Читать книгу Christian Zionism ... Enraptured Around a Golden Calf - Abraham A. van Kempen - Страница 27

The Judaism-gospel conflict persists and ravages the church throughout the first century (Acts 15: 5), which the Apostle Paul derides as a perversion to the gospel:

"⁶ I am surprised at you! In no time at all you are deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are accepting another gospel.

⁷ Actually, there is no ‘other gospel,’ but I say this because there are some people who are upsetting you and trying to change the gospel of Christ.

⁸ But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel that is different from the one we preached to you, may he be condemned to hell (Galatians 1: 6-8 GNT)!”

The gospel of the kingdom of God proclaims the sacrificial death of Jesus to redeem the sins of mankind and to endow the gift of the Holy Spirit to his followers. This good news infuriates the Jews in Jerusalem. Stephen, the leader of the Hellenist Christians, contend that the "gospel of the kingdom of God" provides a new basis to worship God, in the Spirit. It is not dependent upon the Jewish temple order of worship (Acts 6: 8-14; Acts 7).

Stephen's message focuses on the location of God (Acts 7: 2, 9, 29-33, 36, 44, and 48). Through recitation of Jewish history, he shows that God will no longer dwell in "places made with human hands." God's presence is no longer in the temple. When asked and upon faith, He resides permanently in the hearts of men and women.

Neither is God's presence determined by geographical location— Jerusalem— any longer! Stephen proclaims the day of Jewish privilege is finished. The new spirituality has arrived in the gospel.¹³ The Jews in Jerusalem respond to Stephen with murderous rage; and, the Jewish Christians are befuddled and perplexed (Acts 21: 21, 28; Mt. 26: 61).

Although Hellenist Christians experience the influence of Judaism, they make the transition with relative ease in cultural terms, because of their readiness to understand the universal kingdom of God with its new spirituality. The Day of Pentecost reinforces Stephen's claim about the location of the presence of God. As customary in Judaism, the apostles and the new Jewish Christian community attend the temple at the hours of prayer, worshiping at Solomon's Porch on the Day of Pentecost (Luke 24: 53).