The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
-- Martin Luther King, Jr.
* They knew it was going to be a rough meeting because: Controversy was high.
* It was going to be confrontational -- most of us do not like confrontation -- would rather go shopping and come back to ask how it went.
Philip Yancey, author of The Jesus I Never Knew and other books, relates a time when he happened to be in Washington, D.C., when a huge gay-rights demonstration took place directly in front of the White House. He beheld a startling confrontation. There were about 40 mounted policemen forming a protective circle around a small group of outspoken Christian protesters.
Thanks to huge, orange posters announcing hellfire, the tiny band of Christians was attracting most of the press photographers.
The believers began shouting, "Shame-on-you-for-what-you-do." Then they switched to, "AIDS, AIDS, it's comin' your way."
How did the marchers respond to the Christians? Some taunted or mocked them. But one group approached their condemners and began to sing: "Jesus loves you, this we know, for the Bible tells us so."
* It was a single issue meeting: Are we going to continue to admit in full standing and fellowship in the church foreigners?
o Persons who have never been part of the nation of Israel?
o Persons who do not know the OT?
o Do not have the moral standards of Israel?
o Do not have the traditions of the Exodus?
o Yesterday worshiped before idols?
o Shall we, upon their simple obedience to Jesus allow them into our fellowship? Is that enough?
* The people were divided over it. (Luke: There was much debate/no small dissension). Not just that the Christians disagreed with each other. Individual Christians disagreed with themselves. Sometimes when we lash out at others with intensity, it is because I am at war with myself. I will make casualties out of people I love.
* True of Peter -- "How should I vote?"
When he stood up at Pentecost to preach he looked sweet and good. Stood before a great crowd of people from every nation. When Peter finished his sermon he told them that the promise was to them, their children, their children's children and to ALL AFAR OFF. -- Gentiles -- as many as God shall call. Did he just get carried away?
Then he had a vision to go and preach to the Gentiles, but he said NO!
IT Is One Thing To Preach. It Is Another Thing To Do.
Peter was divided in his own heart -- Paul said so -- at the Fellowship Dinner in Antioch Peter and Barnabas were eating with Gentiles until Jewish Christians came. Then they formed a Jewish table -- a painful thing for the Antioch church and Paul. Peter, too!
It is one thing to know in your head that we should include these people. It is another thing in your heart to know we should include these people. That is the longest trip we ever make -- between the head and the heart.
* The debate begins:
It is like one of our political conventions where they went to the microphones to have their say:
Spokesman #1 -- "Mr. Chairman, we are here from Antioch. We have a great Bible Study program "Super Six" Bible Study program every Tuesday night. We've been studying Ezra. We all believe the Bible and it says, "Get rid of the foreigners." "Even if you are married to one -- divorce her!" "Get rid of the foreigners, that is all I want to say, thank you."
Spokesman #2 -- We have a nice church and Education ministry. We are from Berea. We've named our class "The Berean Class." The ladies have been studying the wonderful lady of the Bible, Ruth. She was the ancestor of David and of Jesus and she was a Moabite. If our Lord had Moabite blood in his veins, isn't it OK to allow this? Thank you.
Spokesman #3--I don't know, but one of the great prophets of God was Amos. He said, "You alone (the Jews -- do we need to define 'alone'? -- It says alone) have I chosen among all the nations. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Spokesman #4 -- I do not have much say, but when I was a child I memorized a Bible verse, but I can't quite recall it. It went something like , "The mountain of the Lord's house shall be established and ALL the nations shall flow to it." Thank you.
If you had been in Jerusalem when the discussion arose, wouldn't you have rather been shopping?
LET'S ASK, "WHOSE FAULT WAS THIS ANY WAY?
The church is doing fine. It started out with thousands; we have congregations in all of the towns; and now THIS! Whose fault is it?
1. It is Stephen's fault. He went to the Temple and made that speech that started it all. After all, he was appointed to wait tables; but he just had to preach -- everybody always wants to preach.
2. No, I think it was Philip's fault. He went up and baptized some of those Samaritans. When you let the Samaritans in, :The camel's nose is in the tent."
3. No, it is Peter's fault. He does not want us to know, but I have a sister who lives in Caesarea who told me that he ate with some Italians.
4. No, it is really Paul who is at fault. He is running around everywhere claiming to have had some kind of vision and that he is an apostle to the gentiles. He just takes in everybody.
5. It was Barnabas. He is a good man, but remember how we agreed that Paul was not to have a major part of our work? Well, Barnabas took him in and the next thing you know, he is preaching and now to the gentiles.
LUKE SAYS IT IS GOD'S FAULT.
God sent the Holy Spirit to push and shove the church beyond ethnic, social, financial, and cultural borders..
Occasionally, Luke turns the attention of the camera away from the church and its painful process to one of the outsiders whose future/eternity is at stake. This is one of the people whose fate is being debated in the church. Do we let them in or not? He focuses on the person waiting on the outside, asking, "How did it go?"
The strangest of Luke's stories is that of the Ethiopian Eunuch in his chariot from Jerusalem to Gaza to whom Philip spoke.
Ethiopian -- maybe literal as there was an Ethiopia in the first century. It also could be an expression of one who was from far away. From the days of Homer it had been an expression of "the ends of the earth." We would say from Timbuktu (Tucumcari).
Eunuch -- A man who by nature or surgery was unable to father children. They were usually able to find gainful even wealthy employment in palaces. This is especially true in the service of queens. They had nothing to distract them.
According to Josephus, one of the detestable things about Herod was that he had three eunuchs in his palace even though Jewish scripture was clear -- Deuteronomy 23:1, "The eunuch shall not be permitted in the assembly of the people of God."
What does Luke mean, then, when he says that the eunuch had been up to Jerusalem to worship? What kind of man is this who is willing to walk around the edge and look over the fence? He would only be able to ask people, "How was the service? How was the sermon? What did the priests do? Were there many people there?" He is peeking through knotholes. He got information only second hand.
Why would any human being continue knocking at a locked door and refuse to go home? Is he one of these people who thinks that if they rise to a certain level of power or wealth, someone will make an exception for them--that the rules no longer apply to them?
He was wealthy -- he had his own Bible/chariot/he is in service to the queen of the Ethiopians/treasurer of the country -- maybe the rules no longer apply.
Even if someone let him in, he would not fit in. A few years ago, a church in east Tennessee about 20 miles from Oak Ridge. The atomic energy was beginning to take hold and people were moving to the area. Construction was growing and the blue collar construction workers were moving in to the area in tents, lean-to's and trailers. They covered the countryside. An aristocratic little church was close by. The preacher called the leadership together in an attempt to reach out to all of these people. The leadership said, "No, they do not fit in. They are only here temporarily." Don't they need the gospel any way? Resolution -- "Members will be admitted to this church from families who own property in the county." Today the church building is still there. Cars fill the parking lot. The difference is the sign -- "BBQ All you can eat."
The Eunuch is doing what we all do. He is reading the Bible to see his name. We all want to see a verse in the Bible that is for ME. Just a promise/phrase, something that matters to him/us.
On his sixteenth birthday a son approached his father and said, "Dad, I'm sixteen now. When I get my license, can I drive the family car?" His dad looked at him and said, "Son, driving the car takes maturity, and first, you must prove that you are responsible enough. And one way you must do that is to bring up your grades. They are not acceptable. Second, you must read the Bible every day. And finally, you must get that hair cut; it looks outrageous." The son began the task of fulfilling his father's requirements, knowing that the last might be impossible.
When his grades came out he went to his dad with a big smile. "Look, Dad, all A's and B's on my report card. Now can I drive the family car?" "Very good, son. You are one-third of the way there, but have you been reading the Bible?" the father replied. "Yes, Dad, every day," said the son. "Very good son. You are two-thirds of the way there. Now when are you going to get that hair cut?"
The son, thinking that he could out smart the father, responded, "Well, I don't see why I should get my hair cut to drive the car. Jesus had long hair, didn't he?" The father looked at his boy and said, "That's right, son and Jesus walked everywhere he went."
The eunuch thinks he finds it. He reads in Isaiah -- :
3. "No longer let the foreigner say, Surely the Lord will separate me from his people.
4 For this is what the LORD says: "To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose what pleases me and hold fast to my covenant-
5 to them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off.
6 And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD to serve him, to love the name of the LORD, and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant-
7 these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations." Isaiah 56.3-7
He also reads in Isaiah, "As a lamb that is led to the slaughter, as a sheep before its shearers is dumb, he did not open his mouth. Who shall declare his generation?" Isaiah 53.7-8
He had no one to declare justice for him?
Philip asks, "Do you understand?" The eunuch does not. Is he talking about himself or someone else? Philip tells him who it was -- JESUS. He was cut off from the land of the living without children. Do these other verses apply to me, too? I am a foreigner and eunuch, Can I be included? Can I be a member of this church?
Philip says, YES. Others may be upset, but YES! I am uncomfortable, but YES. Besides, How can I say, No when God has clearly said YES!?
Do we ever keep anyone out because we are preoccupied with ourselves and our view of what God wants? Sometimes God is at work in the world and we say, "They wouldn't fit in."
Maybe it is skin color; cultural differences; economic differences. Maybe it is just that we do not have time to include others in our clique/group. It takes 7 friends to keep a person at church. Am I too busy in my own little world to include others?
Years ago, Linda and I moved to Abilene, TX so that I could finish my Master of Divinity degree. We were to be there one year. Linda was working as an RN in a hospital and I was a full time student. We found a church within walking distance of our house so, we went to church there the first opportunity we had. In fact, we walked excitedly the three or four block, anticipating an enjoyable period of worship and making new friends. Guess what? That church did not care that we were there or IF we ever came back. They had their friends; they had their routines and were not interested in disrupting those. We looked elsewhere for a church home.
The story does not end there. Very few of the churches in town really cared if we came. After all, I was just a student and Linda was carrying the bulk of our financial support. How important could we be?
We finally connected with a church because a friend I had made on campus invited us to attend church with him and his family. We found a niche and friends because someone made room for us in their lives.
The elders have charged me with helping you find your place in this church. The Involvement Ministry is working on plans to help you get connected with a group of peers where you can build friendships. We are working to get you connected to a Ministry where you can give of yourself in the service of Christ. We are planning orientation classes for new members so that you can understand who we are and where we are going. We want each one who will to find a place to belong at this church.
If there is anyone here who is not a Christian, let me say, you are welcome to come to Jesus. YOU are in the Bible, just as the Ethiopian was. You have a place here.
