There were eleven of them. Actually, there were around one hundred and twenty people, all confused and all worried, but they were looking to the eleven for direction. The eleven were also confused and worried, but they were hanging onto the final words of their leader. Jesus had been with them and had led them, and the world seemed promising and joyful. Then He had been killed and the people who had killed Him also wanted to silence the disciples. The world now was a scary place. But then, Jesus was back! Amazing! But then He was gone. He had left hopeful words behind. The Holy Spirit would come and give them power and direction and they would understand more, but that just hadn’t happened yet.

          The eleven felt they needed someone to make up for the loss of Judas and they did that, taking a man from the one hundred and twenty followers of Jesus, but that was all they had done so far. So, there was this gathering of believers, keeping a low profile, depending on the eleven disciples (plus the new man) to show them the way to go. All of their lives were in danger. Fear was everywhere.

          This is how the Acts of the Apostles (we normally just call it the Book of Acts) begins. Jesus makes the promise of the Holy Spirit and then is taken up into heaven. The whole group watches Him go and they are now alone. The leader has left them in a harsh and unforgiving world. The last month would have been like a wild ride up and down the Judean mountains. Jesus dies, returns, spends forty days with them and then vanishes into the sky. It must have felt hopeless.

          At the end of the Acts of the Apostles we have these verses concerning the Apostle Paul from his residence in Rome, the greatest city of the day. Acts 28:30-31—He (meaning Paul) lived there (meaning Rome) two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.

          Well, now. That is a big difference! In just about thirty years of time we have a bunch of frightened people living mostly in hiding in a single city, to Paul, apparently an important man, living in the most important city in the world, in his own place, entertaining all kinds of people and teaching them about Jesus without fear and without problems from the authorities! Good heavens, living for Jesus is the way to success!

          Many would have you believe such things. If you have faith enough, you can name your price. You will have wealth and you will have health and you will have a good life. We are told in Scripture that we ask but don’t receive because we ask wrong, so ask in faith believing! Out of context.

          Only that is not how it works.

          Paul was a prisoner in Rome. He lived in a home that he was renting because as a Roman citizen, he had that right, but he was not allowed to leave the house. That is why people came to him. He was awaiting the final judgment in his case. At the end of those two years he was beheaded for his faith in Christ. Those frightened apostles gathered together in fear and confusion had an experience with the Holy Spirit and they suddenly became bold and sure of themselves, heroic even. They couldn’t be shut up, boldly telling the Gospel to all who would listen. However, on a personal level, it did not go well. While Paul was being beheaded on one side of Rome, Peter was being crucified on the other side. Some historians put the two executions within a week of each other. At almost the same time in a far away part of the Empire, Peter’s brother Andrew was being crucified. Twenty years before Peter and Paul and Andrew were being violently killed for their faith, James, the son of Alpheus, another of the apostles, was triple executed for his faith in Christ. As a heretic, he was sentenced to be cast from the pinnacle of the Temple to the Jerusalem streets below. As one who gave his allegiance to someone one other than Caesar, he was sentenced to stoning. As one who defied the authorities and continued to spread the Gospel, he was sentenced to be clubbed about the head and shoulders. One fine day, James the son of Alpheus, was thrown from the pinnacle of the Temple, stoned when he hit the ground and then clubbed while he lay there. The fall probably killed him, but an example had to be made.

          The apostles received only bad for their efforts, at least personally. But they became bold and fearless. They endured beatings and imprisonments and all manner of privations. They were just men with all the fragilities of men. Yet they rose to the occasion time and time again. In the end it cost them their lives.

          There are a lot of lies out there. One of the lies is that if you are a Christian and you have enough faith, you can do anything and have anything. Usually the person saying that follows it by telling you that you can begin your faith walk by sending him or her your money. A few Bible verses here and there taken out of context is all the speaker needs. The fact is, the person who is committed to Christ and has all faith in Christ has exactly what Christ wants that person to have. And that is what that person needs to accomplish the will of Christ. Another lie that is out there is that if we have the gift of the Spirit, we will know it by the manifestations of manic joy and being able to heal people and being able to speak in tongues. The fact is, if we have the Spirit working in us, we will be able to face all adversity, we will be able to share the Gospel of Christ and we will have the peace of God that only comes from knowing that what happens to us is in God’s hands.

          Right now, we have this virus. We have violence in our streets. We have an obscure political future. I hear people questioning God or saying that this is surely the end. Look, Christians have faced up to problems worse than this since Christ was crucified. Why are we running scared now? I don’t know that Peter and Paul and Andrew and James didn’t weep as they went to their deaths, but I do know that they could have avoided their deaths if they had just shut up about Christ. But no, they were led by the Spirit, their lives were His to do with as He saw fit.

          This is a moment in time when Christians need to put their personal feelings and fears aside. This is a time to stand for Christ in spite of the adversity we face. The struggle will not end until you die, regardless of what you do. We can share Christ in word and deed in any situation.

          Allow me to get personal for a moment. I say these things from the perspective of someone who has had to make some hard decisions about serving the Lord. When I came to Indiana, I was fairly healthy. Diabetes, but just on pills. Then, open heart surgery. That changed some things. But, in the end, serving the Savior could still be done. After the surgery I was suddenly on insulin. That changed some things. Then, my wife left me for a man from Facebook. That changed everything. There for a while, I didn’t think I could go on. But folks were praying for me and people were supporting me. I have always tried to walk with the Spirit. Not in the “let’s get happy!” way, but in the way of the Scripture. When my wife left, for a while I was not walking with the Spirit. He was dragging me, holding me up, protecting me. Things began to clear up. It became better. And then, another blow this week. A couple of months ago I began to have some shortness of breath. Not bad, but with all of my recent history, I told my doctor. Six weeks ago some tests were run and blood work was done. On Monday of this week the doctor opened the conversation with the question I never thought I would hear. “How many packs of cigarettes do you smoke?” I thought she was joking. Without thinking I replied, “Well, there was that one cigarette back in May of 1973, but that was it.” She looked at me thoughtfully and then said, “Well, it looks like you are at the beginning of emphysema.” All of a sudden the room was to small. My heart began to race. Sweat came to my forehead. That smoke in May of 1973 really was the only one. No way I could have emphysema. No way. And I said that to the doctor. Well, in six months they would do the tests again, but she was pretty certain.

          Monday was a blur. Tuesday was not much better. But on Wednesday I woke up at around 4 AM (Not because I couldn’t sleep. That is when I wake up.) I sat there and said to myself, OK, it isn’t fair. So what? Get up and get it together. You have things to do, people to see, a job to do. Got on my stationary bike and pedaled up a storm. I normally use that time to pray, but Wednesday morning I allowed myself to mentally drift. Cleaned up, got my breakfast, read my comics on the computer (I don’t know what I would do without reading ‘Pickles’ every morning.) I sent out a few e-mails and by the time I got in the car to head to the office, I was feeling pretty good about life.

          You see, it isn’t fair. Not at all. My entire adult life has been ministry. In spite of everything. But it is fair, because there is a reason. Time will tell me what it is the Lord has for me.

          You cannot turn on the television or the radio or look at the internet without seeing all the really terrible news. Every time we turn around something else smacks us. How on earth can we continue on??!!?

          The answer is not on earth. As Christians, we have One greater. We are not subject to the things of this world.

          Wednesday afternoon I got over to see Duane Wagner. His wife Esther died in June. His sister Lois Haupert died this past Monday. That is tough. I wanted to make sure he was doing OK. We sat and talked for an hour and a half. Mostly memories. Duane walks with the Spirit. Each day is a challenge, but it is met in Christ. Every week day morning, those who want to can come to the church at eight AM and have some time of prayer. Thursday morning, Dan Speicher came in for a time of prayer. Dan lost his wife, Barbara, in July. Before that he was coming in for prayer and he has continued that practice. Dan walks with the Spirit. Each day is a challenge, but it is met in Christ.

          All of us need to put away our angers and our evil thoughts and our judgmental attitudes and our fears and we need to give everything over to the Lord. Philippians 4:12-13-- I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.  I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.