Acts 6-9

The fast growth of the early church following Pentecost soon overwhelmed the apostles. Much as with Moses in Exodus 18, it became time to develop another layer of leadership. In chapter 6, at the request of the twelve, the greater circle of disciples, which may have been the 120 that waited for Pentecost, choose other leaders, the bible's version of "the Magnificent Seven." Their job was to oversee the administrative and pastoral care of the church so that the apostles could give attention to preaching the Word and prayer. This has huge practical value for St. Luke's Lubbock. The southwest campus has a weekly attendance of approximately 175. It has a leadership structure that is best for an average attendance of 120. Its newness and excitement moving toward new facilities has allowed us to get away with that. The move into new facilities will likely grow the weekly attendance, possibly significantly. If we do not have a growing leadership structure (teachers, coordinators, congregational care givers, leadership teams), then the congregation will become dependent on a few key personalities and shrink to fit its leadership structure. The class we are sharing in together is a key part of growing and refreshing leaders at both our campuses. The formation of transition and grand opening networks of teams is as much about leadership development as it is about furnishing and programming. The neighborhood outreach effort and the expanding of congregational care at the Central Campus is as much about developing new leadership as it is about evangelism and nurture. I think of the words of Jesus to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." Notice that once these seven were deployed, the spread of the gospel picked up even more.

As important as the above discussion is, for Luke it was an entry point to tell the story of one of the seven (later he will tell of another), Stephen. His ministry was high profile enough (miracles performed)that the Jewish leadership (the Sanhedrin) arrest him and falsely charge him of blasphemy. Stephen's sermon,in Acts 7, to the Sandhedrin is bold and brash, reinterpreting the entirety of Jewish history in light of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. He becomes the first "martyr" of the new and fledgling church. A hint of things to come is given in Acts 8:1, "And Saul was there, giving approval to his death."

Another of the seven, Philip, is now featured (not the same as Philip of the Twelve), with a major ministry in Samaria. Luke expects us to remember Acts 1:8 (possibly the thesis statement of the whole book),

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

I really love what Luke writes in Acts 8:8, "So there was great joy in that city." Pray that God will say that about St. Luke's Lubbock because of our ministry in Christ's name. Peter and John also do well in Samaria (vs. 25). Simon the sorcer is hung up on the power, the technique and the marketability of what Philip is doing, but not interested in the relationship with God Philip offers. Following that Peter evangelizes a "God fearer", an Ethiopian eunuch. Many of the early Christians were god-fearers, people who had great interest in faith and followed some of the Jewish teachings, yet were Gentile. Philip leads the eunuch to Christ and baptizes him, after which Philip miraculously disappears. For me, the Ethiopian eunuch is representive of the many "seekers" in our day and time who are spiritually hungry but are not so sure about the Church. We must deploy people, the Philips of our day who will take the good news of God's love in Christ out into the streets and workplaces of Lubbock.

Chapter 9 tells the dramatic story of Saul's conversion. Saul was a Benjamite Jew, a Roman citizen, a student of the great teacher Gamaliel and a radical Pharisee. Paul was going to be a star in whatever he did, as a persecutor or as a missionary for Christ. He supervised the stoning of Stephen. But thanks to a bright and shining light, a voice from heaven and a caretaker by the name of Annanias, Saul would be transformed. This passage has been both a gift and a problem for Christians. Only a few Christians have conversions this dramatic. I rejoice that God can and does transform people so markedly. But he was not the only follower of Jesus and the conversions of people like the doubting disciples (Thomas, Phillip, Nathanael) are just as valid. Not everybody gets "blinded by the light" (Paul)or "walks on water" (Peter), but everybody can be a follower of Jesus.

Saul is openly received in Damascus, but the reception is much cooler in Jerusalem. His ministry is powerful but it also brought threats upon his life. Saul is sent off to Tarsus. From other biblical sources we know he would stay there seven years before beginning his missionary work. Hurry up and wait, so it seems. The ninth chapter then resumes the ministry of Peter with the resurrection of Tabitha. Not a bad day's reading, compared to Leviticus, eh?