WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:11.919 So, this, let me open with this prayer from the Book of Common Prayer. 00:00:13.759 --> 00:00:18.140 O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus, your Son. 00:00:18.800 --> 00:00:21.359 Look with compassion on the whole human family. 00:00:22.039 --> 00:00:25.080 Take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts. 00:00:25.679 --> 00:00:29.420 Break down the walls that separate us, unite us in bonds of love, 00:00:29.420 --> 00:00:34.260 and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth. 00:00:34.700 --> 00:00:40.620 That in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne. 00:00:41.120 --> 00:00:43.480 Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 00:00:44.859 --> 00:00:49.780 So, this is the fourth sermon in this summer miniseries on the Holy Spirit 00:00:49.780 --> 00:00:53.060 and what would happen if we had more of the Holy Spirit. 00:00:53.980 --> 00:00:55.299 So, just a quick recap. 00:00:55.299 --> 00:00:58.079 First sermon, I talked about the Holy Spirit himself 00:00:58.079 --> 00:01:02.559 and that's a great way to learn who the Holy Spirit is and what he is like 00:01:02.559 --> 00:01:05.959 is to look at the connection between Jesus and the Holy Spirit 00:01:05.959 --> 00:01:08.379 and the connection between Scripture and the Holy Spirit. 00:01:09.120 --> 00:01:12.319 The second sermon, I talked about inner healing or emotional healing 00:01:12.319 --> 00:01:17.280 and I pointed to the ways that Jesus is tender and compassionate towards us, 00:01:17.759 --> 00:01:19.519 any of us who have experienced wounding, 00:01:20.120 --> 00:01:22.599 and I gave some examples of what inner healing can look like. 00:01:22.599 --> 00:01:27.259 And last week, the third sermon was on physical healing 00:01:27.259 --> 00:01:31.079 and where it was in Jesus' ministry and the early church 00:01:31.079 --> 00:01:32.299 and what it might look like today. 00:01:32.819 --> 00:01:36.019 And we prayed for each other during the time of the prayers of the people 00:01:36.019 --> 00:01:40.019 and two people have reported since then that they experienced some healing. 00:01:40.739 --> 00:01:42.239 So, I just want to say to all of you, 00:01:42.599 --> 00:01:44.340 for those of you who put your hands up for prayer, 00:01:44.459 --> 00:01:47.119 for those of you who prayed where you were 00:01:47.119 --> 00:01:49.459 or whether you came over to someone and prayed, 00:01:49.459 --> 00:01:54.000 I just want to say thank you and look what God can do in an Anglican service. 00:01:57.539 --> 00:02:00.000 So, today's sermon is on racial healing. 00:02:00.599 --> 00:02:04.639 And this topic is not an intuitive or obvious topic 00:02:04.639 --> 00:02:07.659 that people connect with healing or even with the Holy Spirit. 00:02:08.859 --> 00:02:12.340 And so, today's sermon, I want to go through a couple scriptures that talk about race 00:02:12.340 --> 00:02:15.640 and then I want to look at some instances in the book of Acts 00:02:15.640 --> 00:02:19.640 where the early church struggled with race and racial inclusion. 00:02:20.980 --> 00:02:24.099 So, where in the Bible does it talk about race? 00:02:24.199 --> 00:02:25.039 Where does it come from? 00:02:25.719 --> 00:02:26.879 So, when I was preparing this, 00:02:26.939 --> 00:02:30.960 I was surprised to find that two stray thoughts floated through my head. 00:02:32.280 --> 00:02:34.319 And they're not thoughts from God, 00:02:34.439 --> 00:02:39.439 they were just thoughts that my brain regurgitated in answer to the question. 00:02:39.439 --> 00:02:42.139 These are not things I believe, 00:02:42.300 --> 00:02:44.599 but I remember it was my brain saying, 00:02:45.099 --> 00:02:46.419 if I was to answer the question, 00:02:46.900 --> 00:02:47.979 where does race come from? 00:02:48.060 --> 00:02:51.359 Here are two answers that I've heard in my lifetime as a Christian. 00:02:52.139 --> 00:02:55.259 So, the first was from a sermon I heard a long time ago 00:02:55.259 --> 00:02:57.599 where the pastor was working through the book of Genesis. 00:02:58.400 --> 00:03:00.699 And he came to Genesis 9 and 10, 00:03:01.099 --> 00:03:02.039 where after the flood, 00:03:02.240 --> 00:03:04.039 Noah had kids, 00:03:04.379 --> 00:03:05.300 he had three sons, 00:03:05.300 --> 00:03:10.900 and these three sons were described as the origins of races 00:03:10.900 --> 00:03:12.439 in the sermon, 00:03:12.560 --> 00:03:13.500 not in the scriptures. 00:03:14.820 --> 00:03:18.500 And this pastor went on to explain that 00:03:18.500 --> 00:03:21.000 Noah's three sons, 00:03:21.240 --> 00:03:21.620 Shem, 00:03:22.100 --> 00:03:25.160 became the people that populated Asia, 00:03:25.860 --> 00:03:29.260 that Japheth became the people who populated the Middle East 00:03:29.260 --> 00:03:30.320 and eventually Europe, 00:03:30.960 --> 00:03:34.580 and from Ham came the people who populated Africa. 00:03:35.580 --> 00:03:36.520 And, you know, 00:03:36.560 --> 00:03:39.180 the story in Genesis goes on to say that 00:03:39.180 --> 00:03:42.020 Noah had too much to drink, 00:03:42.320 --> 00:03:44.439 Ham looked at him while he was sleeping, 00:03:44.880 --> 00:03:45.980 inebriated, 00:03:46.200 --> 00:03:47.860 and he cursed Ham 00:03:47.860 --> 00:03:55.160 and said that Ham would be the servant of the other two brothers. 00:03:56.040 --> 00:03:57.980 Now, I only learned years later, 00:03:58.100 --> 00:04:02.180 so this was a sermon I heard from a pastor in a church in Ontario. 00:04:02.180 --> 00:04:06.020 And I only learned years later that these scriptures 00:04:06.020 --> 00:04:10.500 and this line of thinking was used by enslavers to justify slavery. 00:04:11.040 --> 00:04:13.520 They were saying that enslaving black people 00:04:13.520 --> 00:04:15.420 was the fulfillment of this scripture. 00:04:16.280 --> 00:04:17.780 But I didn't know that at the time, 00:04:18.240 --> 00:04:22.259 but this pastor had preached this sermon about where race comes from, 00:04:22.360 --> 00:04:23.740 and he had referenced this scripture. 00:04:24.699 --> 00:04:26.280 And the other place that I've heard it referenced 00:04:26.280 --> 00:04:29.340 was the story of the Tower of Babel. 00:04:29.339 --> 00:04:32.560 And just for those of you who want to know the commonwealth 00:04:32.560 --> 00:04:34.699 and correct pronunciation of Babel, 00:04:34.779 --> 00:04:35.379 it's Babel. 00:04:36.060 --> 00:04:37.079 So if you come to Canada, 00:04:37.239 --> 00:04:37.979 don't say Babel. 00:04:38.099 --> 00:04:39.560 They'll think you're going ba-ba-ba-ba-ba. 00:04:39.779 --> 00:04:40.599 Say Babel, 00:04:41.019 --> 00:04:42.399 and people will know what you're talking about. 00:04:42.979 --> 00:04:44.779 So we're all familiar with this story, 00:04:44.779 --> 00:04:49.639 but the upshot is that the people in that region were building a tower, 00:04:49.939 --> 00:04:53.199 and this was made possible by the fact that they all spoke the same language. 00:04:53.779 --> 00:04:56.039 And so this project, this building project, 00:04:56.039 --> 00:04:58.879 came to an end when God confused their languages, 00:04:59.000 --> 00:05:00.519 and they weren't able to work together anymore. 00:05:01.659 --> 00:05:02.699 And as a result, 00:05:02.879 --> 00:05:04.919 people then were not able to talk to each other, 00:05:05.000 --> 00:05:06.839 and it says they spread out over the earth. 00:05:07.259 --> 00:05:08.899 And I've heard in other sermons as well 00:05:08.899 --> 00:05:14.699 that this is also one of the origin stories of race from the Scriptures. 00:05:15.560 --> 00:05:16.719 Now, just to say, 00:05:17.120 --> 00:05:18.179 this is flawed. 00:05:18.579 --> 00:05:20.639 Both of these approaches are flawed. 00:05:21.500 --> 00:05:22.839 And for lots of reasons. 00:05:23.579 --> 00:05:25.359 You just can't read into the Scriptures 00:05:25.359 --> 00:05:27.099 and the story of Noah and his sons 00:05:27.099 --> 00:05:31.839 that the three sons were the founders of different races. 00:05:31.839 --> 00:05:36.060 And you can't also say that you can reduce races 00:05:36.060 --> 00:05:41.379 to three different characters or people in the Noah account. 00:05:42.560 --> 00:05:43.519 And you can't also, 00:05:43.859 --> 00:05:46.479 and it's very problematic to say that one of these people, 00:05:46.579 --> 00:05:48.599 and therefore all their descendants, are cursed. 00:05:49.019 --> 00:05:50.959 It establishes a hierarchy of human value 00:05:50.959 --> 00:05:53.179 that other parts of the Scripture simply reject. 00:05:54.519 --> 00:05:57.579 It's also not true to say that the diversity in languages 00:05:57.579 --> 00:06:00.359 comes from an act of judgment by God. 00:06:00.360 --> 00:06:02.240 But when Pentecost came, 00:06:02.600 --> 00:06:04.379 one of the first things the Holy Spirit did 00:06:04.379 --> 00:06:07.020 was give people the ability to speak in other languages 00:06:07.020 --> 00:06:07.960 that they don't know. 00:06:08.400 --> 00:06:11.580 And you'd think if diversity of language was a problem, 00:06:11.720 --> 00:06:13.160 the Holy Spirit would have reversed it. 00:06:13.540 --> 00:06:14.120 And he didn't. 00:06:14.500 --> 00:06:15.400 So that doesn't work. 00:06:16.360 --> 00:06:17.520 So what are the true origins? 00:06:18.060 --> 00:06:19.920 The true origins of race in the Scriptures 00:06:19.920 --> 00:06:21.560 are actually with Adam and Eve. 00:06:22.240 --> 00:06:25.800 And whether you believe that there was a literal, exact Adam and Eve 00:06:25.800 --> 00:06:28.280 to people who are literally called Adam and Eve, 00:06:28.860 --> 00:06:29.680 or not, 00:06:29.680 --> 00:06:32.400 what Genesis does do is identify 00:06:32.400 --> 00:06:36.100 that the very first people God created 00:06:36.100 --> 00:06:37.459 don't have a race. 00:06:37.579 --> 00:06:38.759 Nothing's mentioned about that. 00:06:39.280 --> 00:06:40.600 It just simply tells us that 00:06:40.600 --> 00:06:43.199 all of humankind started with Adam and Eve 00:06:43.199 --> 00:06:45.379 and extended from Adam and Eve. 00:06:45.939 --> 00:06:47.600 And therefore, like Adam and Eve, 00:06:48.019 --> 00:06:49.920 everybody is made in the image of God. 00:06:50.639 --> 00:06:51.860 They resemble God, 00:06:51.939 --> 00:06:52.879 and they're of God. 00:06:53.699 --> 00:06:55.240 And they share in God's mandate 00:06:55.240 --> 00:06:56.280 as creator, 00:06:56.280 --> 00:06:58.259 and the assignment God gave them 00:06:58.259 --> 00:06:59.519 to steward the creation. 00:06:59.819 --> 00:07:00.759 Nobody's left out. 00:07:01.400 --> 00:07:04.740 People are called to join in the work of creation 00:07:04.740 --> 00:07:06.319 as co-creators with God. 00:07:07.040 --> 00:07:10.400 But it also means that all those who are image bearers 00:07:10.400 --> 00:07:12.259 are of infinite worth and dignity. 00:07:13.420 --> 00:07:14.680 But there's a further point, 00:07:14.879 --> 00:07:16.300 a further theological point, 00:07:16.379 --> 00:07:17.660 to this creation story. 00:07:17.660 --> 00:07:21.360 The image of God is a revelation of God, 00:07:21.880 --> 00:07:23.520 of who or what God is like. 00:07:24.160 --> 00:07:26.380 That humanity is racially diverse 00:07:26.380 --> 00:07:28.580 is a part of this revelation of God. 00:07:29.220 --> 00:07:31.920 And to not have one or another racial group 00:07:31.920 --> 00:07:34.600 is for the revelation of God to be incomplete. 00:07:35.420 --> 00:07:37.800 To suppress, eliminate, or diminish 00:07:37.800 --> 00:07:39.140 any one racial group 00:07:39.140 --> 00:07:42.480 is to resist God's revelation of himself. 00:07:42.480 --> 00:07:44.200 We need each other. 00:07:44.480 --> 00:07:46.439 We need each other to know about God. 00:07:47.200 --> 00:07:48.020 And we should marvel, 00:07:48.220 --> 00:07:49.900 and we should wonder at each other, 00:07:50.020 --> 00:07:50.740 and at our differences, 00:07:51.280 --> 00:07:53.379 and pay close attention to what we learn 00:07:53.379 --> 00:07:55.759 from other image bearers around us, 00:07:56.180 --> 00:07:57.840 what we learn from them about God. 00:07:58.980 --> 00:08:01.160 As we go on through the rest of the Old Testament, 00:08:01.300 --> 00:08:02.280 I'm not going to do that here, 00:08:02.759 --> 00:08:04.680 but if you read the story of Israel, 00:08:04.800 --> 00:08:06.740 it's a story of Israel being formed 00:08:06.740 --> 00:08:07.819 by bringing people 00:08:07.819 --> 00:08:09.600 who are of different ethnicities together. 00:08:09.600 --> 00:08:12.960 Israel is not ethnically or racially homogenous. 00:08:15.000 --> 00:08:16.520 Now, contemporary fields of study, 00:08:16.900 --> 00:08:17.840 genetics in particular, 00:08:18.080 --> 00:08:20.600 have shown that race is a construct, 00:08:21.140 --> 00:08:22.860 and people are genetically the same, 00:08:22.920 --> 00:08:24.000 regardless of skin color. 00:08:24.560 --> 00:08:27.200 Race is not a matter of three or four different groups. 00:08:27.400 --> 00:08:28.980 It's far more complex than that. 00:08:29.400 --> 00:08:30.920 And skin color actually exists 00:08:30.920 --> 00:08:32.600 on a spectrum of light to dark, 00:08:32.879 --> 00:08:34.019 and not in color groupings. 00:08:34.840 --> 00:08:36.180 And yet, in real life, 00:08:36.540 --> 00:08:37.720 historically and even now, 00:08:37.720 --> 00:08:39.700 there are lots of people 00:08:39.700 --> 00:08:41.420 who still make race-based judgments 00:08:41.420 --> 00:08:43.580 about people who are racially different from them. 00:08:44.240 --> 00:08:45.840 And this shows up even in scriptures. 00:08:46.100 --> 00:08:47.620 Scriptures talk about this. 00:08:47.800 --> 00:08:48.720 In Jesus' day, 00:08:49.160 --> 00:08:51.340 the Jews and the Samaritans hated each other 00:08:51.340 --> 00:08:52.639 with violence, 00:08:53.200 --> 00:08:54.759 and Jews looked down on Gentiles. 00:08:56.519 --> 00:08:58.240 And so while the scriptures speak 00:08:58.240 --> 00:09:00.180 of all people being made in the image of God, 00:09:00.560 --> 00:09:02.740 by the time Jesus arrived on the scene, 00:09:02.740 --> 00:09:05.940 Israel and Jewish ethnic identity 00:09:05.940 --> 00:09:08.100 was well-formed as distinct 00:09:08.100 --> 00:09:10.279 and separate from other ethnic identities 00:09:10.279 --> 00:09:12.779 and contained, in that contrast, 00:09:12.919 --> 00:09:15.240 a sense of the other ethnic identities 00:09:15.240 --> 00:09:16.480 being not as good. 00:09:16.960 --> 00:09:17.899 So how did that happen? 00:09:18.000 --> 00:09:18.879 How did we go from 00:09:18.879 --> 00:09:20.440 everyone's made in the image of God 00:09:20.440 --> 00:09:25.120 to a well-formed, distinct ethnic identity? 00:09:25.680 --> 00:09:27.120 So, to cover a lot of ground, 00:09:27.180 --> 00:09:27.700 to sum up, 00:09:27.700 --> 00:09:29.820 when Israel became a kingdom 00:09:29.820 --> 00:09:30.860 with a royal family 00:09:30.860 --> 00:09:31.740 as one kingdom 00:09:31.740 --> 00:09:33.560 among all the other kingdoms of the world, 00:09:34.000 --> 00:09:35.440 it gelled the 12 tribes 00:09:35.440 --> 00:09:36.840 into a bigger identity 00:09:36.840 --> 00:09:38.020 than just being a member 00:09:38.020 --> 00:09:39.420 of one of the 12 tribes. 00:09:40.360 --> 00:09:41.300 And then, later, 00:09:41.540 --> 00:09:42.680 when they went into exile, 00:09:43.420 --> 00:09:44.740 Israelites were dispersed 00:09:44.740 --> 00:09:45.879 among other parts 00:09:45.879 --> 00:09:47.540 of the ancient Near East, 00:09:48.180 --> 00:09:49.860 and this meant that Jewish identity 00:09:50.460 --> 00:09:51.860 was a minority identity 00:09:51.860 --> 00:09:55.700 among a bigger majority Gentile culture, 00:09:55.700 --> 00:09:57.600 and retaining the practices 00:09:57.600 --> 00:09:58.800 and life of Judaism, 00:09:59.440 --> 00:10:00.960 retaining a pure faith in God, 00:10:01.040 --> 00:10:02.720 and even retaining your home language 00:10:02.720 --> 00:10:03.780 was very difficult. 00:10:04.920 --> 00:10:05.800 And so one of the effects 00:10:05.800 --> 00:10:06.700 of that experience, 00:10:06.879 --> 00:10:10.200 especially as people came back into Israel, 00:10:10.560 --> 00:10:11.980 was to double down 00:10:11.980 --> 00:10:14.620 on what it means to be Jewish, 00:10:14.759 --> 00:10:15.400 to double down 00:10:15.400 --> 00:10:16.800 on the practice of Judaism 00:10:16.800 --> 00:10:17.900 out of fear 00:10:17.900 --> 00:10:19.640 that the exile would happen again. 00:10:20.640 --> 00:10:22.160 And this got an extra boost 00:10:22.160 --> 00:10:23.200 when Alexander the Great 00:10:23.200 --> 00:10:23.800 swept through 00:10:23.799 --> 00:10:25.299 and started Hellenizing 00:10:25.299 --> 00:10:27.199 that part of the world. 00:10:27.859 --> 00:10:29.299 So all these experiences, 00:10:29.559 --> 00:10:30.500 through these experiences, 00:10:30.659 --> 00:10:32.439 the practice of faithful Judaism 00:10:32.439 --> 00:10:34.000 came to be defined 00:10:34.000 --> 00:10:35.659 by an elaborate set of laws 00:10:35.659 --> 00:10:36.199 and customs 00:10:36.199 --> 00:10:36.979 that emphasized 00:10:36.979 --> 00:10:38.319 being separate 00:10:38.319 --> 00:10:40.120 from what was unclean. 00:10:41.120 --> 00:10:41.399 And so, 00:10:41.539 --> 00:10:42.539 what did this mean 00:10:42.539 --> 00:10:43.839 for Jewish attitudes 00:10:43.839 --> 00:10:44.859 towards Gentiles? 00:10:45.240 --> 00:10:45.519 Well, 00:10:46.039 --> 00:10:47.019 we see from Scripture, 00:10:47.240 --> 00:10:48.120 because it talks about it, 00:10:48.159 --> 00:10:49.799 but even other contemporary writers 00:10:49.799 --> 00:10:51.339 like Josephus and Philo, 00:10:51.340 --> 00:10:55.060 that Gentiles were viewed as pagan. 00:10:55.500 --> 00:10:57.019 They participated in religious 00:10:57.019 --> 00:10:59.899 and moral or immoral practices 00:10:59.899 --> 00:11:01.899 that made them spiritually defined, 00:11:02.000 --> 00:11:03.080 and to come into contact 00:11:03.080 --> 00:11:03.899 with a Gentile 00:11:03.899 --> 00:11:05.720 had a contaminating effect. 00:11:06.500 --> 00:11:08.019 So you had to stay away from them. 00:11:08.899 --> 00:11:09.780 And the expectation, 00:11:10.040 --> 00:11:10.440 long term, 00:11:10.519 --> 00:11:11.580 was that God would come 00:11:11.580 --> 00:11:12.300 and reward 00:11:12.300 --> 00:11:13.480 faithful 00:11:13.480 --> 00:11:16.800 practicers of Judaism 00:11:16.799 --> 00:11:18.740 and bring down judgment 00:11:18.740 --> 00:11:20.120 on Gentiles 00:11:20.120 --> 00:11:20.979 who were doing evil. 00:11:21.799 --> 00:11:23.099 So this understanding 00:11:23.099 --> 00:11:24.019 was deeply, 00:11:24.199 --> 00:11:24.899 deeply ingrained 00:11:24.899 --> 00:11:27.659 in a lot of, 00:11:27.799 --> 00:11:29.219 in part of the Jewish identity 00:11:29.219 --> 00:11:29.799 at the time. 00:11:30.819 --> 00:11:31.179 So, 00:11:31.319 --> 00:11:32.159 why is it important 00:11:32.159 --> 00:11:33.159 to talk about this? 00:11:33.379 --> 00:11:33.859 Because, 00:11:34.259 --> 00:11:35.979 to understand all of this 00:11:35.979 --> 00:11:37.339 helps us understand 00:11:37.339 --> 00:11:38.120 a couple things 00:11:38.120 --> 00:11:38.740 that were happening 00:11:38.740 --> 00:11:39.679 in the book of Acts 00:11:39.679 --> 00:11:40.699 in the early church. 00:11:41.339 --> 00:11:42.199 So most of us 00:11:42.199 --> 00:11:43.019 read the book of Acts 00:11:43.019 --> 00:11:43.799 because we want to read 00:11:43.799 --> 00:11:44.479 about healings 00:11:44.479 --> 00:11:44.959 and miracles 00:11:44.960 --> 00:11:46.240 or see how 00:11:46.240 --> 00:11:47.340 trace Paul 00:11:47.340 --> 00:11:47.960 and his journey 00:11:47.960 --> 00:11:49.420 around the region 00:11:49.420 --> 00:11:50.280 to plant churches, 00:11:50.900 --> 00:11:52.280 but we don't often see 00:11:52.280 --> 00:11:53.080 that the Holy Spirit 00:11:53.080 --> 00:11:53.720 was involved 00:11:53.720 --> 00:11:54.620 in this issue 00:11:54.620 --> 00:11:55.440 of racial healing. 00:11:56.360 --> 00:11:57.400 So the early church, 00:11:57.560 --> 00:11:58.500 the very first followers 00:11:58.500 --> 00:11:59.040 of Jesus 00:11:59.040 --> 00:12:00.440 after his resurrection 00:12:00.440 --> 00:12:01.920 were largely Jewish 00:12:01.920 --> 00:12:03.060 and at that, 00:12:03.300 --> 00:12:04.639 largely Hebrew Jews 00:12:04.639 --> 00:12:05.480 rather than, 00:12:05.680 --> 00:12:05.720 say, 00:12:05.820 --> 00:12:06.759 Hellenistic Jews. 00:12:07.000 --> 00:12:07.940 So what's the difference? 00:12:08.540 --> 00:12:09.139 Hebrew Jews 00:12:09.139 --> 00:12:09.639 were the ones 00:12:09.639 --> 00:12:10.320 who grew up 00:12:10.320 --> 00:12:11.560 and born and raised 00:12:11.560 --> 00:12:13.200 around Jerusalem 00:12:13.200 --> 00:12:14.280 and the region 00:12:14.279 --> 00:12:15.759 and Hellenistic Jews 00:12:15.759 --> 00:12:16.240 were the ones 00:12:16.240 --> 00:12:16.980 born and raised 00:12:16.980 --> 00:12:18.759 outside in the broader world. 00:12:18.879 --> 00:12:19.539 They were very Greek 00:12:19.539 --> 00:12:20.480 and they spoke Greek 00:12:20.480 --> 00:12:21.439 and their customs 00:12:21.439 --> 00:12:23.399 and their mode of living 00:12:23.399 --> 00:12:24.139 was very Greek. 00:12:25.240 --> 00:12:26.100 So I'm going to walk us 00:12:26.100 --> 00:12:27.539 through a couple episodes 00:12:27.539 --> 00:12:28.039 in Acts 00:12:28.039 --> 00:12:29.199 where these racial tensions 00:12:29.199 --> 00:12:29.720 emerge 00:12:29.720 --> 00:12:31.139 and look at what happened. 00:12:31.659 --> 00:12:31.839 So, 00:12:32.299 --> 00:12:34.720 first friction point, 00:12:35.120 --> 00:12:35.759 Acts 6. 00:12:36.699 --> 00:12:37.419 In this chapter, 00:12:37.539 --> 00:12:38.159 we read that 00:12:38.159 --> 00:12:38.879 the community 00:12:38.879 --> 00:12:39.779 of early believers 00:12:39.779 --> 00:12:39.919 believers, 00:12:40.439 --> 00:12:42.059 and in particular, 00:12:42.220 --> 00:12:43.439 the Hellenistic Jews, 00:12:43.879 --> 00:12:44.579 complained 00:12:44.579 --> 00:12:46.100 that their widows 00:12:46.100 --> 00:12:46.959 were being neglected 00:12:46.959 --> 00:12:48.419 in the daily food distribution. 00:12:49.699 --> 00:12:50.740 This was a big deal. 00:12:51.179 --> 00:12:52.480 Those who were being neglected 00:12:52.480 --> 00:12:53.279 were vulnerable 00:12:53.279 --> 00:12:54.740 and they depended 00:12:54.740 --> 00:12:55.480 on this food 00:12:55.480 --> 00:12:56.240 for their survival. 00:12:56.799 --> 00:12:57.459 You have to ask 00:12:57.459 --> 00:12:58.319 why this happened. 00:12:58.939 --> 00:12:59.539 The apostles 00:12:59.539 --> 00:13:00.720 who were in charge 00:13:00.720 --> 00:13:01.480 of the whole thing 00:13:01.480 --> 00:13:02.720 were Hebrew Jews, 00:13:02.939 --> 00:13:03.919 but they lived closely 00:13:03.919 --> 00:13:04.459 with Jesus 00:13:04.459 --> 00:13:05.500 for three years. 00:13:05.899 --> 00:13:06.419 They knew 00:13:06.419 --> 00:13:07.620 that Jesus' ethic 00:13:07.620 --> 00:13:08.879 was love others 00:13:08.879 --> 00:13:09.519 as yourself. 00:13:10.559 --> 00:13:11.039 And yet, 00:13:11.240 --> 00:13:12.059 they somehow 00:13:12.059 --> 00:13:12.759 didn't notice 00:13:12.759 --> 00:13:13.799 that a whole part 00:13:13.799 --> 00:13:14.500 of their community 00:13:14.500 --> 00:13:15.599 was being neglected 00:13:15.599 --> 00:13:16.500 in the distribution 00:13:16.500 --> 00:13:17.019 of food. 00:13:17.519 --> 00:13:18.620 This was an inequity. 00:13:19.620 --> 00:13:22.319 And it was causing 00:13:22.319 --> 00:13:22.919 tension. 00:13:23.839 --> 00:13:24.839 So it doesn't explain 00:13:24.839 --> 00:13:26.179 what the mechanical 00:13:26.179 --> 00:13:27.059 breakdown was, 00:13:27.219 --> 00:13:28.699 but that chapter 00:13:28.699 --> 00:13:29.120 in Acts 00:13:29.120 --> 00:13:29.799 is very clear 00:13:29.799 --> 00:13:31.799 that this issue 00:13:31.799 --> 00:13:33.259 fell along identity lines. 00:13:33.959 --> 00:13:36.079 It was Hellenistic Jews 00:13:36.080 --> 00:13:37.220 who were complaining. 00:13:38.180 --> 00:13:39.000 And their reaction 00:13:39.000 --> 00:13:39.680 and their sensitivity 00:13:39.680 --> 00:13:40.759 is very clear. 00:13:41.420 --> 00:13:43.220 The word that we used 00:13:43.220 --> 00:13:43.920 in our translation 00:13:43.920 --> 00:13:44.639 is complained, 00:13:44.820 --> 00:13:45.700 but other translations 00:13:45.700 --> 00:13:46.600 use murmuring. 00:13:47.060 --> 00:13:47.920 And this kind of gets 00:13:47.920 --> 00:13:48.860 more clearly 00:13:48.860 --> 00:13:50.259 at the tension 00:13:50.259 --> 00:13:50.960 that existed. 00:13:51.220 --> 00:13:51.700 Murmuring, 00:13:52.240 --> 00:13:53.120 as some scholars 00:13:53.120 --> 00:13:53.660 have said, 00:13:54.180 --> 00:13:55.780 suggests that 00:13:55.780 --> 00:13:57.060 this was a complaint 00:13:57.060 --> 00:13:57.759 that came out 00:13:57.759 --> 00:13:59.259 of long-held grievances 00:13:59.259 --> 00:14:00.460 from the tensions 00:14:00.460 --> 00:14:00.980 that existed 00:14:00.980 --> 00:14:01.600 between them. 00:14:01.879 --> 00:14:02.480 Hebrew Jews 00:14:02.480 --> 00:14:02.920 looked down 00:14:02.920 --> 00:14:03.960 on Hellenistic Jews 00:14:03.960 --> 00:14:04.680 as not being 00:14:04.680 --> 00:14:05.540 Jewish enough. 00:14:06.080 --> 00:14:07.220 And Hellenistic Jews 00:14:07.220 --> 00:14:08.160 would have looked down 00:14:08.160 --> 00:14:09.180 on Hebrew Jews 00:14:09.180 --> 00:14:10.620 for not being polished 00:14:10.620 --> 00:14:12.060 and cosmopolitan enough. 00:14:12.580 --> 00:14:13.060 So resentment 00:14:13.060 --> 00:14:13.940 always brewed 00:14:13.940 --> 00:14:14.759 under the surface. 00:14:15.340 --> 00:14:16.639 And it would have been 00:14:16.639 --> 00:14:18.400 easy for the Hellenistic Jews 00:14:18.400 --> 00:14:19.320 to feel that this was 00:14:19.320 --> 00:14:20.440 not just a mistake 00:14:20.440 --> 00:14:21.080 or accidental, 00:14:21.280 --> 00:14:21.759 but maybe 00:14:21.759 --> 00:14:22.980 a little bit more. 00:14:24.280 --> 00:14:25.520 So it's very striking 00:14:25.520 --> 00:14:25.920 to me 00:14:25.920 --> 00:14:27.560 from this passage 00:14:27.560 --> 00:14:29.759 that a group of people 00:14:29.759 --> 00:14:30.600 can know Jesus 00:14:30.600 --> 00:14:31.460 very intimately, 00:14:31.800 --> 00:14:32.620 have incredible 00:14:32.620 --> 00:14:33.780 spiritual experiences 00:14:33.779 --> 00:14:34.919 as followers 00:14:34.919 --> 00:14:35.439 of Jesus, 00:14:35.559 --> 00:14:36.539 even watch the Lord 00:14:36.539 --> 00:14:37.139 work miracles 00:14:37.139 --> 00:14:37.659 through them, 00:14:37.959 --> 00:14:39.379 and still not notice 00:14:39.379 --> 00:14:40.159 that a group 00:14:40.159 --> 00:14:40.679 of believers 00:14:40.679 --> 00:14:41.399 with a different 00:14:41.399 --> 00:14:42.360 identity from them 00:14:42.360 --> 00:14:43.139 is being overlooked 00:14:43.139 --> 00:14:44.079 in something like 00:14:44.079 --> 00:14:45.399 food distribution. 00:14:46.860 --> 00:14:47.600 So we don't see, 00:14:47.879 --> 00:14:48.620 it doesn't mention 00:14:48.620 --> 00:14:49.120 in this passage 00:14:49.120 --> 00:14:49.899 that the Holy Spirit 00:14:49.899 --> 00:14:51.220 intervened to change things, 00:14:51.319 --> 00:14:51.860 but the apostles 00:14:51.860 --> 00:14:52.879 took some steps. 00:14:53.579 --> 00:14:54.019 They acted 00:14:54.019 --> 00:14:54.659 to preserve 00:14:54.659 --> 00:14:55.439 the unity 00:14:55.439 --> 00:14:56.240 of the body 00:14:56.240 --> 00:14:56.919 by creating 00:14:56.919 --> 00:14:57.980 a team of leaders 00:14:57.980 --> 00:14:59.120 that they drew 00:14:59.120 --> 00:15:00.039 from the community 00:15:00.039 --> 00:15:01.100 that had the grievance. 00:15:01.100 --> 00:15:02.019 And they gave 00:15:02.019 --> 00:15:03.220 authority and responsibility 00:15:03.220 --> 00:15:04.000 away to them. 00:15:04.680 --> 00:15:05.399 They opened up 00:15:05.399 --> 00:15:06.600 new leadership roles 00:15:06.600 --> 00:15:07.100 to members 00:15:07.100 --> 00:15:08.040 of the Hellenistic 00:15:08.040 --> 00:15:09.200 Jewish group, 00:15:09.860 --> 00:15:10.980 giving them voice 00:15:10.980 --> 00:15:12.680 and real power 00:15:12.680 --> 00:15:14.040 over this critical asset, 00:15:14.300 --> 00:15:14.540 food. 00:15:15.639 --> 00:15:16.420 And so most people 00:15:16.420 --> 00:15:17.279 see the phrase 00:15:17.279 --> 00:15:18.080 the apostles used, 00:15:18.180 --> 00:15:18.820 serving the word 00:15:18.820 --> 00:15:20.019 versus serving tables, 00:15:20.279 --> 00:15:20.899 and they think 00:15:20.899 --> 00:15:22.180 that it's the apostles 00:15:22.180 --> 00:15:23.300 belittling the work. 00:15:23.800 --> 00:15:24.519 And if you know 00:15:24.519 --> 00:15:25.660 Anglicanism at all, 00:15:25.759 --> 00:15:26.980 this is one of these places 00:15:26.980 --> 00:15:28.060 where your bishop 00:15:28.060 --> 00:15:28.779 will tell you, 00:15:29.220 --> 00:15:29.840 well, this is where 00:15:29.840 --> 00:15:30.920 we get deacons from. 00:15:30.919 --> 00:15:32.199 The priests 00:15:32.199 --> 00:15:32.740 do the work 00:15:32.740 --> 00:15:33.339 of the apostles, 00:15:33.639 --> 00:15:34.399 they minister 00:15:34.399 --> 00:15:35.240 to the word, 00:15:35.659 --> 00:15:36.199 and the deacons 00:15:36.199 --> 00:15:37.360 served at tables. 00:15:38.459 --> 00:15:39.639 So I was told 00:15:39.639 --> 00:15:40.419 when I was a deacon. 00:15:43.039 --> 00:15:43.639 Yep. 00:15:44.159 --> 00:15:45.000 So I said, 00:15:45.240 --> 00:15:46.459 but what's interesting 00:15:46.459 --> 00:15:47.599 is that these roles 00:15:47.599 --> 00:15:48.279 were clearly 00:15:48.279 --> 00:15:49.719 not just a practical 00:15:49.719 --> 00:15:50.699 leadership role 00:15:50.699 --> 00:15:51.699 created to solve 00:15:51.699 --> 00:15:52.519 a short-term 00:15:52.519 --> 00:15:53.559 logistical problem. 00:15:54.459 --> 00:15:56.919 This was a new cohort 00:15:56.919 --> 00:15:57.439 of leaders 00:15:57.439 --> 00:15:58.159 in the community. 00:15:58.779 --> 00:15:59.759 And most of the 00:15:59.759 --> 00:16:00.419 seven leaders 00:16:00.419 --> 00:16:01.319 that were commissioned, 00:16:01.779 --> 00:16:02.219 all of them 00:16:02.219 --> 00:16:03.120 Hellenistic Jews, 00:16:03.299 --> 00:16:04.219 you read in later 00:16:04.219 --> 00:16:04.959 parts of Acts 00:16:04.959 --> 00:16:05.740 that they all went out 00:16:05.740 --> 00:16:06.599 moving in the 00:16:06.599 --> 00:16:07.399 power of the spirit, 00:16:07.579 --> 00:16:08.120 doing what the 00:16:08.120 --> 00:16:08.860 apostles did, 00:16:09.079 --> 00:16:09.899 evangelizing, 00:16:10.459 --> 00:16:11.459 praying for people, 00:16:11.659 --> 00:16:12.259 prophesying, 00:16:12.399 --> 00:16:13.000 healing people. 00:16:13.419 --> 00:16:14.059 They're a fully 00:16:14.059 --> 00:16:14.879 authorized group 00:16:14.879 --> 00:16:15.319 of leaders. 00:16:15.500 --> 00:16:16.019 And the apostles 00:16:16.019 --> 00:16:17.019 created this group 00:16:17.019 --> 00:16:17.819 and gave power 00:16:17.819 --> 00:16:18.439 away to them. 00:16:19.259 --> 00:16:19.860 And what the Lord 00:16:19.860 --> 00:16:20.599 did with this 00:16:20.599 --> 00:16:21.339 is noteworthy. 00:16:21.659 --> 00:16:22.299 If it wasn't 00:16:22.299 --> 00:16:23.099 for this crisis 00:16:23.099 --> 00:16:24.240 and the way 00:16:24.240 --> 00:16:24.759 the apostles 00:16:24.759 --> 00:16:25.480 handled it, 00:16:25.699 --> 00:16:26.879 no new leadership 00:16:26.879 --> 00:16:27.539 rules would have 00:16:27.539 --> 00:16:28.039 been created. 00:16:28.039 --> 00:16:29.379 And without 00:16:29.379 --> 00:16:30.339 those new 00:16:30.339 --> 00:16:31.120 leadership roles 00:16:31.120 --> 00:16:31.919 and Hellenistic 00:16:31.919 --> 00:16:32.759 Jews in those 00:16:32.759 --> 00:16:33.120 roles, 00:16:33.379 --> 00:16:33.879 there would have 00:16:33.879 --> 00:16:34.919 been no evangelism 00:16:34.919 --> 00:16:35.759 to Gentiles 00:16:35.759 --> 00:16:37.539 later in Acts 11. 00:16:38.379 --> 00:16:39.019 This was an 00:16:39.019 --> 00:16:40.240 unintended consequence, 00:16:40.500 --> 00:16:41.079 but a good one, 00:16:41.259 --> 00:16:41.819 and one that the 00:16:41.819 --> 00:16:42.679 Lord was clearly in. 00:16:44.779 --> 00:16:46.259 Next episode, 00:16:46.740 --> 00:16:47.620 this is a good one. 00:16:48.120 --> 00:16:49.179 Peter and Cornelius, 00:16:49.299 --> 00:16:49.839 Acts 10. 00:16:50.699 --> 00:16:51.519 So in this one, 00:16:51.679 --> 00:16:52.639 it's very instructive 00:16:52.639 --> 00:16:52.980 for us. 00:16:53.399 --> 00:16:54.259 Here you see the 00:16:54.259 --> 00:16:55.480 Holy Spirit actively 00:16:55.480 --> 00:16:56.399 at work to break 00:16:56.399 --> 00:16:57.440 down racial barriers. 00:16:58.139 --> 00:16:58.920 So a couple key 00:16:58.920 --> 00:17:00.460 points in this story. 00:17:00.620 --> 00:17:01.379 Cornelius is a 00:17:01.379 --> 00:17:02.560 God-fearing Gentile, 00:17:03.000 --> 00:17:04.059 and he's told by an 00:17:04.059 --> 00:17:05.019 angel to go get 00:17:05.019 --> 00:17:05.680 Peter and bring 00:17:05.680 --> 00:17:06.620 Peter to his house. 00:17:07.460 --> 00:17:08.539 So messengers from 00:17:08.539 --> 00:17:09.279 Cornelius are on 00:17:09.279 --> 00:17:09.680 their way. 00:17:10.180 --> 00:17:10.420 Meanwhile, 00:17:10.559 --> 00:17:11.279 Peter's praying, 00:17:11.680 --> 00:17:12.720 and he has a vision 00:17:12.720 --> 00:17:13.740 where God tells 00:17:13.740 --> 00:17:16.579 Peter to not call 00:17:16.579 --> 00:17:17.480 anything unclean 00:17:17.480 --> 00:17:18.240 that God has made 00:17:18.240 --> 00:17:18.579 clean. 00:17:19.380 --> 00:17:20.079 And as the vision 00:17:20.079 --> 00:17:20.620 ends, the 00:17:20.620 --> 00:17:21.079 messengers, 00:17:21.799 --> 00:17:23.160 timing is amazing, 00:17:23.279 --> 00:17:24.099 the messengers show 00:17:24.099 --> 00:17:24.740 up and say, 00:17:24.740 --> 00:17:25.599 we're looking for 00:17:25.599 --> 00:17:26.319 Peter and here's 00:17:26.319 --> 00:17:27.039 why we've come. 00:17:27.620 --> 00:17:27.980 And then the 00:17:27.980 --> 00:17:28.720 Spirit says to 00:17:28.720 --> 00:17:29.019 Peter, 00:17:29.180 --> 00:17:30.380 verses 19 and 20, 00:17:30.559 --> 00:17:31.120 go with them 00:17:31.120 --> 00:17:31.920 without hesitation. 00:17:32.819 --> 00:17:33.819 So on that basis, 00:17:34.240 --> 00:17:35.120 Peter goes with 00:17:35.120 --> 00:17:35.759 the messengers 00:17:35.759 --> 00:17:36.880 to Cornelius' 00:17:37.039 --> 00:17:37.359 house. 00:17:37.740 --> 00:17:38.319 He shares the 00:17:38.319 --> 00:17:38.680 gospel. 00:17:38.980 --> 00:17:39.420 And while he's 00:17:39.420 --> 00:17:39.960 doing so, 00:17:40.299 --> 00:17:41.000 the Holy Spirit 00:17:41.000 --> 00:17:42.140 falls spontaneously 00:17:42.140 --> 00:17:43.240 on Cornelius and 00:17:43.240 --> 00:17:44.160 all the Gentiles 00:17:44.160 --> 00:17:44.819 gathered there, 00:17:45.259 --> 00:17:46.000 just as the 00:17:46.000 --> 00:17:46.740 Hebrew Jews had 00:17:46.740 --> 00:17:47.319 experienced at 00:17:47.319 --> 00:17:47.839 Pentecost. 00:17:48.539 --> 00:17:49.220 So a couple 00:17:49.220 --> 00:17:49.839 observations. 00:17:50.680 --> 00:17:51.200 First of all, 00:17:51.200 --> 00:17:52.140 Peter's entirely 00:17:52.140 --> 00:17:52.980 blown away by 00:17:52.980 --> 00:17:54.019 this whole experience. 00:17:54.740 --> 00:17:55.900 And when he goes 00:17:55.900 --> 00:17:56.299 in the next 00:17:56.299 --> 00:17:57.160 chapter to tell 00:17:57.160 --> 00:17:57.740 the Jewish 00:17:57.740 --> 00:17:58.259 leadership, 00:17:58.400 --> 00:17:58.880 the Hebrew 00:17:58.880 --> 00:17:59.660 Jewish leadership 00:17:59.660 --> 00:18:00.500 back in Jerusalem 00:18:00.500 --> 00:18:01.160 what happened, 00:18:01.740 --> 00:18:02.259 they're also 00:18:02.259 --> 00:18:02.720 amazed. 00:18:03.279 --> 00:18:04.200 It was so far 00:18:04.200 --> 00:18:05.019 off their grid, 00:18:05.180 --> 00:18:06.059 so outside of 00:18:06.059 --> 00:18:06.620 their frame of 00:18:06.620 --> 00:18:07.559 understanding things. 00:18:08.440 --> 00:18:09.259 Second, it's 00:18:09.259 --> 00:18:09.839 important to 00:18:09.839 --> 00:18:10.720 understand something 00:18:10.720 --> 00:18:11.980 about what the 00:18:11.980 --> 00:18:13.220 functioning of the 00:18:13.220 --> 00:18:14.299 Holy Spirit is in 00:18:14.299 --> 00:18:14.559 this. 00:18:15.559 --> 00:18:16.420 For the early 00:18:16.420 --> 00:18:17.059 church, the 00:18:17.059 --> 00:18:18.059 signal mark of 00:18:18.059 --> 00:18:18.599 becoming a 00:18:18.599 --> 00:18:20.000 Christian was not 00:18:20.000 --> 00:18:20.799 water baptism, 00:18:21.000 --> 00:18:21.700 but receiving the 00:18:21.700 --> 00:18:22.240 Holy Spirit. 00:18:22.240 --> 00:18:22.839 And let me be 00:18:22.839 --> 00:18:23.440 clear, I'm not 00:18:23.440 --> 00:18:24.059 talking about 00:18:24.059 --> 00:18:24.700 speaking in 00:18:24.700 --> 00:18:25.539 tongues, I'm 00:18:25.539 --> 00:18:26.079 not saying that 00:18:26.079 --> 00:18:26.519 you have to 00:18:26.519 --> 00:18:26.980 speak in 00:18:26.980 --> 00:18:27.500 tongues in 00:18:27.500 --> 00:18:28.759 order to be a 00:18:28.759 --> 00:18:29.480 genuine Christian, 00:18:29.599 --> 00:18:30.279 not that at 00:18:30.279 --> 00:18:30.500 all. 00:18:31.759 --> 00:18:32.759 Leslie Newbigin, 00:18:32.920 --> 00:18:33.299 who was a 00:18:33.299 --> 00:18:34.120 bishop in the 00:18:34.120 --> 00:18:34.799 Church of India, 00:18:35.339 --> 00:18:36.440 and he wrote in 00:18:36.440 --> 00:18:37.240 one of his books 00:18:37.240 --> 00:18:38.400 that the parallel 00:18:38.400 --> 00:18:40.000 experience in early 00:18:40.000 --> 00:18:40.660 church to 00:18:40.660 --> 00:18:41.480 circumcision was 00:18:41.480 --> 00:18:42.460 not water baptism, 00:18:42.859 --> 00:18:43.680 but receiving the 00:18:43.680 --> 00:18:44.299 gift of the Holy 00:18:44.299 --> 00:18:44.720 Spirit. 00:18:45.259 --> 00:18:46.299 We are baptized by 00:18:46.299 --> 00:18:47.240 Christ into, 00:18:47.440 --> 00:18:48.240 baptized by the 00:18:48.240 --> 00:18:49.099 Spirit into Christ, 00:18:49.500 --> 00:18:50.380 we're made members 00:18:50.380 --> 00:18:51.820 of his body by 00:18:51.820 --> 00:18:52.360 the Spirit. 00:18:53.420 --> 00:18:53.960 And so for the 00:18:53.960 --> 00:18:55.080 Spirit to pour out 00:18:55.080 --> 00:18:56.320 like he did on 00:18:56.320 --> 00:18:57.360 the Gentiles sent a 00:18:57.360 --> 00:18:58.760 shockwave through the 00:18:58.760 --> 00:18:59.460 Hebrew Jewish 00:18:59.460 --> 00:19:00.000 Christians. 00:19:00.900 --> 00:19:01.940 They didn't think it 00:19:01.940 --> 00:19:02.820 was possible for 00:19:02.820 --> 00:19:03.700 Gentiles to be 00:19:03.700 --> 00:19:04.040 saved. 00:19:06.340 --> 00:19:07.240 And they certainly 00:19:07.240 --> 00:19:08.140 didn't expect them to 00:19:08.140 --> 00:19:09.060 become followers of 00:19:09.060 --> 00:19:09.900 Jesus on equal 00:19:09.900 --> 00:19:10.460 footing with 00:19:10.460 --> 00:19:10.880 themselves. 00:19:12.880 --> 00:19:13.940 It was just not 00:19:13.940 --> 00:19:14.840 possible for them 00:19:14.840 --> 00:19:16.360 that people who 00:19:16.360 --> 00:19:17.420 were so unclean 00:19:17.420 --> 00:19:18.300 could become like 00:19:18.300 --> 00:19:18.580 them. 00:19:18.579 --> 00:19:20.980 And it was this 00:19:20.980 --> 00:19:21.539 falling of the 00:19:21.539 --> 00:19:22.220 Spirit on the 00:19:22.220 --> 00:19:22.799 Gentiles that 00:19:22.799 --> 00:19:24.399 convinced Peter and 00:19:24.399 --> 00:19:25.079 the Hebrew Jews 00:19:25.079 --> 00:19:25.779 with him that the 00:19:25.779 --> 00:19:26.720 Gentiles were in 00:19:26.720 --> 00:19:27.339 fact saved. 00:19:27.599 --> 00:19:28.659 Third, Peter had 00:19:28.659 --> 00:19:29.399 the witness of 00:19:29.399 --> 00:19:30.659 Scripture that 00:19:30.659 --> 00:19:31.519 spoke to him of 00:19:31.519 --> 00:19:32.519 the Messiah being a 00:19:32.519 --> 00:19:33.199 light to the 00:19:33.199 --> 00:19:33.720 Gentiles. 00:19:33.819 --> 00:19:34.659 And he heard Jesus 00:19:34.659 --> 00:19:36.059 tell him and the 00:19:36.059 --> 00:19:37.359 others that they 00:19:37.359 --> 00:19:38.059 would be his 00:19:38.059 --> 00:19:39.919 witnesses to Judea, 00:19:40.019 --> 00:19:40.639 Samaria, and to 00:19:40.639 --> 00:19:41.339 the ends of the 00:19:41.339 --> 00:19:41.639 earth. 00:19:42.339 --> 00:19:43.079 He was there at 00:19:43.079 --> 00:19:43.659 Pentecost. 00:19:43.819 --> 00:19:44.859 He and his friends 00:19:44.859 --> 00:19:45.779 spoke in other 00:19:45.779 --> 00:19:46.720 languages about the 00:19:46.720 --> 00:19:46.939 Lord. 00:19:46.940 --> 00:19:48.660 And yet, his 00:19:48.660 --> 00:19:49.799 understanding of 00:19:49.799 --> 00:19:51.180 what it means to 00:19:51.180 --> 00:19:52.100 be a Hebrew Jew 00:19:52.100 --> 00:19:53.240 ran so deep in 00:19:53.240 --> 00:19:54.120 him that he still 00:19:54.120 --> 00:19:54.980 held the conviction 00:19:54.980 --> 00:19:55.840 that Gentiles 00:19:55.840 --> 00:19:56.860 couldn't be 00:19:56.860 --> 00:19:57.620 included. 00:19:58.920 --> 00:20:00.059 It took a vision, 00:20:00.360 --> 00:20:01.380 not just one time, 00:20:01.500 --> 00:20:02.380 but a vision that 00:20:02.380 --> 00:20:03.660 God gave three times 00:20:03.660 --> 00:20:04.460 in a row for good 00:20:04.460 --> 00:20:07.120 measure, to shake 00:20:07.120 --> 00:20:08.940 Peter past his, I'm 00:20:08.940 --> 00:20:09.440 going to use this 00:20:09.440 --> 00:20:10.620 word, unconscious 00:20:10.620 --> 00:20:12.200 bias towards Gentiles. 00:20:12.840 --> 00:20:13.960 Now, if you want to 00:20:13.960 --> 00:20:14.640 talk, you want to 00:20:14.640 --> 00:20:15.519 question what do I 00:20:15.519 --> 00:20:16.240 mean by that? 00:20:16.480 --> 00:20:17.299 Am I alluding to 00:20:17.299 --> 00:20:18.019 this or that? 00:20:18.359 --> 00:20:19.119 Am I getting into a 00:20:19.119 --> 00:20:20.400 dogfight over critical 00:20:20.400 --> 00:20:21.220 race theory or 00:20:21.220 --> 00:20:21.559 something? 00:20:21.900 --> 00:20:22.619 Come talk to me 00:20:22.619 --> 00:20:22.900 after. 00:20:23.240 --> 00:20:24.299 I can guarantee you 00:20:24.299 --> 00:20:25.480 wherever you fall on 00:20:25.480 --> 00:20:26.379 these issues, my 00:20:26.379 --> 00:20:27.240 answer is not going 00:20:27.240 --> 00:20:28.039 to make you happy. 00:20:28.240 --> 00:20:29.099 If you love it or 00:20:29.099 --> 00:20:29.879 you don't love it, 00:20:30.059 --> 00:20:30.619 you're not going to 00:20:30.619 --> 00:20:31.400 be happy with what I 00:20:31.400 --> 00:20:31.900 have to say. 00:20:32.819 --> 00:20:34.160 So, just come talk 00:20:34.160 --> 00:20:35.220 to me, but just be 00:20:35.220 --> 00:20:35.519 warned. 00:20:38.920 --> 00:20:40.119 So, one of the 00:20:40.119 --> 00:20:40.900 things that I find so 00:20:40.900 --> 00:20:41.779 interesting is that to 00:20:41.779 --> 00:20:42.480 have more of the 00:20:42.480 --> 00:20:44.379 Holy Spirit is for 00:20:44.380 --> 00:20:45.220 the Holy Spirit to 00:20:45.220 --> 00:20:46.380 work to break down 00:20:46.380 --> 00:20:47.320 some of our deepest 00:20:47.320 --> 00:20:48.520 beliefs and opinions 00:20:48.520 --> 00:20:49.900 about people who are 00:20:49.900 --> 00:20:50.840 racially different from 00:20:50.840 --> 00:20:51.140 us. 00:20:51.680 --> 00:20:52.760 When Paul says in 00:20:52.760 --> 00:20:54.360 Ephesians 2 that the 00:20:54.360 --> 00:20:55.700 dividing wall of 00:20:55.700 --> 00:20:57.240 hostility between Jews 00:20:57.240 --> 00:20:58.460 and Gentiles is broken 00:20:58.460 --> 00:20:59.960 down, and then in 00:20:59.960 --> 00:21:01.240 Galatians and Colossians 00:21:01.240 --> 00:21:02.680 that in Christ there's 00:21:02.680 --> 00:21:03.840 neither Jew nor Greek, 00:21:04.420 --> 00:21:06.040 he's not talking about 00:21:06.040 --> 00:21:06.860 getting rid of racial 00:21:06.860 --> 00:21:08.040 identity or differences 00:21:08.040 --> 00:21:09.160 or colorblindness. 00:21:09.500 --> 00:21:10.520 He's talking about a 00:21:10.520 --> 00:21:11.740 unity in Christ between 00:21:11.740 --> 00:21:13.680 people who retain all 00:21:13.680 --> 00:21:14.660 their created differences 00:21:14.660 --> 00:21:15.880 as image bearers of 00:21:15.880 --> 00:21:16.120 God. 00:21:18.180 --> 00:21:18.900 So, we come to 00:21:18.900 --> 00:21:20.680 Galatians 2, Peter and 00:21:20.680 --> 00:21:21.140 Paul. 00:21:22.019 --> 00:21:22.779 Peter and Paul. 00:21:25.019 --> 00:21:27.380 So, even though when 00:21:27.380 --> 00:21:28.820 Paul recounted this, or 00:21:28.820 --> 00:21:29.440 when Peter, sorry, 00:21:29.519 --> 00:21:31.039 recounted his experience 00:21:31.039 --> 00:21:32.180 with Cornelius to the 00:21:32.180 --> 00:21:34.759 leaders in Jerusalem, it 00:21:34.759 --> 00:21:36.140 didn't quite, it was 00:21:36.140 --> 00:21:37.279 initially embraced, but 00:21:37.279 --> 00:21:38.500 it clearly didn't stick. 00:21:39.400 --> 00:21:40.600 Because later we read, in 00:21:40.600 --> 00:21:42.340 Galatians 2, we read 00:21:42.339 --> 00:21:43.319 about a confrontation 00:21:43.319 --> 00:21:44.980 between Peter and Paul. 00:21:45.259 --> 00:21:46.359 It's not recorded in the 00:21:46.359 --> 00:21:47.019 book of Acts. 00:21:47.220 --> 00:21:48.480 Most scholars think that 00:21:48.480 --> 00:21:49.439 it happened during the 00:21:49.439 --> 00:21:50.879 timeline of Acts and 00:21:50.879 --> 00:21:52.279 before Acts 15. 00:21:53.399 --> 00:21:54.799 Just to reference one 00:21:54.799 --> 00:21:57.139 person, N.T. Wright, go 00:21:57.139 --> 00:21:58.419 argue with N.T. Wright, he 00:21:58.419 --> 00:21:59.259 thinks that it happened 00:21:59.259 --> 00:22:00.740 before Acts 15. 00:22:01.720 --> 00:22:02.879 So, if N.T. Wright says 00:22:02.879 --> 00:22:04.059 it, it's probably true. 00:22:05.240 --> 00:22:06.319 So, this was a 00:22:06.319 --> 00:22:07.279 confrontation that 00:22:07.279 --> 00:22:08.559 happened because Paul and 00:22:08.559 --> 00:22:09.559 Peter are hanging out in 00:22:09.559 --> 00:22:09.980 Galatia. 00:22:09.980 --> 00:22:10.860 They're with Gentile 00:22:10.860 --> 00:22:11.240 believers. 00:22:11.960 --> 00:22:12.980 And then it says that 00:22:12.980 --> 00:22:14.700 some people from the 00:22:14.700 --> 00:22:16.240 group of James came from 00:22:16.240 --> 00:22:21.319 Jerusalem, and when they 00:22:21.319 --> 00:22:22.680 show up, Peter, out of 00:22:22.680 --> 00:22:23.519 fear of what they'll think 00:22:23.519 --> 00:22:25.579 of him, recuses himself 00:22:25.579 --> 00:22:26.480 and stops hanging out 00:22:26.480 --> 00:22:26.740 with them. 00:22:26.799 --> 00:22:27.680 He stops eating with 00:22:27.680 --> 00:22:28.680 them and associating with 00:22:28.680 --> 00:22:28.860 them. 00:22:29.700 --> 00:22:31.240 And even, as Paul says, 00:22:31.360 --> 00:22:32.460 even Barnabas. 00:22:33.000 --> 00:22:34.019 Now, this is quite a big 00:22:34.019 --> 00:22:34.279 deal. 00:22:34.440 --> 00:22:35.579 James was the leader of 00:22:35.579 --> 00:22:36.700 the Jerusalem church, but 00:22:36.700 --> 00:22:38.220 he was Jesus' half-brother. 00:22:38.220 --> 00:22:39.539 He sort of looked like 00:22:39.539 --> 00:22:39.860 Jesus. 00:22:40.200 --> 00:22:41.059 He carried a lot of 00:22:41.059 --> 00:22:41.460 authority. 00:22:42.039 --> 00:22:42.779 He was said to be a 00:22:42.779 --> 00:22:44.220 person of deep prayer, who 00:22:44.220 --> 00:22:45.220 knew the scriptures very 00:22:45.220 --> 00:22:45.579 deeply. 00:22:45.799 --> 00:22:48.220 So, if people said, we've 00:22:48.220 --> 00:22:50.319 come on behalf of James, and 00:22:50.319 --> 00:22:51.680 we think that you have to be 00:22:51.680 --> 00:22:53.019 circumcised and follow the 00:22:53.019 --> 00:22:54.839 law, it was a big deal. 00:22:56.160 --> 00:22:57.400 So, this whole thing makes 00:22:57.400 --> 00:22:57.960 Paul mad. 00:22:58.660 --> 00:22:59.660 And he calls out Peter. 00:23:00.600 --> 00:23:02.319 And now, Paul wrote 00:23:02.319 --> 00:23:02.980 Galatians. 00:23:03.100 --> 00:23:04.400 He didn't transcribe this. 00:23:04.480 --> 00:23:05.600 He just wrote his side of 00:23:05.600 --> 00:23:05.860 things. 00:23:05.859 --> 00:23:07.299 And he says, I called out 00:23:07.299 --> 00:23:07.579 Peter. 00:23:07.699 --> 00:23:08.779 I don't know what Peter said 00:23:08.779 --> 00:23:09.379 back to him. 00:23:10.019 --> 00:23:11.199 We don't even know how the 00:23:11.199 --> 00:23:11.919 whole thing ended. 00:23:12.099 --> 00:23:13.459 But Paul just kind of says, I 00:23:13.459 --> 00:23:14.979 called out Peter, and he was 00:23:14.979 --> 00:23:17.119 wrong, and so it is. 00:23:20.419 --> 00:23:22.159 And he goes on to all his 00:23:22.159 --> 00:23:23.179 arguments in the rest of 00:23:23.179 --> 00:23:23.879 Galatians. 00:23:24.019 --> 00:23:25.619 Now, most of us have probably 00:23:25.619 --> 00:23:27.259 read the book of Galatians as 00:23:27.259 --> 00:23:29.319 an argument about faith versus 00:23:29.319 --> 00:23:30.379 works of the law. 00:23:30.659 --> 00:23:31.399 And that's right. 00:23:31.459 --> 00:23:32.059 That is true. 00:23:32.059 --> 00:23:34.919 But the implication here is 00:23:34.919 --> 00:23:36.839 for the salvation of Gentiles 00:23:36.839 --> 00:23:38.579 and their inclusion in the 00:23:38.579 --> 00:23:39.279 family of God. 00:23:39.859 --> 00:23:40.980 And Paul doesn't make a 00:23:40.980 --> 00:23:41.419 distinction. 00:23:41.919 --> 00:23:43.259 Unlike us, he doesn't 00:23:43.259 --> 00:23:44.399 separate a theological 00:23:44.399 --> 00:23:46.579 argument from an 00:23:46.579 --> 00:23:48.539 ecclesiastic or sociological 00:23:48.539 --> 00:23:49.419 reality. 00:23:49.679 --> 00:23:50.799 For him, they're all joined 00:23:50.799 --> 00:23:51.039 up. 00:23:51.919 --> 00:23:52.899 So, Paul is clear that 00:23:52.899 --> 00:23:54.539 salvation is by faith and 00:23:54.539 --> 00:23:55.259 not by works. 00:23:55.519 --> 00:23:56.799 But this should lead to a 00:23:56.799 --> 00:23:58.720 new family, a new people of 00:23:58.720 --> 00:24:00.220 God, and the Gentiles are 00:24:00.220 --> 00:24:00.919 part of this. 00:24:00.920 --> 00:24:02.860 And so, this is why he 00:24:02.860 --> 00:24:04.279 opposed Peter and those who 00:24:04.279 --> 00:24:05.560 came from James. 00:24:06.620 --> 00:24:07.759 And so, this is something that 00:24:07.759 --> 00:24:09.640 Paul brings up in almost all 00:24:09.640 --> 00:24:10.140 his letters. 00:24:10.279 --> 00:24:11.620 It's something that dogged his 00:24:11.620 --> 00:24:13.759 ministry and the rest of his 00:24:13.759 --> 00:24:14.039 life. 00:24:14.340 --> 00:24:15.920 He fights against this for the 00:24:15.920 --> 00:24:16.720 rest of his ministry. 00:24:16.900 --> 00:24:18.740 He fights for the Gentiles for 00:24:18.740 --> 00:24:19.640 the rest of his ministry. 00:24:20.400 --> 00:24:21.440 So, there are a couple things 00:24:21.440 --> 00:24:22.759 that we should understand about 00:24:22.759 --> 00:24:23.940 this group that comes from 00:24:23.940 --> 00:24:24.279 James. 00:24:25.080 --> 00:24:26.620 Paul sometimes calls them the 00:24:26.620 --> 00:24:27.560 circumcision group. 00:24:27.559 --> 00:24:30.399 So, these are majority 00:24:30.399 --> 00:24:31.819 culture Hebrew Jews. 00:24:31.960 --> 00:24:32.980 And for them, the thinking is 00:24:32.980 --> 00:24:34.799 something like, well, great 00:24:34.799 --> 00:24:36.220 that the Gentiles are saved, 00:24:36.339 --> 00:24:37.539 but they have to become 00:24:37.539 --> 00:24:38.859 Jewish to inherit the 00:24:38.859 --> 00:24:40.279 promises of salvation. 00:24:41.240 --> 00:24:42.960 It was barely conceivable, 00:24:43.099 --> 00:24:43.859 as mentioned, that the 00:24:43.859 --> 00:24:45.220 Gentiles could become the 00:24:45.220 --> 00:24:47.359 people of God simply by faith. 00:24:48.000 --> 00:24:49.700 And even if they did receive 00:24:49.700 --> 00:24:51.519 the Holy Spirit, they still 00:24:51.519 --> 00:24:53.019 needed to assimilate. 00:24:53.559 --> 00:24:54.859 And they needed to be 00:24:54.859 --> 00:24:56.639 circumcised and keep the law. 00:24:56.640 --> 00:24:58.440 And if not, then they need 00:24:58.440 --> 00:24:59.259 to segregate. 00:25:00.840 --> 00:25:02.780 So, Jewish identity for these 00:25:02.780 --> 00:25:03.920 people from James is 00:25:03.920 --> 00:25:05.460 normative, right, and even 00:25:05.460 --> 00:25:05.820 holy. 00:25:06.320 --> 00:25:08.259 And the instinct to assimilate 00:25:08.259 --> 00:25:09.860 or segregate is something 00:25:09.860 --> 00:25:11.100 that simply accompanies 00:25:11.100 --> 00:25:13.080 beliefs of racial superiority. 00:25:15.300 --> 00:25:17.380 So, this thinking stuck with 00:25:17.380 --> 00:25:18.440 the church down through the 00:25:18.440 --> 00:25:18.740 ages. 00:25:18.880 --> 00:25:19.800 In the early church, it was 00:25:19.800 --> 00:25:20.920 how can you be a Christian 00:25:20.920 --> 00:25:21.680 and not a Jew? 00:25:22.020 --> 00:25:23.100 Couldn't understand how you 00:25:23.100 --> 00:25:23.620 could do that. 00:25:24.120 --> 00:25:24.840 And then later, when 00:25:24.840 --> 00:25:25.820 Christianity became the 00:25:25.819 --> 00:25:27.419 official religion of the 00:25:27.419 --> 00:25:28.460 empire, it was how can you 00:25:28.460 --> 00:25:29.500 be a Christian and not a 00:25:29.500 --> 00:25:29.720 Roman? 00:25:30.480 --> 00:25:32.460 Again, the possibility that 00:25:32.460 --> 00:25:33.200 you could be a Christian 00:25:33.200 --> 00:25:34.480 and not a Roman citizen 00:25:34.480 --> 00:25:36.500 was hard to square. 00:25:37.179 --> 00:25:38.299 And then later, when 00:25:38.299 --> 00:25:39.079 missionaries went around 00:25:39.079 --> 00:25:40.279 the world, it was how could 00:25:40.279 --> 00:25:41.240 you be a Christian and not 00:25:41.240 --> 00:25:41.599 a European? 00:25:42.319 --> 00:25:43.519 And this thinking continues 00:25:43.519 --> 00:25:43.740 on. 00:25:43.799 --> 00:25:44.759 How can you be a Christian 00:25:44.759 --> 00:25:46.559 and not also Canadian, 00:25:47.039 --> 00:25:48.779 American, white? 00:25:49.059 --> 00:25:50.059 I mean, fill in the blank. 00:25:50.159 --> 00:25:51.700 We all have our thing that 00:25:51.700 --> 00:25:52.259 we go to. 00:25:52.259 --> 00:25:54.140 I don't recognize, I don't 00:25:54.140 --> 00:25:55.220 see how the thing that 00:25:55.220 --> 00:25:56.619 you've got in your identity 00:25:56.619 --> 00:25:58.379 squares with my sense of 00:25:58.379 --> 00:25:58.660 God. 00:25:59.240 --> 00:26:00.039 We should be on guard 00:26:00.039 --> 00:26:00.640 against that. 00:26:02.039 --> 00:26:03.339 The Jerusalem Council. 00:26:03.720 --> 00:26:04.720 This is Acts 15. 00:26:04.819 --> 00:26:05.720 We read about that this 00:26:05.720 --> 00:26:06.000 morning. 00:26:06.200 --> 00:26:07.140 This is the crescendo. 00:26:07.680 --> 00:26:08.680 This is the first church 00:26:08.680 --> 00:26:09.220 council. 00:26:09.579 --> 00:26:11.059 It's convened around this 00:26:11.059 --> 00:26:13.240 exact issue of racial 00:26:13.240 --> 00:26:13.680 identity. 00:26:14.299 --> 00:26:15.519 There's no creedal formula 00:26:15.519 --> 00:26:17.000 that emerges, but more 00:26:17.000 --> 00:26:18.200 like a communique that 00:26:18.200 --> 00:26:20.079 clarifies the church's 00:26:20.079 --> 00:26:21.680 unified position on Gentile 00:26:21.680 --> 00:26:22.000 believers. 00:26:22.880 --> 00:26:23.980 So it's a showdown. 00:26:24.360 --> 00:26:25.460 Paul and Barnabas were 00:26:25.460 --> 00:26:26.600 fighting with a group from 00:26:26.600 --> 00:26:27.660 James and they said, you 00:26:27.660 --> 00:26:28.000 know what? 00:26:28.120 --> 00:26:29.279 We're not getting anywhere. 00:26:29.600 --> 00:26:30.960 Let's pop this up a level. 00:26:31.100 --> 00:26:31.960 We're going to Jerusalem. 00:26:32.259 --> 00:26:33.640 Let's have it out right at 00:26:33.640 --> 00:26:35.380 the top and settle this. 00:26:35.420 --> 00:26:36.480 And everybody said, fine. 00:26:37.480 --> 00:26:39.120 So everybody gathered in 00:26:39.120 --> 00:26:39.400 Jerusalem. 00:26:39.620 --> 00:26:41.240 Long, heated debate we read 00:26:41.240 --> 00:26:41.840 in our passage. 00:26:43.000 --> 00:26:43.779 And then at some point, 00:26:43.880 --> 00:26:45.080 Peter comes back in and he 00:26:45.080 --> 00:26:46.600 tells his story again about 00:26:46.600 --> 00:26:48.080 Cornelius, the one that I 00:26:48.080 --> 00:26:48.779 just talked about. 00:26:49.640 --> 00:26:50.860 And then Paul and Barnabas 00:26:50.859 --> 00:26:52.299 start telling their stories 00:26:52.299 --> 00:26:53.879 of how the Gentiles came to 00:26:53.879 --> 00:26:54.979 faith and how they saw this 00:26:54.979 --> 00:26:55.579 in their ministry. 00:26:56.819 --> 00:26:58.219 But in the end, it was 00:26:58.219 --> 00:26:59.779 James, the main leader, 00:27:00.079 --> 00:27:01.379 who connects Peter and 00:27:01.379 --> 00:27:03.279 Paul's experiences with the 00:27:03.279 --> 00:27:03.579 scriptures. 00:27:03.819 --> 00:27:04.679 He could have picked from 00:27:04.679 --> 00:27:05.619 lots of places. 00:27:06.119 --> 00:27:07.319 But the one he picked from 00:27:07.319 --> 00:27:09.399 specifically was this idea 00:27:09.399 --> 00:27:10.959 that the son of David, the 00:27:10.959 --> 00:27:12.779 Messiah, would rebuild the 00:27:12.779 --> 00:27:14.500 tent of David so that the 00:27:14.500 --> 00:27:16.139 Gentiles who are called by the 00:27:16.139 --> 00:27:17.199 name of the Lord could seek 00:27:17.200 --> 00:27:17.660 the Lord. 00:27:19.620 --> 00:27:20.819 And this settles it. 00:27:21.039 --> 00:27:21.920 And they write up a 00:27:21.920 --> 00:27:22.340 communique. 00:27:22.519 --> 00:27:23.140 It was probably a 00:27:23.140 --> 00:27:24.900 compromised document, but it 00:27:24.900 --> 00:27:26.240 was a big win for Paul. 00:27:26.860 --> 00:27:28.340 It was a big win for letting 00:27:28.340 --> 00:27:29.900 Gentiles be followers of 00:27:29.900 --> 00:27:31.220 Jesus without having to 00:27:31.220 --> 00:27:32.539 change their racial identity, 00:27:33.100 --> 00:27:34.120 without having to become 00:27:34.120 --> 00:27:34.620 Jewish. 00:27:36.019 --> 00:27:37.299 So a couple things strike me 00:27:37.299 --> 00:27:38.059 about this too. 00:27:38.799 --> 00:27:41.039 A spirit-filled, miracle- 00:27:41.039 --> 00:27:42.440 and healing, gifted community 00:27:42.440 --> 00:27:44.200 can persistently struggle with 00:27:44.200 --> 00:27:44.799 this issue. 00:27:44.799 --> 00:27:47.639 Peter had a powerful 00:27:47.639 --> 00:27:49.139 experience as he did in Acts 00:27:49.139 --> 00:27:51.559 10, and still later on when 00:27:51.559 --> 00:27:52.960 he was in Galatia, under the 00:27:52.960 --> 00:27:54.099 right or maybe wrong 00:27:54.099 --> 00:27:56.440 circumstances, could slip back 00:27:56.440 --> 00:27:58.200 into his old, deep thinking 00:27:58.200 --> 00:28:00.119 when people from Jerusalem 00:28:00.119 --> 00:28:00.720 showed up. 00:28:02.079 --> 00:28:03.700 The Spirit used the strong 00:28:03.700 --> 00:28:04.819 disagreement and the 00:28:04.819 --> 00:28:06.039 confrontation between Peter 00:28:06.039 --> 00:28:07.740 and Paul, two Spirit-filled 00:28:07.740 --> 00:28:09.440 people, to make progress on 00:28:09.440 --> 00:28:09.899 this issue. 00:28:11.139 --> 00:28:13.139 And the Holy Spirit can also 00:28:13.139 --> 00:28:14.659 use councils and meetings 00:28:14.660 --> 00:28:16.820 linking experiences to 00:28:16.820 --> 00:28:17.160 Scripture. 00:28:18.259 --> 00:28:19.900 So I want to close with some 00:28:19.900 --> 00:28:20.279 thoughts. 00:28:21.540 --> 00:28:22.720 I'm hoping that I've painted 00:28:22.720 --> 00:28:23.500 a picture here. 00:28:24.279 --> 00:28:25.640 You can have the Holy Spirit 00:28:25.640 --> 00:28:27.300 and move in the gifts of the 00:28:27.300 --> 00:28:29.200 Spirit, but still have deep 00:28:29.200 --> 00:28:30.540 and stubborn thinking 00:28:30.540 --> 00:28:31.000 patterns. 00:28:32.160 --> 00:28:33.360 I'm going to tell you a story. 00:28:33.440 --> 00:28:34.500 I was trying to decide, do I 00:28:34.500 --> 00:28:35.360 tell you this story? 00:28:35.380 --> 00:28:35.900 It's about me. 00:28:35.900 --> 00:28:41.400 When I was a kid, so I grew up 00:28:41.400 --> 00:28:41.880 in Ontario. 00:28:42.380 --> 00:28:43.440 When I was a kid, there was a 00:28:43.440 --> 00:28:45.000 part of the town south of us 00:28:45.000 --> 00:28:45.740 called Brampton. 00:28:46.440 --> 00:28:49.759 And Brampton was nicknamed by 00:28:49.759 --> 00:28:50.720 people around me. 00:28:51.040 --> 00:28:52.800 It was called a reference, it was 00:28:52.800 --> 00:28:55.220 called Bramaladesh because it was 00:28:55.220 --> 00:28:56.380 thought that there were people from 00:28:56.380 --> 00:28:57.440 South Asia who lived there. 00:28:57.900 --> 00:28:59.680 And I grew up hearing this term 00:28:59.680 --> 00:29:00.080 used. 00:29:00.879 --> 00:29:03.240 And so years later, years later, I'm 00:29:03.240 --> 00:29:03.919 here in D.C. 00:29:04.220 --> 00:29:06.339 And a friend of mine who's not from 00:29:06.339 --> 00:29:08.799 Canada says, oh, I was talking to a 00:29:08.799 --> 00:29:10.659 friend and he said that he's going to 00:29:10.659 --> 00:29:11.579 go to Brampton. 00:29:11.819 --> 00:29:14.119 And out of my mouth pops, oh, 00:29:14.199 --> 00:29:14.799 Bramaladesh. 00:29:15.139 --> 00:29:16.139 And I froze. 00:29:16.919 --> 00:29:19.039 And I thought to myself, where did that 00:29:19.039 --> 00:29:19.579 come from? 00:29:20.319 --> 00:29:22.419 I mean, I had been, I was so shocked. 00:29:23.039 --> 00:29:25.839 This stuff, this word popped out of the 00:29:25.839 --> 00:29:28.500 deep parts of my brain and popped out 00:29:28.500 --> 00:29:29.220 just like that. 00:29:29.380 --> 00:29:30.900 And I wish, I wish, I couldn't believe 00:29:30.900 --> 00:29:31.420 I said it. 00:29:32.059 --> 00:29:33.420 I was so embarrassed. 00:29:33.579 --> 00:29:35.319 I immediately apologized to him. 00:29:35.480 --> 00:29:36.460 He had no idea. 00:29:36.559 --> 00:29:37.599 He was so confused. 00:29:37.819 --> 00:29:39.180 He sort of stood there and watched me 00:29:39.180 --> 00:29:40.299 go through this whole thing. 00:29:40.660 --> 00:29:41.500 I'm agonizing. 00:29:41.799 --> 00:29:44.079 I'm, you know, beating myself up and 00:29:44.079 --> 00:29:44.839 very embarrassed. 00:29:45.039 --> 00:29:47.140 And I thought, do I explain to him 00:29:47.140 --> 00:29:49.119 what this is, why this is such an 00:29:49.119 --> 00:29:49.859 awful term? 00:29:50.660 --> 00:29:52.619 And do I, and do it so that he 00:29:52.619 --> 00:29:53.839 understands what I'm going through? 00:29:54.019 --> 00:29:54.640 I didn't. 00:29:54.720 --> 00:29:56.680 I just simply said, sorry, that's not a 00:29:56.680 --> 00:29:57.600 right term for it. 00:29:57.600 --> 00:29:58.120 It's Brampton. 00:29:58.600 --> 00:30:00.160 And that's, you know, and I, but I 00:30:00.160 --> 00:30:02.400 basically took it away as, you know 00:30:02.400 --> 00:30:05.039 what, you just, you just can't ever 00:30:05.039 --> 00:30:07.720 underestimate how deep stuff like this 00:30:07.720 --> 00:30:08.120 can be. 00:30:08.779 --> 00:30:11.000 And if you'd asked me, if you'd started 00:30:11.000 --> 00:30:12.900 earlier and said, Rob, what do you 00:30:12.900 --> 00:30:15.299 think of calling Brampton Bramladesh? 00:30:15.500 --> 00:30:16.720 I would have said, that's terrible. 00:30:17.120 --> 00:30:18.580 What a terrible, you know, that's so 00:30:18.580 --> 00:30:18.920 wrong. 00:30:19.019 --> 00:30:21.000 You can't, you just don't, don't do 00:30:21.000 --> 00:30:21.299 that. 00:30:21.680 --> 00:30:23.460 And there it was, without even 00:30:23.460 --> 00:30:25.220 thinking, it just popped out. 00:30:26.680 --> 00:30:32.140 I think what's also really striking 00:30:32.140 --> 00:30:33.900 to me about all of this is that in 00:30:33.900 --> 00:30:35.519 the, when the Holy Spirit came at 00:30:35.519 --> 00:30:37.820 Pentecost, he didn't just come to do 00:30:37.820 --> 00:30:39.960 miracles and healings among new 00:30:39.960 --> 00:30:42.600 believers, but he worked among them to 00:30:42.600 --> 00:30:44.240 break down racial prejudice. 00:30:44.440 --> 00:30:45.660 This was part of the package. 00:30:46.100 --> 00:30:48.360 He could use crises like food 00:30:48.360 --> 00:30:51.240 distribution for Hellenistic Jews. 00:30:51.360 --> 00:30:52.640 He could work through supernatural 00:30:52.640 --> 00:30:55.120 revelations, visions, and speaking 00:30:55.119 --> 00:30:56.059 quietly to Peter. 00:30:56.859 --> 00:30:58.099 He could work through hard 00:30:58.099 --> 00:30:59.719 conversations and even church 00:30:59.719 --> 00:31:00.259 conventions. 00:31:00.879 --> 00:31:03.339 The Holy Spirit is definitely active on 00:31:03.339 --> 00:31:04.779 this issue in the book of Acts. 00:31:05.199 --> 00:31:06.639 And it's a work of the Spirit that we 00:31:06.639 --> 00:31:07.339 still need. 00:31:08.299 --> 00:31:09.559 I've been doing some reading on the 00:31:09.559 --> 00:31:10.879 history of revival in the U.S. 00:31:10.899 --> 00:31:11.699 It's fascinating. 00:31:12.259 --> 00:31:14.379 When the Spirit of God pours out and is 00:31:14.379 --> 00:31:17.179 poured out in moments of revival, people 00:31:17.179 --> 00:31:18.179 were coming to Christ. 00:31:18.679 --> 00:31:20.699 And during camp meetings and tent meetings, 00:31:20.700 --> 00:31:23.319 white and black people were converted 00:31:23.319 --> 00:31:25.360 under the same roof and they would 00:31:25.360 --> 00:31:26.759 start sitting beside each other, 00:31:26.900 --> 00:31:28.580 preaching to each other, prophesying 00:31:28.580 --> 00:31:30.220 over each other, praying for each other, 00:31:30.660 --> 00:31:32.059 standing up and sharing testimony. 00:31:32.799 --> 00:31:35.380 But at some point in every single one of 00:31:35.380 --> 00:31:37.140 these revivals, whether it's one of the 00:31:37.140 --> 00:31:38.840 Great Awakenings, whether it's the Azusa 00:31:38.840 --> 00:31:42.059 Street Revival, white clergy decided this 00:31:42.059 --> 00:31:44.220 integration stuff was no longer okay. 00:31:45.180 --> 00:31:47.019 And even though the Spirit of God was 00:31:47.019 --> 00:31:49.099 falling on everyone without distinction, 00:31:49.819 --> 00:31:52.279 they would reinstate the exclusionary 00:31:52.279 --> 00:31:53.639 and separate worship spaces. 00:31:54.639 --> 00:31:57.119 And when people were pushed out, 00:31:57.279 --> 00:31:59.960 when black people were pushed out of 00:31:59.960 --> 00:32:02.519 these revival meetings, revival would 00:32:02.519 --> 00:32:02.859 fizzle. 00:32:05.740 --> 00:32:08.059 We can grieve the Holy Spirit with 00:32:08.059 --> 00:32:10.559 immoral choices like drunkenness, and we 00:32:10.559 --> 00:32:13.019 can grieve the Holy Spirit with refusals to 00:32:13.619 --> 00:32:15.960 confront racism in ourselves or our churches 00:32:15.960 --> 00:32:17.000 or elsewhere. 00:32:18.579 --> 00:32:20.500 I've also had a number of conversations, 00:32:20.700 --> 00:32:23.880 probably like others, with black pastors of 00:32:23.880 --> 00:32:26.819 different denominations, in part asking 00:32:26.819 --> 00:32:29.000 about their experiences with the Holy Spirit 00:32:29.000 --> 00:32:31.079 and charismatic Christianity. 00:32:32.579 --> 00:32:34.360 And they've said to me something very 00:32:34.360 --> 00:32:34.759 interesting. 00:32:35.600 --> 00:32:37.380 They've said to me about white charismatic 00:32:37.380 --> 00:32:37.880 leaders. 00:32:38.440 --> 00:32:40.480 If they have the Holy Spirit the way they 00:32:40.480 --> 00:32:42.640 say they do and seem to, because miracles 00:32:42.640 --> 00:32:45.600 operate through them, why are they so tone-deaf 00:32:45.599 --> 00:32:46.959 to issues of racism? 00:32:47.459 --> 00:32:49.719 Why are cries for revival always about 00:32:49.719 --> 00:32:51.779 personal salvation and miracles and 00:32:51.779 --> 00:32:54.339 healings and not a cry for the end of 00:32:54.339 --> 00:32:54.699 racism? 00:32:56.599 --> 00:32:58.819 I think to have more of the Holy Spirit is 00:32:58.819 --> 00:33:01.639 to partner with God's heart to heal us, to 00:33:01.639 --> 00:33:03.419 heal all our wounds, including the wounds 00:33:03.419 --> 00:33:04.000 of racism. 00:33:05.259 --> 00:33:07.279 And the way I would say that we should seek 00:33:07.279 --> 00:33:08.980 the Lord for inner healing and physical 00:33:08.980 --> 00:33:10.899 healing and to have more of the Holy Spirit, 00:33:11.599 --> 00:33:13.159 to see more of the gifts and power of the 00:33:13.160 --> 00:33:15.080 Spirit operate, we should seek the Holy Spirit 00:33:15.080 --> 00:33:17.440 for more of racial healing. 00:33:18.320 --> 00:33:21.340 In the same way that God's self-revelation 00:33:21.340 --> 00:33:23.800 is incomplete without all the racial 00:33:23.800 --> 00:33:26.920 differences that he created, God's redemption 00:33:26.920 --> 00:33:29.940 and making of all things new is incomplete 00:33:29.940 --> 00:33:32.720 when the wounds of racism are not healed. 00:33:33.900 --> 00:33:35.300 Let me close us in prayer. 00:33:35.299 --> 00:33:43.039 Lord Jesus, Lord Jesus, I thank you that you are 00:33:43.039 --> 00:33:46.639 willing to go with us to the hard places, 00:33:47.039 --> 00:33:50.000 into the hard places of pain in our lives, 00:33:50.619 --> 00:33:52.779 to the places where it feels like our faith 00:33:52.779 --> 00:33:53.839 is stretched thin. 00:33:55.019 --> 00:33:57.220 You're willing to go with us into the places 00:33:57.220 --> 00:33:58.279 of our deepest need. 00:33:59.339 --> 00:34:02.960 And I pray, Lord, that you help us also be aware 00:34:02.960 --> 00:34:06.900 of the places of need in the lives of others around us, 00:34:06.980 --> 00:34:10.159 even when those places of need are not familiar to us, 00:34:11.000 --> 00:34:12.579 when they don't fit into our grid. 00:34:13.619 --> 00:34:17.579 Sensitize our hearts and help us follow your prompting, 00:34:17.639 --> 00:34:19.000 the promptings of the Holy Spirit, 00:34:19.480 --> 00:34:22.199 to follow you into the fullness of healing, 00:34:22.320 --> 00:34:24.300 the full package of healing you have for us. 00:34:25.300 --> 00:34:25.579 Amen. 00:34:25.579 --> 00:34:25.679 Amen. 00:34:25.679 --> 00:34:26.579 Amen. 00:34:26.579 --> 00:34:27.579 Amen. 00:34:27.579 --> 00:34:27.679 Amen. 00:34:27.679 --> 00:34:28.179 Amen. 00:34:28.179 --> 00:34:28.679 Amen. 00:34:28.679 --> 00:34:29.679 Amen. 00:34:32.960 --> 00:34:33.960 Amen.