Does Acts say we need to speak in tongues?

Our exploration of cross shaped spirituality in 1 Corinthians 12-14 throws up so many questions and issues - much more than we can explore on a Sunday night. A big issue has been the debate over the book of Acts. Traditionally Pentecostals have seen it as providing a blue print for the church today. They say the problem with the church is that it has lost connection with it's original Spirit empowered ministry which changed the world. If only we would return to the pattern of the early church in Acts we would see a new explosion of revival and impact for Jesus in our world. 

So what do we say? Are they right and we're wrong - the short answer is 'no' (surprise, surprise). The long answer would take many blogs and books. In this discussion I want to paint some broad brushstrokes that will help us begin to digest and discuss these issues. 

1. The standard response of conservative evangelicals has been to say that Acts is just describing history. It tells us what happened not what should happen. It is the letters of the New Testament that give us the commands and shape of the church for today. This might seem attractive at first but it is a bit of a lazy cop out - it puts the book of Acts in a lower level in the Bible as just history with little to teach the church. We have to do better if we're serious about the Word of God.

2. So we need to understand what kind of book we're reading when we read Acts. Firstly, it's a narrative or story like the gospels are. This is not saying it's not true but rather that it has a plot, characters, drama, tension etc. We're taken on a journey with the early church which challenges and encourages us. Secondly, it is history. The book is very consciously placed in the historical social geographic context of its events. Thirdly, has a theological purpose - it is written to teach us something about Jesus and his people. We see this in the development of big themes like the fulfillment of God's promises, the rule of Jesus over his people through his Spirit and the expansion of the church. So the best thing to say is that the book of Acts is a theological historical narrative. 

3. This means we need to read, wrestle with and obey Acts with that as our framework. So we can't just pluck verses out of Acts and nail them to a church mission statement. We can't say that just because it happened in Luke we MUST do it. So simply because a group of people speak in tongues does not mean Christians ought to or must do today. It's a flawed logic. It would be like arguing that because Paul went from synagogue to pagan temples that must be our model of evangelism. Or it would be like arguing that because the early believers sold their possessions to help out the poor we must to. Or it would be like arguing that our preachers must copy the format and content of Paul and Peter's sermons. So yes Acts has a lot to say to us today but we avoid simplistic pronouncements. As we read Acts we're encourage, rebuked and challenged to live for Jesus. Exactly how requires to read carefully. 

4. The way that we read carefully is to prayerfully humbly observe and wrestle with how Luke unfolds his story. If he has written a theological historical narrative with a purpose then the way he shapes individual scenes will tell us what do with them. 

5. So let's throw out an example. Acts 8:4-25 is often used as an example that the Spirit does not come at conversion. The Samaritans believe, get baptised and then later receive the Spirit after Peter and John lay hands on them. So people argue that you believe and then later you get the Spirit (often with tongues being held up as THE evidence of that reception of the Spirit). Without unpacking all the detail of my college thesis (that's a whole different blog if anyone is interested...he says hopefully) - this passage does not teach that. If we read carefully and closely we see Luke is telling us that it is a unique event (not a model for us today). The delay in the reception of the Spirit is about God guiding history - God brings the apostles to Samaria to witness for themselves that the gospel has expanded beyond Jerusalem to include even the despised Samaritans. 

There's so much more that could be said and no doubt more questions you can ask but this is a start. I'd welcome more interaction and discussion on this. Respond to this post or email me with any thoughts or questions.

James Lewis

Rev Writes - 2nd Nov

When a friend asks you about church you say, “I go to NAC.” When we say that, we are saying more than “I go to the footy.” We are making a statement about belonging to NAC.

Belonging to NAC means something important to us. Over the last few weeks we’ve been thinking about what we mean when we say we belong to NAC. We’ve been exploring the idea of membership. And, because we’re NAC, we’ve been doing this exploration as we’ve been looking at 1 Corinthians. 1 Corinthians has things to say about church.

Let’s do a quick review. 1 Corinthians 12 talks about gifts. Being a member of NAC means I use my gifts for the common good. I use my gifts in fellowship. I am guided by others so I know how to use my gifts well

1 Corinthians 13 talks about love. Being a member of NAC means that serving others and
meeting the needs of others is more important than simply using my gifts. I will, out of love, serve others even if I feel inadequate.

1 Corinthians 12 talks about NAC being like a human body. Every part of our body is important and is needed. When someone has a part of their body missing or not working properly we describe them as handicapped. We don’t want to be handicapped at church so every member of NAC is important and needed.

So we looked at the idea that being there when NAC meets is significant. Choosing not to be in church is an important decision, one which shouldn’t be taken without fellowship. So we thought about deciding to miss church as something we should talk over with others.

Being at church, caring about the needs of other members, and using all that God has given me for the common good are three things that seem to be part of membership.

This is the fifth RevWrites on membership. There’s a few to go. If you’ve missed one or more email me and I’ll send them to you (neil@nac.asn.au). They contain some good ideas!

But soon the rubber has to hit the road. We can talk about membership for ever. How do we act on what we talk about?

Do you think we should define membership more clearly? Do you think we should have a document that spells out what it means to belong to NAC? Do you think we should ask people to sign up for membership? Should membership be required before people vote at annual meetings?

These are just a few questions that come to mind. If I knew how to set up a blog I’d start one on our website so we could all interact about this. Anyone want to have a go?

In the meantime, email me your thoughts or phone me or write me a letter or even talk to me about what you think about membership. I think that when I say to someone “I go to NAC.” that

I’m saying something very important. I’m just not sure exactly what it means. I’m also not sure that you think the same thing as I do about belonging to NAC.

So, where to from here?

Neil Macken

Rev Writes- October 26

Making decisions in the body of Christ.

Decision making is part of everyday life. Throughout most days we all make countless decisions. What will I have for breakfast, lunch, dinner? At home, work or school we make decisions. Usually, we make them on our own. Other people expect us to make decisions on our own. Independence is a celebrated part of modern life.

Is it the same at church? As we’ve looked together at 1 Corinthians we’ve seen how Paul uses the body metaphor to help us understand church. In chapter 12 he stresses that every part of the body, every member of the church, is part of the one body and linked to every other part.

Every part of the body, every member, is important and significant and indispensible. No single member can ever say that they don’t matter.

This is very important when it comes to making decisions about our life, especially our life at church or how our life impacts church. At Synod this week another member and I moved a motion that called upon all Anglican Schools and other Anglican organisations not to put events on Sundays in competition with the churches. We did this because sometimes school teachers, for example, are placed in difficult positions because their school schedules events on Sundays. They then have to choose between complying with their agreement with the school or missing their church.

The motion we put at Synod was really the only way that we can call on others that are in fellowship with us to think more carefully about what they’re doing and how it affects others.

Sometimes other things come up in our personal lives that conflict with church. Far too often members of our congregations simply miss church for other things. 1 Corinthians calls on us not to make decisions about missing church on our own. The independence which is so important in our society makes it hard to behave in a truly spiritual way here.

We need to learn to make decisions in fellowship, as members of the same body. Notice that I’m not saying you can’t miss church for other important things. I’m saying that the Bible calls on us to make decisions like this in fellowship rather than in isolation. Although, I suspect that one reason why we find it difficult to act spiritually in such decisions is that we know our brothers and sisters will think we’re making an unhelpful decision! We really don’t want to know what they have to say.

But anyway, making good decisions, and modelling good decision making to our children and others, is a mark of Christian maturity. Involving others in our decisions, decisions that affect them, is a mark of true spirituality. Having the advice of others, especially of the leaders that God has given to his churches, can be a source of great blessing and comfort in our lives. We would be wise to seek out such advice and comfort.

Neil Macken

 

Rev Writes - October 19

We all like to belong. At school, we all liked to be chosen for the team, whether it was playground hand-ball or school athletics. Being chosen gives a sense of belonging.

We’ve been exploring what it means to belong to NAC. So far, on the basis of 1 Corinthians 12 alone, we can see that serving others with the gifts God has given us is one aspect of belonging. We’ve started to think about how each one of us is serving others within the body of Christ, our church.

We’ve noticed that this thinking mustn’t be done in isolation for God has made each one of us members if his church here at NAC or WHAC. So we must think about how we serve in fellowship with others and the leaders God has given us.

So ministering to others is clearly one aspect of belonging to NAC. But there seems to be a problem with this idea. Over the years many courses have been developed to help us identify the gifts that God has given us. We’ve run some here at NAC. And people have been encouraged to serve others by using the gift/s they’ve identified.

But can you see a problem with this approach? I think the problem has arisen because we live in such a self-centred society. The courses have been designed to identify my gift/s. I am encouraged to use my gift/s in ministry to others.

But are they my gift/s? 1 Corinthians 12 reminds us that they are the Spirit’s gifts. He gives them. They belong to him. He enables us to minister effectively to others. He uses our ministry to edify others.

Also, in 1 Corinthians Paul’s focus is not on gifts but on love. It seemed the Corinthians focussed on giftedness, especially the more spectacular, self-promoting gifts. They were keen to be seen as spiritual. But Paul is keen on love. He is keen on serving, in a very practical sense. True spirituality is very practical (earthy) service of others and meeting their needs.

I think I saw this attitude in action when I was a new Christian. The Charismatic Movement had only just begun and our church was only slightly influenced by it. But the leaders, mostly lay people, encouraged me to do various ministries. I was invited to be an usher alongside other ushers. I was trained in Sunday School teaching and a year later given a class. I was given opportunities to speak about various things. I was invited to lead a youth group and to join the Parish Council.

No one ever asked if I had any gifts for these things! They simply looked for opportunities for me to serve others, to show practical, spiritual love. I was often out of my depth. But they stood with me and kept my head above the water so I didn’t drown. And I learnt to serve. I learnt to look for opportunities to help, to love others.

So, does membership at NAC mean I look at myself, my giftedness, or “how God has wired Me”? Perhaps a better way would be to look at 1 Corinthians 13, which isn’t for weddings but for church, and seek out opportunities to love – real earthy spirituality – even if I’m not sure if I have the gifts needed to help? Perhaps if we actually trusted the Spirit to enable us to serve we might discover we really are very spiritual indeed.

Neil Macken

Rev Writes - October 12

“I am a Member of NAC.” Last week we started to explore what this means. We could see it in terms of the Anglican Church and its rules and ordinances. But for us here at NAC we always start with what the Bible says and the Bible has serious things to say about church.

In 1 Corinthians 12 we read about God giving to every one of his people gifts for serving others in the church. So here’s a good starting point. God equips his people to build up his church. Every Christian is enabled by God to serve his people and to play their part in helping others grow towards maturity in Christ.

So how does that relate to membership? If every member of NAC is gifted by God to serve other members then serving other members surely must be part and parcel of membership.

There’s a few issues to discuss here. Like, in what way has God enabled me to serve others? In the past Christians often spent time trying to identify the gift or gifts that God had given them and then looked for opportunities to use that gift. Have another look at 1 Corinthians 12. Do you think that is the approach that Paul is recommending? After all, he doesn’t even tell us anything about the various gifts he mentions except where they come from and why we’ve got them. So to spend time trying to identify and describe and analyse gifts seems to miss the point.

Another issue is how do I develop my gifts/abilities? Does NAC need to run courses on gift development before members use their gifts? Or do they develop with use?

Another issue is do I need to be officially recognised before I minister to and serve others? Obviously with some ministry that’s essential. We do want to maintain high standards of child protection, for example. And we want those who teach the Bible to be equipped to teach it soundly. But aren’t there a whole lot of other opportunities to serve others?

There’s a number of questions that need to be discussed but it seems pretty clear that serving others in the church is one clear aspect of membership. So, how are you serving? We need to think about that and be OK with the answer each of us has.

But our answer mustn’t be considered in isolation. Every one of us is a part of NAC. So we are bound to each other and united in Christ with each other. So our answer must be considered in fellowship with others. Talking to your friends and leaders about how you serve others and help them grow towards maturity in Christ seems to be essential.

So if we actually have a more defined idea of membership here should we include ministry to others at NAC as part of membership? And if so, how much ministry is required for membership? Are some ministries in and others not so important? Have another read of 1 Corinthians 12 and see what God says about these questions and if he answers any other questions that pop into your had.

While you’re there, you might like to read the rest of 1 Corinthians in preparation.

Neil Macken

Rev Writes - October 5

We had a request this week from Mark Gliddon. NAC used to support Mark as a missionary. He needed some form of proof that he was a member of the Anglican Church. Do you know how we define members of the Anglican Church? Most people don’t. So you’re probably in the majority.

I’m a member of a golf club. It’s the cheapest nearby club I could find at the time I joined. I have certain obligations and responsibilities as a member and certain rights. Some of you are members of clubs and societies. If you’re a member of our Preschool ($1.00 a year!) then you have the right to vote at the annual meeting. If you’re a member of a sporting club then you have rights and responsibilities.
How do we define members of NAC? The Anglican church worldwide has always had a very loose definition of membership. If you’re an Anglican you are welcome at any Anglican church. But so is anyone else!

You can take part in our Annual Parish Meeting if you sign the declaration that you are a member of the Anglican Church of Australia, that you are baptised, that you are not less than 18 years old and that you usually attend church here and not somewhere else.

There have been debates in our synod over the decades about defining membership more precisely. So far they have been lost but I think the time is coming when we need to address this question more closely. Obviously there are good arguments for both sides.
But what about here at NAC? Should anyone who simply attends church be allowed a say in what we do? Should we have a clearer definition of membership here at NAC? Should only members be allowed certain rights and responsibilities?
Perhaps a better way to ask the question is, “What am I saying to people when I say I belong to NAC/WHAC?” Is all I’m saying is that I go there sometimes? Am I saying more than that? If so, what am I saying?

NAC is God's church. We might be Anglican and bound by the Acts and Ordinances that govern us as such. But primarily we are God's church. What does the Bible say about being a member of NAC?

We are approaching the end of our series of sermons in 1 Corinthians. Chapters 12-16 actually look at church. So it would be good to ask ourselves what God has to say about being a member of his church as we look at these chapters. He talks about every member of his church and how he has gifted them for service. He talks about true spirituality and how to build up the church and what to do when we meet and how to give money and the significance of the resurrection and the centrality of love.
It’s only a few weeks away so please read through these chapters a few times before we get to them. Ask yourself as you read what God is saying about me and my membership of his church.

Neil Macken

Interview of Mike Sperinck