Who do I think I am?

The Gospel brought to us by Jesus Christ was planted first in the ears of the Jewish people in Jerusalem and from there out to the rest of the world. The twelve apostles led the rest of the disciples in selecting seven men to “serve tables” but this is not all that they did. Two of them impress me.

The first was Stephen, “a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit” who preached a message that so enraged the Jewish religious leaders that they “. . . cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.”

Even though the Bible says, “Saul approved of his execution” and that day began a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem that scattered believers throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, I cannot help but think this affected Saul in more ways than one. He eventually was confronted by the Lord Jesus Christ who said to him: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”

Saul responded, “Who are you, Lord?” and heard the Lord say, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” (Acts 9:1–6)

Saul soon became Paul the Apostle, transformed from a persecutor of the church to the builder of it, a great instrument in the hands of the Lord. Was it because the stoning of a godly servant named Stephen burned a memory into his heart that Jesus used to convict him of sin and bring him to his knees? Perhaps.

God also used another man of those seven who were all said to be, “full of the Spirit and of wisdom” and asked to take care of the feeding of widows. His name was Philip.

Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was much joy in that city. (Acts 8:4–8)

Philip’s ministry went beyond waiting on tables. He fled to Samaria because of persecution and wound up in Samaria where he shared the Gospel — and they listened!

Not only that he also listened when the Lord spoke to him through an angel:

Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” (Acts 8:26–30)

The Ethiopian was reading Isaiah. Philip jumped in the chariot and started with the passage the man was reading, explaining the good news about Jesus. The result? The man believed and was baptized. Then, “The Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through, he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.” (Acts 8:35–40)

This is not the last mention of Philip. Sometime later, Paul and his group of men found him there, married and faithful to share the gospel with his family. Luke, who was with Paul, writes about that encounter:

“On the next day we departed and came to Caesarea, and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. He had four unmarried daughters, who prophesied.” (Acts 21:8–9)

This story convicts me. We attend a church whose most visible ministry is brunch after the service. This is not a small feat as it means preparing and serving a huge selection of food for 400-600 people. Every Sunday. The kitchen crew work before the service. There are others who stock the shelves, cut up the fruit, lay out the tables (including white tablecloths and roses), make sure nothing runs out as people dish up, and then clean up after, including taking leftovers to another mission, washing tablecloths, and shopping for groceries.

I’ve washed dishes and tablecloths and done some clean-up but serving is not my main spiritual gift and sometimes my excuse for not being involved in this brunch ministry. However, Stephen preached and Philip evangelized. God used them in powerful ways to build the church — but they began their work for God waiting on tables and making sure all the widows were fed.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Lord, if waiting on tables led these men to the use of their more dominant gifts, who do I think I am? Next time Your people put out a call for more help in the kitchen, or in whatever job is needed, I had better think twice about my mental excuses. You might have something else in mind for later, but if not, I need to remember that You called these men, full of wisdom, faith and the Holy Spirit to the kitchen. Who do I think I am?

The sound of unity

What is unity? Does it mean that everyone thinks the same way? This is the assumption of many, including religious cults. All their people must believe exactly the same. If they think outside of what they are told to think, they cannot be a member of that group. This unity would be like an orchestra that had only violins, or only saxophones.

Christian unity is not like that. It is oneness based on faith in one Person, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our unity, our orchestra leader. We may not have the same ideas, gifts, plans, and way of doing things, but when we are filled with His Spirit and following His direction, everything we do will fit the plan of God and be in harmony. This is an orchestra with all the instruments, each doing their part and following their score for the same piece of music. Together, the sound is incredible.

The Bible says the church is “the household of God” and “the Body of Christ.” It is a “whole structure” that is “joined together” with Jesus Christ as the cornerstone. It grows by addition but also grows spiritually and is becoming “a holy temple in the Lord.” (Ephesians 2:19–21)

But God does not build His church the same way we would build an orchestra or a house. We talk about His ‘mysterious ways’ without thinking how truly mysterious they are! One of those mysteries is that He builds the church through the blood of the martyrs.

Stephen was the first. When he was stoned for preaching Christ, the rest of them scattered, but they continued “preaching the word. Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was much joy in that city.” (Acts 8:4–8) Because of persecution, Samaria heard the music.

If I was forming a group and wanted unity, persecution would be considered a setback, not a catalyst, but God used persecution for His purposes. Jesus even told the disciples this mysterious and outlandish truth about persecution: “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:12)

If the church today was dispersed and threatened, I might be more than worried. How would I react? Jesus anticipated how His followers would fear opposition and be concerned about their response. He also anticipated what would become their priority; they would have such a strong desire to tell others that opposition would not stop them, but they would be worried about what to say when it happened.

For that, Jesus said, “Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” (Matthew 10:17–20)

This too is mysterious. God put such a desire in the hearts of His people to share the Gospel that they were more worried about loss of words than they were about loss of comfort, even loss of life. They were prepared to die for Jesus rather than freeze over at the mouth and stop telling others who He is and what He had done.

Paul had this incredible focus also. He went through non-stop trials because he wanted the good news known. He said, “Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect (those God picked so they could tell others), that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.” (2 Timothy 2:10–13)

The key to such endurance is dying to self, not caring what happens to me because I’m not concerned about my own destiny. Because of that assurance, I can love others so much that I am willing to endure anything so they can be saved. This is about having the mind of Christ and being motivated by the heart of God.

When it happens to a group called the church, God uses the resulting unity as incredible music, drawing others to its sound. 

No more miracles?

The church is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets” with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone, and it is “joined together” and growing. (Ephesians 2:19–21)

Before the church began and while Jesus was still on earth, crowds were attracted to Jesus by the miracles that He performed. Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” (John 3:1–2) Miracles are definitely attention-getters.

After Jesus ascended to heaven, there was a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit as the disciples declared the Word of God. People paid attention because they saw miracles happening and gathered in amazed curiosity. This was not popular among the religious leaders. They raged and plotted, but the disciples prayed. “Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” (Acts 4:23–30)

Those miracles were also displayed through individuals. Philip is one example. He went to the city of Samaria and proclaimed Christ. The crowds with one accord paid attention to what he said, “when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed.” (Acts 8:4–8)

All that being said, God used miracles to show His power, draw people to Jesus, and verify that He is with His people. These miracles were often outstanding and definitely “built” the church, caused His people to be united, and added to their numbers.

But miracles have a downside too, even before the church began. In Jesus’ ministry, the crowds gathered to hear Him, but when they kept coming after He miraculously fed them bread and fish, He said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.” (John 6:26)

For these people, the sign not point them to the power of Christ as God who came to save them from sin. Instead, they thought of Him as a miracle worker who could fill their bellies. At times, I’ve wanted miracles for similar reasons. I’ve prayed for healing, for other things, not so Jesus Christ would be glorified, but that I would be made more comfortable.

Today’s devotional raises the question: why don’t we have supernatural events today? Miracles would pull people to listen and to want to know more about the God who does miracles, or so we might argue. But the Lord knows human hearts. If anyone would be drawn to Jesus Christ through a miracle, I am certain that He would perform it, but I suspect there are more “consumers” in the church than there are worshipers. We want God to make us comfortable, and if we are not seeking comfort, we might want a miracle for our own glory, rather than building up the family of god and drawing people to hear His Word.

If I were God, I would withhold any miracles rather than let my children be selfish about them.