Acts 10:9 The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour. 10 Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance 11 and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. 12 In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. 13 And a voice came to him, "Rise, Peter; kill and eat." 14 But Peter said, "Not so, Lord!
Acts 10:1 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, 2 a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always. 3 About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, "Cornelius!" 4 And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, "What is it, lord?"
We need to be careful how we respond to the Lord. This applies to unbelievers as well as believers, and strangely enough, as exemplified in Acts 10, sometimes a believer’s response to God is worse by measure than one who is yet to come to saving faith in Jesus Christ.
I find it fascinating to compare the Apostle Peter’s response to God to that of Cornelius, the non-believer. Cornelius’ response suggests both belief and faith, while Peter’s response suggests a lack of both – in that moment.
The Greek word employed for ‘Lord’ in both cases is the same – ‘kurios,’ which means “supreme in authority, or, controller.”
We have often heard it said Peter’s response is nonsensical for that very reason. If God truly is your ‘Lord,’ it makes no sense to say “not so” to Him.
A better answer when troubled by God’s direction might be, (as Cornelius responded,) "What is it, lord?" The intent here seems to be a request for further information, (with the understanding God is a great communicator,) and with further information we will joyfully respond to His guidance – NO MATTER WHAT.
What if Cornelius, like Peter, had responded, "Not so, Lord!”? There is something about familiarity with the presence of the Lord which can remove required reverence for Who God is. This is why many (maybe even most) Christians drift along in life, resisting the ‘engagements’ the Lord would lead them to. Sometimes we love God so much we feel the freedom to be disobedient to His commands. Not so!
- Pastor Bill
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Reformed
Acts 9:1 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. 4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" 5 And he said, "Who are You, Lord?" Then the Lord said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads." 6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, "Lord, what do You want me to do?" Then the Lord said to him, "Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."
When we think of the term ‘creation,’ we are left with some awesome assumptions. One of those assumptions, (which really goes beyond assumption,) is that you are here. Since you have not always been here, you being here now means that something brought about your creation. In other words, you were ‘nothing,’ and now you are, well, you.
From ‘nothing’ to ‘something.’
Evolutionists are completely defeated on this point, by the way. They have no answer - nor as far as I can tell - do they seek the answer, to the question of how something sprang from nothing. All of their notions of evolution begin with some amount of matter. Their concept of the ‘big-bang’ begins with a tiny extremely condensed particle of matter from whence all matter proceeded. Yet they fail to answer where the tiny extremely dense particle of matter came from.
That really matters.
At some point, you must answer the question, “How did something come from nothing?” If you fail to seek an answer to that question you are denying the essential truth of the matter.
We rest in the truth God has creation power. He spoke the worlds, the heavens, you, me, and all of creation into existence. God can take nothing and make something of it. Man cannot. Nor can man change his essential nature.
Our Creator God can take a stark raving Christian-hating man like Saul and change his mind, his heart, and everything else about him. Nothing is too hard for the Lord. Saul to Paul? Not a problem for God. And now, in this reformation of Saul’s essential nature, God has created THE principle example of His grace to all mankind. The old man is dead. The new man will lead millions upon millions to the same change of essence, which is the reformation into the very image of God.
- Pastor Bill
When we think of the term ‘creation,’ we are left with some awesome assumptions. One of those assumptions, (which really goes beyond assumption,) is that you are here. Since you have not always been here, you being here now means that something brought about your creation. In other words, you were ‘nothing,’ and now you are, well, you.
From ‘nothing’ to ‘something.’
Evolutionists are completely defeated on this point, by the way. They have no answer - nor as far as I can tell - do they seek the answer, to the question of how something sprang from nothing. All of their notions of evolution begin with some amount of matter. Their concept of the ‘big-bang’ begins with a tiny extremely condensed particle of matter from whence all matter proceeded. Yet they fail to answer where the tiny extremely dense particle of matter came from.
That really matters.
At some point, you must answer the question, “How did something come from nothing?” If you fail to seek an answer to that question you are denying the essential truth of the matter.
We rest in the truth God has creation power. He spoke the worlds, the heavens, you, me, and all of creation into existence. God can take nothing and make something of it. Man cannot. Nor can man change his essential nature.
Our Creator God can take a stark raving Christian-hating man like Saul and change his mind, his heart, and everything else about him. Nothing is too hard for the Lord. Saul to Paul? Not a problem for God. And now, in this reformation of Saul’s essential nature, God has created THE principle example of His grace to all mankind. The old man is dead. The new man will lead millions upon millions to the same change of essence, which is the reformation into the very image of God.
- Pastor Bill
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Deliverance
Acts 8:1 Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. 3 As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.
If you can imagine placing your sin in a socially-acceptable environment, in which your sin is not only encouraged but rewarded in every way, than that sin becomes a raging flame unto death. Gasoline on fire, so to speak.
Normally, morality keeps all of this in check, but every so often in human history, the social mores become so bent that what would normally be thought of as abhorrent is not only accepted – it is rewarded. Think Nazi Germany, for example. Think Soviet Russia, for example. Think Saul, for example.
While I agree it is difficult to place the writer of the majority of the books in the New Testament in this context, it is true nonetheless. Saul had an unbridled passion for death and destruction of the early church. He was fueled by a protectionist prejudice, empowered by Satan, and emboldened and rewarded by both the state and public opinion.
There is no telling how much Saul was paid to arrest and kill people simply because they believed in Jesus. He became the defender of evil against the good.
Acts 8:5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. 6 And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.
There is a revelation of something new at work in all of mankind in Philip going down to Samaria. He is, in a sense, an ‘anti-Saul.’ Everything Saul was fighting to preserve – (at this time in his life) – was being un-done by a wholesale change of heart among this growing group of Jewish-Christians. The prejudice and hatred by culture Saul was seeking to preserve was being opposed and destroyed by men like Philip, who were alive in Christ Jesus. Philip was seeking to save Samaritans! This is unthinkable!
Of all the indications of the change of heart produced in men by Christ, this may have been the most powerful of early indicators that the world was being turned upside-down. No man would be excluded from the opportunity to come to Christ. There was no culture beneath the dignity of Christ, (not even the Samaritans,) and no sin too great for Christ to heal, (as we shall see – not even Saul’s.)
- Pastor Bill
If you can imagine placing your sin in a socially-acceptable environment, in which your sin is not only encouraged but rewarded in every way, than that sin becomes a raging flame unto death. Gasoline on fire, so to speak.
Normally, morality keeps all of this in check, but every so often in human history, the social mores become so bent that what would normally be thought of as abhorrent is not only accepted – it is rewarded. Think Nazi Germany, for example. Think Soviet Russia, for example. Think Saul, for example.
While I agree it is difficult to place the writer of the majority of the books in the New Testament in this context, it is true nonetheless. Saul had an unbridled passion for death and destruction of the early church. He was fueled by a protectionist prejudice, empowered by Satan, and emboldened and rewarded by both the state and public opinion.
There is no telling how much Saul was paid to arrest and kill people simply because they believed in Jesus. He became the defender of evil against the good.
Acts 8:5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. 6 And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.
There is a revelation of something new at work in all of mankind in Philip going down to Samaria. He is, in a sense, an ‘anti-Saul.’ Everything Saul was fighting to preserve – (at this time in his life) – was being un-done by a wholesale change of heart among this growing group of Jewish-Christians. The prejudice and hatred by culture Saul was seeking to preserve was being opposed and destroyed by men like Philip, who were alive in Christ Jesus. Philip was seeking to save Samaritans! This is unthinkable!
Of all the indications of the change of heart produced in men by Christ, this may have been the most powerful of early indicators that the world was being turned upside-down. No man would be excluded from the opportunity to come to Christ. There was no culture beneath the dignity of Christ, (not even the Samaritans,) and no sin too great for Christ to heal, (as we shall see – not even Saul’s.)
- Pastor Bill
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Power
Acts 7:59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not charge them with this sin." And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
There have been few times in human history when a man appeared to be more powerless than Stephen appeared in this moment. Everything is going against him. The tide of human opinion, the power of those in judgment, and the ammunition about to be aimed at his head and body, all speak to the powerlessness of his situation.
Stephen is about to die. There is no uncertainty. We are left to wonder, how might we face death in a similar situation?
Is Stephen dying with a sense of guilt over his condition? On the contrary, he is completely innocent of all the charges which have been leveled against him He knows they are all contrived lies and absolute falsehoods.
Then surely His God will save him. This, the God of all Power and Wonder and Might. Nothing is too hard for the Lord!
As Stephen had provided a brief synopsis of the Old Testament before his accusers, perhaps some of the images had flooded his mind as he was filled with the Holy Spirit. Perhaps, the story of Isaac being spared at Mount Moriah, or of Gideon and his 300 men provided miraculous victory, or of blind Samson bringing down the pagan temple, or of David slaying Goliath, or of Jonathan and his armor-bearer going up and defeating an entire army.
Our God is an All-Powerful God, who spoke forth creation. He can do anything. Nothing is too hard for the Lord!
And here is Stephen - God’s own precious Stephen - the one who had so boldly stood before the ruling council to proclaim both the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the wickedness of the condition of those who sat in judgment, now kneeling, now about to receive the intense suffering of not only stones, but the hatred and wrath of false accusation and indignation. Not only was Stephen about to be killed, he was being vilified and his reputation trashed in the process. He had nothing to offer in his own defense in this life-ending situation. The only question: Would God come through for Stephen as He had so many times before in the history of those He loves?
But he also recalled a more recent history, one in which his own Savior went to the cross, experiencing a similar fate. And he saw the Gates of Heaven opening to him, with Jesus standing by The Father to receive him, and he remembered what Jesus had said…
- Pastor Bill
There have been few times in human history when a man appeared to be more powerless than Stephen appeared in this moment. Everything is going against him. The tide of human opinion, the power of those in judgment, and the ammunition about to be aimed at his head and body, all speak to the powerlessness of his situation.
Stephen is about to die. There is no uncertainty. We are left to wonder, how might we face death in a similar situation?
Is Stephen dying with a sense of guilt over his condition? On the contrary, he is completely innocent of all the charges which have been leveled against him He knows they are all contrived lies and absolute falsehoods.
Then surely His God will save him. This, the God of all Power and Wonder and Might. Nothing is too hard for the Lord!
As Stephen had provided a brief synopsis of the Old Testament before his accusers, perhaps some of the images had flooded his mind as he was filled with the Holy Spirit. Perhaps, the story of Isaac being spared at Mount Moriah, or of Gideon and his 300 men provided miraculous victory, or of blind Samson bringing down the pagan temple, or of David slaying Goliath, or of Jonathan and his armor-bearer going up and defeating an entire army.
Our God is an All-Powerful God, who spoke forth creation. He can do anything. Nothing is too hard for the Lord!
And here is Stephen - God’s own precious Stephen - the one who had so boldly stood before the ruling council to proclaim both the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the wickedness of the condition of those who sat in judgment, now kneeling, now about to receive the intense suffering of not only stones, but the hatred and wrath of false accusation and indignation. Not only was Stephen about to be killed, he was being vilified and his reputation trashed in the process. He had nothing to offer in his own defense in this life-ending situation. The only question: Would God come through for Stephen as He had so many times before in the history of those He loves?
But he also recalled a more recent history, one in which his own Savior went to the cross, experiencing a similar fate. And he saw the Gates of Heaven opening to him, with Jesus standing by The Father to receive him, and he remembered what Jesus had said…
- Pastor Bill
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)