Day Thirty

If you have 5 minutes!

Read Acts 7:17-18 & 2 Peter 3:3-9

17 “As the time drew near for God to fulfill his promise to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt had greatly increased. 18 Then ‘a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt.’ 19 He dealt treacherously with our people and oppressed our ancestors by forcing them to throw out their newborn babies so that they would die.

3 Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” 5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. 8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

As John Stott notes, “The Israelites’ exile and slavery in Egypt lasted for four bitter centuries. Had God forgotten his people, and his promise to bless them? No. He had warned Abraham of their 400 years of enslavement and mistreatment. But now at last the time drew near…”

• Imagine that you are an Israelite living 200 years into this 400-year period of slavery. How would you feel? What do you think your relationship with God would be like?
• Are there times when you have waited a long time for God to answer a prayer? Are there prayers you’ve repeatedly prayed that you’re still waiting for God to answer? What does it feel like to wait? What does it mean to wait well? How can we help one another in this?
• How do you feel about the fact that throughout history people have often had to wait long periods of time before God acts in the way they’ve been hoping for? Why do you think God didn’t act sooner here? Why in general do you think God doesn’t always act as quickly as we might want or expect him to?

If you have a bit longer :-)

• Before reading onto the remainder of Stephen’s speech have a think about where you think he might be going with all of this and why.

Day Twenty-Nine

If you have 5 minutes!

Read Acts 7:9-16

9 “Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him 10 and rescued him from all his troubles. He gave Joseph wisdom and enabled him to gain the goodwill of Pharaoh king of Egypt. So Pharaoh made him ruler over Egypt and all his palace. 11 “Then a famine struck all Egypt and Canaan, bringing great suffering, and our people could not find food. 12 When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our ancestors on their first visit. 13 On their second visit, Joseph told his brothers who he was, and Pharaoh learned about Joseph’s family. 14 After this, Joseph sent for his father Jacob and his whole family, seventy-five in all. 15 Then Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our ancestors died. 16 Their bodies were brought back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor at Shechem for a certain sum of money.

Having reminded his accusers that God first established the Israelites long before there was any particular building in which he could be worshipped or particular laws they were to follow, Stephen moves on in his quick-stop tour of the OT to Joseph. It is interesting that Stephen here says nothing of Jacob’s favouritism, nothing of Joseph’s dreams or coat but leaps straight in with: “His brothers were jealous so they sold him;” probably an allusion to the jealousy of those who had previously opposed (see 5:17). Further, his use of the all-encompassing word, “trouble,” no doubt refers to the false accusations made against him by Potiphar’s wife (cf. those made against Stephen now!) and subsequent unjust imprisonment.[1]

His general theme continues, however, as he repeatedly stresses the location of God’s next big intervention: Egypt. Moreover, there’s still no temple, still no law and as yet none of Moses’ customs!

• If you were going to give someone a quick-stop tour of the OT, which characters and stories would you include? Why? If you have time, it would be really worthwhile to actually write this out or speak it out to someone. You could even get them to do it too and compare who/what you picked out and why.

If you have a bit longer :-)

Regarding the story of Joseph in Stephen’s speech, Beverly Gaventa notes that given, “the multitude of details that might have found their way into this brief retelling, it seems peculiar that Stephen lingers over the death and burial of Jacob and his sons.”[2]

• Why do you think this is?

---

[1] Beverly Gaventa, “Acts,” pgs. 122-123.

[2] Beverly Gaventa, “Acts,” pgs. 122-123.

Day Twenty-Eight

If you have 5 minutes!

Read Acts 7:1-8

1 Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these charges true? 2 To this he replied: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Harran. 3 ‘Leave your country and your people,’ God said, ‘and go to the land I will show you.’ 4 “So he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Harran. After the death of his father, God sent him to this land where you are now living. 5 He gave him no inheritance here, not even enough ground to set his foot on. But God promised him that he and his descendants after him would possess the land, even though at that time Abraham had no child. 6 God spoke to him in this way: ‘For four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated. 7 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves,’ God said, ‘and afterward they will come out of that country and worship me in this place.’ 8 Then he gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. And Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him eight days after his birth. Later Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs.

Okay, let’s recap the charges:

“We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God…This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”

In other words, they claim, Stephen is speaking against Moses, the Law, the Temple and the Jewish customs. As Wright points out, all of these things were important distinctives of the Jewish faith, thus of particularly high value to them whilst living in a pagan world.[1] Further, as Beverly Gaventa observes, “Since the beginning of Acts, believers have gathered at the temple…but resistance to the word of God has also come from those identified with the temple. Now the question emerges: Which group rightly identifies itself with the temple and its traditions?”[2]

How does Stephen respond? Well what he says is in effect something like: “Right, so I’m trying to destroy the foundations of the Jewish faith am I? Well let’s look at what those foundations actually are! In fact, let’s go right back to when the Jewish faith started, which you all know wasn’t with Moses, it was with a man called Abraham…” He then goes on to talk about Abraham and how, through Abraham, the journey of God’s people began – within which, however, “the focus is less on Abraham than on God, whose initiative is central to every point Stephen makes.”[3]

• Have a little audit of what aspects of your Christian faith and church life you see as incontrovertible. What would those things be and why?
• Are there aspects to your faith and church life that you recognize could legitimately be changed but which you really like? How would you react if someone started to challenge those things?
• How can you properly determine what aspects of your faith and church life you shouldn’t be willing to change even if challenged to do so and which it would be okay to alter?

No need to spend any longer ;-)

---

[1] Tom Wright, “Acts,” 103.

[2] Beverly Gaventa, “Acts,” 119.

[3] Beverly Gaventa, “Acts,” pg. 121.

Dy Twenty-Seven

If you have 5 minutes!

Read Acts 6:8-11

8 Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia—who began to argue with Stephen. 10 But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke. 11 Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.” 12 So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. 13 They produced false witnesses, who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. 14 For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.” 15 All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

One of my most vivid childhood memories is of going to watch my younger sister in her school’s production of Joseph. My sister played the part of Potiphar’s wife. Her and Potiphar appeared for probably a maximum of 5 minutes in a play lasting over an hour yet, from my completely unbiased perspective of course, they stole the show! He was wearing a classic fake glasses, nose and moustache combo and put on a Monty Python-esque funny walk; my sister was scarily convincing as the would-be adulteress literally chasing Joseph around the stage. In that play, as in many others, the smaller characters had an impact far beyond what you would expect from their relatively minor role.

So too in Acts, Stephen appears for the first time at the start of this chapter and is dead by the end of the next. However, his impact is huge! His death not only appears to be a significant part of Saul’s later conversion (7:58) but, through his speech in particular, he in many ways lays the foundation for the vast explosion of the church out amongst the Gentiles – the journey to which Luke starts charting in the chapter following Stephen’s death. 

Thus, Stephen becomes one in a huge line of people whose relatively walk-on parts resonate into history with an impact far beyond what could possibly have been conceived at the time (see also, for example, the women listed in Jesus’ genealogy in Matthew; the widow in Luke 21 who innocuously makes her offering and, in doing so, becomes Jesus’ example par excellence of what it means to give… and so on!).

• Can you think of more recent examples of everyday people whose lives/actions/words have turned out to have an impact far beyond what anyone could have expected at the time?
• Does the fact that God works in this way affect your view of him at all? In what ways might it make you reassess the potential significance of your life and what God might do through you?

Stephen has already been described as a man of full of wisdom, full of faith and full of the Spirit; Luke now adds that he was also full of God’s grace and power. We are perhaps so familiar with these words being used together to speak of God – and by his Spirit those who serve him – that the slightly incongruous nature of their pairing easily passes us by. But how often in the world do we see this incredible combination in practice? Perhaps it is something we can pray we’d see more of! It is, however, fitting that it is this description of Stephen that precedes Luke’s account of the “great wonders and signs” that he did among the people; it is because God is powerful and gracious that he is both able and willing to intervene in people’s lives for their good. 

• Maybe choose one person you know of who is in a position of power and ask God to help them also have grace.

If you have a bit longer  :-)

Whilst writing on this section, Tom Wright laments the vehemence with which he, and other Christian writers and speakers, are often attacked if they dare to suggest anything new! Conversely, he notes, those on the more radical end of the spectrum can become similarly obtuse if he affirms any aspect of tradition. He concludes: “as in several previous generations, people today find real debate about actual topics difficult, and much prefer the parody of debate which consists of giving a dog a bad name and then beating him for it, and then lashing out, too, at anyone who associates with the dog you happen to be beating at the time.”[1]

In line with this, whilst at Bible college, I was shocked by how easily my whole view of a particular theologian could become tainted by just one comment. I would find myself in a quandary as to whether I should even bother to find out what else they might think because I was so put out by one thing they had written about x, y or z. I was surprised by the amount of effort required to remind myself that just because I disagreed with them on some things it did not mean they would not be a useful source of help!!! This is in part reflective of an unhelpful leaning that I have towards black and white/all or nothing thinking. However it is, I think, also indicative of a wider problem within our modern day society, which is that we’re perhaps not that good at disagreeing! Thus, for example (and to be a bit provocative!), one could argue that the meaning of the word tolerance has made a subtle shift from “agreeing to disagree” to just “agreeing” or, if not, staying quiet.

• How do you respond when hearing or reading something that you disagree with?
• We haven’t had a scale for a while so where would you place yourself on the following:

---

[1] Tom Wright, “Acts,” pg. 103.

Day Twenty-Six

If you have 5 minutes (or maybe 10!)

Read Acts 6:1-7 & some of John Stott’s thoughts on these verses

1 In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” 5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented them to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. 7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

The devil’s next attack was the cleverest of the three. Having failed to overcome the church by either persecution or corruption, he now tried distraction. If he could preoccupy the apostles with social administration, which though essential was not their calling, they would neglect their God-given responsibilities to pray and to preach, and so leave the church without any defence against false doctrine.[1]

---

[1] John Stott, “Acts,” pg. 120.

Three friends decided to go deer hunting together. One was a lawyer, one a doctor, and the other a preacher. As they were walking, along came a big buck. The three of them shot simultaneously. Immediately the buck dropped to the ground and all three rushed up to see how big it actually was. Upon reaching it they found out that it was dead but had only one bullet hole. Thus a debate followed concerning whose buck it was. A few minutes later a game officer came by and asked what the problem was. The doctor told him their reason for the debate. The officer told them he would take a look and tell them who shot it. Within a few seconds the game officer said with much confidence, "The pastor shot the buck!" They all wondered how he knew that so quickly. The officer said, "Easy. The bullet went in one ear and out the other."

Okay, so with the preaching jokes I could justifiably be accused of going for quantity over quality but the point I want to make is this: preaching doesn’t always have the best reputation! Perhaps understandably; I’m sure most of us have sat through sermons we don’t understand, go on for hours or are just plain dull.

However, just as the destruction of your favourite song through bad karaoke doesn’t put you off music for life, so too with preaching, we must be wary of letting our bad experiences taint our view of preaching all together. We must not throw the baby out with the bath water, so to speak (nor get this particular saying the wrong way round, as I just did but fortunately corrected before it could be read!).

On the contrary, Jesus’ first followers were adamant that God’s Word must be faithfully taught thus we can be sure that this particular ministry is as important now as it was back then. Perhaps some of the ways this is done might be different – we now have access to resources they wouldn’t have dreamt of! – but one way or another, if Jesus’ church is to have health and life, the Bible must be taught and learned.

However, as Stott goes on to observe, the apostle’s resolute prioritizing of preaching and praying doesn’t mean they viewed practical care and administration as being in any way inferior. Rather, he notes, “it was entirely a question of calling.”[2] Both roles had to be fulfilled by Spirit-filled people and both appear to have been full-time responsibilities.

• Open Heaven is blessed to have an administrator known to be “full of the Spirit and wisdom” in the form of the wonderful Lizzie Bullen. Spend some time today thanking God for her and praying the God would continue to bless her service to his church?
• Within your walk with God, how much do you prioritise engagement with him through the Bible and prayer? What practically could you do this week to develop further in these areas?
• Remember that Open Heaven has loads of great teaching material within its website!
• Also, on the internet, you can access a wealth of Bible teaching. My personal favourite is my Dad! Less biased recommendations would include Tim Keller, Haddon Robinson and the very helpful Bible Fresh website. (NB. If you’re reading this on the Acts blog,[6] please sign in and leave a link to any good talks you’ve listened to in the comments box below.)

If you have a bit longer :-)

Regarding the practical problem that arose in Acts 6, Tom Wright notes: “the apostles were quite clear what they should not do. They shouldn’t at once rush to do the work themselves…they must delegate.”[1]

• Do you find it easy to delegate or do you tend to take on too much yourself? If you take too much on, why do you think this is? What can you do to improve in this area?

The apostles were able to make a quick and decisive decision to delegate because they were clear on their primary calling: to preach and pray. Thus, one way of managing more effectively what to say “yes” and “no” to is to have a clear sense of your gifting and passions.

• What would you identify as your primary gifting and passion? (Or maybe identify a top three).
• Looking back over the past month, what proportion of the things you’ve taken on would fit into these central callings? Are there any things you’ve said “yes” to that have hindered your effectiveness in these key areas? NB. The point of this is not to say that we should never do anything that doesn’t fit with our main calling(s). On the contrary, it is important we are willing to take on things that need doing even if they are not our best fit. Rather, the point is that we need to manage our time so that the things we are primarily called to don’t get neglected.

---

[1] Tom Wright, “Acts,” pg. 99.

---

[2] John Stott, “Acts,” pg. 121.

Day Twenty-Five

If you have 5 minutes!

Read Acts 5:27-42 & Proverbs 1:20-33

27 The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. 28 “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.” 29 Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings! 30 The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. 31 God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. 32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” 33 When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. 34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. 35 Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. 36 Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. 37 After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38 Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” 40 His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 42 Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.

20 Out in the open wisdom calls aloud, she raises her voice in the public square; 21 on top of the wall she cries out, at the city gate she makes her speech: 22 “How long will you who are simple love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge? 23 Repent at my rebuke! Then I will pour out my thoughts to you, I will make known to you my teachings. 24 But since you refuse to listen when I call and no one pays attention when I stretch out my hand, 25 since you disregard all my advice and do not accept my rebuke, 26 I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you; I will mock when calamity overtakes you—27 when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you. 28 “Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me, 29 since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD. 30 Since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke, 31 they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes. 32 For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; 33 but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.”

We have already noted the wisdom of the apostles when faced with charges and accusations against them (see Day 17). Here, again it is wisdom that is their rescuer but this time from the mouth of a Pharisee called Gamaliel. His speech to the Sanhedrin is astonishing in both its insight and sheer pragmatism and it is effective, for, Luke notes, it “persuaded them.”

• Are there times in your life when you have seen a potentially volatile situation saved by the injection of some well-timed wisdom?
• Do you regularly pray for wisdom? If not, is this something you could start to pray for more often?!
• Are there other ways, praying aside, in which we can actively seek wisdom?

If you have a bit longer :-)

Luke notes that, following their flogging, the disciples rejoiced that they were able to suffer for Jesus’ name. As one who can feel aggrieved by even gentle ribbings about my faith, I am challenged by this!

• Can you recall times when you’ve suffered in some way for being a Christian or for something that you’ve done in response to God’s call? How did you respond to this? How did you feel about it?
• Do people in the Bible always rejoice when they face suffering? Can you think of any notable examples when this is not the case (Job and Jeremiah, for example, immediately spring to my mind!)?
• From the biblical record as a whole, it seems important to maintain a healthy tension incorporating both: being honest with God about our negative emotions and feelings in response to suffering (i.e. lamenting well); and promoting joy and gratitude despite our circumstances (i.e. praising well). How can we best walk in the midst of this tension both as individuals and as a church?

Day Twenty-Four

If you have 5 minutes!

Read Acts 5:17-26

17 Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. 18 They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. 20 “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.” 21 At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people. When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles. 22 But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, 23 “We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.” 24 On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were puzzled, wondering what this might lead to. 25 Then someone came and said, “Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people.” 26 At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them.

Tom Wright explains the seemingly bizarre response to the apostles’ healings by using the analogy of a big stadium or concert hall. If, he noted, you owned a concert hall that was previously going well but then a ragtag band of musicians turned up and started drawing large crowds – who then felt no need to enter your establishment – you might feel a bit aggrieved. And so, Wright goes on, had the apostles led their ministry elsewhere, somewhere remote and away from Jerusalem, the authorities would not have been so bothered. However, they courted fire by going right to the heart of the establishment itself – the temple.[1] Thus as Luke simply explains: they were jealous!

• Are there certain areas in life within which you are more prone to experiencing jealousy (e.g. material belongings, status, sporting success…)?
• Why is jealousy so potentially devastating?
• What is the best way to deal with jealousy?

If you have a bit longer :-)

Read Psalm 91:9-12

9 If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, 
10 no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. 
11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; 
12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

• What are angels and what is their role?
• Have you ever encountered an angel? What happened? How did you feel?
• If God can send an angel here to rescue the apostles from prison why does he not always send angels to rescue his people in times of need?

---

[1] Tom Wright, “Acts,” pgs. 82-83. 

Day Twenty-Three

If you have 5 minutes!

Read Acts 5:12-16 & Gen. 50:15-21

12 The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade. 13 No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. 14 Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. 15 As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. 16 Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were healed.

15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?” 16 So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father left these instructions before he died: 17 ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.” When their message came to him, Joseph wept. 18 His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. “We are your slaves,” they said. 19 But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. 21 So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.

On these verses in Acts Beverly Gaventa notes:

Ironically, Satan’s intrusion increases the stature of the believing community. The residents of Jerusalem, perceiving the awesome power of God in these deaths, rightly understand that the community is God’s and that Peter and the other apostles act by means of God’s power.[1]

In other words, following Satan’s attempts through Ananias and Sapphira to disrupt God’s work, the early church is seemingly stronger and more effective than ever! This resonates with a number of other occasions in Scripture when even evil deeds and intentions are used by God to fulfill his purposes (Joseph’s conclusion in Gen. 50:20 being just one such example.)

• What do you think about this? Does it impact on your view of God in any way?

If you have a bit longer :-)

About the healings performed by the apostles, Tom Wright observes:

One of the peculiar things about both Jesus’ healings and those of the apostles is the way in which, at certain times and places, things seem to happen which don’t happen anywhere else. I have no idea why it might be that in Jerusalem, at that time, Peter’s shadow falling on people might cause them to be healed, and why we don’t hear any more about that kind of thing; just as I have no idea why it should be that in Ephesus…, hankerchiefs were taken from Paul’s body and laid on the sick to make them well, which again doesn’t seem to have happened anywhere else. There is always a strange unknown quality about God’s healing. In our “democratic” age we tend to suppose that if God is going to do anything at all it would only be fair that he would do it all the same for everybody, but things just don’t seem to work like that. I have no idea (if it comes to that) why, in a few chapters’ time, James is killed and Peter escapes. All of that is part of the mystery of living at the overlap between the present age, with its griefs and sorrows and decay and death, and the age to come, with its new life and energy and restorative power.[2]

• Are there areas/times in your life when you have felt God has been unfair – either to you or someone you know? How has this felt? What is the best way to deal with this perceived sense of injustice on God’s part?

---

[1] Beverly Gaventa, “Acts,” pg. 105.

[2] Tom Wright, “Acts,” pg. 85.

Day Twenty-Two

If you have 5 minutes!

Read Acts 5:7-11

7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?” “Yes,” she said, “that is the price.” 9 Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of those who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.” 10 At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.

John Stott argues that there are at least three important lessons we can learn from the account of Ananias and Sapphira:

1.     The seriousness of their sin: which Peter describes as being against the Holy Spirit, not just the church. Further, their deceit, if left unchallenged, would have hugely damaged the open community the early church had so far maintained.

2.     The importance of living a transparent life before God, without deceit and deviousness, so that we can have good relationships both with God and one another.

3.     The necessity of church discipline.

On this latter point he notes that:

The church has tended to oscillate in this area between extreme severity (disciplining members for the most trivial offences) and extreme laxity (exercising no discipline at all, even for serious offences). It is a good general rule that secret sins should be dealt with secretly, private sins privately, and only public sins publicly. Churches are also wise if they follow the successive stages taught by Jesus. (Matt. 18:15ff.)[1]

• What do you think of John Stott’s comments on church discipline? Do you think church discipline is necessary? Do you think contemporary churches are more likely to veer towards one extremity than the other? If so, which one and why?
• Have you witnessed or experienced any good examples of church discipline? What was the outcome of this? Have you experienced bad examples? What was the outcome?
• Have your friends ever confronted you about attitudes or behaviours they think you should change? How did this feel? Was it helpful or unhelpful?
• How do you feel when you have friends you feel you need to confront about something? Do you think you are more inclined to say something when you shouldn’t or not say something when you should?

If you have a bit lot longer ;-)

Within my MA dissertation I (very briefly) addressed the issue of church discipline citing those who argue that a centre-set model for church is better suited in this regard than a more bounded-set model (the latter, they would argue, is the form many more-traditional churches take). The actual paragraph relating to church discipline is on page 42 but you’ll probably need to read the whole section in order for it to make any sense. The section is entitled: “We must welcome people as they are.”

• Do you agree with Halter that a centre-set model of church provides a better forum for effective church discipline than a bounded-set model? Why?

---

[1] John Stott, “Acts,” pgs. 111-112.

Day Twenty-One

If you have 5 minutes (well maybe 10!)

Read Acts 5:1-5 & Wright’s thoughts on lying

1 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet. 3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.” 5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. 6 Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.

The real, deep-level problem about lying is that it misuses, or abuses, the highest faculty we possess: the gift of expressing in clear speech the reality of who we are, what we think, and how we feel. It is, as it were, the opposite of the gift of tongues. Instead of allowing God’s Spirit to have free rein through our faculties, so that we praise God in words or sounds which enable us to stand (however briefly) at the intersection of heaven and earth, when we tell lies we not only hold heaven and earth apart; we twist earth itself, so that it serves our own interests. Lying is, ultimately, a way of declaring that we don’t like the world the way it is and we will pretend that it is somehow more the way we want it to be. At that level, it is a way of saying that we don’t trust God the creator to look after his world and sort it out in his own time and way.[1]

I was once visiting an anonymous potty-training toddler who was having a brilliant time jumping on a trampoline. The moment I came to say hi I was greeted with a very emphatic: “I do not need a poo!” I had made no suggestion of the opposite so was immediately suspicious and, as time later proved, rightly so.

The reason I mention this is partly because I found it so funny but partly because it illustrates a common trait across humanity, we are irrationally prone to lie! I see this in myself; from the innocuous “I’m fine” – when I’m not – through to more calculated half-truths (thus half-lies?!), it is often bafflingly hard to just be straightforward and upfront.

The problem with Ananias and Sapphira is not that they didn’t give enough; in actual fact there was no requirement on them to sell the property at all. Rather, the problem was that they deliberately tried to deceive people into thinking they were more generous than they were. Or as John Stott puts it:

They wanted the credit and prestige for sacrificial generosity, without the inconvenience of it. So, in order to gain a reputation to which they had no right, they told a brazen lie. Their motive in giving was not to relieve the poor, but to fatten their own ego.[2]

The consequences of their deceit were severe.

• Do you see in yourself an irrational bias towards dishonesty? Are there any particular situations in which this is accentuated (e.g. for Ananias and Sapphira their weakness was their ego)?
• Are there situations in which it is wise to not reveal the whole truth about something or restrain from being entirely honest?
• What about more out-and-out lies, as in this account? Are there ever times when it’s okay to deliberately deceive?
• What do you think about Tom Wright’s thoughts on lying? Does he overstate his point or is he right in his assertions?

If you have a bit longer :-)

Within the Bible, God striking down particular individuals, is actually quite rare. Aside from Ananias and Sapphira here, there’s Er and Onan in Gen. 38, Uzzah in 2 Sam. 6 and Herod in Acts 12 (and possibly some others?!).

• What do you think about these incidences? Are you surprised that there’s almost as many (if not the same number) in the New Testament as there are in the Old?
• Do you think God ever exercises his judgment in this way today?

---

[1] Tom Wright, “Acts,” pgs. 81-82.

[2] John Stott, “Acts,” pgs. 109-110.

No notes this week

Hi OHers,
Just to let you know that there are no Acts notes this week - so if you want to you can catch up on any you've missed! However, they'll be back next week moving onto chapter 5 :-) Also, the weekly pdfs are now available for download from this blog - click here, or the pdf tab at the top.
Helen