Who We are

But Jews came there from Antioch and Iconium and won over the crowds. Then they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. But when the disciples surrounded him, he got up and went into the city. The next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. After they had proclaimed the good news to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, then on to Iconium and Antioch. There they strengthened the souls of the disciples and encouraged them to continue in the faith, saying, “It is through many persecutions that we must enter the kingdom of God.” And after they had appointed elders for them in each church, with prayer and fasting they entrusted them to the Lord in whom they had come to believe.

Introduction

Week 2 of our series on prayer. Next week Rev. Dr. Alice Rogers will be preaching and the leading our church conference as we hopefully move forward with what God is asking us to do. But today we are in the middle of a story, so let’s place this scripture in context.

Background

In Chapter 13 Paul and Barnabas are commissioned by the church in Antioch and sent on Paul’s first missionary journey. Chapter 14 finds them in Iconium. All of these towns are in the province of Galatia which is in Modern Day Turkey. The residents there conspired to stone them and Paul and Barnabas were informed of this so they leave that city and travel to Lystra and Derbe where Paul heals a lame man. The towns people are overwhelmed by this miracle and hail Paul as Hermes and Barnabas as Zeus! The jewish people from Iconium caught up to Paul and Barnabas here and convince the towns people to stone Paul. Paul survives and he and Barnabas retrace their steps to help the churches they established to have administration. This is where we will take a closer look at the text.

Exegesis

Acts is the sequel to Luke’s gospel. it is the history of the first 30 years or so of the church. This is also addressed to Theophilus. Luke is more interested in how Jesus is still present with his church guiding its establishment through the Spirit. So this is more of a theological history instead of facts.

What Luke tells us here is that the first churches were administered by elders, just like the synagogue was. In

Titus 1:6–8 NRSV

someone who is blameless, married only once, whose children are believers, not accused of debauchery and not rebellious. For a bishop, as God’s steward, must be blameless; he must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or addicted to wine or violent or greedy for gain; but he must be hospitable, a lover of goodness, prudent, upright, devout, and self-controlled.

We have the characteristics of an elder. (TELL SHERRY STORY). If anything this tells us that Luke has a purpose in telling the story this way, because it is just as hard now as it was then, to find someone who meets all these qualities. Here in lies the problem with taking the Bible literally. But that’s a sermon for another day.

Titus 1:6 NLT

An elder must live a blameless life. He must be faithful to his wife, and his children must be believers who don’t have a reputation for being wild or rebellious.

What this really tells us is that an elder must be of good character. I am an elder in the UMC. My life was examined closely even my credit score. You cannot have a credit score less that 700 and be ordained.

We have the characteristics of an elder. (TELL SHERRY STORY). If anything this tells us that Luke has a purpose in telling the story this way, because it is just as hard now as it was then, to find someone who meets all these qualities. Here in lies the problem wiht taking the Bible literally. But that’s a sermon for another day.

Paul and Barnabas go back to these brand new churches. The encourage them and tell them it won't be easy. But the hardship they go through ushers them into the Kingdom of God. Then they appointed, the Greek really means voted on, elders. Then they set them apart for service to the church by praying and fasting. The they turn them over to the Lord.

So what we see here, is that the birth of the church was not easy. There was tribulation and hardship, Paul writes in his letters about being stoned, beaten, and ship wrecked. We read in Acts, but especially in the letters, and especially Revelation the persecution the church suffered in the beginning.

But what we see more than anything in Acts, Luke emphasizes church members praying together, taking meals together, and sharing possessions with the less fortunate. Organization is not as important as life together. Luke writes “with prayer and fasting they turned the elders over to the care of the Lord in whom they had put their trust.”

Application

What this really tells us

Let me say this about organization is not as important as life together. I have made it clear since I have been here that ministry is more important than meetings. That human beings are more important than dogma. Jesus, had no organization did he? He told us to be the best leader we must be a servant! We have invented the organization. (I am not saying organization is a bad thing. I am saying when it gets more important than human beings it is a bad thing.) Jesus healed on the sabbath, touched those that were unclean, didn’t wash his hands when he was supposed to, let an adulteress get off scott free, conversed and associated with women of ill repute, ate with sinners and tax collectors, and repeatedly got on the nerves of the establishment, the institution, that so was so desperately afraid of change they killed him.

Let me be plain life together, in Christ, is what we are about not institutions, not buildings, not dogma. Jesus was the one who said, you have heard it said but I say . . . .

Remember this quote:

When You Pray Revised Edition: Daily Practices for Prayerful Living Week 16 Learning Who We Are

In the first three centuries, the training of Christian leaders occurred on the job. . . . [The disciples] learned the significance of prayer or other acts of symbolic devotion, therefore, from seeing them in the life of Jesus, an observant Jew with a strong divine consciousness. If we may trust the impression left by the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus implanted in their minds the necessity of a profound God-awareness in all of life that was to be sharpened by prayer and other acts of worship. (E. Glenn Hinson, Spiritual Preparation for Christian Leadership, 15–16.)

Prayer, life together in Christ, in prayer, makes us God aware. Do you pray for this church, no I mean the people of this church? By name? Prayer reminds us who we are

When You Pray Revised Edition: Daily Practices for Prayerful Living Week 15 Listening to Jesus

Prayer . . . is for the reception of identity one more time so that we do not forget who we are and who we are called to be. It is for sons and daughters returning one more time to the parent to receive our birthright. And in prayer, we have to do with this parent who says, “you are my daughter,” “you are my son.” And then we are empowered to decide what that identity and relationship mean and how we shall live out our lives

On commentator says of Paul “he knew that his own prayers and teaching were part of the process that would sustain them.” it is true we all need our inner lives strengthened, and the primary way to do this is prayer.

The God who had, through prayer and fasting, enabled them to undertake and successfully complete this journey, would continue, through further prayer and fasting, to strengthen and protect the new Christians in Galatia. With confidence, Paul and Barnabas could commit these new believers to the Lord in whom they had put their trust (14:23). Paul and Barnabas would leave; God would not.

Even from a cursory reading of Acts you will see that prayer played a role in everything the disciples did. Prayer has to play a huge role in this church. We are centered on Christ: Loving Christ. Loving People. Helping People Love Christ. The pew research center in 2015 found that 55% of Christians said they rely a lot on prayer when making major life decisions. So that was only 10% more than American people.

Folks that should be 100%. Christians should pray continuously. We should live lives of prayer, not just before major decisions. But, gee whiz, if you call your self a Jesus follower it should be at least 100% before a major decision.

And we certainly should be praying for each other:

"In intercessory prayer the face that may have been strange and intolerable to me is transformed into the face of one for whom Christ died, the face of a pardoned sinner" Boenhoeffer

We’re going to pray for each other this week. The ushers are going to hand out cards, this is what I want you to do

Make me an Intercessor,

One who can really pray,

One of the Lord’s Remembrancers

By night as well as day.

Make me an Intercessor,

In Spirit-touch with Thee,

And give the heavenly vision

Praying through to victory.

Make me an Intercessor,

Teach me how to prevail,

To stand my ground and stillpray on,

Though pow’rs of hell assail.

Make me an Intercessor,

Sharing Thy death and life,

In prayer claiming for others,

Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 4514 Make Me an Intercessor

Make me an Intercessor,

One who can really pray,

One of the Lord’s Remembrancers

By night as well as day.

Make me an Intercessor,

In Spirit-touch with Thee,

And give the heavenly vision

Praying through to victory.

Make me an Intercessor,

Teach me how to prevail,

To stand my ground and stillpray on,

Though pow’rs of hell assail.

Make me an Intercessor,

Sharing Thy death and life,

In prayer claiming for others,

Victory in the strife.

Make me an Intercessor,

Willing for deeper death,

Emptied, broken, then made anew,

And filled with Living Breath.

Make me an Intercessor,

Reveal this mighty thing,

The wondrous possibility

Of paying back my King.

Make me an Intercessor,

Hidden-unknown—set apart,

Thought little of by those around,

But satisfying thine heart.

Victory in the strife.

Make me an Intercessor,

Willing for deeper death,

Emptied, broken, then made anew,

And filled with Living Breath.

Make me an Intercessor,

Reveal this mighty thing,

The wondrous possibility

Of paying back my King.

Make me an Intercessor,

Hidden-unknown—set apart,

Thought little of by those around,

But satisfying thine heart.

Who we are is intercessors

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