Jerusalem: Facing Conflict - Acts 15

Wind is a powerful force and it is also a moving force, usually from South East to North West. The force of moving water and the devastation it can cause is unbelievable; it usually moves down stream or with the direction of the wind. Both of these forces move things like trees, buildings, and land masses. Tradition is also a powerful force that moves people in both directions, but usually sustains them in their present position. The older I get the more comfortable I am with things staying the way they have always been. You see, tradition can be either good or bad—it all depends on you.

I do not trust any candidate that promises a ‘new day’ or a ‘new beginning’ without giving the details about what the ‘new’ direction will be; what it will cost, and how the cost will be paid. I feel much safer with the candidate that acknowledges that we have the most dependable and fairest government ever devised. He admits that it has some flaws; then he identifies them and suggests ways they can be remedied. I know the cost will be less than going totally new; and I also know that the improvements will be paid by the tax payers and not government. Changes that occur in churches are very similar to the ones that take place in government.

Most of the conflicts within the church today are a direct result of ‘traditional’ versus ‘new’ and neither philosophy can be right every time. Just a few that come to mind are such as: the disagreement on music styles that should be used in worship; and should we stick with the ‘old time’ preaching of the gospel or start utilizing some of the new kinds of programs that are available and may draw bigger crowds? Would there be fewer conflicts if committees were abolished and leave the planning and decision making up to the pastor? Do we practice open or closed communion? Should we hold to a traditional Sunday morning service? Or, should we go to two services? When expansion is needed, do we stay on the restricted down town site or should we move to a place with more room? Conflicts like these did not start at Heber Springs. Conflicts started at the home of the very first Christ Ordained Church in Jerusalem. They faced conflict!

In the last verses of chapter 14 we find that Paul and Barnabas sailed back to Antioch where they had been commissioned to do the work which they had now completed. Sea trade was heavy in those days, and many think that they caught a ride on a cargo ship that was hauling freight to Syria and Egypt. Remember, there are two cities named Antioch; one is in Pisidia over three hundred miles north of the first one mentioned. They are now back in the Antioch that is about 500 miles north of Jerusalem in Syria. The last verse tells us that they stayed there a long time. According to bible history, Paul probably wrote his letter to the Galatians during this period of time, and it is thought to be about AD 48 or 49. The Galatians would include the last three or four major cities that he visited on his first Missionary Journey.

Jerusalem is in Judea. The first verse of chapter 15, says that some men came down from Judea to Antioch [where Paul was… at that time]. I think of North as being up, and wonder why the verse did not say they came up to Antioch. [Just trivia]. Anyway, they were Jews who evidently had finally accepted the truth that Gentiles could be saved, but…but they still contended that Gentiles must also be circumcised in order to be saved, because Jewish law demanded circumcision. Paul and Barnabas were in sharp dispute with this teaching and they took it to the church at Antioch. The Church commissioned them to go to Jerusalem and present their grievances to the Apostles and elders who were serving at the mother church.

They made this a short missionary journey as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria telling how the Gentiles were being converted. They were well received all along the way and were welcomed by the Jerusalem church, apostles and elders. They reported the success they had experienced.
BUT—some of the Pharisees stood up and contended that the converted Gentiles still had to be circumcised. It seems that all of our churches have the Billy Goats hanging around—all they do is BUT and BUT every thing that Christians try to do.

The real problem for the Jewish Christians was not whether the gentiles could be saved…but it was as to whether or not they had to abide by the law of Moses—and the test was—do they have to be circumcised? They were afraid of weakening the moral standards among Jewish believers if they did not keep the law. Paul and Barnabas did not dispute the importance of the law...they admitted that circumcision was important under the old covenant, but now salvation is by grace and not law. Their contention was that we are under the new covenant of grace, and the purpose of law is to identify sin but not to save man from sin.

One of the main turning points came when it was pointed out to the Christian Jews that they were asking gentiles to keep laws that Jews had not been able to keep. No one was able to keep all of the Jewish laws and this is what had made it necessary for them to continually offer sacrifices for their failures. We find Peter {as controversial as he had always been} is now one of the stabilizing forces among the Jews. He addressed this august body of church leaders that had assembled to solve a dispute in the church. He reminded them that God had made the choice to accept the gentiles who heard the message and believed; and that those who had believed had received the Holy Spirit—just as the Jews did.—God had made no exception or distinction between the Jews and Gentiles. He was the one that ask the question;—“why should gentiles have to keep laws that Jews could not keep?” Peter announced again that salvation comes through grace; that if accepted by faith, requires nothing more.

By verse 12, it seems that Grace Believers are beginning to get their point across and Jews are beginning to listen. For the first time in this conflict we hear from James, who was the brother of Jesus, and who later became the leader of the Church in Jerusalem. James quoted from the prophet Amos 9: 11-12 where he prophesied that God would restore the kingdom that David had built and that it would be made available to all nations and that includes the Gentiles.

Then James said that it was in his judgment that the church should not make it difficult for Gentiles who were accepting God. He continued by saying that what they should do instead—was to instruct them in the way they should live under grace. This tells me that no church has a right to set up man made rules that must be met, or laws that must be obeyed, in order for a new convert to be a member. The Jerusalem Church Council agreed with doctoring and moved to settle this problem that had arisen at Antioch.

The council at Jerusalem appointed two prophets, Judas and Silas, to go with Paul and Barnabas back to Antioch to inform them of the agreement that had been reached. They remained there some time teaching, and preaching encouraging messages that would help the new Gentile church to grow and prosper. Paul and Barnabas remained and continued to preach even after Judas and Silas had gone back to their home church. Let me call your attention to the fact that mission minded churches still follow this same pattern. Visiting preachers and evangelist are called in from other churches to help local pastors in giving the church a booster shot. They revive and encourage the locals to renew their faith and increase their ministry in their home church and then move on to another field of work. Visiting evangelist or interim preachers can sometimes prevent a dangerous split in a church or at least minimize the lasting damages that a split can cause.


THE SECOND MISSIONARY JOURNEY WAS PLANNED AND PROVIDED FOR DURING THE REMAINING DAYS WHILE PAUL AND BARNABAS WERE STILL PREACHING IN ANTIOCH.

Paul was the one who decided to make the second Missionary Journey and suggested the route they should take. Talking to Barnabas he said; “Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” Barnabas agreed and suggested that they take John Mark with them. Another dispute arose! Paul reminded Barnabas that Mark had deserted them before and he did not want to risk the same kind of conflict. Neither would agree with the other and this caused a split. This is one of the times that God used a disagreement to improve and expand His cause.

Barnabas took John Mark with him and sailed for Cyprus where they started their own missionary work. Paul chose Silas to go with him on his Second Missionary Journey and revisited many of the churches where he had gone before, and added others to his list. Approximately three years elapsed between the end of the first journey and the beginning of the second. As a result of the disagreement between Paul and Barnabas there are now two teams of missionaries spreading the gospel instead of the one.

Sometime later, as recorded in Colossians 4: 10, Paul recanted and accepted John Mark as a helper who became vital to his success. Christians do not always agree but they should always be willing to solve their problems and work together. God can work with and through us if we are willing to agree that we can disagree and let God work his will through us.

Christ like men can disagree and grow in strength, knowledge and understanding. Ungodly men disagree and fight destroying any good that did exist. “Blessed is the peacemaker!”

Galatia: Facing Troubles - Acts 13 and 14

I try hard to maintain an optimistic attitude, but the media today makes it very difficult. Before I read any of the troubles that faced the New Christians in Galatia, my mind raced ahead and began to think of all the troubles that the Church has today. Then I read the assigned scripture, and all I can say is that times haven’t changed that much—sin still abounds and we have a fight on our hands. The opponents of true Christianity are as ardent in their disbelief as they ever were and their determination to force their opinions on us may be even greater simply because they have the advantage of a liberal media to help them in their opposition to Christianity.

Recently a local citizen registered a complaint with ABC regarding their promotion of the New Age Mentality on those of us who believe in Bible based truths. This citizen got an answer back from ABC telling him that he needed to update his thinking in line with the reality of life in America…the way things are…and he needed to get his head out of that book of fairy tales about people and events that never happened called bible.

These are not new facts, but true facts that we must face as soldiers of the Cross. We need the armor described in the gospel in order to stand and not be mortally wounded. Just in the past few years we have seen the onslaught against the very name of God as evil forces have garnered the political strength to restrict prayer in public places; destroy our Godly right to stand in opposition to laws and court rulings that are directly opposed to the teachings of Christ, and also diametrically opposite from the intention of our constitution—and it is my belief that this matter will become more invasive into our lives in the near future. If the liberals are able to appoint the next two judges to the Supreme Court—you can kiss our constitution good-by. {You have every right to call this VANDIVERISM if you wish.}

Christians have been too silent for too long in our objections to what we considered as ‘little things’ that have become ‘big mistakes.’ Merry Christmas has become Happy Holidays; sexual integrity is a mockery among contemporary consenting adults [and now the teen-ages]; and those of us that are so narrow minded as to think that Jesus is the only way to salvation are considered as narrow minded and intolerant to those that believe that there are many ways. If it is of any consolation to you, our lesson today will show you that we are not the first with problems like these. There is one fairly new problem on the scene and that is the teaching that each individual is God. I do not recall ever reading this bosh in the Bible.

Jesus Christ is the greatest teacher that ever proclaimed the Gospel. However, He told his Apostles that they would do greater things than he had done, and He no doubt had the Apostle Paul in mind, the greatest of all human preachers, evangelist, and teachers. Today’s study about Paul’s first missionary journey draws our attention to one that faced many troubles simply because of his faith in Christ. Being a Christian was not easy in Paul’s day; and I predict that the time has come when you and I will soon find more and more opposition from the group of nonbelievers that have organized [or at least have common opinions] around the task of destroying the effective efforts of all true believers. We should be in constant prayer to Almighty God beseeching him to stand against our adversaries and protect us from the same kind of destructive forces that came against Paul and Barnabas in their first Missionary Journey. The text of this lesson starts with the beginning of chapter thirteen. [Dear readers, time and space will not permit a verse by verse commentary; therefore, you simply MUST read and study along with this feeble effort to magnify the breadth and depth of Paul’s missionary work] I will guide you from city to city as they suffered hardships to bring saving grace to many who were their enemies. You will need a bible, a map, a profound interest and sustained willingness to spend time in the Word.

Beginning with this chapter, Acts shifts from ministry to the Jews…to ministry to the Gentiles—and the spread of the church around the world of that day. PAUL replaces PETER as the central figure in the book and starts his first Missionary Journey at [#1 Antioch.] There were five prophets and teachers working together as leaders in the ministry at Antioch. The church fasted and prayed and the Holy Spirit directed them to lay hands on Paul and Barnabas and commission them to start their journey. We should do likewise, and at First Baptist last Sunday, we did commission our Pastor, as the Director of World Changers, and our young people who are a part of the membership of World Changers; and we commissioned our Music Director and his wife as members of the Century-men who will be on tour overseas.

Paul and Barnabas, sent by the Holy Spirit, went to [#2 Seleucia]. There is no reference to the time spent or the work done at Seleucia. However, I remind you that the bible tells us that if all the things done and said had been recorded there would not be enough books to record it. Travel was dangerous and slow and my prediction is that they took advantage of every opportunity they had to proclaim the gospel, including the #2 city.

They went by sea to the island of Cyprus and landed in [#3 Salamis] on the Eastern shore. John Mark either went with them as their helper, or he met them when they arrived and they preached at the Jewish Synagogues. Synagogues is plural, therefore there was more than one. Cyprus is about 100 miles long and they witnessed all the way to [#4 Paphos] which is located on the western shore. They followed established trade routes for convenience, stopping often and always where there was a synagogue in which they could meet. Cyprus was inhabited mainly by Jews and their effort was to win as many Jews as possible that would help by reaching out to the smaller settlements on the Island. One of the reasons that they may have chosen Cyprus as their first overseas stop was that it was Barnabas’ home. He would be back at home and would have greater influence than if Paul had gone alone.

At Paphos they met the proconsul Paulus. Any proconsul was a high Roman official, and Paulus functioned as the Governor of Cyprus. He heard about their arrival and their message and was interested in hearing them…so he sent word for them to visit him that he might hear the word of God. High ups even in the days of Moses always kept magicians and private sorcerers. Bar Jesus was Paulus’ private sorcerer. His real name was actually Elymas—which means sorcerer, and when he found out what was happening he tried to block the meeting and change the mind of the proconsul. He knew that he was about to loose his position.

The meeting with Paulus took place and Elymas was there. Paul was frank with Elymas telling him of his evil spirit, and that he would suffer blindness because of it. Immediately Elymas could not see, and the incident only strengthened the faith of proconsul Paulus and he became a believer as a result. [You may be interested to know that this incident relates the first time in the bible where Saul is called Paul, see verse 9.] Ask yourself this question. If I am confronted with a circumstance of evil, do I have the faith and fortitude to confront a friend or foe with their evil ways? Paul did.

They move on. From Paphos on the island of Cyprus, Paul and his companions sailed to [#5 Perga in Pamphylia] where John Mark left them and returned to Jerusalem. Again there is nothing said about their work there, But can you imagine the time it took to travel long distances, and the cold nights and hot days of suffering and tiresome walking without sharing their message along the way? I can’t. And I believe they took every opportunity that God made available to them. What bothers me is that I do not take every opportunity. I do not keep witnessing on my mind 24/7! Do you? We should. Please pray for me that I will become even as proficient in my witness as I try to be in my study and teaching. Please pray for me!

There is a mystery in verse thirteen. No reason is given and no one knows why John Mark left Paul and went back to Jerusalem. Was he ill, homesick, or did he resent Paul? [Mark was Barnabas’ cousin and may have thought his cousin should be calling the shots.] Paul accused him of lacking in commitment and courage. Paul refused to take him with him later, and then even later changed his mind, accepted him back in the ministry.

They left Perga and went to [#6 Pisidian Antioch.] This was not Antioch of Syria where there was already a church 11: 26. This was a hub of several of the better roads that crossed the nation of Galatia. They visited the synagogue and as was the custom, the regular Jewish service was conducted first and then others would be called on to speak. When Paul was invited to speak, he made a long dissertation on the founding fathers of the Jewish race that included their bondage in Egypt and about 450 years of history following. The people were interested and listened. This always worked well on their first appearance, but as soon as they had spoken about the rejected Messiah that is now the saving Lord, the door would slam shut, they were not invited back and many times they were cut off, and run out of town—and usually very lucky to make their exit without injury. Take the time to read this sermon in 13: 16-41. It is the history of the Jews.

In this case, the Jews invited them back to the temple to speak again the next Sabbath. The objections grew and the book says that they ‘shook the dust from their feet and left for Iconium.

If you will notice as you read and study the bible it is repetitive on many important subjects. And this background story of Jewish heritage is one of the themes that are repeated many times. I only mention this to cause us to think about the number of times the Jews have been reminded of their place in Bible History and how many times they have been told about the line of Jewish leaders that would serve as fore-runners of the Messiah. It is so difficult for me to understand why the Jewish race could not see what was happening in their every day lives…and especially hard to understand why they would never accept Jesus Christ as the Messiah that had been promised every since the fall of the human race.

At [#7 Iconium] they went to the synagogue and preached with some success, but soon the opposition began to arise and there was a plot in the making to stone them out of town. God made provision for them to learn about the plot and they left just ahead of the stoning and moved on to [#8 Lystra and the surrounding country. And they continued to preach the ‘Good News of the New Church’—and this reminds me of an evangelist today…he can move in stir up the people and move on but the pastor has to stay and iron out the wrinkles. While they were in this area a lame man was healed and it caused them a new problem. The people wanted to give them the credit for the healing and even wanted to offer sacrifices in their behalf. Paul and Barnabas were distressed and demonstrated their unhappiness with the people—explaining that they were not the power in action and that the people must realize that Jesus Christ was the one performing the miracles.

A new wrinkle took place. They had been accepted here but a crowd followed them from Antioch and convinced the people that they were frauds and turned the people on them and they stoned the messengers, and dragged Paul outside the city and left him for dead. By the next day he was revived and he and Barnabas left for [#9 Derbe]. They were successful here for a time but when these problems arose, decided to reverse their course with the intention of strengthening the churches they had already established.

They re-visited Lystra, Iconium and Antioch with a slightly different mission. This second visit was to work with the disciples there, and encourage them to remain true to the faith. New church organization was established by appointing elders and through fasting and prayer they were ordained or committed to the Lord.

Their next move was back into Pamphylia where they made their last stop in the [#10 city of Attalia] before returning to the original city of [#1 Antioch] from which they had started. They gathered the churches together and reported on their journey and the work they had done and remained here for some time.

Is this a simple lesson? Maybe it is, but only if you refuse to use your imagination and expand on things that occurred each day—unexplained. What was their date of departure? How did they travel? Where did they sleep? What did they eat? Who helped with their luggage? Who paid their expenses? What happened on the ship on the way to Cyprus? Did they travel alone or join a caravan across the Island? The second time at sea was from Cyprus to Pamphylia: Was it a commercial or private boat? How many days at each place? How long the whole journey? How many nights were they without lodging? Did they spend nights out side? Were they cold or hot? How often did they go hungry? Where did they bathe? And how did they get their clothing cleaned? Alone and at nights thieves were known to be prevalent in bible times…Were they bothered? Robbed? Did they have any kind of literature [bibles or pamphlets] to leave with new converts? Where did they get them? How many miles did they travel? What month did they start? How long were they gone? What was the weather like each day? No wonder that there is not room enough in the bible to explain everything that was done and said. This First Journey is just a microscopic spot on the surface of a world without end.

Barnabas: Encouragement - Acts 11 and 12

At eighty-three it would be much easier for me to write about my pity-party than to do a dissertation on how to be encouraged or how one can encourage others. With three hip replacements, one knee replacement and three lower back operations that have failed to be successful—there, I already have seven major points about which I could write. In addition to health problems, my encouragement has been attacked by a few other problems; some of which were more devastating. Therefore I believe that I qualify as one that can tell you from experience that living and teaching others to live a life of hope and expectancy is a matter of mind over matter. The bible never says that this life will be without problems but it gives us hundreds of examples where over comers have grown spiritually as a direct result of the problems they faced with an open mind and a believing faith.

It does not matter how devastating your life has been, the problems you have faced, or how discouraged you have become, one of the greatest gifts that any man can offer you is a word of encouragement. When we feel low for whatever reason, a kind word of encouragement from someone we have faith in is a gift of pleasure, and solace that lifts our spirit. For any one of us to be a successful encourager requires an optimistic outlook on life, it is like the ability that some have who can see the end of a long tunnel that gleams with sunlight and hope. There is no room for pessimism in the heart of an encourager. For example, I truly believe that the dim tunnel of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan may have reached the point by now that we will enjoy a success by avoiding a grave potential danger from both countries. This just has to result in order to at least partially justify those who have paid the supreme sacrifice for the cause of freedom. We must continue to pray that those who have fought for our freedom will not have done so in vain.

Discouragement in the life of Christians usually comes when their ability to witness has been blocked by some who would like to see the will of Christ obstructed. We are living in a period of time in America today when this very thing is happening. There seems to be a force of evil that has set as its goal the death of the growth of the Christ orientated doctoring. It has hit us in the areas that we prize most; the sacred place of the family unit, the Christian’s right to read and teach the scripture, and the sacred right to pray at any time and in any place that we feel a need.

The time of reference in today’s lesson deals with the Christians that were living, praying and promulgating the gospel in Jerusalem at the time of Stephen’s death. Opponents of the young church in Jerusalem took advantage of this event and used their new gained strength to drive all new believers from the city and they [new believers] dispersed into Phoenicia, the island of Cyprus, and into Antioch. They were Jews, and they took their message to the Jews of these new areas. However, there were others from Cyprus and Cyrene that also went to Antioch and started preaching the message of Christ and his Grace to the Greek specifically and not just the Jews.

The true message of this incident is restrained or somewhat hidden to the normal reader but not to those of us who like to date our heritage back to Antioch where the gospel was deliberately preached to the Gentiles. We Gentiles were first called Christians at Antioch; so why should we not be proud? In one way it seems harsh for me to say that I am glad that those early Christians were forced to leave their homeland. However, their sacrifice has led to my freedom—the early church door opened to all Gentiles as a result. Just think about it; we would not have our freedom of religion today had they not paved the way. It was God’s plan to open the doors of His Church to all of us who are willing to believe and trust Him.

Now, for the first time, the gospel is preached to us Gentiles. The movement toward a religion based on the new covenant has been working for some time for Jews. The first step toward a change was when Philip preached to the Samaritans who were half Jewish and they began to form the bridge between the Jews and Gentiles. The second big step came when Peter was willing to accept Cornelius. He got the inspiration to do this from the sheet that was let down before him with all of the different kinds of animals that God instructed him to eat. Peter recognized this as God’s way of telling him that he should be willing to accept non-Jews as brethren in Christ.

I believe that at first the leaders in the Christian church did not seek Cornelius; the truth is that he sought the church—and finally the church did not turn him away. The third big step came at Antioch when the church started preaching directly to the Gentile people. It is amazing to me that the bible did not tell us specifically who these people from Cyprus and Cyrene were that started preaching directly to the Gentiles. However, and regardless of who these people were—Christianity is finally launched on its world-wide mission. We now see for the first time that the church is doing what Christ told them to do at Pentecost when He said; “Go into the entire world and preach the gospel and baptize all believers [Jews and Gentiles] as Christians. I think that these people were not named specifically simply because it does not matter who wins the lost…it only matters that someone cares enough to go and teach. The bible teaches that some plant the seed while others water and all share in the harvest. There are no names mentioned here…just SOME men. This means that you and I are supposed to be involved in this work, and not worry about who gets the credit. If you and I witness to the lost and our pastor preaches the gospel to them and they are saved…WE ALL WIN.

The writers of biblical history tell us that Antioch was the third greatest city in the world at that time—next to Rome and Alexandra. It was a city known for its fun life with chariot-racing and luxurious immorality—and the pursuit of pleasure continued day and night. The original inhabitants worshipped Daphne who was some kind of sex-goddess. These people were known for their loose living where morality was overlooked. I only mention this because it seems that God chooses peculiar places to start his work—probably because the change in life style becomes so obvious. Everyone must realize that a vast change in the lives of the people is taking place. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to witness such a change take place today in Hollywood, New York and Chicago?

It is easy to realize that new Christians in this kind of setting will find it hard to make the change. They especially need someone strong in the faith to encourage them to hold on and hold out against the opposition they must have faced. This is where Barnabas enters the picture as the great encourager. Word of the new Christians in Antioch reached Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas up to investigate. The grace of God brought about their choice because they could have sent one of their people that was still holding on to the law and its teachings against the Gentiles. Barnabas must have had the heart of God willing to reach out to all people. Back in chapter nine we find that Barnabas had already stood by Paul when many were suspecting him and his changed life. Barnabas had already given proof in 4: 36-37 of his Christian love by his generosity shown to the needy.

Barnabas was the encouraging leader needed in Antioch. And he knew the man that was needed to come in and preach to these people, helping them to get a strong start as new Christians. Paul has been preaching back in his home town for the past nine years—and Barnabas sought him out and encouraged him to move to Antioch to help Christians grow in their new grace.

We have studied the OT enough to know that the Prophets held strategic positions and offered important guidance to the people. In verses 27-30, we find that Prophets played important roles in the new church. In the Church there were three different kinds of leaders. First, there were the Apostles, who exercised authority wherever the new Church was established—they were thought of as the successors of Jesus. Second, there were the Elders who served in the new churches wherever they were ordained or set apart. And third, there were the prophets of the new age. One called Agabus, went to Antioch and predicted that there would be a famine throughout the entire land of Judaea. One of the first examples of the church in one city taking up offerings for fellow Christians who are in trouble in another place is found here in Antioch. Paul and Barnabas were the leaders that encouraged their members to give to those [especially in the mother church at Jerusalem] and an offering was collected. Paul and Barnabas were chosen to take the offering back to the mother church. This must have been a tough task, because we see here that Gentiles are actually donating their wealth to the church that had originally witnessed to Jews only; and had actually persecuted some of the ones that were now donating—some had been driven from their homes there in the Jerusalem area.

I believe this to be the first work of the prophets that received their power to fore-tell things to come and also fore-tell the will of God in Peoples lives. A short time later some of these prophets were the people that the Apostles called ‘false prophets’ who started taking advantage of people for personal gain. The NT warns us many times about the false prophets that would come as goats in sheep clothing that would use their abilities to mislead the people.

There is no doubt that we still have some of these false prophets around. Some of the worst have formed cults, setting themselves up as the supreme leader and many have gained great powers over the people that have joined them. One that is in the news today has just been imprisoned somewhere in Texas or Utah for taking advantage of people under the pretense of being a supreme being in the Mormon movement.

Only a few years ago, a compound in Texas became so corrupt that the Federal Forces had to move in and finally burned their building, in order to set free those that had been misled and were in some cases being held against their will. And then there was the group from California that wound up in a compound in South America so misguided that they took their own life by drinking poisoned cool aid.

The three mentioned above are extreme cases that have made headlines in the news media. Their numbers have generally been limited to a few hundred or even less. But [in my opinion] there are dozens of men and women that have set themselves up as leaders, pastors of “new movements” that are misleading vast numbers of new believers.

The ‘New Life’ group is a good example. And there are several of the “Big Time” preachers that have organized their own churches and selected a new name. Some have pulled away from other churches such as the Baptist and use every opportunity they have to disclaim any affiliation. Many of these are now known to be “Mega Churches” with thousands of members. They solicit funds from the gullible public and honor the givers by calling them partners. Those that give regularly are counted as members of their church. In fact, this is the reason some can claim to have several thousand members.

They may not be false witnesses, it is not my place to judge and I surely have no proof, but I can not help but wonder—if their church should fold…Who would own the buildings, buses and especially the jet planes they use to fly all over the world.

I do know one truth, all of the apostles, disciples, and deacons that were in the evangelical ministry of the young church that Christ established were united in one cause, and not one of them tried to establish his own church and start a new movement. They lived, worked and died for one cause…to save the lost and to glorify the one and only Lord of all. Jesus Christ was the Cornerstone of the church to which they belonged.

Peter: Openness - Acts 9:32 - 11:18

As we start looking into the life of Apostle Peter beginning with the 32nd verse, there can be no doubt about his sincerity and security in Christ. He is already doing missionary work for he is visiting the saints in Lydda. He has Holy Spirit power because he uses it to heal the paralytic man, Aeneas and to restore the life of Dorcas. However, Peter still had a serious problem and it was simply that he was still a Jew at heart. He had been with Jesus during his three years on earth, and after the resurrection he was fully convinced that Jesus was the Son of God, the Jewish Messiah they had awaited so long; but he still was not convinced that Christ’s death was also for the Gentiles. He had not fully accepted the fact that the Jewish Law only identified sin and had no saving power. It may be that I am being a little hard on Peter; [however at this point in time] at least he had not given up the idea that it was not necessary to abide by all the thousands of Jewish laws.

Specifically, he still believed that certain foods were unclean and should not be eaten and he felt uncomfortable visiting, and especially eating at the same table with a Gentile. There were certain meats that he would not eat, pork is a good example, and it is still on the list of foods that Jews today will not eat. Note: To his credit, Peter later was shown a vision that changed his mind and caused him to accept the teachings under the new covenant. This will be discussed in this lesson.

I want to be open and above board with you who read these lessons. I am a Christian and that simply means that I have accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior and try in my feeble way to be as much like Christ as it is possible for a sinner [saved by grace] to be. Yes, I am a Christian first and foremost! However, I believe that the bible teaches that I should be a member of His church—the one that Jesus died for and established at Pentecost. I realize that He did not name the church with a specific name such as Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Nazarene, Pentecost, Catholic, or any other such name. However the Forerunner was called John the Baptist. The Baptist doctoring, as I understand it, is based upon the Great Commission that Christ gave the church just before he ascended. I personally believe that Southern Baptist beliefs and practices are derived from the instructions given to the early church and that is why I am a Baptist.

It must be emphasized again that Peter was a Christian, with great potential to be one of the greatest leaders in the new church movement. His sermon at Pentecost was a powerful witness for Christ. He demonstrated the power of God at the Gate Beautiful and in the name of Christ he commanded the cripple to arise and walk. Both he and John proclaimed their faith in Christ even while Stephen was being stoned. In other words, he was willing to risk his life in proclaiming Christ during dangerous times.

He was living in Jerusalem and his first great work was in his home town as he furnished the leadership to make Christianity flourish there among the Jews that were being converted. However he also traveled to various cities including Lydda, Joppa, and Caesarea preaching Christ, therefore he was one of the early missionaries doing as instructed by Jesus in the Commission to go into the world and preach…not just to those in Jerusalem. Even so, his message was focused on the salvation of Jews. He proved to be open to change and he became willing to preach to the Gentiles as well as the Jews.

The lesson title is PETER; OPENNESS and it is to let us know that we too must remain open minded so that we can receive and believe the new instructions we are given throughout the NT. Peter was in Joppa where he raised Tabitha or [Dorcas] from death. Joppa is the modern Jaffa that is now a part of Tel Aviv and is located on the Mediterranean coast. After Dorcas was restored to life, Peter resided in the home of Simon the tanner of leather for a time. This is the first act that showed that he was becoming open to new teachings. You see, a tanner had to handle the skins of dead animals, and under the Jewish law, tanners were considered unclean and Jews were not to associate with them.

If you want this lesson to become alive and relevant to you as a member of this Sunday school class, you must realize that you would have been considered ceremonially unclean. Most of us have killed and dressed a dead squirrel, deer, cow or hog or cleaned a chicken or duck and we did not go through a Jewish ceremonial cleansing; therefore under law we are defiled.

In chapter ten Cornelius enters the life of Peter. He was a Roman Centurion, that is, he was a Roman officer in charge of 100 soldiers. Below is a comparison of Roman troops and American armies.
USA Roman
10 men in a squad
100 men in a company…..centuries [each man called centurion]…Cornelius
600 men in a battalion……cohort
6000 men in a division…..Legion

Cornelius was on duty in Caesarea, 32 miles north of Joppa, the largest city on the Mediterranean Sea, and the capitol of the Roman Province of Judah. It was the first city to have Gentile Christians and a NON-Jewish church. Cornelius was a converted Christian that drew the attention of Jesus, who caused him to witness a vision in which he was directed to send Peter word that he was to visit Caesarea. He obeyed the Lord and sent messengers to Joppa to invite Peter to visit him.

At approximately the same time, Peter went up on the roof of the home of Simon in Joppa where he saw the vision of the huge sheet coming down out of heaven loaded with all kinds of animals, reptiles and birds. God spoke to Peter and told him to kill and eat. Peter declined saying that he did not eat unclean meat. The voice came back saying to him that he should not call unclean anything that God had made clean. Through spiritual discernment Peter was able to interpret this vision to mean that all Christian men are acceptable to God whether Jew or Gentile. Peter accepted this new insight and his mind was opened to the truth of Scriptures that state that Christ died for all men…who-so-ever will accept Him.

Using his new insight, Peter welcomed the visitors from Caesarea and went with them on their return to visit with Cornelius. Knowing how Peter had been in the past, Cornelius was surprised when Peter arrived and was willing to meet and associate with him and his followers. The action of Cornelius proves the scripture to be true when it tells us that he will visit those who diligently seek Him. If you will turn to 10: 34-43 you will find the very heart of the gospel which teaches us that;

· Jesus was the Son of God, sent to earth equipped with the Holy Spirit and the power there-of. Jesus is God’s gift to man and was sent because of God’s love for us.
· Jesus wanted to banish pain and sorrow from all people as witnessed by his ministry of preaching and healing.
· Jesus was crucified by the Jews, died a horrible death simply because that is what sin can do.
· Jesus arose, conquered death, sin and the grave and proved that his power could not be defeated.
· Preachers and teachers of the Word are witnesses of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. The Word is proof that Christ is not a figure or object in a book but He is a living being that man meets in a personal relationship.
· When man believes and repents the results are complete forgiveness and a new personal relationship with God the Father, and Jesus the Son which should have always existed but was cut off by that first sin of disobedience in the Garden.

When Peter finished preaching the sermon outlined above, a revival broke out, and many were saved and received the Holy Spirit. Then Peter suggested that they be baptized. To me this is proof that we receive the Holy Spirit at the time we are saved.

In the first 18 verses of chapter 11 we find that Peter faced some problems when he returned to Jerusalem and the Jewish Christians confronted him accusing him of visiting and eating with the Gentiles. Peter explained what had transpired and in the end these people accepted him and they too became open-minded. This incident proved to be a major step forward for the early church and made it much easier in the future for others that ministered to the people. However, this problem was never completely solved during the first century of the church as Satan continued to work against the early church by every means he could muster.

There is relevancy in this story for us today. The reaction of the Jewish leadership in Jerusalem toward what Peter had done in Caesarea should teach us a lesson about problems that arise in our churches. When disagreements arise with other Christians it is important that we hear them out…get their side of the story…before we completely close our minds and break off fellowship. The Holy Spirit may have a special lesson to teach us through our open-mindedness.