Acts 11:19-26

From the beginning, Jesus planned to rescue people from our evil world. God's Plan A has always been forgiveness of sins and eternal life through the Cross of Jesus Christ. God does things His way. We have free will, but God orchestrates situations for men and women to do his will. That's Providence. The exciting part of it all is that he chooses to use us, His children through faith, to act as His ambassadors. What a privilege.

            God's qualification is that we are believers in Jesus Christ. So why does the modern Church make a cottage industry of M. Div. degrees and legalistic ordination processes? I think a lot of the rot is due to our desire for power and control. And our fears and insecurities about messing up. And a default tendency to legalism rather than freedom in Christ. Each of us ought to be able to share the hope that we have and to explain what Jesus has done for us. Our testimonies must not glory ourselves. We must point to Jesus' death on the Cross. Our testimonies are always that we are sinners, saved by a loving and merciful God. We'll have a lot more to say about Christian leadership, roles for men, elders, etc. as we move through the New Testament. We have Romans, 1&2 Timothy, Titus, and 1&2 Corinthians, coming up so stay tuned.

            The Truth about the Christian life is much different from the boring rap we get framed with. It's actually a life of adventure and ever-increasing responsibility. As we obediently follow God and keep pure, He provides us with more missions and assignments. And the converse is sadly true. The more we engage in worldly pursuits and focus on ourselves, the more distant we get from God and the more off-track we get from His excellent adventure as we limit ourselves by our bad motives and behavior.

            God is always faithful in doing His part. While Peter and the apostles were in Jerusalem discussing the ability of non-Jews to believe in Jesus and receive eternal life, other believers, dispersed north after Stephen's death in Jerusalem, were already preaching to Gentiles. And Gentiles were believing and receiving the Holy Spirit. God goes before us. Thank God!

Again, notice in the Acts Church who preached. Believers preached. Men are the teachers and preachers to men, but women have a role to teach children and younger women. These are God's standards that we will discuss in future posts. But here, notice no specialized "ordained" and "called" and "elite" pastors. No Ph.D. required. Ordinary men and women, believers in Jesus Christ, make believers in Jesus Christ.

This Scripture passage shows the leadership dynamic in the Acts Church. It's collaborative. It's direct, honest, and deferential to the Holy Spirit. Men of God step up and take risks. And prophesy. And give to help the needy. The Church is marked by reliance on God. Servant leaders are people with good reputations who were clearly known for integrity and strength in faith in King Jesus. No dictators here. No tyrants. No wealthy televangelists with four vacation homes. Instead, we see men open to what others were hearing from God. It is difficult today because we have so many pathetic examples of small groups of Church leaders that refuse to lead as shepherds and servants and instead focus on accumulating worldly power. The sheep are often clueless. That's not good. And it's not the model of the Acts Church.

God created order. He expects order and good governance in the Church. Jesus organized apostles and disciples for a reason. He trained them to go out in teams and taught them how to win brothers and sisters in Christ. Jesus wanted His Church to function well and to multiply. And it did. The New Testament has distinct roles for men and women, complementary roles. That's a good, healthy thing. But don't mistake the Acts Church leadership examples with what you see in so much of the modern Church. Now we often see a command and control privileged or entitled hierarchical system. That is not Jesus' Church. We don't see that in the Acts Church, and we should oppose it when we see it today.

Jesus is the head of the Church. The Holy Spirit is our lead. God the Father ordains the authority of the Church and the way of salvation. Look at Christ's followers in Acts and how the Holy Spirit empowers them to use their gifts: Philip, Peter, Barnabas, Saul, Agabus, and all the believers in this passage. Each is unique. Each works with other believers, and God Almighty gives just enough direction and then expects the disciples to do the rest. The Acts Church believers knew the message of God they had to preach. And they had incredible creativity and latitude in how they did their assignments. God seeks to use all of our gifts. God desires to empower His people. If you are being restricted, marginalized, or underutilized, know this: it is not God. God will most certainly test you and train you and discipline you. But God expects you to grow in wisdom and prosper according to His instructions. It is the devil that limits and restricts and tempts, and destroys. Let's stop holding each other (and ourselves) back. Listen to what the Holy Spirit says, and go!

To recap: never underestimate the ways God uses to achieve His purpose. And know that God has a mission for you today. Ordinary or extraordinary. It is a privilege to live for God today.

Lord Jesus, please bring us men like you today, leaders and encouragers like Barnabas, Peter, Paul, and Agabus. Leaders who will encourage us to stay true to You. Good men, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith. Servant leaders that inspire and empower Your people.

Lord Jesus, please open our minds and hearts to You so we may know and love you more. May we see the mission and assignments that lay right before us. May we be prepared to take them on. May this day be a multiplying day for Jesus Christ and His Church. Amen.