The Acts of the Apostles 49

Subtitle: Will You Die for Jesus?

Acts 12:1-11. This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on July 30, 2023.

Our title asks a question that can either be extremely uncomfortable for an American Christian, or it can be something that is so unreal that we don't give it the full gravity it deserves.  In other words, we can be quick to discount it because we think that we will never face such a thing.

My goal today is two-fold.  First, I believe that the point is not whether you would ever face martyrdom for Christ, but that you would have such a spiritual relationship with Christ that you could walk into the valley of the shadow of death and fear no evil.  Even if God were to reveal to you that you were going to die for Him, it still takes faith and trust in God to walk forward and say, "Whether I live or die, it is all for the Lord!"  Yes, this is easier said than done.

Second, I believe that this question is itself at the heart of being a disciple of Jesus.  The word martyr actually means a witness.  In English, we connect it to those who are killed for their faith because that person is giving the ultimate witness of the worthiness of Jesus.  Yet, you cannot serve Jesus without dying to your own fleshly desires.  In this way, all Christians are called to die for Christ while they are alive.  Discipleship is continually facing this question.  Is Jesus worthy of my devotion to His leading?

On top of this, all saints will eventually die, and the biggest question will not be what took their life, but whether they lived their life as a witness of the love of Christ.  Our life needs to be a witness of the salvation of Jesus regardless of whether we are martyred or die in our sleep at home.  This is why Jesus tells us that we need to pick up our cross and follow him.  People who die for things really believe in them.  God helps us to be a people dying to our fleshly desires for the sake of Jesus.

Let's look at our passage.

The Apostle James is martyred (v. 1-4)

Luke explains another attempt to remove the apostles of the Church of Jesus.  This time it is by "Herod the king."  Initially, persecution came from the religious leaders and was imprisonment with threats.  It was the death of Stephen that took that persecution to a lethal level.  Saul of Tarsus hunted Christians down and brought them before the Council.  This seemed to fizzle out after his conversion in Damascus.  This introduces another serious persecution that seems focused upon the apostles themselves.

We know that this happens roughly 11-14 years after the death of Jesus because of the mention of Herod the King.

It is hard to keep track of the mixed up Herodian family, and what parts of Israel they are ruling over.  Herod the Great was alive at Jesus' birth and died several years later.  His kingdom was split up into four parts among his sons, but intrigues led to a soap opera like movement of who ruling what.  After Herod the Great's death, there was only one person during 3 years that could be called "Herod the King," and that is Herod Agrippa I, grandson of Herod the Great.  He ruled shortly over all the parts of Israel from AD 41 to AD 44.  By the way, his son, Herod Agrippa II, is the Herod we will meet later in Acts 25.

Herod Agrippa started by ruling over a small city north of Damascus, but through his connection to several Caesars, he was given control of parts of Israel incrementally from AD 38 to AD 41.  Thus, he had rapidly rose from obscurity to Jerusalem to king over Israel.  In fact, some saw this as a possible restoration of the Kingdom of God to Israel.  It would be short-lived.  In three short years, it would fall apart again.

We are not told why this new king of Israel would seize James the apostle and execute him with the sword.  He is summarily dispatched in the span of two sentences.  James was one of the top three disciples with Peter and his brother John.  He should not be confused with James, the brother of Jesus, who didn't follow Jesus until after the resurrection, and is the writer of the book of James.

It is interesting that the three disciples closest to Jesus had such a variety of experience.  James is the first of The Twelve Apostles to be martyred.  He served as such for about 11 to 14 years.  Whereas, his brother, John, lived over 60 years after the death of Jesus.  He was the last of all the apostles to die.  Peter was in the middle, being martyred around 30 some odd years after the death of Jesus.

With the mind of flesh, we might ask which of them God loved the most.  Of course, they had argued so much about which of them was the greatest.  Is James the most loved because God took him home first?  Or, is John the most loved because he lived the longest?  Of course, you could make a case for both, but I think the question misses the point.  God loved them all, and their relative lengths of life have little to do with how much He loved (loves) them.

We will also see that there is no move to replace James as one of The Twelve like they did with Judas.  Judas did not serve the purpose for which God was calling him.  Whereas, James did fulfill his post.  He had given witness to his nation and to the Church about the identity and worth of Jesus, the Christ.  Why God only had him work about 14 years, Peter over 30, and John over 60, is an unknown to us.  Yet, they were taught directly by Jesus, and empowered directly by the Holy Spirit as gifts from Christ to the new believers.  They would help to ensure that the Church was founded upon a solid and true foundation by teaching and writing down the words of Christ.  No one needed to "take their place, or position," after they were gone.  They all finished the work that God sent them to do.

It reminds me of the parable of the workers.  Some men are hired to work for the day, but more workers are needed.  The owner hires new workers several times throughout the day, even hiring some to work the final hour of the day.  When they were being paid, the owner starts with those who worked one hour and gave them a whole day's wage.  This cause those who worked all day long to think they might get more, but instead they were paid a day's wage.

We need to understand that the labor of the Lord for each of us is not about mere numbers.  God does not need to maximize all He can get out of us.  Why is He not more protective of highly effective workers?  Why do some lazy Christians live long lives?  Historically, it is common for men and women who are spiritually powerful in the work of the Lord to die early.  We have stories of missionaries who traveled to Africa to spread the Gospel and were killed in the first year.  Yet, their witness broke open the Gospel in those areas.

When we became a believer, we didn't know all that the Lord would have us do, and what He was calling us to.  We can look at a person who dies at a young age and think that it is tragic because of what they could have done for the Lord had they lived longer.  We should be careful of this kind of thinking.

God has a purpose for each one of us that is important no matter how long it is.  However many days I may have to work for Him, it is my job to be faithful to the end.  The range between all of the Apostles dying was about 50 years.  Yet, each one of them would step into the presence of Jesus and hear the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant!"  The worrying about who is the greatest and will sit closest to Jesus is all gone in that moment, as you look into the glory of Jesus and are no longer in the flesh.

So, James is quickly killed, and little is made of it.  It simply was.  There is a story that surface in the early A.D. 300's by Christian bishop and historian Eusebius.  He relates that James actually led his guard to faith in Christ.  The guard was then executed along with James.  Whether this is true or simply a legend, James had done his part faithfully, whether we have all the details or not.  How many people have served the Lord and there is no book to recount their exploits.  Yet, the Lord knows those who labor for Him, and He will reward them fully!

We are told that Herod noticed that his execution of James "pleased the people."  Because of this, he proceeds to arrest Peter, intending to execute him as well.  However, it happens to be Passover week.  Therefore, he plans to hold Peter until the feast is done. 

Herod is a political creature of Rome.  He knows that he has to please the people enough to keep them peaceful, but in the end, he really has to please his Roman overlord, Caesar.  The leaders of this world have to become good at playing this tension between the people and their overlords, both in the natural and in the spiritual.  To them, people like James and Peter are merely fodder for their political intrigues.  We do not need such politicians.  What we need are people who are willing to be servants of the rights of the people, rather than serving their own flesh.  Yet, for all of their politicking, it really does come down to what God decides.

We can become so focused on the actions of politicians that we lose sight of the reality of what really matters.  "O, no!  Herod has executed James.  Now he has Peter.  O, woe is us!"  In fact, up until these verses, God has protected the apostles.  It is possible that the Christians had begun to think God would never let them be killed.

Herod Agrippa is actually falling into a classic trap of his abuse of power.  His arrogance in the face of God will only lead to his dishonor and demise.  Yet, his execution of James only gives him greater honor before Jesus.  We must resist the fleshly temptation to be fixated on what the powers of government do, rather than focused on pleasing the Lord Jesus.  He has the final word in all things!

Peter is freed from prison (v. 5-11)

In verse eleven, we see that an expectation had been built up.  Everyone knew that Peter was in prison, and that Herod planned to do to him what he did to James.  I'm sure there was much anticipation during the Passover feast and then the week of Unleavened Bread.  I'm sure they couldn't wait for Passover to finish so that they could see the spectacle. 

I pray that  you can hear me when I say this.  How many people are saying in their minds, "I can't wait for church to finish because there is something more exciting that I want to do."  Who cares about the old ritualistic traditions of our forefathers?  We just want to see something spectacular.  Yet, we forget that God has an expectation too.  We can be guilty of looking down on the things of God, whether in Israel or in the Church, and lusting after things that are actually in rebellion to His will.  O, how we need to seek God for a change of heart, a heart that is not lusting after the things of the world, but strongly desire the things of God.

Whereas James was summarily executed, Peter is going to be freed from prison, protected by God.  Yet, it is interesting that God let Peter stay in the prison until the night before he was to be brought before Agrippa and the people.  We don't want to read too much into the timing, but we should at least talk about the dynamics here.

What is God doing in this delay?  He could have set him free on day 1, but He waits until the last day.  He may be letting Peter sweat.  Maybe, this is more a time of intimacy.  The Lord could have revealed to Peter what He was going to do, but it doesn't say.  After the martyrdom of James, Peter could have wondered if it was his time.  As each day went by, he may have become convinced that he would be executed and surrendered himself unto God's will.  We just don't know.

This is where we need to learn to discipline of calming our hearts before the Lord in prayer.  It is typically the questions, the things we don't know, that agitate us and fill us will anxiety.  Why wasn't James released?  Why did God have Peter stay in prison to the last night?  Why is Peter released?  We can keep asking such questions that are all about why God does what He does.  However, it will not bring us peace.  The wisdom of God is so far above us that we can only receive glimpses of its glimmering glory.

Thus, the best thing that prayer can do for us has nothing to do with getting answers to all of our questions.  Rather, it is through prayer that we humble ourselves down before the Lord so that we can receive the strength to do for Him what He would have us do, what our flesh doesn't want to do.  Therefore, when you are in times of trial, and you do not know what God is doing, quiet your questions and fears before Him in prayer so that you can receive the strength to do His will.  The nice thing about being in prison is that you have tons of time to pray, to work things out with the Lord.  For James, it was to die in honor to Jesus.  For Peter (at least this time), it was to be set free by God in honor of Jesus.  May God help us to patiently serve Him as He leads us.

During Peter's incarceration, God's people are constantly praying.  We should not make too much of this, nor should we make too little of it.  Did they not pray for James?  Perhaps, James death happened before anyone knew about it, i.e., there wasn't time to pray.  We can latch onto the concept of constant prayer as the answer for everything.  We can then turn it into a mechanical lever to get what we desire from God.  Prayer is never about logging in hours, or impressing God with our unceasing devotion to saying things to Him.  It is about relationship.

Therefore, we must not look down on this privilege of the children of God to seek His favor in certain things that we are facing.  We should not quit praying because God did not answer in the way we hoped, in the way we asked Him to do.  Prayer has an element of wrestling with the Lord and discovering His purpose in the things that confront you.  Jesus tells us to pray, to ask.  The Word also says, "You do not have because you do not ask."  We need to be an asking, seeking, people, but not just seeking the answer that we want.  We are ultimately seeking the heart of God as we ask for specific help.

The best prayer always ends with a surrendered recognition that God knows best how our lives can bring glory to the cause of Christ.  And yet, this should not cause us to refrain from asking for specific things out of a false piety.  Wrestle with the Lord!  You may come out limping, but there is a blessing in it.

Notice that Peter is sleeping on the night of his trial, and sure death.  Lord, help me to be a man who can lay his head down to rest on the night of his execution.  I believe that Peter has prayed as well.  He has found a place of rest and peace in his soul in the midst of a turbulent time.  Do you remember the time when Jesus was sleeping in the boat during a storm?  Jesus wasn't afraid.  He was at peace with the Father's will.  Yet, Peter and the other disciples were desperately afraid of the storm.  Here, we see Peter demonstrating that he has not only seen things about Jesus, but he has also learned some things from him.

In the middle of the night, Peter is brusquely  awakened by an angel.  He is chained between two soldiers with two more at the cell door.  These men are supposed to be awake.  What are the chances of four guards all sleeping, as well as those who should have been guarding the outer part of the prison?  This is a supernatural sleep that has come over them.  A bright light is shining upon Peter as he gets up and dresses to leave, the chains simply fall from his wrists as he stands.  Multiple barred doors would be passed, but Luke especially mentions the iron gate that opened into the city from the prison.  These open of their own accord before Peter and the angel.  As they turn down a street, the angel is gone and Peter realizes that it wasn't a vision, or a dream.  It was real, and he was free!

One thing happens with James and a very different thing happens with Peter.  Even with Peter, God could have delivered him by any number of things.  Yet, it happens through, what we would call, a supernatural intervention.

I have entitled this sermon, "Will you die for Jesus?"  This can be a question of your faithfulness.  Would you choose Christ in the face of the threat of death?  Would you lay it down as an offering for His glory, and as a witness of Him to others?  Yes, we celebrate as we read that Jesus is worthy to open the scroll.  However, it is quite another thing to think that he is worthy for me to let go of the rest of my life and suffer death for his cause.  There are Christians all across this world today who are making such choices.  Sometimes you are not even given a choice.  It just happens, as we see in some of these attacks on churches.  Yet, Jesus is worthy of it all!

A cynic may ask what kind of God would ask such a thing from His followers.  However, that question can be turned around.  What kind of humans would put God in the position that the only way He could save us was to become one of us, and then sacrifice His perfect life for our sakes?  Jesus is the One who has loved us to the greatest degree.

It is not that God wants us to be martyred.  Rather, this is where sin leads us.  Back in the Garden of Eden when He told them not to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they wanted to know anyways.  Knowledge here has the sense of an experiential knowledge.  We had to know for ourselves.  As much as our flesh likes sin, our flesh doesn't like the consequences of sin, where it takes us.  The moment of pleasure perhaps is fun, but then there is the payment of the results of the decision.  Those who live for the pleasures of their flesh pay a high price because we were not designed to live solely for pleasing the flesh.  Thus, we destroy ourselves and the people around us through our sin.  Sin leads to these kinds of places where people seek to put other people to death, or at least subjugate them.  They were putting to death people who are only trying to do good things.  How horrible is that?  The same is happening today all around this world, these united States included.

The title of this sermon can also be read as a question about God's will.  Has God decided that I will be a martyr for Him, or will I live a long life and die in my bed at home?  Of course, as a general rule, we don't know what our end will be.  Did God favor Peter over James?  Did God favor John over Peter?   These are questions of a weak faith.  No, God loved them all.  Yet, His purpose had differences within their lives.  Thus, by a manifold and glorious witness, the Church will show forth the great glory of Jesus Christ to the nations.

May God help us not to fear His decisions over our life.  I'm reminded of the song, "Lord, Don't Send Me to Africa."  It is a humorous song, but there is truth in it.  A man who doesn't want to serve in the nursery, will do so simply to avoid something that he thinks is worse, i.e., going to Africa.  In many ways, we can be a church that is telling God that we will serve him in all these ways that we want.  Be careful when you find yourself telling God the ways and places where you are willing to serve Him.  Yes, He could send you to the place you don't want to go, but He could also just pass you by looking for someone who is serious about serving Him.  Without saying it out loud, we have all kinds of limitations on what we are willing to suffer to follow Jesus, and it will not serve us well in the end.

Perhaps, the American Church is getting exactly what it has been asking for without realizing it.  We can tell God that we want revival, but our hearts are really saying that we want exciting services that conform to our comfort level.  God could care less how great our music sounds, building looks like, and soft our chairs are.  O God, we will serve in any way possible to keep having fun services, but just don't send us to (fill the blank for yourself).

Think about those who sign up for the military.  They all go to boot camp, and then, they receive training to be fighters.  However, when they get in the foxhole during a battle, some have the mettle to face it and some do not.  No boot camp and no human training can put that mettle in you.

What is the difference between courage and cowardice?  I believe that at the root of it is faith.  Not faith that we can't be harmed.  Cowards are not able to do the right thing by trusting God.  Whereas, a courageous person knows they might die.  Yet, they go forward in faith that it is better to die in honor than to die in dishonor.  They are not looking to die.  In fact, they work hard to avoid dying.  Yet, the situation becomes harder and harder, narrower and narrower, until you find yourself between that rock and a hard place.  There you are.  O Lord, help me not to be a coward, but instead, to bring you glory through courage.

Let me close by reminding us of Philippians 4:6-7.  "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

The real attack in life is not about Herod executing James, and then seizing Peter.  The real attack is what such things do to our hearts and minds.  Satan wants to bully you into the coward position.  He wants to get between you and Jesus in any way possible. 

This is why taking up your cross is so important.  In the end, all Christians are martyrs (witnesses) for the Lord.  We all are called to daily lay down our life and follow Jesus, whether life or death.  No saints of the past are alive today.  They all lived their lives and then laid them down for Jesus, whether in their beds or by a tyrant's sword.  Only a person, who has lived a life of crucifying their flesh to live for Jesus, will  be willing to die for Jesus because that is what they have been doing all along.  May we learn to die daily so that regardless how the Lord chooses we should die, it will all be for His glory!  Amen!

Die for Jesus? audio

The Acts of the Apostles 48

Subtitle: The Benevolence of the Antioch Church

Acts 11:27-30. This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on July 23, 2023.

We are going to look at the issue of benevolence among God's people.  Galatians 6:10 instructs us in such giving.  It says, "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith."  Though he gives a command of general good, the context is specifically talking about helping with material needs, whether by giving goods or by simply giving money.

The church at Antioch was filled with new believers that had not grown up hearing the word of God.  It is a mixture of Jewish and non-Jewish people.  Thus, it was ethnically very different from the Jerusalem church, which was comprised of Jewish believers.

Perhaps you did not grow up in a strong family.  It is becoming rarer and rarer for people to have experienced family that helps one another.  Those people will need someone to come alongside of them and help them learn to be a brother, and a sister to other believers because that is what we are.  On the day you were saved, you joined a large family with a long history.

Not all of that history is good.  In fact, you may have had some run-ins with cranky, older siblings in the Church.  This is where we need a strong relationship with Jesus and our heavenly Father.  No matter what another believer may say or do, they cannot change God's love for you.  You are just as much a part of His family as they are.  If you ask, the Father will help you through it.  By keeping our eyes upon Him and hearing Him tell us that we are His own, we can learn to love and bless all of our brothers and sisters in the Lord.

The modern world uses the phrase "intangible religious benefits."  It simply means that any benefits are not clearly connected, or directly connected.  Let us be clear that we should not be benevolent in order to obtain benefits from God directly.  Of course, we know that He will bless us if we serve Him.  But we are not to do good things thinking that God owes us.  He died on the cross for you and gave you His all.  He doesn't owe us anything, but He does love to bless those who put their faith in Him.  In truth, our benevolence should flow directly from a heart of gratitude to God for His blessings to us.  He has blessed me so much.  How could I not give all that I can?

Let's look at our passage.

A prophetic word is given (v. 27-28)

In our passage, we have a word of prophecy that is given to the Christians in Antioch, which will prompt them to send aid to the church in Jerusalem.  However, we should deal with this aspect of prophets in general before we look at this specific prophecy.

We are told that some prophets from Jerusalem come to Antioch.  If you step back and look at Luke's narrative, we see that he describes several waves of God's grace in the form of people arriving in Antioch who came from Jerusalem.

The first wave was Jewish Christians who had made their way to Antioch due to Saul's persecution of the believers in Jerusalem.  Their arrival begins the presence of any "Christians" in that town.  On top of this, they freely spoke with Gentiles about Jesus.  This caused a rapid growth of the church in Antioch.

The second wave was led by Barnabas.  The Jerusalem church wanted to help and strengthen these scattered believers.  Barnabas was full of the Holy Spirit and gifted by God.  Thus, the church in Antioch saw even more believers coming in.  On top of this, Barnabas retrieves Saul from his nearby hometown of Tarsus.  Both of these men are powerful ministers of God's Spirit and Word and generally from Jerusalem.

The third wave of God's grace is in the form of some prophets who arrive in our passage today.  Let us just stop and recognize that God is blessing the cities and regions around Jerusalem, but Luke focuses in on Antioch because of the role it will play in taking the Gospel to the Gentiles.  God was really blessing this city.

There is no reason given why Antioch should be so blessed.  Yet, we should suspect that God's purpose was not to favor Antioch, but rather, to help extend His favor to cities farther away.

Some people are not comfortable with the talk of prophets and prophecies, or they are only comfortable if it stays in the Bible.  Ephesians 4:11-12 mentions that prophets are given by God as a spiritual gift to help equip His Church for ministry.  God especially works through prophets to give a timely word about things past, present, and sometimes about things in the future.  Part of our discomfort comes from the many abuses that have happened in this area.  It can be deemed as "safer" simply to shut it down completely.  However, it is our duty to become a mature group of believers who are able to deal with false prophets and false prophecies when they come.

Some people grew up within Christian communities that didn't allow any of this.  They will typically teach that prophets and prophecy were only for the first century.  However, God's Word doesn't say that.

So, what is the answer to uncomfortable things?  First, we should remember that the presence of fakes does not mean that nothing is real.  In fact, it is the fact that there is something that is real that gives fakers power over others. 

Think of it this way.  Do you quit using real money because someone somewhere counterfeits it?  Of course, my apologies go to those who would retort that none of our "money" is real and that the government is the counterfeiter in chief.  Please go with me on this example because it makes an important point.  You don't throw your money away because there are counterfeits "out there."  Instead, your dealing with actual dollar bills helps you to spot and recognize fakes (to some degree).  Often, people instinctively know that something is off about counterfeit bills.

Why would we take the "safe" route when it comes to prophets and prophecy?  We do so because it is easier on us.  However, I warn you that it is not actually the "safe" route.  If you shut every prophet down on principle, then you will eventually shut down a true prophet of God.  You will be found resisting and rebelling against the Spirit of God.  God says that He uses prophets, so it is our job to learn what that looks like.

This is the truly safe route.  Just like we use money, but keep our eye out for fakes, so the Church today should expect that God will give us true prophets, while watching out for fakes.  We won't be perfect, but God will bless us because we are walking in faith and seeking to be led by Him.  Basically, I am describing spiritual maturity.  We don't ask the new baby to be in charge of security for the family.  However, the adults are always vigilant in keeping the home secure, especially for those most vulnerable ones among us.

You cannot speed up spiritual maturity.  However, we can cooperate with God by humbling ourselves before His Word, and praying for His help.  In fact, the more time you spend prayerfully reading the Bible (which was written by mature prophets of God) the better you will get at recognizing the real thing.  Too many of our churches are weak in this area because of one of two mistakes.  They either foolishly accept every prophet that comes along, or they shut it all down completely.  Neither is the way of God's Word.

In our passage, we have a group of guys who are not completely unknown actors walking into the church.  Though they would be unknown to most, they are proven prophets from the Jerusalem Church for whom Barnabas could vouch.

Now getting to the specific prophecy that Luke relates, we see that a particular prophet, named Agabus, prophesies that a great famine was coming.  This is most likely the same Agabus that is mentioned again in Acts 21:10, who prophesied that, if Paul went to Jerusalem, he would be seized, bound, and delivered into the hand of the Gentiles.

Luke does not seem concerned with describing the day to day ministry of these prophets.  Rather, he brings up a specific prophecy that has to do with a great famine that would come on "all the world."  This is most naturally a reference to the Roman world of that part of the world.

Why would God be warning them?  We can think of Joseph and Pharoah's dream.  On one hand, they would be enabled to prepare themselves and stock up so that the times of difficulty would not be as difficult as they could.  We should be careful of consuming everything when we are in good financial times.  God may be supplying for you in advance for hard times to come.

Yet, there is another hand.  Egypt became a blessing and a help to all the lands around them.  In other words, the prophecy was not just for them to save their own hides.  God does not supply for His people in a "equal" measure.  He expects us to care for one another as needed out of wisdom and love.

The Jerusalem church had started out doing well.  In fact, Barnabas himself was one of those men who sold property in order to help the Christian widows in Jerusalem.  However, over time, they became poor as people moved away and persecution sapped their resources.  A famine on top of this would be particularly hard on the Jerusalem Church, and Antioch knew this, or were told this by men like Barnabas at the least.

Luke is writing this after the fact, so he inserts the comment that this happened in the reign of Claudius Caesar.  It is historically recorded that there was a series of difficult famines that happened throughout the Roman world in the early AD 40's.  Jerusalem was hit particularly hard, as well as Alexandria, Greece, and Rome.  It wasn't all at once, but seem to hit in one area and then another over the course of three to four years.  It was particularly devastating upon Jerusalem.

Luke states that Agabus "showed by the Spirit (or by the means of the Spirit)."  It seems that he was not just relating this.  Rather, it was given to him for the church while it was gathered.  This faithful prophet of the Lord has no agenda, but to speak what God gives him to speak.

There is a problem in modern Pentecostal circles.  When you invite a "famous" prophet to come and speak at your church, there is an expectation that they will have a prophecy, and often one for everyone who comes forward for a personal prophecy.  God's prophets are not fortune tellers giving people some secret knowledge about their future.  God does not give prophecy on demand.  What if God doesn't say anything to the prophet?  Think of how the undue pressure to "perform" can mislead even an honest prophet to always "hear something from God."  We can be in danger of operating the spiritual things of God with the natural mind.  Many of us pastors are pastoring out of the natural mind rather than letting the Lord lead us in this work that is just as spiritual as prophesying.

Let me just say this.  I want to hear from the Spirit of God and not the spirit of a man.

The believers respond in charity (v. 29-30)

The church at Antioch "determined" to send relief to their brethren in Judea.  Two things stick out here.  One is that they would likely be touched by such a great famine themselves, and yet, they determine to help others.  God's work in our life is not always about what will happen to me.  We need to prayerfully respond to the needs around us.

The second thing that sticks out is that they are concerned specifically with Jerusalem.  Are there not other people?  Of course, there are, but these are the ones who come to their mind.  Again, this calls for being a person of prayer so that our giving can be directed by God and not our natural mind.

Of course, we can be guilty of the old "I will pray for you" problem.  It is easy to say you will do something and then never get around to doing it.  Don't just intend to pray for people, or intend to help them financially, physically, etc.  Ask yourself this.  How will I do it and when?  In fact, there is no time like the present.  If you can't do it right away, then mark it on your calendar, or tell others, or do something that will ensure you follow through.

Antioch is being used of God to set an example for the greater Church among the Gentiles.  If you pay attention throughout the book of Acts, and the epistles of Paul, it becomes clear that Judea becomes a church that is not plump with money, and often in need.  They had been quick to give, but soon they came to a time when they were running out of people in Jerusalem who could meet the increasing needs.

The book of Acts will make it clear that after Antioch's help here, Paul would later stir up the Gentile churches of his missionary journeys to also send offerings of help to Jerusalem.  Paul was able to point to the generous example of the Christians of Antioch.

We should note that it is one thing for Jews to send money back to help their countrymen, but it is quite another for people of very different ethnic groups to help these Jewish believers.  We should not overlook that this was unheard of.  This is part of the world seeing how amazing the love of believers for one another was. 

The typical walls between ethnic groups were being torn down by the message of Jesus.  Yet, was it Utopia?  Of course, not.  They had their fair share of false teachers, false prophets, correction, church discipline, and in short, discipleship issues.  However, God was moving!

We are told that each gave according to their ability, which implies that some may not have been able.  It is good to recognize that there should be no compulsion, or undue pressure, put upon people in this area.  Yet, we all need to learn to become givers.  When you look at your bank account and it only has $100, it is safe to say that you do not have the ability to give $1,000.

Yet, ability is not always about our amount of funds.  Some people who have plenty of money are very stingy with their money.  They do not lack funds, but rather they lack compassion, and most likely faith as well.  Later, Paul would instruct the Corinthian church this way.  "Let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver." 2 Corinthians 9:7.  There is always "necessity" behind the people who are in need.  However, Paul speaks of the person giving.  We should not give under duress.  Our only obligation is the obligation of love.

God wants us to be givers, but He wants us to be a certain kind of giver, i.e., a cheerful giver.  People who are forced to give are pretty much always grumpy about it.  If you always give in response to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, and as an act of faith in Him, then the need of the person no longer becomes a pressure upon you.  You are free to look at your bank account and determine what you would like to do.  Can we displease God by the amount we give?  I believe that we need to be careful here.  There is no sense of this in Paul's inspired word to the Corinthians.  Giving in faith is not just about God continuing my supply; it is also about knowing that He is pleased that we gave.

This is important for givers and receivers.  If God hasn't supplied through me, then He has someone else.  Receivers cannot look to a person as their supply.  It is God's Spirit moving on that person.  Similarly, givers should not be manipulated into giving to a particular need.

Giving $1,000 dollars is a powerful act of faith, or it could be an ego inducing action of the flesh.  Let us be careful in this area.  Spiritual maturity is the answer.

We are also told that they sent the relief funds promptly.  There seems to be no hesitation in it.  They pulled together funds for the Judean Christians and sent it right away.  This may be a simple act of faith that the famine will come.  It is also possible that there was already trouble with the crops that season.  Jerusalem may have already been hurting, and now they knew it would only get worse.

Regardless, promptness requires a certain amount of faith.  Second guessing, as well as laziness, are two factors that can slow down (even shut down) our giving of benevolence to others.

Lastly, we are told that they sent the money by the hands of trustworthy men who put it into the hands of elders in Jerusalem.  Do you remember my earlier question?  When will I do it and how?  They did it immediately and used Barnabas and Saul to deliver the funds for them because they were trustworthy men.

Am I a trustworthy man or woman?  Can I be trusted to take someone else's money to another person?  Do I expect to be paid for such work?  Saul and Barnabas had many spiritual gifts, but the blessing they were that day was being a "mule" for Jesus.  This is not about station or greatness.  It is simply about being a servant of the Lord and His people.  They were demonstrating to the church at Antioch how to do humble work.  "Load me up; I'll take it to Jerusalem!"

The elders in Jerusalem may be the apostles, and it may be the deacons who had earlier been put in charge of caring for the widows.  Regardless, they were proven men who could be trusted not to embezzle for their own pleasures.  We can be caught up in titles like "elder."  However, the early Church was more focused on function. 

Being an elder is not about a title or position.  It was a function that God had created in certain ones.  An elder is a spiritually mature Christian within the body of Christ.  There is no time parameter per se.  Instead of worrying about becoming an elder, focus on faithfully growing in the Lord and being, becoming, a trustworthy person.  One day you will be looked to as an elder in the Church of Jesus if you have been faithful.  How do we get there?  We do so through a lot of little steps, following Jesus all along the way!

Benevolence of Antioch Church Audio

The Acts of the Apostles 47

Subtitle: I Want to be a Christian in My Heart

Acts 11:19-26.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on July 16, 2023.

The work of God in which He moves on the hearts of people has a mystery to it.  Have you ever talked with someone about the Lord, and it looked like they were very interested?  However, when it came to the time of decision, they may have been indifferent.  Of course, they may turn around in days, weeks or years. 

Some times people who seem so hard can respond to the Gospel, whereas others who seem soft may not.  Saul of Tarsus received a two by four to the head, and it turned him around.  However, others can brush similar things off.  Yet, even in Saul's case, I have to think that God had tried to get his attention many times before, e.g., "It is hard to kick against the goads."  Perhaps, Stephen was one of those goads in the life of Saul.

This mystery of how God moves upon the hearts of people, and how they respond, will never be figured out by us.  It is clear that He does move from time to time upon individuals, families, towns, cities, etc.  However, there is a term that is used of places that have had the Gospel powerfully preached for a long time and they have become hard to the Gospel.  The term is "burnt-over," as in the burnt-over district.

Yet, God has a way of coming back around, even to hardened, burnt-over hearts.  Switching metaphors, it reminds me of how the ground hardened by the freezing temperatures of winter will heave during the spring.  That which had become too hard and lifeless becomes a place of life as the warmth of the sun affects it.

What is true in the natural is also true in the spiritual.  May God help us to remain faithful to individuals and our cities so that, when the opportune time comes around again, we will be found in the harness working with Jesus. 

We tend to fixate on people and personalities more than we should.  Yet, God is the One who is in charge of the seasons.  We can do our job, but we can't speed up what only God can do.

This should make us think about the coming of Jesus.  Yes, we want to be found faithful at the Second Coming.  However, sometimes the Lord comes by His Spirit to do a work through us.  He brings times of transition and change in lives.  We need to be working, ready to see what new thing He is doing, and participate with Him in that work.

In our passage today, God starts a season of openness to the Gospel by Gentiles. Let's get into it.

Believers in Jesus take root in Antioch (v. 19-22)

Luke begins to describe the rise of the church in the city of Antioch as an early center of activity for the followers of Jesus.  Antioch would stand with Jerusalem, Alexandria, and Rome, as metropolitan hubs for the regions surrounding them.  It is going to be the church that begins a significant mission work to the Gentiles through Saul/Paul and Barnabas.

The Jerusalem church went through some tough years leading up to AD 70.  At some point, they obeyed the words of Jesus and moved across the Jordan to the city of Pella.  During this time, the Romans dismantled the city and pulled the temple apart stone by stone.

It wasn't until the 4th century that Constantinople became a major metropolitan city for the Church due to the Emperor moving his capital from Rome to there.

Of course in the 7th Century AD, Islam began to interfere with the communication and cohesion of these 5 cities.  Jerusalem, Alexandria, and Antioch were the first to be impacted.  It wasn't until AD 1453 that Constantinople was taken over by Muslims.  Though these cities were important in the spread of Christianity, we should be careful turning them into a kind of Christian Mecca.  Our city is the New Jerusalem, reserved in heaven above.

In verse 19, Luke reminds us of the persecution that followed the martyring of Stephan in Jerusalem.  It is interesting that the man who was the tip of the spear for this persecution will end up being a major force for preaching Christ among the Gentiles.  This sparked a dispersion of Christians into the surrounding area.  Luke tells us that these Christians spread up the coast to Phoenicia (modern day Lebanon/Syria encompassing the cities of Tyre and Sidon), out to Cyprus (the large island off the coast of Phoenicia) and as far north as the Greek city of Antioch (modern-day Turkey).  Here is a link to a map to help you visualize.  These areas had large populations of Jews, which would be natural places of refuge for them.  Also notice that Tarsus (the place where Saul is from and is at currently) is across the bay  from Antioch (modern day Bay of Alexandretta).

We shouldn't treat this as an exhaustive list, but more of a help to see how the Antioch church was started.

Verses 19 and 20 have some Greek words that signal contrasting facts.  It is similar to our English expression "on the one hand."  Whenever someone says "on the one hand," you immediately know that there is something else will follow that contrasts what you say (i.e., "on the other hand").

Verse 19 gives us this first fact.  These scattered Jewish believers in Jesus were sharing the Gospel only with other Jews.

Why only Jews?  We could say it was only natural for them to tell Jewish people who have the most immediate interest in Messiah's appearance and work on the earth.  Paul in Romans 1 mentions that the salvation of Christ is to the Jew first and also to the Greeks.  We also see that Jesus spends 99% of his ministry in Israel and to them.  This is not a favoritism, but rather a recognition that they are the ones who had served God for over 1500 years.  It was only right that the Gospel should go to them first.

However, it is also clear that the early Jewish Christians had varying degrees of wariness to sharing the Gospel with Gentiles.  It took some time for the Holy Spirit to help them see the full extent of what Christ was doing in the world.

I would like to interject here that we do many things that flow out of our natural instincts, even as Christians.  I don't believe that they did a lot of hard thinking about the decision to only tell others Jews.  It simply flowed out of them naturally.  The same is true of us today.  This situation highlights why we need to be in prayer, in the Word of God, and seeking the empowerment and leading of the Holy Spirit.  We must be aware of this tendency within ourselves.  If it wasn't for God's help, we would be far more anemic in our efforts for His mission.

The contrasting fact comes to us in verse 20.  There was a particular group of believers that went to Antioch and they spoke to the Hellenists about Jesus.  Of course, they also would have spoken to Jews.  However, the contrast requires that we see Hellenist here, not as Jews who lived as Greeks, but in the larger sense of Gentiles who had Greek culture (not barbarians, etc.).  In short, Antioch is where a serious effort to share Christ with Gentiles began.  These Jews who were doing the sharing were originally from Cyprus and Cyrene, so they were probably Hellenistic Jews. 

Though Peter had shared the Gospel with Cornelius, we can also recognize that Cornelius was a military man.  As such, his life was not his own.  He went and did what Caesar desired.  So, Gentiles first heard the Gospel in Caesarea, but it is in Antioch that it truly began to spread among them.

It spread because the "hand of the Lord was with them."  This phrase always refers to visible acts of God.  Yet, the only thing described is people believing.  This doesn't mean that there were no miracles or baptisms of the Holy Spirit.  Rather, it is not emphasized.  I guess, we should not diminish the miracle of the Holy Spirit moving a heart to repent and believe.  This led to a "great number" who believed.  This would be at least hundreds, and perhaps over a thousand.

It is somewhat difficult to unravel the Lord's choice of Antioch, contra Caesarea, and to unravel it from the "accident" of the choice of these believers who happened to go to Antioch.  How much of it is God's sheer choice?  "I [God] want it to be this city." Or, how much of it was a mixture of him and these bold believers?  "O, you went there; okay, I [God] will bless that place."

It is actually not our job to unravel such mysteries.  It is best for us not to worry about that and simply be faithful to what He has given us to do.  We can tend to think in terms of, "God, please make it happen!"  However, it is generally more nuanced than simply Him making it happen.  Antioch had a huge move among the Gentiles, whereas other places did not.  This does not diminish what God did in the other places.  All people who are saved are important, and we should not think that God is "holding out on us" in any way.

We are told that word gets back to Jerusalem "of these things."  I don't think this statement if focused only on Antioch.  Rather, word comes back to Jerusalem of the spreading of the Gospel among Jewish communities, and especially the rise of Gentile believers in the newly established church at Antioch.

In verse 22, Barnabas is sent out from Jerusalem to go as far as Antioch.  This is that same Barnabas who donated money in Acts 4, and who helped Saul of Tarsus to be accepted by the Jerusalem church in Acts 9.

Barnabas would be able to check on the pockets of believers along the coast and encourage them in serving the Lord.  We don't know how long it took him, but eventually he makes it to Antioch.

Barnabas and then Saul come to Antioch (v. 23-26)

Luke sets up the context in which Barnabas and Saul become a ministry duo.  Their ministry together would soon spread throughout the region of Asia Minor and Greece.

Antioch will serve as a base of support for these two through prayer and financial support over the following years. 

It is good to launch out in ministry by faith, regardless of support that you can see.  God will provide in every way.  However, it is also good to launch out from a strong community of believers who are going to help support your spiritual and material needs.

When Barnabas arrives, he is blessed by what he sees.  The believing Jews and the believing Gentiles were doing a good job of serving Christ.  Thus, Barnabas simply encourages them to "continue with the Lord" Jesus, and to do so with "purpose of heart."

Much of the Christian walk is "continuing with the Lord."  This is not just an information download, but a walking with the master teacher by His Spirit.  Because it is relational, we are to be people of prayer, of the Word of God, seeking His Spirit, and walking out what we learn by faith.  This relationship with the Lord needs to endure, or persevere, all the things we face in this life.  All relationships can be boiled down to faith-filled perseverance in love.

When a person first comes to the Lord, many of their purposes need to be re-purposed with the Lord's help.  A prioritization that is led by Jesus is critical for we who are used to a prioritization led by our flesh.  This is easier said than done.  Praise God, that He has supplied His Holy Spirit to take up residence within us, enlighten us, and empower us to make His priorities to be our priorities.

We do not hear of any great miracles by Barnabas, but his ministry in Antioch is marked by the Holy Spirit and faith.  "A great many people were added to the Lord."  We can sometimes be overly focused on miracles, but as I said before, the salvation of a heart is itself a great miracle that we should not overlook.  Other miracles of healing, exorcisms, etc., are more signs of the presence of God.  They are not necessary in order to save people.  Yet, God in His grace often adds these graces to the move of His Spirit upon hearts.  May God help us to seek His Spirit and to do spiritual work by faith.

We cannot always know how He will bless what we do.  We must simply minister by faith.  In fact, we can be overly focused on making our ministry look a certain way.  "If I sound like this when I preach, I will be more effective."  Or, "If we sing this kind of song, people will really be moved by the Spirit."  Or, "If the lights are turned down and we light candles around the room, then we will see a move of the Spirit."  However, with such mentality, we can become guilty of manipulating people in the flesh.

No matter what, God blesses those who seek Him and share the Gospel with the lost.  Whether there is going to be a great response of salvation, or there is not, God's blessing is not dependent on either.  Those who are faithful in hard times (ala Jeremiah) are just as blessed of God as those who are faithful in the times of revival (ala Barnabas).  It our job to faithful to the Lord in the power of His Spirit wherever He has put us.

Luke does not get into why Barnabas suddenly feels the need to find Saul and bring him back to Antioch.  It could be a direct message from God.  "Go get Saul because I want him to help here."  However, it could be something as simple as this.  Barnabas is seeing great response.  Discipling people who did not grow up hearing and reading the Bible is hard work.  In this environment, Saul may have simply "come to mind."  Maybe, Barnabas suddenly thought one day, "We could really use a guy like Saul of Tarsus here."

Not every thought that comes into the mind of a believer is directly from God.  However, if a person is full of the Holy Spirit, involved in sharing the Gospel and discipling believers, seeking God's enabling and leading, etc., they should pay attention to thoughts like this.  No, I am not talking about thoughts that would be obviously sinful.  Rather, a thought that comes to mind and is in conformity with the righteousness of Christ.  This is a picture of how faith operates. 

Tarsus was about 100 miles away by land and about 70 miles by sea.  We are told that Barnabas sought Saul out, knowing that he was last headed to Tarsus.  Luke cruises over many questions about how long it took and whether Saul needed persuading etc.

Yet, we might wonder what Saul was doing in Tarsus.  I can hardly believe that he wasn't preaching and telling people about Jesus.  Did he have any success?  It is possible that the words of Jesus apply here. "A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country."  It is sad to think that the great apostle to the Gentiles Saul would not have as much impact upon his hometown as other places.  Clearly, Saul sensed the Spirit of God in the appearance of Barnabas and the news of what was happening in Antioch.  He knew that God wanted him there.

Let us note that this is not a "pastoral search."  Saul would be joining Barnabas and many other gifted leaders in Antioch.  Barnabas is not the main guy in charge looking for someone to take them to the next level.  There is no sense of a single, "lead" pastor in the New Testament.  Such a concept was a later development that was not necessarily for the good.  Though God does work powerfully through certain individuals at times, it is clear that His intention is to raise up a group of elders, pastors, teachers, and prophets who work together to help the body of believers carry out the ministry of reconciliation with the lost, and ministry to other believers.

We should not see the church as a place to sit and soak up what we like.  Rather, we need to see our interactions as a place to grow in being used of God to minister ourselves.  We should be asking at all times, "God, what do you want me to be doing?"  We cannot stay as infants in Christ and accomplish much for the Kingdom of God.  In fact, when people are first saved, they need to grow spiritually.  Thus, they need a body of mature brothers and sisters, along with mature mother and father types to help them grow.

Verse 26 ends with the recognition that the believers were first called "Christians" in Antioch.  The word translated "called" clearly does not denote a name they called themselves.  It is actually used in business as a person who "makes a name" for themselves.  By their powerful preaching and ministry throughout Antioch, the believers had made a name for themselves, "Little Christ People."  Those who did not believe came up with a derogatory term that pictured them as inauthentic copy cats of this Jesus guy.

At some point down the road, the believers took the nickname as a badge of honor.  Yes, I may be a little Christ person, but I hope to grow up and be an adult Son of God that looks like Jesus!  Yes, I am a Christian! 

We are all called to take on the likeness, the image of Christ.  Today, the same Holy Spirit that worked through the Jewish believers, through Barnabas, and soon through Saul, works through us today.  At least, He wants to work through you and me to reach the lost.  May God help us to seek His Spirit and launch out in faith.  We know what He wants, so let's do it!

I want to be a Christian audio

The Acts of the Apostles 46

Subtitle: Peter Defends the Work of God

Acts 11:1-18.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on July 9, 2023.

There is a lot of water under the bridge within Christianity.  We can find ourselves in situations where some Christians are saying one thing about whether or not God is moving, and other Christians are saying the opposite.

This precise situation developed during spring this year at Asbury University.  Reports began to circulate that a revival was happening.  Some Christians were quick to embrace it.  However, other Christians began with a more stand-offish approach and generally rejected it as a true revival.

We could be tempted to think of this as a Wesleyan Holiness-movement/Pentecostal issue.  Those in this camp would naturally embrace it as a revival and non-Pentecostals would tend to reject it.  However, this happens even within the Pentecostal camp.  The Toronto "Revival" of the 1990's saw different Pentecostal groups for and against calling it a revival, even within the same denominations.

We should also note that it is possible to have true revival, but also have fake activity attaching itself to it due to pretenders.  This should cause us to pause and think about whether or not we should be pronouncing judgment upon what is actually happening in these cases.  Many Christians can find themselves maneuvered into making a judgment when they were not there and most of their evidence is from people who were either biased, or not there either.  This is called hearsay.  In many cases, there is no reason for me (i.e., the average Christian) to make a judgment, yea or nay.  Perhaps, if you were a pastor in the town, or a denominational leader whose churches were being impacted, you would need to do some due diligence and find out for yourself what is really happening.  Yet, most of us should simply pray that it really is a revival.  Ultimately, my biggest concern should be whether I am "revived" in the Lord myself, as opposed to worry about what is happening elsewhere.

We Pentecostals have a certain group of us who act like "roadies" of revival.  Whenever they get wind of something "happening" somewhere, they jump on a plane, in a car, etc. and head towards the latest report of the "fire of God."

This reminds me of the gold rush towns in the American frontier.  In fact, I grew up in an old gold town.  When word was spread that there was gold in Pierce, Idaho, over 5,000 people made their way into the hills of central Idaho, about 3,000 of them were Chinese.  Within short order, the easy gold would be played out, requiring much harder work for much finer gold.  Of course, then word would come around that there was gold in Elk River, and many of the people abandoned the area to go to the next rush.  "Wait, now there is gold in the Yukon!"  Many ran after the gold that was larger and easier to get.  However, it has been said that the Chinese, who stayed behind in Pierce and did the hard work to capture the "flour" gold after the rush had left, were able to take more gold out of that area than during the rush.

I don't believe that this is what God intends for His people, chasing after a rush of the Spirit.  Rather, in Scripture, we see a people who are seeking God and waiting upon Him for His seasons of refreshing.  Of course, this book, The Acts of the Apostles, was such a time of God's favor and refreshing.  

We are told that there will be much deception and confusion in these end times, and if I am chasing after every cry of "spiritual gold in them there hills," I will not spiritually mature in the ways that make me look more like Jesus.  I will then become fodder for the deceptions and confusion that will only grow stronger.

We should note that the Apostle Paul, in what he believed to be his last opportunity to speak to the elders of the Ephesus church, warned that wolves would attack the church from outside, and perverse men would rise up from among their ranks.  They, we, would need to be vigilant to help protect the people and teach them to be wise, discerning.

Our cynical side can scoff.  How can I know?  In our spiritual immaturity, we may feel like God has not made it clear enough and the confusions are too many.  However, Christ promises those who follow him that he will be with us to the end of the age.  He promises that the Spirit of Truth will guide us.  We need to be a people who are growing in our knowledge of God's Word, and in our experience of the work of His Spirit.  Don't settle for anything less than the real thing.  May we be a people who are being revived daily as we lean upon the Spirit of God in our current situations.

Let's look at our passage.

Peter returns to Jerusalem  (v. 1-3)

We were told at the end of chapter 10 that Peter stayed with Cornelius and crew for a "few" days.  However, the word is far more indefinite than the word "few."  It would be like saying that he stayed for a certain number of days.  It could be days, it could be weeks, yet, probably not years.

Peter has been on the road for a while encouraging believers, and yet the Holy Spirit had also done some amazing miracles through him.  Aeneas was healed of paralysis at Lydda.  Tabitha was raised back to life in Joppa.  The miracle of people believing upon Jesus and being saved occurred everywhere he went, and now, Gentiles have been baptized in the Holy Spirit.

Peter now returns to Jerusalem.  Have you ever noticed that other people can be busy spreading rumors and a case against you when you are focused on doing a good thing for the Lord?  Many times the people who do the most to spread a rumor were not there.  They heard a story from someone who heard a story.  They can also have an ulterior motive, which leads them to focus on things that were not the main thing.  They may even home in on things, magnifying them above what is the truth.  We should be very slow to make any judgments from such "witnesses."

Verse one tells us that the apostles and the brethren of Judea had heard the news about the Gentiles receiving the Gospel.  However, there seems to be a particular group among the believers that has been developing along with the Church as it grew.  This group is referred to as "The Circumcision" by Luke and Paul.

During this transitional period, the Church was finding it bearings in regards to what Church would look like.  Would they continue on much the same way as before, obeying the Law of Moses, but believing in Jesus?  The apostle Paul was strongly against such ideas from day one (see Galatians 2:5).  Others like The Circumcision group were the opposite. We do not have an idea what percentage they were of the group of believers or of the apostles themselves.  However, Peter represents that man in the middle who wants to obey God, but is unsure what God is doing in this regard.  He starts out cautious, and yet, God faithfully teaches and leads him to the truth.

As Peter comes into Jerusalem, we are told that those of the circumcision group contend with him over his contact with the uncircumcised in Caesarea.  I believe that Peter would be meeting with the church of Jerusalem and, in that context, a subset of the group forces this issue to be front and center.  To quote their accusation against Peter, "You went into uncircumcised men and ate with them!"

It is quite telling that they do not mention the faith of the Gentiles at Caesarea.  They don't mention that the Holy Spirit came upon the Gentiles just as He had upon the Jews at Pentecost.  It may be that this part of the news never travelled to Jerusalem.  Regardless, they are focusing on the fact that Peter had dinner with these Gentiles.  Why?

I mentioned previously that the Law of Moses shows that there are things that are holy and things that are unholy.  We most likely have a knee-jerk definition of "unholy."  It is easy to see it as something that is evil, but that is not what it means.  To be holy is to be set apart for God's purposes.  Those who are unholy are not set apart for God's purposes.  You can picture a bowl in the temple.  It is holy, i.e., set apart for God's purposes in the temple.  The holy priest that uses a holy bowl within the temple for God's prescribed worship is serving God's purposes.  He no doubt has a bowl back at home, which his wife uses to serve him soup.  That bowl is not holy, i.e., unholy.  It is only for common purposes.  It would be just as wrong to use a common, unholy bowl in the temple as it would be to take a holy bowl home and use it for your own common purpose.

This brings up the issue of clean and unclean.  A holy person, or object, must be ritually clean to do whatever God's purpose is.  The holy thing can become unclean for various reasons.  In that unclean state, the holy thing cannot be used for God's purpose.  However, there is a mechanism by which the holy thing or person can be made clean again .  Thus, uncleanness can come from something sinful, or from something that isn't.  A case in point, if a family member dies and you help to bury them (note: that this is not a sinful thing to do), you could not participate in a temple ceremony until you had gone through a cleansing ritual.  Contact with Gentiles was similar.  Gentiles were unclean and often did "unclean" things (sinful, or not).  Many traditions had been built up over the years to avoid such uncleanness, and one of them was to not have close contact with Gentiles (like going to their house and eating with them).

This would have been ingrained into the Jewish person from childhood, and would not come easy to most.  It is amazing that through Jesus, the Gentiles were now considered holy.  I don't mean they were all now saved, but that they were all now set apart for the holy purpose of God.  They need to then come to Jesus and be cleansed from their unclean state so that they can now serve God in Spirit and in Truth.  

This is the issue that they are having difficulty accepting.  Those of the circumcision are stuck in this old construct of Gentiles being unholy and unclean by virtue of not being Jews.  They want to make salvation and full access available only to those who obeyed the Law of Moses and believed upon Jesus.

Peter explains himself (v. 4-18)

I titled this sermon, "Peter Defends the Work of God."  It is better to see it as an explanation of what God did.  I mean, who can defend God?  God is His own defense!  Yet, we can engage with one another over what God is doing, even persuade one another in how to understand it.

If God is doing something, all of us should refrain from resisting and fighting against it.  It just seems to be a no-brainer for a Christian to support what God does.  We could also simply be apathetic to it.  I know that this is not what God wants for us.  We need to be supportive and joining God in what He is doing.  That is the best case scenario.  Of course, the age old question, "How can I know?"  We will come back to that.

Peter simply gives a chronological description of the reasons for his actions.  Yet, I think it is important to pay attention to the categories of "evidence" that God uses to convince Peter.  God was giving Peter some facts, or evidence, so that he could understand the God-given conclusion.  This is important.  It was not man's natural ability to reason and make good conclusions that brought the Church to embrace Gentiles who believed upon Jesus.  Rather, God used the fact that we can reason and see conclusions to show Peter what was right.  From the very beginning of this issue, we will see that God lays the conclusion on the table up front.  "What God has cleansed you must not call common (unholy)."

The first evidence is the vision that he had at Joppa.  In this vision, God used the same issue, but with the area of foods.  Just as Gentiles could defile a person, so certain foods could defile a person.  Jesus had not only made all people holy unto the Lord, but he had also made all foods holy unto the Lord.  The message of the vision was clear.  If God makes something clean, we must not try to say it isn't clean.

Peter also tells them that the vision was repeated three times.  God only needs to say something once, but He knows that this is a tough issue to swallow for Peter and other Jews.

I would categorize this as personal teaching, or leading, from God's Spirit.  Of course, Peter is not a new Christian.  He is an apostle hand picked and trained by Jesus Christ in order to help establish the faith once and for all delivered to the saints in that generation.  Peter's experience is quite objective to him, but we label it subjective because no one else saw it.  There is nothing wrong with subjective personal experience, but we must be careful in this area.  It needs to have other confirmation.

In verses 11-12, Peter states that the three men from Caesarea show up immediately following his vision.  At this point, Peter has another personal leading directly from the Spirit of God.  Peter has demonstrated an ability to know when the Spirit of God is speaking to Him.  The Spirit tells him that men are arriving to ask him to go with them.  He is told to go with them "doubting nothing." 

We should also note that the timing of this is also part of the evidence.  It is said that "coincidence" is not a kosher word.  Sometimes coincidence is only that, a coincidence without any common causality behind them.  However, it is part of the evidence.  They show up immediately after he has this strange vision.

We should also note that Peter wisely takes some unbiased witnesses along with him on this journey of faith.

Peter also tells them about the angelic appearance to Cornelius in verses 13-14.  The angel is the one who told Cornelius where Peter was and that Peter would tell him the words by which he and all his household would be saved.  Notice that this turned out to be correct on both accounts.  This has three aspects to it.  Cornelius had his own personal leading directly from God.  Yet, it also has a corroborating affect upon what God is teaching others.  Thus, I will label this confirming personal leading of another person who is a believer in God.  We also have knowledge supplied by God that proves true.

In verse 15, Peter explains that the Holy Spirit came upon them when he began to preach to them.  Peter could not deny what he saw happening to these Gentiles.  I would call this an objective work of the Holy Spirit.  Though Peter and the men who were with him could not deny this was the Holy Spirit, there are always people who will deny the undeniable.  Yet, for those who had an inkling of the Spirit of God, it was obvious.  No one had coached these Gentiles on what "should" happen.  Peter had not even described or talked about the Promised of the Father, the Baptism with the Holy Spirit.  This is a sovereign action of God through the Spirit.

I believe that verse 16 is critical.  We should note that Peter does not speak "ex cathedra," that is, from the chair of his position.  He is simply a man being led by the Spirit of God.

We don't know why God used Peter greatly among his fellow Jews.  Why wasn't it John "the beloved?"  From a standpoint of taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth, Paul was the most used of God than any of The Twelve. 

It is not about position, or an office, or who received the baton from whom.  It is about the Spirit of God working in and through people to accomplish the will of God.  Peter clearly knows this in this moment.

He reminds the group that the Lord Jesus had told him (and others) that "John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit." (Acts 1:5).  Of course, we should add the testimony of John the Baptist in Mark 1:8.  He referred to Jesus as the One who would baptize with the Holy Spirit.  On top of this, we could add the many verses throughout the Old Testament that emphasize Messiah's salvation going to the Gentiles.  An example is found in Isaiah 49:6.

"Indeed He says, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ”

I would categorize this evidence as the Word of the Lord.  Subjective experiences that are of God will line up with His Word. 

Some may say that we are no longer in that transitional time.  Yet, we do have transitional times as an individual where God starts to do something different in our lives.  In those times, it is critical that we know how to hear from the Lord and to be led by Him.  We don't want to be fighting against what God is doing in our life, but yielding and serving His purpose.

This same dynamic happens in families, nations, even republics, and the whole world.  It is interesting that the world is describing this time globally as a time of transition.  It is important that we be connected to the Spirit of God, and hearing from Him.  Otherwise, we may find ourselves being deceived by the spirit of this age.

We may complain that one person says this and another says that.  How can I know?  Yes, this is true.  There are all kinds of voices "out there."  Jesus never sent us to the voices out there to find truth.  He said that He would lead us by His Spirit.  You need to know for yourself.  You can hear what other think, but you won't do what God wants by following what others think.  You have to hear from the Lord yourself.  At the most, the thinking and experiences of others can only be a confirmation of what God is doing in your heart and mind.

Verse 17 gives the logical conclusion to so many lines of evidence.  "Who was I that I could withstand God?"  Peter knows that he truly is nobody without Jesus.  In and of ourselves we are all nobody to stand against God.  And yet, there was still a call of God on Peter's life.  That call doesn't bless everything Peter thinks.  No, it is, "Peter, come follow me!"  Peter had enough time being rebuked by the Lord that he knew he didn't want to fight God on this.

There are too many in the Church who are elevating their thinking over the work of God.  We must be careful.  Be careful of thinking such and such simply because a great person says we should think a certain way.  Some have developed a cult-like adherence to men (living or dead) who may be smart people, but they are nothing without the Spirit of God, especially in resisting the Spirit of God.  We can even be guilty of using the words of men who followed the Holy Spirit in their day in order to resist following the Spirit of God in our day.

This is the call to spiritual maturity.  God gives the truth to these Gentiles through Peter, but this doesn't mean they forever have to go through Peter to know the truth of God.  We need to come to know God for ourselves.  This takes time.

Why would I want to resist the work of God?  If you heard that God was working in your town, or even your family, wouldn't you be excited?  In fact, God is doing something today.  Maybe I have fallen asleep to what He is doing.  Maybe I am not sober enough to recognize it.  Worse, I may not even have a spiritual pulse.  Yet, God in His grace wakes the sleeper, sobers the intoxicated, and raises the dead to new life!

Jesus had baptized these Gentiles in the Holy Spirit.  Who was Peter to forbid them to be water baptized?  The answer is simply no one.  He had tried rebuking Jesus before, and he was not going there again.

More than this, who was Peter to continue to try and keep a distinction between himself and them because they were not circumcised?  It was clear that God did not treat their uncircumcision as a mark of impurity.  Of course, again, he is no one.  And, to do so over the top of the leading and teaching of the Lord by His Spirit, would be rebellion.

You need to know where it comes from when people who are resisting God's work despise His work in you.  In John 9, a man who had been blind from birth is healed by Jesus.  He is later interrogated by the Religious Council.  They pressure him to "Give God the glory!  We know this man is a sinner!"  He then tries to explain to them how what Jesus did had to be of God.  This only made them angry.  “ 'You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?' And they cast him out."  Notice that this man is a nobody in their eyes, and they are quite the somebodies.

The blind man accepted that he was a nobody.  "Whether he is a sinner or not, I do not know.  One thing I do know; that though I was blind, now I see."  This man had a personal experience with Jesus that no amount of cynicism, bullying, or theological treatises could take away.  He was a nobody who had been touched by Jesus.  At that point, he became greater than all the "great" learned ones of Israel.  He sees Jesus as Messiah, and they want nothing to do with Jesus.  What would you rather have: the touch of Jesus or the approval of such men?

To their credit, the men became silent.  We know from the other passages in the New Testament that some of them would still chafe at this.  However, they had nothing to say.  The conclusion was clear.  "God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.”

We can focus so much on what people are doing (and that can be important), but it is better to focus on what the Lord Jesus is doing by His Holy Spirit.  We are not the Apostles laying down the faith once and for all delivered unto the saints.  However, like Peter, we can do our small part.  Peter simply went with the men, heard the story of Cornelius, and began to preach.  God did the heavy lifting because Peter and Cornelius did their small part.  It wasn't Peter, it was Jesus.  It isn't you, and it isn't me.  However, it is us doing our small part, in the harness with Jesus!  Don't you want to be a part of what God is doing?  Pray and ask God's Spirit to help you first see, and then courageously step forward to work with Him in the field.

There are times in our personal life, in the life of our family, our church, or our republic, where it is critical to discern what our Lord desires of us.  God uses personal leading of His Spirit, His confirming leading in the lives of others, the timing of events, His own sovereign works, and the Word of the Lord in order to teach us.  May God help us to wake up to all the ways that He is trying to teach us.  May we be a people of the Word, a people of prayer, a people of the Spirit and a people of the righteousness of Jesus Christ!

Work of God audio