In Philippians 1, the apostle Paul exhorts the church at Philippi to continue to stand strong, to demonstrate their faith in Christ, even in the face of opposition:
27Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel...
We are called and empowered to be a visible expression of the inward presence of Christ - the way we live, the way we love, the manner in which we endure, and the words that we speak can all bring glory and honor to the God who lives inside us. By our lives and our lifestyles, we authenticate the presence of God and the precepts of Scripture. The gospel message has survived throughout the years and has spread throughout the globe due to the dedication of God's people to live His truth. We are living museums, in a sense, building on Christ's firm foundation, relishing in our incredible history and writing new chapters of God's story in our times.
In Acts chapter 5, we find a passage of Scripture that can encourage us as we think about the authentication of the gospel message for over 2000 years. We see that Peter and other apostles were brought before the religious council of the Jews and we find an incredible statement by one of the council members:
34Then one in the council stood up, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in respect by all the people, and commanded them to put the apostles outside for a little while.35And he said to them: "Men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what you intend to do regarding these men.36For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody. A number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was slain, and all who obeyed him were scattered and came to nothing.37After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, and drew away many people after him. He also perished, and all who obeyed him were dispersed.38And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing;39but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it--lest you even be found to fight against God."
The power of the gospel - it cannot be stopped. Its message continues to proliferate even with the backdrop of a culture that has hostile elements to the Christian faith.
In the coming months, expect to hear or read announcements of artifacts that have been discovered and have become part of The Green Collection. The collection is overseen by the president of Hobby Lobby Steve Green, and according to Christianity Today, it houses many of the world's most significant biblical texts and artifacts. In fact, it has so many manuscripts that it has a team of dozens of scholars examining precisely what it has.
Last week, Green announced that one of its holdings is "likely the oldest Jewish prayer book ever found, dated by both scholars and Carbon-14 tests to circa 840 C.E." Such a book is comparable to what the Book of Common Prayer is for Anglicans.
Jerry Pattengale, who oversees the Green Scholars Initiative, said in a press release that, "This Hebrew prayer book helps fill the gap between the Dead Sea Scrolls and other discoveries of Jewish texts from the ninth and 10th centuries."
Beginning in a few years, people will be able to see the prayer book firsthand at a Bible museum that will house items from the Green Collection just two blocks from the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Green says the museum is on track for an early spring 2017 opening.
At last week's press conference, Pattengale said today's announcement is the first of four discoveries the Green Collection plans to reveal this year. In December 2011, Scott Carroll, then director of the Green Collection, suggested on Twitter that one of those announcements could be the earliest known text of the New Testament.
The Collection consists of more than 40,000 antiquities, including what is referred to as some of the rarest and most valuable biblical and classical pieces or items ever assembled under one roof. A portion of this collection is currently featured in the U.S. via the traveling exhibition Passages, which has been in Atlanta and now is on display in Colorado Springs.
So, keep your eyes and ears on this one - because the Green family is generating awareness of the rich history of the preservation of God's Word. The field of archaeology, for us as believers in Christ, presents powerful evidence of the practice of faith and the authenticity of God's Word.
The survival of the Christian faith for over 2000 years is an incredible piece of evidence for its authenticity. Our devotion to following Christ is more than just merely words on a page or artifacts buried in the ground. The presence of the living God and the work He produces in us communicates to the world that Jesus is alive. So, in a sense, we are called to authenticate the gospel. Artifacts that trace the history of faith can give us a greater appreciation of the God we serve and the fruit He has produced throughout the ages, and the acknowledgement of the activity of God in and through our lives can give us a greater sense of the faithfulness of the Lord, so that we can trust Him more fully each day.
If the Bible is true, and we know that it is, we communicate it to the world by the way we display the character of Christ. And, it is the living and sustaining nature of the operation of the Lord Most High that has contributed to the way that our faith has survived. The Bible is more than words on a page - it is living and active, and the Word of God becomes a conduit for the Spirit of God to operate.
So, we are on display for Christ - the question for each of us is: what is the world seeing? Do we bring credibility to the cause of Christ and authenticate the gospel by our actions?
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