Staying Near the Chariot: A SOAP Journal Based on Acts 8

Today was the Daytona 500 stockcar race where the cars drive very fast and very close to each other... and sometimes crashing. This racetrack drafting, in a strange way, reminded me of Phillip, at the Spirit's command, running to stay near the Ethiopian's chariot. The following SOAP journal was originally posted on a blog where pastors were journaling along with their sermon series. I wrote it a long time ago, but today as I re-read it, it ministered to me again and I hope it might also minister to you where you are today!

If you are not familiar with the term, we used the SOAP acronym as a simple devotional guide... standing for:

• Scripture—what verse or short section caught my attention today? 
  
• Observation—what can I briefly notice that the passage specifically says?
• Application—what will I do differently as a result of having read this today?
• Prayer—what will I ask the Triune God to do for, in, and through me today?

___________________________________________________________________

S = Acts 8:26-31 

Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that
goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”

So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet.

The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”

Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.

“How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 

O = This man Phillip was one of the seven men chosen to “wait tables” so that the Hellenist (Greek-speaking Jews) widows got their fair share of the distribution of bread (6:1-7). Is it any surprise that we see this Spirit-filled man sharing the “bread” of the gospel of Jesus Christ with people of other cultures, even at great risk to himself (his co-worker Stephen had just been killed)? Here are four other simple observations I made.

• Saul’s persecution had scattered the Christians from Jerusalem and Philip went out boldly preaching the gospel (lit., good news) not complaining about persecution (the bad news) and people paid attention (8:4-8). It seems to me that we rarely hear what the Spirit is saying when we are busy complaining. 
• The Spirit-led witnessing of Phillip happened as he responded in trusting obedience to simple (but incomplete) instructions. 
• Finally, God cared enough about a disabled Ethiopian accountant to send a special messenger, Phillip, to him. This assignment was not a stretch for a man who had ministered to both the overlooked (6:1-7) and the overwhelmed (8:4-8) to now overtake the perplexed official and open the Word of God to him. 

Jesus is for everyone, but Jesus is also the only way. Transformational!

brett-jordan on Unsplash

A = When the Spirit says “Go” why do I so often over-think and under-obey? If I want to be Spirit-led I must not only be quick to hear and obey what he says to all Christians through the Bible, but also willing to trust those small fragmentary promptings he speaks to my heart. By fragmentary I mean that rarely do we see the second and third steps until we take the first. How long do I need to run alongside this person’s chariot? The Spirit didn’t tell Phillip, so I guess that means as long as it takes. When can I share what I know? When I am asked to do so…until then I need to keep running beside the chariot! So, in my multi-cultural, multi-ethnic context, how willing am I to stay near another’s cultural “chariot”? Will I take the time to learn about them and to enter into authentic conversations concerning their questions about Christ? I hope so.

P = O Lord, may I be quicker to obey your voice and patient to wait for the right moment to give an answer. May my interest and care for others make them thirsty enough to ask for a drink and may my words be true to yours so that a cup of kindness grows into the baptism of a transformed life. Start the process in me today so that I have something truly good to share with others. Amen.

Spring Cleaning (A SOAP Journal from 2 Chronicles 29)

In addition to regular articles, I regularly post some simple SOAP journals that were produced during a regular small group gathering to read, journal, pray, and encourage one another. These are not exhaustively studied as they are generally the work of 20 minutes of reading, 20 minutes of writing, and 20 minutes of sharing with each other what we have written. Whether we are Christian leaders or new believers, this collective approach to Bible journaling is encouraging.

If you are not familiar with the term, we used the SOAP acronym as a simple devotional guide... standing for:

• Scripture—what verse or short section caught my attention today? 
  
• Observation—what can I briefly notice that the passage specifically says?
• Application—what will I do differently as a result of having read this today?
• Prayer—what will I ask the Triune God to do for, in, and through me today?

___________________________________________________________________________

S = 2 Chronicles 29:1-3, 17-18 

Photo by Denny Müller on Unsplash

 “Hezekiah began to reign when he was twenty-five years old… And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done. In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them…

“They began to consecrate on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the vestibule of the Lord. Then for eight days they consecrated the house of the Lord, and on the sixteenth day of the first month they finished. Then they went in to Hezekiah the king and said, “We have cleansed all the house of the Lord, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the table for the showbread and all its utensils.”

O = Hezekiah was fairly young when he became king—how many 25-year-olds could be trusted to make wise and godly decisions? Yet Hezekiah did…and he started by removing the obstacles to wholehearted worship of the One True God. He did not need the first 100 days of his administration to decide what reforms to propose. On the first day of the first month, he did what was in his power. In our culture, many cannot wait until they are 16 so that they can drive, 18 to vote, 21 to drink, and 25 to finally rent a car. Hezekiah became king and right away challenged the priests and Levites to stand up and clean out the filth and false gods that were literally clogging the temple courts (v.11).

Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel, in order that his fierce anger may turn away from us. My sons, do not now be negligent, for the Lord has chosen you to stand in his presence, to minister to him and to be his ministers and make offerings to him.”

It took eight days for the large group of workers just to reach the front porch of the temple (v.17) and another eight days to clean out the temple itself. It had become an unholy hoarder’s house of idolatry rather than a place of true worship. After 16 days they finished the work and began to repent and covenant with the Lord with a massive sin offering. It seems that they recognized that it was not just the sins of their fathers that were the problem, but their own sins as well. They had to first consecrate themselves, then the house of the Lord, and finally the people.

Photo by Lucia Sorrentino
on Unsplash

A = How often do we think about our complicity in “the sins of the fathers?” Our Western philosophy is individualistic in the extreme and does not fit with a biblical worldview that tends to see us all as connected. What can we do about the sins of the past? We can confess and stop doing them, consecrate ourselves, and together start the dirty work of clearing out the filth—from our hearts, from our families, from our churches, from our society. Is there some way in which we have devalued the worship of the Lord? Does our heart and life look like a hoarder’s house—unable to repent of and renounce the socially acceptable yet clogging sins of laziness, gluttony, self-indulgence, love of money, dishonesty, etc.? What could we clean out this week as the Holy Spirit leads and empowers?

P = O Lord, I confess my sin and the sins of my fathers even in this land of plenty. We have not followed you with an undivided heart. We have not treated all people justly; we have not been as thankful for your care as we should have been. O Lord, forgive us!   May we never allow our hearts to grow cold and our relationship with you our Savior to fall into disuse (like the temple in Ahaz’s day). May we be as available and committed to you and as privileged to be a part of the sudden change you want to bring into our midst, as Hezekiah was. O Lord, please empower us with your Holy Spirit even today! Amen.

Out of Step? Out of a Job? Out looking for Trouble? Don’t Be That Guy

Admonish the Idle

Photo by John Moeses Bauan on Unsplash

Paul, in his two letters to the Church at Thessalonica, repeatedly warned against idleness. His admonition against idleness first occurs in a list of practical “Christian living” instructions at the close of his first letter that sounds a lot like a 1^st Century bullet list describing how to live out your eschatological convictions. Suppose Paul used bullet points, then 1 Thess. 5:14-15 it might look like this:

And we urge you, brothers [and sisters],

• admonish the idle, 
• encourage the fainthearted, 
• help the weak, 
• be patient with them all.
• See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but
• always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.

What’s in the Attic?

There is so much in this short list for us to think through, pray about, and respond to. But for today, I am intrigued by the word “idle”. The Greek word used here is ataktos. Various lexicons such as Thayer’s describe the common uses of this word as falling into three general senses.

1. Disorderly, out of ranks (often so of soldiers).
2. Irregular, inordinate, immoderate pleasures.
3. Deviating from the prescribed order or rule.

Ataktos is the negative opposite of orderly and purposeful biblical words such as appointed, ordained, and devoted. One online resource, Blue Letter Bible, mentions the word ataktos was used in Greek society for “those who did not show up for work.”

This word means so much more than the inactivity suggested by the English word “idle”. It describes not merely passive indolence but those who are actively unproductive. While its meaning includes the idleness characterized by the lack of profitable or purposeful work, it extends to describing someone who is not a team player as evidenced by an unruly and undisciplined lifestyle, illogical thinking, unbridled passions, and ungovernable attitudes. Most English translations use “idle” or “unruly” to translate ataktos.

This word could be used to describe destructive direct-action groups like Antifa. The something that they do is the epitome of unruliness. Such behavior should not be found in the community of Jesus’ followers for it demonstrates that one is not his disciple.

Photo by Peter Herrmann on Unsplash

Though it is a serious issue, I find this unruly, disordered, aspect of ataktos a bit humorous since if you say this word out loud it sounds like “attic-toss” which is ironically appropriate for those disordered places where we toss the things we don’t want to deal with now but hope to handle someday… be it a literal attic, or a garage, closet, shed, trunk, etc. The people who would hang around the marketplace were those who had no positive purpose for the day. They would have the ready-made excuse of looking for work or of discussing important issues, but not much of either went on.

Cleaning the Attic

In his second letter to the Thessalonians, Paul spent a full seven verses discussing/describing how to avoid such unruly idleness.

Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate. For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies [nice wordplay]. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. (2 Thess. 3:6-12 ESV)

If I were to paraphrase the three main instructions about idleness in this passage it would be…

• Don’t hang out with the unruly, disordered, and idle who reject the gospel message and the God-given purpose and joyous responsibility it brings.
• We are not asking you to do anything we have not done as an example for you. We never expected a free meal but worked hard to pay our own way so as to burden no one.
• Some among the believers are “idle”—on one hand, living off the generosity of others and on the other, refusing to accept the responsibility that faith in Jesus Christ lays upon us all. It should stop now!

Is There More To the Story?

Have you ever wondered why Paul seemed extra concerned with confronting such unruly idleness (ataktos) in Thessalonica? It may have to do with his experience in their city on his second missionary journey. It is found in Acts 17:1-15.

Verse 5 tells of corrupt men hired by the jealous Jews to persecute the Christians.

But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble [agoraios], they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar [thorybeō], and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd.

Roman Forum (Thessaloniki). (2024, September 28).
In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Forum_(Thessaloniki)

The phrase, “wicked men of the rabble” is all too familiar in any place and any culture. Some, out of their unruly idleness, are only too ready to “work” toward a twisted purpose if only to make the lives of others more unpleasant. The “rabble” (agoraios) refers to “the men from the marketplace” who could be either hired or incited for just such a disruptive cause as tossing a Christian’s house and repeatedly dragging church leaders out to face mob justice. A.T. Robertson wrote, “The agora or marketplace was the natural resort for those with nothing to do (Matt. 20:4) … Plato calls these agoraioi idlers or good-for-nothing fellows.”[i]

What about us? Do we follow the law of love and overflowing goodness given to us by our Lord Jesus? Are we keeping in step with the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:16, 25)? Or are we lounging around in a self-focused stupor, or running over the rights and emotions of others?

A Thessalonian Thorybeo Redux?

There are those who, when their ideas and economy are threatened, readily find the agoraioi and use them to create a riot/uproar, or as the Thessalonians called it, a thorybeō.

Photo by Koshu Kunii on Unsplash

I live in the Pacific Northwest, an area of the country where Antifa groups have been actively unruly. Their goal is to make the cities ungovernable, thereby setting up their mob views as the law of the land. Such tactics are lacking in both love and logic, but they try to make up for it with high-volume profanities, group intimidation tactics, and violent destructive acts. They are often paid agitators who attack police and lawful citizens alike. They do no real work and have nothing to share with others for the good of the community. In their unruly idleness, they are everything bad that they claim to be against.

The church should never be this kind of idle nor that kind of unruly. In Jeremiah 29 God gave his exiled people a great promise (v.11) but set it in the context of a generation of waiting and actively working for the good of the place he had put them (v.4-7). This working for the common good was not to be done primarily through power and command but through humble service and community engagement.

The church has often been harmed in times of persecution by the “unruly idle” but this is to be expected. Jesus told his followers that this would happen. However, it is often harmed more deeply by the “unruly idle” within the church. Are we patiently warning those in our midst to not be idle? Are we living as productive and godly examples for them?

I would also like to point out that while this list of Christian living action points (1 Thess. 5:14-15) begins with strong words like “urge” and “warn” or “admonish” it moves directly to the less confrontational but much-needed verbs — encourage, help, and be patient. Our marching orders are simple, clear, and intended for the good of the community. The next part of the action list (v.16-21) touches on our attitude while following Jesus.

• Rejoicing not sulking and stomping
• Praying without ceasing rather than fierce independence
• Giving thanks in everything not grumbling and complaining.
• Being open to the Spirit’s work in and through us.
• Remaining teachable to the prophetic words of God.
• Become deeply discerning thinkers but not cynics, for we hold on to what is good.

Finally, the concluding instruction to “abstain from every evil” (v.22) forms an inclusio or bookend with the first about warning the unruly idle. This understanding of ataktos sheds new light on the old saying, “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop.” If we are to abstain from every evil then we must not be idle. Jesus Christ has called us to great purpose, by a greater love than we have ever known.

Marching Orders

There was a time when the Apostle Paul (then known as Saul of Tarsus) had been persecuting Christians and he was “admonished “ by Jesus himself (Acts 9). 

Later Paul would repeat the marching orders he received that day, “And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do.’” 

Author in Bethsaida, Galilee.
Photo by Joshua Mitchell (2011)

He also wrote to a young pastor in Ephesus, using a military metaphor, “Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.” (2 Tim. 2:3-4). Let us not forget to ask the Lord what we should be doing today and, in the days, to come.

I think today is a great time for us to queue up for the march, right?

---

[i] Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament Vol 3, p. 270.

 

Don't Be A Doeg! (Psalm 52 and A Contentious Society)

Recently I posted this reflection on Psalm 52 on my Honest2GodHonest2God blog.  However, the situation described in 1 Samuel 22 and David's reaction in Psalm 52 speaks by analogy and metaphor rather cogently to the contentiousness of our current cultural/political context. So I am reposting that article here. 

Doeg, slaying the priests at Nob
Public Domain,
https://en.wikipedia.org
/w/index.php?curid=4275500

This psalm is one of the few written in which we know the specific context that provoked its writing. This psalm is David’s poetic response, where he processed the betrayal and horrific actions of Saul’s head herdsman, Doeg the Edomite. Not only did Doeg rat out David’s location to the increasingly paranoid Saul but he murdered eighty-five innocent priests serving at the Tabernacle. The sad narrative of betrayal, misplaced retribution and a significant slaughter is found in 1 Samuel 22:6-23. It is a narrative all too common down through history. Times when those in power, fearing the loss of that power, act unjustly towards those they perceive as enemies. Some balk at carrying such orders as Saul gave that day (22:17) but there are always wicked people with no such qualms. Not only were eighty-five priests killed at Doeg’s hand but all but one in Nob, their priestly city were slain. “Both man and woman, child and infant, ox, donkey and sheep, he put to the sword.” (22:19).

Against this backdrop, David writes the words of this short psalm. The opening verses poetically describe Doeg the worker of destruction, particularly focusing on what he had said. The description indicates that Doeg said more than the brief report of 1 Sam. 22:9-10.

“I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, and he inquired of the Lord for him and gave him provisions and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”

These words sound like a simple report of the facts. However, David’s description suggests that much more was involved—either in its content or its intent.

Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man?
    The steadfast love of God endures all the day.
Your tongue plots destruction,
    like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit.
You love evil more than good,
    and lying more than speaking what is right. Selah
You love all words that devour,
    O deceitful tongue. (Psalm 52:1-4)

Doeg loved evil and lying more than good. Upon such a genuinely wicked man, David pronounced God’s coming judgment.

But God will break you down forever;
    he will snatch and tear you from your tent;
    he will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah (v.5)

I am impressed with the parade of parallel imprecatory verbs associated with what God would do to Doeg and those like him.

• 

  Photo by Zhang Kenny on Unsplash

  Break you down: This word communicates a repeated beat down, pulling down and breaking off as of branches from a tree, stones from a wall (2 Kings 25:10), or beams from a house. Another interesting use of this term is regarding the contamination of a house by dread disease/toxic mold (Lev. 14:45). Could we connect Doeg’s inner contagion and the rules for cleansing a house? It sounds like David might have done just that.
• Snatch you up: the picture of being seized quickly for destruction and then dropped like a fiery coal. One moment it was business as usual and the next everything changed for the worse. Judgment is often postponed, but when it comes it snatches suddenly and irrevocably.
• Tear you away: used of being plucked out of one’s house, tent, or land. While God prefers to plant and sow, he also will pluck up and tear down the wicked and treacherous (àProv. 2:22; 15:25; Deut. 28:63)
• Uproot you from: God will pull you out roots and all. No trace will be left in “the land of the living” (àIsa 40:23-24). Where else is such imagery for the traceless demise of the wicked found? Psalm 1:4 may have been in David’s mind since a couple of verses later he refers to himself as a green olive tree (v.8) which correlates with the tree metaphor used for the righteous man in Psalm 1:3.

The folly of wickedness and shortsightedness in trusting our wealth and power instead of making God our refuge becomes evident. It is a pattern from which we should learn to go the other way. Esau despised his birthright for a bowl of soup (Gen. 25). Nabal trusted his wealth and despised David’s request (1 Sam. 25). Many kings sought worldly wealth and power instead of the peace and eternal life found in the One True God. Jesus told the story about the rich fool who built bigger barns without consulting the Lord’s counsel for his selfish indulgence instead of graciously sharing his abundance with others (Luke 12:13-21). In the early church, there was the episode with Ananias and Saphira who made a show of giving but still held back wealth for themselves (Acts 5:1-10). This is only a small sample from an extensive list.

These things were written for our instruction… but will we learn the lesson? Will we be servants of Christ, who though shrewd as serpents are innocent as doves (Mt. 10:16) loving one another and working for the common good? Or will we be like Doeg, excusing our evil desires and shockingly brutal actions as faithful service to an unjust political or economic power? Saying, “I was just following orders,” is no longer an adequate defense. Perhaps it never was.

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

Later, David’s son Solomon understood how important it was to remove the infection of wicked men from those who govern the people and not allow evil to lobby for injustice. He included it in his collection of proverbs.

Take away the dross from the silver,
    and the smith has material for a vessel;
take away the wicked from the presence of the king,
    and his throne will be established in righteousness. (Prov. 25:4-5)

Notice that not only are there parallels between dross/the wicked, and between the smith/the king, but a righteous throne is like a silver vessel, a serving tool to share with others.

Here, in the situation addressed by Psalm 52  David saw himself like the one described in Psalm 1:1-3 who does not learn the ways of the wicked or participate with sinners and scoffers in their ways and works. Again, his son Solomon would later say something similar in Prov. 24:1-2

Be not envious of evil men,
    nor desire to be with them,
for their hearts devise violence,
    and their lips talk of trouble.

Olives in Jerusalem. Photo: Greg K. Dueker

Instead of emulating wicked men, David’s delight was in the Lord and thus could use the well-watered tree metaphor.

But I am like a green olive tree
    in the house of God.
I trust in the steadfast love of God
    forever and ever. (v.8) 

Remember, the psalms give us the vocabulary to express our feelings honestly to the Lord. This one is no different. Here David processes his anger, outrage, and dismay, at what Doeg had done. Yet, instead of taking vengeance into his own hands, he trusted God to handle the situation. He wrote with the confidence of one who has already seen it happen, though it had not. David’s early years are challenging to our culture of self-advancement and demanding our rights. David, though anointed to be king, never took the timing of the fulfillment of that anointing into his own hands.

I will thank you forever,
    because you have done it.
I will wait for your name, for it is good,
    in the presence of the godly. (v.9)

Filled with gratitude and goodness, not hate, let us wait for the Lord Jesus Christ along with the community of faith! And while we are waiting, maybe we should cooperate with the Holy Spirit as he cleans our hearts, our words, and our ways… today. 

Worship Is Hungry Work (1 Chronicles 16:2-3)

In addition to regular articles, I regularly post simple SOAP journals that are produced during gatherings of pastors and students to journal, pray, and encourage one another. These are not exhaustively studied as they are generally the work of 20 minutes of reading, 20 minutes of writing, and 20 minutes of sharing with each other what we have written. Hopefully, these brief devotional posts will be encouraging to the readers of this blog. If you are not familiar with the term, we use the SOAP acronym as a devotional guide... which stands for:

• Scripture—what verse or short section did the Spirit bring to my attention today? 
• Observation—what can I briefly notice that the passage specifically says?
• Application—what will I do differently as a result of having read this today?
• Prayer—what will I ask the Triune God to do for, in, and through me today?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This post was written for a SOAP journaling group with seminary students from my recently completed Spiritual Formation course as we head into Thanksgiving week. To prepare, we read 1 Chronicles 16 and Matthew 15. This was my journal entry.

S = 1 Chronicles 16:2-3 

Photo by Mae Mu on Unsplash

And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord and distributed to all Israel, both men and women, to each a loaf of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins.

Photo by Chad Montano
on Unsplash

O = This time, when David brought the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom up to Jerusalem and put it in a tent (since the Lord would not let him build a house for it) he did so the right way (carried by consecrated priests) with tremendous sacrifices of thanksgiving and songs of worship. At the end of the relocation procession and installation ceremony, David offered a benediction to the people… a real benediction, not just his sermon points repackaged.

Photo by Andreas Haslinger
 on Unsplash

First, the people were blessed in the name of the Lord by their king. Second, David made that spoken blessing tangible by also giving everyone a balanced Thanksgiving meal — “each a loaf of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins.”  Third, such a connection between a spiritual blessing and the sharing of food was very “on-brand” for the name of the Lord. It is what he does. He feeds his followers.

I am encouraged to see a leader value his people and model giving (literally hosting) as part of his spiritual worship. He was not collecting resources and praise for himself but was giving away what he had to strengthen the people and empower them to celebrate without concern.

Interestingly, Matthew 15 has a strong meal motif that unites all of its sections, culminating in the miraculous feeding of the 4,000+ people he was healing and teaching. After all that, it is no surprise that “the Son of David” also gave the people a meal to eat.

Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.” 

…And directing the crowd to sit down on the ground, he took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces left over. (32,35-37)

Pixelized Last Supper Photo by
Lucas Hoang on Unsplash

A = It is instructive that there is a bond that comes when we share food. A strong sense of community can arise. Also, it is instructive to see holistic care shown for people across the testaments. David and Jesus knew something about the Father that led them to compassionately provide food for worshipers. God cares about our embodiedness not merely our spirits. I too should be sensitive to the needs of others. Also, I need to take time to enjoy eating with others.

P = Dear Jesus, you are a most wonderful Savior! Thank you for your consistent manifestation of the giving heart of the Father. Thank you for being faithful to meet our needs in times of plenty and scarcity alike. You not only meet our physical needs but are the source of our joy both now and forever! May we share your goodness with others this week!

Jailhouse Revival--Evangelism in a Crisis

 Discipleship for the Darkest Times 

3 Types of Evangelism in a Crisis

This was originally posted on my Our Longview blog. We began looking at this episode from Acts 16 last week. The passage spoke of Paul and Silas being arrested, stripped, badly beaten, thrown in the dungeon, and locked in stocks. It was a very bad day, to say the least. As we noted last week—in the context of Mother’s Day—often the things our children face are not what we might have planned. Some disappointments and circumstances might be trivial, while others may be tragic.

• Sometimes they don’t get enough playing time on their sports teams or they never get a speaking line in the play.
• Sometimes they are passed over for a well-deserved promotion.
• Sometimes they are picked on, or bullied, and that always bothers a parent.
• Perhaps they may be treated unfairly by a teacher, or a boss. Been there, and bought the T-shirt.
• Sometimes there are accidents, disasters, and other tragedies.

It seems like their world was rocked…but as we read last week, after a killer day we see them praying and singing hymns in the dark and smelly dungeon. They weren’t complaining or thinking of themselves. In the midst of their pain and discomfort, they prayed and sang of their belief and gratitude to God and people listened. Is it possible that their best evangelism occurred at those points of greatest weakness?

If we are yielded to the grace of Jesus, no disaster can destroy our testimony.

However, “You can’t prepare for a crisis in a crisis.” –Ron Mehl

Since we live in the Pacific Northwest, along the Cascadia Subduction zone, disaster preparedness experts tell us that “the big one,” an earthquake in the Magnitude 8-9 range is not a matter of “if”, but “when.” Our neighbors to the south face talk of the “big one” regarding a disastrous quake along the San Andreas fault. What is the largest earthquake you have experienced? I experienced many earthquakes in California including one that tossed me out of bed!

The first large quake my family experienced in Oregon was in March 1993, at 5:34 a.m. called the “Spring Break Quake” (Mag. 5.6) and was quite loud like a freight train coming through the house, and was accompanied by sharp shaking.

The second quake, in February 2001 (Mag. 6.8) the “Nisqually Quake” caused buildings in Portland to sway for 20 to 30 seconds. In Beaverton and Hillsboro, it was a slow rolling motion that tended to make you feel a little motion sick. Apart from the potential for death and destruction, what about an earthquake is most unnerving? For me, it is discovering that what we thought to be solid and unmoving is quite fluid (liquefaction) and unstable! This experience is not limited to physical earthquakes but can be just as emotionally unnerving when our support system is rocked or lets us down.

However, as we saw in the story of Paul and Silas in prison, 

A crisis allows us an opportunity to practice…

1. Overflow Evangelism (Matt. 12:33-35; Luke 6:43-45) …sharing our faith with others is most fruitful when it comes from a consistent overflow of God’s love and hope in our lives. They may be in crisis as well and in need of God’s love through us! Here are a few passages that touch on this idea.

• Matt 12:33-35 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. (also Luke 6:43-45) 
• Psalm 23:5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
• John 7:37-39 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified."

Will we be ready or not, when the moments of crisis come? What will overflow from our lives?

• Not Ready…

Some in the Bible were not ready when a crisis came. Peter was not ready when he was “squeezed” on the night Jesus was arrested. What came out of his life at that time? Fear, denial, anger, and profanity as he rejected even knowing Jesus…and then bitter tears as he realized what he had done (Matt. 26:69-75). Jesus had warned him to pray so that when temptation came he would not follow it to the place of sin and failure—but he slept instead (See Matt. 26:40-43).

• Ready…

The young Daniel (Daniel 1) was taken from his home as a captive, forced to learn a new culture and language and serve a foreign government but he would not disobey God. He wouldn’t eat the king’s habit-forming meat and wine but proposed a test. The diplomatic pursuit of his convictions was noticed. “And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego.” (1:7) Later, as a leader, Daniel’s habit was to pray three times a day… so when a crisis came he was spiritually ready for it  (See Daniel 6). He didn’t fail like Peter, but survived a night in a den of hungry lions! Daniel’s faithfulness deeply influenced the king, as did God’s miraculous deliverance of Daniel from the hungry lions! So much so that the king issued a decree for his entire empire…

       Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages 

                             that dwell in all the earth: 

                                       “Peace be multiplied to you. I make a decree, 

                                      that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear 

                     before the God of Daniel,

for he is the living God,

                               enduring forever;

           his kingdom shall never be destroyed,

    and his dominion shall be to the end.

    He delivers and rescues;

    he works signs and wonders

          in heaven and on earth,

    he who has saved Daniel

                       from the power of the lions.” (Daniel 6:25-27)

What is the overflow of our lives? Is it love, joy, peace, trust, and gratitude even in seasons of intense lament and loss? May our evangelism be sourced in such an overflow in our lives.

A second type of evangelism that surfaces in a crisis is that which is squeezed out of us in the crush of overwhelming circumstances. I call this “Olive Press Evangelism.”

2. Olive Press Evangelism

Olive oil comes from crushing pressure on the olives. Ancient processing methods used a large rolling stone to crush the olives. Then the crushed olive paste was placed in baskets and further pressed with large stone weights, and later levers were employed to increase the pressure. The oil from the first pressing is the lightest (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) and is used for food. The last pressing under the most weight produced a darker oil that was generally used for lamps. Could what comes out of us at the most stressful times of our life become a light to others? Yes. God can take our greatest pain and use it for good if we are fully surrendered to his heart. So, again, when we get squeezed, what comes out? Quite simply, what comes out is what we have inside—either evidence of the fruit of the Holy Spirit or our own sinfully selfish attitudes (what the Bible calls our “flesh”) See also Galatians 5:16-24.

• Abraham—Trusting God’s Promise… When Abraham was asked to sacrifice Isaac, he believed that God would raise him from the dead. See also Genesis 22:8; Hebrews 11:17-19.
• Three Hebrew Children—Faithful Resolve…When Daniel’s three friends were threatened with being thrown into a furnace heated seven times hotter than normal they believed God could deliver them but even if he didn’t they would not bow. See also Daniel 3:16-18.
• Jesus—Loving Care for Others… I shared last week how when Jesus was on the cross and saw his mother and stopped dying for a moment and took care of her needs (John 19:25-27). Also, in response to those who hurled insults and mocked him, Jesus prayed from the cross, “Father forgive them, they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)

It is from the example of the olive press evangelism of Jesus on the cross, as well as from his earlier teachings that we can see the third type of evangelism that followers of Christ often have the opportunity to practice in a crisis—enemy evangelism.

3. Enemy Evangelism

Read Acts 16:27-31 and notice how Paul and Silas functioned in their crisis...

When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open,

                   he drew his sword and was about to kill himself,

                                           supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 

But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” 

   And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear

                   he fell down before Paul and Silas. 

          Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”  

And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved,

                                                                          you and your household.”

Our mission is not just to share the message of God’s love and forgiveness with people we like, but with those who have set themselves against us. John S. Leonard in his book, Get Real: Sharing Your Everyday Faith Every Day (New Growth Press. 2013)  suggests that “Fully biblical evangelism is, in fact, enemy evangelism— loving, blessing, and praying for our enemies. We don’t need Jesus in order to love our friends— most of the time! We don’t have to rely on his grace to be kind to those we care about.”[1]

He continues to emphasize the need for divine empowerment in such an unnatural ministry.  “Enemy evangelism is dependent on Christ and the Holy Spirit. Friendship evangelism puts the focus on us, limiting the power of the gospel to our ability to be friendly.”[2]

So what should we do differently in our efforts at evangelism? Leonard suggests that,

Instead of making friends, hoping that one day they will be interested in the gospel, we should find people who are interested in the gospel and befriend them. Christians will ask me, “What should I do if none of my friends are interested in the gospel?” The answer I give them is, “Keep your friends; their interest in the gospel could change any day. Just make room in your life for some new friends who are interested in the gospel.”

       Better to practice evangelism that is friendly than “friendship evangelism.” We know no strangers because everyone we meet is owed common courtesy and friendship.[3]

Jesus made it clear that it was no big deal to be loving to those who love you—kind to those who are kind, friendly to those who are friendly—but what about your enemy?

                  You have heard that it was said, 

                  ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 

But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 

       so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.

   For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good,

                  and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 

         For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?

                            Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 

        And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others?

                            Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 

                  You therefore must be perfect, 

                               as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:43-48)

Paul and Silas not only were friendly in their evangelism, but they practiced “enemy evangelism.” Like the God they served, they had no joy in the death of their enemy but cried out to save him from a ritual suicide. That kind of love changes people.

In politically charged times like this, we need to be reminded that, as people of God, we are not to celebrate the fall of our enemies (See Proverbs 24:17-18; Psalm 35:15; Prov. 17:5; Eze. 33:11; 2 Peter 3:9).

So how can we turn our crises into opportunities to trust Christ more, grow stronger in grace, and maintain our authentic witness? How can we stand firm when everything and everyone around us is being shaken? Maybe we can learn from a simple earthquake drill.

Three Basic Spiritual Lessons from an Earthquake Drill

What is it that we are taught to do if we are caught in an actual earthquake? PSAs and school drills encourage us to resist the natural impulse to run and instead, we are to "Drop, Cover, and Hold On."

What do we do when the structure of our life collapses? Or when our support system seems to start falling apart? When we realize that we are on shaky ground due to our own sin and weakness or the sin of others against us?

“Drop”—Fall to our knees in confession and prayer (Phil. 4:6-7; 1 John 1:9) In regards to our need in a crisis, we are instructed to refuse to run in anxiety but to drop in prayer. Paul wrote to the church in Philippi, which was birthed in persecution,

Do not be anxious about anything, 

                           but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving

                  let your requests be made known to God.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

We don’t have to be strong and in control of our circumstances. We do need to be quick confessors whether of our own sins or of our need for the presence of God. In regard to our sins, confession allows God to clean the sponge of our souls,

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:8-9)

“Cover”—Put on the whole armor of God (Eph. 6:10-18) In an earthquake one of the greatest dangers is that of being struck on the head by falling debris. So, in a spiritual crisis, we need to cover up with the protection God supplies. Paul calls it “spiritual armor” in his letter to the church at Ephesus,

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 

                 Put on the whole armor of God,

                 that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

    For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood,

                                  but against the rulers,

                                        against the authorities,

                                        against the cosmic powers over this present darkness,

                                       against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Therefore take up the whole armor of God,

         that you may be able to withstand in the evil day,

       and having done all, to stand firm. 

                                                       Stand therefore, 

              having fastened on the belt of truth, and 

              having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 

    and, as shoes for your feet,

              having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 

     In all circumstances take up the shield of faith,

                 with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;

                and take the helmet of salvation,

                        and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,

                 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.

To that end, keep alert with all perseverance,

                                                     making supplication for all the saints, 

Hold On”—Don’t let go of the promises and presence of Christ Jesus. The Psalmist writes of how when we hold fast to the Lord, the Lord becomes our deliverer and protector, the One who answers us when we call.

 “Because he holds fast to me in love,

                                   I will deliver him;
                                   I will protect him,

  because he knows my name.
When he calls to me, I will answer him;
                                   I will be with him in trouble;
                                   I will rescue him and honor him.
             With long life I will satisfy  him
                                      and show him my salvation.” (Psa. 91:14-16)

I love how Peter, on the Day of Pentecost quoted Psalm 16:8-11, describing how God is present with us in the resurrected Christ Jesus so that we might not be shaken,

God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, 

because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 

For David says concerning him,

“‘I saw the Lord always before me,
    for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;
therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
    my flesh also will dwell in hope. (Acts 2:24-26)

The kingdom citizenship we are receiving in Christ cannot be shaken and will remain after all that can be shaken has been removed (Hebrews 12:26-29). 

Other verses to consider: Rev. 3:10-12; Hosea 12:6; Psalm 63:8; 119:31; Rom. 12:9; Josh. 22:5; Heb. 12:1-3; Jer. 17:7-8.

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[1] John S. Leonard, Get Real: Sharing Your Everyday Faith Every Day (New Growth Press. 2013) (Kindle Locations 917-919).

[2]  Leonard, 2013 (Kindle Locations 924-925).

[3]  Leonard, 2013 (Kindle Locations 939-944).