David Bahn – Reflections

We were never fans of Minimum Performance Tests in schools. The idea sounded good in theory: Why should we allow kids to graduate from high school without even a 5th grade reading level? The tests were supposed to keep that from happening. I don’t know whether they succeeded in making that happen (I seriously doubt they did). But I do know that many teachers reported frustration about having to “teach to the test” as they called it. They felt forced to spend valuable classroom hours teaching kids how to take the test rather than actually learning important things like math, English, and social studies.

There is an even more grave danger in the realm of faith if you make faith a minimum standard of salvation. Truly: “whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.” That’s a promise of Jesus (Mark 16:16). And I love other similar promises: “Whoever comes to me I will never turn away,” says Jesus (John 6:37). God promises through Isaiah the prophet, “a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law” (Isaiah 42:3-4).

It’s that last part that reminds me of Paul’s message to Felix and to us: Faith in Jesus Christ is not mere intellectual ascent. It’s not just knowing the facts. It’s not even mere Christian orthodoxy. Faith in Jesus is a relationship of knowledge, ascent, and trust – emphasis on relationship.

Believing in Jesus, coming to him, not having our wick snuffed out is all about a relationship with him. That relationship is also with his values (love, mercy, justice for example). That’s how Paul is challenging Felix. Jesus is more than a curiosity. He’s more than an amusement.

Paul speaks of faith in Jesus and Luke tells us that his teaching includes righteousness, self-control and the coming judgment. This calls for humility (we are not righteous – only Jesus is!). We place ourselves under him in our pleas for God’s mercy, and rejoice in Jesus’ alien righteousness given to us by faith.

This calls for self-control. We must not give in to every whim of the flesh. We can’t pop off at every driver who cuts us off in traffic, give in to every desire to buy happiness, or cave to the cravings of a higher high, or steel our hearts against loving someone who takes every last ounce of grace we have to give.

Let’s not kid ourselves about what it means to believe in Jesus. The fullness of faith involves constant repentance and a commitment to love God above all and our neighbor as ourselves. It’s a challenging battle, and sometimes we will fail. But our faith in Jesus will call us back to it daily. Whenever the final judgment comes, we can stand on his promises of life and salvation. That’s where I’m standing. How about you?

The theory, I heard long ago, was that the soap operas were named because they sold laundry soap advertising during those daytime shows. And housewives would be ironing their families’ clothes watching the soaps thinking, Well at least I don’t have it that bad. Someone in the show – if not many of them – had it much worse than they did. It got them through the day.

I wonder what got Paul through the day during those two years of his imprisonment under Felix. Surely it wasn’t Paul imagining people worse off than he was! It was his friends, his brothers and sisters in Christ who were allowed access to him during those two years. They were the ones who gave a drink of water to “one of [Jesus’] disciples” (cf. Matthew 10:42). They would not lose their reward. And Paul would be encouraged, strengthened, and sustained in life and mission.

Felix and his Jewish wife knew something of the message of Jesus, and they would come to hear from Paul. Paul apparently touched a nerve for Felix sent him away rather than listen to him, and repent and believe the message of Jesus Paul was preaching.

I notice one of the key teachings Luke mentions is that of self-control. I wonder if that was what really touched Felix. Perhaps he had an issue with that. Maybe he couldn’t keep himself from wanting to hear more from Paul, but also couldn’t keep himself from a lifestyle of selfish self-indulgence. Perhaps he realized that if he were to repent and believe in Jesus, his whole world would be turned upside down. So it is with Jesus.

And the world just keeps on turning. People on TV may epitomize a wanton abandonment of every good thing in exchange for evil of every kind. There are outward and obviously-evil people: drug dealers selling to children, human traffickers, embezzlers, liars, and thieves. There are also the less obvious: hiding hatred, greed, envy, lust, bitterness, and self-righteous folks who live in our neighborhoods, our own homes, and our own skin!

The world turns for all of these. And all need to hear about “righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment.” For those who believe in Jesus, he is our righteousness. For those who struggle with self-control and fear the judgment, it is far better that we not send God’s messengers away. Listen carefully to what they say, and come to Jesus Christ and hold to faith in him. No matter how the world turns, he will never send you away.

The theory, I heard long ago, was that the soap operas were named because they sold laundry soap advertising during those daytime shows. And housewives would be ironing their families’ clothes watching the soaps thinking, Well at least I don’t have it that bad. Someone in the show – if not many of them – had it much worse than they did. It got them through the day.

I wonder what got Paul through the day during those two years of his imprisonment under Felix. Surely it wasn’t Paul imagining people worse off than he was! It was his friends, his brothers and sisters in Christ who were allowed access to him during those two years. They were the ones who gave a drink of water to “one of [Jesus’] disciples” (cf. Matthew 10:42). They would not lose their reward. And Paul would be encouraged, strengthened, and sustained in life and mission.

Felix and his Jewish wife knew something of the message of Jesus, and they would come to hear from Paul. Paul apparently touched a nerve for Felix sent him away rather than listen to him, and repent and believe the message of Jesus Paul was preaching.

I notice one of the key teachings Luke mentions is that of self-control. I wonder if that was what really touched Felix. Perhaps he had an issue with that. Maybe he couldn’t keep himself from wanting to hear more from Paul, but also couldn’t keep himself from a lifestyle of selfish self-indulgence. Perhaps he realized that if he were to repent and believe in Jesus, his whole world would be turned upside down. So it is with Jesus.

And the world just keeps on turning. People on TV may epitomize a wanton abandonment of every good thing in exchange for evil of every kind. There are outward and obviously-evil people: drug dealers selling to children, human traffickers, embezzlers, liars, and thieves. There are also the less obvious: hiding hatred, greed, envy, lust, bitterness, and self-righteous folks who live in our neighborhoods, our own homes, and our own skin!

The world turns for all of these. And all need to hear about “righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment.” For those who believe in Jesus, he is our righteousness. For those who struggle with self-control and fear the judgment, it is far better that we not send God’s messengers away. Listen carefully to what they say, and come to Jesus Christ and hold to faith in him. No matter how the world turns, he will never send you away.

“Hope is a dangerous thing,” says Red to Andy in the movie Shawshank Redemption. Andy has just said, “You’ve gotta have hope!” But Red has been in prison far too long. And his hopes have been crushed – or rather he’s never allowed himself to hope in his hopeless situation. That certainly is one way to handle difficult and seemingly hopeless situations.

Paul urges a different approach. He claims his ultimate hope in God. This will be fulfilled in the resurrection. This will be fulfilled when his faith in Jesus is vindicated. This will be fulfilled in the new heavens and the new earth about which the Apostle Peter writes, “But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 2:13).

The message of the resurrection is what Paul speaks of throughout his missionary journeys. He makes this point in the face of the Greek vagaries of the immortality of the soul, but without a physical resurrection. Such an idea was foolishness to them – not to mention the idea that a death of a man on a cross total foolishness.

But Jesus’ death makes his resurrection more stunning. And his resurrection makes his death more meaningful. Jesus is vindicated by his resurrection. We are confirmed in our salvation by Jesus’ resurrection. It is secured. The victory has been won. We’re just waiting to get back home to celebrate the victory together.

But wait we must. Not all is well here on this earth. Whether it’s air conditioners having to be replaced, or car trouble in rush hour traffic, illness, financial ruin, or job loss, we are constantly reminded that we live in a broken world. This makes hope all the more precious and important. Hope looks beyond today. It waits for God’s deliverance. It trusts in God’s goodness, promises, and grace. Hope, when properly placed, is a marvelous thing!

We’ll learn more about Felix the governor mentioned here in Acts 23. We’ll see that he will keep Paul in prison for two years, frequently calling for him in hopes of being offered a bribe (Acts 24). He is not one I would consider to have a clear conscience. I wonder how he thought about himself, what struggles of conscience he had at this time – or any other time for that matter.

One can have a clear conscience by means of self-deception. We can convince ourselves that we’ve done no wrong – even if we have done many things wrong. Sooner or later, such a conscience will either awaken to our failures and need for forgiveness, or become seared and incapable of feeling remorse. One with a seared conscience has repeatedly ignored or violated his or her moral sense to the point where they no longer feel guilt, shame, or remorse for wrong actions.

One with a guilty conscience feels remorse and guilt over things done or not done. Sadly, however, sometimes we carry a guilty conscience over things about which we need not feel guilty. That is an erring conscience.

There is a two-fold cure to a truly guilty conscience, a falsely-clear conscience, or an erring conscience. His name is Jesus of Nazareth. The Way of Jesus is one of grace and truth. And because there is no one righteous, not even one, we all need the grace of Jesus. We can fool ourselves into believing we’ve done nothing wrong when in fact we have, or that we have sinned when we actually have not. For that reason we must also have the truth of Jesus, the truth of the Word of God to align our ideals, morals, and actions with that which is truly good.

Grace and truth are beautiful together. One without the other can be a sham of justice, or a hopeless search for self-justification. When we face the truth of our brokenness and sin, and turn to the grace of Jesus’ mercy, love, and forgiveness, we can have a truly clear conscience. We will then surely want to live in such a way that we honor God’s grace and truth, and serve our neighbor in love.

I wonder whether Paul brought upon himself some of the trouble he experienced. Was he just a bit too harsh in some of the towns he visited on his journeys? Did he occasionally speak too boldly? Was he inclined to grab the tiger by the tail in some encounters? Did he push the boundaries just a bit too far on occasion? Maybe that’s why he was beaten. Could be he was thrown into prison because of that. There is a common denominator here in all these situations: Paul. Did Paul have an attitude?

When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we pray, “Forgive us our tresspasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Did Paul need to pray that prayer? Is it true that, “we daily sin much and surely deserve nothing but punishment?” Such was the conviction of Martin Luther. Paul would write of himself, “O wretched man that I am…” (Romans 7:24). Yet Paul says that he “always takes pains to have a clear conscience toward God and man.” The only way that is possible is through the forgiveness of Christ and the gracious attitude of men.

I can really identify with Paul’s words there in Romans 7. I am all too aware of my sins and shortcomings. Paul says he is the chief of sinners. I’m right there next to him. But Paul’s entire ministry is testimony to how God can use any of us for his kingdom’s purposes. As one who seeks to honor God in my whole life, I am thankful for his forgiveness and dedicated to honoring him in all I say or do – seeking to have a clear conscience toward God and man.

There’s form and then there’s substance. Think of a beautifully-wrapped gift box that contains garbage. Form: Good. Substance: Stinky! Or the other way: treasures wrapped in dirty clothes buried deep in a banged-up suitcase. Good stuff. Garbage in a garbage bag: No surprise here, but still stinky. It’s best when form and substance align.

The form of speech that Tertullus takes is quite eloquent and gracious. He complements Felix the governor appropriately. And then he tells Felix that when he hears Paul’s testimony, he will surely agree that Paul is a bad guy. Paul will make his defense saying that there is no proof in the charges of Tertullus and the Jews. In effect theirs is all form. No substance.

Paul’s defense, however, will go far beyond form. He is respectful but not as deferential toward Felix as Turtullus was. He simply lays out the case: They cannot prove their accusations. But he does not stop there. There will be substance to his defense. He says, According to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets, ¹⁵ having a hope in God, which these men themselves accept, that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust.”

The substance is God, the Law and the Prophets, hope in God and belief in the resurrection of the just and unjust. He makes the point that he lives an honorable life toward both God and man in anticipation of that resurrection.

I seek to do the same thing. I struggle to discern just how God is going to sort out those who claim faith in Jesus, or “God,” and those whose lives are living testimony to that faith. But for that reason, I’m thankful that’s not my call. And I entrust myself to God’s grace according to the promises of Jesus anchored in his death and resurrection.

A recent encounter with a church’s call committee included a conversation with our District President. I had worked with the committee for some time, and we had great respect for each other. There was not a problem per se, but the committee members were a bit anxious about the slow progress in getting a new pastor. So they called in the head guy. They wanted to hear from him about the process and progress they were experiencing. I’m glad to say that the conversation was very salutary, reassuring, and encouraging to the committee. Part of that encouragement, however, was somewhat backhanded. They learned that these processes do take a long time. They were facing nothing unusual. Fears allayed. But need for patience remained.

There is a different kind of encounter with church higher-ups recorded here. Ananias is the chief priest. That’s a high as you can go in the Jewish line of command during those days. But he, himself, will not bring the charges against Paul. That’s the job of Tertullus, a spokesman for the Jewish leaders. The chief prosecutor so to speak. Think big guns. Think Felix will surely listen to him. Think connections.

It’s a bit like when the seven sons of Sceva tried to cast out demons by saying, “In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” Didn’t work for them. They were sent running from the house beaten and bleeding (cf. Acts 19:13-16). Neither will the big guns work for Ananias or the Jewish leaders against Paul.

The charges leveled against Paul were that they found Paul to be a plague, one who stirs up riots among all the Jews throughout the world and is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. It is true that there had been riots in several places Paul had preached. But these were not stirred up by Paul, but by those who opposed his teachings. And while the message of Jesus is truly counter-cultural, Jesus never sought to stir up a riot. Far from it, he calmed people and preached peace. The one exception was when he overturned the money-changers’ tables in the temple.

You know you’ve gotten to someone when they resort to false-charges, and big guns. Paul has done this – just as Jesus did. But he’s not afraid of big guns. He fears God, loves and trusts in him. Such a faith will stand strong against an arsenal of false threats. We’re seldom called upon to face such threats. But if we ever are, may we make a good defense – just as we will soon hear from Paul. Jesus has promised that the Holy Spirit will give us the words to say in defence of his gospel message – no matter how big the guns may be.