A divine encounter (Part 4)

It is true that anyone who genuinely encounters the Lord Jesus Christ doesn’t leave His presence the same way they came. A divine encounter with Jesus brings total transformation. It doesn’t matter how long one spends with the Lord Jesus. The shortest encounter is more than enough to turn the lives of people around. Saul’s divine encounter with Jesus brought a total change in mission and vision. The once upon a time church persecutor became the church advocate. The same Jesus Saul preached against became the same Jesus Saul risked his life to preach about. In Damascus, Saul boldly defended the faith and when there was a plot to kill him, the disciples managed to help Saul escape to Jerusalem. Jerusalem was where all the drama started. Saul’s ministry as a persecutor of the church began in Jerusalem. Let’s consider how Saul’s return was received In Jerusalem.

But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. ‭(Acts 9:27)

From Damascus, faithful disciples lowered Saul in a basket and Saul made his way to Jerusalem. His arrival in Jerusalem might have caused fear and tension. According to ‭Acts 9:26, “When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple.” The disciples remembered Saul for his role in scattering the believers abroad. They were reminded of how Saul consented to the killing of Stephen. They were reminded of how Saul had gone for letters from the High Priest to go to the synagogues in Damascus and arrest the followers of Jesus. The disciples’ fear was heightened and they could not believe that the same Jesus could in a short while transform the person persecuting His church and make him a part of the church. This is true for many of us. We love the Lord so much and we pray daily for the transformation of our society and the people we know. However, when we see signs of change, we immediately brush it off and make assumptions. Instead of helping people out of their delusions, we push them farther in claiming that they have not genuinely changed.

I believe the disciples were earnestly praying for God to touch Saul, yet when Saul was transformed, the same disciples still considered him a church persecutor. Saul’s divine encounter with Jesus opened the door for the ministry to the Gentiles, yet the church was too afraid to see it. Then, one person in the church accepted Saul and even presented Saul before the apostles. In Acts 9:27, we are informed that Barnabas took Saul and brought him to the apostles. Barnabas told the apostles how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. It was after Barnabas’ defense that Saul was accepted into the church. Remember, at this point, Saul was obnoxious to the High Priest and the religious leaders. He would have been considered a traitor. When the apostles accepted Saul, he stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord (‭Acts 9:28).

Even though Saul had a divine encounter with Jesus, He needed a Barnabas to hold his hands and present him before the apostles as a faithful servant of the Lord. We all need Barnabases who are ready and willing to restore the broken, the weak, the sinner, the downtrodden and the socially unacceptable people back to the Lord. Pray for the grace to be a Barnabas who will usher Apostle Saul (later becoming Paul) into the church. Saul later became more popular and moved to more cities and territories. He wrote the greater proportion of the New Testament. He was fearless, he stood before kings, rulers, nobles and different authorities to boldly defend the Christian faith. Through Saul, the Jesus movement moved beyond Jerusalem to Samaria,  Judea and now to the ends of the earth. There are many who still have not heard. Be an agent of change and transformation. Let your encounter with Jesus be the reason an unreached people group will hear the gospel.

The seven deacons in charge of food distribution

Every organisation is susceptible to internal conflict if compliant, quarrels and disputes are not managed and dealt with in a timely and well-organized manner. No matter how minute a complaint, a quarrel or a dispute is, if left unhandled, it has the likelihood to become a big albatross around the organisation’s neck. No wonder most organisations have specialized departments that focus on human resources and public relations. It is important that the internal temperature of the organisation is well-controlled so that it affects the public image of the organisation. Dealing with issues that hinder the growth and development of a group is therefore necessary for the overall well-being of the group. The early church had an exponential growth that attracted people of all backgrounds. As the church became more diverse, their needs also became diverse. A complaint arose in the church concerning food distribution. Let’s see how this was handled.

Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them ‭(Acts 6:3)

According to Acts 6:1, “In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.” First, the complaints arose as a result of church growth. The diverse congregation demanded diverse attention. The Hellenistic Jews had an issue: their widows were not ignored in the daily food distribution. This complaint was raised specifically against the Hebraic Jews. First we need to understand that the Hellenistic Jews were made up of Jews who spoke Greek and adopted to some extent, the Greek way of life. The Hebraic Jews were traditionally Hebrew speaking Jews. Important to note is that Greek was a dominant language and culture during the time of the New Testament. In this complaint, we see cultural neglect and discrimination. This matter, if not dealt with, could have jeopardized the growth and development of the church. The apostles understood this and they immediately put measures in place to resolve the issue. What was the apostles’ resolution?

First, the apostles understood that if they do not delegate the responsibility of food distribution, it might affect their ministry. They knew that although sharing food is good, they as apostles would be more productive if they were committed to their own call. In Acts 6:2,  the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables.” After identifying this, the second step was to create a separate department for food distribution. This department had specific requirements for the workers. In Acts 6:3, the apostles made this suggestion: “Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them.” To qualify as a food distributor, the appointee should be known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. This credential is important as Spirit-filled and wise distributors are likely to know and understand the needs of all the different people groups in the church. One might wonder why food distributors needed to be anointed and wise. In the house of God, nothing is mundane. Even food distribution is a ministry that requires specific attention.

The suggestion of the apostles was accepted in good faith. Their proposal pleased the whole group and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism (Acts 6:5). Those chosen were presented to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them (Acts 6:6). What was the result? The word of God spread and the number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith. ‭(Acts 6:7).

When we respond to internal conflicts in a timely manner, it results in safe conduct and peace within an organisation. Don’t ignore any complaint, show concern, try as much as possible to resolve issues and don’t allow any internal complaints to become an external disaster. Fix your backyard before it gets too busy to control.

Persecution and miraculous release

Have you ever discovered your ability to do something new? What was your reaction towards it? For most of us, when we find a new passion, we spend quality time improving it or working to make it better. Some people spend sleepless nights on their hobbies. For some, it could even be playing games on the computer. As mundane as this activity is, it is able to take quality time away from doing other important things. Players are always in a hurry to be engaged on the computer. Whatever joy and satisfaction they derive from playing games is enough to keep them glued on their seats for hours. There are many other activities that also engage participants and people involved for hours. But, we need to be mindful that whatever is taking our time is worth the sacrifice. Time is money, it is precious and when lost, it cannot be recouped. Therefore let whatever engages you, be important enough to merit your attention. Let’s consider how the disciples used their time for something they believed was worth dying for.

They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.”‭ (Acts 5:18-20).

The arrival of the Holy Spirit came with power for ministry.  The disciples filled with the Holy Spirit performed many signs and wonders among the people. They knew that they were being watched by the Sanhedrin, yet, they were so bold and determined to spread the message of the gospel. The arrest of Peter and John and the subsequent warnings they received to stop preaching in the name of Jesus did not hinder them. They were so zealous and ready to let everyone know about Jesus. It is important to note that, although their ministry was no threat to the life of anyone, the Sanhedrin still took it upon themselves to crush this ministry. According to Luke’s account in Acts 5:17, the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. The disciples’ fame was something the ruling party couldn’t deal with. Therefore, they decided to crush the disciples at all cost. In their desperation, the Sanhedrin arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail (Acts 5:18). This act of persecution was meant to weaken the apostles and bring fear in them. However,  the bars and the walls of the prison were not enough to hinder the apostles from their passion.

As they kept the apostles in prison,  something miraculous happened. During the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. The angel told them this: “Go, stand in the temple courts and tell the people all about this new life.”‭ (Acts 5:19-20). The apostles, passionate about their new ministry, did not delay. At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people. When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles. But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, “We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.” ‭(Acts 5:21-23). This report might have taken the Sanhedrin by surprise. If the guards are still on guard and the jail is still securely locked, then how did the apostles escape? The Sanhedrin thought they were crushing a human movement but they missed the point that they were fighting God’s purpose. As they pondered over how the apostles had escaped under guard and lock, someone came and said, “Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people.” ‭(Acts 5:25). The apostles had gone back to do the same thing that landed them in jail.

The wise counsel from Gamaliel led to the release of the apostles. Gamaliel’s counsel was this: “Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” (‭Acts 5:38-39). Even after being flogged and warned not to speak in the name of Jesus, the Apostles just rejoiced and “Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.” (‭Acts 5:42).

Like the apostles, we have been called to proclaim the message of the cross to the world. Even when we are persecuted and mocked, our passion for the task remains the same: Jesus is Lord and Saviour of the world. We are passionate about letting the world know this!

Matthias: The new apostle

The twelve apostles Jesus chose were people from all walks of life. They lived with Jesus, travelled with Him, evangelized with Him, saw Him perform several miracles. They also encountered the pain of Jesus, saw Him arrested and some saw Him die. Among the twelve was Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus and opened the door for the temple police to take Jesus away. According to the scripture, Judas became remorseful of his actions but it was quite late. He had already sold his Master for 30 pieces of silver and the Sanhedrin would not agree to a return. In ‭Acts 1:18-19, we are informed that “With the payment he received for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood. So Judas Iscariot died in such a disgusting condition. The betrayer killed himself as a result of his actions. Imagine Jesus moving along with the man who would orchestrate his crucifixion. Yet, Jesus never expelled Judas Iscariot from the ministry.

Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles. (‭Acts 1:26)

After the ascension of Jesus, Peter reminded the apostles of the need to replace Judas Iscariot. According to Peter, the villainous ministry of Judas Iscariot was even stated in scripture. Peter said, “Brothers and sisters, the Scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus. He was one of our number and shared in our ministry. For it is written in the Book of Psalms: “ ‘May his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it,’ and, “ ‘May another take his place of leadership.’‭” (Acts 1:16-17, 20). This prophecy had to be fulfilled. Judas Iscariot needed another to take His place. This Was Peter’s advice for the selection: “Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.” (‭Acts 1:21-22). The apostles nominated two men based on this criteria: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias (Acts 1:23). After the nomination, the apostles went ahead to pray, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.” ‭(Acts 1:24-25).

Prayer was a critical component of choosing the replacement of Judas Iscariot. Remember, Jesus also spent all night praying before selecting the twelve (Luke 6:12-16). It was after the apostles prayed that they cast lots. The lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles (‭Acts 1:26). Matthias wasn’t a novice to the ministry of Jesus. From the criteria the apostles used to make their selection, Matthias had been with Jesus since John baptized Jesus. In other words, Matthias experienced the ministry of Jesus. He might have followed Jesus on some of His trips. He might have witnessed the diverse miracles, the signs, the wonders. Matthias witnessed the crucifixion, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. He wasn’t one of the core twelve, but he was willing enough to follow Jesus from the beginning of His ministry to the end. Matthias’ name wasn’t mentioned prior to the ascension of Jesus. He was a silent follower, yet he was the one who replaced Judas Iscariot.

There are several Matthiases in the house of God. Committed, dedicated, persistent, consistent and dependable members who do not have acclaimed positions neither are they known by many. There is always a time for each and everyone’s ministry to be brought to the limelight. Continue doing what you have been called to do. Your works are definitely being seen in heaven.