I was over at my in-laws' a while back and my father-in-law was channel surfing. You never watch one television program with him. No, instead you watch ten-second snippets of forty different programs and try to piece together their plots. At any rate, he eventually landed on C-SPAN. C-SPAN is one of those stations you never intend to watch, but you always end up watching anyway. C-SPAN had a lecture by a Muslim theologian. She was brilliant. She was critiquing her Muslim heritage along with critiquing the Islamic extremism that exists throughout the world. She contrasted faith and dogma.
The contrast between faith and dogma.
Faith is living and dynamic. It is active. It pursues God. It trusts. It takes risks. It is thoughtful. It seeks answers and invites the truth. It searches. It grows. Faith allows itself to be challenged and stretched.
Dogma stands in contrast to faith. Dogma refers to our creeds and doctrines, our beliefs, or the traditions that have been handed down to us. Dogma tells us what to believe and how we should act. Dogma is our code of conduct, our system of thought and practice, and our tenets of faith, including our rituals. By definition, dogma is fixed. It doesn’t grow or change. It is easily threatened. It insulates itself from being challenged or questioned.
Her point was that so much of the Islamic world is dominated by dogma and not by faith. Muslims dogmatically go through the motions of their religious tradition. But they are threatened by the world around them because of its diversity of thought and behavior. Their basic disposition to the world is one of fear. Instead of allowing the world to challenge and strengthen their faith, the world is seen as an evil to be suppressed.
At times the Christian world operates by dogma. But do we have faith?
As she spoke I realized that she wasn’t just talking about the Muslim world. She was also describing the Christian world. We have our Bibles, our church buildings, our comfortable seats, our communion juice and bread, our offering plates, our Sunday schools, our songs and our creeds. We have our unwritten code of conducts, our traditions, and our Sunday routines. In other words, we have our dogma.
But do we have faith? Do we have a faith that trusts? A faith that isn’t afraid of facing resistance? A faith that can be asked the tough questions? A faith that can honestly examine itself? A faith that can stand against the majority? A faith that can resist sin and remain pure? Do we have a faith that is living and dynamic and life-giving? Do we have a faith that is willing to venture into the world where it can be challenged and strengthened?
There is a fleeting security in dogmatism. With dogmatism, we don’t have to think or be challenged. We don’t have to grow. We don’t have to venture out on a limb where the greatest fruit is located. There is no danger or risk. Instead we just go on existing.
But the problem is that God has not called us to merely embrace dogma. He hasn’t called us to merely exist and survive the worst that the world throws at us. God has called us to take the truth of Christ beyond ourselves and beyond these walls. He has called us to live a life of faith in the world he loves and to which he sent his Son to die for. This morning I want us to survey Acts 16 through Acts 19 and get a flavor for what faith in action looks like.
The early Church demonstrated faith by their actions.
In the beginning of Acts the early Church quickly gained converts by the thousands, with seemingly no effort. But as the good news of Jesus Christ spread to Greek and Roman cities, the early Christians found their faith being challenged. But instead of being threatened by the challenges they faced, they embraced them as opportunities to grow and expand the reign of Christ in their world.
The challenge in Phillipi was hostility.
In Acts 16:16-17 (NIV) Paul and Silas encounter a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her masters by fortune-telling. The girl followed Paul around for days shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved." Paul became so troubled that he cast the evil spirit out of the girl. When the owners of the slave girl realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and brought them before the authorities. Paul and Silas were stripped andseverely flogged. They were placed in an inner cell, the most secure part of the prison, and their feet were fastened in stocks.
Now, we can think whatever we want about how we might react if we were in that circumstance. But violence and bloodshed changes the formula a bit. The challenge here is to show grace and generosity in a hostile environment. Paul and Silas could have spent the night calling down fire on those who had unjustly flogged them. But about midnight Paul and Silas begin praying and singing hymns to God. They share the good news of Jesus Christ with the other prisoners.
Suddenly a violent earthquake shakes the foundation of the prison. The prison doors fly open. Everyone’s chains come loose. Assuming his prisoners have escaped and that he has lost his honor, the jailer takes his sword and prepares to commit suicide. But in an extreme act of kindness Paul shouts in Acts 16:28 (NIV), "Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!" Overwhelmed, the jailer fell before Paul and Silas, trembling, saying, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" Acts 16:30 (NIV) Paul and Silas speak the word of the Lord to the jailer. The jailer washes their wounds and he and his family are baptized. He brings Paul and Silas into his home for a meal.
In this world we will encounter hostility. What a challenge that will be for our faith. Will we see the enemies of Christ as a threat or as an opportunity? Will we grow through adversity and suffering, or will our faith be silenced?
The challenge in Thessalonica and Berea was answering questions and doubts.
In Acts 17 Paul and Silas leave Thessalonica. They come to Thessalonica and later arrive in Berea. In both places they visit Jewish synagogues first, hoping to speak to Jews about Christ. In both places they encounter skepticism, for lack of a better word. Their Jewish brethren express sincere doubts about Jesus Christ’s identity and resurrection. In Thessalonica they question Paul and Silas over a period of three weeks! In Berea the people were much more receptive and receive Paul’s message with eagerness. But we're told in Acts 17:11 (NIV) that the Bereans, "examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." These cities weren’t cutting Paul and Silas any slack. They wanted their questions answered.
The challenge in Thessalonica and Berea concerns questions and doubts. Acts 17:2-3 (NIV) says that in Thessalonica Paul and Silas, "reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead." As a result Acts 17:4 (NIV) says, "Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women." In Berea Paul and Silas did the same. Acts 17:12 (NIV) says, "Many of the Jews believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men."
It is important that we all have faith in Jesus Christ, trusting him as Lord and Savior. But can you tell people why they must trust Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior? Can you prove that God exists? That the Bible is true? That Jesus Christ is God’s only Son? That Jesus came from God? That he died on a cross for our sins? That he was raised on the third day? That he reigns in heaven today? That he will one day return to judge the living and the dead?
Dogma says, "Check your brain at the door. This is what you should believe. Here are the tenets of Christianity. Just believe because I told you so." Faith says, "Come, let us reason together. Let me explain. Let me prove this. Ask your toughest questions. Let’s wrestle with this together. Let's take the time necessary."
At our welcome center in the lobby we have made a number of helpful resources available to you to help walk people through their questions and doubts. There is one book called Know Why You Believe. There are other books titled Mere Christianity, The Case for Faith, and The Case for Christ. The challenge for our faith is this: Will we see questions and doubts as a threat? Or will we see them as an opportunity? Will we patiently help people wrestle with their doubts while at the same time allowing our own faith to be tested and strengthened? Faith welcomes the challenge!
The challenge in Athens was evangelism.
In Acts 17:16 Paul leaves for Athens by himself. When he gets to the city he is greatly distressed to see that the city is full of idols. Paul immediately goes to the synagogue where it says in Acts 17:17 (NIV) that he, "reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks." But Paul didn’t stop there. He also went out into the marketplace day after day and spoke to the people shopping there. While there he got into a dispute with Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. They wanted to know why he was advocating foreign gods and preaching about Jesus Christ. They accused Paul of introducing strange ideas and wanted some explanation.
The challenge in Athens concerns evangelism. It was one thing for Paul to speak to his Jewish brethren about Jesus Christ. They shared the same heritage. But do we Christians have a right to persuade people of different faiths and allegiances to embrace Christianity? Obviously, Paul thought it was well within his rights.
He began on their level with their understanding of God, but he reasoned with them and told them about Jesus Christ, about the coming judgment, and about the resurrection of the dead. In Acts 17:32 (NIV) and Acts 17:34(NIV) it says, "When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, 'We want to hear you again on this subject.' A few men became followers of Paul and believed."
Knowing Jesus Christ is a life or death matter.
There was a time when I wasn’t so sure about doing evangelism. At the time, I was questioning my own faith, so naturally I didn’t think it necessary to pester people of other faiths and beliefs about Jesus Christ. I sat on sidelines! But as I became more convinced of Christ’s identity, his saving work on the cross, and his love for all men, my whole perspective on evangelism changed.
Knowing Jesus Christ is a life or death matter. It is a matter of eternity. Every person that walks by me at the mall, every person who sits around me at a restaurant, every person who walks through these doors, I ask each one, "Do you know Christ?" In the hospital as a person lies sick or even dying I ask, "Do you know Christ?" While at a Meijer's in Michigan a woman walked by covered from head to toe in a black veil and dress. There was a small slit cut out for eyes. She was walking behind her husband and children. I thought, "How can they ever come to know Christ?" Faith gives us a burden and sets before us a constant challenge: the salvation of all men.
The challenge in Corinth was immorality.
In Acts 18 Paul comes to the city of Corinth. There is a lot that unfolds, but for the real scoop we only need to skim 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians. These are the letters that Paul wrote to the Church in Corinth. The city of Corinth was known for its sexual immorality. It was a wicked city, degraded by the temple of Aphrodite, where one thousand sacred prostitutes influenced people to gratify their flesh and sin for a season. The truth is that the very name Corinth comes from a classical Greek word that means to practice fornication.
The challenge in Corinth was overcoming the wickedness and sin while upholding the standard of righteousness. In 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (NIV) Paul wrote, "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."
The Corinthians were in danger of being deceived about sexual immorality. Our media is the modern day equivalent of Corinth. The media attempts to deceive us every day. If you go by Hollywood's standards, there isn’t any such thing as sin or sexual immorality. The challenge for our faith today is: will we see wickedness as an opportunity or as a threat?
Our natural inclination, especially as Christians, is to avoid wicked people. We cocoon. Faith reminds us that we live in a wicked world that is destined to perish, apart from Christ. We need to remain pure and vigilant in matters of sin. But faith also reminds us that we live in a world that God wants to redeem. Faith remembers that no matter how great the sin, a person can be washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of Jesus Christ. Every person, no matter how great and offensive their sin, through faith and repentance can potentially partake in the grace of God.
The challenge in Ephesus was confusion.
In Acts 19 Paul makes his way to Ephesus. Things are quite a mess in Ephesus. There is confusion in the Christian community about faith and baptism. Some people had received John’s baptism for repentance, but had not also been baptized to receive the Holy Spirit. Was the first baptism enough? Should they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ? Had they received the Holy Spirit yet? Isn’t it funny how some things never change?
In the Jewish synagogues people became obstinate and publicly maligned the way of Jesus Christ. Surely Christ isn’t the only way to be saved, they must have thought. I can hear them now saying, "I'll bet people of other faiths are also saved." Then there was a group of Jews trying to drive out evil spirits in the name of Christ. The problem was that the men hadn’t gotten their hearts right with Christ. The evil spirits jump them and overpower them and give them a such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.
And then there are the new believers in Ephesus who hadn’t fully committed themselves to Jesus Christ. Some were still doing evil. They were being corrupted by scrolls valued at tens of thousands of dollars, that detailed the practice of sorcery. Then there is Demetrius and his fellow craftsman, who throw the whole city into a riot in order to discredit the good news of Jesus Christ.
In every city the Christians' faith was challenged.
In every city, the Christians found their faith being challenged, but also strengthened. In Philippi the challenge was overcoming hostility with generosity. In Thessalonica and Berea the challenge was resolving people’s doubts and questions. In Athens the challenge was idolatry and changing people’s allegiance to Jesus Christ. In Corinth the challenge was sexual immorality and upholding righteousness living. In Ephesus the challenge was confusion and preaching the truth of Christ to lessen the confusion. But instead of being threatened, the first Christians met these challenges head on. Not only was their faith strengthened, but they were able to advance the reign of Christ in others' lives.
The Church today has plenty of dogma. We need more faith. God is seeking Christians who will live out their faith in a hostile, doubting, idolatrous, wicked, immoral, and confused world. Will you answer the call?