Whidbey Presbyterian Church

Spring Clean-up!

Spring Clean-Up
April 4th 9am-Noon
Bring your gloves, rakes, and smiles. 
Let's beautify our church in preparation of Holy Week!

7. Acts Chapter 5:12-42: Powerful Community

Archive of past lessons from this series can be found here. 

This is week 7 of our journey through The Acts of the Apostles. Click here to read Acts 5:12-42 and return here to read my thoughts and add your own in the comments.

The story of Ananias and Sapphira was so important that we devoted last week’s lesson to just those verses. However, something is happening in Acts that we begin to see clearly here in chapter 5. Something that will never be stopped.

It is powerful community. 

Not long before the events of chapter 5, Peter and John had been dismissed by the Sanhedrin after being warned to cease all speaking and teaching in the name of Jesus. Remember their answer? They assured the Sanhedrin they would do no such thing - and proved to be men of their word.

Peter and John continue to tell the story of Jesus. Not what they believed to be true about Jesus - but the actual person of Jesus. That’s a big difference and we see it played out right here in chapter 5. The Holy Spirit was so powerfully manifested in and around Peter that even those who came near him experienced healing.

My words cannot top the adventure contained here. Peter and John are arrested, they escape, return to the scene of the crime only to be beaten and told not to do it again. This leaves them rejoicing at being considered worthy to suffer for their witness in Jesus' name. They immediately boldly resume telling the story of their savior despite the threat of the Sanhedrin.

The Holy Spirit was using that community to embolden the faith of the followers. The community was the Spirit’s tool of healing, encouragement, and accountability. The community was earning respect and Spirit was using their influence to add men and women every day.

The community had only common item among them…Jesus.

Contrast that with the Sanhedrin. They were unified by a religion and a set of laws that needed to be protected. Their God need protection. Of course, God doesn’t not need nor has He ever asked for our protection. He asks us to proclaim Him, obey Him, and love Him. But not protect Him.

Here, the Sanhedrin stands as an example of what happens to any organization (including mainline Christian denominations) that have causes or issues as their unifying battle cry. That is - it will eventually exist for the purpose of keeping itself alive. Even though they may never admit it, their true mission statement reads “We exist to make sure we exist.”

The other extreme is the community of Jesus followers. Free to proclaim and follow…not protect their turf, issue, cause or idea of what God is or should be. They are by no means perfect. They will eventually have issues they must deal with it (that’ll be a few weeks in chapter 15) but for now what unifies them is Jesus. The real Jesus. That was their community. That was the source of its transforming power.

Don't forget about this Saturday....

Young Adults Night Out
Saturday, March 28th 5:30pm

Come and enjoy dinner!  ( I hear it's Lasagna!)  Free childcare provided.

6. Acts Chapter 5:1-11: It's Not Really Worship Until Someone Dies

Archive of past lessons from this series can be found here.

This is week 6 of our journey through The Acts of the Apostles. Click here to read Acts 5:1-11 and return here to read my thoughts and add your own in the comments. Be sure to check back periodically through the week to read and respond to what others have to say.

The worst sermon I have ever heard was on this passage of scripture. I was in high school and all of these years later I remember very specific details of that day. On this particular Sunday, the church met under a huge tent in the middle of a huge lot. The pastor was convinced the new church building would be built on this very ground. After several minutes of sharing his vision for the building that was to be built, he launched into these 11 verses. He began to share stories from his past of how people he knew were punished by God for not getting financially behind a particular vision. He talked about how people at one of his pervious churches sold houses, cars, and boats to fund the vision. The message was clear - avoid being like Ananias and Sapphira. Stay on God’s good side by selling things you have and giving all of your discretionary money to this church. 

Funny how sending it to missions around the world was never mentioned. The message was very blatant - give it all to this church or God will punish you. I never gave the man another dime from my minimum wage after school job at McDonalds. I never told a soul (until now!) but from that day on, I sent 10% of each paycheck to missionaries. I'm proud to say no punishment ever fell on me. I must have been the only one though - a huge building stands on that property today.

The story of Ananias and Sapphira is disturbing enough without the added dramatics of a pastor making scripture say what it clearly does not say. We read a key piece of information last week at the end of chapter 4. Joseph, (also Barnabas, same person) sold some property he owned and gave all the money to the apostles. (Chapter 4:36-37)

Was selling the field required of Barnabas? No. 

After he decided on his own to sell the field - was it required that he gave every bit of the money to the apostles? No. 

He simply saw a need. He was a wealthy man and he gave part of that wealth to the church.

Ananias & Sapphira did not get killed for not giving all of the money from the property to the apostles. They lied about the amount the money they got for the property. 

Peter tells them:
-The field belonged to you.
-The money you got from selling the field belongs to you.
-You could have taken the money and done whatever you wanted with it. 

These two deceivers were not robbing God, but lying to him. Because after seeing Joseph (Barnabas) honored for his deed, they coveted similar standing.

So unlike the sermon I heard in high school - keeping some of the money for themselves had absolutely nothing to do with them getting killed. Peter is clear that the couple had no obligation to sell or to give, wholly or in part. It was the lying about it and turning their gift into a show. Here we learn who was their real object of worship - themselves. They wanted everyone to see them as generous and as pious as Barnabas. Because of that, here in chapter 5 the first recorded burials of the church became the burials of two hypocrites. 

The weeks following that terrible sermon I heard in high school turned into the same thing. Stories of selling cars and boats for the new land and church building were applauded in church services weekly. In this pastor’s attempt to warn against being like Ananias and Sapphira - he turned many in the congregation into them.

Its easy for me to write here about how someone else misused this story in a manipulative and self-serving way. However, when I look deep, what is REALLY disturbing is how much I have in common with Ananias & Sapphira. Granted, I don’t have a stack of money or land to sell to help the needy. But I don’t think this story is about just money. Money just happens to be what Ananias & Sapphira decided to leverage their reputation on. 

It could be lying about how much time you spend praying or how often you read your Bible or how much you volunteer or how diligent you participate in the study through Acts. It is anything we do for the point of others to be impressed with who we are and what we are doing “for God.”

I’ll be honest - I want others to think well of me. I want others to notice my good deeds. I want others to be able to say that what I do matters. It’s easy to get caught up in the worship of myself. In that regard - I’m a lot like Ananias. Are you?

Bottom line: God did not NEED Ananias’ money, He doesn’t NEED your piffling, insignificant abilities, and He really doesn’t NEED my insight or great ministry skills. 

He simply invites you and me to be on the journey with Him. Sure, along the way we may help others, but that's just Him using us, which is an amazing privilege when you consider it. In the end we NEED this journey way more than He needs us on it. I think that's what Ananias and Sapphira ended up forgetting.

The God Who Extends Grace

The Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame.  --Isaiah 50:7, NRSV

    Last week, a friend of the family called to ask a question about capitalization.  He wanted to know if leaving a person's name uncapitalized would be a way to show his disdain for the person.  He was looking for a way to shame a person who had shamed him.
    I had no good answer.  I told him that using a trick of punctuation would not yield his desired results.  I also said that shaming people was something I try not to do.
    This uncomfortable phone conversation made me wonder how often our mistreatment of others is revenge for perceived wrongs.  Why do people feel entitled to return the same treatment they have received?  I thought of the endless rounds of accusations, pain, and sin such revenge creates.
    Isaiah 50:7 tells me that God is the source of our worth, not what others think.  The knowledge of God's love and mercy can help us turn around the cycle of revenge.  The knowledge of our tremendous worth to our Lord and Savior brings a true sense of self.  We love Him because He first loved us.  We love others because He first loved all of us.
    Jesus told us to return evil with kindness.  If we are rooted in Him and amazed by His grace, we have the opportunity to move beyond shame to love.  Let's be purveyors of grace, not surveyors of wrongs committed against us.

St. Patricks Day Quiz

Here's a fun St. Patrick's Day quiz.  Are these true or false?

1.  A legend regarding St. Patrick is that he rid Ireland of snakes by ringing his bell.

2.  We celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on March 17th because that is when St. Patrick died.

3.  The holiday got its American start in 1737 in Boston.

4.  The shamrock was a sacred plant in ancient Ireland because it symbolized the rebirth of spring.

5.  St. Patrick used the shamrock to explain the Christian doctrine of the Trinity to the Irish.

6.  There are more Americans of Irish origin than there are Irish in Ireland.

7.  Delaware, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire Irish are the leading ancestral group.

8.  On St. Patrick’s Day, you can bring yourself good luck by finding a four-leaf clover, wearing green and kissing the Blarney stone.

Ready for the answers? 

All of them are true!

Mark it on your calendar!

Young Adult Night Out
Saturday, March 28
5:30pm
Heritage Hall

You'll enjoy and nice dinner and great fellowship!

5. Acts Chapter 4: Facing Death and Still Sowing Seeds

Archive of past lessons from this series can be found here.

This is week 5 of our journey through The Acts of the Apostles. Go here to read Acts chapter 4 and return here to read my thoughts and add your own in the comments. Be sure to check back periodically through the week to read and respond to what others have to say.

Isn’t it amazing how history repeats itself? Those who by long tradition monopolized the high-priestly office were the Sadducees. They saw the Christians using the temple court for proclamation and were not happy about it. Their runs-ins with Jesus had to be fresh in their mind. (See Matthew 22:23-33 & Mark 12:18-27) Thus, opposition to the apostles logically followed. As we read the first few verses in Acts 4, in the courts of the temple, the dead Messiah is very much alive.

Peter and John’s actions that day land them in jail. It had only been a few weeks since these same men sent Jesus to the cross. Their hope that they had gotten rid of Jesus forever was short lived. Caiaphas’ cynical remedy in John 11:49-50 was definitely on their mind this day.

Notice how the court never attempts to disprove Peter had actually healed the crippled man sitting at the gate. Notice how they never even disagree with Peter and John’s claim that Jesus had actually resurrected from the dead. If it seemed possible to refute either of these points, the Sanhedrin would most certainly have seized the opportunity. Had they succeeded, this new movement of Christians would have most certainly collapsed. Under the most skilled and trained guards the world had seen, the body of Jesus Christ had vanished so completely that all the power and authority in the land could not produce it. 

For the Sanhedrin this day, this was no doubt a disturbing situation. They were between a rock and a hard place. Peter had broken no law in healing the crippled man - and in doing so they had became heros. Peter lays it all out for them - this guy was healed by the power of Jesus - yeah, that Jesus. You remember the one you condemned to death and had crucified? He rose again and he’s the only way to God. 

Despite this open defiance, the Sanhedrin did nothing but repeat their threat of commanding Peter and John to never again speak or teach the name of Jesus. The only response they could muster in light of truth were threats. 

We have not been introduced to Saul at this point in Acts, but I do wonder if he was in the audience that day. I wonder if he even had a hand in arresting Peter and John? Crazy thought, huh? Here are Peter and John with evidence that could not be contradicted. They are plainly speaking truth and listening to it all very well could have been the future missionary to the Gentile world and author of half of the New Testament.

Finally this week, notice how this stress and persecution brought the church together. They shared everything: trials, money, and meals. Not only did they need each other - they wanted each other. It is almost impossible for us to reach this place in our affluent, comfortable western Christianity. We are less fortunate because of that.

What have you found most encouraging through these first 4 chapters of Acts?

Learn the Unforced Rhythms of Grace.

Are you tired? 

Worn out? 

Burned out on religion? 

Come to me. 

Get away with me and you'll recover your life. 

I'll show you how to take a real rest. 

Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. 

Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. 

I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. 

Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

Matthew 11:28-30 The Message

This Saturday: Contagious Christians

Contagious Christians
March 14th
9am-12pm
Heritage Hall

This class is a fresh awareness of how God brings the world to Himself and of how we fit into that process.  He does the work, and we look for what He is doing and cooperate with that.  We don't need all the answers, nor is it our job to convince.  Our role is to be in relationship with Jesus, and learn to be able to tell about it.  To take part, call the church office at 675-3579 or email here.