Snippet: On Fire with Conviction

Snip·pet | ˈsnipit | noun a small piece or brief extract.

This one is J.B. Phillips* commenting on the passage in Acts where Paul and Silas are singing hymns while imprisoned in Philippi:

‘It is heartening to remember that this faith took root and flourished amazingly in conditions that would have killed anything less vital in a matter of weeks. These early Christians were on fire with the conviction that they had become, through Christ, literally sons of God; they were pioneers of a new humanity, founders of a new Kingdom. They still speak to us across the centuries.”

I think it’s possible that our conditions are just as challenging in a different way.

Their conditions included suffering, persecutions, and deprivations because of their faith.

For me and the people in our church, our general condition includes historically unprecedented comforts and conveniences and prosperity, even for the poorest among us (compared to the life of these early Christians). And all this is proving to kill any faith that lacks vitality.

In our personal and gathered practices, we fan the fire of our convictions. We learn what it means to be literally sons of God, pioneers of a new humanity, and founders of a new Kingdom. But the flame only burns bright when it spreads from the pages of Scripture to our heads and then to our hearts. Under the conditions we live in, that will simply not happen without effort and the help of our friends.

Photo by Cullan Smith on Unsplash

*Quoted in Lectio 360 devotional on July 7.