NEWS FROM SANCTUARY –

Hospitality is an important part of the Life of Sanctuary. We want everyone from weekly attenders to those who have never been with us before to feel welcome, loved and included in the Body of Christ. Our hospitality team works hard to make that happen. AND WE NEED more folks on board. Come meet with us NEXT SUNDAY JUNE 8^th after worship. For information, contact Kate Reynolds kreynolds@sanctuarycrc.org.

Looking to be in a small group: contact Summer Mohrlang smohrlang@sanctuarycrc.org.

We are looking for Green Bean Volunteers. Torrey Edwards can help connect you. tedwards@sanctuarycrc.org

PRAYERS –

God, we pray your healing hand on Patty Morgan Smith as she recovers from blood clots in her lungs at Swedish Hospital.

Holy Spirit, bless Jeremy and Reba Jacobs on their Hawaiian honeymoon.

Jesus, we continue to pray for victims of natural disasters in China and Myanmar, that you would bring healing, hope and consolation.

Lord, be with all the couples expecting babies among us. We pray for deep joy and great health as due dates approach.

God, thank you too, for our church plants. Please give growth and strength to The House, Awake, Dust and Word of Truth churches as they reach unchurched people in our city.

REFLECTIONS – on Acts 17:10-15  “Bein’ Berean”

Here is some background for our text today. The spread of Gospel to Gentiles is blowing up rapidly. As the Jesus movement grows, there are concerns about what the true message of Jesus is. In Acts 15, we see the early leaders of the Christian Church from all over gather to sort things out and get on the same page We call this the JERUSALEM COUNCIL. The essence of the Jerusalem Council was to arrive “what are we ALL ABOUT ALL THE TIME AND IN EVERY PLACE” (the belief of the broad representation of those who are God’s family).

After the Council, a letter of affirmation and core beliefs was sent to the far edges of where Christianity was spreading. The letter, sent by the council, to new believers and new churches by all of the highest leaders of the church (The Apostles) was delivered by Paul and a new man we meet today, named Silas. The Apostles wrote a document, but wanted to personalize it and give it impact by sending emissaries to read it, discuss it and practice it with the new Christians throughout the Roman Empire. You know about Paul. As for Silas, he was “a leading man among the brothers” (Acts 15). He winds up teaming with Paul and others and is known to have risked his life for the sake of Jesus many times and is eventually martyred.

What gets delivered to the churches in what is now Greece, goes first to Thessalonica, then to Berea and beyond. It is a pure and clear and universally acceptable message about Jesus is authorized and sent. It is an unencumbered message. Jesus suffered, died and rose again. Jesus is Messiah (for Jews) and Lord (of all). This is an unencumbered message: JESUS. Not Jewish rituals + Jesus. Not politics + Jesus. Not social stands + Jesus. Not rules and regulations of religiosity + Jesus. Jesus + Jesus + More Jesus + call to live like, with and for Jesus.

Paul and Silas take the message way far into the frontier of where the Good News of Jesus is being told. They arrive in Thessalonica, which is located in what we know as modern day Greece. (you can read about this in Acts 17:1-10). They go to the Jewish synagogue and Preach the story of Jesus. In Thessalonica, some very prominent and well regarded men and WOMEN respond to the Jesus message. As the Gospel moves north, we see an incredible rise in the number of times women are mentioned. Women become key leaders and sponsors of the precious message of Jesus.

The history book of the New Testament refutes doctrines of policies prohibiting women in leadership, prominence in the community, and key leadership roles IN THE CHURCH. I truly believe that movements today that empower “male leadership only” and “protection of women” lack Biblical Understanding of the EGALITARIAN nature of Leadership in the world as demonstrated by the CREATION STORY in Genesis, and many New Testament texts, including this one today. Clearly, women responding to the Gospel and leading was a hindrance to some established groups, such as the Jews, who practiced a very patriarchal form of societal structure, which even placed women and children in separate areas of buildings for the worship of God. NOT SO with the JESUS MOVEMENT…then or TODAY.

Some Jews who either reject Jesus altogether, or accept Jesus, but want all believers to follow Jewish rituals and laws get jealous and angry. They capture Paul and Silas. They incite a riot to rally people against the apostles and their teaching. They accuse Paul and Silas of heresy. They accuse them as “these men who have turned the world upside down” (WOULDN’T YOU LOVE TO BE ACCUSED OF THIS!!). They try to get the authorities on their side by saying Paul and Silas are DISSING on the Emperor Claudius…and the Roman Empire.

Luckily, Paul and Silas are allowed to escape Thessalonica with their lives after a fellow named Jason, pays a bribe to have them released.

They now move deeper into the frontier of of the Christian movement in Greece, to a city named BEREA, which is 50-60 miles Southwest of Thessalonica on the way to Athens. This is a long, hurried trip. We read now about the journey to and arrival in Berea.

¹⁰ The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. ¹¹ Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. ¹² Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men. ¹³ But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea also, they came there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds. ¹⁴ Then the brothers immediately sent Paul off on his way to the sea, but Silas and Timothy remained there. ¹⁵ Those who conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens, and after receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they departed.

A few Thoughts about our Text. Notice where Paul and Silas Go…They go to the Jewish synagogue, just like Thessalonica. Christianity is a JESUS MOVEMENT born out of Judaism and the apostle’s always start the message in a Jewish religious location if there is one. So in spite of bad results in Thessalonica, they are on to another synagogue. You have to love the courage and the consistency. Just like in Thessalonica, many people hear the Jesus Message and say yes to God and begin the Christian Journey. Among the key converts: Leading men and WOMEN.

But, the biggest encouragement is that there is no backlash in Berea from the establishment folks. IN FACT, the Berean people were said to be of: NOBLE MINDS “eugenesteros”. This Greek word means to be high minded. It breaks down like this as a Greek  Word:  EU – good, GENE – birth – STEROS – solid composition. This word is used repeatedly in Greek to describe a character trait of being OPEN MINDED.

Open minded doesn’t mean being EMPTY HEADED, nor does it mean BEING WISHY WASHY or COMPROMISING  or ACCOMODATING. It means to be able to LISTEN WELL, STUDY AND REFLECT HAR and Respond AUTHENTICALLY.

HERE is what the Berean’s did:

The Bereans received the word with all eagerness,

Our deep need to examine the world views of the day. Our deep need to think through what is taught in this and other churches…About the uniqueness of Jesus. The authority of scripture. Key issues like the roles of men and women, sexuality, racism and other social issues.

The Bereans were found examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

Our deep need to study Scirpture seriously and GET BIBLICAL LITERATE AND BIBLICALLY INFORMED. WE CAN GET ON THE MAT AND WRESTLE WIT THE BIBLE>>>BUT WE HAVE TO GET INTO IT.

There Bereans response was that Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men.

Those who responded did so genuinely and did so in FAITH. To live in FAITH is to place the very weight of one’s life on what they believe…to think, act and totally live out what we arrive at as THE TRUTH. And if we read on in our text, we see that many BEREAN Christians join in leading the JESUS MOVEMENT. Paul and some new leaders go to Athens. Timothy and Silas stay and build leaders in and around Berea. Other leaders spread out to share the LOVE AND GRACE OF GOD that comes to us in JESUS throughout the Roman Empire.

That’s what we are about here….gathering as a community of BEREANS…Hearing about what GOD IS DOING … In Greenwood, In Seattle, in INDIVIDUAL LIVES…what  God’s Spirit is doing all around the world…and WE ARE THOSE WHO SEARCH AND KNOW THE SCRIPTURES TO BALANCE EXPERIENCE Of GOD’s SPIRIT WITH THE AUTHORITYAND CLARITY OF  HIS WORD AND THEN GO EVERYWHERE TO SPREAD THE NEWS THAT GOD IS WITH US IN JESUS CHRIST.

So…Go out in the Power of the Spirit and make it a GREAT WEEK!!

Much Love,

Dr. Randy L. Rowland

2854 NW 59th Street

Seattle, WA  98107

USA

206.953.0909

www.sanctuarycrc.org