Romans 3:3-4

If some of them were unfaithful to their commission, does their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness?

Certainly not! Let God be true, and every human being false!

One of my favorite stories comes toward the beginning of The Last Battle—book seven of The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. An ape and a donkey find a lion skin and get the idea to impersonate Aslan, the great Lion and Creator of Narnia. From a distance they are able to fool people into thinking the donkey is Aslan, and they command some reverence and mess some things up. Once their ruse is found out, many people disbelieve that the real Aslan even exists. The donkey cannot believe that just because he pretended to be Aslan that people would stop disbelieving that Aslan was real.

This is a great part two to yesterday’s Ripple. We looked at making sure we are practicing what we preach, not contributing to others’ turning away from faith in Christ.

Here is the other side.

Just because some people who claim to be followers of Jesus do not live up to that calling, does not mean for one second that Jesus is not real or good or powerful or love incarnate.

The unfaithfulness of humans does not nullify the faithfulness of God.

Looking to people to see God will disappoint…a LOT. It does not mean we cannot or do not see God shining through humans. We can all the time. But we must start with God as Jesus showed God to be, and not start with human behavior and then project that on to God.

I’ve often said that is about as ridiculous as saying Martin Luther King was all about violence just because a bunch of people wearing MLK t-shirts go around beating people up. That horrible display would not redefine who King was or what he stood for and did.

God is God, even if every human being turns against Him and acts contrary to His character.

Jesus shows us God perfectly. No one else.

Romans 2:17-24

Well then: if you’re going to teach someone else, aren’t you going to teach yourself? If you say people shouldn’t steal, do you steal? If you say people shouldn’t commit adultery, do you commit adultery?

This is what the Bible says: “Because of you, God’s name is blasphemed among the nations!”

I was at this church planting forum last week, and the final presenter shared that young people are leaving the evangelical faith of their parents in record numbers. One of the main reasons given is seeing so many people proclaiming faith in Christ whose day-to-day lives resemble nothing like what they profess to believe in.

When we fail to live out what we say we believe in, we not only fail to be a light for Christ, but we contribute to turning people away from Christ.

Now this is not to put undue pressure on us, for it is ultimately up to the person to seek God from their heart. But perhaps we do need some healthy pressure to be for real in what we claim. To examine ourselves to see if we really do believe what we say we believe, or even what we think we believe.

One of the many not-so-obvious sins I’ve personally witnessed as especially destructive is gossip. Incessant, unnecessary, virulent talk about others causes loathsome relational destruction. Scripture is beyond clear and plentiful with regard to this evil. It should not be present among us who believe in and follow Jesus.

Romans 1:16

I’m not ashamed of the Good News; it’s God’s power, bringing salvation to everyone who believes…

The Gospel of Jesus Christ—His death, burial, and resurrection putting us in right relationship with God, restoring us in the image of God–is nothing to be ashamed of.

It’s not some unrealistic proposition we need to defend like a nervous salesperson who is not sure their product really works.

A comparison that comes to mind for me is chiropractic care. I’ve been going to a fantastic chiropractor, Dr. Mike, for over ten years now. I know what many people think of chiropractors, the skepticism, the dismissal, even the ill thoughts and verbal proclamations against them.

But guess what. I DON’T CARE. I don’t give a single thought to what “they” say. At all.

Why? Because I not only placed faith in chiropractic care, I’ve experienced it, and my body has benefitted because of it. I can’t tell you how many injuries and what not I’ve healed from in record time due to this kind of treatment. One such example is when I had something called “frozen shoulder” in 2016. Dr. Mike proposed a 12 week plan, and I admit I was a bit skeptical because I hurt so badly and had very limited movement in my left shoulder. But I followed the plan in every detail, and healed to the point that I can’t even tell I ever had an issue with that shoulder before.

I have placed my faith in Jesus Christ, and have experienced His real presence, His ultimate reality, His inner healing. So go ahead, world, make fun, say it’s made up. I know better, and therefore, am not ashamed of what I know to be truth, and the very real person responsible for my existence who loves me to the point of dying for me to place me in good standing with the Creator of the universe.

Acts 28:30-31

And he [Paul] remained a whole two years in his own rented lodgings and received all who came to him, Proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching the things concerning Jesus the Anointed, with all boldness and without hindrance.

This is how The Acts of the Apostles ends.

I can’t say how good it has been for me to go through this work chapter by chapter these past five weeks. I’ve been greatly encouraged and picked up so very much.

To put a little bow on it, there’s just a few things to share.

The hero of this volume is the Holy Spirit, carrying out the mission of the Kingdom of God which Jesus Christ inaugurated, bringing it to more reality through all those who would believe, working the miraculous via those who open themselves up to this powerful force of God and allow it to flow through them out into the world.

This is still true today, for me and you.

The ending of Acts seems a bit abrupt, not telling us Paul’s fate, but this is the way it had to end. I leave you with more highlights from William Willimon’s commentary which has meant so much to me during this study…

We have observed the church proclaiming those mighty works despite every hindrance and every obstacle.

While in no way denying the real challenges the gospel must overcome, as well as the real suffering believers must endure, Acts is determined to encourage Theophilus by telling the positive story of the forward advance of God’s truth.

The stories of success—stories a persecuted, despondent church needs to hear—abound in Acts.

Acts must close in an open-ended fashion, with the door still open for work and witness rather than closed by death, because the Spirit is still active. Luke is not simply writing history. He writes the story of the Spirit, the Spirit incarnate in people like you and me.

Now, nearly two millennia after Luke wrote to Theophilus, Acts reminds us that despite rejection, persecutions, setbacks, and our own lethargy or cowardice the gospel proclamation continues to the very end of the earth, by God’s grace, unhindered.

Acts 28:24

Some were persuaded by what he said, and others did not believe.

Unbelief is a mystery to those who believe.

How can you not see the Light which is so obvious?

But some are simply closed off, “unable” to see or to hear. Perhaps because they have too many other things to lean on.

So “we must rejoice in those who do believe, and allow the mystery to remain a mystery, hidden somehow in the inscrutable purposes of God”. *

Many people who do listen do so not necessarily because they are more perceptive, and definitely not because they are better people, but because they have nowhere else to go. For one reason or another, they have arrived at a place in which they see no possible way out (salvation) than the reality of God and surrender to Him.

They have realized, in actuality, that there is no other hope than God. Perhaps they have exhausted their money, or burnt all their bridges with people, or been failed so many times by people, or they’ve lost their physical prowess in some form…but the truly accepting and believing person knows there is nothing good apart from God, and therefore, they have seen and heard God, and are now the most hopeful people in the world.

Do not be discouraged by those who do not believe, but rather pray that the eyes and ears of their heart will be opened, so that seeing they may believe, and hearing they will have faith in the One who loves us and gave Himself for us.

Acts 27:1,3

When it was decided that we should sail to Italy, they handed Paul over, along with some other prisoners, to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Cohort.

Julius was kind to Paul, and allowed him to go to his friends to be cared for.

One of the many aspects I love about the Bible is its vulnerable honesty. The writers don’t seem to be spinning everything the way they wish things to look so that it’s all squeaky clean. And that’s part of what makes it so believable to me.

How many stories are there of God’s people screwing up big time? The church since the earliest days had problems. We know this because they’re included in the New Testament Canon, not hidden away!

And there’s those individual stories of goodness happening even within the ranks of the “bad guys”—those opposed to God’s people and plan.

Here toward the end of Acts, we have this short account of a centurion who is named, and told of his kindness toward our evangelist Paul. The Roman Empire was not exactly known for its wonderful kindness and benevolence. But here we have yet another centurion story of a good man. It is quite possible that Julius heard Paul’s case and defense, and believed in his innocence, trusted he was a man of integrity. He treated Paul as a gentleman.

Accounts such as these inspire my faith in Christ and encourage me in the example of Christians truly filled with the Spirit of God. This writer took the time to single out and name this soldier of an occupying army. The New Testament doesn’t go on and on about how big of jack holes the Romans were. Instead, it singles out a few kind humans within the empire, and honors them.

May we always be looking for the light shining in others, no matter where they’re from or who they’re with, showing the world our good eye for what is noble and kind.

Acts 26

Yesterday, I had the undeserved privilege of attending a church planting forum under the organization Lausanne. I can’t tell you how encouraging it was to be around these other Christ-Followers heading in the same unified direction. I even met a guy whose title is “Director of Prayer” for his organization. We hit it off. We’re going to pray together whenever I’m up his way (about an hour north of here).

I’m so thankful. My heart is full.

The last session was about sharing our faith and the fact that Jesus is the Son of God. I wasn’t sure exactly how I felt about the presentation—not bad, mind you, just unsure. Then last night, the Spirit led me to read William Willimon’s commentary on Acts 26, and it gave me chills how specifically it spoke to my wrestlings. The Holy Spirit is so real and active and intimate if we just open ourselves to her.

I want to share what I highlighted from Willimon on this chapter:

Although Paul’s defense has objective content—something has happened to him to which he must be obedient—his technique for delivering his defense is a subjective account of personal experience.

…there can be no doubt that Luke believes that a personal experience of the risen Christ is the bedrock upon which faithful witness is built…there can be no denying that the witness of Paul, as we encounter it in Acts, is driven by the power of personal experience.

Until the fact of the risen Christ becomes part of our lives, something motivating and empowering us, we have little to say, even if we know the facts.

A contemporary communicator of the Christian faith (which should include everyone in the church) would do well to ponder Paul’s species in Acts 22 and Acts 26 as models of Christian testimonial.

Acts 25:18-19

“But the accusations made against him [Paul] weren’t any of the crimes I expected.

Instead, it was something about their religion and a dead man named Jesus, who Paul insists is alive.”

~Porcius Festus, governor of Palestine

May our speech never be such in which it communicates that Jesus of Nazareth is a dead guy of the past. But rather that he is a powerful Presence now, alive and well.

May indeed our very lives portray that Jesus is alive and reigning with the Father and Holy Spirit.

May our bodies be vessels through which flows freely the Holy Spirit so that those around us witness Jesus’ Life active in the world here and now.

Acts 24:16

For that reason I make it my settled aim always to have a clear conscience before God and all people.

The language here is that Paul “takes great pains” to have a clear conscience before God and people.

I’ve been thinking of this a lot this week in my own prayer of examination at the end of each day, going through all the WHYs of everything I’ve done and thought throughout the day. It can be daunting for sure, yet mercifully liberating.

As followers of Christ, it is our aim to take on the mind of Christ—to more and more think the way Jesus actually thinks. This, I believe, is to become purer and purer in heart, seeing God, others, and even ourselves, ever more clearly through the lens of God’s love.

I believe we can get to the point in which our first and dominating thought that goes through our head in every personal encounter is our desire for and the seeking to bring about the ultimate good for the person in front of us, no matter what.

This mindset will not be attained without taking great pains to rigorously examine one’s motives, conscience, actions, thought life…

If it is not your settled aim to have a clear conscience before God, and a pure heart toward all people, then the chances of it happening are extremely small.

Even Paul, who was pretty literally “zapped by the Light”, had to work diligently, intentionally to put on the mind of Christ. Yes, the Holy Spirit will assist us in this, but typically does not do all the work for us.

Here is another example of the prayer of examination.

Acts 23:1

Paul looked hard at the Sanhedrin [Jewish council].

“My brothers,” he said, “I have conducted myself before God in a completely good conscience all my life up to this day.”

The apostle Paul, as we shall see more in the next chapter, took great pains to examine his own conscience. He is very clear that he has a very clear conscience before God, and people.

How could he say this?

Well, he obviously took the time to examine himself. He had to have sat and reflected on his decisions, his actions, his thoughts–toward God and toward people–and confessed to God that which was not pure before Him, trusting in His merciful forgiveness, and thanking God for all that he had done and thought in purity of heart.

For years, I’ve advocated that if you do just one spiritual practice, the prayer of examination is a foundational one. For one, it is prayer—it is time with God in conversation, review, request, and gratitude. Five to fifteen minutes a day with God in this manner will change your life, and literally rewire your brain in the process as we now know through science.

How wonderful it is to sleep peacefully at night knowing you have done what you could this day after reviewing your day with God, examining your “whys” with Him, confessing, receiving forgiveness, thanking, resting.

Reminds me of the Emerson quote we have on our fridge:

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.

See an example of a prayer of examination here.

It’s interesting to note that Paul could have a clean conscience before God for his whole life as his life before conversion consisted of imprisoning and killing Christians for God’s sake. But he not only undoubtedly confessed it & repented of it, he also knew that he always acted out of zeal for God—even committing misguided heinous acts.