Vinx

On Thursday night I took my family to the University of Memphis to hear Vinx. I first started listening to Vinx in college. I roommate introduced me to his music, and I borrowed his CD so much that he ended up giving it to me when he graduated (thanks, Brian). Below are a couple of YouTube clips.

Acts 16:1-15

Paul and Silas' first stop Derbe, then Lystra. There they found Timothy. Timothy was most likely a convert of Paul during the first missionary journey. Timothy was young enough to be Paul's son, and in fact is referred to by Paul as a spiritual child (1 Corinthians 4:17). Paul asked Timothy to join he and Silas, but said that he would first need to be circumcised. This seems odd in light of what had taken place in Jerusalem, but it seems that this goes to Paul's desire to be "all things to all people", including the Jews (1 Corinthians 9:19-22). Timothy's mother was a Jew, but his father was a Greek. Paul understood that the Jews throughout Galatia would know this, and it would prevent him from going to the Jews first, as was his custom.

The three of them then went to the churches that had been started during the first missionary journey, sharing the Jerusalem Council's decision with them. Luke once again adds, "So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily" (16:5).

It appears that Paul's plan was to head into Asia, perhaps into a large city such as Ephesus (population of 250,000). According to Luke, God had other plans. After a couple of attempts by Paul to go into Asia, he finally headed to Troas (around 400 miles from Iconium). Troas was a port city. When they got there, Paul saw a vision of a man from Macedonia asking them to come there to help them. After seeing that vision, the men concluded "that God had called us to preach the gospel to them" (16:10).

Another change happens in 16:10. Luke goes from using "they" to using "we." Apparently Luke joined them for their voyage across the Aegean Sea. They eventually made their way to Philippi. Philippi was famous for being the battlegrounds where Octavian Augustus defeated Marc Antony in 31 BC. It is very possible that Luke lived in Philippi.

On their first Sabbath there, they went down to the riverside, since there was no Jewish synagogue there. There they found a group of women praying. Among them was Lydia, a wealthy woman who made her living through selling royal purple cloth. This might not sound like much of a trade today, but in those days a person selling this type of cloth had to have permission from the Roman Empire, and as a result would have significant social status.

As Paul shared with them, God opened Lydia's heart to the gospel. After she was baptized, she invited them all to stay at her home.

What is the Missional Church?

From The Ministry of the Missional Church, by Craig Van Gelder (p.18).

God has a mission in the world, what is usually referred to as the missio Dei (the mission of God). In understanding the missio Dei, we find that God as a creating God also creates the church through the Spirit, who calls, gathers, and sends the church into the world to participate in God's mission. This participation is based on the redemption that God accomplished through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, a redemption that was announced by Jesus as the "kingdom of God" (which I prefer to re-frame as the "redemptive reign of God in Christ"). This redemptive reign of God in Christ is inherently connected to the missio Dei, which means that God is seeking to bring back into right relationship all of creation. Or as Paul put it in 2 Corinthians, "In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself" (5:19). The Spirit-led, missional church is responsible to participate in this reconciling work by bearing witness to the redemptive reign of God in Christ as good news, and through inviting everyone everywhere to become reconciled to the living and true God.

Advent Conspiracy Video

Guy Kawasaki's New Web Startup

I've been a big fan of Guy Kawasaki ever since I heard him speak at a nonprofit boot camp hosted by Craigslist a couple of years ago in San Francisco. I just read this interview with him in Entrepreneur magazine. It's about a new website he's just created called Truemors, short for "true rumors." It's a social media site, but it's also a business startup, and the purpose of the interview is to show that it doesn't take big bucks to start something successful. As someone trying to get two new organizations off the ground (without much money), I found this very helpful.


Here are a few excerpts...

Truemors is a functioning illustration of what it takes to launch a web startup these days. It didn't involve gobs of VC funding or years of development and testing. It may or may not turn into a big moneymaking enterprise, but entrepreneurs can learn a lot from Kawasaki's experience with getting Truemors off the ground and onto the internet. The startup guru took a few moments away from his new venture to answer our questions.

How did you fund Truemores?
So far, it's only cost about $12,000, so it was personally [funded]. Whenever I need more capital, I make another speech--a fraction of a speech, actually. This beats sucking up to VCs, and I'm a VC.

Lots of people said they could do Truemors for less money by shaving off domain registration costs here, legal costs there, etc. Yes, people could do almost everything that I did for less, saving a few thousand dollars. But the point wasn't to go from $12,000 [in startup costs] to $7,000. It was going from $1 million to $12,000.

You spent no money on marketing. Is this approach something the average internet startup entrepreneur could get away with?
No, but it's certainly not the case that you have to have millions of dollars to market something on the internet. You'd get that impression from most pitches to VCs. I was fortunate and did it for close to nothing, so anyone should be able to do it for $50,000 to $100,000.

What advice would you share with other entrepreneurs about this startup experience?
The most important lessons are: Do things quick, dirty and fast; don't wait for the perfect time/market/product; ignore the naysayers--odds are they are right, but you'll never know unless you try; and keep things cheap so you can make a lot of mistakes.

What does the fact that you were able to create a web startup so quickly and inexpensively tell us about the state of web entrepreneurship in general?
Now more than ever, people should give it a shot to create the next Google, You-Tube, Facebook, eBay, whatever. You can get things done so much cheaper, faster and better because of tools like MySQL and WordPress as well as the willingness of the crowds. There are many tech businesses that take millions to start, but there are many that can be done on credit cards. I hope I've proven that.

Acts 15

It is no exaggeration to say that Acts 15 is the most crucial chapter in the whole book.
Ben Witherington
New Testament History: A Narrative Account

Some time later some men from Judea came to Antioch and began teaching that circumcision was a requirement for following Jesus. Paul and Barnabas, who were still in Antioch, heard about this and confronted them. After what had taken place in Galatia, it's easy to believe that Paul was fired up. The church in Antioch appointed Paul and Barnabas, along with a few others, to go to Jerusalem to get some answers. This was beginning to become a huge issue, and the leadership needed to address it.

When they arrived in Jerusalem (250 miles from Antioch), they shared how God had brought salvation to many Gentiles throughout Galatia. Immediately a group of believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and declared that these Gentile believers would have to be circumcised.

Peter stood. He reminded them of what God had done at Cornelius' home, how He made no distinction between Jews and Gentiles, and how the grace of God was available to anyone who believed. He said that requiring anything more than faith was like putting a yoke around their necks. Luke says that the entire assembly fell silent.

Next Barnabas and Paul (notice how Luke reverses the order once again) spoke up, relating all that God had done throughout Galatia.

Finally, James stood and pronounced judgment on the matter. (We learn through this chapter that James had at some point over the past twenty years become the primary leader of the church). The decision was that Gentiles should not have to be circumcised (follow the law of Moses) in order to become a follower of Jesus. Following Jesus was difficult enough. No other burdens would be placed on them.

James did give the Gentile believers a few requirements.

1. Abstain from things that have been offered to idols (normally referring to meat)
2. Abstain from eating the meat of strangled animals
3. Abstain from eating blood
4. Abstain from sexual immorality

At least a couple of these requirements sound rather strange to modern readers, but James' judgment would have been clear to the readers of the document. He was telling Gentile believers that they must stay away from pagan temples. Paul would later echo this warning (1 Corinthians 8,10). James said that though they did not have to be converted to Judaism, it was mandatory that they make a complete break with paganism.

I find it fascinating that in a letter this important, the leaders used the phrase, "it seemed good" three times. The first instance is verse 22, where "it seemed good" to the leaders to send Paul and Barnabas back to Antioch with this pronouncement. The second instance is verse 25, in which they relayed this same information in the body of the letter. The third instance is verse 28, where they say, "it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden" than the requirements listed above.

They never said that this was God's divine Word for the Gentiles. They had no doubt been praying like crazy and having endless discussions. It seemed to them that this was the correct response. Part of me wants a little more definite of an answer, but another part of me loves that they were ok with this.

The letter was received by the church in Antioch with much rejoicing.

Some time later (possibly up to two years later) Paul came to Barnabas and suggested that they return to the churches they had planted to see how things were going. Barnabas thought that was a great idea, but suggested that John Mark go with them. Paul had obviously not gotten over the fact that he had abandoned them a few years earlier. Luke says that they got into such a sharp disagreement (15:39) that they parted company. Barnabas took John Mark and went to Cyprus, while Paul took Silas (who had earlier accompanied them from Jerusalem to Antioch with the letter) and went back to Galatia.

This saddens me. Barnabas was such a great man of God, yet this is the last that we hear of him. He no doubt continued to spread the gospel, but I wonder if he and Paul ever reconciled.

Timeline - Pt. 2

The year was 49 AD, and it's possible that up to a year had passed since Paul and Barnabas returned from their first missionary journey to Galatia. Some time after arriving back in Antioch, Paul received word from the churches in Galatia that some men (most likely from Jerusalem) had been going from city to city, telling them that unless they were circumcised, they were not true followers of God.

I believe it's very important to think about who these Jews were. The Jews who came from Antioch to Lystra and left Paul for dead (Acts 14:19) were most likely not believers. However, the Jews who take part in the Jerusalem Council are believers. I believe that the men who came to Galatia were probably also believers. They were a part of the church. Jesus had changed their lives, and now they were followers of Him. However, they had also been devout Jews, and they didn't for one moment believe that Jesus had come to destroy the law. They believed that a person had to follow all of God's law before becoming a follower of Jesus. They believed that Paul was only preaching half of the truth, and they felt that it was their responsibility to preach the other half.

After receiving this news, Paul writes his first letter, what we now know as Galatians. His purpose for writing this letter is to urge them not to follow any other gospel, especially one that requires circumcision, because a gospel requiring circumcision was not a gospel that depended on faith alone.

Earlier that year, the Emperor Claudius had issued a decree stating that all Jews had to leave Rome (Acts 18:2). This surely played a role in why these Jewish believers responded as they did. Fear always makes us behave in ways we normally do not, and I believe this was the case with them. They were now even more protective of their spiritual heritage.

Fall is Here

Saturday was a great day. We spent it with the Currier's and the Thomas' in Arlington at Uncle Fudd's Pumpkin Patch. Mason and Lyndon are two of Adam's best friends, so it was a treat to see them all playing together at the Pumpkin Patch. Here are a few pictures.

Acts 14:19-28

We're not sure how much time transpires before this next section, but soon some Jews from Antioch and Iconium came to stir up trouble. Who were these men? It's most likely that they were devout Jews who felt very strongly that Paul was undoing all that they believed in. He had to be stopped. They were apparently following him from city to city. That's why I believe they arrived very soon after this incident.

Nonetheless, upon arriving they stirred up the crowd and convinced them that these two men deserved to be stoned. In some ways this is hard to believe. I can understand that the people ofLystra might have been a little humiliated that they thought these two men were gods, but still, was that a reason to stone them? These Jews must have been very persuasive. They were definitely passionate about preserving their faith.

Paul was about to suffer greatly for the gospel. He was apparently taken while Barnabas was somewhere else. He was dragged to the center of the city. His clothes were torn from his body. Men, women and children from the crowd bent down, picked up rocks, and began throwing them at this servant of God. After it was over they dragged Paul out of the city. They supposed that he was dead. One normally "supposes" that someone is dead when there is no breathing, so it is safe to assume that Paul was in fact dead.

Soon Barnabas and the disciples found Paul and began praying for him. Luke says that Paul rose up, went back into the city, and the next day he and Barnabas fifty to sixty miles to Derbe. I can imagine that traveling fifty to sixty miles one day after being stoned would not be pleasant. After preaching the gospel in Derbe, and seeing many people become disciples, they began the trip back to Antioch, stopping along the way in each of the cities where they had been. If I had been Paul, I think I would have wanted to skip Lystra. It couldn't have held good memories for him. However, he went back. I wonder what that was like. Here is this man whom everyone in the city thought was dead. He wasn't dead.

In each city, Luke says that they strengthened the disciples and appointed elders for each church. I have always been fascinated by this. Here is a group of people who have not been disciples for very long. Their leaders have been run out of town but they have now returned. Unfortunately, they are leaving again. Yet they are raising up leaders, new spiritual parents. Paul had an unwavering faith that God would do the real work of ministry. Luke points out that Paul and Barnabas, through prayer and fasting, committed these new churches to the Lord.

I love verse 27. Returning to Antioch, to the church that had commissioned them, must have been quite the celebration!

"And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles."

Acts 14:1-18

Iconium was ninety miles from Pisidian Antioch. When they arrived, they once again went first to the synagogue, and once again, many Jews and Gentiles believed. Luke tells us that Paul and Barnabas spoke boldly, but God bore witness to His word by "granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands" (14:3). They were able to stay in this city for a long time. As had happened before, those who didn't believe sought out ways to rid themselves of these men. After learning of a plot to stone them, Paul and Barnabas fled to Lystra.

One day while they were in Lystra, Paul encountered a man who had been crippled since birth. Paul saw that this man "had faith to be made well" (14:9). Paul understood that faith was a prerequisite for transformation. Paul commanded him to stand and the man stood. The crowd saw what had happened, and believed that these newcomers were in fact Zeus (Barnabas) and Hermes (Paul). A little background here is needed. There was a story that every child in Lystra knew. It was the story of these two gods visiting their city but not being welcomed. The city in turn missed out on many blessings. Everyone knew this story, and no one wanted to make the same mistake twice.

This time they began worshiping Paul and Barnabas, who no doubt had no idea what was happening. A priest of Zeus even came out to begin making sacrifices to them. At this point Paul and Barnabas tore their garments and pleaded with them to stop, saying that they were only men, though men representing the Most High God, the One they should be worshiping.

Acts 13:13-52

After staying in Paphos for a little while, the three men set sail for Perga (southern Turkey). When they arrived, John Mark decided to return to Jerusalem. We're not sure why, though my best guess is that he was homesick. Whatever the reason was, it would cause dissension down the road between Paul and Barnabas.

From there they traveled to Antioch in Pisidia. On their first Sabbath there, Paul and Barnabas went to the synagogue. In the synagogue, after the readings out of the Law and the Prophets, Jewish men were given a time to share a word of exhortation. Paul accepted the invitation, stood before the men, and began recounting Israel's history, beginning with the slavery in Egypt and ending with the murder of Jesus. He told them that the forgiveness of sins comes not through obeying the law of Moses, but only through Jesus.

Luke says that at the end, the people begged them to come back the next week and share the same thing.

The next Sabbath, "almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord" (13:44). The amazing thing was that the Jewish people were a minority throughout the cities of Galatia. These were primarily Gentiles who had showed up to hear Paul. How did the whole city hear about Paul? The only explanation is that the Jews, as well as the Gentile converts to Judaism, must have shared the news.

The Jewish leaders had never had a crowd like this, and they became jealous. They contradicted him and reviled him. His response was to move to his secondary audience, which in many ways was his primary audience: the Gentiles. Quoting Isaiah 49:6, Paul said, "I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.

Luke tells us that the Gentiles began rejoicing when they heard this, and "as many as were appointed to eternal life believed" (13:49). The Jewish leaders, though, went to the leaders of the town and spread lies about Paul. The leaders "drove them out of their district" (13:50). It's not clear whether this was a violent driving out, or more of a kind request for them to leave. Either way, Paul and Barnabas "shook of the dust from their feet" and headed toward Iconium.

New Project

It seems that flying by the seat of my pants happens on a pretty regular basis for me, at least in most areas. However, fixing things in the house is not one of those areas. Anything having to do with remodeling, decorating, repairs, etc., is usually met with extreme caution and planning. That's just a rule I've had...just because I have no idea what I'm doing.

Well, this weekend we broke that rule. We were going to paint our front room this weekend, but then we got to thinking that we should look at refinishing the hardwood floors before painting. If you've been to our house, you know that we are the only home in Midtown with carpet throughout. We had been told that the hardwood under the carpet in the front room could be refinished.

So, on Sunday morning, we decided to start moving furniture and then proceeded to rip up the carpet. I was planning on refinishing the floors myself, with Jason (my Gandalf) by my side. He's quite the pro in this area. However, we think we're going to hire the job out. There is just so much going on, and Lyndia, Mandy's mom, suggested that our marriage would appreciate it. When the parent says that, it's best to listen.

Nonetheless, here are some pictures of our room at its current state. I'll post more pictures when the job is finished.

Acts 13:1-12

As we have already learned, the church in Antioch was made up of people from all over the world. This was reflected in their leadership. One day the prophets and teachers were together worshiping and fasting. Those present were:

• Barnabas
• Saul
• Simeon - also called Niger, meaning "black-skinned"; some believe that this was Simon, the man from Cyrene who carried Jesus' Cross (Mark 15:21); though there is no proof
• Lucius of Cyrene - Cyrene is in Northern Africa; it's quite possible that Lucius was one of the men who first preached the gospel in Antioch (Acts 11:20)
• Manaen - he was a member of Herod's court, which meant that he had a high placement in the government

While they were worshiping and fasting, the Holy Spirit told them to "set apart Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them" (13:2). The leaders then laid hands on them and sent them off. John Mark traveled with them. They left Antioch around AD 45-48.

Their first stop was Seleucia. There they boarded a ship and sailed to Salamis, a city on the island of Cyprus, where Barnabas was from. They went straight to the Jewish synagogue and proclaimed Christ there. They continued to travel across the island (about 100 miles), finally arriving in Paphos. Here they encountered a magician named Bar-Jesus (aka Elymas). He worked for Sergius Paulus, the Roman governor over Cyprus. Sergius Paulus heard of Barnabas and Saul's arrival and wanted to hear what they had been proclaiming.

Bar-Jesus didn't like their message, and tried to persuade his boss from listening. Saul turned to him, gave him a strong rebuking ("you son of the devil"), and caused him to be blind. At this Sergius Paulus was astonished and asked Saul and Barnabas to share their message with him. After hearing the message he believed that Jesus was the Son of God.

Two other items of interest take place here. First, we find out that Saul also goes by Paul. I've often wondered if this had anything to do with the fact that their convert's name was Paulus. A better theory is that at this point Paul decided to use his Gentile name rather than his Jewish name (Saul). Second, up to this point Barnabas has taken the lead. Luke in fact has been referring to them as "Barnabas and Saul." From now on, though, he will refer to them as "Paul and Barnabas."

Acts 12

In Jerusalem, persecution was still going on, nine years after Stephen's death. Herod (Agrippa I) had James (brother of John) put to death by the sword, and then had Peter thrown in prison. He was going to wait until after Passover to have him executed. Luke says that the church prayed earnestly to God for Peter.

Their prayers were answered, for on the evening before Herod was going to kill him, an angel rescued him from prison. Peter thought he was dreaming, but once they got outside and the angel vanished, he realized that it wasn't a dream. He knew that God had rescued him!

He went straight to the house of Mary (John Mark's mother). Many people were there praying. He came to the house and knocked on the gate. A servant girl named Rhoda recognized his voice, and her excitement she ran to tell the others, forgetting to let him in. They thought she was crazy. When they finally went to the gate and saw that it truly was Peter, they were amazed. He told them what had happened, and then instructed them to let James and the brothers know.

The next morning Herod found out what had happened, and ordered that the guards be executed.

Later on, Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. They came to plead with him for peace, because their food came from him. In their pleading, they called him a god. Herod, instead of turning the praise to the Most High God, received the praises, and God struck him down. He was eaten by worms. This occurred in AD 44.

At about the same time, Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, where they had delivered an offering to the church there. John Mark returned with them.

Acts 11:19-30

It's possible that up to ten years have passed since Stephen was murdered, and we find that the effects are still lingering. These Jesus-followers no doubt feared for their lives, but they also did not waste opportunities to share with others their stories of transformation.

Before going any farther, a brief recap...

Most scholars date Stephen's death and Saul's conversion at around 35 AD. At the time, the church in Jerusalem numbered at least 5000 people (Acts 4:4 mentions 5000 men, and Acts 5:14 says that multitudes more believed). It's possible that there were 10,000 followers of Jesus in Jerusalem at this time. When persecution broke out, Luke tells us that all but the apostles scattered. Let's say he meant the apostles and a few others. That's still a LOT of people leaving Jerusalem. In Acts 8:4 Luke informs us that all of them "went about preaching the word." Satan thought he had won a major victory when Stephen was killed and the people scattered, but it actually unleashed an army of missionaries!

If you remember, many of the people who were converted on the day of Pentecost had not been from Jerusalem, but when the Spirit fell and the Church was birthed, they didn't want to leave. Now that everyone was leaving Jerusalem, it would make sense that most would now return to their homes.

Luke tells us that some of them traveled up to 300 miles. Cyprus is 250 miles by sea from Jerusalem, and Antioch is 300 miles from Jerusalem by land. Those that traveled to these cities spoke about what the change they had experienced in Jerusalem, but they only spoke to fellow Jews. However, and this is a BIG however, some men from Cyprus and Cyrene came to Antioch and spoke to Hellenists (Greek-speaking non-Jews).

I've often wondered why the men from Cyprus and Cyrene didn't return to their homes like most of the others. Cyrene is 800 miles away from Jerusalem, so I guess it's possible that they were simply tired of traveling! However, I think there is something else at work here. Perhaps they were the first cross-cultural missionaries! All of us are called to go and make disciples, but most of us are called to people like ourselves. Some, though, are called by God to go to a people very different from themselves. Some call them missionaries. I don't, because I believe that we are all missionaries. I call them cross-cultural missionaries.

A bigger issue, though, is that these men, for some reason, felt the urge to tell not only fellow Jews, but also Gentiles. This must have happened around the same time as Peter's visit with Cornelius. God was definitely up to something here! Luke informs us that as these men preached Jesus to the Gentiles in Antioch, "the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord" (11:21).

The church in Jerusalem heard about this and sent Barnabas to get a report. Peter's news had no doubt hastened a response. Barnabas "saw the grace of God" in Antioch and "was glad" (11:22). He decided to stay, but first he went to Tarsus to look for Saul. We last saw Saul after he escaped death in Jerusalem and went to Tarsus years earlier. We are not exactly sure what he's been up to, but God is about to release him into the ministry that He called him into.

Once they were back in Antioch, they taught the church for a whole year. Luke points out that the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

A new church in a new city was about to be birthed, but this one would look very different from the church in Jerusalem. This one would be made up of people from all over the world.

The Mid-South Fair

On Sunday Mandy, Adam and I went to the Mid-South Fair. We had a good time, though we didn't realize that on wristband day they don't sell individual ride tickets. We were a little bummed, but I don't think Adam was too heartbroken. After all, he got to ride a pony.
































And Mandy and I were ok with this as well, because we got to try a deep fried Snickers for the first time. When I first heard about the deep friend Twinkies, Oreos, and Snickers I thought it was a little redneck for the boy who had just moved from California. But I have since repented (maybe not of the Twinkie - I still think that's very odd), and decided that as an act of my repentance I should try one. It was quite good. Sorry, no picture of that.

On the flip side, I'm sure glad the Mid-South Fair is over, and I really hope the rumors are true that it doesn't come back. Our side of Cooper-Young gets a little crazy during the Fair. There were quite a few times when I had no parking; my car alarm went off a few times because of the speakers in passing cars; and then there's the trash. I know I'm complaining, but that's ok, because last night a few of us picked up a lot of the trash. My biggest frustration came Monday morning, when I realized that someone had turned on my water hose the night before. I'm sure whoever did had a great reason for doing that.

So...fun times, but I won't be sad if those fun times end!

New book

I've really been trying to break my long-term habit of not finishing books. I start a book, get half-way through it, but then find a different book and start it. So right now I'm in the middle of two different books: Mavericks at Work, by William Taylor & Polly Labarre, and Stripped: Uncensored Grace on the Streets of Vegas, by Jud Wilhite. Both are great reads. Here's the problem, though. Today I went to my local Borders (by local I mean in Germantown) and picked up unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity...and Why it Matters, by David Kinnaman & Gabe Lyons. That also seems like it's going to be a great read. Can I be disciplined to wait? I just don't know. Please pray for the strength to overcome.

Bibo No Aozora

If you've seen the movie Babel, you'll remember this piece. As soon as the movie was over, I went hunting for this song. Very nice.

Timeline

It had been ten years since Barnabas had last seen Saul (Paul). Where had he been for those ten years. Paul's letter to the Galatians gives us some answers, but also poses more questions.

Paul shares with the Galatians who he was before his encounter with Jesus (Gal. 1:13-14). He then tells him about his conversion in Damascus (Gal. 1:15-16). It seems from Luke accounts that Paul went to Jerusalem pretty soon after his conversion, yet Paul tells the Galatians that three years had passed before he went to Jerusalem to meet with the disciples.

After the Jews in Damascus tried to kill him, he escaped and fled to Arabia (Gal. 1:17).. Later he went back to Damascus. Three years passed between the time he escaped Damascus and when he met the apostles in Jerusalem. What did he do during those three years? This was probably the time in which Paul "worked out his salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12). He had undergone such a paradigm shift. He had much to learn from Jesus. Much of the theology we find in his letters no doubt began developing during this time. Paul no doubt also preached Christ to the Arabs during this time.

After three years had passed Paul went to Jerusalem. He tells the Galatians that he spent 15 days meeting with Peter and with James (Gal. 1:18-19). It seems that this points back to Acts 9:26. After the Jews tried to kill him, he went to Tarsus. Paul stayed in Tarsus until Barnabas came to ask him to join him in Antioch.

Acts 11:1-18

Word traveled fast back to Jerusalem about what had taken place in Caesarea, and when Peter arrived back home, everyone wanted answers. This had apparently been an issue before, because Luke explains that there was already a "Circumcision Party" - those who believed that a person must become a Jew (get circumcised) before becoming a follower of Jesus. It actually makes sense that they would believe this, because up to this point all of them were Jews. They didn't understand that Jesus had died for Gentiles as well.

Those of the circumcision party were not happy. They felt that Peter had gone against the Torah (Jewish law). Peter explained what happened. This hadn't been his plan. He had no idea that this was going to happen. But he did hear from God, and he was obedient - and look what God had done! He shared with the apostles (and all the brothers and sisters) what had happened, then ended his story with, "If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed int he Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God's way" (11:17)?

Then there was silence. I imagine that it was perhaps a long period of silence. What was the response going to be? No doubt they were just as perplexed as Peter had been when he was on the roof. They could have easily dismissed Peter, but there was one problem: they knew him. At least ten of these men had walked with Peter for the previous eight years. He wasn't crazy.

Their response was to glorify God and proclaim that God had granted "repentance that leads to life" to the Gentiles as well as the Jews!

Acts 10

While Peter was in Joppa, a Roman centurion named Cornelius was in his home in Caesarea (40 miles north of Joppa). It was the ninth hour (3:00), and so he was praying (devout Jews, as well as God-fearing Gentiles prayed three times a day: 9:00 AM, 3:00 PM, and sunset). Here's what we know about Cornelius:

• He and his entire household feared God
  
• He gave generously
• He prayed continually to God
• He belonged to a group known as the Italian Cohort (for some reason I think of Tony Soprano when I hear that)

During his prayer time he saw a vision. An angel told him to send for a man named Simon Peter. He didn't tell him why and he didn't give him any more information. He just vanished. Nonetheless, Cornelius had never experienced anything like this, so he obeyed. He sent two servants and a soldier to Joppa to find this man known as Simon Peter.

The next day, while the three men were traveling to Joppa, Peter was on the roof praying (I guess he was a little more devout than Cornelius, because he was praying at noon as well). He became hungry, and while he was praying he too saw a vision. The vision was of a great sheet descending from heaven. The sheet was filled with all kinds of animals, and a voice spoke, "Rise, Peter; kill and eat." It doesn't sound like a big deal to us, but to Peter, this was ridiculous. Never before had Peter eaten any animal that God had called unclean (for a description of what God called clean and unclean, see Leviticus 11). He of course made this known to the voice. The voice said it again. Peter responded again. The voice said it a third time, and this time Peter hesitated before responding.

Remember the night Jesus was crucified? Peter denied his Lord three times. And then, after Jesus was raised from the dead, His restoration process for Peter involved asking him the question, "Do you love me?" three times. The "voice" now has his attention, but Peter is utterly perplexed. He acknowledges that the voice he has heard is God's, but it makes no sense. It is as if everything he has ever known is being challenged.

At that moment there was a knock on the door. The three men had found Peter. Peter came down and said, "I am the one you are looking for. What is the reason for your coming?" They explained what had happened to Cornelius, and asked him to come with them back to Caesarea. He agreed, so the next day they began their travel back to Caesarea.

Cornelius was waiting for them, and he had invited his oikos (his friends and family). When Peter arrived, he explained to them that three days ago, he wouldn't have been caught dead in a Gentile's home, but now God had revealed to him that He shows no partiality, and accepts all who come to Him, regardless of race or ethnicity.

Peter went straight to proclaiming Jesus, and as he did this, the Holy Spirit fell on all who were listening. The Jewish believers who had been traveled to Caesarea with Peter were dumbfounded. They never expected the Holy Spirit to fall on Gentiles! Peter, who had gotten it by now, commanded that they should be baptized.

Acts 9:32-43

I remember hearing Neil Cole say that after Stephen's murder, everyone left except the ones whose job description was leaving - the Apostles, or "Sent ones." God used persecution to get them all out of Jerusalem. It worked on everyone but the leaders. It seems that they hunkered down when persecution came. However, now we see Peter leaving Jerusalem and traveling twenty miles to Lydda. While there he healed a man named Aeneas, who was paralyzed and had been confined to a bed for the last eight years. Luke says that everyone who lived there "turned to the Lord" when they saw this.

From there he traveled another twenty miles to the coast city of Joppa. He traveled there because some of the followers of the Way from that city heard that he was in Lydda and came for him. A lady named Tabitha (Dorcas), who, Luke explains, was "full of good works and charity", had become ill and had just died. They thought that perhaps Peter might be able to do something. Peter came to Joppa, went upstairs to where Tabitha was, and commanded her lifeless body to arise. Immediately she was filled with life, and he presented her to the community. Once again Luke describes how this affected the city: "And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord" (9:42).

Acts 9:1-31

Luke uses strong imagery to help us understand Saul. In 8:3 we see Saul "ravaging the church", and now, in 9:1, Luke writes that Saul was "breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord." Saul went to the high priest in Jerusalem and asked if he could take care of the problem they had. He wanted to stop these followers of the Way more than anything.

As he was heading to Damascus, he had an encounter with Jesus, the One he was really persecuting. Jesus knocked Saul off his horse, blinded him, and told him to go into the city and he would then be told what to do. Jesus then spoke to Ananias, one of the followers of the Way. When Jesus told him His plan, Ananias questioned Him. Saul was very dangerous. Why would Jesus want him to welcome this murder in. Jesus' response was that Saul was His chosen instrument who would carry His name to the Gentiles.

Ananias found Saul exactly where Jesus had said he would be. He laid hands on him and prayed, causing him to regain his sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. He was then baptized.

Saul stayed there for a few days, proclaiming in the synagogue that Jesus was the Christ. People were amazed because they knew who Saul was. After a few days, though, the Jews tried to kill him, but he escaped. Some time later he returned to Jerusalem. When he got there he went to see the disciples, but they were afraid. Apparently Jesus had not let them in on this turn of events. Barnabas, however, believed Saul's story and convinced the others to allow him in. Pretty soon the Jews in Jerusalem tried to kill Saul, so he was sent to Tarsus, where he was from.

The Jewish leaders had to be acting out of fear by this point. They had no idea what to do. All they knew now was that their prized pupil was now a member of this heretical sect.

Luke ends this section by saying, "So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied" (9:31). This is a beautiful statement. Ever since Stephen was murdered, there was anything but peace. There was great fear, even among the leaders of the Way. But now Jesus had intervened and transformed the heart of the man at the center of that fear. Saul was now a follower of Jesus. Jesus had brought them peace. They were in awe of Jesus, and this led to a time of being built (maturity) up but also of reproduction. Fear never leads to maturity or reproduction, but peace and awe do.

Acts 8:4-40

Philip, one of the seven, went to Samaria and proclaimed Christ to those he met. He healed the sick and cast out demons. Luke says that the crowds "with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip" (8:6). One would think that this might have something to do with Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman a few years earlier (John 4).

A sorcerer named Simon watched Philip and was jealous. For many years he was the one with great powers, and everyone gave him attention. Even so, he was curious about the two-fold message that Philip was preaching: (1) good news about the kingdom of God and (2) the name of Jesus Christ. Many believed and were baptized, among them Simon the Sorcerer.

Word quickly spread back to Jerusalem, and Peter and John were sent to see it for themselves: the Samaritans had believed! They also came to lay hands on these new believers and pray that they might receive the Holy Spirit. When Simon observed this, he quietly went to Peter and John and offered them money if he too could do this. Peter rebuked him and warned him to repent. Simon obeyed.

Some time after this an angel appeared to Philip and told him to go back towards Jerusalem and down to Gaza, which was a coastal city. He didn't tell him why, and Philip didn't ask. He just obeyed. On his way he ran into an Ethiopian eunich who worked for Queen Candace. He was on his way back from Jerusalem, where he had journeyed to worship. Philip saw that he had the Scriptures opened to Isaiah. Luke points out that the Spirit told Philip to go closer to the Ethiopian's chariot. Again, Philip obeyed.

Philip then asked a simple question: "Do you understand what you are reading?" The Ethiopian was obviously hungry to know truth, but indeed did not understand what he was reading. In fact, he said that he would never understand it unless he had someone to help him understand. The chariot stopped, Philip got in, and he looked to see what the Ethiopian was reading. It was from Isaiah 53. Luke says that Philip began with this Scripture and told the Ethiopian the good news about Jesus.

Right about this time they drove by a small body of water. The Ethiopian asked Philip if he could be baptized. Right after he came out of the water, he looked around and Philip was gone. He had vanished. Philip found himself in Azotus, about twenty miles north of Gaza. Understandably a little excited, Philip headed back to Caesarea (another 40-60 miles north), preaching the gospel to all he came in contact with.

Acts 7-8:3

Chapter 7 contains Stephen's speech before his accusers. The speech can be divided into two parts. In the first part, which consists of verses 1-50, Stephen recounts God's working through his people from the time of Abraham through David and Solomon. He has the crowd's attention. He believes the same things that they believe. Onlookers no doubt wondered what the big deal was. The "big deal" begins in verse 51. That's when things get ugly.

After giving this eloquent history, Stephen rebukes the crowd by saying, "You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit." He accuses them of murdering the prophets who announced the coming of Jesus, and then they murdering Jesus, the Son of God.

At this the crowd has had enough. They rush Stephen, carry him out of the city, and stone him to death.

No doubt there were other Jesus-followers watching. Imagine the thoughts going through their head at this point. The fun and games are over. This is really serious! Our friend has just been killed. Maybe they even questioned how God could allow something like this to happen.

Luke mentions something else that at the time seems pretty incidental - that those stoning Stephen laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. This is incidental because we've never heard of Saul before. We're about to hear a lot about him, though. Saul was a devout Jew. He had been raised by the right parents, educated in the right schools, and apprenticed under the right teachers (for more on Saul's background, see Philippians 3:4-6, Acts 22:3, & Galatians 1:13-14). Now he was about to be unleashed on the Church.

After Stephen's speech, most of the crowd believed that he was indeed a heretic who had to be stopped. This was all that the religious leaders needed. They commissioned Saul to go throughout Jerusalem and arrest men and women from the Church. After five years of relative peace, the Church was now about to go "underground." Luke mentions that all but the apostles fled Jerusalem. We will soon discover, though, that this too was a part of God's plan.

Acts 6

Things have been going so well for so long, and now the grumbling begins. The Hellenists (Greek-speaking Jews) believed that their widows were not being taken care of in the same manner as the Hebrew widows, and they wanted something to be done. So the Twelve gathered together and decided that if they were going to have time to do what they were supposed to be doing (prayer and preaching), then they were going to have to raise up other leaders to help sort out of the the messiness of community.

I find it interesting that the Twelve do not select seven men. Instead, they call on the community to select seven men. They did give them qualifications, though:

• A good reputation
• Wisdom
• Spirit-filled

Because of this delegation, Luke points out that the "word of God continued to increase, and the number of disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith" (6:7).

Side note: This was a huge turn of events. The priests were the primary persecutors of the early church at this time. Another side note: I love the phrase "became obedient to the faith."

One of the seven men chosen was Stephen. Luke describes him as a man who was "full of grace and power." He had been performing signs and wonders, and therefore had attracted a large crowd. It also attracted opposition. One day that opposition accused Stephen of blaspheming God. Stephen was seized and brought before the council.

The Gospel of Home-Cooked Meals

From Ben Arment's blog, quoting Francis Shaeffer...

Don't start with a big program. Don't suddenly think you can add to your church budget and begin. Start personally and start in your home. I dare you. I dare you in the name of Jesus Christ. Do what I am going to suggest. Begin by opening your home for community…

L'Abri is costly... In about the first three years of L'Abri all our wedding presents were wiped out. Our sheets were torn. Holes were burned in our rugs. Indeed once a whole curtain almost burned up from somebody smoking in our living room...

How many times has this happened to you? You see, you don't need a big program. You don't have to convince your session or board. All you have to do is open your home and begin. And there is no place in God's world where there are no people who will come and share a home as long as it is a real home.

Acts 5:17-42

The high priest was still observing what was going on, and now knew that something had to be done. Keep in mind that to him, this was a group of radicals who threatened to destroy their faith. He had the apostles arrested again and threw them in the public prison. The next morning he came to interrogate them but they were not there. Luke mentions that everyone was "greatly perplexed" (5:24). What they didn't know was that during the night, an angel had rescued them and told them to go back to the temple and to continue to "speak to the people all the words of this Life" (5:20).

Sure enough, the apostles were outside continuing to do what they had been arrested for. The high priest was furious. He accused them of "intend(ing) to bring this man's blood upon us" (5:28). This was the heart of his concern. He feared for his life. Peter took the opportunity to once again rebuke them.

Now the high priest wanted to kill Peter and the other apostles, but a Pharisee named Gamaliel stepped in. He reminded the council of others who had led rebellions, but who had failed. His suggestion: "keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God" (5:38-39). They beat the apostles, warned them to stop preaching about Jesus, and sent them home. The apostles rejoiced that they "were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name" (5:41).

Acts 5:1-16

Up to this point, the overwhelming response to what God has been doing has been wonder and awe. Something is about to happen that will turn that response into fear.

There was a married couple in the church named Ananias and Sapphira. Just as many others were doing, they sold a piece of property and gave the proceeds to the community. What they didn't tell Peter and the others was that they had secretly held back some of the money for themselves. When Ananias came to Peter, God revealed to Peter what Ananias had done. He asked, "Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit." This money was theirs. They did not have to give any of it. Yet they claimed to be giving all of it.

After Peter finished speaking, Ananias fell to the ground dead. Three hours later Sapphira came in. Peter asked her if they gave all of the proceeds. She lied and, like her husband, fell to the ground dead.

I am guilty of far greater sins than this. They no doubt had done far worse than this over the course of their lives. Why was the judgment this harsh? As John Calvin said, "they hoped to give a little to God but get credit for a lot." It's important to remember that God looks at the heart, not just the actions. Perhaps Ananias and Sapphira (A & S) were present when Barnabas gave the proceeds from the sale of a property. No doubt there was a great deal of talk about Barnabas. Perhaps A & S wanted there to be a lot of talk about them. They wanted people to talk about how great they were. After they sold the property, they began thinking, "It won't hurt if we keep a little of this for ourselves, will it?"

One could also make the point that God was purifying His people for their own good. The Church was about to face some tough times, so holiness and purity were essential. Giving a lecture about holiness and purity is one thing. Seeing people die because of a lack thereof is something completely different.

The other effect of this is that many more (multitudes) believed and were added to the Church.

Raising Little Urbanites

Jason just sent me this article. It's from Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan.

Here's what comprises the typical American dream: Getting married, having 2.5 kids, and buying the house with the white picket fence, two-car garage, and well-manicured lawn. Here's what it usually doesn't include: hauling groceries up a fourth-floor walkup; dodging taxis, harried pedestrians and street vendors during the morning commute; and paying a premium for an apartment considered a walk-in closet anywhere else.

Read the rest of the article.

Acts 4

Peter had just given another scathing rebuke to the crowd, and things finally began to get a little scary for he and John. The priests and Sadducees were not too happy about being rebuked like this, especially by a fisherman. They decided to put them in jail overnight, thinking that this would shut them up. Luke points out, though, that during this time more and more people were coming to believe that Jesus was the Messiah, and now the number of believers had grown to around 5000 men. That is amazing!

The next morning Peter and John were summoned before Caiaphas the high priest. Not at all intimated, Peter launched into another rebuke, reminding them once again that it was they who had murdered the Son of God. Luke writes, "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished" (4:13). They had nothing to say. Furthermore, then man who had been healed was also in the room. There was nothing to say! In a last ditch effort to save face, they "warned" Peter and John to quit talking about Jesus...or else. Peter responded, "...for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard" (4:20).

After they were released they went to see their friends and shared what had taken place. This led into a time of prayer that ended with the ground shaking: "And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus" (4:29-30).

Notice that they did not ask God to keep them safe. They did not ask for God to deliver them from the same people who had killed their Master. No, they asked for boldness. They also asked for God to do what only He could do. They asked for signs and wonders.

Chapter 4 ends with another beautiful account of community. Luke writes, "no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common" (4:32). Luke goes on to say that there were no needy people among them. The reason: People who owned property and land were selling it and giving it to the apostles for distribution.

Church Planting for Dummies

Is that title taken yet?

On my other blog, I'm starting to put together an administrative procedures manual (all three of those words sound so boring; I'll have to think of new terminology). We want to be a church that starts other churches, and I'm hoping that this becomes a practical tool for church planters. I know that Jason and I would have benefited greatly from something like this.

Prison

Here are some excerpts from a new article in Christianity Today.

698,000 inmates were released from prison in the last 12 months. Most will be behind bars again by 2009. How can we keep more from returning?

Some 2.2 million people (one in every 136 U.S. residents) are doing time in prison, according to FBI statistics. Add to that number another 4 million or more on probation, parole, or awaiting trial in local jails. This past year, prison populations grew 4.7 percent—the largest annual growth spurt in nearly ten years.

As prison populations have soared, the number of prisoners who are freed has also increased significantly. Prisons free at least 600,000 each year.

But most freed inmates have few marketable job skills. The lack of a job is a major risk factor for an ex-offender to commit a new crime. Researchers say the repeat-offense rate nationally is stubbornly high, at more than 60 percent.

The Justice Department also recently noted that black men make up 41 percent of all inmates, and Hispanic women are 1.6 times more likely than white women to be imprisoned.

Pat Nolan, head of Justice Fellowship (a PF-affiliate), told CT, "Locking up prisoners without doing anything to change their moral perspective or give them skills to live crime-free when they are released has made us less safe rather than more.

PF's Earley told CT that he believes new approaches are required to attack the chronic problem of repeat offenders. Worship services in prisons are not enough. "What is increasingly needed today," he said, "is a one-on-one relationship and helping them with their life."

Release from prison is when the hard work begins. "The first 60 to 90 days is the real tipping point as to whether they're going to make it or not," said Earley.

You can read the entire article here.

Acts 3

One day Peter and John were going to the temple for prayer (ninth hour prayer). A man lame from birth sat at the gate every day asking for money. As Peter and John entered the gate, the man asked them for money. Apparently he didn't make eye contact with them. He just spoke the words. This was probably the norm. Peter said, "Look at us." Eye contact is powerful in and of itself. But then Peter, revealing that his transformation was still taking shape, told the man that they didn't have any money to give him, but they did have something else to offer him. Peter said, "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!"

The man stood and began to walk, but before he was even in the temple he was leaping and praising God. Once again, those observing were filled with wonder and amazement.

Peter now had another opportunity to preach. He stood in what was known as Solomon's Porch. This would become the site of much of the public preaching done by Peter and the apostles. Peter once again cut right to the point - that they had murdered the Son of God. There was good news, though. They could be forgiven. He said, "Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord..." (3:19-20).

Cooper-Young Festival

The Cooper-Young Festival is this Saturday. I'm really looking forward to it this year. Last year it was so hot, so we weren't out that much. I just saw the forecast, and they're calling for a high of 75 on Saturday. Nice!

Acts 2:42-47

I decided to separate this passage from the rest of Chapter 2 because it is so rich. Is this a description of the way a church should look today, or is it simply an idealistic utopia and unrealistic in today's culture? I don't know, but it sure sounds appealing. On the other hand, though, is it something that I really want?

You have to remember that the majority of these new converts did not live in Jerusalem. They were only planning on staying for a few days, and then would be returning to their homes. However, something amazing had just happened, and it appears that many of them stayed in Jerusalem. That would of course pose some problems. Where would they live? How would they be able to afford to stay in Jerusalem? What about their families back home?

Community happened out of necessity. Those who lived in Jerusalem opened up their homes to their new family. They shared everything they had. No one was in need.

Like all churches, we've been thinking through the issue of small groups. Everyone wants community, but we want it on our terms. The best community happens when it's not on our terms. True community isn't something that you can turn on and off. If community is happening, it's messy. Perhaps that's why I've experienced true community so little in my life. It brings to the surface a lot of "in your face" questions. Do I really want to sell my possessions and give to those who are in need? Do I want to open my home up to anyone, at any time. That's obviously not always the wisest thing to do (there's something called boundaries, and I believe that God has wired us with those boundaries).

That being said, I'm still faced with the question, "Do I really want to experience this type of community?"

Many people also find in this passage the primary functions of a church. This is found in verse 42. Tim Keller has a great little article on this that is worth reading. He lists the purposes this way:

• Worship and prayer
  
• Learning and edification
• Fellowship and community
• Outreach and evangelism
• Mercy and social concern

Acts 2:1-41

Finally the day of Pentecost arrived. Jews from all over would come to Jerusalem several times a year to observe festivals. God chose one of those festivals to pour out his Spirit and to birth the church.

For the past ten days this group of 120 had been together, devoting themselves to prayer. All they knew was that Jesus had told them to return to Jerusalem and wait. On the morning of Pentecost, while the city was crammed with people from all over, the Holy Spirit fell on the followers of Jesus and they began praising God in languages that they did not know. Others knew these languages, though. They were the languages of the devout Jews who had traveled from all over the known world to come to Jerusalem.

A large crowd gathered. A few onlookers were skeptical, believing that they were drunk. However, most were amazed by what was taking place. Peter stood up along with the eleven other apostles, and he addressed the crowd. Before going any farther, I have to go back in time. This is the Peter who constantly spoke up before thinking. He's the one who on one hand speaks up and declares that Jesus is the Messiah, but then soon afterwards rebukes Jesus when he says that he is going to die soon. He's the one denies Jesus after arguing with Jesus that denial was impossible. And he is the one whom Jesus restored. That Peter gets up and addresses the crowd.

He quotes from the prophet Joel. Everyone in the crowd surely knows this passage of Scripture. In that passage God declared that he would pour out his Spirit on his people. Peter then transforms into a bold preacher. He points to Jesus as the fulfillment of all of Scripture. And he tells the crowd that it was they who murdered him.

I think the key statement, the tipping point, so to speak, was when Peter said, "Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified."

Later on in the book of Acts, Paul makes statements like this and then is stoned or run out of town. But this is not what happens at this moment. Those who heard Peter "were cut to the heart", and their response was, "Brothers, what shall we do?" (2:37). Peter's response:
Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the
forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (2:38).

What an amazing day! After Peter's sermon, 3000 people believed, were baptized, and became a part of a dynamic new community that would later be known as the Church.

Acts 1

Jesus was murdered during the Jewish Passover, and was raised from the dead three days later. There are fifty days between Passover and Pentecost, another Jewish holiday. Luke records that Jesus spent forty days with his followers, speaking to them about the Kingdom of God (1:3).

Before ascending, Jesus told them to return to Jerusalem (the one place they never wanted to go back to). He told them to wait there until they received the Holy Spirit. They obviously didn't understand that completely, but they obeyed. The first statement in verse 12 is very vivid to me: "Then they returned to Jerusalem." Jesus is gone again. He's told them to go to the place where he was murdered. It surely was a long Sabbath day's journey (1:12).

They did get one thing right, though. They devoted the next ten days to prayer. The eleven apostles were there, along with "the women" and Jesus' family. 1 Corinthians 15:7 says that during those forty days Jesus spent time with his brother James, and James finally believed that his older brother was the Messiah. Up to that point, only Mary believed, and she too had her moments of doubt.

Chapter 1 ends with Peter standing up before the 120 and declaring that Judas did what he did so that the Scriptures would be fulfilled. They now had to find his replacement. They prayed, then cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias.

Acts - An Introduction

So I'm going to start blogging my way through the book of Acts. This has been my favorite book for several years now. I love the story of the early church. The book spans thirty years, and over the course of this time Christianity grows from a relatively small group of 120 people, to so many that they are seen as a threat to the Roman Empire. During that time we have great stories of faith, sacrifice, and transformation.

First, a little background. Acts was written sometime before 64 AD by Dr. Luke, who also wrote (yes, you guessed it) the gospel of Luke. Luke doesn't write about Paul's death under Nero, which many believe took place in 64 AD. Therefore most scholars believe that it was written before he died.

Love Portland

I'm a big fan of Imago Dei in Portland, OR, and of their pastor, Rick McKinley. This past Saturday hundreds of members of Imago showed up in different locations to serve their city. McKinley gives a great wrap-up reflection on his blog. There are some really good insights there. I'm ready to be this type of church.

NC First Service

Here are a few pictures from our first service.

Two Chapters a Day

For the past few months I've been trying to read two chapters of the Bible each day. For the most part I've been doing pretty well. I'm planning on starting the book of Acts on Monday. I think that's fitting with our first service and all. Bill Hybels spoke about the early church at the New Church Conference last April. I didn't go, but I've listened to it. Here's my paraphrase of what he said...

There was once a community of people who were completely devoted to God. They were so devoted to God that when He told them to go, they went. They would do whatever God told them to do. In this community there was a radical love for one another that broke down every kind of wall there is. Each member used his or her spiritual gifts, and they knew that they were dependent not only on God, but on one another as well. They believed that God could perform signs and wonders, and because of this, they regularly stood in awe. The people in this community of faith burned with passion to take the gospel to their world. When they were threatened and told to stop, they met in an open room and prayed not for God to stop the Romans, but for courage to spill their blood. There was once a community of faith like this.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow is the big day. I'm excited, a little nervous, and actually a little numb. We've been working so hard for the last few months, and I have no idea what to expect. We've said from day 1 that we're not just going to be about a weekly (or monthly) service. We want Neighborhood Church to be about a lot more than that. At the same time, though, we've spent a lot of time getting ready for this (did I say that already?), and therefore it's pretty important. We go from a handful of people knowing who we are to a lot more. We'll just have to wait and see how many that actually is.

Damien Rice - Volcano

Mandy and I went to see Damien Rice at the Orpheum a few months ago, and it was one of the best shows I've ever seen. He had a drummer and bassist, and the sound they put out was amazing. There are lots of clips of this song on YouTube, but this was the closest to the arrangement that he did that night. It of course doesn't do justice to seeing it live, but it's still nice - nice and beefy as I like to say.

Andy McKee - Drifting

I first heard this fella after reading another blog, and fell in love. I'm glad I got to see him play before just hearing it. I downloaded two of his CD's off of emusic, and I listen to them almost every day.

Imogene Heap - Hide and Seek

I first came across Imogene Heap when she was one half of the band Frou Frou. "Let Go" is one of the tracks on the awesome soundtrack to Garden State. This song was on a Paste CD. I remember putting it in the CD player and listening to it five or six times the first go around. Check out some of her other live videos on YouTube.

My Little Drummer Boy

Today Adam and I went to Yarbrough's to pick up a pair of speakers. While we waited, Adam discovered electronic drums.

Ten Years of Church Planting

Ten years ago I was 22 years old, fresh out of college, and living with three friends in Nashville, TN. I moved there without really knowing why, and started working at a Christian bookstore, making minimum wage - not really a part of the long range plan!

One evening in September, 1997, my roommate, Andy, told me that a friend of his was helping to start a church, and they were looking for a worship leader. They wondered if I might be interested. Up to that point, I really knew nothing about church planting, but I was definitely interested (yeah, no more bookstore job)!

A week or so later I met with Mark Jackson, and he told me about his plans to start The Church@Hickory Hollow. I loved what I heard, and I felt that this was why I had moved to Nashville. It excited me to be a part of something like this. The amazing thing was that several weeks of talking took place before they ever heard me play the guitar, and that was a good thing, because I didn't really play the guitar that well at the time.

We spent that fall building a core group, and in January, 1998, we had our first public worship service. We definitely had humble beginnings. That Sunday morning I led worship, with my then-girlfriend Mandy singing with me. I set in a swivel chair because I couldn't stand and play the guitar. I dropped my pick two or three times that morning. The swivel chair was nice because I could turn around to adjust the sound to fulfill my other role as sound tech - not that I really knew what I was doing there either.

The Church@Hickory Hollow holds a special place in my heart. This was mine and Mandy's first church together - just about everyone in the church showed up on June 12, 1999 to watch us get married. I was also given lots of opportunities to serve and use my gifts. I had my first opportunities to speak there. I got to work with small groups, to equip and develop leaders, and to lead a band. This was also the place where God laid on my heart a desire to start churches. Because of this call, in September, 1999, I started feeling like God might be calling us to get more training in this area, and one year later we were in the San Francisco Bay Area.

So now ten years have passed. I'm back in Tennessee, though it's now Memphis instead of Nashville. And I now have the opportunity to help start another church. My life is good. God has allowed me to not only dream, but to see my dreams realized. I am truly grateful to Him for this.

Neighborhood Church

We're less than one week from our first service. Pause...that's kind of hard to believe. This has been a dream for a long time, and it's finally here. Exciting, yet very scary. There are still a few things that need to get done, but all in all, I think we're ready.

It's easy to be overcome by stress during times like this, but every time that starts to happen, I'm reminded that this is Jesus' thing, not mine. He said that He would build His Church. He's the One who draws people to Himself. He's opened and closed all of the doors that needed to be opened and closed. He will grow this church the way He wants to grow it.

So what's our role? Just to trust and obey. It's really that simple. Oh, and not to freak out over every little detail. That comes back to being a child, which is something else that's easy to forget.

Summer

It seems that my life as been consumed with details the last two months. A lot goes into starting a church, and it's felt like every time I check something off my list I remember two more things that need to be added to it. In some ways I'm ready for September to be here. I guess I think I'll get to rest then, but that's when the fun really begins. So here's a list of some of the highlights of this summer:

• Mandy has done an awesome job with our children's ministry. It's going to be top notch.
• We have a great facility. For $100/month we get four hours and as many rooms as we want. We also found out today that we can rent a closet for $60 month. It will hold all of our stuff, and means that we don't have to buy a trailer.
• We came up with a name. It's Neighborhood Church. Our website will be live in a few weeks. The web address is www.ncmidtown.com
• Postcards advertising our first service (September 9) will be mailed out to 5000 households the first week of September.
  

And now a few things about our family.

• Adam has been potty-training the last few weeks. It's definitely a new phase of life - for us and for him. He's starting to get the hang of it, though.
• My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer a few months ago. She had her second round of chemotherapy yesterday. She is supposed to have six more treatments, and they take place every other week. She has been very strong. The doctors have no reason to believe she won't be completely cured by the end of the year.
• Mandy and I have had a really great summer together. Things are finally beginning to take shape, which means a little bit of stability for us. We're trying to plan a vacation for this fall. We'll both need it.
• My mortgage business has been pretty slow the last five weeks, but that's primarily because the whole market has been lousy. I'm hoping it will pick back up in the new few weeks.
  

I think that's enough for now. As crazy as this summer has been, I am so thankful to be able to do what I'm passionate about. I never want to take that for granted!

MagicJack

You might be aware that Sunrocket shut down, practically overnight, last week. I've been looking into other VOIP companies but haven't decided on anything yet. In the meantime, I forwarded my Sunrocket number to my cell phone, and tonight I ordered MagicJack. For $40, I get a local phone number and unlimited calling. Not bad. I don't think it will end up being a replacement for my home phone, however. I was actually looking for an inexpensive way to have a phone/phone number for the church office. This is even cheaper than Skype. We'll see how it works in a few days.

Mandy

My wife is a remarkable woman. She has spent the last four days potty-training Adam. He's not as far along as we had hoped, but he's making progress. Mandy has been so patient and loving. For the first two days he ran around naked, which he very much enjoyed. He went through four pair of underwear in three hours yesterday. Again, she has been very patient. And right now, as I am writing this, she is on the way to Kroger with six South Korean students here for the Orff conference. She tells me that two speak a bit of English. She was planning on picking three of them up from the airport and bringing them to the University of Memphis. When they arrived on campus, there were three more young ladies, and none of them had any clue how they were going to get food during the weekend. Once again, my lovely wife came to the rescue.

I asked her what I could do for her, and she said, "Let me sleep in tomorrow morning."

Done. I may even make her breakfast in bed!

More talk on Public Schools

Wendi Thomas wrote a great article in yesterday's Commercial Appeal. Many Central Gardens residents are encouraging their neighbors to support Idlewild Elementary School. Here's the article.

What is the Purpose of Prayer?

Yesterday I was going through one of my journals and discovered a post from 2 ½ years ago that was at the time quite a revelation from God. The unfortunate thing is that this time it was just as much of a revelation (which means that I didn't do much about it the first time). Here's the revelation: for most of my life I have had a warped understanding of prayer. There, I said it.

I've looked at prayer primarily as a "Trust and Obey" issue. I've never really had trouble believing that God will not only take care of me, but that He knows what is best for me. I've always felt that God knows all of my needs and will continue to provide for those needs. I've believed that He will close and open doors as He sees fit, and therefore my job is just to walk. When He opens a door, I should go through it. When He closes a door, I should yield. If that is my attitude, then what is the purpose of prayer? Or better yet, why should I bother with prayer? God knows what I'm going to say, doesn't He? He's going to take care of my needs regardless, right? Efficiency is the key word here.

My revelation then, and my revelation yesterday, was that God is not very concerned with my efficiency. Prayer is not about getting things done. Prayer is about relationship. At the time I first realized this I did not have a son. I now understand this better. My relationship with Adam has nothing to do with accomplishing something. I spend time with Adam because I love him. I desire for our relationship to continue to grow and develop. Intimacy comes as the relationship deepens. The relationship between father (Robert) and son (Adam) is a picture of the relationship between Father (God) and son (Robert).

God is not too busy getting things accomplished that He can't spend time with me. Neither should I be too busy that I can't spend time with Him. It does go back to my understanding, though, because understanding and belief determines behavior. I'm happy to say that my understanding is changing, and I trust that my behavior will also begin to change.

Marketing my biz

Today I began phase 2 of my marketing campaign for Midtown Mortgage Group. My website is finally up and running. This week I'm planning on letting everyone know that my site is up. Tomorrow I am going to go to three real estate offices to introduce myself. I'm going to come with a stack of business cards and a fruit basket that my lovely wife helped me assemble. Finally, I'm going to put together letters to my new clients asking them for referrals and/or testimonials for the website. May was my first month of production. I really love this new job. I love the marketing, the education component, as well as the whole real estate business.