Heart Meditations

He isn’t really risen from the dead but I hoped that would get your attention.  Now that your here find out what this has to do with the rest of the post.

Scripture – Acts4:14-18  “But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. 15 But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, 16 saying, “What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17 But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.” 18 So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.”

Observation – The phrase ‘In order that it spread no further among the people’ stood out to me.

Application – At first I was wondering why would these religious leaders would not want this wonderful news about Jesus to spread among the people?  I was just about to get on my Spiritual high horse and go charging off into the sunset when the Spirit arrested my attention and showed me my own hypocrisy.

I come to this story as someone who believes in Jesus Christ, who believes that Jesus is God revealed in human form.  I believe that He rose from the dead and is coming again.  I believe that those who put their faith in Him will be saved. I have experienced the peace and forgiveness that comes from Jesus and have had innumerable prayers answered by faith in His name.  However to these religious leaders Jesus was none of these things.  He was a rabble rouser and a blasphemer.  He came from a dubious family background and he taught things that were not orthodox.   He had been executed because of his false teachings (aren’t you glad this is not an option available to your local church board), and now his disciples were peddling the lie that he had risen from the dead. I realise now, that to the religious leaders Jesus must have felt more like David Koresh, than the Son of David.

Put yourself in the place of those religious leaders.  Can you imagine if after that terrible tragedy in Waco Texas, some of the followers of David Koresh started showing up at your local church and teaching people that David Koresh was indeed the true Son of God and that He had been resurrected and had given them special spiritual powers?!  Can you imagine how you might feel to see members of your local church, that you love, people to whom you have given your time and even your money believing these lies.  Friends who you have prayed for and cried with,  suddenly caught up in this madness, selling all their possessions, and joining up with this new movement?  Wouldn’t it make you steaming mad that they came to your church to recruit?! If they were going to the unchurched, to the ‘gentiles’ that would be one thing but they are specifically targeting your church and stealing sheep!

Imagine you held meetings with them and told them to stop teaching their new strange doctrine but they didn’t.  Now a very respected member of your denomination has said the best thing to do is to ignore it and let it die down.  They have suggested just starving them of attention and they will soon leave, unless of course they are from God.  Then to make matters worse this new group go and heal one of your church members.  A person who had been on the fringes of your church for as long as anyone could remember, who had serve disabilities.  This person who has faithfully attended but been unchanged by all of your years of ministry.  That person suddenly comes alive and is leaping and jumping and praising God.  When questioned about it the two cult members declared that it was the power in the name of the resurrected David Koresh that had healed this man?  Now can you understand why these religious leaders didn’t want news of this miracle spreading?  Now can you understand their immediate reaction was to deny anything miraculous connected to Jesus and if they couldn’t deny it to just not talk about it.

I wonder whether I take a similar approach in my religious leadership?  Am I more likely to deny the possibility of the miraculous when it isn’t affiliated to the ‘right church or denomination’?  Do I believe our church has a monopoly on the Holy Spirit?  I am learning that I should not lead out of fear.  If God is genuinely showing up in the lives of my members through a source other than myself I should not try to keep them from that.

I also realise that I need to be more understanding of people who might feel threatened by me.  To be completely transparent, growing up as a Seventh-day Adventist Christian I was acutely aware that to many other Christians my denomination was considered to be at best heterodox and at worst a cult.  I have had people assume I am a legalist or worse still, that I worship a false prophet inspired by Satan.  Googling my Church’s name brings up a real mixed bag of results.  However I know that God has called for me to be where I am and I have seen the Spirit move powerfully in the Seventh-day Adventist Church and at times even through my ministry.  I can not deny what I have seen or heard even if it does make others uncomfortable, neither can I stop fulfilling my call for fear of opposition.

I must be open to God working through others while accepting the fact that others may not see God working through me.

Prayer – Lord, faith in you is a complicated thing.  We humans are so blind, so afraid.  Give us faith in you, that you will not lead us astray.  I recognise that there are a diversity of religions in this world. Father even within Christianity we at times believe different and sometimes even contradictory things about you.  This whole world is in need of a greater Revelation of You.  Lord the Bible says that you love the world, help me not to limit the world to those who look like, think like, believe like, worship like me.  Help me to expect you to be active among all peoples, all religions, all denominations, even those who profess to have no faith.  Help me to test all things and hold onto what is good.  Help me not to be ashamed of what you have given me and the Church that has nurtured my faith in You.  Bring unity to Your world, true unity, not just plurality but unity.

In the name of Jesus, Amen.