.

He has won the victory against sin and death on the Cross of Calvary.

He has brought into being a new creation, with new citizens, and a new covenant. Loss had become gain. Death has become victory. Life is renewed.

Is now up to us to shake off the dust from out feet and spread the word wherever we find ourselves in exile. We have been scattered through society so that we can ‘seed’ society with the message of the Kingdom of God.

Rom 13:11 (CEV) You know what sort of times we live in, and so you should live properly. It is time to wake up. You know that the day when we will be saved is nearer now than when we first put our faith in the Lord.

Eph 5:14  Light shows up everything, just as the Scriptures say, "Wake up from your sleep and rise from death. Then Christ will shine on you.

Wake up.

We can't keep quiet

We can’t keep quiet!

Acts 4:18-20 MSG [18-20] They called them back and warned them that they were on no account ever again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John spoke right back, "Whether it's right in God's eyes to listen to you rather than to God, you decide. As for us, there's no question---we can't keep quiet about what we've seen and heard."

Peter and John found themselves called before the religious authorities because of a miracle they performed in the name of Jesus. What should have been a cause for great rejoicing had become instead, an offence to these ‘religious’ men.  

They had been entrusted by God to guard His Word, His Temple and His mission.

What had started as a holy charge fulfilled by courageous and faithful men (Moses, Aaron, David, etc) had become positions of power and self aggrandisement.   God no longer really featured in their decisions or life.

They still has all the outward forms of religion, but there was no reality there. It all looked magnificent to the outsider, but in God’s eyes it stank like rotten meat, which is what the sacrifices had become.   All that mattered now was preserving their own positions of power and prestige.

How contemporary this all looks and feels!  It is no wonder that the average person wants nothing to do with God as represented by organised religion.

They can, quite rightly, see the hypocrisy and abhorrent behaviour of some religious people, particularly those who purport to represent God in leadership positions.

I share the disgust that so many feel, as I am sure many of you readers do as well. Our media are filed day by day with accounts of the most horrific of behaviours by clergy and others who purport to act in the name of God. How can you not be disgusted!

Yet for all this horror, that is not the worst of it.

In absolute terms, the affront to the name, honour, and glory of the holy God is dragged trough the mud.

He who created all things is cast aside as being of no consequence to the beginning, ongoing and future life of each individual and the cosmos at large.  

He who gave His only Son to die for us and who rose from the dead as the first fruits of all who become part of His new creation, is treated as a joke, and His enemies exalted.

The main question I have is “why are you waiting, Lord?” Then I remember that His delay is a sign of His mercy so that many others will become part of the new creation.

And still those who carry His name, “go to church”, and live self indulgent lives, are offended by those who take Jesus seriously and act in obedience to ALL that He has commanded.

All the time people in other cultures suffer torture and loss of life for standing up for Him. AND THE CHURCH IS SILENT BUT COMFORTABLE.

Acts 4:18-20 MSG [18-20] They called them back and warned them that they were on no account ever again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John spoke right back, "Whether it's right in God's eyes to listen to you rather than to God, you decide. As for us, there's no question---we can't keep quiet about what we've seen and heard."

Rise up all you Peters and Johns and refuse to keep quiet.

Victory in difficult times

Victory in difficult times.

Psalm 60:3-4,8,11-12 NIV
[3] You have shown your people desperate times; you have given us wine that makes us stagger. [4] But for those who fear you, you have raised a banner to be unfurled against the bow.
 [8] Moab is my washbasin, on Edom I toss my sandal; over Philistia I shout in triumph. ”
 [11] Give us aid against the enemy, for human help is worthless. [12] With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.

David wrote this psalm after a military defeat. After all, the promises of God’s protection seemed so unreal in the face of this defeat.

Things don’t always go the way we expect, even for the people of God operating in the promises of God. This is not a time for defeatist thinking, or for a loss of faith. Rather it is a time for pressing in to God and remembering that He is the Creator and that we are his creatures. He remains the same. His promises remain unchanged. His love for us remains unquestioned. Still, we are in the midst of what we see as a defeat. We think God has abandoned us. We doubt his promises.

But the call of the strong leader goes out, “ But for those who fear you, you have raised a banner to be unfurled against the bow.”

The banner is the rallying place. It offers no physical protection against the bow. It is a call to action; rally under the banner and fight. That is the function of the banner. As long as it is raised the soldiers know that the battle is still alive and that they can rally under that banner. That is why there is so much effort in a battle to capture the banner, for then the battle is lost. It may be only a piece of cloth on a pole, but it represents the general who is leading the soldiers, and that he is still in the battle and fighting.

The banner is the point of rally. All are called to fight under that banner.

David keeps the real issue in mind. He knows who he is fighting for and with.  God is still in charge and he is the great general who brings victory. David reminds his troops of how God sees the enemy.

[8] Moab is my washbasin, on Edom I toss my sandal; over Philistia I shout in triumph. ”

The enemies are as nothing to God.

• They are his “washbasin”, a mere vessel that he uses for his own purposes of “washing”.
• He is contemptuous of them, he “tosses his sandal on them”, a sign of disdain and contempt.
• He shouts in triumph over  them.

They are as nothing to God and that is how David sees them. That is how we are to see our (spiritual) enemies. Remember that no physical person is our enemy.

Ephesians 6:12 NIV
[12] For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

We are to fight the devil and all his fallen angels with the whole power of God. That is where the battle is and that is where the victory is to be won.

Even when we find ourselves in tough circumstances where we are tempted to doubt God, he is still in charge. He still calls us to his unfurled banner. He calls us to rally together and go forward in his power and authority to see the enemy defeated. This is the reality of spiritual warfare. This is where every battle is to be won; not by human effort, but by rallying under his banner and trusting him for the victory as we stand in the place of the victory of the Cross.

[11] Give us aid against the enemy, for human help is worthless. [12] With God we will gain the victory, and HE will trample down our enemies.

Jesus has already won the battle facing us. That was won for us on the Cross of Calvary. We have to stand on that victory and not give up hope. Even when the circumstances cry out the opposite, we are to STAND.

Forgetfulness

Judges 2:10-12 NIV
[10] After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. [11] Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. [12] They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them.

Joshua was a very powerful leader. What Moses could not complete, entry into and conquest of the Promised Land, Joshua did. The people were kept in check during his lifetime. His powerful, and faithful, leadership was enough for the people to see that God was with them. They had been brought into a fruitful land.

When you consider the uncertainty of living in the wilderness for 40 years and that the current generation knew nothing but that impermanent life, it is easy to see how the entry into, and conquest, of Canaan was such a freeing time for them. Even in the midst of the battles of the conquest they could see the hand of God powerfully at work.

However when Joshua died and his memory had faded into the past somewhat, the people relaxed into a comfortable lifestyle and forgot about the God who had made all this possible for them through Joshua of blessed memory.

Comfort has a habit of doing this. You tend to relax your guard sufficiently for the worship of the true God to fade into the background. Religion becomes formal, if practiced at all. The “gods” all around take over: sport, leisure, work, money, even family and other relationships. God begins to seem irrelevant to a life of comfort and security.

Apathy and Apostasy

The book of Judges is ‘bookended’ by similar situations, apathy in Israel, and its destructive power.

The third Judge Shamgar could not get the nobles or the people to follow him (see earlier blog). At the end of the 400 years of the Judges period we have a succession of Judges, with whom, in every case there is no mention of a time of peace. In fact there was internal warfare between the major tribes. After this internal strife the Philistines held Israel in captivity up to the time of Samson. His Judgeship was far from edifying and it is only in his death that there was anything good to come from his life.

After Samson the nation is again in internal apostasy and strife culminating in the virtual extinction of the Benjaminites. These last chapters are anything but edifying, and so the door is left open for the beginning of the time of the Kings.

The 400 years of theocratic government ends up as being a failure because of the fallen heart of mankind. There were periods during this time when God’s rule was recognised and honoured, but overall the people and nobles were unwilling to allow God to rule.

The lesson here is very clear. The Kingdom of God can not be brought into fulfilment while the heart of man is unredeemed. The truth of God’s word to Jeremiah is worked out in graphic detail in Judges.

Jeremiah 17:9 NIV
[9] The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?

The Kingdom of God is, by definition, the complete rule of God, the place where he is obeyed. We are shown in Judges that even when God supplies all their needs, shows his power by miracles galore, and speaks clearly to them and their nobles, mankind, even the chosen ones, are incapable of bringing in the Kingdom with their own power and decision making.

 A redeemer is needed who will change the very basis of their being. One who will change the very nature of their heart. One who can bring mankind to a new birth.

This had to wait until God himself invaded this world with the power of real love and began a new creation.

1 Corinthians 15:22 NIV
[22] For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV
[17] Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
Galatians 6:15 NIV
[15] Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation.

If anyone, individual or group, could have brought in the Kingdom of God by their own strength then it would have been the Israelites, especially those closest to the miraculous power of God being seen in their midst again and again. But it was shown to not be possible.

We need a redeemer and Jesus is that redeemer. He alone can change the human heart, not by a process of self improvement, but by the only possible way, DEATH & RESURRECTION. Our old nature must die and we must be born again into the new creation in Jesus.

Will the leaders lead, and the people willingly follow?

Leaders who lead

Judges 5:2 NIV
[2] “When the princes in Israel take the lead, when the people willingly offer themselves---praise the Lord!
Judges 5:6-9 NIV
[6] “In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were abandoned; travelers took to winding paths. [7] Villagers in Israel would not fight; they held back until I, Deborah, arose, until I arose, a mother in Israel. [8] God chose new leaders when war came to the city gates, but not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel. [9] My heart is with Israel's princes, with the willing volunteers among the people. Praise the Lord!

There is a  matter which needs comment here and that is the position of Shamgar. He was the third Judge of Israel mentioned in the book of Judges.

Judges 3:31 NIV
[31] After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. He too saved Israel.

The standard formula in Judges includes a reference to the number of years of oppression and the number of years of peace after the Judge “saves” Israel. That is not the case here. In fact in the song of Deborah we find out that there was no peace after Shamgar.

Judges 5:6-8 NIV
[6] “In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were abandoned; travelers took to winding paths. [7] Villagers in Israel would not fight; they held back until I, Deborah, arose, until I arose, a mother in Israel. [8] God chose new leaders when war came to the city gates, but not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel.

After Othniel the land had peace for 40 years. After Ehud the land had peace for 80 years. But after Shamgar there was no peace. Deborah’s experience suggests that the tribes had become complacent after Ehud. Shamgar’s only call to fame was the killing of 600 Philistines. It is probable that the people would have congratulated Shamgar but not followed him into war like his predecessors. Comfort and security had taken over and they progressively became enslaved to the Philistines ending with King  Jabin of Canaan. Jael’s killing of Jabin’s General, Sisera,  marks the end of a 60 year period of enslavement of Israel.

Deborah’s victory over the army of Jabin would not have been needed if the people and nobles had taken action back in Shamgar’s time, 60 years earlier.

What are we meant to learn from this for our situation today?

At first sight the lesson is that problems increase when problems are ignored. If the nobles and people had followed up after Shamgar then they would have avoided two generations of oppression.

I see this in my own life, decades ago, when I failed to take decisive action for the sake of peace. All that happened was that I had to deal with the issue later on when it was more difficult to do so. I have since learned how to confront, even though that is against my normal nature. Psychologists could have a field day with much of this, but the main point is clear. DEAL WITH IT.

This same attitude of dealing lightly with issues that need decisive action can be seem at all levels of leadership, right up to our national government. Decisive action is not taken when politicians eyes are on the next election. So we are dominated by a three or four year election cycle when what is need is a long vision well outside the election cycle. But will we ever find such a government outside of a national emergency?

What about in the Church? Where is the decisive leadership promoting the cause of Christ and the Kingdom of God decisively and without apology. Have we become so entrenched in the affairs of this world that we have forgotten whom we are serving? Jesus spoke forthrightly to the evil in high places as well as in all people. He knew the result of staying silent.

There were  times when He could have trod a safer path; the temptation in the wilderness and in the Garden of Gethsemane to name just two. He chose the harder route knowing that it was the only path that would enable Jim to fulfil the role His Father had given Him. There was no thought for Himself. He only wanted to do the Father’s will and free us from the evil that holds us in bondage.

Where are the leaders who LEAD? Where are the people who serve WILLINGLY?

The Father’s will will be done. Jesus ensured that by His sacrificial life, His atoning death, and His glorious resurrection. The only question for us is “will we willingly follow our leader, Jesus”? If you have been entrusted with leadership in the Kingdom of God, will you take the lead?

The future of our society depends on this.

The Harvest is right in front of you.

John 4:27-41 NIV
[27] Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?” [28] Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, [29] “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” [30] They came out of the town and made their way toward him. [31] Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.” [32] But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” [33] Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?” [34] “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. [35] Don't you have a saying, 'It's still four months until harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. [36] Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. [37] Thus the saying 'One sows and another reaps' is true. [38] I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” [39] Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” [40] So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. [41] And because of his words many more became believers.


This is a fascinating encounter on many levels.
• An Israelite talking to a Samaritan woman was forbidden in the Rabbinical teaching.
• Jesus asking for the woman to draw water for him.
• The fact that Jesus knew about the woman’s past life and multiple husbands.
• Her recognition of Jesus as the Messiah (Christ).
• Her testimony about this to the villagers. .
• The disciples on their return commenting on Jesus speaking to the woman.
• The villagers coming to Jesus to see for themselves.
• The dialogue with the disciples about food.
• The dialogue about the harvest being ready.
• Etc

The interesting part for me at the moment is the dialogue with the disciples about food.

Jesus would have been hungry and so it was  perfectly natural for them to encourage Jesus to eat. His reply is, at first sight, strange. They were concerned for Jesus’ welfare and need of food. After all they could see this large crowd coming from the village to see Him. It was obviously going to be a busy afternoon so He would need food to keep His strength up for the time ahead. They knew that when Jesus started teaching a crowd, He lost track of time and continued teaching.

I can identify with this very well as I am sure you can as well. During teaching or ministering to people it is very easy to lose track of time and your own physical needs. You are so tied up in what you are doing that you get extra strength. This is when I become so aware of the empowering of the Holy Spirit that I tend to forget everything else.

However here Jesus hasn’t started teaching yet. The crowd is on the way and they can be seen approaching. It was clear it was going to be a long afternoon, so it seemed only reasonable to prepare for what lies ahead and eat something.

Jesus’ reply is, at first glance, a pious rejoinder, seemingly ignoring the approaching circumstances. It is a bit like when someone comes to you with an issue and you utter some innocuous reply like, “God will provide”, when the person needs you to listen and respond with something helpful. Or, the common rejoinder, “I will pray for you”, which often means something like,”please go away, I have important things I need to get on with.”

However in this case with Jesus it is a very clear reminder of what He was about, and in consequence, what we are to be about.

The crowd is approaching and Jesus does something like raise his hands and point out to the disciples that it is far more important to see what is approaching. Their attention needs to be directed to this group of people who are now ready for “harvesting” since they have heard the testimony of the Samaritan woman.

Here is the harvest field ready for them. “Others have planted”, the woman has done that. Now it is up to them to “harvest”.

John 4:35 NIV
[35] Don't you have a saying, 'It's still four months until harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.

The harvest is right in front of them, the crowd is approaching. Can’t you see it?

Jesus says the same thing to us. The harvest is right in front of us if only we open our eyes. It is all around us in the people we mix with every day, in the casual acquaintances, in our families, in our workmates and in our leisure times.

I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.

 Others may well have “sown”, prepared them by the casual remark, by a testimony or whatever. But they are right there in front of us ready for “harvesting.”

We have the best news in the world. We have the words that rescue people from their sins and can bring them into the Kingdom of light and life.

Why would you not want to share this?