Monthly Archives: April 2024

Chapter-a-Day

Division

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Division (CaD Acts 15) – Wayfarer

Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord.
Acts 15:37-40 (NIV)

I have a dear friend I have not spoken with in almost 20 years. This friend told me that I had done something, or said something, that wounded him deeply. He said that he knew that I had no clue what I’d done to wound him, but he also refused to tell me what it was despite attempts to make amends and to make it right. I eventually concluded that I couldn’t continue in a relationship under the constant cloud of guilt/shame of knowing that I had caused an injury but was given no opportunity or recourse to make it right. I love my friend and grieve the loss of our relationship. Nevertheless, I decided that I would wait for my friend to be willing to tell me what I had done.

I’m still waiting.

Along my life journey, I’ve observed and experienced conflict and division between believers, both interpersonal and corporate. The conflicts have ranged from silly, to personal, to matters of faith and/or belief. In some cases, the conflicts were amicably resolved. In other cases, they resulted in amicable division. In yet other cases, they resulted in division and anger that eventually became amicable respect. In some cases, I have observed conflict and division that appear never to have been resolved.

Today’s chapter describes two forms of division. The first one has been brewing for some time within the events Luke describes in Acts. The Jesus Movement began as a Jewish sect. Jesus never hid the fact that He intended His Message and His mission to be for all people “to the ends of the earth.” Nevertheless, there were good Jews who wanted to keep the Jesus Movement to remain a strictly Jewish sect. To be Jewish, men had to be circumcised. So some began teaching that non-Jewish believers had to be circumcised to be part of the Jesus Movement. They were essentially saying, “Become a Jew first, then you can be a believer in Jesus.”

This dispute is handled capably by the leaders of the Jesus Movement. Everyone got together. Both sides were discussed. The leaders made a judgment that non-Jewish Gentiles did not have to become Jewish and males did not have to be circumcised to be believers.

The second division is personal and unexpected. Paul and Barnabas decide they should travel to visit all the local gatherings they’d started on Cyprus and Asia Minor back in chapters 13 and 14. Barnabas, ever the encourager, wants to include John Mark, who began that first journey with them but left them early in the journey. Paul, offended by John Mark bailing on them the last time, refuses to include him. Tempers flare. Voices are raised. The disagreement is sharp. Paul and Barnabas part ways. Barnabas takes John Mark and sets out on his own. Paul recruits Silas and sets out on his own.

We don’t know why John Mark bailed on that first journey. We do know from the letters of Paul and Peter that eventually John Mark became a close associate of Peter and was later reconciled to Paul. Paul wanted John Mark with him in his final days. Paul also would later write with respect and admiration for all Barnabas was doing within the Movement. One commentary I read this morning said that Paul and Barnabas’ conflict resulted in four people on the mission instead of two. God sometimes uses even human conflict and division for divine purposes.

In the quiet this morning, I realized that I have come to embrace the reality that there will be division among human beings and groups of human beings. It’s part of the nature of this fallen world east of Eden. But I have also embraced Paul’s metaphor of the “Body of Christ.” The body not only has many appendages, but it also has many entire systems that function pretty independently within the whole. Some cells and organs function independently of one another, but both are essential for the health and well-being of the body. So it is with individuals and groups. We sometimes learn that we can function independently of one another while both contribute to Jesus’ Movement and its mission.

I said a prayer for my estranged friend this morning. Over the years I have received reports of where God has led him and rejoice that he appears to be well and doing the things he’s been led to do. I love him. Perhaps we will one day see one another again. Perhaps he will finally be able to tell me what I did to wound him so deeply and I will be able to seek forgiveness and make amends. Perhaps whatever that was will have passed away with time. Sometimes that happens, too. In the meantime, I rejoice that we are both well and contributing to the health and well-being of the whole.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Chapter-a-Day

Seed and Heart-Soil

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Seed and Heart-Soil (CaD Acts 14) – Wayfarer

[Paul and Barnabas] returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.
Acts 14:21b-22 (NIV)

Living in Iowa, one tends to earn a great appreciation for farmers. Even the Iowa Hawkeye football team wears a sticker on their helmets with the letters ANF (“America Needs Farmers”). I was raised in the city of Des Moines, but I still have learned a lot about farming simply by living here and knowing many people who did grow up on a farm, including Wendy.

I have a friend in the seed business. His job is to help his company’s seed produce as much of a yield as possible. As I asked him about his job, I found out that it had a lot to do with helping their farmer customers make sure the soil has the right chemical balance for the seed to thrive.

In today’s chapter, Paul and Barnabas conclude their first missionary journey, in which they visited towns on the island of Cyprus and Greek towns on the mainland north of there. By the end of the chapter, they return to home base in Antioch to report that many people believed in Jesus and they were able to establish gatherings of Jesus followers in towns throughout the region. That said, their experiences were mixed.

On Cyprus, they were invited to speak with the Roman Governor, who became a believer.

In Pisidian Antioch the reaction was mixed. The Jews there largely rejected Jesus’ Message, but many of the Gentiles in the town believed.

In the town of Iconium, many believed but this created great division within both the Jewish and Gentiles communities. Those who rejected Jesus’ Message plotted to have Paul and Barnabas stoned to death.

In Lystra, the large Greek community were wowed by a miracle, but they missed the connection to Jesus’ Message. The crowd declared Paul and Barnabas the incarnation of Zeus and Hermes and tried to offer sacrifices to them. The plotters from Iconium arrive in Lystra and the crowds end up turning on Paul and Barnabas, stoning Paul until they thought he was dead.

In Derbe, everything seems to have gone well and many people believed Jesus’ Message.

As I meditated on the diverse general responses Paul and Barnabas received to Jesus’ Message, I couldn’t help but think of Jesus’ parable of the Sower. The seed is tossed, but it falls on different kinds of soil. The success of the seed to end up taking root, growing, and producing a yield was dependent on the condition of the soil on which it landed.

I had a friend and fellow blogger who just last week asked me about these chapter-a-day posts, and how I manage my expectations with regard to the number of visits, clicks, and likes I receive. The truth is that the only way I’ve been able to keep doing these posts is by constantly reminding myself to surrender any expectations I might have. Like Paul and Barnabas, and like Jesus’ parable, I am the sower. The yield is dependent on the heart-soil of each one who reads or listens.

The same is true as I attempt to live, act, and relate to others in the fruit of God’s Spirit and share Jesus’ love with others. Some may sense something in me that attracts them. Others may be repelled. I can’t control the heart-soil of those around me, I can only control the quality of the seed I’m sowing in how I live and love.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Chapter-a-Day

Jews and Romans

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Jews and Romans (CaD Acts 13) – Wayfarer

But the Jewish leaders incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region.
Acts 13:50 (NIV)

I once spent three years living in a small town of just over 300 people. It was a great experience, and it inspired a play I wrote many years later called Ham Buns and Potato Salad. One of the things I learned living in such a small town was how the community operates, unofficially. Sure, there was an official mayor and city council, but that doesn’t mean they actually ran things. There were individuals who held sway behind the scenes if they felt strongly enough about a matter. It’s the way the world works.

In today’s chapter, Luke records the events of the first missionary journey taken by Saul and Barnabas. Luke has just spent the previous few chapters explaining how the Holy Spirit led the Jewish leaders of the Jesus Movement to understand that Jesus’ Message was for all people, both Jews and non-Jews (Gentiles). Today’s chapter provides a great example of how Saul and Barnabas operated in taking Jesus’ Message to places that had never heard that message.

The first stop they made upon entering a town was the local Jewish synagogue. Saul and Barnabas started with the Jewish locals. Luke records the message Saul gave in the synagogue in Pisidian Antioch proclaiming Jesus was the resurrected Messiah. This created quite a stir and people crowded to hear more, but it angered the local Jewish leaders, so they “incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region.”

The Jewish leaders knew the individuals in their community who held sway. Paul and Barnabas quickly went from being popular visitors to having the welcome mat yanked out from underneath them. Their response to this persecution was right out of Jesus’ playbook. They shook the dust off their feet and switched focus from the Jews to Gentiles in the area.

One of the Gentiles who became converts on this journey was a man named Sergius Paulus. He was the Roman proconsul on the island of Cyprus. He was a documented historical figure. To have a Roman official of such a high level become a believer would have been a huge deal. He wasn’t big fish in a small pond like the “women of high standing” in Pisidian Antioch. He was a big fish in a big pond. Sergius Paulus was a powerful man within the Roman Empire. As a believer, he could influence all sorts of people throughout the Empire itself. Some have argued that it was this high-profile conversion that led to Saul taking on the name Paul. He’s first called Paul in today’s chapter and will be referred to as Paul by Luke from this point on.

In the quiet this morning, I meditated on the contrasting experiences that Paul and Barnabas had with the small-town power brokers of Pisidian Antioch and the Roman Governor of Cyprus. It’s the beginning of a major shift in the Jesus Movement. It will not be long before the burgeoning number of non-Jewish Greek and Roman believers outnumber the original core of Jewish believers in the leadership of the Movement. There’s a storm on the horizon.

As a disciple of Jesus, I’ve had to understand that things change and the spiritual journey is one of constantly managing those changes. I’ve observed that organized religion, on the other hand, loves tradition and will often shun change at all costs to avoid the discomfort of change. I find this to be a tragic mistake, and one I want to avoid for the rest of my earthly journey.

Featured image is Sergius Paulus by Raphael

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Chapter-a-Day

Clashing Kingdoms

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Clashing Kingdoms (CaD Acts 12) – Wayfarer

It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them.
Acts 12:1 (NIV)

The name Herod appears in various places through both the stories of Jesus as well as the record of the early Jesus Movement in Acts. The name Herod, however, refers to different members of the same royal dynasty who ruled under the authority of Rome.

When Jesus was born, it was Herod the Great who sat on the throne. After his death, the kingdom was divided into three parts, each ruled by Herod’s sons. It was Herod Antipas who had John the Baptist beheaded and participated in Jesus’ trials. Herod Agrippa, grandson of Herod the Great, was made king by Caligula and is the Herod referenced in today’s chapter.

A dynasty does not happen without knowing how to rule the masses and manage the chess game of politics. This is especially true under the ever-shifting political winds from Rome, who demanded, above all else, that order be maintained across the Empire. The Herods were masters at the game of thrones and were absolutely ruthless in gaining and maintaining power. Jesus referred to Herod Antipas as a fox.

In Judea, especially in Jerusalem, the Herods had to manage a tricky relationship with the Jewish rulers who managed the Temple. Herod’s palace overlooked the Temple. It was Herod who paid for the Temple’s renovation and it was referred to as Herod’s Temple. The Herods pretended to be Jews for political reasons, but no one really believed there was real devotion there. The relationship between the Herods and the Jewish leaders was purely about power and money.

In today’s chapter, Herod Agrippa has James the brother of John, and one of the Twelve executed. Luke doesn’t record James’ offense (not that he needed one) but his intention was to persecute the pesky, growing Jewish sect that had been a thorn in the side of the Jewish leaders. Of course, politics is all about leverage and influence, so when Herod realized he’d scored some political points and there was more to be had, he had Peter arrested, as well.

On a grand level, the Jesus story and the Jesus Movement are about bringing the Kingdom of God to earth, and then into the world. There is inherent conflict on this grand scale because the “kingdoms of this world“ are about power, wealth, and pride and are under the dominion of the evil one, whom the Great Story refers to as the “Prince of this World.” The Kingdom of God is about humility, sacrificial love, and service.

Along my life journey, I’ve observed that religion can be as much a Kingdom of this World as any civic or commercial authority. It was precisely this reality that Jesus criticized in the Jewish establishment. It was because the Jewish authorities were operating as a kingdom of this world that they found it necessary to have Jesus killed, Stephen stoned, James beheaded, and Peter arrested. The further I get in my journey, the more wary I become of religious establishments that operate as earthly kingdoms and the more passionate I’ve become about living out the Kingdom of God without the labels of any establishment.

In the quiet this morning, it seems to me that God worked powerfully and miraculously in and through the early Jesus Movement because it was small, weak, humble, and focused on being the kingdom of God. As a disciple of Jesus, I want to follow that example.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Chapter-a-Day

The Encourager

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The Encourager (CaD Acts 11) – Wayfarer

Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul…
Acts 11:25 (NIV)

For over a decade, Wendy and I had the opportunity of leading our local Community Theatre. Over those years we took on a number of different roles both inside and outside of productions. One of the things I came to appreciate more than ever before was the individuals who showed up faithfully to do the behind-the-scenes tasks that had to be done. These individuals never got to be in the spotlight and were never on stage at the end to receive the audience’s ovation. Nevertheless, they were crucial to the success of the show.

In the book of Acts, a man named Barnabas repeatedly shows up in the story. He doesn’t get top billing. His actions primarily happen “backstage” in the larger story that Luke is reporting, but he’s a crucial piece of that story.

Barnabas’ name means “son of encouragement” and he is aptly named. After Saul’s conversion, the Apostles initially refuse to meet with him, afraid that it is some kind of ruse to arrest and imprison them. Barnabas is the man with enough faith to believe Saul’s story, meet with Saul in person, and to make the peace between the Apostles and their former enemy.

In today’s chapter, Saul is back in his hometown of Tarsus in Greece. Since his meeting with the Apostles, we’ve heard nothing from Dr. Luke about what Saul is doing. Saul was certainly not idle during this time, but he is certainly not on stage in the story. He’s backstage, working in the wings.

I was struck by the simple statement Luke makes in today’s chapter “Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul.” Barnabas was the one who had faith in Saul’s conversion. It is now Barnabas who has faith to believe that Saul has a larger role to play in this story. Barnabas is the man with the connections. Barnabas is the man the Apostles and those in leadership in Jerusalem trust. Barnabas is the guy who quietly does things backstage in ways people don’t see or appreciate, but who is crucial to the success of the production.

In the quiet this morning, I’m meditating on the power and importance of being an encourager. What a powerful thing, quietly and simply giving a word of encouragement to another person. We all need a Barnabas in our lives, and in the quiet I thought of those who have been that for me along my journey, and I said a prayer of blessing and gratitude for those individuals. But, I also need to pay that forward. All disciples are commanded to “encourage one another” and I confess that I’m not as mindful or disciplined in obeying that command as I should be.

Today, I endeavor to consciously give words of encouragement to others.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Chapter-a-Day

Game Changer

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Game Changer (CaD Acts 10) – Wayfarer

He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean.
Acts 10:28 (NIV)

When I was in high school, our school had the most diverse student population in the state of Iowa. At least, that’s what I remember being told. Between desegregation and the wave of Asian immigrants who entered the state after the Vietnam War, we had a mix of three very distinct ethnic groups. Layer on top of that mix the fact that the white kids had very distinct social groups of nerds, jocks, burnouts, etc.

Our educators created a group made up of leaders within all of these ethnic and social groups. The idea was for the leaders to get to know each other, talk to each other, and share with each other their stories and experiences. As a teenager, this experience was pretty amazing. It taught me a lot about empathy and respect for others.

I believe it is hard for a modern reader to comprehend the level of religious, cultural, and ethnic separation that existed between first-century Jews and the non-Jewish (aka Gentiles) around them. God had been clear in the Law of Moses that His people were not supposed to mistreat foreigners living among them but rather to bless them. Over time, it became less about blessing and not mistreating and simply became segregation. In today’s chapter, Peter himself says that it was inappropriate to associate with anyone who wasn’t a Jew.

Jesus had already laid down both the teaching and the example that His Message was for all people. He’d commanded the disciples to take His Message to all nations and to the ends of the earth. We’re now several years into the Jesus Movement and it’s still primarily operating as a Jewish sect centered in the Jewish capital of Jerusalem.

In telling the history of those early years, Dr. Luke chose to confine the story to some of the most pertinent events. The acceptance of, and mission to, Gentiles will be a radical game changer for the devout Jews who have, to this point, made up the core of those in the Jesus Movement. It will create huge rifts and there will be a tremendous struggle for Jewish believers to let go of the cultural divide they’ve lived and believed in their entire lives.

In setting us up for this tectonic shift, Luke shares two key events.

The first was the radical conversion of Saul, who became the greatest and most zealous proponent of taking Jesus’ Message to the Gentiles. Being educated and well-connected in the Jewish establishment, Paul will also leverage his clout and former standing to give Jewish believers an example to follow as well as comfort in the shift.

The second key event happens in today’s chapter. Peter, the undisputed leader of the Twelve, is given a vision and then a divine appointment with a Gentile. Not only was Cornelius a Gentile, but he was also a Roman Centurion who was reviled by zealous and patriotic Jews living under Roman occupation. God makes it clear to Peter that the old Jewish rules of “clean” and “unclean” food and people no longer apply. Jesus’ Message and the indwelling Holy Spirit are for people of every tribe, nation, and language.

In the quiet this morning, I find myself thinking about the cultural divides that still exist, even in my own fairly heterogeneous small town in Iowa. My job is to love others in my circles of influence, but that includes all of those with whom I have contact. Even in a small community, I confess that it is easy to stick with my peeps. How many people do I have the opportunity to engage, but choose not to because it’s uncomfortable breaking out of the normal, daily, cultural routine?

I can do better.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Chapter-a-Day

Radical Conversion

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Radical Conversion (CaD Acts 9) – Wayfarer

Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.
Acts 9:22 (NIV)

While I was in high school there was a bit of a spiritual revival that broke out at our school. Among those who placed their faith in Jesus were some individuals with reputations for being pretty wild. I can remember hearing the news and immediately feeling skepticism. It was such a radical conversion in some cases, that it was hard to actually believe it.

Today’s chapter contains one of the most dramatic life changes in history. Saul of Tarsus was a zealous, educated, and well-connected Pharisee who was fully committed to imprisoning Jesus’ disciples, snuffing the Jesus Movement out of existence, and even killing people if necessary to make it happen. Jesus appears to Saul and calls on him to switch teams. In an instant, the enemy becomes an ally. The hunter becomes the hunted. Saul, who will become Paul, becomes arguably the greatest example of what can happen if you follow Jesus’ teaching, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

Paul would later write a letter to believers in Corinth and describe all followers of Jesus as the “body of Christ.” It’s a powerful word picture because he makes the distinction of the body needing all of its parts to function in a healthy way. With Paul’s conversion, the body of Christ added a key part.

Unlike the Twelve, Paul was educated by the best. Paul was a man uniquely gifted for establishing the theological foundations of the Jesus Movement and could go toe-to-toe with any Jewish critic.

Paul was part of the Jewish establishment, yet he was also from Greece and knew the Hellenistic world and customs. Just a few chapters ago, Luke records that there was tension between the Greeks and Hebrews among Jesus’ followers. Paul was uniquely suited to help bridge this rift, as well as being uniquely suited to take Jesus’ message to the Greek world while still having respect for non-Greek Jews within the movement. Paul was also a Roman citizen, which would become instrumental in his witness and his missionary journeys.

In the quiet this morning, I spent some time meditating on the very nature of the body of Christ in the “holy catholic” sense of it being made up of all believers of all types around the globe. God uses so many different people with different gifts in different ways to accomplish His purposes on a grand scale that is hard for me to even fathom. At the same time, every member of that Body is a gifted part of it and has a part to play in it. My job is to consciously use my gifts as God leads me in accomplishing His purposes within my circles of influence.

Which has me thinking about my brothers and sisters from that revival back in high school. I didn’t really know those I referenced personally. It was a large high school, they were older, and I operated in different social circles. Still, I wonder how their stories have played out. Like Jesus’ parable of the sower and the seed falling on different types of soil, I imagine there is a spectrum of stories and outcomes. I spent some time this morning picturing faces, recalling names, and praying for them wherever they are and whatever God’s purposes in their life journeys. I may be in a different part of the body, but I can certainly pray for each and every other part.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.