For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so he could have mercy on everyone. Romans 11:32
Mercy is what everyone gets because everyone is guilty. Read that last sentence again, slowly, and then the verse above it, making particular notice of the word: “everyone.” Everyone. Shall I write it again? Everyone. If we could get this, we would be the most amazing people on the planet.
Disciple.
Tall disciples.
Short disciples.
Short and tall disciples.
Black, white and brown disciples.
Male and female disciples.
My friend, Barry McGuire (New Christy Minstrels, “Eve of Destruction,” lead role in “Hair,” recorded numerous faith-based albums of original music) called me yesterday. I was getting a haircut and almost didn’t answer it, but Barry doesn’t call me very often and I figured I’d better find out what’s up. Barry is basically retired from writing/recording/touring and enjoying time with his wife, Mari.
But he hasn’t unplugged from culture, nor has he unplugged from compassion because he called me to turn me on to a song he just heard called “What About Us?” by P!NK. It’s a song that connects with the needs of those who thought they were going to make a difference in the world and got left holding the bag. It’s full of searching questions like “What about all the broken happy ever afters?” and “What about all the plans that ended in disaster?” and then, the most poignant questions of all: “What about love? What about trust? What about us?”
Acts is a transition book. It’s a transition between the gospels and the epistles to the new churches. It’s a transition between the story of Christ and our story. It’s a transition between the Messiah and the mission field. It’s a transition between what was finished and what has just begun. It’s a transition between the coming of Christ and the going out of you and me. It’s a transition between what was and what will be — a transition between what happened and what’s happening. It’s a transition between hearing and doing. Acts is the transition between the Bible stories and our story. Acts is where faith becomes personal.
We are basically at the halfway point in our study into the Book of Acts. At this point, all of the groundwork for the new church has been laid. The church is firmly established, as Jesus directed, in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and it has already begun in what is still spreading until this very day into the uttermost part of the earth. The rest of Acts is mostly taken up with the three missionary journeys of Paul and his various companions establishing churches in Greece, Asia, Macedonia, and finally, Rome.
Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and declared, “It was necessary that we first preach the word of God to you Jews. But since you have rejected it and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we will offer it to the Gentiles. For the Lord gave us this command when he said,
‘I have made you a light to the Gentiles,
to bring salvation to the farthest corners of the earth.’” Acts 13:46-47
To all the wonderful Jewish people in the world: Thank you.
Thank you for receiving the law and the prophets and keeping them for history.
Thank you for loving God and seeking to obey His commandments.
I’ve got a river of life flowing out of me
Makes the lame to walk and the blind to see
Opens prison doors sets the captives free
Peter was asleep when the angel came to free him from prison. Since he was obviously famous for miraculous jailbreaks (with supernatural assistance, of course), King Herod Agrippa assigned extra guards to him, making this escape all the more spectacular. Peter had been chained between two guards and if he somehow managed to get free of them, there were two guard posts to pass before reaching the large iron gate, too heavy for one to open, that led to the street. But the angel “struck him on the side to awaken him,” dropped the chains from off him, walked him past the two guard posts and when they got to the big iron gate, it opened automatically like the front door of Target.
When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the door, she ran back inside and told everyone, “Peter is standing at the door!”
“You’re out of your mind!” they said. When she insisted, they decided, “It must be his angel.” Acts 12:14-15
The relative peace the church enjoyed while Saul was away learning from the Lord in the Arabian desert came to an abrupt halt when King Herod Agrippa decided to entertain the Jews by stepping up the persecution of the Christians, so he had the Apostle James run through with a sword, and since that pleased everybody so much, arrested Peter to stand on public trial. With the Jewish authorities being judge and jury, and Peter still making them responsible for the death of Jesus, Peter didn’t stand much of a chance, especially with a sword still bloody from James. Things were finally going to be set straight according to the Jewish leaders.
The church then had peace throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, and it became stronger as the believers lived in the fear of the Lord. And with the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it also grew in numbers. Acts 9:31
Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning. I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ.
You know what I was like when I followed the Jewish religion—how I violently persecuted God’s church. I did my best to destroy it. I was far ahead of my fellow Jews in my zeal for the traditions of my ancestors.
But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him to reveal his Son to me so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles.
When this happened, I did not rush out to consult with any human being. Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to consult with those who were apostles before I was. Instead, I went away into Arabia, and later I returned to the city of Damascus. Galatians 1:11-17
The verse above from the book of Acts indicates a period of relative calm for the developing church in Jerusalem. It was also a time of steady growth, not only of people being added to the church but of individual growth of the believers. The verses from Galatians explain what was going on with Saul (later known as Paul) during this time. He spent a long time alone in an Arabian desert. It’s hard to nail down an accurate chronology of the book of Acts from the New Testament, but most scholars have this desert time lasting anywhere from three to ten years. My most trusted source has it at ten. Anyway you cut it, it’s a long time to be relatively inactive in a book of action.
We interrupt our study in Acts to spend a moment with Miss Jocelyn Anne Fischer who turned two yesterday, and whose birth was acknowledged and duly celebrated with a small family gathering in Brea, California at the home of Mr. Chuck E. Cheese. At two, we’re not sure how much of the events around her she is able to grasp, but that doesn’t matter, because Joci is one to take what she can make of pretty much any situation. To watch her is to watch someone walking matter-of-factly through a world of their own making. If she wants to acknowledge you, she will; if she doesn’t, she won’t. You have to not take it personally. It’s not a snub. She’s just has an agenda she isn’t telling anyone about.
A good time was had by all, including Chandler and his girlfriend, Morgan. The colorful lolly pop in these pictures was won valiantly by the strong efforts of Chandler and Morgan at various games in the arcade.
Being our first grandchild, it’s only right to acknowledge new feelings I haven’t had before — feelings of being somehow connected to something wonderful I had nothing to do with. It’s God’s miracle of life that never gets old, because each person born is a totally new creation mirroring something not yet seen or known of the image of God. It is no small thing to be such an important part of His universe, yet such a humble part as well, when we understand the vastness and breadth of His greatness and His wisdom.
When so much of normal decency and human respect seems to be unraveling in front of our eyes, it helps to recall how precious and important we all are and especially our children.
Happy Birthday Jocelyn.
John Fischer The Catch 