both and...

i’m reading through the book of acts these days.  fascinating...

sadly… i think it’s one of those books that gets shoved to the side and ignored because it either scares people into living in the freezer… or makes them fall over backwards inside an arena filled with thousands of “similarly susceptible to mind-control from crazy guys just wanting your attention and moolah” people.

either response is sad, because the book offers something critical to those who desire to live life with G*D.  i have to confess in all honesty… in the hundreds of times i’ve been asked “where should i read in the bible?”… i don’t think i’ve once recommended “acts” as a good place to start.  maybe i’m afraid they can’t handle it.  maybe i think it might scare them or make them crazy.  so… i guess i’m no different.  but this morning my reading got me thinking about something.

throughout my years i’ve been encouraged to read “acts” in one of two ways… either pre-scriptively or de-scriptively.  the first suggesting it tells us the amazing work that G*D wants to do through us everyday… what it looks like to live in the kingdom.  how it was then is how is should be today.  the second suggests it’s more of an intriguing historical record of the movement of G*D at one point in time… amazing and powerful, but certainly not the gold standard to measure current life and ministry against.

me?  i think this is one of those “both and” times that are a bit confusing to people who’ve been trained to see everything as green or red… left or right… good or bad… right or wrong.

i think the book of acts is describing how 1^st century G*D followers followed G*D in the 1^st century… their circumstances… their reality.  it’s the story of how they interacted with the movement of G*D according to their understanding of him… according to their personalities, emotions, intellects and circumstances.  and it tells the story of G*D interacting with them according to what he knew was important for them to experience and understand at the time.

but it’s also prescriptive in the sense that today our lives should be characterized by that same engagement and interaction… living in and with the presence of G*D. 

but i don’t think the results will be the same.  we can expect G*D to be moving in and around us… but in old ways and new ones…  …according to what he knows is good and right and best for these days in which we live.

so… reading “acts” with the both/and perspective reminds me that today is full of possibility because it’s full of G*D. 

and when i ask G*D to fill me up with his presence… anything can happen.

anything.