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Day 82: Conspiracy and Fear (Acts 9:23-31)
It was late and the midnight Christmas service was due to start. In he walked, a mountain of a man with Tattoos on his arms, a big bushy beard, and a leather jacket with patches on it. This man was obviously a biker and I’d heard all sort of stories about bikers. Had he come to cause trouble? Was he here to escape detection by the police? Should I got up to him or leave him alone?
These questions revealed more about the state of my heart than they did about this man. He sat through the whole service, prayed diligently and sang the Christmas carols with a mighty voice. He came up for communion and as the service ended he came up to the door and shook my hand. Now I could see the patches on his jacket which read ‘God’s Squad’. God’s Squad is a Christian Motorcycle Club. Members dedicate their lives to sharing the Gospel with other bikies. Here was a brother in Christ who I should have welcomed with open trust but had instead treated with judgement and skepticism.
When Saul travelled to Jerusalem, he had a bounty on his head. His former friends wanted to kill him and the Christians in the city didn’t trust him. Thankfully Barnabas stepped up, took a risk, and the rest is history. As Christians we need to cross over well marked social battle lines and welcome people into our community. No one is beyond God’s reach and we need to be willing to take risks and welcome others into God’s Kingdom. The early church lived in fear of the Lord and no one else. That’s why it thrived off the encouragement of the Holy Spirit and increased in numbers. DB
QuestionsWho first crossed over the line and took a risk in welcoming Saul? How do you think Paul would have felt after persecuting so many Christians?
How can you challenge yourself and step out in faith and welcome someone into your church family this week?
Father forgive us for condemning others in our hearts. Help us to remember that no one is beyond your mercy and grace. Help to reach out with your Gospel of grace and step over social battle lines to love and welcome others. Amen.
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By St Bart's Anglican ChurchIt was late and the midnight Christmas service was due to start. In he walked, a mountain of a man with Tattoos on his arms, a big bushy beard, and a leather jacket with patches on it. This man was obviously a biker and I’d heard all sort of stories about bikers. Had he come to cause trouble? Was he here to escape detection by the police? Should I got up to him or leave him alone?
These questions revealed more about the state of my heart than they did about this man. He sat through the whole service, prayed diligently and sang the Christmas carols with a mighty voice. He came up for communion and as the service ended he came up to the door and shook my hand. Now I could see the patches on his jacket which read ‘God’s Squad’. God’s Squad is a Christian Motorcycle Club. Members dedicate their lives to sharing the Gospel with other bikies. Here was a brother in Christ who I should have welcomed with open trust but had instead treated with judgement and skepticism.
When Saul travelled to Jerusalem, he had a bounty on his head. His former friends wanted to kill him and the Christians in the city didn’t trust him. Thankfully Barnabas stepped up, took a risk, and the rest is history. As Christians we need to cross over well marked social battle lines and welcome people into our community. No one is beyond God’s reach and we need to be willing to take risks and welcome others into God’s Kingdom. The early church lived in fear of the Lord and no one else. That’s why it thrived off the encouragement of the Holy Spirit and increased in numbers. DB
QuestionsWho first crossed over the line and took a risk in welcoming Saul? How do you think Paul would have felt after persecuting so many Christians?
How can you challenge yourself and step out in faith and welcome someone into your church family this week?
Father forgive us for condemning others in our hearts. Help us to remember that no one is beyond your mercy and grace. Help to reach out with your Gospel of grace and step over social battle lines to love and welcome others. Amen.