David Bahn – Reflections

As soon as they were freed, Peter and John returned to the other believers and told them what the leading priests and elders had said. ²⁴ When they heard the report, all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God: “O Sovereign Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them— ²⁵ you spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant, saying,

‘Why were the nations so angry?
Why did they waste their time with futile plans?
²⁶ The kings of the earth prepared for battle;
the rulers gathered together
against the Lord
and against his Messiah.’

²⁷ “In fact, this has happened here in this very city! For Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate the governor, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were all united against Jesus, your holy servant, whom you anointed. ²⁸ But everything they did was determined beforehand according to your will. ²⁹ And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. ³⁰ Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” – Acts 3:23-30

It was a cool autumn day when my dad called me on the phone. “David,” he said, “come get a cash box and go out to the motel. We’re going to have to take it back. I need you to run it because no one is there.” We had sold the motel my mom and dad had built and taken back a large second mortgage to do so. The new “owner” wasn’t paying us or the bank. We were going to be back in the motel business.

Somehow I got into the motel office – cash box in hand. When the current owner’s wife showed up she wanted to know what I was doing there. “Who sent you? Get out!” I called my dad. My dad called the attorney. The attorney called me. “You need to leave,” he said. I did as I was told. I wasn’t in charge. For the moment she was in charge. That would soon change, for the law would hold sway.

Peter and John were not in charge, nor did they pretend to be. The Jewish leaders, on the other hand, were all about being in charge. They ordered Peter and John not to speak anymore of Jesus and the resurrection. The response of Peter and John, however, did not align with the self-assumed in-chargeness of the Jewish leaders.

They turned to the One who really was in charge: the Sovereign Lord. People may rage against God. People may press their own agenda. But in the end it will serve God’s agenda. His will will be done. No matter who may conspire against him.

We know this because of the most obvious display of rebellion against God – the crucifixion of God’s one and only Son – proved to further the cause of God. The grand story of God is the story of the redemption of the world. The grand story of God is unfolding against the backdrop of willful rebellion, waywardness, and futile plans.

Jesus did die – a horrible death. But his death was only part of the story. He rose again. He commissioned his disciples to proclaim his salvation to the ends of the earth. Nothing was going to stop that from happening.

Jesus is Lord. He rules at the right hand of God on high. One day he will come again and judge the living and the dead. On that day we will cry out in delight and joy, “My Lord and my God.” Those who reject Jesus will cry out too: “My Lord and my God,” in solemn recognition of that truth, but in utter sadness and despair. For Jesus is in charge – from beginning to end – and one day, every knee shall bow.

As soon as they were freed, Peter and John returned to the other believers and told them what the leading priests and elders had said. ²⁴ When they heard the report, all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God: “O Sovereign Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them— ²⁵ you spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant, saying,

Perhaps you recall Dan Rather’s final news broadcast. He ended it with a brief commentary on his approach to newscasting and then offered a final word: Courage. I believe he was referring to the need he perceived to continue to report the news that was unfavorable to a particular President, for which he got fired. It seems he had misreported some details in that regard.

This isn’t about Dan Rather, or a particular President. This is about courage. Where it comes from. Why we need it. How we exercise it. What we might expect if we do engage it in service to the truth of Jesus.

Courage is not something we gin up on our own, although there is a willfulness and deep-from-within aspect to courageous stances and actions. Courage is something that we gain based on deep convictions about what is good, true, and worthy of our risking. “Courage is fear that has said its prayers.” So says Dorothy Bernard, the silent film actress. C. S. Lewis puts it well. He says,

Courage is not simply one of the virtues , but the form of every virtue at the testing point.

Perhaps it should not surprise me that after they were arrested, threatened, and released, Peter and John return to this disciples with renewed enthusiasm, and deeper commitment (courage) to continue to speak in Jesus’ name to continue to bring more people to faith in Jesus.

This is literally fear that has said its prayers. They prayed for boldness. They prayed for vindication from God. They prayed for the truth of Jesus to be made known through miraculous signs and wonders. They weren’t going back.

There are times we must simply stand on truth, conviction and righteousness. There are times when we must stand up to threats. There are times when the bully needs to be faced-down. When those times come, pray. Ask God for boldness, courage, grace, and clarity.

It would be a bad thing to bluster about things that are not true. It is even worse to cower in the face of challenge to things that are true and worthy of bold witness. Give me boldness, O God!

Today I want simply to share an email I received from a member of St. John following my message last Sunday about hospitality. That message was based on this text:

One day Elisha went to the town of Shunem. A wealthy woman lived there, and she urged him to come to her home for a meal. After that, whenever he passed that way, he would stop there for something to eat.

She said to her husband, “I am sure this man who stops in from time to time is a holy man of God. Let’s build a small room for him on the roof and furnish it with a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp. Then he will have a place to stay whenever he comes by.”

One day Elisha returned to Shunem, and he went up to this upper room to rest. He said to his servant Gehazi, “Tell the woman from Shunem I want to speak to her.” When she appeared, Elisha said to Gehazi, “Tell her, ‘We appreciate the kind concern you have shown us. What can we do for you? Can we put in a good word for you to the king or to the commander of the army?’”

“No,” she replied, “my family takes good care of me.”

Later Elisha asked Gehazi, “What can we do for her?”

Gehazi replied, “She doesn’t have a son, and her husband is an old man.”

“Call her back again,” Elisha told him. When the woman returned, Elisha said to her as she stood in the doorway, “Next year at this time you will be holding a son in your arms!”

“No, my lord!” she cried. “O man of God, don’t deceive me and get my hopes up like that.”

But sure enough, the woman soon became pregnant. And at that time the following year she had a son, just as Elisha had said. – 2 Kings 4:8-17 [NLT]

Wow! Sometimes God speaks, and sometimes God’s people listen. Thanks be to God!

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, saying, “What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.” So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened. For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old. – Acts 4:13-22

The World and Everything in it podcast reported on Monday morning, July 8, that

Sheffield University expelled a devout Christian for a post he made on Facebook.

The student, Felix Ngole, responded to a question put to him on Facebook about sexual ethics. He expressed the Biblical view that homosexuality is a sin, quoting Leviticus. 

An anonymous complaint about that led the university to decide Ngole wasn’t fit to practice social work. That’s what he was studying to become. A social worker. The school said he couldn’t do social work and also hold Christian views.

Ngole sued for violations of his speech and religious rights. He lost. But last week, he won on appeal. (Click here for the full transcript)

Perhaps those who expelled Ngole had also expelled those Muslim students who quoted certain parts of the Koran. Maybe the expelled someone who engaged in misogyny. It could be that this was an even-handed action. It seems, however, not to have been the case. It seems this was directed at this Christian man because he was standing for his firmly-held religious beliefs. Those beliefs just didn’t coincide with popular mores or political correctness.

We take our religious freedoms for granted. We assume that we can express our faith without fear of retribution or government interference. When we are not allowed to do so, we howl and cry foul! That does not stop governments and authorities from trying to silence our witness. The message of Jesus does undercut the ways of the world. The truth of the Gospel hacks away at the false gods of greed, power-mongering, and self-centered pride. These will all conspire to silence our witness.

It is difficult not to be cowered into a corner of silence in the face of these intimidations. And while we don’t need to be belligerent, we do need to say, “I will obey God not man if the choice comes to that. I wonder where I have set aside that line of demarcation in favor of the praise of man. Search me, O God, and show me so that I can show myself faithful to the truth you have revealed in your Son, Jesus Christ my Lord!

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, saying, “What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.” So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened. For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old. – Acts 4:13-22

Let’s shut this down! That was surely the intent and concerted effort of the Jewish leaders over against these Jesus followers who were healing and proclaiming Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.

As I consider why they might have had those thoughts, two ideas emerge. First of all, they may have been sincerely concerned about what appeared to them as false teaching. They were uncomfortable because their understanding and deeply held beliefs were not just being challenged; they were being undercut. They believed they were doing the right thing by opposing these who in their minds were false teachers.

It might have been, also, that they were pretty well situated in life and saw that this new teaching upset their place of security and success. They were threatened by this new teaching for they would lose influence, status, and standing if their system was shown to be invalid.

So how do we make certain that some new teaching or insight isn’t actually of God, and worthy of our embrace? How do we know whether truths we have long held are actually to be defended? What if God is doing something new? How do we stay calm, cool, and correctable while holding fast to the truths we confess?

Part of the answer lies in the manner in which they treated Peter and John. They couldn’t do it in public. They feared the people. The resorted to private sessions of the ruling council. They did this outside the view of the common folks. It seems likely that they were worried more about self-preservation than about truth.

If I am to be humble, yet bold in my confession of faith, I must hold those two attributes in dynamic tension. There is a paradox here that we all need to embrace. We hold to the truth of Scripture firmly, but regularly check our motives and our understanding of Scripture to see if what we hold to be true is true. We remain constantly confident and correctable. A challenge to be sure, but part of our calling as followers of Jesus.

While Peter and John were speaking to the people, they were confronted by the priests, the captain of the Temple guard, and some of the Sadducees. These leaders were very disturbed that Peter and John were teaching the people that through Jesus there is a resurrection of the dead. They arrested them and, since it was already evening, put them in jail until morning. But many of the people who heard their message believed it, so the number of men who believed now totaled about 5,000.

The next day the council of all the rulers and elders and teachers of religious law met in Jerusalem. Annas the high priest was there, along with Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and other relatives of the high priest. They brought in the two disciples and demanded, “By what power, or in whose name, have you done this?”

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of our people, are we being questioned today because we’ve done a good deed for a crippled man? Do you want to know how he was healed? Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead. For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says,

‘The stone that you builders rejected
has now become the cornerstone.’

There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”

The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. But since they could see the man who had been healed standing right there among them, there was nothing the council could say. So they ordered Peter and John out of the council chamber and conferred among themselves. – Acts 4:1-15

Happy Independence Day! I’ll watch the 1996 movie on July 4. It’s an annual tradition. I will also post various quotes on FB as I watch the movie. “I have got to get me one of these!”

It’s a lot of fun!

As we celebrate this day in our nation’s history, we do well to remember the greater gift of life and salvation delivered for all time and all people in Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection.

There can be many opinions about what freedom looks like in any nation on earth. We can be very proud of our country, and patriotic in our celebrations. But the greatest fireworks display on earth pales to the celebration and joy that will come to those who believe in Jesus.

Some will confer among themselves as to what to do with his claims, yet he reigns above all powers and authorities in heaven and on earth. Some will discard him as inconsequential disruptive, or unremarkable. But he is the chief cornerstone. Jesus is the only source of true freedom – eternal and pure.

While Peter and John were speaking to the people, they were confronted by the priests, the captain of the Temple guard, and some of the Sadducees. These leaders were very disturbed that Peter and John were teaching the people that through Jesus there is a resurrection of the dead. They arrested them and, since it was already evening, put them in jail until morning. But many of the people who heard their message believed it, so the number of men who believed now totaled about 5,000.

The next day the council of all the rulers and elders and teachers of religious law met in Jerusalem. Annas the high priest was there, along with Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and other relatives of the high priest. They brought in the two disciples and demanded, “By what power, or in whose name, have you done this?”

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of our people, are we being questioned today because we’ve done a good deed for a crippled man? Do you want to know how he was healed? Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead. For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says,

‘The stone that you builders rejected
has now become the cornerstone.’

There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”

The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. But since they could see the man who had been healed standing right there among them, there was nothing the council could say. So they ordered Peter and John out of the council chamber and conferred among themselves. – Acts 4:1-15

The famous phrase of Martin Luther is “What does this mean?” He asks that question again and again in his Small Catechism. This summary of the Six Chief Parts of the Christian Faith, offers questions and answers that explain in simple terms the meanings of the Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer, The Lord’s Supper, and others. Another phrase that he offers is “This is most certainly true.” 

The point of Luther’s phrase is that we can be certain of the truth God has revealed in his Word. It’s solid. It’s reliable. It is certain and true. There is a level of truth which I consider these essential elements of the faith to be that I call “True Truth”. In other words, this is not only certain and true. These truths are profoundly, life-anchoring, soul-saving truths. These truths will not lead you astray. These truths are pure, profound, and perfect.

This is what the people are experiencing when they look at the once-lame man, hear Peter testify to the power of Jesus to heal, and their witness to Jesus’ resurrection. They see the man in front of them: now healed. They hear Peter and John speak about Jesus’ resurrection power. These truths are reliable and relevant. Follow their conclusions and you will be saved.

There are plenty of supposed truths to which we are pointed daily. From Insurance companies to cell phone service providers, from beer to laundry detergent, truths are paraded before our eyes. None of these are most certainly true. None are true tuths. The message of Jesus, his power to save, and the impact he has in people’s lives is most certainly true truth.

While Peter and John were speaking to the people, they were confronted by the priests, the captain of the Temple guard, and some of the Sadducees. These leaders were very disturbed that Peter and John were teaching the people that through Jesus there is a resurrection of the dead. They arrested them and, since it was already evening, put them in jail until morning. But many of the people who heard their message believed it, so the number of men who believed now totaled about 5,000.

The next day the council of all the rulers and elders and teachers of religious law met in Jerusalem. Annas the high priest was there, along with Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and other relatives of the high priest. They brought in the two disciples and demanded, “By what power, or in whose name, have you done this?”

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of our people, are we being questioned today because we’ve done a good deed for a crippled man? Do you want to know how he was healed? Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead. For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says,

‘The stone that you builders rejected
has now become the cornerstone.’

There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”

The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. But since they could see the man who had been healed standing right there among them, there was nothing the council could say. So they ordered Peter and John out of the council chamber and conferred among themselves. – Acts 4:1-15

What do the simple folk do?

What do the simple folk do
To help them escape when they’re blue?
The shepherd who is ailing, the milkmaid who is glum
The cobbler who is wailing from nailing his thumb
When they\’re beset and besieged
The folk not noblessly obliged
However do they manage to shed their weary lot?
Oh, what do simple folk do we do not?

So goes the song from Camelot. It reveals the divide between ordinary, simple folk – heartland of America folks – and the elite of society. Hollywood celebs. Sports stars. Political powerhouses. Business tycoons.

Simple folks are the stock and trade of the Christian faith. They are the ones who populate the pews of American churches. They are the ones who go to work day after day. They are the ones who embody the values that sustain our nation.

They are the ones to whom the gospel came, and through whom it was propagated. Paul says it this way:

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” – 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

Not all the people in the Early Church were common folk. Luke dedicates his two New Testament works to “Most Excellent Theophilus,” a title that indicates honor and a significant life station. There are encounters in the Gospels with rulers and important people as well as the common folk. But the witness of the most famous has little power compared to the heart-felt witness of a close friend. The power of God is not revealed in persuasive words of wisdom, but in the sincere actions of sincere Jesus followers notable or ordinary.

The extraordinary work of God is being accomplished by ordinary people who spend time with Jesus. I aspire to be one of those ordinary people whom God chooses to use for his glory. Just like these men of God who were seen to be ordinary men who had spent time with Jesus. Perhaps I just need to spend more time with Jesus. How about you?

While Peter and John were speaking to the people, they were confronted by the priests, the captain of the Temple guard, and some of the Sadducees. These leaders were very disturbed that Peter and John were teaching the people that through Jesus there is a resurrection of the dead. They arrested them and, since it was already evening, put them in jail until morning. But many of the people who heard their message believed it, so the number of men who believed now totaled about 5,000.

The next day the council of all the rulers and elders and teachers of religious law met in Jerusalem. Annas the high priest was there, along with Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and other relatives of the high priest. They brought in the two disciples and demanded, “By what power, or in whose name, have you done this?”

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of our people, are we being questioned today because we’ve done a good deed for a crippled man? Do you want to know how he was healed? Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead. For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says,

‘The stone that you builders rejected
has now become the cornerstone.’

There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” – Acts 4:1-12

Have you ever gotten into trouble…for good cause or for bad? I was pretty much a good boy growing up. I obeyed the teacher, followed the rules, and was an all around polite young man. Patrick was another story. He was a bully and a trouble maker. He was always getting in trouble.

Patrick was in trouble for doing bad things. I was not in trouble because I did not do bad things. Combine those two and you have the situation of Peter and John: they were in trouble for doing nothing wrong. The priests, captain of the temple guard (who apparently was in league with the priests and perhaps the Sadducees), along with the Sadducees were not pleased with Peter and John. For Peter and John were preaching that through Jesus’ resurrection there was a resurrection from the dead. Now that’s something to get in trouble for!

The belief in the resurrection from the dead is the watershed for the Christian faith, belief, and hope. If there is no resurrection there is no hope in Christ. For all his claims rest on the veracity of this claim. The Sadducees were not opposed to the teaching of Peter and John because of they did not believe in any kind of resurrection at all. They didn’t care if the Christian faith rose or fell on this teaching; they simply rejected it outright. The considered this idea unfaithful to the message of the Old Testament.

I’ve never gotten in trouble for teaching the resurrection. But I suspect there are those who politely disagree but say nothing. That’s sad. For if Jesus really did rise from the dead (which indeed he did!), the consequences of that go far beyond whether someone gets into trouble or not for teaching it.

All the people saw him walking and heard him praising God. ¹⁰ When they realized he was the lame beggar they had seen so often at the Beautiful Gate, they were absolutely astounded! ¹¹ They all rushed out in amazement to Solomon’s Colonnade, where the man was holding tightly to Peter and John.

¹² Peter saw his opportunity and addressed the crowd. “People of Israel,” he said, “what is so surprising about this? And why stare at us as though we had made this man walk by our own power or godliness? ¹³ For it is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the God of all our ancestors—who has brought glory to his servant Jesus by doing this. This is the same Jesus whom you handed over and rejected before Pilate, despite Pilate’s decision to release him. ¹⁴ You rejected this holy, righteous one and instead demanded the release of a murderer. ¹⁵ You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. And we are witnesses of this fact!

¹⁶ “Through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed—and you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus’ name has healed him before your very eyes. – Acts 3:9-16 [NLT]

Sergeant Friday was famous for saying, “Just the facts, Ma’am.” He wasn’t really interested in a person’s opinions. He didn’t want speculation. He wanted facts. I don’t think that kind of TV programing is popular these days. We want nuances. Facts are too pesky and pointed. They don’t take into account intentions, reasons for believing, and the fact that various people can have various viewpoints of those facts. Just the facts?!? No!

Peter says, however, that the people of his day were aware of the facts surrounding Jesus’ death. The implication is that they were aware also of Jesus’ resurrection, and their culpability in bringing about Jesus’ death. Ugh. Those are difficult facts. And if the people to whom Peter was speaking were not aware of those facts, he and John were aware, and testifying to the veracity of those facts.

The facts surrounding the betrayal, suffering, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus may be ignored. But they don’t go away. Those facts point to our need for forgiveness of the sins which sent Jesus to the cross, or for the sins of putting him there willfully. We can ignore those facts as well. But they do not go away. The question is whether or not we will grapple with those facts and their implication in our lives.

This is a call to repentance and faith. Repenting of our sins of commission or omission, believing in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, are the two essential moves that make those facts sweet comfort and sources of life, hope and joy. For God stands ready to receive us for Jesus’ sake. Jesus has satisfied God’s demands for justice, taking the punishment we deserve on account of our sins.

God promises that we have eternal life through faith in Jesus. Ignoring the facts around the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus brings great sorrow and loss.