The book of Acts is exciting on so many levels but mainly because we get a glimpse of the early church trying to figure out what to do when Jesus is no longer physically with them. When Jesus was around, being the church seemed a little easier. Conflict resolution often ended when problems or disagreements were brought to Jesus attention, he would quote scripture or provide divine insight and that was the end of that. But now that Jesus is no longer physically present, the disciples, apostles, and early converts were trying to figure out how to be the church in a new era. They did not always agree. But as we will see, the Holy Spirit works through disagreements as well.

The entire chapter of Acts 15 is about disagreement. First there is disagreement on whether or not gentile converts should be circumcised in order to be saved and late in the chapter, disagreement between Barnabas and Paul on taking John Mark with them on mission.

There are a few things to take note of in this chapter as we see the events unfold. First (as throughout the book of Acts), there is always an account of the work of the Holy Spirit through individuals. Paul and Barnabas have returned to Antioch to find that some believers have been teaching the exact opposite of what they have preached. Paul and Barnabas have gone to great lengths to make sure that the gentiles (non jews) understood that they were accepted as members of the body of Christ because they have received the Holy Spirit. This became an issue for many of the Jewish converts because they still believed that the restoration of Israel was part of the work of the early church and they understood Christianity to be a new sect of Judaism. The disagreement is resolved after going to Jerusalem and meeting with the Apostles and elders. We cannot escape the magnitude of this resolution. If this had been decided differently, what would have happened to the church? Maybe more important though, we get a great glimpse of the church at work in deciding over issues of conflict and how these conflicts are managed. The process for discernment was not left to one individual but rather was discussed and developed through a council of elders and apostles. Brilliant! “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us….”(Acts 15:28) This is an important aspect to how the church went about making decisions.

However, at the end of this chapter we see a sharp disagreement between Paul and Barnabas as they plan to “go back to visit each city in which they had previously preached.” (Acts 15:36) In discussing who their missionary partners would be, Barnabas includes John Mark, who had joined them on their first missionary journey (Acts 13). Paul disagrees with Barnabas’ suggestion of John Mark because John Mark had left to go back to Jerusalem in the middle of their last mission. We are unsure of why he returned to Jerusalem but enough can be inferred from the texts that Paul claims he is unfit for missionary work. Because of this disagreement, Paul takes Silas and heads to Syria and Cilicia while Barnabas and John Mark head to Cyprus. Yet we can see the Holy Spirit at work in the midst of this disagreement because the Gospel of Jesus Christ travels twice as far as what Barnabas and Paul had agreed to do in their next efforts by traveling back to all the churches they have already begun.

In the 16th chapter of Acts we experience what happens to Paul as the Holy Spirit prevents Paul and Silas from preaching in the province of Asia at that time. In attempting to go from place to place, Paul and Silas are directed by the Holy Spirit even if they are unaware of it. The Spirit continues to say no at their own leading until Paul has a vision to go to Macedonia. This leading would provoke God to use them in strange places to preach the Gospel of Jesus to places that might have been impossible in their own doing. From there Paul and Silas meet a woman whose heart was opened by the Spirit to receive their teaching, baptized her and her family, heal a demon possessed woman, get thrown in jail, set free by an earthquake, stop the jailer from killing himself and baptized his entire family. All in a days work.

Following their time in Macedonia and Thessalonica, Paul and Silas begin preaching in Athens. In a remarkable use of Paul’s gifts, God makes a way to make known to a the philosophers and debaters of that age, “the God that created the world and gives everything life and breath.” (Acts 17:24-26) While preaching about Jesus in the public places, Paul is requested to defend himself in front of the high council of Athens. It is here that Paul uses one of the Athenians own proclamations of a shrine that read “to an unknown God” as an opportunity to share the truth about the living God. Something Paul had personal experience of and was called for this very purpose.

In reflecting on these passages form Acts we may consider the similarities of the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of individuals and the 1st century church and the work of the Holy Spirit in our own lives and the church of the 21st Century. The church of the 1st century was riddled with conflict on several issues, yet this church managed to grow because of their work through disagreements. Even Paul and Barnabas, the two great missionaries of the 1st Century carried the message of Jesus twice as far because they disagreed over taking John Mark with them. Remember their plan was to go back and meet with believers who already knew the message and hope of salvation. Paul experienced the joy and difficulty of when God says no. Yet that very no led to an amazing testimony and changed the lives of several. And creative Paul was in using something from the culture in which he was preaching to bring about the reality of the living God that he was preaching.

 Questions to consider:

• How do you manage conflict in your life? In your vocation?

• Can the Holy Spirit work a greater purpose through a disagreement?

• When have you experienced God’s ‘no’ to your own plans for your life?

• How can you use common culture to share the Good News of Jesus?

Disagreement, Dissent and Depositions {Acts 15-18} is a post from: Lutheran Grilled Cheese. Thanks for checking it out! More cheesy goodness is coming your way soon!

If you like a nice peaceful story, Acts 12-14 are definitely not for you. Full of murder, and violence, yet still the undertone of Jesus present in our lives.

A brief overview.

First we start with chapter 12 — James is Killed by Herod’s violence, Peter is put in jail, yet God brings Peter to freedom. After going to May’s house, he stood and knocked until someone recognized his voice allowing him access (see voice print isn’t a new invention). We also hear of the soldiers who were guarding Peter were put to death by Herod, so Peter could escape, a parallel to Paul? Shortly after this Herod dies for not giving glory to God.

Chapter 13 turns from the violence to commissioning and the power of God against those who were false prophets. Paul and Barnabas also start traveling to share the history, lineage, and salvific voice of God through Jesus.

Chapter 14 is a short travel log of where Paul and Barnabas went and what they did in various places. It also lays groundwork for missionary work, eluding to the setting up of churches, laying on of hands, prayer and fasting, and leaving these elders in leadership. After they finished they returned to Antioch to be fed and to rest.

I think these Acts 12-14 offer us great opportunity to see God’s action at work, to build up the church, and to help us see the importance of sharing God’s message in the world. Paul and Barnabas were not sent out to start churches, or for mission starts rather they willingly went out to proclaim God’s word, and the churches started as a result of their proclamation of God’s word.

This section of Acts also allows us to see the need to return to wherever gives us rest, and respite, and peace, that our ministry cannot encompass our entire lives. We all know the signs and the symptoms of “burnout” however many times we just push through.  But there needs to be a time for rest.  Acts chapter 14 Luke writes “When they arrived, they called the church together and related all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith for the Gentiles. And they stayed there with the disciples for some time.”  Through the Gospel’s and Genesis, we overlook, neglect, or ignore, the important part of our ministry which is that we ourselves need to rest and to be fed by God’s word.

Violence and Rest {Acts 12-14} is a post from: Lutheran Grilled Cheese. Thanks for checking it out! More cheesy goodness is coming your way soon!

This Sunday, Lutheran churches (as well as other churches) will celebrate Pentecost Sunday. It is a day where the church celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit to the Jewish people in the beginning of Acts. It is a familiar passage in the beginning of Acts, but most people do not remember that this is not the only Pentecost that happens in Acts.

Before the Ascension, Jesus’ gives the disciples the charge to go into the world to baptize, teach, and preach from Judea to Jerusalem to the ends of the Earth. The book of Acts moves in the same exact sense, hence multiple Pentecost happenings. The first was for the Jewish people and in Acts 10, we get the Pentecost for the Gentiles with the narrative of Peter and Cornelius.

The fact that Gentiles were to be included into this new church was mind blowing to Peter, so much so that in the vision he receives from God, he argues against what he is to do. Read that again. Peter ARGUES WITH GOD! He doesn’t do this just once and done, but rather 3 times, he argues about what God is commanding him to do. You would think after the last three time questioning, Peter would have learned his lesson. But, Peter has some gusto, you gotta give him that.

Peter learns about Cornelius having a similar vision as he has had and as Peter is teaching about Christ, the Holy Spirit descends choosing Cornelius and his family and household as fellow Christians. What is interesting to note in this passage is that there is no repentance of sin or anything like that in this passage (nor the Eunich passage for that matter), so if you get someone saying you MUST have repentance before Baptism, just show them the Cornelius passage and remind them the Holy Spirit chooses, not man.

Thinking everyone will be excited by the news, Peter heads back to share, but is immediately criticized. Yes, hear that again. Instead of being happy that the church has now reached a whole new population, the Jewish followers are angry at Peter that the Spirit would let them in. How many times as a church do we act more like the ones complaining rather than the ones who rejoice when the Holy Spirit chooses new people to belong to the people of God?

The church continues to spread in spite of the persecution that the church faces. Peter is arrested and then comes one of the funnier passages in Acts in my opinion.

As the church prays for Peter’s release, their prayers are answered with an angel. Peter is released from jail and is on the lamb. He runs to Mark’s mother’s house (the introduction of Mark BTW) and Rhoda is so glad to see Peter that she leaves Peter outside of the gates while those on the inside argue whether or not a miracle has occurred. I always imagine the scene with Peter sneaking through the shadows, ducking in and out of alleys, knocking on the gate, feeling relief, and then realizes he has just been left outside! “Uh guys, this isn’t funny. Romans are trying to KILL me. How about you open the door, NOW.” Funny stuff.

Now comes a passage that people may look over, but Luke is really sticking it to Herod. Luke is known for recording speeches. Acts is full of speeches. Yet, when Herod speaks, nothing. Luke doesn’t even bother to record his words. He is supposed to be the head honcho big time man, but Luke leaves him no honor in his death. Luke chooses to say Herod speak and dies and is eaten by worms. Awesome! No love for Herod because he was a pretender to God and was not God.

As I read these passages, questions that come to mind are:

1. How often does the church argue over miracles rather than just rejoicing in them?

2. Do we see that the Holy Spirit chooses the people of God or do we still think we have a hand in that choice?

3. Are you still surprised by all that God does?

The Other Pentecost {Acts 10-12} is a post from: Lutheran Grilled Cheese. Thanks for checking it out! More cheesy goodness is coming your way soon!

 
Persecution is good for the Church! The message of Jesus Christ has always flourished in places where people are hurting the most. In the former Soviet Union Christianity grew underground despite persecution. In Romania, for example, the Lutheran Church was severely persecuted for their faith. People were taken from their homes in the middle of the night and threatened with death if they did not denounce their Christian faith. However, the Church survived and grew underground. Now upon leaving worship they greet the pastor with the words, “A mighty fortress is our God.” Having lived under tyrannical rule they have experienced firsthand the power of God in their lives. One could make the argument that the demise of Christianity is that it became officially part of the empire with Constantine’s conversion. Once Christianity is co-opted into the power structures of the world it ceases to be a place for the least among us.
 
In Acts 8 it is persecution that begins the Church’s evangelical mission beyond Jerusalem. “That day severe persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostle were scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria.” From here we pick up the story of one of those evangelists, Philip. We see through his story how the church, driven by the Holy Spirit, is being called to the wider world. Every movement is away from being just a church of Jewish Christians in Jerusalem to a Church on the move. The power of the message of Jesus Christ is converting hearts. It is moving people away from magic and exclusion to the kingdom of God.
 
I wonder what the people who belonged to the church in Jerusalem felt about the persecution. They must have been terrified. We are told that Saul (Not yet converted to Paul) was “ravaging the church by entering house after house; dragging off both men and women. My guess is they were wondering why this was happening to them. They did not understand why God had left them to die or be thrown in prison? It must have been a bleak time for the church. And yet God was at work in ways that they could not see or understand. God was on the move. And through this persecution God was doing a new thing. God was moving them out into the world and in doing was converting the church.
 
The evangelism stories of Philip center around two stories. One is Philip’s confrontation with a man named Simon who was wowing everyone in town with his magic tricks. Philip confronts him with the real God who does not win us over with magic, but with good news of the kingdom of God. We can see all the time that sometimes we prefer the magic trick to the real good news. I think of all the people on television selling us “true happiness” or “fulfillment” if we only buy their product. Philip draws us back to the real truth that it is the good news of Jesus Christ that brings real lasting happiness, not the snake oil salesmen. This is confirmed when Simon tries to buy his way into the Holy Spirit. Peter (who comes to Samaria to see what God was doing through Philip) is clear that money cannot buy God’s gifts they are freely given! We can’t buy God’s love and it is not magic. It is simply the free gift given through the Holy Spirit. It is there for all.
 
This is confirmed in the Spirit’s moving of Philip to a wilderness road where he meets a eunuch who is reading from the prophet Isaiah. Just to review, a eunuch is someone who was castrated at an early age, and their sexual orientation is appeared to have changed. It is forbidden for a eunuch to enter the temple. (“No one whose testicles are crushed or whose penis is cut off shall be admitted to the assembly of the Lord.” Deuteronomy 23:1) The Eunuch is someone who is excluded from the rites and ceremonies of the people of God. The exchange between him and Philip is interesting for many reasons. One is that the eunuch needs help with interpretation. Reading and meditating on the text by himself is not enough for understanding. I would agree that we cannot understand the Bible by ourselves in isolation from the community. At Bible study people often say to me, “Pastor how are we supposed to know what this means?” My response is always that is why we are in Bible study to interpret and understand what the text is saying to us. Outside of the community of God is hard to know what the text is saying.
 
The other interesting part of this is that the eunuch’s inclusion (through an impromptu baptism by the river), the inclusion of the Samaritans, and eventually Paul’s mission to the Gentiles all serve as the fertile ground of the church. As Nadia Bolts Weber (The pastor of All Saints and Sinners in Denver, Colorado) preached this is not the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch. This is about the conversion of the Church. It is about how we, the supposed insiders, are constantly being converted by the outsiders, those about to hear the good news. Acts 8 is about the ever widening scope of the church and its mission.
 
Of course the church in the United State of America in 2012 is not being persecuted. But we can all agree that there is a seismic shift going on in the Church. Some people are scared. Some people are wondering why God has abandoned us. Some people believe that these are bleak times for the church. Acts 8 teaches us that when things look at the worst God is really just moving us to a new place. God is forcing us out of our comfort zones into uncharted territory. God is converting us to hear the good news again. God is challenging us to confront theologies of magic, and the idea that money can buy us anything worthwhile in this world. God in this time and place is on the move and forcing us to go with God into places that widen the mission and ministry of the Church. Thank God for persecution!

Persecution is good for the Church {Acts 8-11} is a post from: Lutheran Grilled Cheese. Thanks for checking it out! More cheesy goodness is coming your way soon!

The church council in the Lutheran church acts like a board of directors.  They are elected by the congregation to serve as the governing body of the church.  There is an executive team that runs meetings and sets the tone of the council.

When you talk with a pastor about their church council you will get one of three responses.  The first is someone telling you how wonderful and active their council members are.  They will tell the wonderful ministry that the church is doing and how the council has stepped up to take responsiblity for the ministry of the church.  Usually this pastor is either lying or exaggerating the truth (I am sure their council is really doing well but maybe not THAT well).

The second response is a lukewarm response.  This is the pastor that say that there are some good things happening but there are some issues too.  This is where I feel most pastors and churches are.

The third is the pastor who has nothing good to say about their council.  They are frustrated with the leadership and they either are counting down the days until another one is elected or they are ready to get out-of-town.

In Acts chapter 6 the “first church council” was appointed.  One of the men that was chosen to serve was Stephen.  Even though Stephen tried to remain faithful to what he felt God was calling him and the rest of the community to do something however the rest of the council was not listening.  They did not want to hear what Stephen had to say.  So in Acts chapter 7 Stephen tries to give his defense.

The method that he chose was to retell the story of salvation from Abraham to Jesus.   Here are some of the highlights of what Stephen says: 

• Abraham — God appeared to Abraham and called him to “Leave your country and your people, and go to the land I will show you” and Abraham was obedient.  God gave Abraham no inheritance, but promised that his descendants would inherit and possess the land.  God foretold the future of the nation which would come from Abraham.  God made a covenant of circumcision with Abraham.  From Abraham came the patriarch Isaac, Jacob and Joseph.
• Joseph — Joseph was sold into slavery in Egypt but became a ruler in Egypt. During a famine Joseph brought his family to Egypt where they grew into a great nation in spite of their oppression.
• Moses — Moses was saved from death as an infant and was educated in the Egyptian palace. When he grew up he identified with his own people and wanted to help them, but he killed an Egyptian and fled to Midian for 40 years.  After 40 years God called to him from the burning bush to send him back to Egypt and bring the people of Israel out of bondage.  Moses led the people out of Egypt to Sinai where they received the word of God and rebelled. After their rebellion they wandered 40 years in the wilderness, but they had among them the Tabernacle of the presence of the Lord.
• Joshua — Joshua brought them into the Land of Israel after the Death of Moses.
• David —  David enjoyed God’s favor and desired to build a temple to God, but it was Solomon who actually built the temple.  God does not live in houses built by men for Heaven is His throne, and earth is His footstool.

I believe talking about this stuff is great!!  However, Stephen takes it one step further.  He starts to call the others “Stiff- necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears!” He accuses them of resisting the Holy Spirit, persecuting the prophets, and killing the Righteous one.  He concludes: “You have received the law that was put into effect through angels, but have not obeyed it.”

Well I think they heard his message loud and clear and it infuriated them.  What threw them over the edge is when Stephen saw a vision of the Son of man Standing at the right hand of God —  they were in no mood to hear anymore. They dragged him away and began to stone him.

I think is scene is something that council people might be afraid of if they were to speak out! So many people have great ideas but to put themselves out there like Stephen did is scary.  To stand up for what you believe in or to go against the powers that are in place in any congregation is tough.  It is easier to let things go, and just to blend into the crowd.

However, I believe that if we as the church are going to move forward we are going to need to be more like Stephen, we need to speak out when we feel like God is telling us something ,even if it is not the most popular idea.  We need to risk ourselves, and at times maybe even our lives for the Gospel. When we speak the truth we are remaining faithful to the church and the mission of God.

Church Council Stoning {Acts 7} is a post from: Lutheran Grilled Cheese. Thanks for checking it out! More cheesy goodness is coming your way soon!

This section of Acts seems to be the Holy Spirit’s initial fight. When a boxer goes professional they are measured by their first few fights. In Acts 4-6 The Spirit is a knockout!

From the very beginning of chapter 4 the Spirit humbles even Peter, who is on its side. From the very coming of the Spirit in Acts 2 until now in chapter 4 Peter has been talking. The Spirit seems to have had enough with Peter’s talking so he is sent to jail along with his corner, John. The Spirit humbles Peter first. It wants the readers to see that this match is about the Spirit, not about its workers.

Immediately after this is a series of interactions where we see that anyone opposed to the Holy Spirit’s work will get knocked aside as well. Imprisonment gets knocked out when the rulers and elders of the Sanhedrin have to release Peter and John. They don’t release them because of what the men do though, but because, “they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men” and were “astonished.” (Acts 4:13) It wasn’t Peter and John that won the fight against prison, it was the Spirit doing work through them.

After Peter and John leave prison they go to pray with the other apostles where the Holy Spirit knocks out the ground. As the apostles are worshipping the very way the Spirit told them, “The place where they were meeting was shaken.” (4:31) Not even the ground is stable against the mighty Spirit.

The apostles continue to do what the Spirit ordains and contain to see blessings as they share their possessions. In the middle of all this sharing another competitor emerges. Two of the apostles decide to keep some of their wealth to themselves rather than sharing EVERYTHING. The Spirit literally knocks these two out for good (5:5 & 10). It will not stand for people taking credit for its achievements.

The apostles are apparently unphased by the Spirits tyranny because the go on to healings and wonders (5:12-16). Yet shortly after another adversary emerges when the apostles are persecuted again. The Sadducees got jealous of the fame that the apostles were receiving because of how miraculous the Spirit was working through them. The Sadducees threw them into jail. Just like the last time, the Spirit released the apostles from jail to prove that no enemy of the Spirit will win.

Time after time in this section enemies emerge and the Spirit destroys them. These aren’t even fair fights. It is interesting to see that the enemies of the Spirit are not always the ones that we would most expect. We’d expect the Sadducees and Pharisees to try and maintain order and righteousness within their systems when the apostles are demonstrating a new order. We don’t expect that even disobedient apostles would be terminated. We don’t expect that Pharisees would be converted to work for the Spirit. The Spirit sorts out who is appropriately working for it, and who is against it.

We often think that anything that a church does is with good intentions and is ordained by God. That isn’t always true. I’m sure you’ve heard about preachers and programs that seem utterly despicable. Wars have been fought ‘in the name of God’. Genocides have been ‘inspired by the Spirit’. Children have been bullied because they are an ‘abomination’. These are movements that have come from people that are seemingly in God’s corner. Most of them also have had some great outreach programs and discipleship models. Yet, some of their actions are outright opposing the Spirit’s gospel of grace.

I’ve been a part of several programs that have begun with the best intentions, but were squashed because the Holy Spirit didn’t inspire them. Church staff will often work their butts off to create a ministry or program or mission trip and then sit down the day of and ask the Spirit for guidance and ask God for success. We need to START with prayer and prophecy. If we’re ending with it we’re just another underdog next to an unbeatable adversary.

Its important we constantly go back to scripture, prayer, and God’s Truth to determine if our actions are in line with the Spirit.

Are you doing those things the Spirit ordains in Acts 2:42-47?

Is your church devoted to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayer?

Are you sharing with your neighbors and those in need?

Do you have a Spiritual review and accountability in place to help you discern if your actions are against God’s best intentions?

Cause if not, you might get knocked out…

When you act for the Spirit, the very ground will shake. Oppression will move. Nothing can imprison you. But, trust Ananias and Sapphira, don’t withhold anything when you say you’re working for God’s Spirit. It’s by God’s grace that we are aware of Him. Lets start with our awareness of God and inspiration of the Spirit. THEN we can boldly on the Holy Spirit’s behalf.

The Spirit’s KO {Acts 4-6} is a post from: Lutheran Grilled Cheese. Thanks for checking it out! More cheesy goodness is coming your way soon!

The first three chapters of Acts makes me laugh. Not in a “oh, this is so funny!” way, but in a “there’s so much going on, and things keep happening!” way. In just three chapters, there’s Jesus promising the coming of the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ ascension to heaven, Matthias replacing Judas as one of the apostles, Pentecost—when the apostles receive the Holy Spirit, Peter’s explanation to the crowd, the baptism of 3,000 converts, a description of the believers’ community, Peter healing a beggar, and Peter’s explanation of the healing. Whew! And things just pick up from there.

Luke, the writer of the Gospel of the same name, is also the author of Acts– and there is not much time for breathing from the end of the Gospel of Luke to the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles. It’s like Luke was on a role with inspiration from the Holy Spirit, and he just HAD to keep writing.

The first few chapters of Acts certainly support this renaming. The book starts with Jesus telling the disciples not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father has promised: the Holy Spirit (1:4-5). After Jesus’ ascension and even before Pentecost, God guides the choosing of Matthias (1:24-26). Right away, we see the apostle’s insistence that prayer and God’s actions be the basis for all they do.

And then Pentecost happens. The passage that’s read on every Pentecost Sunday, that we’ll read on May 27th this year. The disciples are gathered together. Suddenly, there’s a rush of violent wind. Tongues of fire appear over the disciples’ heads. They are filled with the Holy Spirit and the Spirit gives them the ability to speak in different languages. And some of the Jews that are gathered in Jerusalem for the festival of Pentecost crowd around, amazed that these disciples from Galilee are speaking in the different dialects and languages that the other Jews speak. And not just speaking, but telling about God and God’s powerful actions. Some of the crowd wonder what it all means, while others dismiss it all saying that the disciples are drunk. (2:1-13)

But Peter, inspired by the Holy Spirit, explains what has happened, using words from the Prophets—God has promised to pour out the Holy Spirit on all people, and that has happened. And Jesus, who was crucified and rose from the dead, is the Messiah, the one everyone has been waiting for. After Peter speaks, about 3,000 hearers are “cut to the heart” and become baptized, and then live in a community together in harmony. (2:14-47)

So, what does chapter 2 of Acts mean for us today?

One thing is that this Pentecost moment is the birthday of the church. It was this filling time, when the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit, that started their ministries. Empowered by the Spirit, they were able to tell the Good News to others (like Peter did right away), helping people to know Jesus and to be baptized and to start their own ministries. They healed those who were sick, cast out demons, and were given the words to speak in difficult circumstances. Without Pentecost, there would be no church today. So, on Pentecost, feel free to announce: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHURCH!!!

Another thing we learn from this text is that when the Spirit comes with power, it can be flashy, quiet, and everything in between. The Pentecost experience, with the wind and the tongues of flame and the speaking in different languages, is conspicuous and hugely life-changing, for the disciples and those crowded around them. But the Spirit also inspired Peter to speak, and the Spirit was present in a real way when those converts were baptized. That was just as powerful and life-changing. And the Spirit sustained those believers when they live in community, praying together, eating together, and sharing all they had. Also powerful and life-changing. In just 47 verses we see the many different ways the Holy Spirit is active and present in the believers’ lives.

During my time in ministry, I’ve had the privilege to help run the Alpha Course. It’s a non-denominational “Introduction to Christianity” class, geared toward those who are curious about the Christian faith. Secondarily, it is also used for Christians who would like a refresher course. It runs for ten weeks, and includes a meal, a brief time of worship, a video, and small group discussion. A little more than halfway through the course, participants are invited and encouraged to attend a retreat weekend, in which they learn about the person and work of the Holy Spirit. During the retreat, we have some prayer time during which we pray together and we offer individual prayer as well.

What I love about the Alpha Retreat is that space is given for the participants to experience the presence of God, what I like to call “Holy Spirit Time.” Although God is always present, rarely do we take time to just be with God. During the retreat, we simply allow time to be with God and pray. And because we allow this time and space, the Spirit does not disappoint. It has been a highlight of my ministry to see how the Spirit moves in the participants’ lives, along with experiencing the Spirit myself while I pray with them and also receive personal prayer.

During this Holy Spirit time, sometimes there are dramatic things that happen to people (“manifestations,” they’re called), but much of the time the participants experience God’s peace and power in quiet and unassuming ways. Just as the Spirit is active and experienced in different ways in chapter 2 of Acts, the Spirit acts and is experienced in different ways during the Alpha Retreat.

This text in Acts, along with the rest of the book, reminds us that the Holy Spirit is active and present all the time in many different ways, guiding us and leading us, giving us the words to say and helping us in our ministry here on earth. And so, I leave you with one of the oldest prayers of the Church: “Veni, Sancte Spiritus! Come, Holy Spirit!”

Holy Spirit Time {Acts 1-3} is a post from: Lutheran Grilled Cheese. Thanks for checking it out! More cheesy goodness is coming your way soon!

{This is a part of a series called Tuesday Thoughts}

•  I have mowed our lawn twice now (all 2 acres of it).   Summer is pretty much here.  There is nothing better than sitting on my deck with a cold beer and admire my accomplishment.

• I have a few new projects that I am working on.  I am excited to share them, but  I can’t really talk about them right now.  I shall reveal some of them soon!!

• This past weekend my son received his first communion.  I am so proud of him.  This is one of my kids first real church milestone since I have been a pastor (they both were baptized before I was a pastor).

• I have a trial version of Hulu Plus.  We are getting close to the summer which means we are going to suspend our cable for the summer.  Our hope is to never turn it back on.  If you are interested in Hulu Plus Click here and get two weeks for free.

• Jeremy Britt won the Biggest loser.  On the season finale it always amazes me how good they all look.  He looked great and I hope that he continues on his journey and does what he can to help people.

• We have had some great worship experiences at St. Mark’s recently.  I will be posting about them on the St. Mark’s website very soon.

• I designed the picture for this post (and future Tuesday Thoughts post).  I made it with photoshop – I really liked it and hope to learn more how to use photo shop and do more design work.  Anyone have photoshop for dummies?

• I have been in lots of prayer and discernment about how involved or not involved I am going to be with some ministries.  I know have I have committed to many things, especially in leadership of certain ministries.  My priorities are changing and I ask for prayer ask I make some difficult decisions.  In the future I want to be involved more with young adult ministries and I can’t do that plus what I am doing right now outside of ministry at St. Mark’s.  I really want St. Mark’s to be the hub of young adult ministry for our conference.  I am just asking if that’s what God wants too.

• I have a gallery open at instacanv.as.  Check it out http://instacanv.as/joemcgarry

• RIP Junior Seau and MCA.  I was so excited when Junior Seau joined the Patriots.  He was such an amazing football player to watch.  The Beastie Boys were a huge part of my life growing up.  My friend Dave said it best when he wrote on his blog:

What struck me about the music?  It’s hard to say.  I wish I could listen again through 13-year old ears.  I knew it was rap, but this wasn’t N.W.A. or Vanilla Ice.  It grooved harder… the lyrics were distorted… there were electric guitars.  Heck, there was even a punk track.  There were also B-3 organs, reggae influences, and strange sounds I couldn’t identify… but they were interesting. ……..They were like a friend’s cool older brother, who had already scoured all the record stores in Brooklyn for the best 70’s funk and R&B, and then distilled it down into something a kid growing up in suburban Massachusetts in the early 90’s could understand.

Tuesday Thoughts is a post from: Lutheran Grilled Cheese. Thanks for checking it out! More cheesy goodness is coming your way soon!

Each book of the Bible has its own personality. Each book tells its own story and each book allows us to see another side of who God is and how God is active in the world. Over the next several weeks we will be having a good, old fashioned Bible study here on Lutheran Grilled Cheese. We will be working our way through the Book of Acts.

There is enough evidence to support that Acts was written by the Gospel writer Luke. Acts is the second part of a two-volume work. I guess if I was to write a few books of the Bible I would of taken the same route as Luke. The first book (the Gospel of Luke) describes Jesus’ ministry, death and resurrection. The second book (Acts) describes events following the ascension of Jesus and the start of the Christian Church.

Acts begins with a summary of the previous volume, the Gospel of Luke, and then introduces the second volume. In Acts 1:1-5, Luke writes:

In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over the course of forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. ‘This’, he said, ‘is what you have heard from me;for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.

This quote also tells me that the intended reader of the Book of Acts was Theophilus.  However, like Luke’s Gospel I am sure that he also had a larger readership in mind.  Scholars are not sure when the book was actually written.  At the earliest,  Acts was written two years after Paul’s imprisonment in Rome, c. 62.

The Book of Acts is a selective history of the early church told from a Christian point of view; it focuses primarily on two figures: Peter and Paul. The title “Acts of the Apostles” was first used by Irenaeus in the late second century; it has been suggested, however, that the better title of the work would be “Acts of the Holy Spirit,” since the events described occur consequent upon the giving of the Spirit.

The Book of Acts can be structured in different ways. These are three possibilities — the first can be organized according to a geographical and biographical structure.  Chapters  1-12 are focused on Peter’s journey from Jerusalem to Antioch and Chapters 13-28 focus on Paul’s journey from Antioch to Rome.

Another way to structure Acts (and the one that this Bible study will be looking at are divided into topic areas.

Disciples empowerment of the Holy Spirit to be witnesses in Jerusalem (chapters 1–8:3)
Judea and Samaria (chapters 8:4–12:25)
and to the ends of the earth (chapters 13:1–28)
Paul’s three missionary journeys (13:1–21:16)
His trials in Jerusalem and Caesarea (21:17–26:32)
His final journey to Rome (27:1–18:31)

This structure shows us how the Holy Spirit was working in with and under the disciples following Jesus’ ascension.  Overall, I believe that Luke’s two-volume work is an account of the appearance of God’s salvation in human history. The first volume deals with the coming of the Messiah, his death and resurrection. The second volume deals with the ascension of the Messiah, the sending of the Spirit, and the evangelism of Jews, Samaritans and gentiles, beginning in Jerusalem and moving progressively outward.

There will be a number of voices sharing this wonderful book with you and I hope that you tune in.

Bible Study on Acts is a post from: Lutheran Grilled Cheese. Thanks for checking it out! More cheesy goodness is coming your way soon!

Recently I heard a quote attributed to Albert Einstein

There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.

I think the same can be true about seeing God. There are some people who see God everywhere – in everything that they do, in nature, in others, in their actions, the actions of strangers, in animals, in quiet, in loud voice. These people are a huge blessing to have in congregations but often they have the greatest problem with being asked “Where have you seen God?” because they do not know how to answer a question for which the answer is always “everywhere.” Unfortunately, in my experience at least, these people are rare.

There are for more people who do not see God active in their daily lives and therefore when asked “where have you seen God?” their response is more often “nowhere.” Or maybe occasionally they can name that great miracle that happened – but those events don’t come around that often. Fortunately if you are one of these people, you can learn to start seeing God everywhere.

It starts with naming that God is here – active on this earth and in our daily lives. You can start seeing God everywhere when you acknowledge that God is behind that beautiful sunset you saw, or in the gorgeous weather we have been having in the Northeast. You can start seeing that God is actually everywhere when you name God was with you when you helped a friend or a stranger. You can start seeing that God is actually everywhere when you read the newspaper (or more likely a newspaper’s website) and realize that there are parts of the news that makes God sad but also parts that make God exceedingly happy. You can start seeing that God is actually everywhere when you name that God is with you during the moments of joy that you experience, and God is also just as with you when you experience sorrow.

I think we can choose to see God everywhere or no where – that nothing is a miracle, or that everything is one. It just takes us to make that choice and then to start training on minds and our faith lives to actually name that God is everywhere.

What Do You Mean “Where Have I Seen God?”? is a post from: Lutheran Grilled Cheese. Thanks for checking it out! More cheesy goodness is coming your way soon!