Embracing the best news ever

“We gave you strict orders never again to teach in this man’s name!” he said. “Instead, you have filled all Jerusalem with your teaching about him, and you want to make us responsible for his death!”
But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than any human authority. The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead after you killed him by hanging him on a cross. Then God put him in the place of honour at his right hand as Prince and Saviour. He did this so the people of Israel would repent of their sins and be forgiven. We are witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Spirit, who is given by God to those who obey him.” Acts 5:28-32

In this passage we see religious elites responding unhealthily to the good news that Jesus’ death and resurrection brought to the people. In earlier chapters of Acts we see how the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles giving them power to explain and share the life changing implications of Jesus’ resurrection in multiple languages to many people groups. 

What was the good news being shared & taught?
And how did I come to this conviction?

Here I understand this good news they shared in the context of the bible’s big story. But, what is the big story of the bible? I believe we can understand this story very simply in eight scenes:

1. Father, son & HS in loving relationship for all eternity. The father loving the son, the son loving the father. The spirit transmitting that glorious love between them. 

2. That love overflowed in creation, including creation of man and woman in his image to enjoy relationship with.

3. But the serpent tempted them, and took them captive, seduced by the lie they could be like God, not just enjoy God.

4. Therefore sin reigned, holding generations of peoples captive in its power, separated from God's fellowship, leading to disappointment, destruction, and death.

5. But God kept a strand of relationship going throughout all those generations, revealing himself through his law, and promising one who would break the curse to deliver them from their captivity — he arrived as a baby in a manger, Jesus Christ born in Nazareth. 

6. Who, instead of killing the serpent with a sword, submitted himself to death which broke the curse and defeated the serpent. In his life giving resurrection he empowers all who look to him with the ability to enjoy restoration and relationship with God again, the reason why they are created.

7. And it’s in that era we now live, which started with those early Christians in Jerusalem speaking the truth about Jesus in multiple languages to diverse people groups. We find our life in looking to Jesus. Our captive selfish, envious, serpent-led self has been crucified with Christ in the cross. Our new self, no longer chained to the serpent, or beholden to God’s law is resurrected with Christ. Seen by God as being ‘in Christ’ we are no longer judged according to our actions or desires, but being transformed everyday, by the renewal of our minds into beautiful blessed humans sharing the love of God with those around us.

8. And one day, when the time is right, we shall join Jesus in the new heaven and the new earth he is preparing right now. We shall see an end to the serpent and his captivity for ever and enjoy eternal celebration and friendship with Jesus and His Father for ever. 

What’s not to like about this? Well! It challenges people’s world view. It defies their default paradigm. It makes them feel uncomfortable. It suggests they might be wrong. It supposes they are unable to deliver themselves. It invites them to look outside themselves for their ultimate fulfilment and satisfaction. It turns everything they know on its head!

And that is why the religious elite opposed the apostles in Acts. They saw what was happening, and resented it. 

How do you respond? How do you actually respond? 

I remember the first time I heard this message. It was not so long ago. I was baptised some 29 years, yet in that time I’d accepted a very generic view of “the gospel”. It wasn’t until recent days I was confronted with the “relational” truth presented here. I was adamant that God created us merely to fall at his feet in worship. His primary concern was his glory alone. His Son came to share his glory. His Spirit existed to transmit that glory. That is all. Everything about my preaching, my Bible study, my relationships was to make people feel small and God big. How else could I scare people into submitting more to the glory of God?

Therefore I bristled when I heard someone suggesting God the Father was more interested in spreading goodness than proclaiming his glory. My immediate reaction was like that of the religious elite. Not quite as extreme fortunately, pretty visceral. 

I spent ages debating (arguing) with my good friend Alan on this. Piper vs Sibbes! I was steeping in the content and concepts of Desiring God, whilst Alan was learning the wisdom of the “honey mouthed” puritan writer, Richard Sibbes.

Praise be to my Heavenly Father for his immense patience! And for his spreading goodness and love which made its way into my heart! I just couldn’t grasp it in my mind. This new data felt unsafe. It was unsettling my nervous system. My instinct was to choose the “safe” well accepted “gospel” of my forebears over this peculiar yet strangely attractive “new” (to me!) “unsafe” message of outward giving love. 

It’s my profound confession that through the Holy Spirit’s work in my heart. Through Alan’s loving patience. Through the testimony of other friends. Through my reading of scripture and immersion in solid heart-focused teaching I’ve come to love this affective, relationship-focused gospel message. Indeed, his glory is in his ever giving love! 

So here we are today. Here I am writing this. Here you are, reading it. What is your response today? Do you bristle, or embrace? Will you reject or enquire? Are you writing it off, or wrestling with it?

More good news is that your immediate response does not need to define you. Be open to the grace of God, let him open your eyes, open your heart to his healing. 

Work through your feelings. Understand what they are communicating. Gather additional data. Discuss. Debate. Dissect. There is no shame in questioning—even if you’re the only one. You may just be the first! 

My prayer for you, dear reader, is that you’d know this heavenly goodness flowing direct from the heart of the Father. As you see it embodied in Jesus Christ his Son, and written on your heart by his Holy Spirit, you’d desire it and lean into it. That through it you’d find courage, peace and joy—just as Jesus did, the apostles did, and as I have.