The Acts of the Apostles: What Were Those Acts?

As an information guy, I really love those books which present a complete harmony of the gospels. If you can’t afford to buy one, have a peek at any Bible version’s edition of the Life Application Study Bible and at the end of John’s gospel, you’ll see a list version summarizing 250 events in the life and teaching of Jesus gathered from all four gospel accounts.

It occurred to me this week that I personally (see below) know of no such list that would relate to the book of Acts since there are no other books with which to harmonize. (I say that loosely however, because the corroborations between Acts and the Epistles are the object of frequent study.)

I decided to pick up a copy of the NIV 2011 and simply copy out the section headers from all 28 chapters of Acts. (Which is why the words are all capitalized.)

Having said (see above) that I know of no such list, with the thousands of Bible-related things that are uploaded to the internet each day, I am sure there are dozens of these lists, but for me, the value was in the doing of this; taking time to look at the Acts story arc (compared to the Gospels story arc) and then my wife reading these back to me as we both shared a different type of discovery process in this account of the first generation church.

---

1. Jesus Taken Up Into Heaven
2. Matthias Chosen to Replace Judas
3. The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost
4. Peter Addresses the Crowd
5. The Fellowship of the Believers
6. Peter Heals a Lame Beggar
7. Peter Speaks to the Onlookers
8. Peter and John Before the Sanhedrin
9. The Believers Pray
10. The Believers Share Their Possessions
11. Ananias and Sapphira
12. The Apostles Heal Many
13. The Apostles Persecuted
14. The Choosing of the Seven
15. Stephen Seized
16. Stephen’s Speech to the Sanhedrin
17. The Stoning of Stephen
18. The Church Persecuted and Scattered
19. Philip in Samaria
20. Simon the Sorcerer
21. Philip and the Ethiopian
22. Saul’s Conversion
23. Saul in Damascus and Jerusalem
24. Aeneas and Dorcas
25. Cornelius Calls for Peter
26. Peter’s Vision
27. Peter at Cornelius’s House
28. Peter Explains His Actions
29. The Church in Antioch
30. Peter’s Miraculous Escape From Prison
31. Herod’s Death
32. Barnabas and Saul Sent Off
33. On Cyprus
34. In Pisidian Antioch
35. In Iconium
36. In Lystra and Derbe
37. The Return to Antioch in Syria
38. The Council at Jerusalem
39. The Council’s Letter to Gentile Believers
40. Disagreement Between Paul and Barnabas
41. Timothy Joins Paul and Silas
42. Paul’s Vision of the Man of Macedonia
43. Lydia’s Conversion in Philippi
44. Paul and Silas in Prison
45. In Thessalonica
46. In Berea
47. In Athens
48. In Corinth
49. Priscilla, Aquila and Apollos
50. Paul in Ephesus
51. The Riot in Ephesus
52. Through Macedonia and Greece
53. Eutychus Raised From the Dead at Troas
54. Paul’s Farewell to the Ephesian Elders
55. On to Jerusalem
56. Paul’s Arrival at Jerusalem
57. Paul Arrested
58. Paul Speaks to the Crowd
59. Paul the Roman Citizen
60. Paul Before the Sanhedrin
61. The Plot to Kill Paul
62. Paul Transferred to Caesarea
63. Paul’s Trial Before Felix
64. Paul’s Trial Before Festus
65. Festus Consults King Agrippa
66. Paul Before Agrippa
67. Paul Sails for Rome
68. The Storm
69. The Shipwreck
70. Paul Ashore on Malta
71. Paul’s Arrival at Rome
72. Paul Preaches at Rome Under Guard

---

The section headers are part of the NIV core text, so it’s probably helpful that we mention that this was prepared using Bible Gateway. Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. 

Image: Adapted from the cover of a book by William A Anderson, Liguori Publishing.

It’s Older than Most New Testament Books, But Not Part of the Canon

There are two ways, one of life and one of death, and there is a great difference between the two ways.

~Didache 1:1

While New Testament scholars always knew it existed, it was not until 1873 when a dusty, worn copy was pulled off an Istanbul library shelf by an Archbishop who promptly left it on his desk to attend to other matters, where it sat for months before he finally grasped what it is he had discovered. In fact, the document whose lost text he had discovered was once considered for inclusion in the Biblical canon.

The Didache (pronounced DID-ah-kay) is only about half the length of the Gospel of Mark, but it provides an intimate view of Christian life and Christian community for the early church. There are many books on the subject, but a simple introduction — along with a copy of the complete text — is Tony Jones’ The Teaching of the 12 (Paraclete Press, 2009).

(Random) Highlights:

• Let your alms sweat in your hands until you know to whom to give them. (1:6)
• Do not be one who opens his hands to receive, or closes them when it is time to give. (4:5)
• Do not give orders to your servants when you are angry, for they hope in the same God… (4:10)
• Your fasts should not be with the hypocrites, for they fast on Mondays and Thursdays. You should fast on Wednesdays and Fridays. (8:1)
• [Concerning the Eucharist, give thanks this way] “Even as this broken bread was scattered over the hills and was gathered together and became one, so let your church be gathered together from the ends of the earth into your kingdom…” (9:4)
• Let every apostle who comes to you be received as the Lord. But he must not remain more than one day, or two, if there’s a need. If he stays three days he is a false prophet. (11:4,5)
• Concerning Baptism, you should baptize this way: After first explaining all things, baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit in flowing water. (7:1, italics added)
• Hate no one; correct some, pray for others, and some you should love more than your own life. (2:7)

The early Christians were also told to pray the Lord’s Prayer three times daily (8:3) and if they baked bread, to give the first loaf to the prophets (13;5). The translation above is from Tony Jones’ book, and seems to be closest to one online by Charles Hoole.

So in a post-DaVinci Code climate, where does a document like this fit in?

First of all, we have all we need in the Bible, and no one should feel compelled to read extra-Biblical writings like this, much less those on the periphery such as The Gospel of Thomas.

But for those who want a snapshot of New-Testament life, this document has the recommendation of many respected pastors, though don’t expect a movie anytime soon.

DVD: There is a 6-week curriculum DVD available based on Tony Jones’ book. Here’s some info — and a 2-minute promo video — from Tony’s blog, Theoblogy.

This post first appeared on Jan 26/11 at Christianity 201

---

When first published at Thinking Out Loud, this article attracted several comments; one that we’ll repeat here as well…

One gentle word of correction is that the Didache does not hail from the age after the apostles, but the age of the apostles. The Didache is actually older than most of the books of the New Testament, especially all the Gospels with the possible exception of Mark. Aaron Milavec who is one of the foremost authorities on it places its date between 50 & 70 AD! Yes that is 15 to 35 years after the resurrection. A dating this early means most of the apostles are still alive. Another authoritative voice is Thomas O.Laughlin, who though not as dogmatic, still takes it around that time. The last of the Apostles, John, was still alive in 98 AD when Trajan came to power. From a scholarly standpoint, this era from the resurrection up to the death of John is roundly considered the “apostolic age” and so documents like the Didache, Barnabas, and the Shepherd of Hermas are generally considered the “apostolic fathers” as compared with the documents of the post apostolic age which is generally considered the Ante-Nicene Fathers. On top of all this, the Didache almost made it into the canon. It was widely used among the Fathers and Origin referred to it as “scripture.” I whole heartedly agree with you that Scripture as we have it is sufficient. But I personally still feel that Didache is in a class by itself. [At this point the comment continued to a podcast link which is no longer valid.]

Let’s Start Rumors About People Whose Ministry We Don’t Follow

She informed me that Andy Stanley didn’t believe in the Old Testament.

It didn’t just come up in the conversation, rather I felt like it was the purpose of her visit. That I needed to know this.

I wasn’t buying it.

I told her that I had watched the message in question, if not in person, via the next best medium. That I have been watching Andy preach for at least a dozen years. It was once Sunday afternoons at 2:00 PM, but now the feed is available on demand.

I also said something about we need to know the heart of the people we are spreading rumors about, we need to understand their motivation to do something or say something that we consider unorthodox.  We also need to have a good handle on the intended audience. I added that knowing something about the context in which the statement appeared is also useful.

I don’t wish to get into the specifics. You can link to Michael Brown’s podcast for that. I encourage you to do so.

What struck me odd about yesterday’s exchange was that this person has probably never watched a North Point service from beginning to end. It was all about dropping someone’s name and then going in for the kill: “Do you know he doesn’t believe in the Old Testament?”

As if.

Well, actually I do know. I don’t know that, but I know what it is that’s got her so riled…

…After Christ’s ascension, something new was in the air. Something that owed so much to its origins in the teachings of the Hebrew scriptures, and yet, at the same time, was the start of a whole other paradigm.  Everything was on the table: declaring certain foods clean or unclean; circumcision or uncircumcision; etc.

It was the birth of The Church…

…Andy Stanley gets another shot at this — with a modern application — in the book Irresistible: Reclaiming The New That Jesus Unleashed For The World, publishing in September. Here’s what the publisher says about that:

Two thousand years ago, Christians risked persecution and death for the sake of their faith. What would happen if 21st-century believers followed their lead? Taking you back to a time when Christianity couldn’t be ignored, marginalized, or eradicated, Stanley shows how the early church turned the world upside down—and how we can recover that same faith

Will those who who are so quick to criticize Andy jump at the chance to hear his defence?

Somehow I doubt it.

 

 

Paul, Apostle of Christ

Luke (to Paul) – “There are men, women and children who will never meet you. There must be a handwritten account of your life.”

I’ve mentioned the film, Paul, Apostle of Christ several times, but now that we’ve seen the picture, I wanted to share some additional thoughts.

Like many others, I was expecting a movie based on the Book of Acts. While the stoning of Stephen, Damascus Road and Paul and Silas singing in prison were covered in a flashbacks, there were no shipwrecks and no one bitten by snakes. In many respects this is its own film.

But that’s as far as I want to take that because, despite a somewhat original screenplay, I found the film to resonate with the Bible at every turn. Rather than draw on Acts specifically, the film draws on all that Paul wrote and at no point did I find myself saying, ‘Paul would never say that;’ or ‘Paul would never do that.’ There were scenes of, ‘That’s not in the Bible;’ but playing that game was part of the fun, although I use that term loosely, this is a very sobering film to watch.

Of course, such script liberties might confuse people unfamiliar with the original text; people who would never think that a particular scene in the movie isn’t canon. (I wondered if I might myself, a few years from now, be in a discussion and start quoting a particular occurrence before realizing it was part of a fictional movie.) Hopefully, they are driven to read Acts for themselves.

In many respects, the movie could be called Luke, Apostle of Christ. Luke’s drive and determination to document all that is happening around him, and to get copies of that story out despite the danger the early church faced with travel is, well, inspired.

The scenes of early Christians suffering and dying for their faith were powerful. It’s a movie well-suited to watching during Lent. A few times I thought of the identification with Christ’s suffering for us. However, those who feared a certain goriness (because one actor was also in Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ) needn’t fear that this is equally extreme if attending the film, though it’s definitely not for children.

The cinematography was excellent. The movie’s arrival in the middle of a 20-day period when three strong faith-based films were releasing is unfortunate, but I recommend making time for this one if it’s still playing in your area over the Easter weekend.

 

Thanks to Graf-Martin Communications for arranging passes for this film.

If Peter and Paul Had YouTube Accounts

What if Gospel writer Luke, instead of writing the Book of Acts, had lived at a time he could have instead made a series of videos? That’s the question I was asking myself last night after a friend turned my attention to a collection of 176 YouTube videos (if I counted correctly) by Matt Whitman under the chronologically-ambiguous name, The Ten Minute Bible Hour.

He describes his purpose at a Patreon page:

I like talking about the Bible and Christianity in a way that’s useful, sane, and hopefully funny. I’d planned to be a Major League Baseball player and President but I accidentally ended up being a pastor instead. I studied fancy history, theology, and philosophy stuff so I could impress people at parties by telling them I’m a college professor, but I kept bumbling my way back into church, which does not impress people at parties.

The bottom line is that even though I’ve tugged at the leash of this thing, I really care about the Bible, the Church, and the God I believe is behind them. I also love trying to talk about it in a way that makes sense to normal people who use normal words and ask normal questions and laugh at normal funny things. Talking about God and the Bible on the Internet often gets weird, confusing, and crappy, but I’m hoping we can do it differently, and be one part of something bigger and good. That’s why I make the Ten Minute Bible Hour.

Let’s watch a sample filmed on location in Rome:

But let’s face it, you can’t film in Italy every day, right? So let’s have a look at a typical edition of TMBH; this one is about Stephen, the first Christian martyr and trust me, a few minutes in, he actually gets there.

So now we’ve introduced you to The Bible Project and Ten Minute Bible Hour.* Say you don’t have time to read the Bible? Finding the translation you own hard to understand? Suffering from ADD issues? Seems you’re slowly running out of excuses when media like this exists.

Want to know more about Matt? So we did we until we landed at theologymix.com and found this:

Matt Whitman believes in God and thinks things are funny. He was raised in Fort Collins, Colorado before moving to Chicago where he graduated from Trinity College and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He met his wife Camilla on his first day of college in his first class. They’ve got three kids together and now live in the mountains of beautiful western Wyoming where Matt works as the Senior Pastor of the Lander Evangelical Free Church.** Matt’s a teach-straight-through-books-of-the-Bible kind of guy and uses his appreciation of history, humor, culture, and narrative to help people understand God’s Word.

In addition to church and family, Matt throws a lot of time at film-making. He writes, acts, and directs and also hosts a YouTube program called The Ten Minute Bible Hour in which he teaches books of the Bible in a tight, informative, and funny format. Matt is the editor and co-author of the book Putting God in His Place: Exalting God in the iCulture published by Nextstep Resources. In addition to writing and film, he enjoys rock music, competitive team sports, and travel. Connect with him on Twitter @MattWhitmanTMBH.

So…back to that Patreon page. Admittedly Matt’s got a full-time gig, but he would probably be encouraged to have more people on board with him. This is quality material and I’d encourage you to find the time to check out more of his videos.

---

*So The Bible Project guys are in Portland, Oregon and Matt’s in Western Wyoming. Something in the air in the Northwest?

**Matt was teaching college history and doing some ministry part-time when he agreed to fill the pulpit at the church for three months in the Fall of 2010. It’s been seven years.

 

 

The New Testament in Context

Increasingly, I’m finding there is a certain genre of Christian books that is attracting larger numbers of us: Books having to do with the world at the time of the New Testament.

So I’ve got a list here, but you can feel free to add to it in the comments:

• The New Manners & Customs of Bible Times, Revised and Updated by Ralph Gower
• Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah by Alfred Edersheim
• Everyday Life in Bible Times by Arthur Klinck
• Essential Companion to Life in Bible Times: Key Insights for Reading God’s Word by Moises Silva
• Harper’s Encyclopedia of Bible Life by Madelieine S. and J. Lane Miller
• Misreading Scripture Through Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible by E. Randolf Richards and Brian J. O’Brien
• Jesus Through Middle-Eastern Eyes by Kenneth E. Bailey
• Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes by Kenneth E. Bailey 
• The Baker Illustrated Guide to Everyday Life in Bible Times by John Beck  
• The Baker Illustrated Bible Handbook by J. Daniel Hays (Editor), J. Scott Duvall (Editor)
  
• Understanding Jesus: Cultural Insights into the Words and Deeds of Christ by Joe Amaral
• Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus by Ann Spangler and Lois Tverberg
• Jerusalem At The Time Of Jesus by Leen Ritmeyer 
• A Visual Guide To Bible Events: Fascinating Insights into Where They Happened and Why by James C. Martin et al.
  
• Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary by various authors, various New Testament volumes
• NIV Chronological Study Bible
• Ancient Context, Ancient Faith (series) by Gary M. Burge (one title shown above)
  
• Daily Life in the Time of Jesus by Miriam Feinberg Vamosh 
• The New Manners and Customs of the Bible by James M. Freeman 
• The Works of Josephus by various translators 
• David C. Cook Journey Through The Bible by V. Gilbert Beers
  
• Near Christianity: How Journeys Along Jewish-Christian Borders Saved My Faith in God by Anthony Le Donne (releasing this month)

Thanks to Tim for some additional titles.

Acts and Adoption: Lisa Harper’s Newest Tells Two Stories

I’m not a huge fan of plot contrivances in fiction, or some types of literary devices in non-fiction, so when it became apparent that Lisa Harper’s commentary on the Book of Acts was using the story of the adoption of her daughter as a motif, I was a little skeptical.

But in fact, author Lisa Harper really had won me over by the second chapter.

Believing Jesus: A Journey Through the Book of Acts is for certain a book about the fifth book in the New Testament, but it’s a different kind of approach, and if you can buy in to its premise, you will enjoy this immensely. So Peter, Phillip and Paul share the spotlight with Missy, a little HIV-positive girl from Haiti who has rocked the author’s world.

Granted, I’m not a frequent reader of women’s interest titles, but this is a story that offers surprises at every chapter. Not knowing much of the Women of Faith speakers, apparently this several-years-long adoption process resulted in Harper, who has reached the half-century mark in life, becoming a single mom. She’s very candid about the challenges that brings.

So how exactly does Ms. Harper bridge the 2,000 year gap between the early church and an orphanage in Haiti? The answer is: Very well. I don’t want to be the spoiler king, but this is a book like nothing else I’ve read before. What’s really happening here is that upfront you’re tracking the story of Lisa and Missy, meanwhile a solid theological lesson is sneaking in the back door. This is an author that knows her way around Bible reference materials, word-study books in particular. (Or conversely, you’re following along with the chapters in Acts and seeing touch-points of relate-ability you never considered.)

All of which to say that with Believing Jesus we have something that you could give to that woman in your church or small group that perhaps has never read a Christian book before. Maybe even one who hasn’t yet crossed the line of faith. With its Facebook and Instagram pictures of the journey from Haitian orphanage to America, it’s also a great gift to a woman who has become a new parent through adoption, a single parent, or someone who has had a child later in life.

---

Warning: Lisa Harper’s treatment of some of the text in Acts makes Eugene Peterson sound like the KJV. (And I love it!)

A Book from the First Century Church, Discovered in 1873

There are two ways, one of life and one of death, and there is a great difference between the two ways.

~Didache 1:1

While New Testament scholars always knew it existed, it was not until 1873 when a dusty, worn copy was pulled off an Istanbul library shelf by an Archbishop who promptly left it on his desk to attend to other matters, where it sat for months before he finally grasped what it is he had discovered. In fact, the document whose lost text he had discovered was once considered for inclusion in the Biblical canon.

The Didache (pronounced DID-ah-kay) is only about half the length of the Gospel of Mark, but it provides an intimate view of Christian life and Christian community for the early church. There are many books on the subject, but a simple introduction — along with a copy of the complete text — is Tony Jones’ The Teaching of the 12 (Paraclete Press, 2009).

(Random) Highlights:

• Let your alms sweat in your hands until you know to whom to give them. (1:6)
• Do not be one who opens his hands to receive, or closes them when it is time to give. (4:5)
• Do not give orders to your servants when you are angry, for they hope in the same God… (4:10)
• Your fasts should not be with the hypocrites, for they fast on Mondays and Thursdays. You should fast on Wednesdays and Fridays. (8:1)
• [Concerning the Eucharist, give thanks this way] “Even as this broken bread was scattered over the hills and was gathered together and became one, so let your church be gathered together from the ends of the earth into your kingdom…” (9:4)
• Let every apostle who comes to you be received as the Lord. But he must not remain more than one day, or two, if there’s a need. If he stays three days he is a false prophet. (11:4,5)
• Concerning Baptism, you should baptize this way: After first explaining all things, baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit in flowing water. (7:1, italics added)
• Hate no one; correct some, pray for others, and some you should love more than your own life. (2:7)

The early Christians were also told to pray the Lord’s Prayer three times daily (8:3) and if they baked bread, to give the first loaf to the prophets (13;5). The translation above is from Tony Jones’ book, and seems to be closest to one online by Charles Hoole.

So in a post-DaVinci Code climate, where does a document like this fit in?

First of all, we have all we need in the Bible, and no one should feel compelled to read extra-Biblical writings like this, much less those on the periphery such as The Gospel of Thomas.

But for those who want a snapshot of New-Testament life, this document has the recommendation of many respected pastors, though don’t expect a movie anytime soon.

DVD: There is a 6-week curriculum DVD available based on Tony Jones’ book. Here’s some info — and a 2-minute promo video — from Tony’s blog, Theoblogy.

This post first appeared on Jan 26/11 at Christianity 201

---

When first published at Thinking Out Loud, this article attracted several comments; one that we’ll repeat here as well…

One gentle word of correction is that the Didache does not hail from the age after the apostles, but the age of the apostles. The Didache is actually older than most of the books of the New Testament, especially all the Gospels with the possible exception of Mark. Aaron Milavec who is one of the foremost authorities on it places its date between 50 & 70 AD! Yes that is 15 to 35 years after the resurrection. A dating this early means most of the apostles are still alive. Another authoritative voice is Thomas O.Laughlin, who though not as dogmatic, still takes it around that time. The last of the Apostles, John, was still alive in 98 AD when Trajan came to power. From a scholarly standpoint, this era from the resurrection up to the death of John is roundly considered the “apostolic age” and so documents like the Didache, Barnabas, and the Shepherd of Hermas are generally considered the “apostolic fathers” as compared with the documents of the post apostolic age which is generally considered the Ante-Nicene Fathers. On top of all this, the Didache almost made it into the canon. It was widely used among the Fathers and Origin referred to it as “scripture.” I whole heartedly agree with you that Scripture as we have it is sufficient. But I personally still feel that Didache is in a class by itself. I was recently interviewed on a popular podcast about it which can be found here: http://sjchurch.org/media-library/details/reformedcast-61

In regards to Tony Jones, I have to say while well written and having some good insights, his introduction is the most deficient I have read. His interpretation of the Didache really far more reflects his (and Trucker Frank’s) emergent agenda than Apostolic era Christianity of Syria Palestine. For far more historically and scholarly informed (but readable) introductions to the Didache I recommend either Thomas O’Laughlin’s The Didache or Aaron Milavec’s The Didache: Text, Translation, Analysis, and Commentary. This one by Milavec is his short introduction of only 114 pages. He also has a 1000 pages scholarly commentary by almost the same name. So just make sure you pay attention to the title.

 

Nothing Matters But The Weekend… Some blogs pretty well shut down on Saturdays and Sundays, but weekends can be a rather quiet time for those who miss the pace of work or school; so Thinking Out Loud occasionally ramps it up with extra weekend posts.You can be a part of doing something similar. Find a need that’s not being met. Find a group of people who need connection. Find a place where every sign says ‘closed.’ And then step up. Make a difference. Swim upstream. You can have a part in changing lives. Know somebody who could use some people contact today? Maybe that’s you. Get in touch. Reach out.

Wednesday Link List

You know, that thing where you take a bucket of links and pour them over your head…

• On July 21st of last year, Ken Brantly gave this message to his home church in Indianapolis.
• What police in Ferguson, Missouri couldn’t accomplish, clergy did.
• Another perspective on Ferguson: After eight years in the Cayman Islands, a pastor in Washington, DC is justifiably concerned for his son…
• …While another parent has an entirely different perspective, but similar fears.
• The pastor of one of Charlotte, NC’s largest churches who also hosts an iconic radio ministry program is being investigated.
• What happens when the ‘regular’ editions of Christian books aren’t good enough for people who prefer the ESV?
• Communion complications: “…[W]hen a bridal couple partakes without the whole assembly, they have inadvertently disqualified some believers on the spurious grounds that they are not getting married that day.”
• Historical artifacts: A video interview with people who were actually there for the 1906 Azusa Street revival that launched North American Pentecostalism.
• Essay of the Week: These days everybody does it, but should sermons be published or posted online?
• Personality Profile: You got your Myers Briggs, your Strength Finders, and your DISC, but for leadership development Nancy Beach favors the classic Enneagram.
• Founded only in 2012, a new conservative Presbyterian denom has “…grown from 30 churches and 10,000 covenant partners at our first Synod gathering in 2013 to now having 149 churches and 60,000 covenant partners…”
• With over 8,300 views, this InterVarsity Press book excerpt by Sean Gladding is IVP’s most downloaded.
• Essay of Another Kind: Everything lost in a fire, then, a shattering medical diagnosis. The article is simply titled, “Loss.”
• Parenting the College-bound: “[T]he only freshmen who will be completely “safe” in college are the ones with completely pure hearts. And the last time I checked my Bible, that’s none of us.”
• Question of the Week: How do events involving ISIS shake things on both ends of the continuum between pacifism and ‘just war’ theory?
• What the–Yes! It’s an article on the vulgar and obscene parts of the Bible. (We’re checking to see if you click on this one!)
• Games Christian Play: You can rewrite this for your own denom, but to get the game going here’s 5 ways to sabotage a Mennonite Church committee meeting.
• Francis Chan and Lisa Chan rap their way through their book promotional video for You and Me Forever, which released yesterday. If the book doesn’t sell, they might have a future in music.
• We interrupt this sermon series: Andy Stanley rewrote the playbook on his “In The Meantime” series last Sunday (part two) when it became apparent people wanted to go deep.
• Links to articles on marriage and parenting are easy to come by, but items tailored for blended families are harder to find.
• Pete Wilson notes that increasingly, individuals and couples have ‘revolving door’ best friends.
• A survey sample of 500 UK teens found nearly three-quarters saying it’s too easy to stumble on stuff online you shouldn’t be seeing.
• A short article arguing that every denomination that takes a liberal position on sexual issues sees a drop in attendance.
• Podcast Place: Canada’s long-haired pastor Bruxy Cavey spent the summer teaching his congregation systematic theology. (Audio or video)
• They keep their purity pledge and meeting with their accountability partner, but then, once married, the support structures vanish.
• Tim Keller consolidates much of his sermon audio on a new website, though you need to be prepared to pay.
• Ladies’ Link (a new category we’re testing out): If you missed Lysa TerKeurst’s live book launch webcast for The Best Yes, here’s another chance to watch.
• Christians who aren’t part of a local church. You know some. I know some. Did the early church know any?
• Twitter Curiosity of the Week: Michael Patton wrote, “‘Prone to wander Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love . . .’ Did you know the writer of this song left the faith?” As Wikipedia might say, ‘Citation needed’ or at least wanted, which led me to this article.
• Also at P&P: 21 Things Christians Say That Hurt Their Credibility. (Warning: Each is a link to a detailed article. You may get lost in these for an hour or more.)
• A singer from a legendary gospel music family is suing an Atlanta festival promoter for $75,000.
• Your Facebook post or email forward for today: The Blue Letter Bible, a list of ten things it doesn’t say.
• Another arrangement of the popular song, Oceans. So why is that some songs connect and some don’t? (It was rhetorical…)
• Finally, if you live in Hawaii, keep an eye out for a white male jogger carrying a cross.
• Oh, and a personal statement: Realizing the need for repentance and restoration, I will be stepping down from link listing for a period of six days.

So there you have it! Not a single link about the social media story of the week, unless you count the sideways reference in that last item. To submit a link, send it by noon on Monday, except for next week, which is a holiday Monday.

 

How to Have a Perfect Church (Acts 2 Style)

Today’s article is jointly-posted with Christianity 201.

---

I’m currently reading an advance copy of Overrated by Eugene Cho, releasing September 1st from David C. Cook. I am indebted to Eugene for these thoughts.

So how would you like to have the perfect church, at least according to the model given to us in Acts 2? You know the passage,

⁴² They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (NIV)

So what is the model here?

• teaching
• fellowship
• breaking of bread *
• prayer

*Tangentially: Is this a reference to communion? Studying the very few translation variants

• to the breaking of bread [including the Lord’s Supper] (AMP, also NLT)
• at the Communion services (the Old Living Bible)
• the common meal (the Message)

however commentaries seem to feel the phrase “breaking of bread” is self-evident in its reference to the meal instituted by Christ in the upper room with his disciples.

Back to Acts 42, if we include some of the verses that follow we would also include:

• the favor of the general population (v. 43)
• shared possessions (v. 44)
• selling possessions to support the poor (v. 45)
• daily meetings; house groups specifically mentioned(v.46)
• praise (v. 47)
• numeric growth (v. 47)

Many people place the emphasis on verse 42. Here it is again with emphasis added:

⁴² And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. (ESV)

Anyway…according to Eugene Cho, that would be to totally miss part of what the verse says. Here, with emphasis added is how he would read the verse:

⁴² And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. (ESV)

A few days ago we spent two days looking at devotion to God. There are eleven times this is used in the NIV, but there are thirty-four uses of devoted. (Here’s a link to do the study on your own.)

Cho writes:

There are lots of books out there about self-help, self-growth, self-whatever. Here we see there was no secret recipe, no shortcut, just evidence of long-term commitment. They devoted themselves to study, fellowship, breaking bread and prayer. Do you know what I think the most important element was? I think the most element was not what they did, rather, devotion itself.

Read verse 42 again.

They devoted themselves.

A lot of people ask how they should change their church to make it grow. They ask “What new strategies should we employ?”

Pretty simple actually.

They were steadfast. They cared. They devoted themselves to each other, to Christ, and to the building of God’s kingdom.

Are we devoted?

(pp. 116-7 in the advance copy)