Hindsight

The result of our GateWay on Mission vote this past Sunday was:

356 people voted yes and 1 voted no on the budget, all the new Leadership Team members (deacons) were approved!  What a great day of reviewing 2012 and envisioning a Biblical, Radical and Viral 2013!

There were a couple of questions that a few people asked me yesterday in regards to the passage from Acts19:1-22.  The most prominent was, “What is this speaking in tongues thing that the book of Acts talks about?”  Let me address that with a couple of clarifying points.

First let me say, not everyone agrees with me.  That’s okay.  Where good men disagree wise men walk softly.  If you have a different opinion, God bless you and please extend me an extra measure of grace.

Second, if your view is different than mine I never want to disrupt nor discourage anyone’s connection with God or anyone’s spiritual development and depth.  You’re totally free to pursue and practice your spiritual disciplines in your life.

Third, I believe that speaking in tongues was a gift only given to the early church to solidify it’s unity, leadership and expansiveness.

How?

First, the people in Jerusalem speaking in tongues was a sign of judgment to Israel for rejecting their Messiah.  Duet. 28:1 & 49 says that if the nation did not obey the Lord then judgment would come from a nation, “…whose language you shall not understand.”  The speaking of foreign tongues on the day of Pentecost was a sign to Israel that God was bringing to pass what he had promised for their disobedience.

Second, the Samaritans, Acts 8:17, received the Holy Spirit when the Apostles Peter and John laid their hands on them.  Why?  Because God was uniting Israel with Samaria demonstrating all descendants of Abraham were welcome in the Church of Jesus Christ under the leadership of the Apostles.

Third, the Romans, Acts 10:35-36 &44-48, received the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues when the Apostle Peter went to preach to them and unite them into the church of Jesus Christ.  Why?  Because “…in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right, is welcome to Him…preaching peace through Jesus Christ…” (vs. 35-36)  So even Gentiles and Romans can be an equal member of the church of Jesus Christ!  That was a RADICAL concept to the Jewish people.

Fourthly, the Gentiles outside of Israel, Acts 19:6, received the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues when the Apostle Paul laid hands on them so that God could demonstrate authoritatively that all nations are equally welcome in the family, kingdom and church of Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:11-22 says that the wall around the Temple that divided Jews and Gentiles has been torn down and that there is now unity.  Jesus Christ has purchased peace and created a new building (Temple) called the Church and it’s built on one foundation called the Apostles authority and Jesus is the chief cornerstone in that foundation.

Speaking in tongues was not a spiritual practice in the early church for deep disciples, it was God’s way of demonstrating to everyone that all nations are welcome in God’s family, the church of Jesus Christ.

Again, let’s never use for disunity what God used to unify the entire world under our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ!

Hindsight 

The Apostle Paul was a Pharisee which means he was an Eastern thinker.  He was also fluent in all Roman culture and customs so he spoke Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic and Latin. 

He was the perfect bridge building leader to be the Apostle to the Western Gentiles.  He was culturally Eastern but was a Western major in college!

When Paul writes his Epistles he writes like a Westerner.  He writes simple, to the point, factual statements about our relationship with Christ. (S.F.S. = simple factual statements)

         Romans 4:5, he who, “…believes in Him who justifies the                       ungodly,”, justifies simply means pronounced righteous. (S.F.S.)

         Ephesians 2:1, “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,” without Christ we’re spiritually dead. (S.F.S.)

         I Corinthians 12:20, “But now there are many members, but one body.”  Paul is referring to the church body. (S.F.S.)

Simple statements built on a one-word theme; righteous, death, body.  A one-word theme is the hub of Paul’s thought, we who are Westerners then think about what are the resulting ideas or spokes that radiate outward from that thematic hub.

When we read the stories of Jesus he teaches as an Easterner.  He chooses characters in a plot and gives them motives, friends and enemies. There are evil surprises and unexpected heroes along their journey.

         “A man was traveling down the Jericho road…”

         “A woman lost a coin…”

         “A farmer went out to sow…”

Story is the round tire on a wheel, the characters are the spokes of the wheel, the point of the story is the hub.  We are left to discern from the actions and activities of the characters as they roll down the road what the hub point of the story is!

That’s more work!!!  That's why the Bible says wisdom is so important.

Welcome aboard the U.S.S. GateWay, as you disembark be reminded that going ashore means engaging with the people God has given you to influence and touch.  (If this doesn’t make any sense to you, you’ll have to listen to the sermon from 1/13/13)

God bless,

Pastor Ed

Hindsight

When we look at the story Jesus tells at the end of the sermon on the mount we don’t often fully grasp the significance of that summation.

Matthew was a tax collector.  As a tax collector he was trained in a Roman form of short-hand.  When he listened to Jesus sermons I’m sure he took a few notes.  So when we read Matthew we find 5 major sermons given by Jesus.

Yet when I read the sermon on the mount it doesn’t really read as one sermon, it feels more like a compilation of the poignant ideas of many sermons blended together by topic.  In fact that’s the way the Old Testament recorders of history put together their stories.  They didn’t feel it necessary to put stories in chronological order but sometimes preferred topical order. 

Matthew puts this house on the rock story at the end of what we call the sermon on the mount.  So we need to think of it as the culmination, pinnacle, apex and climax of Jesus story.  We also need to use it to interpret the entire sermon.  

When you go see a movie and you find out who the murderer is at the end, all of a sudden all the clues throughout the movie make sense.  The same is true of the sermon on the mount.

Therefore you can read the sermon on the mounts as follows:

If you apply the Beatitudes (5:1-20) to your life you’re like a man who builds his house on the rock.

If you apply the King’s Edicts (5:21-48) to your life you’re like a man who builds his house on the rock.

If you apply the Strategy for Spiritual Growth (6) to your life you’re like a man who builds his house on the rock.

If you apply the Relationship of Father to Son (7:1-23) to your life you’re like a man who builds his house on the rock.

Read through Matthew 5, 6, & 7 and see if this story helps you read the rest of the sermon.