The church of Christ on McDermott Road

A crowd can be fickle. One moment they love you, the next moment they are trying to kill you.  That’s exactly what happened to Paul and Barnabas in Lystra. The people of Lystra worshiped the missionaries as “gods” when they first arrived. But after some provocation, the crowd turned into an angry mob who tried to execute Paul by stoning him. When crowds turn on us today, how will we respond? Will we return insult for insult and injury for injury? Or will we remember the encouraging words of Paul after he was stoned, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God”? (Scripture: Acts 14:19-22)

There was an amazing response to the Gospel amongst the Jewish people of Antioch in Pisidia. However, the Jewish leadership there was “filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him.” But this rejection did not stop the mission. In fact, the rejection amongst the Jewish people led to an opportunity with the Gentiles. The church should never be surprised when we encounter opposition and rejection. We should expect this is going to happen. When it does, we should be confident that every rejection is likely accompanied by an opportunity.  (Scripture: Acts 13:44-49)

While Paul and Barnabas were preaching on the island of Cyprus, they had the opportunity to share the Good News with the governor, but Bar-Jesus (a magician and “Jewish false prophet”) opposed them. In one of the strongest statements of Acts, Paul said to Bar-Jesus, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?” The church must be able to recognize and call out false teaching that blinds people to the truth of the Gospel. We must speak truth and trust that the truth will always prevail against lies.  (Scripture: Acts 13:6-12)

Herod Agrippa violently persecuted the church. He executed the apostle James. He also arrested and intended to kill Peter. He did all of this in order to curry favor with Judean leadership. He was a shrewd and cunning politician, motivated by an insatiable appetite for power and control. But the Lord rescued Peter from prison and ended Herod’s arrogant reign of terror. When the church is persecuted by power-hungry political leaders, the answer is not to give allegiance to rival leaders, but to give our allegiance to King Jesus and trust him. (Scripture: Acts 12:20-24)

Though the Jerusalem church accepted (in theory) the idea that God had granted repentance to the Gentiles, a truly multi-ethnic congregation wasn’t formed until the Good News came to the city of Antioch. This was a city with populations of various ethnic groups. Ethnic groups stayed mostly to themselves and tensions ran deep. But the Good News of Jesus began to change all of that. People of various ethnicities began to embrace each other as siblings. Outsiders probably didn’t know what to call this new multi-ethnic group, so they ended up called them “Christians.” (Acts 11:19-26)

After the events in Joppa and Caesarea, Peter returned to Jerusalem to receive less than a warm welcome. People were angry and critical because news had gotten out that he had shared meals with uncircumcised people. Peter related to them the entire story. Soon, the criticism turned to celebration. The people realized that a multi-ethnic church wasn’t Peter’s idea, but God’s idea. God is absolutely determined for ethnic walls to be torn down and to form one redeemed family. And if this is God’s doing, who are are we to, “stand in God’s way?” (Scripture: Acts 11:15-18)

When Peter preached the Good News about Jesus to Cornelius’ household, “the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word.” Even after all that Peter heard and experienced, he was still amazed that God would give the gift of the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles. Ethnocentrism, the idea that a particular ethnic group is better or more deserving than others, is hard to overcome. Sadly, this would not be the last time Peter struggled with ethnocentrism. Through it all, God would continue to condemn ethnic prejudice and pride, by showing the church that the gift of the Holy Spirit is for people of every nation, tribe, and language. (Scripture: Acts 10:44-48)

While God was working in the life of Cornelius, he was also working in the life of the apostle Peter. While Peter was staying the city of Joppa, God showed Peter a vision. Peter saw all kinds of animals, many of which the Jewish people considered common or unclean. The Lord told Peter to kill and eat these animals. This command was abhorrent to Peter’s ethnic sensibilities. So, he argued with the Lord. When he woke from the vision, it soon became clear that the vision wasn’t about what to eat, but about the people with whom he should be willing to eat. God was calling Peter to make room at his table for a multi-ethnic family. (Scripture: Acts 10:9-16)

Rome was the latest in a long line of foreign powers to dominate, control, and oppress the Jewish people. Around 39 BC, the Romans crowned “Herod the Great” as king of Judaea and sent him to control and tax the Jewish people. Among Herod’s many building projects was the city of Caesarea; which was intended to highlight his greatness and the greatness of the emperor, Caesar Augustus. Many years later, there was a Roman centurion named Cornelius, stationed in the city of Caesarea. Shockingly, though he was Roman soldier, he worshiped the God of Israel. God heard his prayers and remembered his generosity. And his story set in motion a series of events that would deeply challenge ethnic prejudices and begin to fulfill God’s vision for a multi-ethnic church. (Scripture: Acts 10:1-4)

Jesus cares about the whole person, not just their disembodied spirit. Every time a human body is healed in the book of Acts, it points forward to the redemption of our mortal body on the Day of Christ. This should tell us how much God values our bodies and how we ought to reject any philosophy or doctrine that devalues the human body. (Acts 9:36-42)