My Morning Meal

I know that, as a fad, it’s probably run its course. I know that during its day, it was overused . . . over marketed . . . and maybe, sometimes, a bit over the top. Think what you will of its hey-day, but you can’t argue with the sentiments behind WWJD. What Would Jesus Do? Fair question . . . not a bad reminder for people who are called to “be imitators of God” (Eph. 5:1). But the power of WWJD, of course, is not in the slogan or acronym . . . it’s not in the bracelets and other marketed paraphernalia . . . but its in actually doing what Jesus would do . . . in saying what Jesus would say . . . in responding in a manner in which Jesus would respond. And, I’m thinking it’s not so much what merchandise I’m wearing on the outside as it is what’s filling me on the inside that’s going to result in the degree to which I do what Jesus would do. Case in point . . . Stephen . . .

“But they (the high priest and the council) cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him (Stephen). Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him . . . And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.” (Acts 7:57-60)

Every time I read this passage I’m arrested afresh by how much Stephen, at his death, responded like the Lord Jesus at His death. The clarity with which he commended the care of his spirit into the hands of His Savior and the manner in which he prayed for his executioners . . . almost exactly like what Jesus said (Luke 23:34, 46). And I don’t think in those moments, when the stones started hitting him, he was thinking, “WWJD?” . . . no, I think he responded with what had become second nature to him . . . that second nature being the nature of Christ. It wasn’t about the slogan he memorized . . . it was about the Spirit he internalized.

You read about Stephen in Acts 6 and 7 and it isn’t hard to pick up on one of his major distinguishing characteristics: ” . . . they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit (6:3) . . . And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders (6:8) . . . But they could not withstand the wisdom and Spirit with which [Stephen] was speaking (6:10) . . . But [Stephen], full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God (7:55).”

Talk about someone who was “conformed to the image of Christ” (Rom. 8:29) . . . talk about someone who reflected the heart and mind of the risen Savior . . . talk about someone who responded naturally in such a supernatural way . . . then you’re talking about Stephen. And, it wasn’t what Stephen wore on his wrist that influenced how much he acted like Jesus . . . it was about what Stephen was filled with in his heart . . . a man full of the Holy Spirit.

Here’s a guy under the influence of the Holy Spirit . . . up to the very end. The divine nature becoming second nature . . . the Holy Spirit in full control when things were spinning out of control . . . what Stephen would do being what Jesus would do. Stephen living out to the most extreme extent Paul’s declaration that “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Gal. 2:20).

And it occurs to me that, while I’m no Stephen, the same Holy Spirit that filled Him is the Spirit who resides within me . . . that I too can continually “be being filled with the Holy Spirit” (Eph. 5:18) . . . that I too can learn and know what it is to live in the Spirit and to walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5:25) . . . that I too can be so under the influence that my “natural” responses and actions start looking a lot like the responses and actions that one would expect from Jesus.

WWPD? What Would Pete do? By the grace of God . . .and through the filling and power of the Holy Spirit . . . more and more what Jesus would do . . .

It’s a simple prayer that has grabbed my attention this morning. One of those requests that, as you linger over it, you ask yourself, “Am I prepared to prayer such a prayer? If God granted the petition, am I ready for the implications?” What’s the prayer? In a word . . . BOLDNESS.

“And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness.” (Acts 4:29)

The healing of the lame man created quite a stir . . . and provided quite the opportunity for Peter and John. That’s the intent of healings, signs and wonders . . . to provide a platform to point people to Jesus, the One who has the power to heal . . . more importantly the One who has the power to save. And they preached it! No holds barred. And many of those who heard the word believed (4:4).

And the happenings that day at the temple got back to the rulers and elders . . . both concerning the miracle and the message they were preaching . . . and so they brought Peter and John up on the carpet. Then they “loaded the gun” and Peter “pulled the trigger.”

“By what power or what name did you do this?” they said (4:7). Thanks for asking, replies Peter . . . and “filled with the Holy Spirit” Peter declares the source of such power as Jesus . . . whom they had crucified . . . whom they had rejected as the chief cornerstone . . . whom God had raised from the dead . . . “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (4:10-12)

BA-BAM!!! These nobody fishermen stood before these high-falootin’, uppity-ups and preached it . . . told it like it is . . . didn’t back down. And the Holy Spirit, through Luke, records, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus” (4:13).

They had spoken with boldness . . . they were warned by the religious leaders to stop speaking and teaching in the name of Jesus (4:18) . . . and, as they gathered with the saints to pray, they asked for more boldness. Their reliance wasn’t upon cleverly formed arguments . . . they didn’t need a well put together PowerPoint presentation. What they asked for was freedom in speaking . . . for openness and frankness in talking . . . for unreservedness in sharing . . . for free and fearless confidence in declaring that Jesus is the only name by which men must be saved.

They had spoken with boldness . . . because they were filled with the Holy Spirit (4:8) . . . and they asked for more boldness. Their reliance wasn’t upon their own courage . . . it wasn’t about “gutting it out” in their own strength. But what they asked for was the continued filling of the Holy Spirit. As Paul would put it, in his letter to Timothy, they were seeking to stir up the gift within them . . . realizing that they hadn’t been given a spirit of fear but of power . . . and, as such, not wanting to be ashamed of the testimony of Christ . . . but instead to stand for the gospel according to the power of God (2Tim. 1:6-8).

Continued boldness, however, would mean continued opposition . . . more conflicts . . . eventually beatings and imprisonment . . . and, for some, it would mean being “bold unto death.” So they prayed . . . God answered . . . “the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.” (4:31) And so, I hover over this prayer and ask myself, “Am I prepared to pray this prayer?”

Oh, that God would grant boldness . . . that the reality of the filling of the Holy Spirit might be known . . . that opportunities to testify of Christ might be seized . . . that it might be recognized that I have too been with Jesus. His power . . . my willingness. His gospel . . . my tongue. His glory . . . yes, His glory.

Despite the irrefutable proof, there was still a decision that needed to made . . . an exercise of the will that needed to occur. That the man stood before them was undeniable . . . that he stood at all was unbelievable. His legs had not worked since birth (Acts 3:1) . . . for over forty years they had hung limp about him (Acts 4:22). But in an instance . . . at the uttering of a command to “rise up and walk” by the authority of the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, this guy’s legs were regenerated and he stood up. Electronic pulses from the brain found their way for the first time to the man’s lower extremities . . atrophied thigh and calf muscles took shape . . . dislocated bones were relocated, ligaments and tendons regaining their strength . . . and this guy doesn’t just stand up, but he leaps up . . . and continues walking, and leaping, and praising God (3:6-8).

And the crowd that day at the temple saw this once lame man now in acrobatic worship, many recognizing him. And, as they watched him doing cartwheels in the temple, they were filled with wonder and amazement (3:10). That he had been healed was not up for discussion . . . that a miracle had occurred was a given . . . the only thing left for consideration was “how?” and “so what?”

The “how”, says Peter, is simple . . . it was by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth (3:6, 4:10) . . . the same Jesus who had been crucified and who God had raised from the dead. The “so what?” Just as God had raised Jesus from the dead . . . and as the Name of Jesus had raised this lame beggar from the ground . . . so too Jesus fulfilled the promise to Abraham of blessing to all peoples by delivering them from sin (3:25-26) . . . believe it or not!

And, the Scriptures say, “Many of those who heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.” (4:4)

That the lame man walked was irrefutable . . . that he was leaping and bounding about the temple was clearly understood . . . that it was because of Jesus . . . crucified . . . risen from the dead . . . proclaimed to be the Messiah . . . identified as the One foretold of by the prophets as “the stone rejected by the builder, the cornerstone” (4:11) . . . that would take another kind of leaping . . . a leap of faith.

This is the second time this morning I’ve read of “a leap of faith”. My earlier reading in Genesis records God’s repeated promise to an aging Abram that he and Sarai would “defy the odds” and conceive and give birth to a son. “Look toward heaven,” God speaks to Abram, “and number the stars, if you are able to number them . . . so shall your offspring be” (Gen. 15:5). Mmmm . . . that Abram would be the father of a son was enough of a stretch . . . but that he would then be the father of a multitude of people (13:16) . . . and a multitude of nations (17:4) . . . and the source of blessing to the whole world (12:3) . . . whoo-boy! . . . that’s more out there than a lame dude walking. Yup!

“And he believed the Lord, and He counted it to him as righteousness.” (Gen. 15:6)

Abram believed that what God had said was true . . . he took that leap of faith . . . just as the crowd, that day in the temple, believed that what God had said through Peter was true. And to them all, it was counted as righteousness. Faith is the “secret sauce” of the kingdom of heaven. It is by faith that we know Jesus saves . . . by faith that we are declared redeemed and righteous in Him . . . by faith that we know God is in control and that all things work together for our good according to His purpose . . . by faith that we appropriate the promises of God given us in His word . . . by faith that we await that day when we will move into our room which Jesus has been preparing for us in His Father’s house (John 14:1-13).

Without faith, it is impossible to please God. If we would draw near to Him we must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him (Heb. 11:6). And when we believe . . . whether for the first time as we come to Him for forgiveness and regeneration . . . or for the umpteenth time when we submit to His ways and receive His promises . . . then let the leaping begin! For that is life and life to the max . . . that is getting your legs underneath you. Oh, that I might know more of leaping and praising God . . . for His glory.

Talk about your saying good-bye to the old and ushering in the new. For that lame man, his encounter with Peter and John, as they headed to the temple to pray that afternoon, was a life changer (Acts 3). All he was hoping for was a few alms . . . same old, same old. But what he got was new legs . . . and a new life. And all this, through “the Name.”

“I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” (Acts 3:6)

And walk he did . . . and leap . . . and dance . . . and skip around . . . and praise God. By faith in the name of Jesus, this guy’s life went from ho-hum to kingdom come (3:16). And as I read Peter’s address to those who witnessed the miracle, to those who were “filled with wonder and amazement” at what had happened, I couldn’t help but notice “the Name.”

It was in the name of Jesus that Peter commanded the lame man to walk. It was through faith in the name that the man rose up leaping and praising God . . . and Peter, as he addresses the crowd, uses at least 3 different names to describe “the Name.”

First, Peter says that “the God of our fathers, glorified His servant Jesus” (3:13). Servant Jesus . . . the one foretold of by the prophet, “Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon Him . . . ” (Isa. 42:1). Though it was through “the Name” that God created all things, yet He would send Him as “His servant Jesus” . . .come not to be served, but to serve others and give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). He humbly submitted Himself to the will of God and faithfully executed the plan of redemption. Behold the Servant! What a name . . .

Next, Peter tells the crowd that they “denied the Holy and Righteous One” (3:14). Without spot or blemish . . . without sin . . . without anything in His nature that could be exploited by the weakness of flesh . . . His name is Holy and Righteous One. To have watched Jesus . . . to have seen Him reacting to situations . . . to have heard Him rebutting His accusers . . . to have witnessed Him responding to sinners . . . was to see holiness and righteousness in action. And it’s not that He “acted holy” or that He was “righteous” because of what He did . . . no, it’s that He embodied the divine attributes of holiness and perfect righteousness. The “gold” of heaven packaged in the “brown paper bag” of a servant. His glory masked but His nature unchanged.

Finally, Peter says, “You killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead.” (3:15). Check that out . . . killing the Author of life. He is the source of life . . . natural, spiritual, and eternal. He is the living God . . . He had power over His own life, no one taking it from Him, but Him willing laying it down and then three days later, taking it up again (John 10:18). The Author of resurrection . . . physically and spiritually. The One who came so that men and women might have life . . . and have it abundantly (John 10:10) . . . to the full . . . to the max!

And I think about all that is encompassed in that Name . . . and I think about the potential of faith in His name . . . and about a lame guy who didn’t expect much but who’s life was turned upside down by believing in the Name. I think also about sitting here on the cusp of a another year and wondering if I’m looking for just a few alms in 2011, the same old, same old . . . or whether I’m in wide-eyed anticipation of encountering the Name afresh in the New Year. Am I looking for “ho-hum, hum-drum”, a couple of coins of blessing in the cup will get me through . . . or am I anticipating “some new legs”, and some walking and leaping and praising God, as I continue to seek to the know the Name?

“But let all who take refuge in You rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread Your protection over them, that those who love Your Name may exult in You.” (Ps. 5:11) Here’s to walking, and leaping, and praising God in 2011 . . . all because of the Name! Amen?

There is something about witnessing a birth that defies full description. There’s a joy which gushes from the inside out . . . literally. As I recollect, I couldn’t help but tear up at the birth of each of my five girls. And in the delivery room I can’t imagine any one thinking, “Wow, isn’t evolution doing a wonderful work today!” Nah . . . I’m thinking the most common of reactions is, “What a miracle! Amazing! Unbelievable!” And even though that just born he or she is so tiny, there’s something that wants to reach out and hold this little miracle bundle . . . something that wants to gaze upon it without interruption . . . something that wants to care for and nurture it . . . to draw it close and commit to it with your whole heart. Could any of that describe any part of what Jesus might have felt the day His church was born?

I’m reading in Acts 2 . . . the birth of the church at Pentecost . . . what an event! The sudden sound of a a mighty rushing wind from heaven itself . . . tongues of fire appearing and resting on those who were gathered there . . . the Holy Spirit filling everyone in that place . . . languages being spoken as the Spirit gave utterance . . . a cacophony of sound . . . an energy sourced literally from out of this world. And it says that “all were amazed and perplexed” and wanted to know what to make of it all (Acts 2:1-13). Cue Peter . . . witness the birth of the church . . . talk about your delivery!

This marks the last days, says Peter . . . the Spirit being a sign spoken of by the prophet . . . this time being the time, before His return, to call upon the name of the Lord and be saved (2:14-21). Who is the Lord? Jesus of Nazareth . . . a man attested by God with mighty works and signs which God did through Him . . . delivered up by God, according to His plan, into the hands of lawless men who crucified and killed Him. God, though, raised Him up, loosing the pangs of death, for it is impossible for Him to be held by death . . . exalted now at the right hand of God . . . having received the promise of the Holy Spirit which He was pouring out on them that day (2:22-33). “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain,” proclaims Peter, “that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” (2:36)

And that day 3,000 knew it . . . they got it . . . they believed it . . . and were saved. Their souls were added to what would soon be known as the body of Christ. That day the bride of Christ was born . . . the living temple of God, inhabited through His Spirit, had begun construction. What joy did the Father experience that day? Did tears well up in the eyes of the Son as He saw the fruit of His labor that day? As the Holy Spirit invaded the souls of men, women, and children, did He do so with an embrace, drawing them near to His breast, vowing to do all He could to protect them and nurture them that the work which had begun in them would be fulfilled for God’s glory?

And then to watch that baby church thrive over the next days, weeks, and months. To see them take in the milk of the apostles teaching . . . to grow together as a family in sweet fellowship . . . to never stray far from remembering the cross and His coming as they continued in the breaking of bread . . . to find their voice, and their speech, as they persisted in prayer. And, it says, awe came upon every soul (2:42-43a). Did heaven experience a measure of awe, as well? I’m thinkin’ . . .

I know the church isn’t perfect . . . but I’m a fan of the church . . . I believe God is too. And on the day of its birth, I can only imagine the joy the Father emitted throughout heaven as He saw the beginning of the results from the work His Beloved Son had finished. It was another of those works of God that, when He saw it, I can imagine Him saying, “It is good!” And maybe, just maybe, He thought something like, “What a miracle! . . . Amazing! . . . Unbelievable!” You see, there’s something about witnessing a birth. Amen?