thriving gospel ministry

Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.

Acts 5:41-42

The gospel thrives in persecution. We see it here. This was the response of the apostles after arrest, interrogation, threats, and illegal beating by the Sanhedrin, which was the Supreme Court of religious Jewish authority. The apostles were set loose with a warning to stop proclaiming the gospel of Jesus. And the apostles first rejoiced that they were so faithful to their Lord that they suffered for it, considering it a worthy honor, and then they stayed right at the task with the same fervor and seriousness as before, as if nothing had happened. They kept right at public and private gospel preaching and disciple-making.

Nothing changed despite the threat. They did not change their tactics. They did not alter their message, They did not back down. They stayed right at the privileged task of obeying their Lord, proclaiming good news of salvation in Jesus, and teaching disciples to follow Jesus. They made every part of their lives about gospel living and proclamation, and despite opposition, the Church kept maturing, growing, and expanding.

If we simply keep preaching the gospel and teaching disciples, the church will go on. No cultural, political, or religious opposition will stop what God has willed in Jesus. Christians may suffer and die, but the gospel never will.

by faith in His name

And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.

Acts 3:16

God used the healing of a lame beggar to ignite powerful gospel preaching among the early church in Jerusalem. The theme of Peter’s sermon here in Acts 3 is the importance of faith in Jesus to find salvation. The physical healing of this paralyzed man at the temple pointed to Jesus’ exclusive power to forgive sin and raise to real life all those who repent and turn to Him by faith (see Acts 3:19-22). The power of Jesus to heal this man by faith in His name, pointed to the greater saving power of a risen Savior to turn Israel back to God if they would believe the gospel (Acts 3:25-26) and in turn this would bless all the world through the salvation of sin Jesus provides.

Lord Jesus,

Just as You raised to new life in perfect health a paralyzed beggar in the temple courts, so You have raised my heart to real life in You... though I was dead in sin, Your raised me to life! And I was powerless to save myself. I simply believe the incredible, amazing, gracious good news that You died for sin, and rose again to forgive all sin. I trust that and I am made whole. Sin no longer has me pinned useless to a mat of shame begging for my life to change. Thank You for that great salvation accomplished in me, and as You call me to follow You, I will grow in daily believing by faith in Your name!

Amen

Ten words we should accept

You will be hated by all for my name's sake.

Luke 21:17

These ten words are NOT the effect of the gospel we normally hear talked about among modern Christians. But they are exactly what happens in the world system when Christians live in the light. We will be hated by those whose dark sin is most dear to them. Jesus starts warning His disciples of the inevitability of persecution in verse 12, where for His name’s sake they will be persecuted and delivered up to religious and civil authorities. This isn’t as much a warning as a reminder that this will be an opportunity for them to bear witness to the gospel (Luke 21:13).

But even in that moment, Jesus promises that He will provide in them the right response, so they should not fear its eventual time (Luke 21:14-15). Even family would turn against His disciples as they would be hated by all (Luke 21:16). They could endure and gain eternal life, knowing that by faith in Jesus they will never truly perish (Luke 21:18-19)

Yes, Christianity is hated by many in this world. But the gospel is still a powerful, life-changing message of love... good news to sinners who repent. And though it may be costly and hurtful at times for us to proclaim it, the church MUST bear the message of the cross even under persecution. And Jesus shall reign. One day He will judge all sin, even the sin of persecution, and in eternity, no suffering we undertake in this life will seem to matter in the light of His love. We will delight in His love, His rule, and His worship!

hanging on His words

And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him, but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were hanging on his words.

Luke 19:47-48

Jesus was an amazing teacher, able to say the most difficult things in terms that captured the hearts of His hearers. And here we have documented just how the crowds reacted to His compelling teaching. They were captivated by it. They kept crowding into the temple in Jerusalem day after day to hear more from Jesus. Even as His preaching got more and more direct after the triumphal entry (He wept at Jerusalem’s coming rejection of Him - Luke 19:41-44; He confronted and drove the money changers from the temple courts - Luke 19:45-46) the audience flocking to Him kept growing and was all the more supportive.

The religious leaders were plotting to do away with the controversial young rabbi, but they found no way to do it without raising the ire of vast throngs against them. So they waited and they plotted. They could not success in a public confrontation with Jesus so they questioned His teaching (which is what is documented in the next chapter). They simply cringed in jealousy at the large following of supporters of Jesus and waited for a time to show itself.

The honest preaching and teaching of Jesus continued to compel the crowds because of Who Jesus is. God was speaking directly to humanity. The Word was made flesh and was speaking clearly and compellingly to the people that Jesus came to save. He was showing truth, breaking through the man-made constraints of false religion to show the love of the Father, and proclaiming hope to Israel. How could they not hang on His every word?

be merciful to me

“But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Luke 18:13-14

Be merciful to me

O God

a sinner

without any hope

in need of mercy

who can never really atone

for my sins alone

God, be merciful to me.

Be merciful to me

O God

one request

I will plea

from the hand of

God Almighty

I’ll never be holy

unless God is merciful to me.

Be merciful to me

O God

my Savior

gave His life

my sin to atone forever

so I could know

the Father’s favor

God IS merciful to me, a sinner!

Count me with the needy sinners.

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

Luke 15:1-2

The self-righteous religious people of Jesus’ day didn’t like the kinds of people who came to hear Jesus teach. What exactly got their panties all in a bunch? What was the big scandal? The crowds who followed Jesus were composed of... (gasp!)... sinners! That’s right.... your read it correctly... the people who were responding to the compelling messages of the man claiming to the the Messiah were normal, everyday, run-of-the-mill sinners who were not interested in playing the hypocritical games of the self-righteous religious elite. They were turned off by man-made religious rules. They flocked to Jesus.

And to add to the scandal of these crowds, Jesus willingly welcomed them, ate with them, enjoyed life with them, and ministered among them freely. He had become the friend of tax collectors and sinners. This made Jesus suspect to the scribes and Pharisees because He did not cultivate their version of a proper ministry portfolio.

Jesus is still the most attractive option for those of us who know we are sinners. I know this because I certainly am one. I sin in more ways than I can know every day both in my thoughts and in my actions. I need Jesus to receive my prayers for forgiveness and to love me. I don’t need self-righteous finger-pointing because I generally feel bad about my sin already. Jesus bore my guilt and punishment so I can be freed from sin to follow Him. He helps bear the load of my difficulties that are part of the consequences of my sin. I’ll flock to Him with the crowd of fellow sinners and find peace, joy, and purpose. Nothing else in the world offers this, and certainly legalistic religion fails to supply it! It only adds to my pain. Jesus receives sinners and loves them! Amen!

no need to worry

And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?

Luke 12:25-26

Jesus turns the root of my anxiety upside down as He calls me to trust in my Father’s care. The whole problem with anxiety is that it wants control. I fear what I cannot control, and the span of my life is one of the most anxiety inducing questions a human can face. We did not control our birth and we cannot give ourselves even an additional guaranteed hour. Oh we try. Living with 21st century medical abilities and scientific knowledge, we can try to eat right, treat our bodies right, or live safely. But those things cannot make anything other than a statistically probable outlook.

Don’t get me wrong. I do believe in wise stewardship of our bodies. Eating healthy, exercising, cultivating mindfulness, working at social interaction and emotion health are all things I want to pay attention to for good and godly reasons. But they are all submissive to the broader commitment to trust in the loving, sovereign rule of God. To defeat anxiety about the stuff of life, I must trust God, the giver of all life. And I must believe that He cares for me better than He feeds the birds and clothes the fields, both of which enjoy abundance.

Lord,

You know as I’ve been aging and dealing with my mortal body’s changes, I have struggled with anxiety. But You are wise, sovereign, and You control my world... not me. You will do with me what is beautiful and good in Your great grace. I thank You for this reminder now this morning.

Amen