The Book of Acts is a rollicking adventure tale. There are long journeys, shipwrecks and daring prison escapes. Tongues of fire rain down from heaven, sick people are miraculously healed, and the dead are raised back to life. Some of the lead characters are stoned. When the crowd thinks they are dead and leave, the stoned person gets up and catches a ship to a new town and new opportunity for ministry. It seems as if every other chapter has some new thrill.
Acts is also a story about succession. Gradually, the first generation of Jesus’ followers are replaced by a new generation. This generation has different issues and concerns than their elders. Sometimes the first-generation releases power graciously. At other times, they cling to it, and power has to be pried from their fingers.
Finally, Acts is a study in spiritual geography. Beginning in Jerusalem, the Word of God is constantly on the move in and around the Mediterranean. By the end of the book, the message is clear. The church is not confined to where it started in Jerusalem, the traditional holy city. The church also belongs in Rome, the center of secular and political power. As well as all points in-between.
Our book ends with a bit of a cliffhanger. Paul, the leader of the second generation of Jesus’ followers, is under arrest in Rome. What will happen to him? What will happen to the church?
We don’t know what happened to Paul, though legend tells us that Paul was executed by the Emperor Nero in 67AD. But we do know what happened to the church. It continued spreading far and wide and now covers the entire globe.
In a way, every generation finds itself in Paul’s position. We may not be beheaded (the traditional form of execution for a Roman citizen), but we feel imprisoned by forces beyond our control. A few generations back, we were battling issues of integration and racial equality. When I was first ordained, the church was tearing itself apart over concerns about sexuality. Today, we are facing a cultural shift wherein more and more people are moving away from all forms of organized religion. Yes, every generation finds itself stuck and held back by issues beyond its control.
In this regard, Paul is an example to the rest of us. Though he was in prison and couldn’t move about freely, he nevertheless continued witnessing. No one who came to see him was turned away. In the meantime, the church survived and even thrived.
Yes, we can’t do ministry and missions in the way we might like. We are constrained by forces beyond our control. But let’s not let that stop us. Let’s do the ministry we can in whatever we can. The Holy Spirit that was with the disciples in those early years and helped the church thrive, despite hardships, is with us today. We can be sure that though the church of the next generation will look different, and have a new set of issues to face, God will ensure that the church will thrive in the way of God’s choosing.