People, Practices, Positions, Places

November 3

(Acts 21:28 NIV) "Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against our people and our law and this place.”

(Acts 6:9-15 NIV) "Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)--Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. These men began to argue with Stephen, {10} but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke. {11} Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, "We have heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God." {12} So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. {13} They produced false witnesses, who testified, "This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. {14} For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us." {15} All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel."

Religion enshrines people, practices, positions, and places, and attacks anyone who seemingly denigrates any of these four things. Paul wasn’t teaching against the faith he grew up in, he was teaching against the religion it had become -- a religion that enslaved people instead of freeing them. When people get religious, their gurus become infallible, their practices become required, their doctrinal positions become the voice of God, and their buildings become shrines. So we get holy mountains, holy men, holy temples, holy water, holy ground, holy smoke, holy cities, and the holy land -- yet our hearts remain sinful and empty. Salvation is not based on people, practices, positions, or places. It is based on the Prince of Peace. We must be careful not to elevate people, practices, places, or positions to the place where only God should be. If we do, we have become idolaters. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day

Religious Persecution

November 2

(Acts 21:27-28 NIV) "When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him, {28} shouting, "Men of Israel, help us!

(Acts 13:45-52 NIV) "When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and talked abusively against what Paul was saying. {46} Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: "We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. {47} For this is what the Lord has commanded us: "'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'" {48} When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed. {49} The word of the Lord spread through the whole region. {50} But the Jews incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. {51} So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium. {52} And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit."

(Acts 14:1-7 NIV) "At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed. {2} But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. {3} So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders. {4} The people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles. {5} There was a plot afoot among the Gentiles and Jews, together with their leaders, to mistreat them and stone them. {6} But they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country, {7} where they continued to preach the good news."

Many Christians today think atheism is a great danger, but throughout the ages, the presence of religion has stirred persecution more than the absence of religion. Religion has tortured and killed more Christians than atheism. Religion persecutes those who think differently. It never works alone. It stirs up the crowd. It has to have a following. It has to be in control. Religion can’t function unless someone is obeying rules. That’s why it can justify using intimidation and beatings to force submission. Religion is more about hoarding followers than about following Jesus. It’s more about corporate compliance than personal piety. It doesn’t care about what’s in your heart -- it cares about how you behave on the outside. It sees going through the motions as a good thing, and highly values everyone looking and acting the same. Beware of the “groupthink” that comes with religion. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day

The Down Side of Denominations

November 1

(Acts 21:17-26 NIV) "When we arrived at Jerusalem, the brothers received us warmly. {18} The next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James, and all the elders were present. {19} Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. {20} When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: "You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law. {21} They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs. {22} What shall we do? They will certainly hear that you have come, {23} so do what we tell you. There are four men with us who have made a vow. {24} Take these men, join in their purification rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everybody will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law. {25} As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality." {26} The next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them. Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them."

(Galatians 3:28 NIV) "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

When Paul arrived in Jerusalem, he went to James and the elders of the church to report on his ministry among the Gentiles. They praised God, but there was a problem. The church in Jerusalem had also been growing, and they were insistent that the Law of Moses should be observed. This differed from Paul’s teaching that circumcision was no longer needed for one to be obedient to God, and that salvation was by faith alone. This may be the first denominational disagreement. The Jewish Church and the Gentile Christians worshipped the same Jesus, but they practiced their faith differently. Some just cannot seem to get by this. This is the downside of denominations. Rather than focusing on our commonality in Christ, we tend to dwell on our differences and diminish those who are different. Be cautious! This does not usually end up advancing the Kingdom of God. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day    

Living for Jesus

October 31

(Acts 20:22 NIV) "I am compelled by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there."

(Romans 14:8 NIV) "If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord."

(2 Corinthians 5:14-15 NIV) "For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. {15} And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again."

(Galatians 2:19-20 NIV) "For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. {20} I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

As he set out for Jerusalem, Paul was willing to die for Jesus. Down through the centuries, many have been willing to do the same. Not every Christian will be called upon to die for Jesus, but every Christian is called to live for Jesus! And living for Jesus may prove to be as difficult as dying for Jesus -- perhaps even more difficult. If it is not more difficult, then why do so many Christians today find it nearly impossible to do? Why is it so hard to live fully for Christ? Why is it so difficult to sell out completely to the Lord -- to share the gospel with our lives and our words, regardless of the consequences? Perhaps we are not yet “compelled” by the same Spirit as Paul was. He was not chomping at the bit to die for Jesus, but he was compelled to live for Christ. The rest was up to the Lord. Do you feel compelled to live for Jesus today? Will you? -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day