Religion is God in a neat package. We would like to have everything figured out in life, especially the relationships we have with others. Relationships can be challenging mainly because we aren’t in control of how others react. In order to make relationships manageable we tend to generalise individuals and peg them into pigeon holes. Personalities, worldview, if they are liberals or conservatives, Christian or non Christian – being able to define someone makes it easier to relate or not relate to them.

We are like that with God too. To have a God who is mysteries or not fully comprehensible is unnerving and puts us in a vulnerable position. So we define Him. We speak of Him as if He can be fully understood because we now have the Bible where God has revealed Himself. It is true, that as Christians we believe that the Bible is the revealed Word of God. We go too far if we hold to the belief that the Bible is the complete revelation of God. If the Bible is the complete revelation of God then God has been described in 783,137 words in the King James Version of the Bible.

IF GOD CAN BE COMPLETELY DEFINED THEN WE ARE NO LONGER TALKING ABOUT GOD. WE ARE ACTUALLY DESCRIBING AN IDOL.

The Pharisees and Jesus

The pharisees made that tragic mistake. They believed that they had the complete revelation of who God was, who the Christ was and when and how the Christ was to appear. The Christ definitely would not come from Nazareth. He will not a familiar individual like Joseph the carpenter’s son, and he definitely will not be a vagabond who hangs out with shady characters. They had figured out who the Messiah was and were confident they would be able to recognise him when he did finally come. When Christ finally appeared before them, they neither recognised him nor received him.

John 1:11 (NKJV) He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.

The view that everything that needs to be known about God has been revealed in Scriptures gave them no room to entertain any possibility that Jesus of Nazareth could have well been the person He said he was. The inability to allow any revelation beyond their interpretation of the Scriptures made them blind to the truth of who Jesus was.

John 5:18 (NKJV) Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.

How could they have known. Nowhere in the Old Testament did God ever give a clear description of the coming Messiah. Everything said was veiled in mystery and the unknown. It was left to individual interpretation. The problem wasn’t that they attempted to interpret those difficult messianic passages. Their problem was how they viewed the Scriptures. To them the Scriptures contained everything they needed to know about God. Instead of allowing the Scriptures to become “the light to their path” and the “lamp to their feet”, they boxed God into the limited vocabulary of the Old Testament.

To them the Scriptures were the source of life. Jesus corrects that error. The Scriptures aren’t life – the Scriptures point to Life.

John 5:39 (NLT) “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!

Eternal life isn’t a way of life. Eternal life is a person. The Scriptures were the signpost pointing to Jesus. They made the signpost their destination.

It’s like me standing next to a signpost and thinking I’ve arrived at my destination. I live in a city 500 km from the capital Wellington. I will be a fool to stand next to a sign pointing to Wellington, taking a selfie and posting it on my facebook page letting everyone know that I’m in Wellington. I’m not in Wellington, I’m next to a signpost that’s pointing to Wellington. Big difference – 500 km difference actually.

Religion defined

Here then is religion in a nutshell. Christianity becomes a religion:

• when defending our ideas of God become more important than pursuing a relationship with God

• when practices become prerequisites before we access God – “he broke the Sabbath”

• when acts that cause harm to others are justified as acts of love towards God – “they sought to kill him”

• when the word of God replaces the God of the word – “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!”

Jesus didn’t come to earth to set up a religion. Believers in the early church didn’t sign up to be part of a new religious group. They were just following Christ.

The people called “anointed ones”

Remember when Christians were called “anointed ones”?

Acts 11:26 (NKJV) … And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

The word translated in english as Christian is actually the greek word – Christianos. It comes from the word Christos which means “anointed one”. So the word Christianos could either mean “anointed ones” or “belonging to the anointed one”. Either way when people saw the followers of Christ they somehow linked them to the anointing.

Anointing can get messy

These days when we are anointing someone with oil, we are very “civilised” about it. We dab a little oil on the finger and maybe rub the forehead with it. But in the Old Testament the anointing ceremony got a little messy. Initially used for priests, it also later became the practice to anoint kings as well. When someone was anointed, an entire flask of oil was used. It would drip down from the head right to the garments of the priest. The psalmist describes it when reflecting on the anointing of Aaron.

Psalms 133:2 (NKJV) It is like the precious oil upon the head, Running down on the beard, The beard of Aaron, Running down on the edge of his garments.

Being a Christian (anointed one) is messy business. It is messy to be part of an anointed work of God. God the Holy Spirit is in the cleaning business. He is a fixer upper. He is quite accustomed to the messiness that comes with the anointing.

Stephen and the messy anointing

• Being Christian sure got messy for Stephen. We see the life of Stephen unfolding in Acts chapter 6 and 7.

• He was full of God’s grace and power and performed amazing miracles and signs among the people (6:8)

• He spoke with great wisdom and confounded those who opposed the work of God

Acts 6:10 (NKJV) And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.

• His stood out in a godly way

Acts 6:15 (NKJV) And all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel.

• He challenged established religion

Acts 7:51 (NLT) “You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you!

• He lived and died for what he believed in (7:59)

Acts 7:59-60 (NKJV) And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

RELIGION COMES PACKED IN A NEAT PACKAGE. ANOINTING WILL CREATE A MESS.

God outside the box

What does a relationship with God outside the box look like? We get a picture of it when Paul describes Timothy’s faith.

2 Timothy 1:5-7 (NKJV) when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also. Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

From this passage, I want to briefly summarise what I think a relationship with God outside the box looks like?

A relationship with God outside the box is without hypocrisy

Paul calls Timothy’s faith “genuine faith”. The word genuine in greek is the word anypokritos. It means without hypocrisy or pretence. To be genuine and sincere. A genuine relationship with God is without the pretense that comes with trying to conform to a mould or external pattern of living. Living a life without hypocrisy allows me to be me and let God mould me and shape me to be more and more the “Godlike me” he created me to be.

That is why church is a messy place. We all come without hiding behind a mask, pretending to be someone we aren’t. Mess and all we come and be ourselves and we should be accepted as we are. We cannot change a thing. It is the Holy Spirit who transforms us. So we come with our mess and in the midst of a messy anointing we are transformed from glory to glory to becoming more Christ like.

A relationship with God outside the box is very infectious

When faith is genuine, when we have a group of people living without pretense and accepting one another as we are, that’s infectious.

2 Timothy 1:5 (NKJV) when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.

Genuine faith is observable. It is transferable and is potently infectious.

A relationship with God outside the box will keep you wanting more of God

Paul reminded Timothy to “stir up the gifts of God”.

2 Timothy 1:6 (NKJV) Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

Our relationship with God is never to be static. It is organic and living. To stir up is to kindle, to inflame. Fire will die eventually if unattended. Our relationship with God requires attention. It requires us to position ourselves to want more. You never restrict yourself to the knowledge of God or experiences of God in the past. You cherish them but you build on them. There is so much more of God that we can experience here on earth. The Bible characters and their stories are meant to wet our appetite with all the possibilities that we can experience and then more.

A relationship with God outside the box is not governed by fear

2 Timothy 1:7a (NKJV) For God has not given us a spirit of fear

Religion is the source of fear. Religion makes us fearful that we may get things wrong with God. When we are in a genuine relationship with God, when we realise that being an anointed one allows us to be messy, we relinquish the need to do the right thing and embrace the freedom of being with God.

A relationship with God outside the box is operating in the threefold anointing

2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV) For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

A genuine, unrestrained relationship with God allows us to experience the life of the Spirit in these three dimensions:

• The spirit of power – functioning daily in the supernatural and the miraculous. It’s a life empowered with the ability to function in abundant grace through the dunamis power of the Holy Spirit.

  Imagine what Monday morning will look like when you go out there and operate under the dunamispower of God. Imagine that sales pitch. Imagine the dealings you have with your clients. Imagine your interactions with colleagues, friends and loved ones – when you function under the dunamis power of the miraculous and the supernatural.

• The spirit of love – That’s agape love. The unconditional, sacrificial giving of self to others. This “God loving others through us” lifestyle which allows them to taste and see that God is good.

• The spirit of a sound mind – sound judgement and self discipline. A mind that is dwelling on the things above. The ability to discern and make decisions with the mind of Christ. The ability to constrain our thoughts feelings and actions and subjecting it to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

That’s what life outside the box looks like. A relationship with God that is without hypocrisy; very infectious; always wanting more of God never satisfied with the status quo; not fearful of new adventures with God; and living daily under the messy anointing of power, love and a sound mind.

REMEMBER THIS:

IF GOD CAN BE COMPLETELY DEFINED THEN WE ARE NO LONGER TALKING ABOUT GOD.

RELIGION COMES PACKED IN A NEAT PACKAGE, ANOINTING WILL CREATE A MESS

DON’T BE SATISFIED WITH A PAPER BAG FULL OF GOD. LIVE A UNRESTRAINED CHRISTIAN LIFE. LIVE WITH GOD OUTSIDE THE BOX.

 

Colossians 3:1-2 (NKJV) If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

 

Colossians 3:1-2 (NLT) Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.

Colossians 3:1-2 (MSG) So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective.

Notice these phrases and let them sink in

• seek those things which are above

• Set your mind on things above

• Set your sights on the realities of heaven

• Pursue the things over which Christ presides, be alert to what is going on around Christ,

• See things from His perspective

This is the Biblical key to walking by faith and not by sight. Your perspective will determine you practice. How you see things will determine how you respond to your circumstances.

The sacred/secular divide

The biggest error we have embraced in Christianity is the belief that a dichotomy exists between the secular and the sacred. We see Sunday as the day of worship. The rest of the week seems to be view as time spent in the “secular” world. Sunday we do godly stuff, while Monday to Saturday we are busy doing worldly stuff.

Worship is associated with music and song. So when the band goes silent and the singers are not accompanying us on Monday morning, worship has seized. What about that sing-a-long session with a bunch of preschoolers on Monday morning? Can that be your worship? What about that patient gentle response to an irate customer on Tuesday afternoon? Can that be your worship? The hours you have spent to ensure that sales pitch you have put together will be done with excellence, can that be your worship?

God’s not interested in that. That’s worldly. Well tell that to General Joshua who had to lead the army of God against the Amorites on Monday morning. Tell that to Governor and chief engineer Nehemiah who had to sort out issues around the city walls on Tuesday afternoon. Tell that to CEO Joseph navigating a multinational corporation called Egypt during a global crisis. Tell them that God’s not interested in their “secular” jobs. They all worked on the weekdays. All these depended on God to function in the work God had called them to do. They lived their lives believing that everything they did was sacred and done unto the Lord.

The sacred/secular divide has been brought about by a misrepresentation of God’s revelation in the Old Testament. The Old Testament ideas around the Temple, The priests, what is sacred and common were all shadows of things to come. When Christ appeared – the shadows became the reality.

Hebrews 10:1a (NLT) The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves.

Every believer is a temple of the Holy Spirit. We tabernacle the presence of God. I don’t feel the presence of God, I carry the presence of God.

2 Corinthians 3:16-18 (NLT) But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord.

Every believer is a royal priesthood. We are the conduit between God and man. We are mediators, we are ambassadors of Christ.

1 Peter 2:9 (NKJV) But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

The sacred and secular divide is over. Everything you do is sacred. Everywhere you go is holy ground. Whatever your preoccupation is on Monday morning, you are going about your Father’s business.

If that is so then these words become even more significant to us. “Set your sights on the realities of heaven. Be alert to what is going on around Christ. Look at life through Kingdom perspective.”

CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE AND YOU WILL CHANGE YOUR PRACTICE

When you refocus and begin to seek those things which are above; when you set your mind on things above – you begin to see things from God’s perspective. A change of perspective gives you a sense of scale. To understand what it means to have a sense of scale let us look at the difference between Bill Gates and a person earning minimum wage.

Bill Gates is worth 100 Billion US dollars. Since Microsoft was created, he earned $6,000 dollars a minute or $50 per second. Imagine what that looks like – to be able to earn $50 every second of your working life. Based on this information, lets look at the difference between Gates and a person on minimum wage. To buy a mansion worth $50 million dollars, Gates will have to work for a total of three and a half weeks. A person on minimum wage would have only earned around $3000. That’s how impossible it would be for a person on minimum wage to purchase a mansion like that.

To purchase the latest iPhone (not that Bill Gates would ever purchase one), he will have to work 43 seconds. That’s about 13 cents on a minimum wage. In terms of scale, an iPhone for Bill Gates is like loose change.

In terms of the scale of things, losing a brand new iPhone is not going to affect Bill Gates as it would affect a person on minimum wage. It only took Gates 43 seconds to earn enough to purchase that phone, while it would have taken 3 weeks of hard earned money for one in minimum wage.

YOU GET A SENSE OF SCALE WHEN YOU LOOK AT YOUR PROBLEMS FROM GOD’S PERSPECTIVE

I’m not minimizing the extent of your suffering. I’m not ignoring that diagnosis. That financial crisis is real. The pain of that dysfunctional relationship is real. It’s overwhelming, what you are going through – I get that. All hardship and suffering we go through is overwhelming when we look at it from a human perspective. When I look at myself, my problems are always larger than me; but when I look at it from God’s perspective – when I reposition myself and look at Kingdom resources – when I look at God possibilities, I get a sense of scale. WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE

WHEN I LOOK AT IT FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, THEN FEAR IS MY NATURAL RESPONSE

WHEN I LOOK AT IT FROM GOD’S PERSPECTIVE THEN FAITH IS MY NATURAL RESPONSE

Your perspective will determine your practice. How you see things will determine how you respond to things.

HOW TO REPOSITION YOURSELF

If changing our perspective helps us develop a sense of scale from God’s point of view – if it gives us an opportunity to see things from God’s vantage point – how then can we reposition ourselves to access such a perspective? Paul gives us two things that we need to do in order to see things from God’s perspective.

1. Seek things above

The first thing he exhorts us to do is to seek, pursue, to go after. The only way we can set our sights on the realities of heaven is to seek after the realities of heaven. We cannot be alert to what is going on around Christ, unless we pursue and go after Christ who is seated above and not below. In Mark 4 we get a glimpse of what pursuing things above looks like on a day to day basis.

Mark 4:33-34 (NKJV) And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.

The relationship between Jesus and the disciples while He was on earth gives us a good understanding on how to be alert to things that are going on around Christ. Mark shows us a big difference in the way Jesus related to the crowd and the way He related to his disciples. With the crowd He spoke in parables; He couched His communication in coded language. With the disciples He spoke plainly and took time to explain “all things”. The difference between the crowd and the disciples were simply put – pursuit. The disciples were not satisfied with mere stories, they pursued truth. They wanted to know what Jesus was attempting to convey to them. They wanted to see things from Christ’s perspective. The way they did it – they pursued Him alone, away from the hustle and bustle of the crowds.

WHEN THEY WERE ALONE – shut yourself up and get into the Word

The is no short cut to developing a Kingdom perspective. It comes from the revealed Word of God. Some may say “I’m not much of a reader”. You need to get over that or risk having a “below” mindset. Faith is Word based. Faith comes from hearing and hearing from the word of God. You got to get the Word into you if you want to respond by faith.

 

If reading is not your thing then get an audio Bible. Listen to it and read along with it. When something moves within you stop the audio and focus on what was moving. Read those few lines again and again until you hear the voice of God through the word of God. You cannot develop a heavenly mindset without pursuing it through the words of Christ.

Matthew 13:10-12 (NKJV) And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.

WHOEVER HAS, MORE WILL BE GIVEN. That’s a sobering thought. To those who pursue God by hearing his voice through His word, more revelation is given. To those who do not take time to listen, they eventually lose the ability to hear God.

Use it or lose it. Line upon line, precept upon precept – a momentum is created when we repeatedly expose ourselves to the process of hearing God through His word. Divine revelation increases exponentially.

SEEK THINGS ABOVE – GET ALONE – GET INTO HIS WORD – PURSUE KINGDOM PERSPECTIVE

2. Set your mind

Your mind is made up of your thought and your talk. Your thinking is your silent saying. Your saying is your audible thinking. The psalmist puts it this way.

 

Psalms 91:1-2 (NKJV) He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High, Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”

There’s the dwelling and then there’s the saying. When one is dwelling in God; the saying will be God talk. Your dwelling will determine your saying and your saying will influence your dwelling. If you want to know where you mind is set on – listen to your speech patterns. Change your speech you change your thinking. Change your thinking you will change your speech. The two are interconnected.

 

To set your mind on things above, think of your circumstances the way God thinks of it. Declare into your circumstances what God is saying. Speak the promises of God over your circumstances. Kingdom of God come; Will of God be done.

 

Let’s do just that. Seek, pursue, go after the things above by creating that momentum of repeated exposure to God’s word on a daily basis. As you seek God’s voice through His word, let the Word of God begin to influence the way you speak and think.

 

Remember:

 

YOUR PERSPECTIVE WILL DETERMINE YOUR PRACTICE. HOW YOU SEE THINGS WILL DETERMINE HOW YOU RESPOND TO THINGS.

 

WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE, THEN FEAR WILL BE THE NATURAL RESPONSE. WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT FROM GOD’S PERSPECTIVE THEN FAITH WILL BE THE NATURAL RESPONSE.

SO SEEK THINGS ABOVE – GET ALONE – GET INTO HIS WORD – PURSUE KINGDOM PERSPECTIVE. THEN SET YOUR MIND ON THINGS ABOVE – TAKE STOCK OF YOUR THOUGHTS AND WHAT YOU DWELL ON; TAKE STOCK OF YOUR SPEECH PATTERNS.

 

THINK OF YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES THE WAY GOD THINKS OF IT. DECLARE INTO YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES WHAT GOD IS SAYING. KINGDOM OF GOD COME; WILL OF GOD BE DONE.

REMEMBER YOUR PERSPECTIVE WILL DETERMINE YOUR PRACTICE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scripture Text – Acts 5:40-42

One of the most remarkable things about the early church was the way they embraced suffering as part of their portion in their desire to advance the Kingdom of God. As early as chapter five of the book of Acts we begin to see an understanding that opposition will be part of their life if they chose to preach the Gospel. Jesus had prepared His disciples for this during His time on earth.

Mark 10:38-39 (NLT) But Jesus said to them, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink? Are you able to be baptized with the baptism of suffering I must be baptized with?” “Oh yes,” they replied, “we are able!” Then Jesus told them, “You will indeed drink from my bitter cup and be baptized with my baptism of suffering.

Matthew 24:9 (NLT) “Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers.

John 21:18 (NLT) “I tell you the truth, when you were young, you were able to do as you liked; you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will dress you and take you where you don’t want to go.”

When the time came for the disciples to face persecution, they were prepared for it and not only endured it but embraced and counted it a privilege to suffer for Jesus Christ. In these days where the western church has experienced very little persecution if any, this concept of suffering for Christ may be one of the most timely reminders.

Recap: The story so far

Before we delve into the topic of suffering for the sake of the Gospel, it is important for us to remind ourselves of the story of the early church up to this point.  

First group encounter: filled with the Holy Spirit and power

Acts 1:8 (NKJV) But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Acts 2:1-4 (NLT) On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.

The encounter the disciples had after Christ ascended was on the day of Pentecost where everyone who was gathered at the upper room had a physical and undeniable experience with the Holy Spirit that totally transformed them. The physical manifestation made it absolutely clear that everyone of them had received the promise which guaranteed them power from on high. We see this particularly in Peter’s life as the story unfolds. Peter’s two sermons which he preaches possibly within a few days apart had a phenomenal effect on what started as a small group of followers into a full blown community of over 10,000 people. After pentecost, 3000 souls were added to the group of 120 and continued to grow daily.

Acts 2:41 (NLT) Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.

Acts 2:46-47 (NKJV) So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

Another growth spurt occurred a few days later when Peter preached following the healing of the lame man. Now there were 5000 men who believed in Jesus as the Christ. It will be an understatement to say that by this time the total gathering of the church on a regular basis would have grown to over 10,000.  

Second group encounter: Filled with the Holy Spirit and boldness

With the rapid growth of the church came the expected persecution from the religious leaders. After the lame man was healed, the religious leaders attempt to contain the growth through imprisonment, threats and even physical beatings.

Acts 4:16-17 (NKJV) saying, “What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17 But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name.”

Acts 5:40 (NLT) They called in the apostles and had them flogged. Then they ordered them never again to speak in the name of Jesus, and they let them go.

The response from the disciples which would become the pattern in the New Testament church was to pray for strength and grace to endure opposition and persecution.

Acts 4:29-31 (NKJV) Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.”And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

 

The church provided for the poor

As the church continued to grow, they also focused on ministering to the poor, which would become the core of what the New Testament church became – a community that didn’t just care for their own but also for the needs of the community around them.

Acts 4:32-34 (NKJV) Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. Nor was there anyone among them who lacked

 

The church in full throttle

By the time we get to Acts chapter five, the church is in full throttle, growing rapidly and well and truly engaging with the community around them. Supernatural occurrences had become a norm and was a natural consequence of the preaching of the Gospel.

Acts 5:12-16 (NKJV) And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Porch. Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly. And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

The unintended consequence of the expansion of the church was that it had become visible in plain sight to those who were in power to curtail religious gatherings.

Acts 5:17-21 (NKJV) Then the high priest rose up, and all those who were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with indignation, and laid their hands on the apostles and put them in the common prison.

Acts 5:40-42 (NKJV) … and when they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

What is amazing about this story is that all the success and popularity the church had among the community didn’t distract them from the one task they were given by the Lord – to go and preach the gospel. The most remarkable thing about this passage is that the disciples rejoiced at the opposition and suffering they were enduring as they saw it as an indication that they were on the right track. This was what Jesus had prophesied before hand. They not only embraced the suffering but saw themselves privileged to be “counted worthy to suffer shame for His name”.

Before we delve into the subject of suffering for the sake of the Gospel, it is important for us to understand the difference between suffering that comes as a consequence of preaching the gospel and the concept of suffering in general. Having a biblical understanding of suffering will help us respond appropriately when facing various kinds of suffering we experience in life.

 

Understanding the concept of suffering in the Bible

We are not called to rejoice in all kinds of suffering. It is important for us to understand that all suffering is outside the perfect will of God. The cross is the symbol of God’s will. He suffered so we will suffer no more.

Isaiah 53:4-6 (NLT) Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.

Suffering, however, is real and very much part of our experience in life. It is important that we know that the suffering the early church saw as a privilege and rejoiced when they had to endure it was specifically suffering that came out of obedience to God. I want to make a few points about suffering before we look at suffering for the Gospel.

 

1. Suffering caused by Sickness is NOT sent by God

There is no Biblical basis to assume that any kind of sickness or disease comes from God. It is an affront to the work on the cross to even entertain any notion that God is the source of someone’s sickness. When we give room to consider the possibility of sickness as a tool God uses to shape and mold us, we remove the potency of the prayer of healing. 

Mark 16:15-18 (NLT) And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. … These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: … They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.” 

James 5:14-15 (NLT) Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. 

What about Paul his “thorn” (2 Cor 12:1-10)? Wasn’t that a sickness he had to endure? I disagree. There is no biblical basis to believe that the “thorn” Paul spoke of was a sickness he was battling with. Why couch it in a mysterious phrase like “thorn in the flesh” if it was as simple as a sickness that was impeding his drive to preach the gospel. Acknowledging it and seeking the church to pray for him would have been the more natural thing to do and consistent to what the book of James seems to suggest was the practice of the early church. 

Instead, Paul refers to this “infirmity” as a “messenger of Satan to torment” him. But he also received a revelation from God that what Satan intended for evil, God was using for his good. This “thorn” was keeping him from becoming “exalted above measure” because of the “abundance of the revelations” he had received from God. It is also worth noting that Paul’s initial response when faced with the infirmity was to pray for it to be taken away. In fact he does it three times and received the same reply from God. 

2 Corinthians 12:8-9 (NLT) Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 

If someone was to assume that their sickness is a “thorn”, then the following must also be true: 

→ they have prayed multiple times for it to be taken away and received the same reply from the Lord 

→ they are in a similar position with Paul where an abundance of revelation from God is causing them to struggle with spiritual pride 

→ they are experiencing added grace and added power brought about by the said sickness 

In all my years of ministry, I have never come across someone who has experienced more “power of Christ” in their life as a direct consequence of sickness. I have seen tremendous strength and perseverance by godly men and women in the midst of their sicknesses but never spiritual empowerment as a direct benefit from sickness.

 

2. Suffering that comes from trials in the end produces a disproportionate blessing compared to the loss

The Bible does talk about trials that come our way which can cause suffering. The entire tenor of Scripture however seems to suggest that trials are short lived and produce much more blessings than the sacrifice it required during that challenging time. 

Psalms 30:5 (NLT) For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning. 

James 1:2-4 (NKJV) My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Again we look to James who encourages to view “various trials” in a positive light as it does a perfecting work in us which will produce something complete in us removing the lack that was present prior to the trial. We see that in the life of Job. 

Job 42:5 (NKJV) “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear. But now my eye sees You. 

Job 42:12-17 (NKJV) Now the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. He also had seven sons and three daughters. And he called the name of the first Jemimah, the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-Happuch. In all the land were found no women so beautiful as the daughters of Job; and their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers. After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations. So Job died, old and full of days.

 

3. Suffering was used by the early church as a mark of identification with Christ in death and resurrection 

Philippians 3:10-11 (NKJV) that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead

Paul speaks extensively about the metaphor of death and resurrection bringing it alive in our day to day experiences. In the passage above, he shows us the connection between resurrection power and suffering. In his mind, suffering enabled him to “fellowship” with Christ. Paul’s suffering gave him the opportunity to identify with Christ’s suffering and death in order to experience the reality of resurrection and everything that comes with that. Suffering gives us the opportunity to be conformed to His death in order to attain resurrection power. 

 

4. Suffering for the gospel was worn as a badge of honour

Acts 5:41-42 (NKJV) So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

Finally, we are able to focus on suffering that comes as a direct consequence of preaching the gospel. This is the ultimate suffering that all christians are invited to be part of. For the early church, suffering for Christ was a badge of honour.

 

The truth about suffering for the sake of the gospel

 

There is an element of shame attached to the preaching of the gospel

Anyone who has attempted to share their faith will testify that it does not come naturally. There is always an element of fear attached to it. It is the fear of being rejected, ridiculed or even abused. Paul gives us the reason for this.

1 Corinthians 1:22-24 (NKJV) For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

The preaching of the gospel will produce three possible responses. The first one is a rejection that comes usually from religious mindsets that have preconceived ideas of God and seek after the Divine in a specific shape or form. Even if they are presented with the obvious, they reject truth simply on the basis that it doesn’t fit their criteria of divine truth. Jesus faced that with the religious leaders of his day.

Matthew 16:1 (NLT) One day the Pharisees and Sadducees came to test Jesus, demanding that he show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority.

They were asking Jesus for a sign inspite of the abundance of miracles that Jesus did right before their eyes. Jesus response was quite scathing.

Matthew 16:2-4 (NLT) He replied, “You know the saying, ‘Red sky at night means fair weather tomorrow; red sky in the morning means foul weather all day.’ You know how to interpret the weather signs in the sky, but you don’t know how to interpret the signs of the times! Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign, but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah.” Then Jesus left them and went away.

There are those who will never accept the truth even if it is plainly presented to them. They aren’t seeking after truth, they are merely wanting to conform truth to fit into their evil intentions. The only response to that is to walk away.

The second response Paul speaks of are those who seemingly seek after wisdom. But the wisdom they seek for is the wisdom that makes sense to their human intellect. Any wisdom that is foreign to their senses is quickly rejected. The gospel will not be attractive to any of these two groups. To one it will be a stumbling block while to the other it will be foolishness.

There is however a third group of people who when hearing the gospel will find themselves not only attentive to Christ but the gospel will be to them “the power of God and the wisdom of God”. For this reason the gospel must be preached. There are many in that third group, ready as “white fields” are ready for the harvest. We must go. We must preach the gospel even though the element of shame is very present each time we do it.

 

The shame of the gospel is overcome by the power of the gospel

Paul gives us the secret behind his unwavering commitment to preach the gospel. His preaching was always backed by the power of God.

1 Corinthians 2:4 (NLT) And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 4:20 (NLT) For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power.

Romans 1:16 (NKJV) For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

The Gospel that we preach must be the Gospel of power, not a Gospel of mere words. The only way we can overcome the seeming shame that is attached to the gospel is to ensure that the Gospel we preach is the Gospel preached by the early church – where signs and wonders followed the preaching of God’s word.

The modern church has been influenced by mid 20th Century ideas of what constitutes the gospel. Scholars came up with the essentials that made up the gospel calling them the Kerygma. While attempting to preserve the essence of the gospel, they left out the fundamental component that differentiated the gospel from any other proclamation. The preaching of the gospel is always accompanied by signs and wonders. A blatant disregard for the supernatural because it is an offense to our modern day intellect has created a version of the gospel that has “a form of godliness but denying its power”. The modern day gospel has the words without the power.

The Gospel of the book of Acts was the gospel of power. Beginning from the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost we see nothing but the miraculous everywhere the gospel was preached.

Acts 2:43 (NLT) A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders.

• Peter heals the lame man
• The striking of Annanias and Saphira
• Healings and deliverance in massive scale

Acts 5:12 (NLT) The apostles were performing many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers were meeting regularly at the Temple in the area known as Solomon’s Colonnade.

Acts 5:15-16 (NLT) As a result of the apostles’ work, sick people were brought out into the streets on beds and mats so that Peter’s shadow might fall across some of them as he went by. Crowds came from the villages around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those possessed by evil spirits, and they were all healed.

• Peter heals Aeneas who was paralysed for eight years
• Peter raises Dorcas from the dead
• Peter freed supernaturally from prison by an Angel
• King Herod smitten by God
• Paul opposes Elymas the sorcerer who is smitten blind
• Paul heals a cripple in Lystra
• Paul’s ministry explodes in the supernatural

Acts 19:11-12 (NLT) God gave Paul the power to perform unusual miracles. When handkerchiefs or aprons that had merely touched his skin were placed on sick people, they were healed of their diseases, and evil spirits were expelled.

It goes on and on. What is clear about the book of Acts is that the original gospel, when preached, was accompanied by the supernatural. God backed the early church with power from on high, each time they put themselves out there to preach Christ. No wonder the shame that was attached to the preaching of the gospel seemed so insignificant compared to lives that were transformed by it.

The gospel is the gospel of power. It is God manifesting himself in our midst. It is not a gospel of mere words. Just because we do not understand the miraculous. Just because it is not common today, does not give us the right to rewrite the Bible. We are obliged to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom. Yes there is an element of shame attached to the gospel. We overcome that shame by demonstrating the gospel in all its power.

 

Every christian is called to preach the gospel

The shame of the gospel is overcome by the power of the gospel

May we be among those who count themselves worthy to suffer shame for His name