Tag Archives: early church

April 29, 2024 · 5:30 AM

An All In Boldness

When you think of Peter in the Bible, what comes to mind? Many immediately think of the guy who put his foot in his mouth way too often. We remember him denying Jesus three times on the same night he told Him that he would die for Him. We remember how he famously declared that Jesus was the Messiah in Matthew 16. It would be a few verses later that Jesus would turn to him and say, “Get behind me, Satan!” We remember Peter as a mess, but also as someone we can identify with. What we often forget about him is the man he became after Pentecost and the infilling of the Holy Spirit.

In Acts 2, we find a completely different man. We find someone standing on a balcony in Jerusalem preaching to thousands about Jesus. A few days earlier, he was hiding in that same city afraid to be associated with Jesus for fear of what others might do to him. The difference came with his decision to go all in after Jesus told him to feed His sheep. Peter waited and prayed in the Upper Room for 10 days not letting go until he received what was promised to him from God. On that day, Peter received boldness from the Holy Spirit to publicly live out his faith and to share it. That boldness raised the dead, took lame men by the hand pulling them to their feet and testified in front of the very group that killed Jesus.

That same boldness was in Stephen In Acts 6-7. He was full of grace and power because of what the Holy Spirit was doing in him according to the Bible. He was seized for preaching and brought before the high priest. Stephen didn’t back down and walked them through God redemptive plan. They refused to listen and began stoning him, making him the first martyr of the Church. A young man named Saul watched this display of boldness as he held the coats of the men throwing stones. He would later be changed by God, go all in with his life and write most of the New Testament. We never know the ripple effect of our boldness through the Holy Spirit. We must take hold of that boldness and connect people to God.

In the early 1900’s King George V was going to give an important speech that would be broadcast around the world. Just before the broadcast began, the main cable in the New York radio station snapped. Millions were waiting to hear this message, and the station staff began to panic. Suddenly a junior mechanic saw what needed to be done. He immediately grabbed both ends of the cable and held them together, allowing the royal message to be communicated. His body convulsed as the electricity flowed through him, yet he didn’t loosen his grip. We must be like this young man. We must choose to be all in, use the boldness of the Holy Spirit and communicate the Royal message of the Gospel to a world that needs to hear it.

Photo by James Owen on Unsplash

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December 9, 2019 · 5:40 AM

The Jesus Effect

One of the first rules you learn as a child is that you become like those you hang out with. Someone once said, “Show me your friends, and I’ll show you, you.” We tend to take on attributes, accents and habits of the people we spend time with. I read a study once that showed how kids don’t take on their parent’s accents. They take on the ones of their friends. Think about the people you are around the most. Good or bad, they’ve had an affect on the things you like, the places you go and even the foods you eat. They have changed you as much as you have changed them.

In the book of Acts, the disciples went around preaching and healing people the way Jesus did. They went to the Temple to pray and to educate others on the Scriptures. As they approached the gate one day, a beggar who couldn’t walk asked them for money. Instead of money, they brought him to his feet healed. The religious leaders threw them in jail for it. As they were being questioned the next day about it, Peter spoke up and told them it was done through the power of Jesus’ name. Acts 4:13 says, “The council members were astonished as they witnessed the bold courage of Peter and John, especially when they discovered that they were just ordinary men who had never had religious training. Then they began to understand the effect Jesus had on them simply by spending time with him” (TPT).

Think about that. They saw the effect Jesus had on them simply by spending time with Him. Just like you and your friends have an affect on each other’s lives, our lives are affected by spending time with Jesus. The more time you spend with Him, the greater the effect He will have on your life. We, like the disciples, will become more like Him each and every day. You can be an ordinary person and have an extraordinary change in your life, and in the lives of others, by spending time in prayer, reading the Bible and resting in His presence. Just like anything in the Bible, we have to be the ones to take the first step. The change happens after we make the time to spend with Him.

Photo by Gift Habeshaw on Unsplash

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October 11, 2013 · 8:02 AM

Living a 3D Life in a 2D World

If you aren’t familiar with the term “catfish” in today’s society, according to urbandictionary.com it is “someone who pretends to be someone they’re not using… social media to create false identities, particularly to pursue deceptive online romances.” Last year, NCAA football Heisman candidate Manti Te’o made national headlines when it was discovered he was catfished. MTV also has a show devoted to catfishing. It’s hard to know who is real in this 2D digital age.

It’s no wonder millennials are skeptical of everyone including Christians. They don’t know who is real and who isn’t. They are dropping out of churches at an alarming rate. The Barna Group says 59% of those who grew up in church leave in the first decade of their adult life. Most who leave the church never had significant relationships in the church. The same research shows that 70% of those who dropped out never had a close friendship with an adult.

They’re looking for relationships from someone who is real and knows how to make being a Christian relevant in today’s society. Going to dinner, hanging out, being open and honest and spending spare time with them is important. They aren’t interested in the masks we wear at church that say everything is fine and life is perfect as a Christian. They need someone who will invest in a relationship with them and isn’t afraid to be honest to the point of showing their faults and doubts.

Another area where we as the Church can help to reach this generation is by being devoted to God’s Word. We have to know what the Bible says and how to apply it to relationships, family, jobs, hard times, uncertainties and more. It’s not enough to Google a scripture, point to it and say, “Well that’s what God’s Word says.” You need to know the scripture and be able to share how you understand it and how you have applied it to your life. They need to know why you believe what you do so you must be able to articulate your beliefs.

Finally, I believe that we need to be mentored by those in the church. They need discipleship in its purest form: one on one mentoring. They aren’t looking to learn about God from Sunday School. They want someone who has experienced God in a real way to sit down with them, befriend them and show them how God integrates into every point of life. They need someone to walk through God’s Word with them and to show them how they can apply it. They want to know your experiences with applying the Bible to day to day life. In short, they’re looking for someone to be real.

I believe they are looking for someone to live a 3D life in this 2D world. They want someone who truly is Devoted to God’s Word, can Dine with them and Disciple them. The early church gave us this model on Acts 2:46-47. It says, “They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God. People in general liked what they saw. Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved. (MSG)” God’s plan for growing the Early Church will still work today.

I’m writing today’s devotion as a prelude to a book idea. The Barna Group has an idea for a series of books called Frames. They are looking to create short, meaningful reads on the top issues facing us in today’s complex culture. They have nine frames ready and are looking for an unknown author to write the tenth. I’m wanting to write about living a 3D life in a 2D world as a way to attract and keep millennials. You can help me if you have a Twitter account by retweeting this. You can also learn more about Barna Frames and submit your idea by clicking here.

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February 12, 2013 · 9:36 AM

The Masada Commitment

My pastor is currently in Israel having the trip of a lifetime for a minister. As I see the pictures he’s posted and hear the stories from his wife I’m reminded of my trips. He posted a picture from Masada the other day that reminded me of a powerful story. I hiked to the top of Masada and watched the sunrise over the Dead Sea without knowing anything about where I was. When I got to the top of this mountain, there was a deserted city there of stone. Most walls had been worn down over time, but you could easily see where everything was.

It turns out that when the Romans were conquering the world, they came to Israel. They had taken over just about every city and had brought it under Roman rule. There was one major city left to conquer. Masada. The Roman army assembled at the base of the mountain and cut off supplies to the city. They began to construct a ramp up the mountain so the army could easily get up there to battle.

As time went on the Romans had made it all the way to the city gates. The people of Masada knew that a battle would be imminent. They also knew that they were outnumbered and would lose. The night before the battle, the men of the city gathered together. They decided that they would rather die than to serve Rome.

Each man went home and killed his family then returned to the meeting place. There they drew straws and chose ten men to kill the rest. Out of those ten men, one would kill the other nine before taking his own life. Today, the Israeli Defense makes that hike after boot camp to take their oath to Israel. They vow that they would rather die than to live under another country’s rule.

This story makes me think back to the early church. The men and women of faith who gave their lives for the sake of the Message of Christ. I think of the men and women today who live in countries where being a Christian is illegal. People today still give their lives for the cause of Christ whether you know it or not. I’ve met them, worked with them and served with them. They know the risks of being a Christian in those places and choose to risk their lives daily so that one more might hear about the love of Christ.

I look at my life and my first world problems and realize they pale in comparison to the sacrifices these men and women have made and continue to make. I wonder about my own faith. Do I have what it takes to risk my life for the Kingdom? Do I believe in the cross enough to accept death rather than denial? You and I probably don’t have to face that choice today, but others do. If we were faced with it, what would we honestly do? Is salvation from God through the death of Jesus just something we hope for or do we believe it enough to risk our lives?

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