Authentic Christianity: Counting the Cost (Part 2 of 2)

And God's calling seems to me the Christians in the world today where ever we live in our little Christian communities. We love our neighbors. We care for those who are in chaos. We put on display what God is like we are at beach Ray Vander Long was with us last time, encouraging us to live passionately and authentically for Christ in a broken hurting world and he's back again today with more encouragement to live out your faith vibrantly. I'm John Fuller in your host for Focus on the Family is author and focus Pres. Jim Daly John the word of God is so deep and Ray Vander lawn.

He loves to take us of that depth of Scripture, sometimes as Christians we can live kind of in that shallow end.

Were we don't deepen our faith the way it should be God's heart is for us and he wants that kind of relationship with us. Array is the founder of that the world may know ministries and we partner with them to produce the DVD series that the world may know, I'm sure some of you have seen at least one of those DVD episodes today were going to look at Paul's second missionary journey drawing from the content and set 15 of that DVD series. It is called a clash of kingdoms and we have that here at Focus on the Family. Just call 800 K and the word family.

Every vendor lawn is a Bible teacher at Holland Christian schools in Holland, Michigan. He leads Bible related tours to the holy land and he is a phenomenal guest list, go ahead and join now the second part of the conversation with Ray on today's episode of Focus on the Family Ray, welcome back.

Thank you to be here everybody, let's put on our seatbelts to be sitting in the class basically that the RBL which we affectionately call Ray pretend you're sitting in his history classes biblical history class back at Holland Christian school and that you can learn so much and I'm excited to get to it Ray.

We ended last time with Paul and Silas in jail and how the Lord brought that earthquake broke it open. People were free to leave.

But that they chose not to. And they honored the jailer in that way.

Paul then goes with the jailer to his entire household preaches the gospel. They become Christian teachers the jailer what it means overnight ends up back in jail the next morning to make sure the jailer is not harmed by the Romans for not doing his duty fascinating application to us about what it means to engage the culture how we put others first. When Scripture does say love your neighbor as yourself. That's kind of a demonstration that what Paul was doing for the jailer wasn't.

It was absolutely and the result at the end is you now have a household.

We have no idea how many could have been a dozen or more a household that follows Jesus. So here in this dark city that knew little of God shalom.

There's a little community of people who are living who are putting the Jesus way on display to their neighbors. The story ends with Paul going to the house of someone named Lydia after this jail moment and greeting the believers. Maybe the jailer was there too and then heading on to go to the next stop. Down the road that Lydia story actually precedes the jail story.

There's little background to that makes a profound point for who we are as well in the 21st century. As followers of Jesus talking to a Roman colony as a Roman citizen, we noted he didn't use his citizenship right away and the Bible says when he got there he went down to the river expecting to find a place of prayer, where Jews would be.

Now think about that for a moment that meant there was a Jewish community in Philippi already present before Paul got there apparently were living out their faith enough that they had begun to attract pagan Romans, because in the group that's praying is a Gentile woman, a wealthy woman, a dealer in purple named Lydia and so she was worshiping with the Jews. Nothing about that how God had been drawing this woman not by Christians but by Jews who were there before the Christian message even got there she was wealthy as you would expect because by this time, purple was an Imperial color and you were permitted to wear that in just any situation so she had to have some interaction with the Imperial household with Caesar's household. Anyway, Paul came in he prayed with that group of people praying down by the river.

And then he shared Jesus with an Lydia believed and accepted Jesus along with whatever Jewish understanding she had before that and her house. She said now you come to my house.

I insist, and her house becomes the meeting place for the new believers know what you think about something as this blew my mind. I have to give because the skull is Aris my my Greek professor friend all the credit for pointing this out to me when he wrote his email to these believers. We call it the, the epistle to the Philippians he said our citizenship as believers is in heaven. Now think about that in Philippi. Every other citizen said our citizenship is in Rome were Roman colony were here to show you what Rome is like were here to show you all the benefits of being moment and Paul says no, our citizenship is in heaven. We are a little colony of people meeting in Lydia's house and the jailer's house leaving as if we were in heaven are ready. We love each other we love our neighbors. We care for those who are in chaos. We put on display what God is like we are at beach at and God's call. It seems to me to Christians in the world today wherever we live in our little Christian communities is not insulation and isolation but to say our citizenship is in heaven.

You want to taste all will be much more glorious. Obviously, since still here but you want a taste of what heaven is like come and meet with her colony. That is good and that amazing it is social and and I want to say this in the take this absolutely the right way. It is been such a privilege for me to work with Focus on the Family all these years because as I look at your ministry. I like to think of your ministry as a colony building ministry you are training people how to live more like there a colony of heaven in their marriages in their parenting in in everything they do. You want people to follow Jesus and in a sense you're helping to shape that colony that God can use to draw our culture and Ray I'm tracking with you. I mean you've made this such a winsome message but I'm thinking I'm to go home and tomorrow and then wake up and I'm not can have your words ringing in my ears quite as much, as I have today. So how McKenna pushed through tomorrow's busyness and the challenges and the friction in a cigarette irate question that for each of us as followers of Jesus is always the question, two things come to my mind that so much answers but reflections one is it only works in community. I can't do this either by myself. I just don't have the stamina. I don't have the commitment to stay after it. I'm too easily distracted and get back into my is supplying my own providing for my own needs and I'm not so concerned about how I may be a message to others. So I think you need community don't go alone. You won't remain a disciple of Jesus.

If you are today. If you're out there alone.

I think that's huge.

And if you think about this Philippi letter Paul left Philippi, not with 25 believers each in their own little world.

He left with at least two colonies, the jailer's and Lydia's so there was a community of people that can hold each other accountable and that has made a huge difference in my life and that may be a big difference from modern world true from the ancient world is that accountability when we hide a lot easier today. Even though we have so much more access to things we hide more successfully in our heart and that that's a danger I think every needs accountability of some sort, neighbor, friends, or Internet friends not exactly right. We unfriend them we best friend ever, but I really miss you this before he moved to Thessalonica, which we we are going to hit that comparison with room if you like history and your listening right now I'm there. I love history so I'm always thinking God.

How does the US. How does Canada. How do states today. How do they apply to the Roman Empire when you were talking about heat all the setups about Rome.

I think your boy could be saying about the US look at our grandeur. Look at our freedoms. Look at the democracy that we promote around the world in many ways we are that that kingdom. The US it's the superpower.

How do we compare government that mean they're not a pure democracy or Republic.

The way we know it today. Back in the room and time how do we make the reference to today's US government and the Roman Empire and that question is run run through my head a thousand times as we put this together, particularly in the season we live in a couple of things.

One, I tried really hard not to make this a political message. Paul didn't all the opportunities he had to attack the Empire and the Emperor for all of its I mean it was horrendous how brutal it was in some ways, and he never did what he did easy proclaim Jesus but as you as you're saying when you proclaim and live Jesus you critique the culture around you.

Without saying a word. That's really the Thessalonica lesson is how Paul spoke the truth about Jesus and it instantly critiqued their world. What I say to people about our own country is, we do have an advantage on the Roman situation and that is our origins come out of a Christian worldview right but we have to be really careful that we don't identify our particular country as God's Christian community. We have large Christian communities. We have wonderful Christian elements to our democracy. But it's the church that is the people of God, and that's an important thing, so we are proud to be American or Canadian we support our country. We stand up for a country we may even serve in this service to defend our country, but we do so as Christians. Paul was a Christian first and a Roman second and I think that's really an important distinction.

That's why he doesn't use his citizenship when it would've gotten him out of jail because he is an ulterior motive. He wants to reach people not because he's a Roman but because he is a follower of his neck could stir a lot of hearts because I know there's a great passion in that area of politics, and certainly administrations and people lobby for power. You know we want certain things here focus. We want life to be honored again. I'm really would love to see Roe V Wade overturned, we would love to see marriage honored as God designed it and all those things, but there is a reality that culture, we cannot control culture, but we should be able to do better at our behavior and that's what you're saying and we need to be righteous. Politically so. I am strongly in favor of using whatever political opportunity we have to bring about righteousness, but that must never ever replace being a living example of what were talking about all I sang the capture of her exactly.

That's where I fear.

Sometimes we lose track.

We speak truth.

We argue for righteousness, but we don't necessarily live as an example of what that looks like in our own lives in our own community going that really undercuts the gospel were kind describing modern times, but this is Thessalonica as well. So let's move to Thessalonica. Give us the backdrop Paul and Silas are leaving Philippi. The move now toward Thessalonica, we think is in their mind about that goal. That's a good question as well as you look at the sequence of what happened. One of the things you should note as you look at the Philippi story in the book of Philippians is that Paul Paul's enemy like Jesus enemy was not an evil empire Jesus enemy wasn't Herod. It wasn't Pilate. It wasn't the Emperor's enemy was the evil one. And Paul does the same thing he doesn't see Rome as his enemy. He doesn't see for all its immorality.

He realizes that the greater enemy is the evil one. However, the evil one often seduces others and even whole institutions to being his instruments and in that sense Rome was that in some ways.

So Paul leaves apparently happy leaves behind at least two colonies. If we can use that term and he goes down the road about 100 miles to the next major city of Thessalonica. The history Thessalonica is interesting and this is going to get Paul into a confrontation much more directly with Imperial Rome.

Not with Roman custom, like those slaveowners were angry because they lost their income.

But this time Imperial Rome. But he does it not by attacking Rome.

Let me show you. So Paul came to Thessalonica went first to the Jews in the synagogue like he always does, and God fears there as well and he began to teach about Jesus didn't address the Emperor but the language she used was language that the Imperial Romans used as well so he came with the gospel, but in Rome gospel wasn't an official term for a message about a new Emperor or in the Emperor's victory or in Emperor's coronation, so when I say I bring you the gospel, the Thessalonica and would've said oh you mean about Caesar about Jesus. There's another gospel that implies or Paul talks about Jesus is the Savior of the world that shows up on many of Caesar's callings. He was the Savior of the world, save means he defeated our enemies. He brought us peace and prosperity. Paul came to say Jesus is the Savior of the world says that in Thessalonians, and they said Savior of the world you mean Caesar right now Jesus, Paul talks about Jesus is Lord he uses that 43 times in the two books of the Thessalonians. Lord was an official title for the Emperor where we might say, Mr. Pres., you said, Lord.

So when Paul came and said I want to bring you the gospel, the good news that Jesus Savior of the world is Lord.

People said Caesar right no Jesus, and he does that with the word peace as well, often on Roman inscriptions.

It will talk about the piece of Rome Pax Romana which Caesar is credited for bringing I will bring you.

He says peace and security. There's an alternate at pre-nest day that I love to look at because on one side it says peace and on the other side says security and it's an imperial altar to make an offering to divine Caesar. Paul comes and in his letter to the Thessalonians that when you hear them say, peace and security. Then watch out because what comes a sudden destruction. In other words, when you speak and live for Jesus, you will always critique the culture around you and Paul didn't criticize the upper Paul didn't criticize Rome, at least not anywhere in the Bible, and yet he stirred up such a riot that they dragged him again into the Agoura and they said, are they dragged his followers into the Agoura and said he's claiming there's another king besides Caesar named Jesus right. I want my life to do that. I want my life to be lived in such a way that people around me say he's got a different king than we do. He's got a different loyalty than we do. He's got a commitment to it different authority than we do. And so Paul's confrontation with Imperial Rome was not a critique, a criticism of the political structures of his day. Paul's engagement was to speak and live the truth and it became a living critique of the culture around him, and that again you know for the Focus on the Family listener for the follower of Jesus is the risk we Christians are always going to take if we persistently and consistently live for Jesus, our life will always critique the unrighteousness of a culture in which we live, editor what the culture and RBL. I want to clarify this because this is such a great teaching point. When you look at the history of Scripture what the New Testament was referring to when you say living that life and being an illustration of bringing God's peace into this chaotic world when you're living that it will self critique. You don't have to go out of your way to be hated is my point.

Don't have to go up to the center and wagged her finger in their face and say, look what you're doing you don't really you don't see that illustrated you see what I see is a calm response from disciples from the Lord himself. He walked on this earth appealing to that person. And where they're at today. The woman at the well, it's true you been with five men that it wasn't a finger wagging your lease. You don't get that sense the Lord was appealing to her heart and that you're in pain you're in chaos. Let me tell you a way out and that's in a relationship with Jesus Christ. It's not an aggressive stance. It's different, but speak to the person who believes that culture war is the endgame that this is how we retrieve everything.

This is how we reestablish home in the American context and how that may be a dead end unit brings me back in my mind to what we started with in the previous broadcast when chaos came to God shalom.

He decided to reclaim his broken world using human partners and he asked his human partners to be the message to be a living example of what shalom looks like be a light be witnesses, make my name known be the bearer of my presence be a kingdom of priests that show the world what I'm like and never throughout the scriptural story. Do I hear God saying go to your culture and condemn them or criticize them in a cruel and unrighteous way rather live out the alternative.

Now that will always engender a reaction is going to get us persecuted. It's going to get us slandered.

It's going to get us dislike some people will believe many will choose to be feel criticized, but the criticism has to be because we live. The alternative, not because were judgmental and we have to be the message and if I'm a nonbeliever, a judge mental critical person is not going to convince me that that's what shalom looks like right and RBL in Thessalonians, that's Ripoll crafts that beautiful message about putting on the armor of God that course if your warrior that sounds great. The armor of God, I'm a take that spirit throw it right through that bad person's heart is not what he said.

The armor of God is spiritually defined, take us through that past line. That's interesting in Thessalonica because Thessalonica was the city that Alexander set out from to conquer the whole world, so it had this proud and militaristic attitude about it and Paul makes a reference in Thessalonians as well to the armor got not to the detail he does in Ephesus, but if you think about is the breastplate of righteousness. It's the, the, the sandals of shalom my walk, I say to my students and and I hope you take this the right way. I think many of us as Christians or streakers. We want the helmet of salvation, but the rest of the much work right know if I'm saved, why do all the work to get the breastplate of righteousness.

That's hard and constant work. But the thing that rings so powerfully to me is Paul ends it by saying ON your sword, your sword is the word of God. The weapon we wheeled in a godly way. Of course, is the Bible writes that anger is not retribution. It's exactly we need to speak the words of God truth. Now here's the observation is easier to speak things than it is to do things.

That's the bottom line and we human beings if were honest were kinda lazy. You know we want comfort. We want leisure that was very true. The Roman this is where the analogy is really close.

That's true the Roman and the Greek Hellenistic worldview, right pleasure, leisure right, power, pleasure, leisure, man that cuts pretty close to us and they RBL and that's us today to we want the Jacuzzi and I would just invite any listener to take a look at what we did with Paula Phillippi in Thessalonica because if there ever was a hero who passionately lived every single moment to put God on display. It's Paul and Macedonia's amazing well. It's great. And this is what you learn in the new release of that the Rome I know set 15 and I'm telling you it's this is meet, you know, Paul talks about the milk of the heart and the meat of the word.

This is the meat of the word and beginning to connect these dots RBL for that person that may not understand the metaphors there new to the faith. Or maybe they just haven't gone any deeper in the faith. They don't understand ships and goats and some of the things that the Scriptures describing they want to. What would you say to them in terms of deepening their understanding as a teacher, I think there's a number of things I would encourage them to do. One is always be a person of the word and be always willing to ask the question of why is it said that way by green pastures. Why is God living water. Why is he the living bread asked the question to be part of a community where there are in that community.

Others with so we say more experience in reading the Bible contextually because it's the context that supplies the background to why a certain metaphor works and why. Another doesn't. And I was encourage people to say don't be embarrassed about your own last night by said to a Jewish person once how the world am I ever going to know as much about this is you do. He again looked at me funny and he said no and asks you God doesn't ask you.

He said to know as much as I do God ask you do you know one more thing today than you did yesterday and I think that such a great way to go through life.

I don't ever want to arrive and say well I figured out some of these metaphor so I don't need to know I want to wake up in the morning as I wonder why it said that way.

And then maybe by the end of that day I can know one more thing about the truth of God's word can certainly expand and enrich your own understanding of the Scripture and the context of various passages when you get a copy of that the world may know, set 15 deferred ratio very passionately about some of the truth listens in that DVD and we encourage you to request that when you get in touch. Our number is 880 family 800 the letter a in the word family or click the link in the episode notes and we should mention John that people are calling us asking for help in these very difficult days.

They need encouragement and you can help us to bring God shalom to those who are hurting by sending a gift in partnering with us in ministry and with the gift of any amount will say thank you by sending a copy of DVD set 15 from that the world may know, it's called a clash of kingdoms along with the study guide. Also, don't forget that when you send a gift today. Your gift will be double because of some generous supporters are Focus on the Family they will match your donation dollar for dollar so please respond today and Jim were in wrap up today with the closing thought from Ray, you'd asked him about the rejection or negative reaction that we might receive when we live out our faith in Christ in our communities of the way I think Rabbi Jonathan Sacks set it on the lecture I heard him give is that a life lived a righteous life and I'm not quoting and paraphrasing, but a righteous life will always critique and unrighteous life and so if I'm living my faith, it will always be heard as a critique of someone who lives by a different worldview so I always worry when I'm not facing opposition. I was wonder if maybe it's because I'm not living my faith that distinctly that others feel critiqued and I don't mean critique in a critical, cruel, judgmental way.

I mean, if I live righteously in my marriage the neighbor down the street who may be living in alternative way, in marriage will feel critiqued, not because I judged him or her or criticized him or her, but because my very life speaks to what I believe and I think that's so important you know this may not be the time or place, but people talk about opposition and persecution in the United States and after reading the stories of Paul in Philippi and other places I've never call what I have to face persecution.

It's not I face in my position I face sometimes criticism and slander. But if I do that because my life is I'm trying to live my life faithfully before God. I think that's what he calls us to our thanks again to Ray Vander line for joining us today on Focus on the Family and again if you have any questions about the resources, including the world may know, just give us a call 800 K and the word family behalf of Jim Daly and the entire team. Thanks for joining us today for Focus on the Family I'm John Fuller inviting you back.

As we once again help you and your family thrive in Christ