Reaching the final age

Introduction

You might remember that last week we encountered Paul in Ephesus. He spent two years there, building the church in Asia (what we now call Turkey), before he left soon after a major riot. He returned, via a circuitous route, to Jerusalem, taking a large collection of money to support the church back there.

Unfortunately, in Jerusalem, Paul encountered the same hostility as in Ephesus, and he was arrested by the Romans for his own safety. After another circuitous and lengthy process, Paul ended up appealing to the emporor, and was put on a ship for Rome. That voyage was a disaster, and it was only God’s provision that protected everyone on board, although God wasn’t so careful with the ship. After five months of adventure, Paul finally arrived in Rome.

Let’s read what he did there.

Bible

Acts 28:17–31 NLT

17 Three days after Paul’s arrival, he called together the local Jewish leaders. He said to them, “Brothers, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Roman government, even though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors. 18 The Romans tried me and wanted to release me, because they found no cause for the death sentence. 19 But when the Jewish leaders protested the decision, I felt it necessary to appeal to Caesar, even though I had no desire to press charges against my own people. 20 I asked you to come here today so we could get acquainted and so I could explain to you that I am bound with this chain because I believe that the hope of Israel—the Messiah—has already come.” 21 They replied, “We have had no letters from Judea or reports against you from anyone who has come here. 22 But we want to hear what you believe, for the only thing we know about this movement is that it is denounced everywhere.” 23 So a time was set, and on that day a large number of people came to Paul’s lodging. He explained and testified about the Kingdom of God and tried to persuade them about Jesus from the Scriptures. Using the law of Moses and the books of the prophets, he spoke to them from morning until evening. 24 Some were persuaded by the things he said, but others did not believe. 25 And after they had argued back and forth among themselves, they left with this final word from Paul: “The Holy Spirit was right when he said to your ancestors through Isaiah the prophet, 26 ‘Go and say to this people: When you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend. 27 For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes— so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’ 28 So I want you to know that this salvation from God has also been offered to the Gentiles, and they will accept it.” 30 For the next two years, Paul lived in Rome at his own expense. He welcomed all who visited him, 31 boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. And no one tried to stop him.

Quote

There are many voices today who are pointing to a new age for Christianity. A “post-Christian” age. There is no doubt that the end of the Elizabethan era will amplify those voices.

Pope Francis said in 2019 that the Catholic Church must adopt new approach­es to evangelisation in a post-Christian West.

“We need other maps, other paradigms that might help us change our ways of thinking. We are not in Christianity, not any more!” the Pope said at the weekend in a Christmas message to Vatican officials.

“We are no longer under a Christian regime because the faith — especially in Europe, but also in much of the West — no longer constitutes an obvious premise of common life. On the contrary, it is even often denied, derided, margin­alised and ridiculed.”

(Source: The Wall Street Journal, 22nd Dec 2019)

This is a common refrain, but is it really true? Do we really need “other paradigms” because “we are not in Christianity” any more?

We find the same doomsday attitude in Australia, too. John Carrol wrote in the Australian at the beginning of this year:

“The religious framework that used to provide answers has gone – we live in a post-Christian era. Which does not mean Christianity has lost its profound influence. The societies of the Western world remain culturally Christian, while the faith, theology, teachings and religious practices have largely lapsed. What it means to be culturally Christian is a large topic for another occasion.”

(Source: The Australian, Jan 13, 2022)

But have the “faith, theology, teachings and religious practices” of Christianity ever been dominant in our culture?

Certainly, the ideas that there is a God, that there is a heaven and a hell, that God is supposed to be in charge of the world, and so on, have been largely accepted in Western society, and are now far less popular.

But are those ideas Christian? Don’t Jews believe this, too? And Muslims. Why don’t we say that we are living in a post-Jewish or post-Muslim society?

Yes, of course these ideas entered Western culture through Christianity, not Judaism or Islam. But my point is that these ideas are not unique to Christianity, but shared by the great monotheistic faiths.

So let’s distinguish between what I will call Western Monotheism—the beliefs which our culture is abandoning—and genuine Christian belief.

Confusing Monotheism with Christianity

Why I am making this distinction? Why I am pushing back on Pope Francis, John Carroll, and the many others who make the same sorts of claims regarding the diminution of Christian faith.

Well, I have a good reason for pushing back on these claims. Pope Francis says we need to develop new ways of thinking. John Carroll says society can no longer find Christian answers. But if society was never actually Christian in any real sense, then both of these claims are wrong.

And it is pretty clear to me that Western Monotheism has never been a genuinely Christian belief system.

Let’s do an exercise:

What are the core distinctive beliefs of Christianity, which set it apart from all other religions?

The Trinity

We find the trinity expressed through Scripture, such as in Peter’s answer to the Sanhedrin after they arrested him.

Acts 5:30–32 NLT

30 The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead after you killed him by hanging him on a cross. 31 Then God put him in the place of honor at his right hand as Prince and Savior. He did this so the people of Israel would repent of their sins and be forgiven. 32 We are witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Spirit, who is given by God to those who obey him.”

The fact that there is one God who is three persons who each relate to us and one another in different ways is a key distinction of Christianity, and when that is abandoned (as it is in Judaism or Islam) it transforms the nature of faith. God becomes more distant, and our faith becomes a religion of working our way towards God’s approval. And that is what Western Monotheism is.

Western Monotheism is not Christianity.

Saved by grace through faith (in Jesus) alone

The Christian concept of salvation is unique. The idea that you cannot do anything to save yourself is key to our faith. We find it in Peter’s account to the church of his encounter with Cornelius:

Acts 11:17 NLT

17 And since God gave these Gentiles the same gift he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to stand in God’s way?”

In fact, the completely unencumbered gift of salvation is what allowed Christianity to become a multicultural religion. You will notice that both Judaism and Islam are not multicultural. Rather, because they dictate so many “works” that must be done to please God, they end up dictating cultural structures. The fact that multiculturalism has undermined Western Monotheism is evidence that it is not genuinely Christian, because Christianity is perfectly comfortable with multiculturalism.

Western Monotheism is not Christianity.

All have sinned and none seek God

The Christian view of mankind is uniquely bleak. This is possible because Christianity has a uniquely high view of God. When Paul tells King Agrippa about his conversion, he says that Jesus sent him to the Jews and Gentiles to:

Acts 26:18 NLT

18 to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me.’

The Christian view is that all people are in darkness, unless they have been set apart by faith in Jesus. There is no middle way, no half-way ground, no “decent person.” You are either saved by faith in Jesus, or lost in darkness.

This leaves no ground for a cultural Christianity.

Western Monotheism is not Christianity.

Summary

So, summarising our little exercise:

Western Monotheism is not Christianity.

Is Monotheism a helpful step to Christianity?

OK, so now we know that Western culture has never been Christian. But is Western Monotheism, the belief system we are shifting away from, a helpful step on the way toward Christian faith? In other words, is it easier for monotheists to make the step to Christianity than it is for people of other beliefs to do so?

Guess what, we have a case study right here in the last verses of the book of Acts! Why don’t we take a look at what happened there?

Of course, in Acts, we have the godly Jews, monotheists par excellence, instead of Western Monotheists. And we also have the control group: Gentiles, mostly Greeks and Romans, pagans par excellence, with their diverse and syncretistic pantheon.

What is Paul’s experience in terms of whether one group is easier to bring to faith than the other?

It is summarised in verses 27 and 28:

Acts 28:27–28 NLT

27 For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes— so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’ 28 So I want you to know that this salvation from God has also been offered to the Gentiles, and they will accept it.”

Hmm. Interesting...

It seems like Paul is saying that the Gentiles are more open to the Gospel than the Jews, doesn’t it?

Of course, it’s not that simple.

If we look just a few verses earlier, we see that when Paul preaches to the Roman Jews, some of them believe:

Acts 28:24 NLT

24 Some were persuaded by the things he said, but others did not believe.

And if we recall last week’s sermon, where Graham talked about the riot in Ephesus, it’s obvious that many Gentiles did not believe the Good News.

In fact, I think Isaiah’s prophecy, which Paul quotes at the Roman Jews, actually applies to every human being:

Acts 28:26–27 NLT

26 ‘Go and say to this people: When you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend. 27 For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes— so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’

Isn’t that an apt description of so many people you’ve shared the Gospel with? They hear it, but they will not understand!

And it is clear that, in Paul’s day, it made no difference whether they were Jews or Gentiles. And I contend that in our day, it makes no difference whether you are sharing the Gospel with a Western Monotheist: an old-fashioned Australian, or a Pluralist, a modern Australian. If God opens their ears, they will hear.

In fact, Paul says this directly in the letter that he had written to the Roman church before ever arriving there:

Romans 3:9–12 NLT

9 Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin. 10 As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous— not even one. 11 No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. 12 All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.”

What then are we to do?

So, where do we find ourselves then, as Christians in Australia today?

Do we need to develop a new approach to share the gospel? Have we reached the final age?

Well, no. After all, every time we encounter a new person or a new situation we should be trying to share the gospel in a way that they best understand, right? Of course, if you always assumed you that were talking to a Western Monotheist, then, yes, you’ll need to try some new ways to share the Gospel.

But does this make things harder for us?

Not at all!

Instead, we can take encouragement from Paul.

Rejected by the Jews, chained to soldier and confined to his home in Rome, what does Paul do?

Acts 28:30–31 NLT

30 For the next two years, Paul lived in Rome at his own expense. He welcomed all who visited him, 31 boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. And no one tried to stop him.

He shares the Gospel with those he can.

This should be an encouragement to all of us.

Are you busy? Share the Gospel with those you come across in your daily business.

Are you stuck at home? Share the Gospel with those who visit you, and invite people to visit you!

God only asks us to use the gifts he’s already given us. He doesn’t ask us to change the world: that’s his job. God will bring about the final judgement, not us. We just need to share Jesus with the people he brings into our lives.

That’s how the book of Acts ends. With the great evangelist and international missionary sharing the Gospel with people who visited him at home! You can do that, right?

Isn’t God’s plan amazing?

Let’s pray.

Father, we thank you for sending Jesus to rescue us from the darkness of sin. Lord Jesus, we recognise that our culture can’t save us, but that we need to repent and accept your Lordship over our lives. Holy Spirit, fill us with your presence, so that we can walk in your ways and share your word with our neighbours and family.

In Jesus name, Amen.