David Bahn – Reflections

Please pray these psalms with me on this Lord’s Day

Psalm 13

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
    How long will you hide your face from me?
² How long must I take counsel in my soul
    and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

³ Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
    light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
⁴ lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”
    lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

⁵ But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
    my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
⁶ I will sing to the Lord,
    because he has dealt bountifully with me.

Psalm 43

Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause
    against an ungodly people,
from the deceitful and unjust man
    deliver me!
² For you are the God in whom I take refuge;
    why have you rejected me?
Why do I go about mourning
    because of the oppression of the enemy?

³ Send out your light and your truth;
    let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy hill
    and to your dwelling!
⁴ Then I will go to the altar of God,
    to God my exceeding joy,
and I will praise you with the lyre,
    O God, my God.

⁵ Why are you cast down, O my soul,
    and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
    my salvation and my God.

Psalm 73:25-28

Whom have I in heaven but you?
    And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
²⁶ My flesh and my heart may fail,
    but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
²⁷ For behold, those who are far from you shall perish;
    you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.
²⁸ But for me it is good to be near God;
    I have made the Lord God my refuge,
    that I may tell of all your works.

Psalm 103

Bless the Lord, O my soul,
    and all that is within me,
    bless his holy name!
² Bless the Lord, O my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits,
³ who forgives all your iniquity,
    who heals all your diseases,
⁴ who redeems your life from the pit,
    who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
⁵ who satisfies you with good
    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

⁶ The Lord works righteousness
    and justice for all who are oppressed.
⁷ He made known his ways to Moses,
    his acts to the people of Israel.
⁸ The Lord is merciful and gracious,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
⁹ He will not always chide,
    nor will he keep his anger forever.
¹⁰ He does not deal with us according to our sins,
    nor repay us according to our iniquities.
¹¹ For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
¹² as far as the east is from the west,
    so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
¹³ As a father shows compassion to his children,
    so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
¹⁴ For he knows our frame;
    he remembers that we are dust.

¹⁵ As for man, his days are like grass;
    he flourishes like a flower of the field;
¹⁶ for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
    and its place knows it no more.
¹⁷ But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,
    and his righteousness to children’s children,
¹⁸ to those who keep his covenant
    and remember to do his commandments.
¹⁹ The Lord has established his throne in the heavens,
    and his kingdom rules over all.

²⁰ Bless the Lord, O you his angels,
    you mighty ones who do his word,
    obeying the voice of his word!
²¹ Bless the Lord, all his hosts,
    his ministers, who do his will!
²² Bless the Lord, all his works,
    in all places of his dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!

Psalm 133

Behold, how good and pleasant it is
    when brothers dwell in unity!
² It is like the precious oil on the head,
    running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
    running down on the collar of his robes!
³ It is like the dew of Hermon,
    which falls on the mountains of Zion!
For there the Lord has commanded the blessing,
    life forevermore..

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016.
Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

These days it seems that certain religious enemies are more than ready to bring the blood of others upon themselves. Whether it’s those who want to impose sharia law on others, or the radical Zionists or Palestinians, there are those who brag about the blood they have shed. Add to that the horrific terror of war, or the enemies of the United States who cry, “Death to America!” There are plenty of folks willing to spill blood or even to brag about the blood they have spilled.

Not the high priests and the other Jewish leaders. They want no part in having caused the death of Jesus. They accuse the apostles of wanting to bring Jesus’ blood upon themselves. This is amazing to me. They dearly desire to be rid of Jesus and the apostle’s teachings about him. They could warn the people, “We brought down Jesus. We put him to death. Be warned! We can do the same to you!”

The irony of the statement is also striking. They need the blood of Jesus to be upon them to have their sins washed away. He shed his blood to free all people from sin, Satan and death. They should be first in line to claim this blessing.

But they want nothing to do with the righteousness of Christ. It is truly an alien righteousness. It’s not ours by birth or life. It must come to us from an outside source. It comes from Jesus.

The only reason they don’t want Jesus’ blood on themselves, is that they have no awareness of their need for forgiveness from him. They are completely unwilling to acknowledge Jesus as God’s Son and Savior. They not only do not think they need him, they also perceive that he is a threat to their world and life.

Would you want Jesus’ blood on you? I certainly do. And I thank God that he died for the sins of the world and rose to justify all who believe in him. Thanks be to God.

In The Sign of Four, Holmes asks Watson: “How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?”

An astute thinker observed:

This may be valid in principle, but it certainly carries the risk of a fallacy: You might not have considered the truth in the first place, and if what remains in your range of vision after eliminating the impossible is very improbable you should continue searching rather than settle for it.

There is no reasonable explanation of how the apostles were released from prison. Luke offers no explanation other than an angel of the Lord brought them out and instructed them to continue to teach the people all the words of this life.

The chief priests and the Jewish leaders had already decided that God was not acting through the apostles. They were afraid of the people. They wanted to shut down the apostles. They viewed them as a threat to their power and prestige. They likely thought that the jailer had been lax. Or perhaps they thought that someone had smuggled them out despite the jailer’s vigilance. But God was not at work there.

I’ve noticed something when we’ve taught in Kenya and Tanzania. I’ve heard it also from those who share the gospel in India, Ethiopia, Uganda, and China. We may discount God’s activities in our everyday lives. But people in those places have a far different view of the spiritual realm. They look for God, see him at work and give him credit for much of what happens in their world. They realize that God is not to be dismissed, ignored, or discounted. They would have had a different reaction to the apostles’ release and continued bold teaching. They would have repented. They would have believed. Then they put into practice what they have learned. Their lives are changed by their encounters with God.

This is our calling each day as we acknowledge our sins and seek God’s mercy. But it is also God’s desire when we see things we do not understand and cannot explain. It may not be a matter of repenting from sin, as much it is a reorientation of our minds. Rather than factoring God out of life, we must look for him, acknowledge his presence, and believe in him.

Then we must act accordingly. Most of the time that will be simply to acknowledge God’s work and praise his grace. But sometimes it means a complete reorientation of our lives, a new path, and a whole new set of priorities.

The Jewish leaders did not opt for that response. Will we join them, or the apostles who acted in obedient faith, and committed themselves to obey God rather than man. They realized that when you’ve eliminated all possibilities it’s time to seek God’s kingdom ever more fervently. It may be time to put into practice what God is revealing to us as well.

I am ever more impressed with how corporate our Christian faith really is. It’s not that you cannot believe alone. Nor is it impossible to worship God in the mountains or at the seashore. What you cannot easily do in isolation, however, is encourage others in their walk of faith. You cannot see the expressions of joy or pain, distress, or peace on the faces of other when you are isolated from them. Even Zoom doesn’t cut it when it comes to really connecting with others.

A perfect example: During the Covid pandemic, we enjoyed connecting with our far-flung family through Zoom and Skype. We even discovered a way to play games through several online resources. It was at least something. But give me face to face, flesh to flesh, arms to arms hugs! We’re actually experiencing that this summer with our farthest-away family who lives in Germany. Because of their love to travel and our travel schedule this spring and summer, we have seen them face-to-face, in person three times. It is wonderful. Soul-filling. My place of happiness.

In the realm of God’s mission, the presence of others is even more important. In other words, it’s one (good) thing to enjoy one another’s company. But there is a greater blessing to be had in the courage we gain from the band of brothers and sisters who join us in the mission of God. For in that fellowship we gain the courage to press on toward the call of God to make disciples of all nations. In that fellowship we are bolstered in our resolve to “Go and … speak to the people all the words of this Life.”

That calls for a Holy Spirit inspired commitment to God’s mission, and a commitment on our part to, “spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:24-25)

I occasionally figure out what my dear wife wants by virtue of the hints she drops. To be fair, when she’s dropping hints, it’s often the case that my actions should be obvious and it’s pretty easy to figure out what she is expressing. This is about me, not her. Sometimes the directions are clear: Can you take out the garbage please? I try to oblige without complaint.

In the case of the directions given to the apostles on this occasion, there are two conflicting directives. They are both clear. And they are both in contradiction to each other. God tells them to, “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.” They immediately comply. At daybreak they went to the temple and begin to teach about Jesus.

But then comes the rub. The chief priests find out that the apostles are teaching about Jesus and remind them that they had forbidden them to teach in Jesus’ name.

There is a direct conflict between the two. To whom would they listen? What directive would they obey? Which one would they ignore. In this case the choice was clear. We must obey God rather than man.

Thankfully, I’ve never had to make that choice. I can’t claim that I’ve never sidestepped or (sadly!) ignored one of God’s directives. But I’ve not had to decide whether I do what a government official demands or what God has clearly commanded. That day may come-the way things are going with our government and society’s abandonment of God’s moral moorings. It’s as though we’re tilting toward forced speech, rather than freedom of speech.

When that time comes – if it does in my lifetime – I hope that I have the courage of Peter and the apostles. I hope that God will give me the courage and discernment to obey God rather than man. When it’s that clear, I will certainly need that courage. When it’s not as clear, I will need the Holy Spirit’s discernment. In any case, I am thankful to God for his grace in giving me the opportunity to witness to his truth and the calling to honor him in my obedience.

We were enjoying steam engine train ride on a recent trip. The countryside was gloriously beautiful. The vistas were remarkable. The weather was wonderful. Then a particularly annoying person interfered with our view. She decided to stand on the side of the railroad car and take a video for 20 minutes of the most beautiful portion of the trip. She obscured the view of those on the far side of the railroad car, and gave the people in the seat facing her a not-so-lovely view of the south side of her north-facing body. Her demeanor and generally obnoxious presence was particularly annoying.

I took it as a lesson in the love and grace of God. He loves us all – obnoxious or gracious. He embraces the lovely and the rude. Sometimes it’s the obnoxious person who spoils our view. Sometimes it is the person in the mirror who is more obnoxious than we realize.

Today, however, when I read this portion of Acts, I realize there is an even greater lesson for me. For obnoxious people may be annoying. But there is a whole next level of annoying obnoxiousness. It is displayed by the high priest and his cohort against the apostles. He is not just obnoxious. He is obstreperous. He is not just obstreperous, he is adamantly opposed to the message of Jesus, and will do whatever is necessary to shut down the growth of the early church.

Satan won’t succeed. For the Apostles are freed from prison by divine intervention. And not only this, God sends the apostles right back into the temple to preach the message of Jesus! All this, knowing that the opposition to this message will not relent and there will be more trouble for the apostles. When challenged again, Peter offers this remarkable witness: We must obey God rather than man.

I wonder whether my most annoying person is a gift from God to remind me that there are greater obstacles to preaching the gospel. I’m taking this as a lesson to do whatever I can to prevent Satan from distracting me from God’s call to love him first, and to love my neighbor (even obstreperous neighbors) as myself. This calls me beyond annoyances and petty frustrations to reflect the love and grace of Christ to all.

Please pray these psalms with me on this Lord’s Day

Psalm 6:1-4

O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger,
nor discipline me in your wrath.
Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing;
heal me, O LORD, for my bones are troubled.
My soul also is greatly troubled.
But you, O LORD—how long?
Turn, O LORD, deliver my life;
save me for the sake of your steadfast love.

Psalm 36:5-9

Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;
your judgments are like the great deep;
man and beast you save, O LORD.
How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light do we see light.

Psalm 66:1-5

Shout for joy to God, all the earth;
sing the glory of his name;
give to him glorious praise!
Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you.
All the earth worships you
and sings praises to you;
they sing praises to your name.” Selah
Come and see what God has done:
he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.

Psalm 96

Oh sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all the earth!
Sing to the LORD, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples!
For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
he is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,
but the LORD made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
bring an offering, and come into his courts!
Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth!
Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns!
Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.”
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
let the field exult, and everything in it!
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
before the LORD, for he comes,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness,
and the peoples in his faithfulness.

Psalm 126:1

When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dream.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then they said among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.”
The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad.
Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like streams in the Negeb!
Those who sow in tears
shall reap with shouts of joy!
He who goes out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
bringing his sheaves with him.

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016.
Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

We were meeting, talking about church rules and regulations. Specifically about missions. We were all united in our concern over excess control being exercised over our efforts – especially in foreign mission work. None of us wanted to ignore the larger church, nor keep secret our mission activities. But we didn’t want to have to check our every move and decision with higher-ups. That’s when I said, “When it comes to mission work, give me chaos rather than gridlock any day.” That was greeted with several amens.

Recently I was in conversation with a colleague who is significantly involved in regional mission work efforts. He has coordinated the start of several churches in the greater Houston area, and continues to work on building partnerships among churches and pastors, church planters and missional communities. He was a bit frustrated with the confusion he experienced in trying to develop new partnerships. Some were already forming. Others wondered why he was just then getting to them.

Chaos! It’s better than gridlock. But it is still a challenge.

I think of how many of St. Paul’s letters were written because of some degree of chaos. People problems. Theological missteps. Practical considerations. Financial urgencies. All forms of chaos.

This unfolding situation in the Early Church is no exception. Dramatic events surrounding Ananias and Sapphira give way to great fear. Great fear is countered by miraculous healings, signs, and wonders. The church is growing. Men and women are being brought into the fellowship. People are being saved in the midst of fear, confusion, deceit, and truth.

Maybe you’re like me. Chaos in theory is OK. But sometimes I want a quiet space. That may not be gridlock, but neither is it the only sign of God’s activity. Right now, I’m in a place of peace. But chaos awaits me for the sake of God’s mission. These moments will prepare me for those times of challenge that are a part of God’s work in the world, life in a fallen world, and the making of even greater opportunity for God’s kingdom to be revealed. God is in it all!

I have a love-hate relationship with going to the gym. On the one hand, I hate the idea of getting up early every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings, getting on my workout clothes, and heading off to our 7 AM workout class. (Don’t judge me, I know there are those who go at 6 AM and some even at 5! But at least I go.) And sometimes I hate the seemingly-contrived exercises the trainers put us through. But I love the feeling of achievement and success once the workout is ended. And the physical wellbeing is quite rewarding. I love connecting with the trainers and the others in our class as well.

Luke describes a kind of love-hate engagement of the people in Jerusalem with the Apostles and these new Jesus followers. He speaks of the fear that people had toward this fellowship after Ananias and Sapphira dropped dead having been caught in their grave deceit. They were afraid to join this group of believers. They did not consider them to be safe.

But Luke tells us that the believers were held in high esteem, and that new believers were added to their number daily. Peter and the Apostles were surrounded by great excitement and enthusiasm. People were being healed. Men and women were coming to faith. People from surrounding towns were bringing others who were sick and they were all healed.

Maybe I have this sort of dynamic tension in my own relationship with God. On the one hand I love God, deeply desire to honor and serve him. On the other hand, sometimes I am afraid to do what he says. Whether it is to hope boldly, pray courageously and expectantly, or engage fully, I hold back more often than I should.

In the end, however, I go to the gym and gain the worldly benefits of working out. And I believe in God, fearing and loving him above all things. The dynamic tension in my relationship with God is one of daily repentance and faith. I confess my sins to him, and believe his promises of grace, life, forgiveness, and salvation.

We recently had a train adventure. While traveling in France from Paris to Avignon we made it safely to Lyon, where we were to switch trains. So far, so good. Except when leaving from Lyon, we got on the wrong train! When I spoke to the conductor, she explained we would need to get off at the next stop and take the train back to Lyon, get another train to Avignon. Four hours later we arrived safely in Avignon.

These bullet trains raced down the tracks at amazing speeds. When we met a passing train there was a 3 second blur, and we were along our way. We also took the subway in Paris several times. (Don’t worry, these two disparate experiences will come together below.) I noticed something about the rails of the subway trains. They were worn on the outside of the rails. The flanges of the wheels are apparently on the outside of the rails – rather than on the inside. But whether on the inside or the outside, the flanges of the railroad wheels kept the cars on the rails. That’s a good thing at subway or bullet train speeds!

There are also rails which may keep us on track in our Christian walk. Some of those rails are love-based. We love God so we stay close to him and his ways. We want to be with him, so we go where he leads. Those are the good rails. But there are also good rails of a different kind. Those are the rails of fear. For fear of displeasing God, or experiencing God’s judgment we resist temptation. Because we don’t want to experience the same retribution or even the natural consequences that we see in others’ lives, we refrain from certain things. We can learn from our own mistakes. But we can also learn from others’ mistakes.

We can learn something from Ananias and Sapphira! Don’t lie to the Holy Spirit. That is a fatal sin. I think that means pretending to have faith when in fact we do not believe. That means believing that we can hide something from God. That means not acknowledging our true need for God’s grace, and his absolute knowledge of all things.

These are the rails by which we remain true to the path of faith. We should fear and love God, says Martin Luther in his explanation to the 10 commandments. When we resist temptation out of fear of God – or out of love for him – we do well. When neither our fear nor love for God prevent us from sin, we must repent and rejoice in God’s mercy and grace, and remember again his great love for us, and commit to fear and love him above all things.