David Bahn – Reflections

Acts 9:31

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.

Diane and I like two distinctly different kinds of movies. We both like mysteries – especially some of those produced by the BBC and shown on public TV such as “Sherlock”. I especially also like strong and intense dramas such as “Captain Philips”, which we recently saw. Then there are the challenges and joys of being grandparents, the blessings of serving as pastor at St. John and Diane’s PLI ministry, not to mention our efforts to begin to know the people in our neighborhood. There is a warp and woof in our individual and shared preferences and experiences. They weave together as the fabric of our lives.

In the case of the events that unfold as the Early Church begins to take shape and grow, there is a warp and woof as well. The dramatic conversion of Saul gives way to Ananias’ change of heart and willingness to pray for and ultimately baptize Saul. Saul’s conversion is so powerful that he begins to teach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah. This angers the Jews who plot to murder him, which sends Saul to Jerusalem by means of a nighttime escape. When he arrives in Jerusalem the disciples there fear him, not believing that he was truly converted and now a follower of Jesus. Thank God for Barnabas (whose name means, literally, “Son of Encouragement”) who vouches for Saul so that then he preaches and teaches in Jerusalem. This in turn angers the Greek-speaking Jews who also conspire to kill Saul. So they send him back to his home in Tarsus.

All this is part of the warp and woof of the Early Church’s growth. All this so that the church may walk in the comfort of the Holy Spirit and multiply. The simple life is perhaps more of a myth than reality when it comes to the mission of God. As God brings more and more people into his church and as the church grows and multiplies, it is always in the context of challenge, blessing, difficulty, encouragement, grace, and testing.

Al this makes me think of how short sighted we can become in the midst of the blessings and challenges of church life today. Some people too easily come to and go from our fellowship. Events of great blessing and challenging times of difficulty too often cloud our vision to the greater work of God. God’s work is done in people’s lives in real time amidst the blessings and challenges of life. Make no mistake about it, however. God is at work, advancing his kingdom. Even as Saul is moving from Damascus, to Jerusalem, to Caesarea, to Tarsus, God is readying the world for the next great chapter of his mission. The church is multiplying, and the warp and woof of life will continue to play out so that more and more people can hear the Good News of Jesus, Son of God, Messiah, and Lord.

I want to be part of that tapestry of God’s grace and truth. How about you?

Acts 9:19-31

For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. 20 And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” 21 And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” 22 But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.

23 When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, 24 but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, 25 but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.

26 And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. 28 So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord.29 And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists. But they were seeking to kill him. 30 And when the brothers learned this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

31 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.