Yes, Angels, Really

Have you ever wondered, as I have, why the Bible never blushes when it mentions angels? I mean, compared to today, people in Scripture seemed to encounter angels all the time. Just think about the incidents reported only in the book of Acts as Dr. Luke chronicled the growth of the young church.

Acts 1:11 Two men dressed in white, traditionally presumed to be angels, speak to the apostles after Jesus’ ascension.

Acts 5:19 An angel brings the apostles out of jail during the night.

Acts 7:30 Stephen testifies that an angel directed Moses.

Acts 8:26 An angel tells Philip to go to the old, deserted Gaza Road.

Acts 10:3 An angel instructs to the Romans centurion, Cornelius, to send for Peter.

Acts 12:6-18 An angel delivers Peter from jail and certain execution.

Acts 23:9 The Pharisees clearly assume angels speak to humans and guide them.

Acts 27:23 An angel comforts Paul.

Apparently, first-century believers assumed the existence and activity of angels. In fact, according to Hebrews 13:2, in the exercise of brotherly love and hospitality some believers actually “welcomed angels as guests without knowing it.” Why, then, do we not hear more about angels today? Why when we do hear people report about angelic encounters today are we prone to be dubious? Have all the angels died? Have they simply sworn of visits to our planet?

Who says angels no longer walk among us? Just because we don’t read about them in the paper or see news reports on TV, does that necessarily mean angels are not around? Maybe the reason newspapers and such don’t report angelic visitation is simply because those information outlets have a predisposition that does not expect, anticipate, or even allow for angels to show up in our lives.

Who wrote the Bible, after all? “All Scripture is inspired by God” (2 Timothy 3:16). Ultimately, the Bible is God’s Word, His record transmitted by God, the product of the Holy Spirit working through men (2 peter 1:20-21). That is to say, the Bible is an eyewitness report from God’s perspective. Now, since the Bible is God’s Word, I believe there is nothing incidental or coincidental therein. In other words, God has edited Scripture so that every thing in the Word is “profitable … so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

The reason the Bible so matter-of-factly mentions angels is because the Bible represents reality from God’s lofty, clear, and accurate point of view. God wants us to know that angels did and still do interact with people. To be sure, the appearance of angels to men was not exactly commonplace. That’s probably why angels often have to introduce themselves by saying “Fear not.” The fact remains, however, that God includes reports of their appearances and activity in His Word, the Word He has given us so that we might see life the way He sees life and adjust our lives to that view.

Consider Elisha’s servant. Back in 2 Kings 6, Israel is at war with Aram. Now Elisha would send word from God to the king of Israel and repeatedly frustrate the king of Aram. So, the king of Aram decided to take out Elisha. When the Aramean army showed up at Elisha’s place in Dothan, his servant was understandably shaken. “Oh, my master, what are we to do?” he asked. In response, Elisha declared, “Don’t be afraid, for those who are with us outnumber those who are with them.” Then he prayed, “Lord, please open his eyes and let him see.” When Elisha’s servant looked up, he saw the mountains covered with angels in chariots of fire!

Elisha’s servant got a glimpse of reality from God’s perspective. I think we could certainly use a dose of that today in our church and in our nation. In God’s view, angels are all around us. Now, if that is true, then in God’s view everything is under control – not simply because of the proliferation of angels but because the presence of angels substantiates every other promise and statement of Heaven’s-eye reality.

If our newspapers and television stations could report from God’s perspective, I have a strong sense that we would be receiving some startling revelations about God’s activity around the world in places and ways we never imagined. Oh, that we could see as Elisha saw and as he prayed for his servant to see! How differently would we live if we were accustomed to the presence of heavenly messengers (“angel” is a transliteration of the Greek “angelos” meaning messenger).

Finally, I wonder: is God concerned about our current economic state? The outcome of our elections? The price of crude oil? I suggest His concern with these matters is only to the degree that He might use them for the good of those who love Him, the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

What then should be our concern? What then should be our confidence? God is on the throne and active in the affairs of men. And God’s activity is ever and always to strengthen the hearts of those people wholly devoted to Him (2 Chronicles 16:9).

Trusting Our Treasure

In the past few weeks I have lost over 40 percent of my retirement. Ouch! And the financial news today sounds terribly familiar – “second verse; same as the first; a little bit louder; a little bit worse.”

As I watch my annuity shrivel before my eyes, a chorus of concerns assail me. Thankfully, I still have some time to recoup these losses before retirement begins to be a reality on my horizon. Should I make a dramatic change in my portfolio or stay the course? Conventional wisdom convinces me to be patient and keep my confidence in the bigger picture.

Bigger picture? Is the bigger picture really only as far down the road as I can see? Do I really believe my retirement plans frame the bigger picture? When all is said and done here, isn’t the bigger picture actually far greater than the span of years I struggle for oxygen in these shadowlands? Indeed, Jesus Christ says:

Don't collect for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don't break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:19-21).

Three questions leap from Jesus’ assertion to challenge me:

1. Do I trust my treasures to the good will of moths, rust, and thieves?

Understand: money and stuff do matter. I do not believe God intends for us to forsake the world and live in caves. Jesus calls His disciples to be “in the world, but not of the world” (John 17:15-19). I am convinced He created us with appetites and capacities for pleasure and enjoyment and fulfillment.

The stuff we cherish, that which we hold dear in this world – money, stuff, significance, relationships, etc. – are actually gifts from God. They are hints, suggestions, foretastes of the glorious gratification we will enjoy in Heaven. The chief reason He created us with these facilities is that we would ultimately find all our satisfaction in Him.

It is not wrong to enjoy things in this life. We must be careful, however, not to confuse the gifts with the Giver, to crave the streams more than the Source, to settle for temporary delight over eternal joy. Moreover, we must be careful not to trust these treasures to failed systems (“where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal”).

We have precious friends here in this church who treasure money and homes and family in the right way. For the most part, they have treasured these valuables by trusting them to God. In recent months, however, they have seen money disappear, houses and property devalued, and loved ones depart, die, or deeply disappoint them (another more painful form of death). I am so proud of how these dear brothers and sisters in Christ have responded to their pain and loss. Through terrible tears and trials that have trusted God with their hearts and all they hold dear. They grieve and carry on with life-giving hope, with steadfast confidence in our Father’s love and power and purpose.

2. How do I trust my treasures to Heaven’s Trustee?

I love the words of our Lord Jesus: “Don't be afraid, little flock, because your Father delights to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). God says, “Don’t be afraid. Stop worrying. Stop fretting.” He invites us to rest safe and sound in these timeless truths:

He is our Shepherd. Our Good Shepherd feeds, leads, and protects us. He lays down His life for us (John 10:11)!
He is our Father. We are not merely His livestock. We are His children! What a love (1 John 3:1)!
He is the King – the kingdom is His to give. He has power and authority to do what He says He will do!
He gives us the kingdom. We do not have to earn it. He is generous and free with His provision and protection.
He delights to give us the kingdom. God thoroughly enjoys caring for us. He finds pleasure in this!

3. Where is my heart? What is the state of my heart, of my affections, of my satisfaction?

Hear Jesus again:

What I'm trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way He works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how He works. Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Don't be afraid of missing out. You're my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself.

Be generous. Give to the poor. Get yourselves a bank that can't go bankrupt, a bank in heaven far from bankrobbers, safe from embezzlers, a bank you can bank on. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being” (Luke 12:29-34, The Message).

Friend, if we would have peace in the storms today, we must trust, invest, even dare to risk our eternal capital, in the One Who is Faithful and True. His city streets are paved with gold – that so treasured by earthlings is like common asphalt in heaven! Now, that’s the place I want most to be. In fact, that’s where Christ-followers already reign (Ephesians 2:4-10)!

“Hallelujah! Thine the glory! Hallelujah! Amen! Hallelujah! Thine the glory! Revive us again!”

A Word from Our Sponsor (Actually Five Words)

“And now, a word from our sponsor …”

That phrase always takes me back to safer, happier, blach-and-white days. I remember safer television programming. I remember sitting on the floor with my dad watching Gunsmoke or Wagon Train, when a strong, confident voice would chime in: “And now, a word from our sponsor …”

“Daddy, what’s a sponsor?”

“The sponsor underwrites the program we are watching.”

“Who’s Borox? Did they write this show?”

“No, the underwriter, or sponsor, pays for this show to be on TV. Because they pay for the airtime, the sponsor reserves the right to promote their products during commercial breaks.”

Well, I don’t want to try to make this introductory metaphor “walk on all fours.” I simply want to draw our attention this morning to the One Who sponsors us. He stands before God as our Advocate and refutes the accusations of our adversary. He sponsors us before Holy God. He has paid the bill so that we can enjoy “heir” time with God as our Father in Heaven. And from time to time, He reserves the right to promote Himself and the products a relationship with Him offers to anyone who will receive His sponsorship.

“And now, a word from our sponsor …”

I have come to a place where I value “a word from our sponsor.” In fact, some days I am desperate to hear from Him, to be reminded of His love and power and presence. I am so glad that out Sponsor is not only heard in Heaven before Father’s throne, but He also continues to speak on earth, He continues to promote the benefits He has made available to all who believe and receive Him.

Recently, I found a powerful instance in Scripture when our Sponsor presented just such a word. In Acts 18, I found another powerful picture from Scripture of a heroic leader gripped by real despair who found great hope from God and His Word. The apostle Paul, arguably the greatest figure in the New Testament after Jesus Christ (and perhaps John the Baptist), came to a surprising crossroads in his walk with Jesus in Acts 18. In Acts 18:9, Jesus Himself comes to Paul and speaks to him.

Then the Lord said to Paul in a night vision, “Don’t be afraid, but keep on speaking and don’t be silent. For I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to hurt you, because I have many people in this city” (Acts 18:9-10).

We need to appreciate Paul’s condition here to get the full impact of Jesus’ word to him. Essentially, Paul is in some sort of fearful state. The literal translation of the phrase “Don’t be afraid” is “Stop fearing.” So, apparently, Paul is distressed. Why was Paul anxious?

Paul is in Corinth – a city so immoral that the people in that day had coined a term based Corinth’s reputation. To “corinthianize” meant to be sexually immoral. Paul is surrounded by immorality in Corinth. What Paul witnessed in Corinth surely informed his descriptions of perverted humanity in Romans 1:18-32.

Paul is also alone. He comes to Corinth alone having been in Athens alone as well. In Athens, Paul had continued to deliver the truth about the Truth only to be ridiculed by the intellectual elites there as a pseudo-intellectual “seed-picker,” a “hayseed,” a “hick.” The Athenians wanted their ears tickled; they did not want their loves challenged or changed. They wanted to debate truth; they did not want to answer to Truth.

Paul is probably wounded and weary. On this second missionary adventure he has been stripped, beaten with rods, and shackled in stocks Philippi (Acts 16). He has been threatened and forced to leave the company both of his comrades and of new churches started in Thessalonica and Berea (Acts 17:1-15). He is mocked in Athens (Acts 17:16-33). And he has just been forced to leave the synagogue in Corinth (Acts 18:6), rejected by his own people … again.

Acts 18:7-8 indicate the ministry begins to flourish at this time in Corinth. A prominent householder trusts Christ and opens his home to be the church’s meeting place. Even the leader of the Jewish synagogue and his family come to their Messiah, Lord Jesus. But Paul knows this is about the time trouble starts for him. Usually, at this point persecution mounts, something unpleasant happens to him, and he has to leave town.

Now against this backdrop, God has been caring for Paul all along. In fact, if he were paying attention, Paul could already have heard God comfort him with two remarkable realities. First, when Paul comes to this strange, immoral, pagan city alone, God has already arranged for him a place to stay with a godly couple – a Jewish man named Aquila and his noble Roman wife, Priscilla (Acts 18:1-4). Before, or perhaps just as Paul was setting out with Silas on this second missionary journey, the Emperor had expelled the Jews from Rome (AD 49). God used this to bring Aquila and Priscilla to Corinth in time to get established and be ready to receive Paul (AD 50).

So, God was saying, “Paul, I make ‘all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose’ (Romans 8:28). In fact, Paul, I was making plans for you here in Corinth long before you turned to come to Corinth.”

Then, in Acts 18:5, Silas and Timothy finally catch up to Paul in Corinth. Their arrival surely blessed Paul, but the news they brought about the young believers and churches in Macedonia thrilled his soul. At this point in time, Paul writes his first letter to the church in Thessalonica from a heart warmed by the good report Silas and Timothy brought (you must read 1 Thessalonians 3:1-10). Once again, God was speaking to His servant.

God was saying, “Paul, I make ‘all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose’ (Romans 8:28). In fact, Paul, I have continued to work in the lives of my people even in your absence. Not only have I gone before you where you have not yet been, Paul, but I also go behind where you have already been and see to the fulfillment of My Word in their lives.”

By this time, the fearsome foursome have brought their considerable weight to bear upon the apostle’s heart. Fatigue, frustration, failure, and fear have made it difficult for Paul to recognize God’s activity and provision. So, Jesus Himself – the same Jesus Who appeared to Paul and knocked him off his high horse into the dirt on the road to Damascus to set him on Heaven’s highway some 17 years earlier (Acts 9) – this very Lord Jesus appears to Paul again to pull him up out of the dust of despair and get him back in the saddle again.

God had demonstrated His commitment to make “all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). He had shown Paul that this work includes God working where we have not yet been to prepare the way for us. He had also proven this work includes God working where we have already been to secure the integrity of His promise in the lives of those we have left behind. Now, God declares that this work includes His presence in our present!

“Don’t be afraid, but keep on speaking and don’t be silent. For I am with you, …”

Here are five wonderful words from our Sponsor in this text (Actually an outline of a sermon from Acts 18:1-17):

1. Stop being afraid.
2. Continue to Speak and do not be silent.
3. Trust Jesus to be present in your future, past, and present.
4. Throw off restraint in His service.
5. Find His people yet unfound (lost) in your proximity.
   

Rules for Intersections: A Thought about This Political Season

When I was a little boy learning to cross the street, I received some timeless guidance: Stop. Look both ways. Proceed with caution.

Later, when I was learning to drive, we applied those same three simple rules to intersections: Stop. Look both ways. Proceed with caution.

Today, three extraordinarily busy intersections require the same sage advice. The three crossroads are the intersections of Republican Road and Democratic Drive, Wall Street and Main Street, and Church Street and State Street. The same wise counsel would serve us well at these junctions: Stop. Look both ways. Proceed with caution.

The presidential and vice-presidential debates leave me wondering who is telling the truth? Their presentations abound with obscenely large numbers, gratuitous claims of impressive track records, and nearly scandalous accusations of their opponents’ same records. Republican Road and Democratic Drive is a perilous intersection, to say the least.

Recent financial news highlights the dangers resident at the corner of Wall Street and Main Street. Seems the “greed” light has been on for all roads leading to this juncture. The resulting collision has been particularly disastrous for folks who failed to wear their seatbelts even while they “pushed the pedal to the metal.” We have not seen the full measure of the pileup on our financial highways yet.

One of the most confusing intersections has been where Church Street meets State Street. Most of the time, these roads appear to be on parallel courses, widely separated, and we assume they never meet. In fact, societal engineers have been working for decades to redirect one or both of these roads as if they could somehow eliminate any connection between the two.

What if Church and State Streets are actually partners, corridors that may even share the same pavement from time to time? What if our failure to navigate and direct our people with better sense and cooperation along these foundational paths is the culprit that has produced the violent congestion at these other intersections?

Over the years, I have learned that safe passage through busy intersections often requires aids and guides. Children learn to cross the street at the corner under the direction of a monitor or, even better, with their hands in Mom or Dad’s hands. Traffic flows more safely and freely when facilitated by volume-appropriate directors – Yield or Stop signs, stoplights, or a police officer directing traffic.

Here’s the best direction I can find for crossing the intersections we face today: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 33:12).