Finding God's Will (Acts 1:15-26)
Here’s a summary of this week’s sermon:
Two men, recommended by the little company of believers, were chosen to replace Judas Iscariot in the Book of Acts.
The Old Testament bears witness to many different accounts of casting lots as a way to determine God's sovereign will for various situations.
Believers should not cast lots today; instead we rely on scripture, prayer and community with other Christians when making decisions.
In Acts 1:15-26 Peter lays out a biblical precedent for replacing Judas which includes knowing Jesus from his baptism through his ascension and trusting in God's sovereignty before casting a lot.
After Pentecost comes the Holy Spirit who is our helper and source of life pointing us towards Christ’s glory in all that we do; this changes how leaders are selected - full of spirit, wisdom & faith (Acts 6:3&5).
We renew our minds according to His word so that we can glorify His name & find salvation through faith in Jesus while relying on Him & His sovereign hand when making difficult decisions (1 Peter 5:6-7).
💬 CONVERSATION STREET --
Matt + Sharon talk about questions such as:
What does Pentecost mean?
Why shouldn’t Christians cast lots to know the will of God?
Dave talked about getting into Scripture, listening to the Holy Spirit, and talking to other people of faith when seeking God’s will about something. How have you used those three when making decisions?
Are you always sure when making a decision that that is what God’s will is for you?
Why did the disciples decide to appoint another to replace Judas Iscariot instead of just staying eleven?
After Pentecost, the early church chose their leaders based on the criteria of whether they were full of the Holy Spirit and of wisdom? Do we use these criteria today?
Who was Judas and what happened with him?
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Hudson Beynon: In those days, Peter stood up among the believers, a group numbering about 120, and said, brothers, the scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit Spoke long ago through the mouth of David, considering Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus.
He was the one of our number and shared in our ministry. With the reward he got for his wickedness. Judas brought a field where he fell headlong, his body burst open, and all his intestines spilled out. Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is Field of Blood.
For said Peter, it is written in the book of Psalms. May his place be deserted. Let there be no one to dwell in it and may another take his place of leadership. Therefore, it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from John's baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us.
For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection. So they proposed two men, Joseph called Barsabbas, also known as Justus and Matthias. And then they prayed, Lord, you know everyone's heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen to take over this apostle apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs. Then they cast lots and the lot fell to Matthias, so he was added to the 11 apostles.
Dave Connolly: Today we continue our series in the Book of Acts. When it came to finding a replacement for Judas Iscariot, there were two men who would follow Jesus from the beginning. These two men were recommended by the little company of believers. Throughout the Old Testament, we see the saints of old casting lots before making decisions.
The Old Testament bears witness to many different accounts of casting lots. All of them try to determine the sovereign will of God for their respective situations. If you were to ask me, should believers cast lots to determine the will of God for our lives today? Well, you may think that sounds a reasonable question.
Well, let's look a further, A good thing to remember is that when we're tackling this question, it's important to understand that believers approach the Bible with faith that seeks understanding.. This means that we accept and believe what God has presented to us in His word, and then explore it to understand our lives and his word from his perspective.
That said, I don't think Christians should cast lots. This is not how believers engage with God to determine his will any longer. And here's why. In Acts one versus 15 to 26, it shows us the disciples casting lots in the Old Testament style for a replacement for Judas. Some keys in the passage will not only unlock why, but also explain the process the apostles undertook before they cast a lot.
Notice that the whole story unfolds before the community of believers. Not in isolation or hidden away in private. Peter lays out a biblical precedent for replacing Judas. He recalls how the apostles were chosen by Jesus. They had walked with him from his baptism to his ascension. They prayed based on knowing the Lord is sovereign.
They cast lots. And finally Matthias is chosen. As you can see, the apostles did not merely just roll some dice to fulfill Judas' vacant position. They sought the Lord's will from scriptures. They sought someone with a similar testimony to theirs. Then they prayed and they trusted in God's sovereignty.
The apostles selected Matthias by lots. But I would like to highlight three things that are very important for each of us. In Acts one verses 15 to 26. It is the last time casting lots happens in the Bible. Secondly, this is all before the Holy Spirit has come at Pentecost. And thirdly, the story also forms an interesting contrast in how to select leaders.
As we read on in Acts chapter six, leaders are chosen who are full of the spirit and wisdom and full of faith. That's in verses three and five. The coming of the Holy Spirit in Acts two changes everything. The apostles lives and ours. He is the truth in us, our helper and source of life, and he is the one who continually points us towards Christ and his glory in all that we are and in all that we do.
So the blessing of the Holy Spirit for every believer is more than just drawing lots. We have God himself residing in our very souls, and he has given us a new heart to love him. Also this side of Pentecost, we have the full word of God, the Bible, the scriptures. Even in Acts, the only word of God they possess was the Old Testament manuscripts and the verbal teachings of Jesus.
But now we have the Bible, God's word to the world. He reveals his character, his people, and how they should worship him within its pages. So we follow Romans 12 verses one and two, and seek to renew our minds According to His word, God reveals all He wants the world to know in the Bible that we might glorify His name and find salvation through faith in his son and renew our minds to live like Jesus, all by the power of the Holy Spirit and in community with the saints, other believers.
Therefore, we rely on the Holy Spirit and the words of scripture to guide our thoughts and our actions because our hearts are new and our minds are being renewed.. We faithfully seek understanding through the same avenues that Peter and the Apostles did. But just without lots - Scripture, the Spirit and the community through Prayer. Casting lots does not cut it anymore my friends.
So with a new heart and a renewed mind, the mind of Christ, the next time you have a difficult decision to make, look at scripture. Pray that the Spirit would give you wisdom and direct your thoughts and your actions. If you need to bear the clarity, why not go to other Christians you trust and ask for their counsel?
Then act knowing that you are relying on God and his sovereign hand to use the situation for your good and his glory. With Peter I want to encourage you to humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that at the proper time, he may exalt you casting all your anxieties on him because he cares for you.
And you read that in one Peter chapter five verses six and seven. Why not have a look at that verse again and speak it out over your life? God bless you my friend.
Matt Edmundson: Coming up. We have Conversation Street. But before we get into that, here's a clip from our podcast. What's the story which you can subscribe to on all your favorite podcast apps.
Brett Curry: Take 21 days to work on this. Take a blank sheet of paper. Cause it's good to just write things on paper. On the left hand side, you write, Hey, these are the things I struggle with about myself. I'm not enough, right? I'm not smart enough. I'm not smart enough to run a business and parent eight kids, and I don't have enough energy to coach basketball and I'm not whatever, and I'm fearful about this.
You write those things down and then on the right side you write what is the truth, right? What, what is the truth in scripture that God gives us? That, that, that helps with that, right? So one of the scriptures, the bit I've always loved is second Peter, that we've been given everything we need for life and godliness, right?
Yeah. So, no. Sure, I maybe not enough on my own, but look, God's given me everything I need.
Matt Edmundson: Well, that was an abrupt ending, wasn't it? ?
Sharon Edmundson: Yeah. I wasn't expecting that.
Matt Edmundson: It just went. There it is. Uh,
Sharon Edmundson: glad I wasn't doing anything inappropriate.
Matt Edmundson: Yeah. Uh, yeah, I was definitely, uh, I thought I had a few more seconds. So yeah, do check out that, um, podcast with Brett Curry. Brett Curry is an absolute legend. He has eight kids.
Um, this is the unknown fact with Brett. Eight kids, man's it is just is is awesome Brett. And, um, I've yet to meet his wife. Um, but I have met Brett several times. Um, but yet eight kids.
Yes. Uh, I know we've got Anya on the, um, on the. Anna, sorry, not Anya's on the livestream, uh, in the comments. Apparently the twins are still taking their time. At least they're still twins. At least it's not eight kids. That's, that's all I'm saying. Uh, you know, Brett and eight kids, and actually the title of that podcast is I think it's like, why My Mum Dying of Cancer Drew Me Closer to God and how, um, his mum passed away when he was just a teenager, like 15.
And it's a really fascinating story. Um, so do check it out. Do check out, uh, check out Brett's podcast. That's whatsthe storypodcast.com. You can see that. Um, and well worth a listen. So plug over, um, for the podcast. Let's talk about, uh, the book of Acts, uh, and Dave's talk. Thank you Dave for your talk. Um, legend as always, I loved his little, his Liverpool skyline background.
Did you see that? He did that all by himself. That was nothing to do with us.
Sharon Edmundson: Oh, I liked his sign off as well, where he called us friend as, yeah, just made me Ooh, . It's cool.
Matt Edmundson: I just like this, this Dave talk. He's just this, man's full of wisdom, isn't he? Uh, and um, and this was a great topic actually, cuz there's this, there's the passage of scripture, um, that we read out is this whole idea of, um, the church Pentecost has yet to happen, which is important.
Uh, like Dave said, and they decide to replace Judas. They, they were 12, they're down to 11. It's not ended well for Judas. We'll get into that maybe. Uh, and so they decide to replace Judas and they're like, right, we need to figure out who that's gonna be. So we're gonna get into how to choose leaders, uh, which I just think is a really interesting topic.
Um, and then they do this whole casting lots thing after certain events have happened. It wasn't like they just randomly drew lots. There's a whole lot of other stuff that warmed up to it. So they cast these lots and they choose a guy called Matthias and the 11 then become 12. Uh, and, uh, it's just a really interesting event because this is right at the start, isn't it?
At the, at the, the birth of the church. And so choosing this person is super important. And so figuring out what God is saying and the way that he is directing you is super, super important, which is why we've called this, you know, figuring out god's, that God's will, which is how we would talk about it, isn't it
in the modern day world? How do we understand what God's will is? How do we know what God's plan is? How do we know what God wants us to do? How do we know if this is the right thing to do? God, is this the right thing? All those questions right? Well, this is what they're faced with, uh, when replacing their leader, which is what Dave was talking about.
It's what we're gonna get into in Conversation Street. So do Pepper us with your questions, with your comments, with your stories. How do you know the will of God in your life? What do you do to understand whether what you are doing is the right thing to do? How does God communicate that with you? If you can share your stories in the comments, we'd love to hear them anyway.
Uh, Anna's put here, there will only be six kids with us soon, and we're quite happy with that number.
Sharon Edmundson: six still sounds like a lot to me. It's double hours.
Matt Edmundson: It does, it does. Anna's an absolute legend. Uh, and yeah, she is carrying twins and uh, we are praying for you Anna that the birth obviously goes well. Um, but yes, uh, such a lovely lady, but uh, what a legend.
What a legend. You keep going, you keep going. Um, so the will of God. Let's get into that. What did you think to Dave's talk?
Sharon Edmundson: Um, yeah, it was very short this week, wasn't it? But even though it was short, there were three main things that I think stood out to me. One of them being the casting lots thing that you mentioned, just because it's, um, I dunno, it just sounds a bit unspiritual really, doesn't it?
Mm-hmm. . Um, it sounds quite attractive in a way just to kind of go, oh, I've got this big decision to make. I'm just gonna flip a coin and see which it comes up to. Doesn't, on the surface of it, it doesn't look like it takes any brain power, does it? Mm-hmm. , but although, what they've actually done has taken brain power before they've got to that stage.
But yeah, I, I did think that was interesting. So I did do a little bit of background on that, as you would expect.
Matt Edmundson: I would've No, no doubt otherwise.
Sharon Edmundson: Apparently casting lots is mentioned 70 times in the Old Testament. That's the bit of the Bible before Jesus, uh, came and then seven times after with this one, I think, is this the last one?
Uh, I can't remember, but yeah. But there's not masses known about it, but there does seem to be quite often this process that goes before it, and then it's kind of like the final section of the decision making. But anyway, I just thought that was interesting. Also, the thing of choosing leaders, which you've also picked up on and the making decisions.
So those three things, broad category has kind of stood out to me.
Matt Edmundson: So we've got some good stuff to get into. Matt's put in the comments. Do you wanna explain what Pentecost is? That's actually probably a very good point, Matt. Uh, so do you wanna explain what Pentecost is, babe?
Sharon Edmundson: I can do. Go for it. Uh, Pentecost is an event that's mentioned in the book of Acts that we are going through where God sends his Holy Spirit to all the people who were wanting to follow him.
Previous to that it was only key people that his Holy Spirit really was on and filled in a special way, like the king's, prophets and priests, I think like mm-hmm. and just people, like individual people that God chose at specific times. But, so this was quite, um, a major. Major event. Really? When Yeah. The Holy Spirit let's, so it's God himself just poured out onto people.
Yeah. Yeah. Did you wanna add anything to that?
Matt Edmundson: No, not at all. We're gonna get to it in a couple of weeks. Uh, it's, it's literally just around the corner. It's, it's all chapter, chapter two, isn't it? Of the Book of Acts. So we're, we are definitely gonna get there at the outpouring. So yes. Thanks for pointing that out, Matt.
I mentioned Pentecost didn't explain what it meant, but yes. That's very good. So, and the reason why, actually going to the casting lots thing, why it's important that this is before Pentecost, like you said, is because the Holy Spirit has been given to all people. And in the New Testament it's the Holy Spirit that guides us as Christians.
Um, so the Holy Spirit is our guide, right? It's one of the things that we proclaim about him. Uh, and so there's no real need to cast lots now because the Holy Spirit will guide us into all things. And so the fact that the Holy Spirit had not yet come, which is sort of explains why they're still casting lots at this point.
And Dave did point out actually that this is the last time in the Bible that you see this activity happen. So, which is why we as Christians don't go around flipping coins. God, if you want me to do this, give me a heads.
Sharon Edmundson: I think we'd end up with some very bizarre choices that we made if we did that.
Matt Edmundson: But I mean, talking about it, right?
Have you ever done that whole, um, fleece thing. Right. So, uh, there's a portion in the Bible that talks about, I can't remember who was the guy that set out the fleece. Was it Samuel? Um, um, Gideon. Gideon. That's it. Gideon's fleece. And so he in effect, goes and puts a, a fleece out, doesn't he? On, on the grass. And he is like, God, if you want me to do this, make sure the fleece is wet, but the ground is dry.
And then he wakes up, the fleece is wet the ground is dry. And he goes out the next night and says, okay, this time I want the fleece to be dry and the ground wet and the fleece is dry. And so as Christians, we can, uh, we can fall into these methods can't we, where it's like, well, I need to lay a fleece. God, if this is right, send, um, , I don't know, a leprechaun with a bag of candy floss to knock on my door at 9:06.
Uh, and then I'll definitely know it's you that wants me to do it.
Sharon Edmundson: Yeah. And, and we put things like that, especially if it's something we really don't wanna do, to make it like really difficult for God to fulfill it.
Matt Edmundson: Yes. You know? Yeah. Uh, we've, we've been known as Christians to do things like that. Um, and the reality of it is we don't do things. We shouldn't really have to do things like that because, you know, the Holy Spirit inside us guides us.
Um, plus like Dave says, we've also got the guidance of scripture and we've got the comfort and, uh, experience of friends around us. Um, so I think there, there are some things to get into. Okay. There you go. What should we get into first? We've talked about lots a little bit. What's your background on that?
Is there anything else you wanna add to your?
Sharon Edmundson: Well, I've got a question for you just on the whole thing of, um, the decision making that Dave talked about. Have you got any examples of where you have followed these principles? Obviously I've probably heard them many times, but for our other listeners, so Dave talked about three things.
One was, um, getting into scripture. Mm-hmm, another was listeneing to the Holy Spirit. And the third was, um, talking to other people of faith mm-hmm. to get their input, their perspective, their wisdom, that kind of thing. Yeah. So, yeah. How have those three things, how have you used those in terms of making decisions?
Matt Edmundson: The first response to this question that immediately springs to my mind, um, is the, is is the whole spouse thing, is you mm-hmm, you know, it's that whole, um, you know, is this the right thing to do God? Now lemme just preface everything I'm about to say with, I do not hold fast to the theology, which says that there is only one person out there that you can marry.
Mm-hmm, because I've seen too many people marry somebody and go, obviously that's not the one person. Leave them in pursuit of who the right person is. Um, I don't think that's the right theology, but what I do think is as soon as you marry somebody, they become the one person for you. Does that make sense?
And you, and that's, I think, what scripture teaches. Anyway, all that aside, I did not become a Christian. Uh, you know, when I was an embryo, I became a Christian later in my teen years. And so I, I had some some cultural baggage, let's just say, that I needed to, uh, resolve in my thinking. And so I remember when I was in my early twenties, I, I left uni, graduated.
And I went to work for Frontline Church, the church that Crowd's part of, um, and I volunteered there for a year and I thought, you know what? I need to take a, a year or two, and I'm, I, I deliberately decided not to date anybody and I spent over a year just reading the Bible about what it meant to be a husband, because I knew this would be the most significant decision that I make outside of following Jesus.
The decision who you marry is, is not to be taken lightly. Um, and so I spent a little bit of time in scripture, um, understanding what the Bible wanted of me. I obviously spent an awful lot of time praying about it and asking the Holy Spirit to guide me, and I spent a lot of time talking to my friends about it.
Specifically, the right Reverend Dave Connolly. Uh, he and I had many conversations about you before we started dating, and so, um, so yeah, that would be for me, one of them. Uh, yeah. Matt's put in the comments here. What a great decision you made. Absolutely, Matt. Best one ever. Best one ever. Does that answer your question?
Sharon Edmundson: Yeah. What about more recent ones? Because that was a little while ago now.
Matt Edmundson: 25 years ago this year, we're celebrating our 25th anniversary. All gifts greatly received, um, . So more recently, uh, yeah. I mean, the thing the, the, some of the, the, the big things, the big challenges in life that you are constant, that I'm constantly looking at are things like to do with Crowd.
Uh, you know, what do we do with Crowd? Where do we take it forward? Um, and also to do with work. And if you don't know, uh, if you've not been following along, I also run my own business, um, which is an online type business. And so, um, so yeah, I mean, scripture doesn't necessarily talk a lot about running an internet business, but it does give you principles which you can follow.
Um, and so recently, um, I suppose a big event was we had a business which was sold. And so it was trying to decide what to do next after that sale. Like, God, where are you leading us? Where are you taking us? And just looking at that, reading through scripture, praying about it, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, talking to friends about it.
Even I spent a lot of time talking to Al Marshall, who doesn't necessarily understand the full inner workings of my business. Um, he's a cardiothoracic surgeon. I mean, why would he? Uh, but just getting his wisdom super, super helpful. So, um, yeah, we've made some pretty big decisions at work. Like what we do now? Are Do you know, what I mean and all those kind of things which come out of that same sort of thing.
And so I feel pretty confident that what we're doing is right before God.
Sharon Edmundson: Hmm. Are you always sure, like when you're making the decision that that is what God's saying? Because I can think for myself, I can think of examples of when I've prayed about stuff, talked about stuff, read the Bible, and I've, or maybe I've just done one of those things.
Yeah. And I'm completely sure I've just somehow got this assurance that I should take this certain course of action. Mm-hmm. , like moving to Liverpool be one of those. I was completely sure this was where God wanted me to be, even though I wasn't sure God existed. Bizarre. But it was one of those, whereas I think of another example where, um, so after we'd, uh, had our kids, I just did various volun, different voluntary things through church, and the last of those had come to an end and I was trying to decide what to do next.
Prayed about it, I was talking to people. , um, didn't really have that many ideas. It's like, should I go back to my previous work or should I, yeah. What should I do? Um, I just didn't feel like I heard from God at all, even though I'm doing all of these things. Yeah. And so ended up just making a decision.
It's like, I don't know if this is the right decision, but I can't really think of what else to do. So I act, then I went and trained to be, um, an English teacher for speakers of other languages. Uh, and it turned out to be a fantastic decision, but at the time, I can't say I had much assurance about it.
Mm-hmm. . But it's only when I look back I'm like, oh yeah, that was good. So, yeah. It's a long-winded way of saying. Are you always sure or are there times when you're like, I'm not sure, but I'm gonna step out anyway?
Matt Edmundson: Yeah. There's a lot of times when I'm not sure, but I'm gonna step out anyway. Um, and that's what they call faith, isn't it?
And I you sometimes you do that just a little bit scared, um, to, without getting too graphic to, to quite a well-known friend of mine. It's squeaky bum time. And, um, it's one of those where, where I think you're right. I think sometimes you, you don't always know, but I think if you are a Christian who is, um, you know the voice of God, you know the voice of the Holy Spirit, and you are living a life which you think is trying to please him, I think it's actually hard.
It, it almost becomes harder to miss the will of God than it does to hit it, if that makes sense, because I appreciate, it's not always straightforward, but I, God has a plan for us. He does direct us and he has this habit. I mean, you think of the story of Jonah. I mean, he went to extreme measures, um, by, you know, the story of a big old fish swallowing the guy and taking him to where he needed to be.
Cause he was trying to outrun it. He go, he God does go, does want us to be, you know, on the right path. And I think even when we're not on the right path, I think he can steer us and guide us onto it, . Mm-hmm. . And I think it's, I have this phrase that it, you know, God can handle my failure much more than he can handle my disobedience.
Yeah. And I'd rather, I'd rather fail at doing something which I think is right than succeed in doing nothing, which is entirely wrong. Um, , that's just me. That's just the way my brain's wired. And there's a wonderful portion of scripture that we're gonna come to in the book of Acts that talks about this chap called Paul and the Apostle Paul
um, is doing his missionary journey things. We're gonna get into it all. Uh, and he's sort of, he's heading one direction. I can't remember exactly where he's going, but he's sort of heading off dun, dun dun. And this is the Apostle Paul, right? He writes two thirds of the New Testament. The man has dramatic encounters with God, both himself and through him into the lives of others.
He has raised the dead, he has seen the sick miraculously healed, I mean, all kinds of stuff. The man knows God, right? Yet he goes on this journey, he starts on a path, and the way the Bible talks about it is the Holy Spirit constrained him. So he was already on the journey. Well, I don't think he would've done that had he not thought.
Well, I think this is where God's taking me. He wouldn't have done it deliberately going, oh, this is the wrong way. But it wasn't until he started moving that he felt the constraint of the Holy Spirit and he went, ah, that's not the right way. Let's go this way. This is the right way. And um, there's a great phrase that they came up with a Bible school that I went to, uh, which has always stuck with me.
And that is, it's easier to turn a car when it's moving. And, um, I think, I dunno, that are some of the, the policies I have in my head when it comes to being guided by God when it comes to being, you know, finding God's will and like you, I don't always know the end from the beginning because mm-hmm. . In fact, I don't think I've ever known the end from the beginning.
I just know that this is the right thing to do right now. Um, but I can trust God that he will guide me. Yeah. And I think if I'm doing those things where I'm in scripture, I am praying, I'm actively seeking God and I'm listening to the counsel of my friends if, if, if they're not right or I'm not entirely sure that it's right or I've not got that assurance.
I can believe wholeheartedly that as I go, God will direct me and change my course if he needs to. Does that make sense?
Sharon Edmundson: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Good answer.
Matt Edmundson: So that would be my answer, is that, is that alright? Do I pass?
Sharon Edmundson: Yeah. Yes. Yeah.
Matt Edmundson: So Anna's put her in the comments, I made a mess of my life before I became a Christian.
God called me to himself at the day of the baptism and since then I'm still growing. But I found that studying the scripture and talking to mature Christians helps me to understand if it is the leadership of the Holy Spirit or my own idea.
Sharon Edmundson: Yeah, definitely. I think back, um, Again, I think it's the big events that tend to stick out in my mind as to about hearing God a lot.
There's, you know, the lots of little ones in between. You kind of forget about them cuz they're not a big deal. But I think a time for me when really listening to other people was when we were in the process of getting together. Um, and as you were talking to Dave, uh, I was talking to his wife Julie. And again, that was actually really helpful because for me at that time, I'd just come from a period of time where um, God was helping me to sort out my thoughts and emotions and I still wasn't massively stable.
Um, and my emotions could go up and down like and react massively. And I remember reacting massively in our situation going, oh, I dunno if it's right, is it right, is it wrong? And just getting in a real panic about it. And talking to Julie, who'd known you had much more wisdom and she was just able to see into the situation and go, this is what's happening.
And yeah, just helping me to see a bit more clearly. And I think that was really very useful.
Matt Edmundson: Yeah. What a legend. Julie Connolly. Yeah. Bless her. Bless. Okay. So we know we don't cast lots. Um, we know we can make quality decisions with the help of the Holy Spirit, with the guidance of scripture, um, and with the wise counsel of our friends.
And we can believe that God's gonna direct us and lead us, um, in our lives. And I, I think that's all marvelous stuff and I think that's all part of the beauty of being a Christian, isn't it? And um, actually if this whole Christianity thing is true, then God guiding us and caring for us makes total sense.
Um, so let's talk a little bit about this leadership thing that they've got going on here. And I put in the comments cuz one of the things that's always intrigued me about this passage is the desire of Peter who seems to be a bit of a ringleader, um, at this point. Uh, uh, which is one of the things that we know to be true from actually even some of the earliest Christian literature tends to be Peter at the center of all these things.
Um, which is in itself interesting, isn't it? Cuz Peter, if you don't know about Peter, Peter is not, um, well he is not what you'd call like your born leader was he? Uh, Peter, he had to learn his craft, uh, I think on the way, which is I find very encouraging, if I'm honest with you.
Sharon Edmundson: I think that he had, he had the passion of a leader, didn't he? But he wasn't necessarily in control of that all the time.
Matt Edmundson: He didn't have the, he didn't have the balance of experience to go with the passion is maybe one way to put it. Um, but one thing Peter did do, and it's really interesting, isn't it, I mean, Peter was, um, he was a witness to Christ. Um, obviously he had conversations with Jesus after the resurrection, even had his own sort of special little interview going on.
Um, and so has this sort of, uh, you know, deal with Jesus going on. He admits his sin, he admits his weakness, um, both in the Gospels and as we will see later, um, I mean, Paul talks about the time he had to sort of take Peter aside and give him a bit of a telling off, um, God's obviously still not finished with him, still not done all the work.
We're gonna find that out. Uh, I think around Acts chapter 10. So he's a man who is a work in progress. Um, but God is using him. He's not a perfect man, and God is using him and I that I find deeply encouraging. Um, but he decides to sort of, he's, there's a group of 120 believers. Uh, there or thereabouts. And he stands before them and he says, guys, listen, we need, we're, we're 11 right now cuz Judas, you know, made a few wrong decisions.
We'll get into that. Uh, so who should we have for the 12th? And I, that's always intrigued me that they didn't stay 11, that they always went back up to 12, you know? Mm-hmm. .
Sharon Edmundson: Yeah. I think they're clear to that one. It's just this one sentence in the passage that was read today. That's easy to miss, isn't it?
Um, where Peter's quoting from the book of Psalms and saying, may another take his place of leadership. So it's like they knew, they, they knew the prophecies and that actually that they had instructions and that's what they were meant to do. And then, yeah.
Matt Edmundson: Yeah. In verse 20 isn't it? Now Got it up here. Yeah. Let another take his office. Yeah. Which is interesting, isn't it? And he understood that that needed to happen. Um, I was researching it as well. Apparently at the time, teams were known by their numbers. . Uh, so it was, it was how they were referenced. The team of 12, the team of 30 apparently were a band of outlaws, I think, uh, like a little gang at the time, which controlled Athens or did something which they shouldn't have been doing.
Um, and so yeah, the team of 12, and obviously, uh, I say obviously you might not know there were 12 tribes of Israel, which people tie a lot to the 12 disciples and 12 tribes, um, that may or may not have some bearing on the story. Um, so leadership, so here he is deciding on who or they, as Dave pointed out actually, and I thought this was really important, Peter brought to the group the 120, the concept of we need another leader.
Yeah. Um, and we, we need, um, uh, what does it say, let me read from a different version, which makes a bit more sense. Let's go to the message. What does a message say? um, long ago the Holy Spirits spoke through David Regarding Judas, who became blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
Uh, everyone, it doesn't say that in the message translation. Just wanna be really clear. , I was, I was wondering . So he says here, Judas must now be replaced. The replacement must come from the company of men who stayed together with us from the time Jesus was baptized by John up to the day of his ascension designated along, uh, with us as witnesses to his resurrection.
So what's really interesting here is Peter goes to the group and says, we, we, we need to find a another leader. I'm not making this decision. I'm not as in, I'm not deciding. We need to decide who the leader is, but this is the criteria. Yeah. Which we need to have to make the decision, which I thought was really fascinating.
It was a very good leadership principle here. Um, and then that criteria is that they, um, needed to be a witness. , uh, to the resurrection of Christ because, um, at the time a lot of information was communicated verbally, wasn't it? They were custodians of stories, um, and or guardians of these stories, and they would, they were, if you were an eyewitness, you had much more credibility in telling that story.
And I think, um, that's why they sort of went down that road. Someone who's been faithful, someone who stayed with us from the beginning, has gone through the whole thing thick and thin. Uh, someone who, uh, actually is a witness to the resurrection. I mean, these, these are quite intense criteria, uh, for someone to choose from, aren't they?
Sharon Edmundson: Yeah, yeah, they are. Um, and kind of, I dunno, the thing that stood out to me is actually the bit that comes after that. So I dunno whether to throw that in now, or, uh, whether you want to keep going with this little passage.
Matt Edmundson: Oh, you, you do what you wanna do sweetie..
Sharon Edmundson: Thank you. Um, yeah, cuz I, the bit that really stood out to me was the bit after this be, after Pentecost really that and where, um, Dave talked about the criteria for leadership.
Cause obviously at this point that they're choosing leaders who have been with Jesus from the beginning, uh, and all that kind of thing. It's a special situation for replacing Judas. Mm. But after that, when after the Holy Spirits come, the criteria are, um, well some of them that people are full of the Holy Spirit and they are, are full of wisdom.
And I, when I heard that, I was just like, how fabulous would that be if all the leaders in our country were like that.
Matt Edmundson: So now, now you're getting political. I like it. I like that. Uh, are our leaders full of the Holy Spirit and full of wisdom. Where. I don't see it, if I'm honest with you. Some of them maybe, some of them no.
Sharon Edmundson: Yeah. I mean obviously this is criteria for the church for choosing leaders is in the church, isn't it? Not in the wider context, but even within the church. I wonder how much we use that as criteria or how much we are dazzled by other things like personality and charisma or skill and overlook these key things that are actually, do they listen to the Holy Spirit and do they use wisdom? Do you know what I mean that I think sometimes criteria can get a bit skewed. Mm-hmm.
Matt Edmundson: Yeah. It can, it can almost become like how many Instagram follows has my pastor got? Um, as a sign of, isn't he a cool bloke? Yes, he's a great pastor. Versus actually how wise is, I mean, I appreciate it's much harder to measure than how many Instagram followers you've got.
Um, but how are they growing in wisdom? Do you know what I mean? It's a really interesting question, isn't it? And yes, I think what we prescribe to be leadership characteristics, say in business, aren't necessarily what you would prescribe to be leadership characteristics in the church. Um, and I think too often the churches tried to be like corporate and gone, well, if that's worked in corporate, we should bring that over to the church.
And actually it should be the other way around. We should take the principles of scripture to corporate. Um, but no, I'm totally with you on that one. I think, I think the criteria for leadership in the church are not what you expect. To be the husband of one wife. Mm-hmm. , uh, you know, it's like, it's a pretty obvious statement, isn't it?
But, um, I don't see that in corporate. Sorry guys. I've interviewed way too many corporate leaders who don't treat their wives right. And you're kind of like, it's a really interesting thing, isn't it? I, there have been business, I have to be honest with you. There have been business deals I've walked away from because of the way the guy spoke about his wife.
Um, now I appreciate I am putting on him criteria that maybe I would choose to choose a church leader, but I'm, part of me is like, if he can't treat his wife the way he promised to all those years ago, why do I expect he's gonna treat me the way he's gonna tell me Yeah. And honor this deal because he's not honoring his marriage.
So why is he gonna honor his business deal with me? And I think, um, it, it, it's one of those things actually that when it comes to the bigger deals that I've made in business, one of the things I'd like to do is to meet, is to see them with their spouse or get them talking about their spouse. So I can see how they treat their partner, um, because I think it's really, really important.
Sharon Edmundson: Yeah. Interesting.
Matt Edmundson: Little known tactic there. If you're in the corporate world. Which is why, going back to, what's the story podcast, Brett, I know from the corporate world. Um, and the reason why I like him, I mean, he's a, he's a Chris Bow, he is a fellow believer, he is a brother. Um, but I know how he treats his wife.
Uh, and so I'm like, I will do business with Brett all day long. Um, the same, we've got a guy called Jared Mitchell, who's Brett's mate. Uh, he's coming on the podcast soon. I've just recorded the interview with him. Uh, Zoe and I stayed at his house. I have seen how he treats his wife, and you kind of go, mate, you have got my uttermost respect because I've seen how you treat your wife.
Uh, and so the rest of it doesn't really make too much difference to me. I'm, it's the first primary thing. So yeah. Top tip on leadership. Choose leaders that treat their wives well.
Sharon Edmundson: Yeah. Or if they're not married, to treat the people that are close to them, um, and people who are not, where you don't necessarily see that relationship.
Um, it's, you know, it's not necessarily a relationship that's on display. Yeah. Bid them well.
Matt Edmundson: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Sharon Edmundson: I think it's a challenge because it's always easy to kind of look out at other people and kind of say they should be like this. But then in terms of, uh, myself, um, we're not all in those massive leadership positions, but I think all of us have influence over somebody or, yeah.
That we're coming into contact with. So again, it's thinking, okay, what, um, how am I doing in terms of am I actually listening to God or am I just doing things my own way? And am I growing in wisdom? And, um, it, I'm reminded of the passage that talks about if you are, if any of you're lacking in wisdom, then ask God.
And He's, you know, more than happy to give you that wisdom. Yeah. And to keep asking. Yeah. Asking for wisdom.
Matt Edmundson: Yeah, absolutely. And, and I think most of us lead something. We might not lead a company, we might not lead a church, but we, we can lead something. Um, and we do
Sharon Edmundson: or have influence over somebody, even if it's the people that you meet around you or, yeah, just, just I think our interactions with people can have quite a big impact on them.
Matt Edmundson: Yeah. They really can and do that Well and do that wise. I think you're totally right. Um,to do that, uh, with wisdom. Um, let's talk about Judas, cause I'm aware of time and I said that we'd mention Judas, uh, because he was mentioned in his passage people are, in some respects, people are more familiar with Judas than with some of the other people in the Bible.
Cuz we use this phrase Judas, to talk about someone who has betrayed, uh, somebody else saying, if you are a Judas, it's not a comment, uh, a compliment, I should have said. It's definitely a comment, but it's not a compliment. Uh, and so, Judas Iscariot. Bit of background. He was one of the disciples, one of the 12, uh, that walked the earth with Jesus. For three years
this man, uh, was part of Jesus' gang. Whether he was fully in at one point or not, we don't know, but we know he saw the miracles and we know he hung out with Jesus himself. Uh, and yet towards the end of, uh, Jesus' time on Earth, there's this very famous event where Judas betrays Christ, uh, for how many pieces of silver was it?
30 pieces of silver? I can't remember the exact number now. Bible quiz. Write in the comments. If you know the answer to that question, I'm sure Matt Crew will know the answer to that question. Do you know the answer to that question?
Sharon Edmundson: Uh, sorry, I was busy looking at the, uh,
Matt Edmundson: oh, you weren't even listening.
Sharon Edmundson: Comment then you caught me. So I dunno what the question is.
Matt Edmundson: Excellent. Welcome to my marriage, ladies and gentlemen.
Sharon Edmundson: I was looking at Anya's comment about leaders being the ones that we should taking, be taking an example from. Absolutely. Totally agree. Leaders should be setting a good example.
Matt Edmundson: They should. Leaders definitely need to listen to the
Sharon Edmundson: Yeah. Deflecting from the fact I wasn't listening to you there. Sorry.
Matt Edmundson: It's a great, it's a great example. Uh, great quality of leadership is the ability to listen well.
Sharon Edmundson: So what did you say? What's the question?
Matt Edmundson: So sorry. Matt Crew answered it. He's, it is 30. So Judas Oh, great. Betrays Jesus for 30 pieces of silver . Oh dear.
Um, and so we'll be giggling about this all night now, . Um, and so yeah, he, he betrays Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Um, So here's a man that gives up the call of God on his life. Um, what in some translations to this particular, uh, passage, um, some translations call lots. Uh, so they ca it's interesting how there's this play on words that Luke has.
It's the same word where they cast lots. Um, but Judas gave up his lot, uh, or his calling, or his sharing his calling. It's the same word. Um, and that thing, which God had given him, Judas gave up in exchange for money. And ultimately it doesn't end well for Judas. He, he betrays Christ. He buys a field with his money.
Um, and then we don't really know, I mean, there's slightly different accounts between Matthew and Acts, whether they follow on from each other. We don't, we don't. I mean, we weren't there. Um, but he, it seems that Judas in effect, commits suicide and ends up with his bowels all over the place in a, in a very unpleasant way, really.
Um, and there's the shame that he had, the fact that actually betrayal was the worst crime or one of the worst crimes at the time, um, in a honor, sort of shame culture that this is actually really not a great thing to do. And he did all of that for 30 pieces of silver. So that's the background. Have you got anything you wanna add to the old Judas thing?
Sharon Edmundson: No. That makes the discussion a bit short, doesn't it? I didn't really have many more thoughts on that . Sorry.
Matt Edmundson: No, it's fine. It's okay. Timing's good anyway, so
Sharon Edmundson: it sounds like you've had a lot more thoughts of me on that.
Yeah, as you can see, just, just the, yeah, just guessing, imagining the despair and the shame and all the rest of it after we'd done that and then kind of gone. . Oh my goodness. What have I done? Yeah. Yeah. Just how awful that would be to live with. But you know what, I think I even then, I think if he'd turned around and gone back to Jesus instead of away from him and gone, this is what I've done, I totally believe Jesus would've forgiven him.
Matt Edmundson: Yeah. I think he could, could've been gloriously restored, um, if I'm honest with you. But, uh, that doesn't seem to be what happened, uh, in the story. And I think the, the learning from this is, it doesn't matter how closely you think you walk with Christ today. Um, Judas was as close as any man is ever gonna get to Jesus.
Yet he still betrayed him. Um, and I think it's quite a sobering thought, isn't it? You know, it's a sobering thought. Take, take heed lest any of you fall. And I think that sort of pride that when it comes to, we've been talking about God's will and knowing God's will, and if you, I think I try and avoid the pride of going, yeah, I get it right 100% of the time because, you know, I'm, I'm this close to God, me and him mates and all that sort of stuff.
I think as soon as you start heading down that path, you have got some fundamental problems and um, yeah, that's where things can sneak in, just like it did with Judas. And you get blindsided. Um, and so,
Sharon Edmundson: yeah, yeah, just the, the rest of that little bit that you've kind of just quoted that verse it, it is, does say, be careful if you think you stand in case you fall.
And there is, there is a warning, isn't it?
Matt Edmundson: It is a warning. So on that happy note, we'll end Conversation, Street.
Sharon Edmundson: Matt crew has put in the comments, what's happening next week on the livestream, not in your marriage?
Matt Edmundson: Okay. Next week Sharon and I are gonna go to communication counseling, um, , because I just don't feel listened to Matt, if I'm honest with you.
Sharon Edmundson: Um, , let's not go there. .
Matt Edmundson: We should just do a counseling session on the livestream one day. Uh, no, let's not subject you to that. Uh, what's happening next week is a very good question. I'm gonna let Sharon talk while I pull up the notes for next week.
Sharon Edmundson: You always do that. And I'm like, uh, talk about what? I have no idea.. I have no idea what's going on next week either.
Apart from it's in the book of Acts. Someone's gonna talk.
Matt Edmundson: It is. So next week we have got, uh, Dan Orange, John and John Farrington are hosting. Uh, Chris Holcombe is, uh, talking about how God sends the Holy Spirit. We've been talking about Pentecost. It is coming up. Dun, dun, dun, dun, dun dun.
Sharon Edmundson: It's, uh, all boys week next week.
Matt Edmundson: Yeah. Actually. Yeah. And you've, you've got John, who's, who's a young chap. You've got Dan, who's a bit like me, a bit middle-aged Chap. You've got Chris. Well, Chris has got a few more gray hairs than I have. Um, and Chris is, he's been on Crowd a a few times. He's an absolute legend. Medically, he's, he's just a genius.
We had him on the, uh, he's a surgeon, isn'the? He specializes in breast cancer. So we had him on the, the live streams that we did. What does the Bible say about cancer? What does the Bible say about health? We had him and his beautiful wife Sue on who's a nurse in cancer care. Um, and so I'm really keen to hear what Chris has got to say on this first portion of scripture.
God sending the Holy Spirit. So we've got that coming up next week, uh, here on Crowd. So make sure you're subscribed, make sure you've got that little bell notification going on. Um, so you get notified when we are live. Then after that, it's me and John Harding hosting with Will Sopwith chatting away.
So, uh, yes, uh, how can Chris be more ancient than you edmo? There's got to be at least one joke about my age, every time on every live stream. Uh, so , I'm just saying he isn't, I'm just saying he is got a few more gray hairs than me. That's all. That's all I'm saying. Uh, so yes, so that's what's coming up. So make sure you're subscribed.
It's been great to be with you, uh, tonight. Thank you so much for joining us. Yes. Uh, any final words from you, babe?
Sharon Edmundson: No. Other than yeah, it's lovely to have you with us. Um, and have a good week.
Matt Edmundson: Yeah. Fantastic. So we will see you next week. God bless you. Bye for now.
Thank you so much for joining us here on Crowd Church. Now if you are watching on YouTube, make sure you hit the subscribe button as well as that little tiny bell notification to get notified the next time we are live. And of course, if you are listening to the podcast, uh, the Livestream podcast, make sure you also hit the follow button.
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It has been awesome to connect with you and you are awesome. It's just a burden you have to bear. And hopefully we'll see you next time. That's it from us. God bless you. Bye for now.