The magician is schooled

After Acts 8: 14-25

The apostles hear of Samaria’s

rebirth, and two are sent to pray,

to teach, the call upon the holy wind

to descend. They lay their hands

on the people, the holy wind begins 

to blow, the holy fire begins to burn, 

and the magician sees the hands,

sees the power transferred, and 

wants that power, offering money

to buy whatever it is they have.

The magician is told the good news

is not for sale, that if he thinks it is

a commodity to be bought and sold

he doesn’t understand, he doesn’t

get it, and more, he doesn’t have it,

his heart doesn’t get it, he is still

chained by wickedness, saturated 

in gall, and your magic will do you

no good. The way is found and 

followed not by money but 

by the repentance of the heart.

The magician asks for prayer.

Photograph by Jr Korpa via Unsplash. Used with permission.

A wise man speaks

After Acts 5:33-42

I hear your anger

and rage, I get it,

I understand, but

cool your jets,

take care what

you do here; you

know what happened

when you condemned

the Nazarene – you

got this before you now.

In your rage and anger

you want to do it again,

repeat the same mistake,

believing you’ll get

a different result. Chill,

people, and consider

all the ones who came

before, making their

claims. You know them,

you remember them,

we ignored them and

they slipped into obscurity,

remembered only

as examples of fools.

If these we see today

are likewise fools,

they will likewise slip

into obscurity. But if

they are from God,

nothing will stop them,

least of all your anger

and rage. Nothing

you do will have

any effect, because

you would oppose

the One who cannot

be stopped. 

This time, the powers

did the unexpected

and the unusual: 

they listened to and

heeded good advice.

Photograph by Susmita Saha via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Prison without prisoners

After Acts 5:21-32

Bring the prisoners here,

say the powers, the elites

posturing for effect and

self-congratulation and

not a little smug with

the condemnation 

they will deliver. 

Bring the prisoners here,

say the powers, the elites,

savoring the questioning

to come. 

They wait. They wait.

They grow restless

in their waiting, until

the soldiers come,

sheepishly and not

without a little fear, 

to report the empty cells

and the locked doors,

and the prisoners now

walking the streets,

doing exactly what

they’d been imprisoned

for:

giving hope.

Escorted to the courts,

the former prisoners

show no remorse, no fear,

and instead speak (rather

boldly for uneducated

men) the shocking

most revolutionary words

in history: we must obey

God, not men.

Photograph by Vidar Nordli-Mathieson via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Locked away

After Acts 5:17-21

Dragged from the streets,

they are locked away,

prison cell doors locked

to prevent infection

and stop the contagion,

this pandemic of piety,

from spreading. Locked

away, they feel the fear

and uncertainty yet know

the security of what 

they have locked away 

in their hearts. They know

the powers will stop at nothing

to preserve and protect

themselves, yet they know

the power of the way

they follow. 

In deepest night, a light

appears, an angel; the doors

open. The prisoners are

freed from their prison,

their bodies, souls, and voices

liberated, and told to go

and speak and preach and teach.

They obey; they leave the cells

just as the prison doors

lock back into place.

Photograph by Damir Spanic via Unsplash. Used with permission.

“What is the Church?” by R.C. Sproul

We talk about what life is like in an increasingly secular age, but it’s difficult to look at anything in the news media, social media, web sites and other communications without finding constant references to religion of almost all kinds, but especially Christianity and Islam. We may live in an increasingly secular age, but you wouldn’t know it from what everyone is talking about, arguing about, expressing fears and concerns about, and thinking about. It can be as tiresome as it is repetitive; no one is convincing anyone except the people in their own echo chambers.

I find this even roiling into conversations of my fellow Christians, with mainliners pitted against evangelicals, traditionalists versus “seeker supporters,” people arguing for and against something called “relevance” in worship services. There’s some faith, little hope, and no love being shown; instead, we embrace our own righteous anger and use it like a weapon.

Author, speaker, historian, and Calvinist R.C. Sproul has been publishing a series entitled “Crucial Questions,” which actually might provide some relief. No. 17 in that series is What is the Church?, and Sproul takes us back to 325 A.D., the Council of Nicea, and the Nicene Creed that resulted.

Consider the context. For only a few years, Christianity had been a legal religion in the Roman Empire. It was engulfed in the Arian controversy, which concerned the divine nature of Jesus and his relationship to God the Father. It was threatening to tear the church apart. The Emperor Constantine called the council and presided over its beginning, although others presided over the discussion and debate. The council eventually beat back the Arian heresy and developed the Nicene Creed, which is still recited in churches around the world today. (The Council also did a number of other things, like determine which books comprised the Biblical canon.)

R.C. Sproul

In his book, Sproul focuses on one element of the creed, which defines the church as one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. Taking each term in turn, he explores what the church is and what it is called to be. He doesn’t gloss over the divisions plaguing the church; in fact, he discusses the major ones.

He distinguishes between the visible and invisible church. He describes what it means for the church to be holy (and believers to be saints). He considers the church’s universality. And he explains what is means for the church to be founded on the apostles. He finishes the work by noting what it means to be a servant and what the true marks of church are.

Sproul is the author of numerous books, articles, sermons, and speeches on Christianity, church history, theology, Calvinism, and related topics. Sproul leads the teaching fellowship Ligonier Ministries, based in Sanford, Florida.

What is the Church?, published in 2013, is a reality check for any of us who describe ourselves as Christians. It is both refreshing and convicting.  

Top Photograph: Hereford Cathedral by Michael D. Beckwith via Unsplash. Used with Permission.

Gamaliel's lament

After Acts 5:17-42

These hotheaded priests

these rich young rulers

always ready to strike,

to smite, extremists

in an extreme time,

ignoring the obvious,

the rays of the sun,

the drops from the clouds,

the testimonies of the prophets

before. If it is not from God

it will perish. If it is from God

no one can stand against it.

Let it be.

Bring me my scrolls.

Bring me my wine.

Illustration: Gamaliel with students (British Museum).