Categories
Christian Living

Do You Go To an Acts 2 Church?

Acts 2 Church

I recently visited a church that upheld Acts 2:42-47 as their model for church. Shocked, I checked the passage to make sure I remembered it correctly.

Here is what the Acts 2 church looks like:

Their Four Keys

The church in Acts 2 has four priorities: studying good teaching, hanging out, sharing meals, and praying (verse 42).

That’s a great start, but many churches today don’t even do that, not really.

Their Miracles

Amazing supernatural things occur. People are amazed (verse 43).

Today, most churches don’t encounter miracles or anything supernatural. They forgot how or never learned. And for many who do walk in the power of the Holy Spirit, their focus is on the experience, not on people’s reaction.

Their emphasis is backwards. The purpose of “signs and wonders” isn’t to gratify themselves. It’s to show God’s power, pointing outsiders to him, not delighting insiders.

Their Finances

The kicker is that they pool their resources; they even sell their possessions to give to everyone in need. The church takes care of their own (verses 44 and 45).

Too many churches today do not even care for the needs of their members; they expect government or some other organization to. And I’ve never encountered a church that shares all their material possessions. That’s just un-American!

Their Pattern

They continue to hang out—every day—and share food. They are delighted (verse 46).

I don’t know of any church family that meets every day, but the Acts 2 church did.

Their Results

Because of all this, others esteem them and they grow (verse 47).

Too often today’s churches don’t have the respect of society but quite the opposite. Too many churches aren’t growing; they’re not even maintaining; they’re dying.

However, none of the things the church did in Acts 2 are commands for us to follow. The passage is descriptive; it shows what the church did and the outcome they enjoyed. It may be a viable model for us to follow.

Unfortunately, many churches today don’t even practice these four key actions; supernatural results are rare; and sharing everything is virtually nonexistent.

Is it any wonder why churches aren’t respected by society or growing? Perhaps they’re doing church wrong and not more closely following the Acts 2 model.

[Acts 2:42-47]

Read more about the book of Acts in Tongues of Fire: 40 Devotional Insights for Today’s Church from the Book of Acts, available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Bible Insights

Omission or Addition in the Bible?

Prayer or prayer and fasting

After prior discussions about adding to or taking away from the Bible, it gives one pause in considering footnotes in some translations, which effectively note that a certain phrase or verse is “not found in all manuscripts.”

Consider the Lord’s Prayer. The end is one such example: “For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever” (Matthew 6:9-13).

Or when the disciples can’t cast out a demon and Jesus says, “This kind can come out only by prayer.” The footnote adds “…and fasting” (Mark 9:29). Which is it? Prayer or prayer and fasting?

The largest such passage is the conclusion to Mark’s gospel, where the last twelve (Mark 16:8–20 ) verses are not included in all manuscripts.

So is it an error to include them or an error to exclude them? In these, and all other instances, I think that it is wise to include them. Here is why.

As a writer, I often revise my own work to improve it, such as adding something that I forgot or to correct imprecise wording. Sometimes this occurs after it its initial publication. It’s likely that biblical writers did the same.

As an editor I sometimes change a writer’s words to clarify what is unclear or confusing. Scribes who made copies of the Bible may have done the same, albeit with much more care and consideration.

So I’m not concerned with minor differences between the ancient manuscripts. The overall message remains unaltered and the additional text adds clarity and fullness.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Mark 8-10, and today’s post is on Mark 9:29.]

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

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Visiting Churches

A Different Venue (Visiting Church #16)

Different Venue

The church we visited this Sunday is a nondenominational gathering that meets in a public school auditorium. In some parts of the United States it’s unheard of for a church to meet in a government building, but in our area, it is not.

Though some would overreach, citing a need for “separation of church and state,”

I see this as a wise way to increase the use of public buildings, generate revenue for the school, and save the church from needing to purchase and maintain a facility.

52 Churches: A Yearlong Journey Encountering God, His Church, and Our Common Faith

It’s an older building but with an updated auditorium complete with theater seating, movable armrests, and cup holders—beverages and snacks are a prominent part of their gathering. The auditorium has a sloped floor for easy viewing.

The main level seats about 225 and is mostly full; I’m not sure about the balcony.

Casually dressed, people of all ages fill the place. The worship team is much like what we’ve seen at other contemporary services, as is the “teaching,” though it’s more informal.

The pastor sits on a stool while speaking, weaves pop culture into his message, and banters a bit with some people in the front.

There’s more AV technology in play than we’ve seen so far. They use cameras to project the pastor’s image on the large screen behind him. If song lyrics or Bible verses aren’t being displayed, a shot of the pastor is.

Three stationary cameras mounted on the front face of the balcony provide views from different angles.

Though they lack the ability to pan or zoom, the cameras are a nice addition and I suspect provide a welcomed alternate view from the balcony.

There are many things I like about this church, the service, the pastor, and the message, but I’m most impressed with their use of technology and especially their venue.

[Read about Church #15 and Church #17, start at the beginning of our journey, or learn more about Church #16.]

My wife and I visited a different Christian Church every Sunday for a year. This is our story. Get your copy of 52 Churches today, available in ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Bible Insights

Onesimus, the Useful One

Onesimus the useful one

The Runaway Slave

The focus of Paul’s letter to Philemon is Onesimus, the runaway slave. Ironically, Onesimus means “useful.”

After Onesimus flees, he encounters Jesus through Paul. Paul mentors the escaped slave and the two begin working together.

However, it is not right for him to remain with Paul—even though what they are doing is important. To do so would be to defraud Philemon of Onesimus’s labor.

So Paul encourages the runaway to return to his master, despite the risk it involves. A recaptured slave could have been punished or imprisoned for an attempted escape.

To facilitate a positive reunion, Paul writes a letter to Philemon, pleading that mercy be accorded his salve.

While we don’t explicitly know the outcome of this drama, we can reasonably deduce it.

First, Paul’s petition on Onesimus’s behalf is so powerfully worded that it is hard to image anyone not complying.

Second, in the only other mention of Onesimus in the Bible, Paul announces that he is sending him and Tychicus to the people of Colossi. Paul also affirms the runaway slave as being faithful and a dear brother.

Since this trip could not have reasonably occurred prior to him returning to Philemon, it can be safely assumed that Philemon did as Paul requested, allowing his slave to return to Paul to work with him on Philemon’s behalf.

This would put Onesimus in a position to take a trip to Colossi.

At last Onesimus can be useful indeed—to both Paul and Philemon, as well as to the Colossians and to God. This all happened because he did the right thing, returning to his master despite the risk.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Colossians 1-4 and today’s post is on Colossians 4:7-9.]

Read about more biblical characters in The Friends and Foes of Jesus, now available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Categories
Bible Insights

The Victory and Despair of Jephthah

Another judge, who is prominently noted in the book of Judges is Jephthah. Jephthah, the son of a prostitute which doesn’t say much for his dad was exiled from his people.

However, when they became oppressed by a foreign power, they turned to him, asking for his help.

Eventually he agreed to their petition, doing exactly what they asked.

In his zeal for victory, however, he made an ill-advised vow to God. He promised God that if he were granted success, he would sacrifice the first thing he saw when he returned home.

Tragically, it was his daughter—his only child—who first greeted him upon his victorious homecoming.

Distraught over his rash promise, his daughter urged him to do exactly as he had pledged.

It is unclear to me if this was to be a literal sacrifice, as Abram almost did with Isaac, or a figurative sacrifice of giving her over to God’s service, as Samuel’s mother did with him.

Regardless, Jephthah’s reckless pledge resulted in a painful and regrettable loss for the otherwise victorious Jephthah.

We can learn from Jephthah’s foolhardy words, guarding carefully what we say and promise.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Judges 10-12, and today’s post is on Judges 10:6-12:7.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”
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Bible Insights

What to Do When the Bible Doesn’t Make Sense

Bible doesn’t make sense

Discover How to Grapple with Difficult Passages in Scripture

When we read the Bible, it’s human nature to dwell on the parts we like and skim the parts that confuse us. We camp out at the many passages in the Bible that offer comfort.

And we skip the parts that confound us, the passages when the Bible doesn’t make sense.

Though this is our tendency—both yours and mine—this isn’t what we should do when we come across a passage that doesn’t make sense.

Our confusion should be a hint for us to slow down and try to understand these perplexing verses.

As an example, consider Mark 16:17-18. The passage lists five miraculous signs given to those who believe. Jesus says these traits will go with those who follow him. They will:

  • Cast out demons
  • Speak in new languages
  • Safely handle snakes
  • Be unharmed by drinking poison
  • Heal the sick

What do we do with this list?

Dismiss It

The theology of some is to dismiss it entirely. They think supernatural power died with the disciples.

Because they don’t want to deal with any of the items Mark mentions, they formulate a theology—with little biblical support—to write off the entire list.

Yet the same folks will still pray for sick people. Isn’t that asking for healing?

Justify Ignoring It

This part of the book of Mark contains a note that this passage doesn’t appear in all manuscripts.

Therefore, some people use this as a justification to ignore the last twelve verses of Mark, which also includes the great commission, to go into all the world and preach the good news.

But if we ignore the part of this passage that we don’t like because it isn’t in every manuscript, don’t we also have to ignore the part we like?

If the Bible doesn’t make sense, we can’t have it both ways, keeping the parts we like and ignoring the rest.

Skip It

As I mentioned, it’s human nature to skim or skip Bible passages that confuse us or don’t nicely fit in to our understanding of God and faith.

But when the Bible doesn’t make sense and a passage confronts our theology, we should do just the opposite.

We should slow down and strive to make sense of it.

Seek Holy Spirit Insight When the Bible Doesn’t Make Sense

The Bible often mentions three of these items on this list. It frequently talks about Jesus’s followers healing the sick and casting out demons. It also says we will speak in languages we don’t know.

Even if we don’t regularly see these three elements in our life, we would be foolish to let our experience trump what the Bible teaches.

When it comes to the drinking poison part, the Bible says when we drink poison, that is, if we drink poison. This suggests accidentally ingesting it, in which case we won’t face harm.

I’m okay with this. Safety from poison seems reasonable, and I can accept that in faith.

The difficult part for me is the part about safely handling snakes. Indeed a few groups include snake handling as part of their worship experience. That creeps me out. It seems unwise and wrongly putting God to a test (consider Luke 4:12).

Yet the Bible mentions snake handling as one of the five miraculous signs that will accompany those who believe in Jesus. Though I really want to cross out this phrase in my Bible and embrace the other four, I can’t.

The snakes reference seems misplaced.

But the Holy Spirit encourages me to seek other occurrences of snakes in the Bible and then meditate on them.

The Bible mentions snakes eleven times, as well as the singular form of snake twenty-five times and the related word serpent twenty-two times (in the NIV).

I’m reminded that:

Could this protection from snakes be figurative and not literal?

I don’t know.

I’m still trying to figure out how to best understand this passage about handling snakes. The Holy Spirit is still giving me insight.

What I do know is that just because I don’t understand this verse—yet—that doesn’t mean I should write it off.

Instead I’ll continue to consider this passage, under Holy Spirit guidance, until he reveals truth to me.

That’s how I read and study Scripture, even when the Bible doesn’t make sense.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”
​
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Visiting Churches

A Glimpse into the Future (Visiting Church #15)

Future

Sunday we visited our third United Methodist Church. I enjoyed all three, even though this one’s in sharp contrast to the other two. Based on our experience, it’s an anomaly for their denomination.

I consider them an “outlier congregation,” a group unlike the norm, one that may be an enigma to their denominational leadership.

52 Churches: A Yearlong Journey Encountering God, His Church, and Our Common Faith

Their website says we “will find a laid back coffee house atmosphere” with “an unconventional setting where a blend of people…can gather and feel at home.” The website is correct.

The building was formerly a corporate headquarters, so it’s laid out like a business, not a church, but it works nicely anyway. With seating for about 150, it’s spacious and smartly decorated.

Three videos are used during the service: one to start it, one to preview the message, and one during a time of healing prayer.

Having people come forward for prayer is a welcomed first on our journey. There’re two prayer teams and plenty of takers, with this portion of the service lasting several minutes.

They anoint people with oil and pray for them, but they don’t publically share their needs or the prayers.

The music provides a comforting background, with hugs of gratitude as the typical response. It’s a beautiful thing and I’m glad to witness it.

As an “outlier congregation” this church parallels church #8, “A Bold Experiment.”

These churches may be the result of their respective denominations’ attempts to move into the future or merely the reluctant willingness of leadership to allow them to try something new.

Regardless, they advance God’s kingdom.

Will they be a short-lived experiment or a glimpse into the future? I hope and pray it is the latter.

[Read about Church #14 and Church #16, start at the beginning of our journey, or learn more about Church #15.]

My wife and I visited a different Christian Church every Sunday for a year. This is our story. Get your copy of 52 Churches today, available in ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Categories
Bible Insights

Inherit Eternal Life

eternal life

The Bible tells the story of a rich young ruler who asks Jesus the question: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”

His use of the word inherit is interesting—and a bit confounding.

His question implies that salvation is inherited. Is this a misconception of the man posing the question? Surely we cannot inherit a right relationship with God from our parents or relatives.

This is not a condition that is passed on to us, but one we need to seek and receive on our own.

The man’s use of the word inherit, however, does imply that eternal life is a gift given after the death of a benefactor and it can’t be earned. These conclusions are both true.

We do not earn our future life in heaven; it is given to us.

And, yes, someone had to die before we could receive this inheritance, but it’s not a relative; it’s Jesus.

Jesus died so we could have life. Thank you, Jesus!

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Luke 16-18 and today’s post is on Luke 18:18.]

Read about more biblical characters in The Friends and Foes of Jesus, now available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Personal Posts

What I Learned From Rabbits

what I learned from rabbits

Although I live in a rural area, my immediate surroundings are not; I reside in a subdivision. Even so, wildlife abounds.

During the non-snowy months, I can, at any given time, look out my office window and see at least one animal and usually more. I’ve spent the last five months verifying this to be true.

The most common sight is birds. Squirrels come in second; sometimes they’re in pairs: darting, jumping, chasing, climbing.

I also see rabbits; they are common, but not a daily sight (though I don’t spend my time gazing out my window either.) When I see a hare, it’s always alone, which is a bit sad to mention.

But today I saw two: hopping, playing tag, hangin’ out. Then a third one appeared. One hops to my left, the other scurries right, while the third goes in a circle. They were on the smaller side, perhaps siblings from this year’s batch.

Then to my delight, a fourth one-hopped into view. A bit larger and more deliberate in movement. I surmised this to be their mom. For quite a while I admired their comings and goings, their freedom and their life.

I’m glad I took the time to watch them frolic; it was good to slow down—and to marvel.

Do you like this post? Want to read more? Check out Peter’s book, Bridging the Sacred-Secular Divide: Discovering the Spirituality of Every Day Life, available wherever books are sold.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Categories
Christian Living

Don’t Elevate Human Traditions Over God’s Commands

human traditions

We Must Reform Our Behaviors Through the Lens of Scripture

In the Bible we see example after example of Jesus extending love, grace, and mercy to people, especially those who are searching, who don’t fit in, and who the religious leaders reject.

There’s only one group of people who Jesus regularly criticizes. Who might that be? Yep. It’s the religious leaders, especially the Pharisees who value their human traditions and practices.

Human Traditions

One time Jesus sarcastically affirms their excellence in elevating their own human traditions above God’s commands (Mark 7:9). Then he gives them an example.

From a safe distance of our perspective some two millennia later, it’s easy to see their hypocrisy.

It’s easy to shake our heads in dismay and boldly affirm that we would never do such a thing.

But we do. Every day.

It’s just that it’s hard for us to see our shortcomings when we elevate our human traditions over biblical commands. It’s as hard for us to see our hypocrisy now as it was for the Pharisees to see theirs two thousand years ago.

And I say us, because I include myself. To claim I’m impervious to this problem would be to confirm a bit of self-righteous arrogance.

What Does the Bible Say?

Though I’m not immune to placing human traditions, spiritual practices, and religious customs above what the Bible teaches, I’m always on the lookout for my failings. Please join me in this search.

We must look at everything we do with a critical eye. We must ask, “Why?”

Why do we do what we do? When it comes to church, the unexamined answer is that we’ve always done it that way. But that doesn’t make it right.

As we look at our practices, we must do so through the lens of Scripture. Does the Bible support—truly support—what we do? In many cases it doesn’t. Much of what we do on Sunday has strayed from what God commanded and Jesus desired.

Yes, we can prooftext about anything to support our actions. But that doesn’t make it right. It just gives us a smug satisfaction to ease our guilt for falling short of what God has in mind for us.

We must scrutinize everything we do through the lens of Scripture. The goal isn’t to justify the status quo of our human traditions but to reform our behavior.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”
​
​Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.