Tuesday, March 31

Tuesday

Yesterday we looked at the question that Jesus asked His disciples, “who do you say that I am?”  It is the most important question you will ever have to answer, and how you answer it is the most important thing in your life.  However, before you answer it, you should know how Jesus answered it.  What did Jesus say about who He was?  There are many today that believe Jesus was a great teacher, and a wise prophet, but he was not God.  There are even some who assert that Jesus never actually claimed to be God.  I have to wonder if these people have ever read what Jesus actually said about his own identity.  The following are several statements from the Gospel of John where Jesus uses powerful and unmistakable images to tell his followers just who He really was.

The Bread Of Life

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. (John 6:35)

The context was the Manna in the wilderness (Exodus 16:13-18).  Whoever comes to Him will never again know spiritual hunger.  Like the manna of Exodus 16 every one who seeks Him will find Him (Matt. 7:7-8), but each of us has to find Him for ourselves.  No one can receive Him for us, nor can we receive Him for anyone else. We all get an amount sufficient for our salvation. No one is lacking, and none of Him is wasted!

The Light Of The World

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

Literally this means that those who join Jesus as one of His disciples will not be ignorant of spiritual matters but will have the power of understanding especially of the spiritual truth that brings eternal life. When we take the time to learn and apply these truths in faith we discover that the old adage is true. Whatever the spiritual question, Jesus is the answer.

The Gate

I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. (John 10:9)

This is a reference to the Kingdom and recalls the words of the 23rd Psalm, “He makes me lie down in green pasture.” Salvation is found through Jesus, He is the gate to the Kingdom. Having entered through Him we will have the freedom to come and go as we please, dwelling in a state of peace in the midst of plenty. Surely goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our life, and we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

The Good Shepherd

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11)

No one expects sheep to be responsible for themselves, owners hire shepherds for that purpose. A Shepherd’s job is to accept responsibility for the safety and well being of his flock. Most shepherds only take that to the point where it would threaten their personal safety, rightly deciding that their life is worth more than that of a sheep. A few would be willing to risk their lives to protect their sheep, but our Shepherd knowingly and willingly died to save us, because there was no other way.

The Resurrection And The Life

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” (John 11:25-26)

This is an amazing statement. The Lord had already said that whoever believes in Him would not perish but would have eternal life. (John 3:16) Here he provided more detail, saying that even though a believer experiences physical death, he will still have life. He was referring to the resurrection of those who die in faith. 

The Vine

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

This image tells us that Jesus is the source of life.  Branches will wither and die if they are cut off from the vine, because the vine is the source of their nourishment and health.  Jesus is saying that in the same way, we are totally dependent on Him for our spiritual nourishment, health, and life.

Now let me ask you a question…could a man who was just a man, and not God, make statements like these and still be considered a wise prophet or a great teacher of humanity?  Are we to assume that Jesus was wise and insightful about our lives and how we should live them, but dead wrong about His own life and who He was?  That would be ridiculous!  If a politician or world leader today were to make such statements about himself or herself, we would immediately think they were delusional or dangerous, or both.

Jesus does not want you to be left in the dark about who He is…but He still puts the question to you and to me – “Who do you say that He is?”

Jeff Frazier

Monday, March 30

Monday

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”  They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”  “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”  Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.  – Matthew 16:13-17

As a pastor I talk to many people who have questions about the Bible, about faith, and about Jesus himself.  There is nothing wrong with asking questions, it is one of the primary ways in which we grow in our faith.  However, I think sometimes we forget that the whole point of asking questions, is to discover answers..to find The Answer.  We need to keep in mind that while Jesus is not opposed to us asking questions about Him, He also has some questions for us!  

Author and Cistercian monk Thomas Merton writes, “When you begin to seriously question the Word of God, you suddenly discover that it is also questioning you.”  

The gospels record several very pointed, and powerful questions that Jesus asked of those around him. 

Luke 18:8 — “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” 

Matthew 8:26 – “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?”  

Mark 10:51 - when Jesus asks the blind man the question, “what do you want me to do for you?”  

Luke 6:46 — “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord’ and not do what I tell you?”  

Good questions, all of them, designed (I suspect) to put us on the spot, to keep us honest, and to probe the depth of our hearts.  Dangerous questions, all of them, because they unrelentingly cut to the core of who we are.

But the greatest and most important question is the one found in the passage from Matthew 16 quoted above, “ What about you? Who do you say that I am?”

How you answer this question – Who do you say that Jesus is? – is the most important thing in your life.  You will never be asked a more important question!

            

Philosopher and theologian Dallas Willard once remarked that we should never underestimate our ability to deceive ourselves. Taken seriously, Jesus' question cuts through our self-serving self-deceptions and leave us wonderfully vulnerable to the transforming presence and power of God.

           

If you are willing to take this question that Jesus asks seriously, you will discover exactly what the writer to the Hebrews was getting at when he declared: “Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).  It is risky business, surfacing the thoughts and intentions of our hearts, letting the word of God—the questions of Jesus—do their work on us.  Risky, perhaps painful, but ultimately necessary and in the end, worth it!

Jeff Frazier

Friday, March 27th

To listen to the audio version, click here.

Friday, March 27

Luke 23:32-43

Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”

The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”

There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the Jews.

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

The cross has become somewhat ubiquitous in our culture. We see it everywhere; not just on church steeples, but dangling from necklaces and earrings, even tatooed in a thousand ways on the bodies of young and not-so-young people all around us.

In many ways the cross has become a kind of fashion statement; the cross has become kind of “cool.”

But the cross was anything but cool.

The cross was an instrument of torture and death used by the Roman empire to punish, humiliate and intimidate the people groups they ruled.

When you stop to consider it, wearing a cross around one’s neck is like wearing a tiny gold guillotine or diamond encrusted electric chair as a piece of jewelry. While that strikes us as wildly inappropriate, wearing a cross does not.

Why?

I think we see the cross differently for two reasons.

First, we see it differently because of the one who died on it. Even people who don’t believe that Jesus is the Son of God do think of Jesus as a good and innocent man. Those of us who believe Jesus is both Lord and Savior know that Jesus was not dragged to the cross kicking and screaming as were most crucified men, but that he allowed himself to be crucified. For Jesus the cross was not just a brutal death, but a triumph over the power of sin and death. Jesus transformed the meaning of the cross.

Second, we see the cross differently because it didn’t end Jesus’ life, it began Jesus’ resurrection life.

When the Apostle Paul summarized the gospel he put it this way:

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.  (1 Corinthians 15:3)

The gospel hinges on the resurrection of Christ from the dead. But the resurrection could not have happened without the cross.

The cross was necessary for Jesus to atone for the sins of the world through his shed blood; and the cross was necessary so that Jesus could demonstrate his authority over even death itself by his resurrection.

Jesus transformed the meaning of the cross from death to life.

And that’s where we will start next week! Have a wonderful Easter weekend!

Pastor Brian Coffey

Thursday, March 26th

To listen to the audio version, click here.

Thursday, March 26

Luke 23:32-43

Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”

The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37 and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”

There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the Jews.

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

As a pastor, I am convinced that there are far more “death bed” conversions than we can ever really know. Most of us live most of our lives pretending we will live forever because it’s simply too emotionally difficult to live in the constant awareness that we are mortal, that we will die someday. But when the time comes when a person can no longer pretend, when the prognosis is not good, when their family gathers around their bed, there is often a kind of “spiritual desperation” that comes over the one who’s life is slipping away.

I’ve seen and felt that desperation.

A person longs for answers the questions that may or may not be asked out loud.

“Have I been a good person?”

“What’s going to happen to me?”

“Am I prepared for the next life?”

“Is God pleased with me?”

Luke tells us that time has come for one of the criminals being crucified alongside Jesus. He writes:

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”


This is a rather brutal form of a “death-bed conversion.” This man knows he will not survive the day. More than that he expresses with somewhat shocking self-awareness that he is getting what he deserves.

This is an utterly broken and dying man. No pretending. No delusions of immortality. Just a man staring at the bare naked remnants of a wasted life.

In other words, a man in exactly the right condition to receive the grace and hope of Jesus Christ.

With no where else to turn he turns to Jesus:

Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

Just that. No flowery words or formal confession. He has neither the words nor the time for that. Just an acknowledgment of who and what he is, and who and what Jesus is.

He is a dying man in need of forgiveness, grace and hope. Jesus is the King of heaven who offers forgiveness, grace and hope.

Jesus then speaks words to this man that he speaks to all who come to him in that same desperate faith:

“Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Pastor Brian Coffey

Wednesday, March 25th

To listen to the audio version, click here.

Wednesday, March 25

Luke 23:32-39

Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”

The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”

There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the Jews.

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

Many years ago my wife and I, along with my brother and his family, spent six months living in Bolivia as part of a short term mission experience. Part of what my brother and I did while in Bolivia was play basketball for a local semi-professional team in Santa Cruz. We both had played college ball in our day so joining the team for that season helped us build friendships as well as learn more of the culture in which we were living.

Part of that culture, especially in the athletic world, was “machismo.” Machismo is a kind of aggressive male pride that Bolivian men sometimes took to an extreme. We learned that there was one thing that Bolivian men simply would not endure, and that was any form of being mocked.

Now, no one likes to be mocked, but in Bolivia any form of mockery was a dangerous offense. We lost one of our best players to a season-long suspension when, after an opposing player whispered a one word insult to his masculinity, he spit in the opponents face and touched off a near brawl on the court. Nothing was as painful or humiliating to him as being mocked as a man.

Luke tells us that Jesus was mocked by at least three different groups of people. He writes:

The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”

He was mocked by the “rulers,” that is, the religious leaders who taunted him as they turned one of their own over to the Roman authorities.

Luke continues:

The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”

He was mocked by pagan Roman soldiers who seemed to be making sport of the whole thing. One gets the sense that these hardened professional soldiers found it amusing to be handed a pathetic prisoner that some called a “king.” Both Matthew and John tell us that the soldiers went so far as to put a mock crown of thorns on his head, a purple robe around his shoulders and a staff in his hand. They fell on their knees and pretended to worship him; all in mocking sport (Matthew 27; John 19).

Luke writes:

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

He was even mocked by one of the criminals being crucified by his side.

That Jesus, who the Bible says was the very eternal Word of God become flesh, did not call upon the power that rightfully belonged to him to consume each and every mocking fool with fire and brimstone from hell itself is, in itself, a testament to his divine nature. Because, if I had been in his place, with his power and authority, the mockers would have been torched long before now.

But Jesus prayed for those who mocked him; Jesus forgave those who spit on him; Jesus loved even those who hated him.

And in doing so he fulfilled what was written by Isaiah the prophet some 700 years beforehand:

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
 yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
 and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
 so he opened not his mouth. 

Isaiah 53:7

Pastor Brian Coffey

Tuesday, March 24th

To listen to the audio version, click here.
Tuesday, March 24

Luke 23:32-34

Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

Like most parents my wife and I tried to teach our children the importance of both apology and forgiveness early in their lives. Once, when our boys were very young, two of them got into some kind of conflict. By the time we arrived on the scene one was crying and accusing the other of whacking him or pushing him or some other heinous offense. The boy being accused looked rather guilty, so I said, “Did you whack your brother?”

He nodded sheepishly.

I said, “Is that the right thing to do?”

He shook his head.

I said, “What are you supposed to do?”

He responded dutifully, “Use my words.”

I said, “That’s right. Now, what do you say to your brother?”

He looked at the brother he had whacked and said, “I forgive you.”

I couldn’t help but smile. Right idea, wrong application!

Most of us would agree, I think, that forgiveness is both terribly important and exceedingly difficult.

Luke tells us:

When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

What I notice here is that Jesus forgives first. That is, he does not wait for or require those who have mocked him, beaten him, and nailed him to the cross unjustly, to apologize or seek his forgiveness. He offers it first!

What kind of forgiveness is that?

How can you forgive someone who isn’t sorry for what they have done? How can you forgive someone who hasn’t apologized?

Most of us tend to think of forgiveness as something that must be requested or deserved by the one who needs to be forgiven.

But that’s not what Jesus teaches us.

Jesus teaches us that forgiveness is never deserved. Forgiveness, properly understood, can never be earned or deserved. Forgiveness is always a gift.

Forgiveness is a gift that is offered by the forgiver, never deserved by the forgivee.

Forgiveness is indeed costly, but that cost is paid by the forgiver, not by the one needing forgiveness.

The final truth about forgiveness is that while being forgiven does bring a kind of freedom, offering forgiveness is the greatest freedom.

Jesus forgives first because that is what forgiveness is and what forgiveness does. Jesus forgives first because his heart was free.

What can you learn about forgiveness from the one who forgives you?

Pastor Brian Coffey

Monday, March 23rd

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Monday, March 23

Luke 23:32-43

Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”

The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”

There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the Jews.

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Our family moved when I was in the middle of the fourth grade. That meant leaving my friends, my teacher and my school, and starting all over in a new school in the middle of the year.

I was nervous about the whole process so I was on my best behavior. As I recall I made some friends pretty quickly and my teacher seemed very nice. So things were going just fine until one day in the lunch room. As I recall I was just sitting there eating my peanut butter sandwich, minding mind own business, when the lunch room monitor - who was another teacher in the school - ran over to our table and announced in a voice loud enough for the whole room to hear, “Mr. Coffey, would you like to share with everyone why you are talking to your neighbor? You know there is no talking in the lunchroom!”

I was dumfounded. I was embarrassed. Yes, I had been talking quietly to the kid next to me, but I had no idea there was such a rule! Then she made me stand up and walk across the room and stand against the wall. The teacher seemed gleeful that she had caught me doing something wrong. She kept saying, “I caught him! I caught the new boy!”

I couldn’t understand why she seemed happy about catching me talking. I felt ashamed and humiliated.

Later I realized that she made a habit of watching new kids until she caught them doing something wrong so she could use them to warn the rest of the students.

Luke writes:

Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed.

Sometimes I think we have become so familiar with the story that we can miss some of the obvious details.

This is Jesus, the Son of God, the only sinless man who ever walked on the face of the earth, and he is being led to a place of execution with two criminals.

Jesus is lumped together with criminals and subjected to the humiliation of a public execution.
Historians tell us that in those days condemned men were stripped naked (or at least mostly so) and forced to carry the cross bar (called the “patibulum”) upon which they would be crucified. The Romans used crucifixion not just to execute criminals, but to humiliate and intimidate. The intent of the whole process was to so degrade and torture a human being so that those watching would be terrified to even think of defying the power of Rome.

As we begin what we call “Holy Week,” we remember that Jesus didn’t just “die on the cross for our sins.” He did die, of course, but first he allowed himself to be falsely accused as a criminal; he allowed himself to be humiliated.

For you. For me. For all of us.

Pastor Brian Coffey

Friday, March 20th

To listen to the audio version, click here.

Friday, March 20

Acts 16: 25-34

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, "Do not harm yourself, for we are all here." And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.

Diet programs and weight loss plans thrive on “before and after” photos. The “before” photo features a somewhat overweight and out-of-shape looking man or woman in a bathing suit. The idea is to get you, as the observer, to think, “Wow, that’s unfortunate! I wonder if I look like that?”

Then there is an “after” photo in which the same person is in the same bathing suit, but looks like a model or a body builder with a svelte physique and six-pack abs. Now you think, “Wow, maybe I could look like that!”

In this story that only takes Luke 10 verses to tell, we see a before and after picture of the jailer. He goes from a man  convinced his best option is suicide to a man who celebrates the hope of eternal life by being baptized in the middle of the night. More than that, he is transformed from a man hardened by the brutality of prison life to a man who tenderly washes and cares for the wounds of men he considered criminals just hours earlier.

And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.

The power of the gospel to transform lives can be summarized by just such “before and after” pictures.

Before: hopeless and considering ending his own life.

After: Rejoicing with his entire household.

Before: Hardened and brutal prison guard.

After: Tender and compassionate care for two men he would have once considered little more than trash.

Before: Spiritually lost and confused, assuming the gods didn’t know or care about his life.

After: Saved by the grace of a loving Lord, baptized in his name.

Our church recently filmed our own version of of “before and after” stories. We gave people a piece of cardboard and asked them to write on one side words that described their lives before putting their faith in Jesus. One the other side they described their lives after Jesus came into their lives.

You can watch the video by going to fbcg.com or clicking this link.

As you finish “10 Minutes with God” for this week, consider creating your own “cardboard testimony”; write your own “before and after” story!

If you aren’t sure you have an “after” story yet...re-read the story of the Philippian jailer and allow Jesus to make his story your story!

I Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Pastor Brian Coffey

Thursday, March 19th

To listen to the audio version, click here.

Thursday, March 19

Acts 16: 25-34

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, "Do not harm yourself, for we are all here." And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."

Our daily conversations are sprinkled with phrases like “at the end of the day...,” or, “the bottom line,” or, “when it’s all said and done...”

We typically use those phrases as a way of summarizing whatever it is we are trying to say, or emphasizing something that is important to us.

“At the end of the day, it’s all about family.”

“The bottom line is you have to produce.”

“When it’s all said and done, you have to be able to live with yourself.”

The jailer in this story suddenly realizes that he has come to the summation of his life, and he doesn’t like what he sees. An earthquake has set all his prisoners free and knows that one way or another his life is over.

He decides he would rather end it himself than submit to whatever gruesome fate my lie at the hands of his superiors, so he prepares to fall on his own sword when he hears a voice in the darkness.

But Paul cried with a loud voice, "Do not harm yourself, for we are all here."

He can’t believe his ears, or his good fortune. He quickly calls for torches to bring light into the dungeon and realizes the voice was from one of the two foreigners who were singing songs to their God from their cell.

When he first heard them singing he probably dismissed them as hopelessly deranged or maybe even insane. Now he realizes with a kind of terror that this God of theirs may have sent the earthquake that loosened their chains in response to their prayers.

He doesn’t know anything about this God but he does know that without this God he is a dead man.

Then he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

As I said earlier in the week I think the man’s question was born of desperation. He had no hope; he knew his life would be required of him one way or another. These men seemed to have something that he didn’t have; faith in and access to a God who was able to set them free. Their God could give life and he wanted what they had.

It’s possible that behind his question was an assumption that there were some specific religious rituals that they could tell him about or show him how to do properly, so that he could win the favor of their God.

But Paul and Silas don’t tell him to do anything; they tell him to believe in someone.

And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."

There’s a whole sermon, of course, in this one sentence. We are told that Paul and Silas later explained the gospel in more depth when they were at the man’s home. But everything he needed to know about salvation is in this one sentence.

First: You can’t save yourself. This was a truth the man already knew.

Second: Salvation isn’t doing, it’s believing. Salvation doesn’t come through religious activity, it comes as the gift of faith.

Third: Salvation is found not in religion but in relationship with Jesus, who by his death and resurrection has done for us what we cannot do for ourselves. He atoned for all our sin and guaranteed our right to eternal life.

Fourth: Salvation is intended not just for us, but for all.

We are told that this man not only put his faith in Jesus but  that his whole family followed him in faith and baptism on that very night.

Sooner or later we all come to “the end of the day,” or to “the bottom line.”

And the bottom line is, only Jesus saves.

Pastor Brian Coffey

Wednesday, March 18th

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Wednesday, March 18

Acts 16: 25-27

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them...

I’ve never been in prison but over the years I’ve had several opportunities to play basketball with men who were incarcerated.

From what I could tell, prisons are not happy places. No one wants to be there; no one is happy to be there; everyone wants to be somewhere else. There is an unspoken desperation and sadness that permeates the air.

I can only imagine that it was a hundred times worse in an ancient Roman dungeon.

In the earlier part of Acts 16 we are told that Paul had come upon a young woman who had been troubled by a demon and who was being exploited for money by unscrupulous men. He set her free from demonic oppression by the name of Jesus and she was restored to her right mind. But her “handlers” lost their source of income and were enraged at Paul and Silas. They dragged them before the local magistrate and accused them of disrupting the city. Paul and Silas were then beaten with rods and thrown in jail without a trial or a chance to defend themselves. Some historians believe that the beating itself was sometimes enough to kill some men.

So here they are; trying to obey and serve God by taking the great good news of Jesus to the Gentile world! They have left everything behind for this great purpose; and this is what they get?

If I try put myself in their shoes, even remotely, I think I would struggle to keep myself from self pity or even bitterness. If I prayed at all I probably would find myself complaining to God:

What have I done to deserve this?

Why is this happening to me?

In case you haven’t noticed God, I could use a little help here?

But that’s not what we see from Paul and Silas.

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God...

Some years ago, when I was a Youth Pastor, I led a number of short term trips involving high school students to the Dominican Republic. On one of those trips we were working in a small mountain village to help build a care-center for the impoverished children of that area, and conditions were quite primitive by our North American standards.

We slept in sleeping bags on a concrete floor. Daytime temperatures pushed 100 degrees and even the nights were sweltering. To bathe each day we either dumped buckets of water on our heads or walked a mile to the local river to wash off the day’s sweat and grime.

One morning I woke up very early, about 5 am, primarily because I just couldn’t sleep anymore due to the combined effect of the concrete floor and the crowing of dozens of roosters. So I got up and made my way to the roof of the building hoping it would be a little cooler there. As I sat on a concrete block watching the village come to life in the early dawn, I became aware of a sound other than the roosters.

It was the sound of a woman’s voice; and she was singing.

I looked around at the tiny cinder block and corrugated tin homes below trying to find the source of the singing. Then I saw her...a young mother who was already at work sweeping the dirt that served as her “back yard.”

I had seen her earlier in the week caring for 3 or 4 very young children. I had seen her washing clothes in the river and carting them back on her head to the village. I remember thinking that I couldn’t begin to imagine how difficult life was for that young woman.

I watched her sweep and listened to her sweet voice; then I realized that I recognized the tune she was singing. I listened more closely and I heard the Spanish words:

“Mi corazon entona la cancion; Cuan grande es El, cuan grande es El...”

My Spanish wasn’t great but I knew what those words meant:

“Then sings my soul, my Savior God to thee; How great thou art, how great thou art.”

She was singing the great hymn of praise, “How Great Thou Art”; she was singing hymn of praise at 5:30 in the morning as she wept the dirt behind her one room tin house in the Dominican Republic.

I just sat and listened; moved deep in my soul by such faith, such gratitude, such joy. I kept thinking, “How can someone who has so little have so much gratitude?”

Then it hit me that gratitude has nothing to do with how much we have; rather, it has everything to do with the condition of our hearts.

That woman’s heart was full of gratitude because it was full of God.

Paul and Silas sang midnight hymns in prison because their hearts were full of God.

What is your heart full of today?

Pastor Brian Coffey

Tuesday, March 17th

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Tuesday, March 17

Acts 16: 25-27

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped.

Most High School yearbooks include a page that identifies members of that year’s graduating class who are voted “Most likely to...” do or be something.

“Most likely to succeed.”

“Most likely to become President of the U.S. someday.”

“Most likely to run a fortune 500 company.”

“Most likely to play professional sports.”

Well, I think the central character in this story would have been voted a different kind of title. I see him as “Least likely to hear and respond to the gospel.”

Luke doesn’t tell us his name but the Philippian jailer was probably an ex-Roman soldier who had either been assigned to this lousy job or had to take it because he was qualified to do nothing else.

Even our modern prisons are rife with rage, violence, abuse and disease; so imagine what a Roman prison 2000 years ago might have been like!

This man dealt with the dregs of society on a daily basis. He probably saw and participated in more brutality in one day than most of us will ever see in a lifetime. He had lived his whole life in a pagan culture and almost certainly thought of the “gods” as both distant and capricious in their dealings with human beings; and probably assumed that he had nothing to expect from the gods but punishment and torment.

He most definitely was not a man you would expect to find in a church setting, nor would he have been remotely interested in what Paul and Silas had to say.

But notice that God does not wait for this man to come to the gospel, rather, he takes the gospel to him.

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them...

The gospel comes to the prison in the form of two men named Paul and Silas. Their response to being beaten with rods and thrown into prison with their legs in stocks was to sing and pray.

A two man worship service breaks out on death row. Luke says it’s midnight and the prisoners are listening. They’re listening because they’ve never heard anything like this in prison before. They’re listening because Paul and Silas are singing praises to a God they believe loves them even though they are in prison; they are praying to a God they believe knows them and cares about them even in this place of pain and suffering. They are listening because these two men have two things they don’t have; they have faith and joy.

I think we can assume that someone else was listening as well; the man Luke identifies only as the jailer.

Is it possible that God allowed Paul and Silas to be accused unjustly; beaten mercilessly; and thrown into prison illegally (after all, as Roman citizens the law required that they be given opportunity to defend themselves), just so that this jailer could hear the gospel?

Yes, I think it’s possible.

In fact, I think that’s the whole point of the story. The gospel is unstoppable; the gospel goes places and reaches people that we think are unreachable.

Do you know any “Least likely to hear and respond to the gospel” people? Do you know someone who you have come to think of as beyond the reach of the gospel?

This story reminds us that no one is beyond reach.

No one.

Pastor Brian Coffey

Monday, March 16th

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Monday, March 16

Acts 16: 25-34

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, "Do not harm yourself, for we are all here." And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.

Life is full of all kinds of very important questions.

Where should I go to college?

What kind of career should I pursue?

Who will I marry?

When will the Cubs win the World Series?

Over a century ago Russian literary giant Leo Tostoy wrote a short story entitled, “Three Questions,” in which a king seeks the answers to these three questions:

What is the right time for every action?

Who are the most necessary people?

What is the most important thing to do?

This story in Acts 16 revolves around a single question; a question that in one way or another every human being is destined to ask, whether or not they are fully aware of it.

The question is uttered by a nameless jailer who blurts out in the middle of the night, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

We’ll dig deeper into why this ancient man asks this question at this particular time and of these particular men (Paul and Silas) later this week, but for now let’s just look at the question itself.

“What must I do to be saved?”

It seems to me that to ask this question one has to be convinced that one is in some kind of peril; some kind of mortal danger. Why else would one need to be “saved?”

The question also assumes there is something or someone that can provide salvation or safety from that danger.

It’s a question I might ask in some form if I fell overboard into the open sea.

“What must I do to be saved?” The answer would be something like, “Swim toward the life preserver and hang on!”

It’s a question a pilot might ask an air traffic controller when his instruments suddenly stop functioning.

“What must I do to be saved?” The answer would be listen to my instructions and do exactly what I say and you will land that plane!

It’s a question born of desperation; it’s a question of life and death.

And that’s why we all eventually will find ourselves asking, “What must I do to be saved?”

We all live our days as if death will never come, yet we know somewhere in the recesses of our minds that it most certainly will come. Today, tomorrow, or 50 years from now for one reason or another we will face the reality of death. And in that moment, if we haven’t already, we will ask the question, “What must I do to be saved?”

At the center of the story we are studying this week is a man who believes his life is at it’s end. In that desperation he asks the question that lurks in each of our hearts and minds.

He also receives an answer.

Have you allowed yourself yet to ask that question?

Do you know the answer?

Pastor Brian Coffey

Friday, March 13th

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March 13

Healthy Good-Byes

Barnabas took Mark . . . but Paul chose Silas.

—Acts 15:39-40

Hudson Taylor was a missionary to China in the 1800s and the founder of China Inland Mission (now OMF International). Today he is remembered for the significant contributions he made in sharing the gospel throughout China. The organization he started was responsible for sending 800 missionaries to all 18 provinces of China. As a result of these relationships, 18,000 people committed their lives to Christ.

But for all he accomplished during his 51 years in China, Taylor faced sharp criticism in his day. For one thing, he adopted traditional Chinese clothing, even dying his hair and beard black so he could fit in better with the people and customs there. He learned several Chinese dialects and translated Scripture into the common language of the people. But there were many Christians back home who opposed these practices, criticizing him for turning his back on Western customs.

Taylor also faced conflict when it came to the people he recruited to join him on the mission field. He saw how great the spiritual needs were in China, and he was finding it difficult to recruit people to join him. So he made another controversial decision: he sent unmarried women into the interior, a move that other missionaries balked at in the mid 1800s.

His unconventional decisions caused some people to splinter off from his organization, but this didn’t deter him. He remained convinced that God would raise up passionate people to bring the gospel to China. He said, “China is not to be won for Christ by quiet, ease-loving men and women. The stamp of men and women we need is such as will put Jesus, China, [and] souls first and foremost in everything and at every time—even life itself must be secondary.”

The differences of opinion between Hudson Taylor and his fellow missionaries were not about the gospel; they were about customs and traditions. And as difficult as it must have been for them to part ways, the split opened the door for people who otherwise would not have had the opportunity to serve the Lord this way.

When two teammates part ways—especially when they’re partners in spreading the gospel, there is inevitably pain in the split. We don’t hear how the early church responded when they heard about Paul and Barnabas going different directions. No doubt it sent some ripples through the band of believers, but we don’t have any indication in Scripture that Paul and Barnabas badmouthed each other or forced people to choose sides. There was, it seems, unity in the church even as they went their separate ways.

Interestingly, God used the division between Paul and Barnabas for good. When they split up, the missionary impact was essentially doubled: Paul selected a new partner, Silas, and they headed to Syria and Cilicia. Meanwhile, Barnabas invited John Mark to join him and they ministered in Cypress. So instead of the gospel only going to one location, the good news spread twice as fast.

Disagreement is not something to be taken lightly. It has the power to cause friction and disunity within the church. But disagreement doesn’t have to inherently mean division. If we as Christians can keep focused on Christ and our calling to share about him with others, it’s possible to disagree while still remaining united and advancing the gospel.

Historian Ruth Tucker made this statement about Hudson Taylor: “No other missionary in the nineteen centuries since the apostle Paul has had a wider vision and has carried out a more systematized plan of evangelizing a broad geographical area than Hudson Taylor.”

Both these stories of conflict—the controversy between Paul and Barnabas and the controversy between Hudson Taylor and his fellow missionaries—serve as examples of the ways God can expand his Kingdom even amid conflict.

When has God brought good of a parting of ways in your life?

—Stephanie Rische

Thursday, March 12th

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March 12

Relational Tremors

Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

—Acts 15:39-41

When we think about an earthquake, we tend to think about this geological phenomenon from the outside: the amount of shaking it results in, the buildings it tears down, the deaths and damage it causes, the havoc it wreaks. But there’s another side of the story too: what’s happening under the surface of the ground.

Geologically speaking, an earthquake occurs when there is a sudden release of energy in the Earth’s crust that creates seismic waves. Although we’re unaware of it, the earth is constantly pulsing as the crust is being recycled. Some experts refer to these regular blows—which amount to hundreds a day—as the planet’s heartbeat.

When the pent-up energy within the earth becomes too great, the tectonic plates, which have been storing up elastic energy, release it in a large burst. When this happens, there is a rupture in the fault lines—an earthquake. As destructive as this process can be, the shift is actually necessary to keep supporting human life as we know it on this earth. The earth has to shift in order to remain stable and relieve pressure.

When it comes to human relationships, there are times when seismic shifts are necessary as well. The fallout can be painful at times, but God can use these relational earthquakes to move people to where they need to be.

When Paul and Barnabas had an unresolvable conflict, it was a relational tremor that pushed them in different directions. But there were upsides to this split. Without this division, John Mark and Silas might not have had an opportunity to rise to the occasion and use their gifts to serve God in the early church.

Silas was already a leader in the early church when Paul chose him to accompany him on his second mission. But when this split occurred, he was given the opportunity to speak to believers in a larger area of the known world. It was during this journey that he and Paul were imprisoned in Philippi, when an earthquake broke their chains and opened the prison door. Without the conflict between Paul and Barnabas, Silas likely would never have experienced such a miracle.

We don’t know why John Mark deserted Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey. But as a result of the split, Barnabas took John Mark to Cyprus with him. He gave him another chance—an opportunity to restore trust and redeem what had been lost on the previous trip.

As painful as endings are in the moment, good can come out of these final chapters. In his book Necessary Endings, Henry Cloud talks about how we need to listen when God is bringing us to an ending in our lives: “In the language of Ecclesiastes, are there situations in business or in life where you are trying to birth things that should be dying? Trying to heal something that should be killed off? Laughing at something that you should be weeping about? Embracing something (or someone) you should shun? Searching for an answer for something when it is time to give up? Continuing to try to love something or someone when it is time to talk about what you hate?”

It’s hard to say good-bye to people or things. But there are some things God intends to give us for a season, and we need the Holy Spirit’s wisdom to show us when that season is over. Henry Cloud goes on to say, “Without the ability to end things, people stay stuck, never becoming who they are meant to be, never accomplishing all that their talents and abilities should afford them.”

Is there a necessary ending God is making clear to you? Ask him for wisdom as you determine his will in this situation.

—Stephanie Rische

Wednesday, March 11th

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March 11

Sibling Rivalry

Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord.

—Acts 15:39-40

In 1740, two prominent Christian leaders in the English church found themselves engaged in a significant disagreement. It started when John Wesley, a prominent English evangelist, preached a sermon entitled “Free Grace” in his church. George Whitefield, who hosted revival services throughout England, felt strongly that Wesley was mistaken. He wrote an open letter to Wesley in response, going head-to-head in a discussion about predestination versus free will.

One of the most striking things about the public debate between these men (aside from the fact that their discourse was so much more civil than our shoot-from-the-hip style of social media today) was how focused they were on unity, even in the midst of their theological disagreement. Whitefield expressed his concern that their opposition would present a disunified image of Christianity to the world. For his part, Wesley expressed his desire that God would unite their hearts: “For a time you are suffered to be of one opinion, and I of another. But when his time is come, God will do what man cannot, namely, make us both of one mind.” He closes his letter with this line: “I am, my dearest brother, ever yours.”

Even in their differences—their sibling rivalry, if you will—these men were mindful that ultimately they still had the same Father. That provided a base line for their discussions. No matter how strongly they disagreed, the one thing they had in common was even stronger.

Paul and Barnabas disagreed about the particulars—if they should take John Mark on their missionary journey or not—but they agreed on the big-picture vision. They may have split up, but their goal and their calling remained unified.

We can take a cue from Wesley and Whitefield, and from Paul and Barnabas, whenever we find ourselves disagreeing with a fellow follower of Christ. We should move forward with humility and prayer, acknowledging that we don’t have all the answers and being open to having God change our minds.

John Wesley said, “I want the whole Christ for my Savior, the whole Bible for my book, the whole Church for my fellowship.” May our hearts be filled with the same longing for oneness with our brothers and sisters.

Challenge: Think of someone you have disagreed with in the past. What can you do to show love and respect to that person?

—Stephanie Rische

Tuesday, March 10th

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March 10
 
Unity amid Discord

They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. 
—Acts 15:39

In the early 1970s, a cult called Heaven’s Gate was formed. The members were convinced that the earth was going to be “recycled,” and the only chance to survive and make it to the next level was to get rid of everything that connected them to this planet. They were forced to give up everything that made them unique: their family, their friends, their jobs, their possessions, and their personalities. The ultimate goal was to erase their “personal histories.”

On March 26, 1997, the bodies of thirty-nine members of Heaven’s Gate were found dead after the group members committed mass suicide. They were allegedly trying to reach an alien spaceship headed for the Comet Hale-Bopp. Sadly, the brainwashing they experienced prevented them from thinking for themselves and being able to distinguish truth from deception.

It’s a sign of a healthy, functioning church to have members who have minds of their own and personalities of their own, and who offer contrasting opinions. As tempting as it may sound to worship in a place where no one ever rocks the boat or disagrees with one another, that’s not healthy or desirable. Only cults experience that kind of monolithic agreement.

Since disagreement is inevitable in a functioning church body, we need to figure out how to deal with differences of opinion in a healthy way. Paul and Barnabas reached an impasse when it came to John Mark and if he should join them on their journey (Acts 15:26-39). But they weren’t the only people in the early church to experience significant disagreement.

In the closing of Paul’s letter to the Philippians, he addresses a conflict between two women who were apparently vibrant members of the church there: “I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel” (Philippians 4:2-3).

Paul also addresses conflict in his letter to the Corinthian church with this plea: “I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, ‘I follow Paul’; another, ‘I follow Apollos’; another, ‘I follow Cephas’; still another, ‘I follow Christ.’ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? (1 Corinthians 1:10-13).

We have much to learn from the early church about the importance of unity and the way we handle conflict. If conflict is left unchecked, it will cause deep fractures under the surface until the church splinters in devastating ways. But if conflict is addressed in love and honesty, the body can grow even closer together as a result.

Challenge: Thank God for the Christians in your life who see things differently from you. Ask God to bring peace and respect to your relationships, even when you disagree.

—Stephanie Rische

Monday, March 9th

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March 9

The Upside of Conflict

Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work.

—Acts 15:36-38

One you become a Christian, you instinctively join hands with the believers around you, burst out in spontaneous rounds of “Kumbaya,” and live happily ever after. Right?

Well, not exactly. The truth is, God didn’t make us uniform robots; he created us as unique individuals, with our own distinct opinions, thoughts, personalities, emotions, perspectives, and experiences. This keeps life interesting . . . but it can also create friction among believers.

Unity, as it turns out, does not mean sameness. It doesn’t mean Christians will always agree. Yes, there are some nonnegotiables we hold on to as the core beliefs of the Christian faith, but there are many other areas where there is space for followers of Christ to thoughtfully consider, discuss, and come to different conclusions.

And while disagreement can be difficult and uncomfortable at times, it can also be a good thing. For starters, when we are forced to articulate what we believe about a particular issue, it sharpens our thinking, helping us to clarify what we think and prepping us to discuss it not only within the church but also with the rest of the world. Disagreement forces us to really wrestle through an issue and consider the implications before jumping to an easy conclusion. Finally, disagreement teaches us to love and empathize with people who aren’t like us and see the world differently than we do.

In the book of Acts, Paul and Barnabas came up against a conflict they couldn’t resolve. Barnabas felt they should take John Mark with them on their missionary journey, while Paul was against it. John Mark had deserted them on their first journey, and while Barnabas was ready to give him another chance, Paul thought that wouldn’t be wise. If Paul and Barnabas, two godly men who were pillars of the early church, experienced conflict, then we can’t expect anything different ourselves.

Thankfully, the early church offers insight for us about how to deal with different types of conflict. When it came to the Gentile question—whether believers needed to follow the Jewish laws to be saved—this was a critical, gospel-level issue that needed to be resolved once and for all (see Acts 15:1-35). But when it came to this conflict about whether John Mark should come along on their journey, the two men never came to a consensus.

There’s a lesson here for us as we inevitably face conflict in the church. If there is a conflict over something that’s a matter of opinion—something that’s not a foundational Christian belief—there may come a point when it’s appropriate to agree to disagree. If each party thinks through the issue, talks it through together civilly, and still disagrees, the most unifying thing to do may be to go separate ways, like Paul and Barnabas did.

When have you seen a disagreement handled in a godly way in the church? When have you seen a disagreement handled in a divisive way?

—Stephanie Rische

Friday, March 6th

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Friday, March 6th

A Message of Encouragement

The men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter. The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message.

—Acts 15:30-31

In 1994, Rwanda experienced one of the most horrific genocides of the twentieth century. The country was divided into two ethnicities—Hutus and Tutsis—an arbitrary distinction that had its roots in colonialism. In the racist perspective of the European colonists, the Tutsis, with their lighter skin and taller stature, were considered superior to the Hutus.

The tension and resentment festering from this division worsened for decades until the 1990s, when an extremist Hutu regime came to power. They claimed that the Tutsis were inyenzi (cockroaches)—an enemy that must be crushed. Thus began an ethnic genocide that lasted one hundred days and left nearly a million Rwandans dead—about 20 percent of the country’s total population and about 70 percent of the Tutsi minority.

Some twenty years later, the country is still trying to heal from such hatred and atrocities. Not only did Rwanda experience deep schisms, but so did the church, as there were believers on both sides. Could a country that had experienced such fracturing find unity again? Could believers from both groups forgive one another and find oneness in Christ?

It sounds impossible, but God specializes in making the impossible a reality. Remarkable stories of redemption and reconciliation have emerged out of the rubble as Rwanda puts the pieces back together again. Hutus and Tutsis are living in the same neighborhoods, next door to people who killed their own family members. One woman forgave the young man who killed her son, and went so far as to adopt him and bring him into her home as her own son. Bishop John Rucyahana of Prison Fellowship Rwanda says, “Those who are forgiving are not forgiving for the sake of the perpetrators only. They need to free their own selves. Anger, bitterness, the desire to revenge, it’s like keeping our feelings in a container. When you forgive, you feel whole.”

This kind of cultural divide may be difficult for us to comprehend in our context, just as the Gentile-Jewish debate is foreign to us. But although the specifics of what divides us differ, the problem is the same—and so is the solution. We need the kind of unity that can only come through the Holy Spirit.
We read about the fruit this reconciliation within the early church:

• joy (Acts 15:31)
• strength (Acts 15:32)
• peace (Acts 15:33)

We need joy, strength, and peace to stand together as a united church today as well. The church from thousands of years ago in Acts 15, along with the modern-day church in Rwanda, serve as powerful examples that if God can bring unity amid such deep division, surely he can bring unity to the church today too.

Challenge: Is there someone you are experiencing disunity and division with right now? Prayerfully and humbly, with the Holy Spirit’s guidance, take a step toward reconciling with that person.

—Stephanie Rische