PRAYER OF CONSECRATION
Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.
Jesus, I belong to you.
I lift up my heart to you.
I set my mind on you.
I fix my eyes on you.
I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice.
Jesus, we belong to you.
Praying in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.
Acts 24:1–4
Five days later the high priest Ananias went down to Caesarea with some of the elders and a lawyer named Tertullus, and they brought their charges against Paul before the governor. When Paul was called in, Tertullus presented his case before Felix: “We have enjoyed a long period of peace under you, and your foresight has brought about reforms in this nation. Everywhere and in every way, most excellent Felix, we acknowledge this with profound gratitude. But in order not to weary you further, I would request that you be kind enough to hear us briefly.”
CONSIDER THIS
Despite the fact that I am a licensed attorney, I cannot claim knowledge of the legal system of the first century in the Middle East. However, certain features strike me as familiar and tend to support the general population’s disdain for lawyers at all times and in all places.
For starters, Tertullus begins with a sleazy schmoozy-ness in an attempt to brown-nose the judge (i.e., Your Awesomeness). Next, he makes a series of sweeping charges and allegations, only he doesn’t present any evidence in support other than the amens from the peanut gallery he brought with him from Jerusalem.
There’s a more distressing feature about these proceedings than my admitted nitpicking about lawyers. The most disturbing thing about this litigation is where it is taking place. Here we see a religious dispute among and between God’s chosen people taking place in the court system of Rome. I know, Paul pulled the citizenship lever that got it there, but he did so because of the stunning absence of even the slightest shred of civility among his accusers.
Here’s my question: Wouldn’t Tertullus have made a great mediator/arbitrator between the Jews and Paul? Couldn’t this have been resolved in a peaceful fashion? Imagine the way this kind of witness impacted all of the Roman officials involved in the proceedings, now up to about five hundred men so far. All of this must have appeared quite ridiculous to them.
While it’s impossible to sort out the ancient past along the lines of analysis I’m drawing here—and my application today is perhaps a stretch—I do think there is a word of warning for the present-day people of God. If the people of God can’t work out their own problems and grievances among themselves, we’ve got little hope of convincing outsiders that they should join our “wonderful” community.
Sure, I get it. There are qualifications here. I think of cases of abuse, particularly of children, where the civil authorities must be engaged and involved. And there are other exceptions. I will stand by the general principle though. Settle differences internally, civilly, and righteously. In other words, work things out on the way to court. Sounds like Jesus, right?
THE PRAYER OF TRANSFORMATION
Lord Jesus, I am your witness. I long to be like you.
I receive your righteousness and release my sinfulness.
I receive your wholeness and release my brokenness.
I receive your fullness and release my emptiness.
I receive your peace and release my anxiety.
I receive your joy and release my despair.
I receive your healing and release my sickness.
I receive your love and release my selfishness.
Come, Holy Spirit, transform my heart, mind, soul, and strength so that my consecration becomes your demonstration; that our lives become your sanctuary. For the glory of God our Father, amen.
THE JOURNAL PROMPTS
What impacts and effects do you see from Christians airing out their grievances with one another in the courts? I know, sometimes it’s unavoidable.
THE HYMN
Today we will sing “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah” (hymn 47) from our Seedbed hymnal, Our Great Redeemer’s Praise. Get your copy here.
For the Awakening,
J. D. Walt
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2 Responses
Wow! It amazes me how this narrative of early church history can become so relevant when viewed through the lens of present day events. Here in the book of Acts we can see what happens when Church and State are mingled. First of all, I could be wrong, but the lawyer named Tertullus sounds like a Latin name, not Hebrew. How did a Roman lawyer get involved in what seems to me to be a purely religious matter, when the Pharisees were the religious expert attorneys of their day? As to how this applies to present day legal issues involving the secular courts; criminal matters, such as sexual or child abuse, require that the state judicial system gets involved, it’s their purview. But when churches are forced to involve the civil courts in order to resolve disputes over property issues; it reveals the problem that occurs when Christ’s Church becomes a business entity rather than a familial community of faith. From the outside non-Christian world, it begs the question about who would want to be adopted into such a dysfunctional family?
“If the people of God can’t work out their own problems and grievances among themselves, we’ve got little hope of convincing outsiders that they should join our “wonderful” community.” We can’t convince people of the reality of God’s forgiveness if we are unwilling to forgive everybody who we believe has wronged us.
Jesus put it this way: “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Ending our guilt requires something much more powerful than forgiving ourselves. It requires God’s forgiveness and it requires that we forgive everyone who we believe has done us wrong. God’s forgiveness can’t be earned. It’s a free gift that God offers to whoever will receive it. How is it received?
1) Humbly and sincerely acknowledge that you desperately need God’s forgiveness and directly ask Him to forgive you. A Pharisee bragged to God about his self-righteousness, but a tax collector prayed, “God, have mercy on me a sinner.” Jesus said about the tax collector: “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
2) Renounce, resist, and reject your sinful thoughts, behaviors, and temptations and rely on God’s forgiveness instead of on your own efforts to forgive yourself. Jesus calls that repentance. He says, “Repent and believe (rely on) the Gospel.” (See Mark 1:15.)
3) Let the awareness of the cosmic, colossal price that God paid for your forgiveness by giving His only Son as the sacrifice for your sins and the for the sins of the world, sink deeply into your heart. (See John 3:16.) Fully trust in and rely on the blood of Jesus, the power of His resurrection, and the reality of “Christ in you” to be sufficient to wash away your sins and to set you free from them.
4) Surrender the rest of your life to the resurrected Jesus. Open your heart and mind to a beautiful relationship with Him. Let Him continually woo you and lead you by His glorious daily presence and amazing eternal love.
5) Forgive everyone who has ever done you wrong. Jesus put it this way: “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Why trust in the weak human concept self-forgiveness? Instead prepare the way of the Lord in your heart and your life so that you can freely receive Christ’s powerful, everlasting forgiveness. That’s the only way to truly and totally be free from guilt.