Three Profiles - Acts 24:1-27

 The episode that the book of Acts shows us in chapter 24 shows us three people that we can find outside and inside the church.

  As we talk about them, think which one would you identify with and make the necessary changes.

My Experience visiting the Metropolitan Tabernacle England

 I had the privilege for the first time to visit The Metropolitan Tabernacle in London this week. This is an evangelical church in London where Charles Spurgeon was pastor for thirty-eight years. A summary about him follows below. But just a few words about the building and about our experience in one of the Bible studies on Wednesday of last week. The building was finished (the church goes back to 1650) in 1861. It burned in 1898 of which only the portico and the basement remained. It was rebuilt but it was burned again in 1941 during the bombardment of WWII. It was rebuilt in 1957 but except for the façade but did not resemble the original in the inside.
As far as our experience in the Wednesday Bible study, the service resembled more like it was in the time of Spurgeon’s pastorate than current times. At the outset what attracted me was a section where translation for Deaf was offered. It was live with people alternating and the words where projected and/or written onto a small computer screen on a table. The sermon was typed by someone with a wireless keyboard as the pastor preached. Apparently, this has been happening for several years now.

Hymns are sung using a hymnbook which follows the one created by Spurgeon led by an organ while the pastor stands in the front. There is reading of several passages from the Bible after hymns, briefs announcements and then the sermon which is about 45 minutes long. The pastor that spoke was an associate pastor. He was theologically very strong and made good applications from the text. The Senior pastor Peter Masters has been at the Metropolitan Tabernacle for over 50 years. That was impressive. According to people we spoke, when he arrived there were only a handful of ladies. I am told that the church now has about 1000 people. After the service another hymn is sung and prayer. People are invited to stay for refreshments after the service. We were really impressed with how diverse the congregation was and with their friendliness. We struck conversation with several people including Spanish speakers that we met in the book shop.

Now a bit about Spurgeon. He is popularly known as CH Spurgeon (1834-1892), called the “Prince of Preachers”. He was widely popular in his times and has continued to be influential among Christians to this day. He pastored several churches including the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London at the age of 20 and served for 38 years until his death in 1892 at the age of 57. A long feature biography of Spurgeon can be viewed here.

The Metropolitan Tabernacle opened in 1861, seated around 6,000 people, and it was full weekly for both the morning and evening services. Spurgeon was a gifted speaker, preached about 13 times per week and with just the use of his voice was able to captivate people during his sermons. Many of these sermons were transcribed, about 25,000 were sold a week and translated into more than 40 languages. Just his sermons add up to 63 volumes. I have many of his volumes in ebook format. He wrote over 140 books translated into many languages. One of my favorites is Lectures to my Students which are directed to those who aspire to be pastors. His own 6,000 books personal library was acquired by Midwestern Theological Seminarywhich they host and a number of other of Spurgeon’s realia in what they callThe Spurgeon Center.

“The Treasury of David” a seven-volume commentary of the book of Psalms, is considered by some His Magnus Opus. More than 120,000 copies have been sold. They can be found in digital format here. I have read the abbreviated one-volume version and found it helpful for studying the Psalms.

The plethora of his works continue to fill both the digital world and the book world; thus Spurgeon’s influence will continue for generations to come. I am glad as able to visit the Metropolitan Tabernacle and experience what is left from his time.

Vintage Photography

 I love history. Much of my library is made up of history book and a significant part biographies. I find the past fascinating and interesting. One of my current hobbies is vintage photography. I make a point to visit vintage shops and look for vintage photos. Recently, I have found some that have caught my attention. Many of these date from 1890’s to early 1900’s originating from the same area in the Pacific Northwest which includes Idaho. In the process I learned a bit about photography during this time. I also went back to what was happening in the United Staes during this time.

Photography was in its infancy, but it was progressing. The photos were black-and-white, sepia (which were more expensive) and often set on heavy card stock. Many of these photos were taken in studios, set in formal poses and required serious demeanors. In the 1900’s Kodak introduced glass plate negatives (role films) and introduced the Brownie camera with the slogan “You Press the Button, We Do the Rest” (available for sale even now) in the 1900’s. This revolutionized photography with people able to take “snapshots” of their daily lives. Prints were 3x5 often in a “crystal finish” which was stamped on the back of photos. Developing still required developing the negatives and many local drugstores (e.g. The Own Drug Company) provided this service.

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The “Golden Age” of 4x5 postcards that took place in the 1890’s to about 1915 made correspondence easier. At the end of the 1800’s one cent government-issued post-cards were used but the general printers were allowed to do their own after 1898. Many of these post-cards were illustrated or had pictures of popular places. People, especially average middle class, also took used postcards with pictures of themselves (which were more expensive) and used them to keep people up to date. I planning on a post based on over 40 3x5 “correspondence” postcards to a particular person’s and my findings.

What was happening during this time in the United States? Mark Twain called the time from 1870s to 1890 the Gilded Age. This was a time of transition into the Progressive Era with industrial and economic boom, migration growth, fast urbanization, economic inequality, and technological change (cars became more affordable-$260 especially after Ford’s moving assembly line in 1913). The Progressive Era tried to remedy some of the problems of the Gilded Age through political reform, economic regulation, and moral and social programs. Theodore Roosevelt, William Taft and Woodrow Wilson were the presidents that led the US during this time. In 1913 the passage of the 16th Amendment established a federal income tax. Prior to this, tariffs were the major source of revenue for the United States.

Here is my first batch of photos.

This photo was probably taken in a studio and printed from a glass plate. I called this picture “Three sisters” but of course I am not certain. Their dress and hair style is apparently of the 1920’s. Their hairstyle apparently was “finger wave” a symbol of rebellion. It doesn’t seem to me in this case.

According to my investigation this is the Fredericksen family: Herman Fredericksen, Kingerborg Jensen Fredericksen, their two sons, and two daughters. The parents were Danish. They are formally dressed based on norms back then. Smiling was not considered appropriate. The two boys standing seem to be twins. Another photo, dating about 4 years later of them is featured in “The Portal to Texas History” .

The photograph of this family in Victorian apparel. It was taken by “Van Alstine, The Elite Photo Parlors” which was located in Oakland, Iowa. The picture is sepia tone, on the cardstock, some fading.

Three friends smiling. This photo is in “New Crystal Finish”, the photographic glossy paper finish available around this time. The back identifies Gerald Dowson, and Ruth possibly in a logging camp in the Pacific Northwest around the 1920s. It also has a stamp from The Owl Drug Co. in Lewiston, Idaho. “THE OWL DRUG CO, Lewiston, Idaho” opened in Lewiston in 1895. still operates today as The Owl Pharmacies in the Lewis-Clark Valley.

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Prisoner of Christ - Acts 23:12-35

 In this section we find that the Apostle Paul, prisoner of Christ is sovereignly protected by God amidst a plot of forty men who bowed to kill him. God is in control.

  The enemies of the Gospel are well and alive and will go to any length to stop those who serve the Lord. Yet God is sovereign and will  let nothing happen outside of his plan. This applies to us as we are also called to to complete surrender to Christ’s authority, living in obedience, humility, and service.

God Cares for You (You are Immortal) - Acts 22:24-23:12

 “To all appearance, the present year will be more perilous than any I have seen; but if I live to complete the Persian New Testament, my life after that will be of less importance. But whether life or death be mine, may Christ be magnified in me! If he has work for me to do, I cannot die.This has often been paraphrased as “I am immortal till Christ’s work for me to do is done.” “– Providence by John Piper

  This was the case with Paul in this passage. We know that Paul fulfilled his mission and that it was not easy. We also know that he was eventually killed by Emperor Nero. But God cared for him until he fulfilled the mission of his calling. All of this shows us that God has a plan for us and in the meantime, God has a plan for your life and you are immortal until you fulfill it, He will take care of you.

Ready to share your testimony - Acts 21:37-22:24

Up to this point in the book of Acts, Paul has arrived in Jerusalem and has been taken prisoner. He is accused of teaching against Judaism (wanting to undo the Jewish religion), against the temple and even polluting it (Acts 2:29) by bringing in Greeks. This trial period will last two years. All this was false. However, the wish they had to kill them was serious. But even with all this, Paul remains determined to share the gospel with everyone. In this case he does it through his testimony. This is something that all of us should know how to do (in 5 minutes). This sermon will help us learn it from Paul.

 

Unjustly persecuted - Acts 21:15-36

The book of Acts shows us that persecution is part of the life of the believers (the church) when they are committed in sharing the Good News of Jesus. We have seen it at least six times (Acts 8, 12, 13-14, 16, 17, and 19). Two of them are against the church as a whole and the others against Paul. Some of these affected the churches that he planted.   We know that the church has always been unjustly persecuted because when she lives for Jesus and shares Jesus. Our association with Jesus makes us a target for Satan and those who follow him. This will continue until Jesus comes back.   Paul experiences this in this chapter. This will lead to his imprisonment that will last for over two years. It all starts here.

Ready to Die For the Lord! - Acts 21:1-25

Are you ready to die for the Lord? This question is one everyone hates to answer because it is hypothetical.

I would venture to say that most of us here would say “yes” without thinking it through like Peter did when our Lord told they would all run away when he was arrested.

This may even be in some way easier than asking “Are you ready to live for the Lord?” Why? Because we dying could be fast but living takes up commitment. Regardless of these questions, we find that the Apostle Paul in this book addressed these in his life.

In Philippians we find Paul is in jail (which this text explains how it all begins) and he writes to the church there explaining his dilemma.

Philippians 1:19-26. He wants to live for Christ for the benefit of the church (putting other’s needs first before ours is what Thom Rainer says is how unity is demonstrated in his book “I Will”). He would rather be with Christ “for that is far better”. He is hard pressed to answer either way. The good thing is that the Lord has control of his life.

Let’s look how it all starts.

https://youtu.be/3KjWFjStXag

Why the Church Matters - Matthew 16:15-18

Why does the Church matters even in the 21st century? It is important for us as well as we begin a new year, perhaps a very decisive year as a church. This is why I decided that we need to address this because we need to align ourselves with what God says about the church.

https://youtu.be/uf6fCyIFcGs

When God Ruins Your Plans Matthew 1:18-25

Let’s look at Joseph’s dilemma (he was between the ages of 18-20), how God ruins his plan and what his response was to what He intended to do in his life. This will help us respond to God’s leading our lives even when we don’t think it is the path we want to go.

 

https://youtu.be/YhZGhjqSCGA