The Acts of the Apostles 62

Subtitle: Faith Working through Love

Acts 16:1-10.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on November 5, 2023.

Paul and Silas have started on Paul’s Second Missionary Journey, due to a disagreement between Paul and Barnabas about John Mark.

Today, we are going to look at this question.  What is the motivation behind what you do?  Two people (or more) can do the same action, but for very different reasons.  We could boil them all down to good motivations versus bad ones.  Of course, when we come to faith in Christ, we find out that Jesus isn’t content with only changing our outward actions.

Yes, he wants us to stop sinning (“Go and sin no more.”) because our sin causes pain and suffering to us and to the people in our lives.  God loves us and them too much to be content with us continuing to sin with impunity. 

Yet, if you only change the activity without changing the heart behind it, it will not be good enough.  It won’t work for very long.  Eventually, such people grow weary of “doing” good, and fall away from actions of righteousness.  So, Christ is not content to affect our activity.  He wants to change us from the inside out.

Let’s look at our passage.

Paul’s second missionary journey reaches Asia Minor again (v. 1-10)

Luke’s narrative jumps to the area of Derbe and Lystra in the middle of Asia Minor (Turkey today).  In short, they are going to travel between 750 to 800 miles in these 10 verses.

It is at Lystra that Paul recognizes a young man named Timothy, and he desires Timothy to join them.  Of course, Timothy is not just “joining” a missionary group.  He  really is entering into a lifetime of ministering for Jesus.  He becomes a son in the faith to Paul a father figure.  The dynamics here are significant.  Silas is a peer of Paul’s.  He is like a brother in the Lord, similar to Barnabas.  However, young Timothy is more like a son.  He will be mentored by Paul and Silas (really by the Holy Spirit through them).  In fact, there are two books of the New Testament written by Paul as a fatherly figure to Timothy (1 and 2 Timothy).  In fact, 2 Timothy has the feel of a father telling his son to stay strong as he is about to exit this life.

From these two letters (1 and 2 Timothy), we know that Timothy’s mother and grandmother have been strong believers (2 Timothy 1:5).    His mother, Eunice, had married a Greek man who clearly was not a convert to Judaism as we will soon see.  His grandmother Lois and her daughter Eunice most likely believed in Jesus during Paul’s first missionary journey through Lystra.

By the way, we should guard against the idea that Judaism and Christianity were two separate religions.  Jesus did not come to start a new religion.  He was the Messiah, the fulfillment of all that the Law of Moses was pointing to.  The people of Israel had waited for Messiah to come for centuries.  Thus, we would not say that Lois and Eunice were saved, but that their saving faith in Yahweh to send Messiah, had now made the proper transition to faith in Yeshua, whom the Father had sent.  The early Jewish believers were simply obeying the Holy Spirit by getting up and following Jesus.

This brings up an issue.  We can be guilty of giving lip service to God’s promise of sending Jesus back again.  This was on display in Israel in the first century.  Many of them would give lip service to the idea that Messiah would come and set all things right some day.  However, most had given up faith that he would actually show up.  They had the correct doctrine, but their faith was gone in their hearts.

Yet, one day Jesus did come.  He caught most of them by surprise, or better, he caught them spiritually sleeping, spiritually intoxicated, and spiritually dead. 

They were so used to being the ones who  had the truth, that they had lost their ability to repent and follow God.  How do you exercise your ability to repent and follow the Holy Spirit, rather than resisting and rebelling against Him?

In short, you spend time seeking God in the word and in prayer.  You give him your whole heart in truth.  You seek what He is saying to you through the Holy Spirit and what He saying to you, where He is leading you.  Such a relationship will teach you to exercise faith as the Holy Spirit puts His finger on areas of your life that need to change.  If you will give yourself to this, you will find all sorts of ways that you need to repent, and every day.  You will find just how much we need His help, and, praise God, that He is giving it to us all the time, if we will receive it.

It is probably at this time that the elders of the church and Paul gather around Timothy and pray for him as is mentioned twice in Paul’s letters.  We are told that gifts of the Holy Spirit were given to him on that day, and that at least one prophecy was given regarding him.

Now, this is an important point.  They do not take for granted that they are doing God’s work and that He will just show up.  They take this moment seriously and pray over Timothy.  We should never take God’s promised help for granted.  We need to seek it, and pray for it.  What a powerful moment as they pray over this young man.  “Lord, fill him with your Spirit, and enable him to minister with Paul and Silas.  Give him courage and faith.  Give him perseverance, Lord!”  Whether Timothy was already filled with the Spirit at that time, or the Spirit came upon him for the first time, Timothy was readied to go with Paul and Silas.

On the flip side, just because God has enabled you, placed gifts within your life, and filled you with His presence, doesn’t mean that we should take His continued empowerment for granted.  In 1 Tim. 4:14, Paul tells Timothy not to “neglect” the gift that was within him, and in 2 Tim. 1:6 , he tells him to “stir up” the gift that was within him.  The gifts of God are not automatic.  I am not saying that God will withhold from us, but that we can grow stagnant in our spiritual walk.  If we are negligent and lose our passion, then stagnation creeps into our hearts and quenches the gifts of God in our life.  In fact, the greatest gift within any of us, is the gift of the Holy Spirit.  We can grieve the Holy Spirit and squelch His work in our life if we are not purposeful and intentional in prayer. 

How do we stir them up?  We do so through prayer, and prayerful study of the Word.  Also, we do so by seeking the Holy Spirit, and as He leads, exercising our faith through obedience.

We may be taken by surprise that Paul would have Timothy circumcised at this point.  He is carrying a letter from the Apostles in Jerusalem laying out the fact that circumcision is not necessary for salvation.  This may come across to some as a contradiction, but it really is not, if you look closely.

Notice that the issue in Acts 15 was about what was necessary for Gentile salvation.  The council made a clear pronouncement on this issue, but there was still some lack of specificity regarding Jews themselves. Of course, Peter made it clear that none of the Jews were saved by their law keeping, only by faith in Jesus.  Jews and Gentiles were being saved in the same way.

There is some dispute about whether Timothy is considered a Jew or not.  When a person’s parents were both Jewish, there was no question.  They were a Jews.  But, when one of the parents were not Jewish, a question could arise.  Today, Jews teach that Jewishness, or obligation to the Law, follows the mother.  If your mother is Jewish, then so are you.  However, if only your father is Jewish, you are not considered Jewish.  It is not clear evidence that the first century followed a “matrilineal” descent as opposed to a patrilineal descent (from the father).  I don’t think that it makes a difference either way.

I only bring up this issue because it begs the question.  Did the early Church expect, or teach that Jews should circumcise their children and follow the law of Moses?  Did they teach Jewish believers in Yeshua to continue to circumcise new babies?  There would most likely be some ethnic momentum in how Jewish Christians lived.  I doubt that they all started eating pork after Peter’s vision in Joppa.  It just wasn’t part of their culture.  Therefore, we are unable to determine exactly how Timothy was viewed by early Jewish Christians, but we would know how he was viewed by non-Christian Jews.

So we come back to the issue of whether or not Paul is contradicting himself.    Why would he say one thing about Gentiles and another about Timothy?  What is going on here?  As I said at the beginning, motivation is the key.  What is Paul’s motivation?  What is his concern?

Verse three tells us why Paul does this, “because of the Jews who were in that region, for they knew that his father was a Greek.”  Paul clearly wanted to minister to Jews in the region, but also knew that they would know that Timothy was not circumcised.  Most likely, Paul believes that Timothy’s status would become a distraction and get in the way of preaching the Gospel.  The Jews would be so upset by Paul having an uncircumcised Jewish person with him, that they would never get to sharing the Gospel.  Timothy would be a distraction.

I think that Galatians 5 is the best passage for settling this.  There, Paul makes clear the principle that he was following in telling some people not to be circumcised, and yet in this case, circumcising Timothy.

Galatians 5:1-6 has Paul speaking to Gentiles in Galatia (basically the area they are in here in Acts 16).  They were being persuaded by some to circumcise themselves.  In verse 2, Paul tells them that “Christ will profit you nothing [if you circumcise yourself].”  In verse 3, he tells them that if they obey this one point of the Law of Moses then they are “a debtor to keep the whole law.”  In verse 4, Paul says that they are severing themselves from Christ and falling from grace, if they do this.  These are strong words that imply that they could not be saved, if they were circumcising themselves as a necessary act.  Your faith is either in Jesus or in the works of your flesh.  You cannot have both.

You might think of Jesus as Noah’s ark.  You are either in the boat (in Jesus) trusting him for your salvation, or you are outside the boat trusting in your own ability.  However, you can’t be in the boat and not in the boat at the same time.  Faith in Jesus is the ark of the New Testament.

Yet, in verse 6, Paul gives his underlying principle, which allows him to say to one group that they cannot be saved if they circumcise themselves, and yet have Timothy be circumcised.  His principle is not, if you are Jewish, you should be circumcised.  Rather, circumcision or the lack thereof has no power to accomplish anything.  It is quite clear that he is speaking about spiritual matters here.  If you want salvation and spiritual power with God, then your circumcised status is powerless to help you.  Don’t look to that to help you.  Now, you can see why he speaks so strongly to the Galatians.  They were circumcising themselves out of the belief that it would help them with God, but it can’t.

What does have power with God?  Faith [in Jesus] expressing itself through actions of love.  This is exactly what Paul is asking Timothy to do.  Paul is not telling Timothy that he is almost saved, but only lacks being circumcised (an argument that was being made to the Gentiles by the Judaizers).  Rather, he is asking him to be circumcised out of love for the Jews that they will preach to.  It will remove an obstacle that would be hard for them to overlook.  Now, it will not be an issue, and they can focus on the Gospel.  Timothy’s motivation would be love for the Jews that they will preach to.  The Galatians improper motivation was to fulfill an act that they thought was necessary for salvation.

I should say that this is quite a big “ask” of Paul to Timothy.  Yet, love will make great sacrifices for those it loves.  May God help us to remove obstacles in our lives without sinning in order to help others hear the Gospel.  May God help us to make sacrifices of things that are not necessary for salvation, but might be necessary in order for others to be saved.

We are then told that they go through the cities delivering the decrees of the Jerusalem Council, strengthening the churches, and sharing the Gospel.  Note that it says they “increased in number daily.”

They are called to Macedonia (v. 6-10)

As they move from Lystra eastward, they pass through the provinces of Galatia and Phrygia.  At this point (unless they go south), they are at the end of the churches that Paul and Barnabas had started earlier, and towns that they had preached in.  As they reach these borders, it appears that they intend to go southwest into the province of Asia.  This is the area of Ephesus and the 7 churches of Revelation. 

We are simply told that the Holy Spirit forbid them to preach the Gospel in Asia.  The Holy Spirit can lead us by forbidding or blocking things.  We are not told exactly how they knew the Holy Spirit was forbidding them.  Such a strong term would indicate that there was some kind of prophecy, word of wisdom, or dream, etc.  Some powerful way that the Holy Spirit made His direction clear to them.

This may cause us to wonder at the idea that the Holy Spirit would forbid any one to preach the Gospel to another.  Yet, we can know by what the Bible says that it has nothing to do with God not wanting them to hear it.  We are not told the reasons, so I want to be careful here.  It is possible that God knows this area will be reached by churches later, or that Paul and company can only do so much.  Limited resources require strategy and timing.  It will be come clear that Paul and Silas were intent on traveling throughout all of Asia Minor, but God wanted them to jump the Gospel over to Greece.  Others would “backfill” ministry into the areas that Paul skipped over.

In such a case, we should recognize that it is not our place to question God.  He has His reasons and they are always righteous and for the good.  In fact, if we refuse to go where God is calling us to go, and persist in going where He has not told us to go, we will be much like Jonah.  Things will go better for you and the people you speak to when you are obeying the Spirit of God.

Paul is obedient and turns to go north into Bithynia and Pontus, but again, the Holy Spirit forbids them to go north.  Thus, they end up on the coast of Asia Minor in the city of Troas.  No doubt, they minister there, but also the question is pondered.  Where do we go now?

Let me insert at this point, that God is not stuck on any one way of leading and directing us.  He spoke to Moses like one speaks face to face with another man.  That is extremely rare.  Sometimes, He speaks to people through angels.  He can speak to us through visions and dreams, through a word of knowledge, or simply by a quiet voice in our heart.  It doesn’t matter how God leads us.  What matters is that He is the One leading.  Don’t  be fixated on needing to have God use any of these.  Simply respond to how He leads in your life.  In fact, notice that Timothy is being led by the Holy Spirit through the man Paul.

It is at this point that Paul has a vision.  In the vision, he sees a Macedonian man pleading, “Come over here and help us!”  Of course, there probably was not an actual man in Macedonia who was doing this.  But, God hears the hearts of a people.  The Holy Spirit was giving Paul a sense of what God saw in this region, a people crying out for help.

Of course, our hearts can cry out for help, but often we don’t even know what that help should look like, especially in spiritual matters.  Macedonia is northern Greece, where Alexander the Great came from.  Just as God used a vision to instruct Peter to share the Gospel with Cornelius in Caesarea, so God uses a vision to stir Paul’s heart for Greece.  This is not because God loves them more.  No, He wants all people to hear the Gospel and come to faith in Jesus.  However, Paul is mortal and cannot evangelize everyone.  The Holy Spirit is strategically leading him to spread the Gospel in a way that is more effective.

I wonder how many people and places are pleading for someone to come and help them, but no one share the Gospel with them.  You will never see it because it is a spiritual things.  And, they won’t even know that you are the answer of the cry of their heart when you first start speaking to them.  However, God sees them, and hears them.  We really need to learn to listen to God and be led by him as we share the Gospel with people.

Notice that Paul didn’t need a vision for everyone he ever shared the Gospel with.  In general, he knew that the Gospel needed to go everywhere.  He was doing God’s will in general until God needed him to do something specific.  This is where we need to trust the Lord.  If He needs to direct us, He knows how to do it.  I should not be paralyzed while waiting for a vision, when I could be doing what I know the Lord wants me to do in general.

I do think that we should develop the practice of talking with God in prayer about our evangelism plans, who we want to talk to, and when.  We should pray for the Spirit to go before us and prepare their hearts, and we should fast and pray for their response to the Gospel.  In short, it should be our faith in Jesus (and his purpose for us) working itself out through actions of love for the lost (sharing the Gospel).

Perhaps, this week, we can spend some time asking God what we can sacrifice, so that others may hear the Gospel.  May the Lord enable us by His Holy Spirit!

Faith through Love audio

The Acts of the Apostles 60

Subtitle: The Jerusalem Council III

Acts 15:22-29.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on October 22, 2023.

We will finish up our look at the Jerusalem Council, which took place between A.D. 48 to 50.  The decision of this original group should settle the issue of what is required for Gentile salvation because it has the apostles trained by Jesus, as well as the elders and people who witnessed the life, ministry and resurrection of Jesus.  Yet, it is amazing how many ways through the years individuals and theologians of the Church have come up with to go wrong on this issue of salvation.

Down through the ages to our time, Church councils haven’t always done us a favor.  The further you move forward in time from the resurrection of Jesus, the more we see such councils supplanting Scripture with human reasoning.  It may even lead some to see such councils as a mistake, and against the will of God.  Yet, here we have a council set in the Word of God, and it is clear that it is a good thing for the Church.

The problem is not in convening a council to determine what the truth is in a matter, and what should be taught.   When you look through the history of these councils, you will always find an individual, or group, who are pushing a teaching that is new, or novel.  This creates turmoil among the churches as people deal with the confusion that new teaching brings.  They want to know what the truth actually is.  In Acts 15, that problem, or teaching, is the idea that Gentiles have to be circumcised and follow the Law of Moses in order to be saved.  Believing in Christ and following him by faith was not enough for them, and it began to cause trouble.

Leaders can cause trouble, but sometimes trouble percolates up through the group and leaders have to step in for the sake of group cohesion.  This is normal and good, if it is done correctly and in the right spirit.  These leaders job is not to determine what is best for the group, but rather to determine what the Lord Jesus is saying through the Holy Spirit.  Thus, we should have some mercy on the generations that convened councils, and stick to criticizing only the decisions, and reasoning behind them.

Thus, you will notice that this first council becomes a good template for how councils should operate.  The people should gather, look to what the Spirit is doing, and what the Scriptures say.  Even then, if we are not actually seeking God like we should, if we are not living in communion with Jesus through the Spirit, our fleshly approach to truth will not follow the Spirit of God, no matter how much we protest that we followed the template.  It is not a scientific formula.  It is a relationship with Jesus.

At the base of errors in doctrine are at least two persuasions.  We can over emphasize the role of human reasoning in coming to truth, even elevating a group or man as the ones, one, who have a sanctified mind for the group.  The more human reasoning is the foundation of our beliefs the more we will be off-track.  The other persuasion is that we can ignore reasoning, and the reasoning of God’s proven Word in Scripture.  This persuasion over-emphasizes the spiritual ability to know truth of the leader, or leaders.  It shuts down all debate because “I have the mind of the Lord and don’t have to answer your critiques.”

Let us recognize that God is the One who gave us our minds.  He does intend us to use them.  However, our minds are not capable of assessing truth in these spiritual matters without God’s help.  At the best, our minds can only help us discern what God is showing us is the truth.  Even then, our reasoning is fraught with pitfalls, and humility is the order of the day.  The Lord has given us a foundation of His thinking in the Old Testament and the New Testament.  We need to take seriously their importance as well as the importance of what the Holy Spirit is doing now.  This will help to guard us from going into error.

Let’s look at our passage.

A letter is sent to the church in Antioch (v. 22-29)

We noted last week that it was James who had brought up the idea of sending a letter addressed to Antioch and the Gentile churches beyond them concerning this debated issue (v. 20).  This is exactly what they do.

Thus, we end up with a decision from a group of people at a particular point in time, and we also end up with a written record.  Paul and Barnabas will be able to tell what happened in Jerusalem, but there will also be an address from the church in Jerusalem describing things from their perspective.

We do not know if they had a vote, or people simply quit arguing against the truths that are recorded here.  Yet, they did come to an agreement, and create a letter, which Luke inserted in his Acts of the Apostles.  It is a good thing too because this is how we end up with the actual wording of the letter established for all time.  The church at Antioch was over-run in the 600’s by Muslims, and the original document is lost to us.

Three times in this passage (v. 22, 25, and 28), we have a word that is variously translated as “it pleased…,” or “it seemed good to…”  It is a word that has a range of certainty connected to it, from judging that something is certainly true, all the way to believing that something has a good probability of being true.  I think this passage the council was pretty certain that they had determined the mind of God on this matter.  They were not just giving their best guess, or sheer human reasoning on the matter.

In verse 22, we have listed that the apostles, elders, and the whole church were in on the decision.  The decision and plan to send a letter seemed good to all of them.

The judges in the Old Testament were not supposed to imagine the best solution for a case.  Rather, they were supposed to render the decision of the LORD.  Of course, they would look to what the Law said on a matter, but they would also seek wisdom from God’s Spirit- that is if they had a heart for God.  The Scriptures and the Holy Spirit help God’s people to understand truth when they are truthfully seeking it. 

You may also recognize that there is no sense in the story that an approach is being ramrodded through by leaders.  Even Paul and Barnabas are quite subdued in Luke’s account, only giving testimony to what the Spirit was doing among Gentiles.  I believe that they exercised wisdom to let the Jerusalem church come to a decision without undue pressure from them.  It was important that God showed them the truth.

We can be guilty today of practicing the leadership style of the world.  We can learn how to manipulate the stupid sheep to do what we know they need to do.  It is stylish to build forums and means for the little people to feel like they had a say and participated in the process, but in the end, the group will end up at a pre-decided decision that was made by the ultra-smart leaders.  Such manipulative activity is not of the Spirit of God and is not a proper, godly way to come to decisions.  Of course, this about sums up our politics, and many of our churches in the land.

Praise God that this is not what happened back in Acts 15 at the Jerusalem Council.

In verse 25 it mentions in the letter that “It seemed good to us, being assembled in one accord.”  There is that word again.  They were in one accord.  They had a singular passion for determining what God would have them believe and teach.  They wanted to rightly represent the Lord Jesus, since they were subjected to persecution by people who assumed that they had the corner of the market on representing God.

Many have a singular passion alright, a singular passion for their own way.  If we gather in a group and everyone is fighting passionately for their own way, then we will never have a true spiritual unity.  However, even if we are manipulated into a decision that everyone agrees to, it is not a unity of the spirit, but a unity of the flesh that is guaranteed to breakdown along the way.

We lastly recognize that verse 28 mentions that “it seemed good to the Holy Spirit…”  Of course, God is absolutely sure what the right thing is.  There is no range of certainty when it comes to Him.  The seeming is all on the human side of this equation.  They had come to the conclusion that this is what the Spirit of God was teaching them.  Yet, they are being humble enough to recognize the fact that their reasoning was involved in this process.  Unity must always center upon God’s decisions, and leaders, churches, ought to be very humble in any such process.

They determine that it would be best to send some men along with the letter.  This would give the Jerusalem Church some official representation along with the letter, not that they would doubt the veracity of how Paul and Barnabas portrayed the council to the church of Antioch.  Yet, the original issue had to do with men who had come from Judea, but did not officially represent the church.  The bad experience they had with the earlier Judaizers could be overcome with the good experience of the true, official representatives sent with the letter.

The first of the two men listed is Judas, also called Barsabas.  This is the only time that this individual is mentioned in the New Testament.  The second name helps us to differentiate him from other men with the name Judas (Judah in Hebrew) like Judas Iscariot, or Judas, also called Thaddeus, or Judas (Jude) the brother of our Lord.

The second man listed is Silas.  He is going to become one of the men who helped Paul in his missionary journeys to come.  He will faithfully minister with Paul to the Gentiles.  He is always referred to as Silas in the book of Acts.  However, in his letters, the apostle Paul calls him Silvanus.  Silus is just a shortened form of Silvanus.

What were the qualifications of these men?  They were leading men from among the Jerusalem church.  They had risked their lives for the Gospel (v. 26), which means that they had a vested interest in promoting the true Gospel.  Also, in verse 32, we will later see that they are both prophets, and able to spiritually minister to the group in Antioch.

Luke gives us a word for word copy of the letter starting at verse 23.  It starts out by clarifying that the men, who had “troubled” them about following the Law of Moses, were not sent by Jerusalem.  I am sure that the intent is not only to state the truth for the record, but also to restore goodwill between Antioch and them.  The Jerusalem church had never been behind the attempt to trouble them on this matter.  Yet, they are helping to make things right because of the presence of the apostles of Jesus in their city, as well as many elders who had close connection to the ministry of Jesus.  They have a responsibility to the rest of the Church.

Some point to the words of Paul in Galatians 2:12.  They interpret them to believe that James was at least a stickler for Jews continuing to obey the Law of Moses, which would include separation from Gentiles.  To whatever degree James believed this, something was behind Peter’s change of attitude about eating with Gentiles when “men from James” arrived in Antioch.  We do not know exactly when the Galatians 2 incident happened.  Was it before or after this council?  From the words said and the decision made, you would think that it would have to be before..  However, we do not know for sure.

It is believed that some confusion on what Jews needed to do, may have lead to some over-zealous teaching on what Gentiles needed to do.  Regardless, the decision in the letter is quite clear.  Gentiles do not need to follow the Law of Moses.  Although the Church had never officially taught that Gentiles needed to obey the Law of Moses in order to be saved, it did take about 18 years for the Church to denounce the idea officially.

In fact, close attention to Peter’s testimony will even clarify salvation for Jews.  He questions in verse 10, “Why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?”  Also, he said in verse 11 that “we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.”  Earlier he had described that manner as “by faith.”  This council didn’t just hammer out the means of salvation for Gentiles, but for Jews as well.  Even Jews do not need to follow the Law of Moses in order to be saved by Jesus.

The letter next declares that two men named Judas and Silas are accompanying the letter.  This is a first-century security mechanism for validation.

Finally, the letter stipulates the three issues that were being prohibited to the Gentiles (and Jews).  They were to abstain from things offered to idols, abstain from eating or drinking blood (things strangled still have blood in the meet), and they were to abstain from sexual immorality.  They are referred to as necessary, and yet, it simply says that if they will restrain themselves from doing these things that they will “do well.”  It is a burden being placed upon the Gentiles, but no heavy burden as Peter called the Law of Moses.

This is not only wisdom, but also obvious.  If you are following Jesus, then all hint of following idols and the things associated with idolatry needs to drop off.  You cannot have loyal faith in Jesus and still remain attached to idols and idolatry.  This loyalty issue has trust and faith at its core.

The blood issue was addressed last week, but would help Jews and Gentiles within the Church to be able to get along with one another.  Plus, it would retain a clear line around the subject of how we obtain life and power.  The pagans ate and drank animal blood for ritualistic reasons connected to their idols.  Jesus is our source of life, and our sacrifice now.

Lastly, we are told in the New Testament in many places to flee sexual immorality.  The moral components of the Law of Moses are reiterated by the apostles throughout the New Testament and Christians need to obey them, not because we are following the Law of Moses, but rather, because we are following Jesus Christ and His apostles who laid down these necessary things to avoid and necessary things to do.

Let me close by revisiting this issue of dead works versus works of faith.  We can fall into two extremes if we are not careful.  On one hand, we can be so against “dead works” and working for salvation that we promote doing nothing, even sinning.  However, on the other hand, we can be so intent against sin that we make a long list of things people have to do in order to be truly saved.

We need to go back to the Word of God.  What does it say is necessary for salvation?  It is to believe in Jesus, to put our trust in Him.  We then follow Jesus, who gave us the apostles and the Holy Spirit, and they gave us the New Testament.

This calls for humility in any issue.  I can be wrong and should not stir up trouble within a church.  Yet, whole churches and denominations can be wrong because they have inherited a system that has error riddled within it.  Only Jesus can save us, and it calls for faithful, courageous trust in Jesus, both to save us and to help us come to the knowledge of the truth.

None of us can do enough to save ourselves.  We can only put our faith upon Jesus.  However, once Jesus has accepted my faith and put me in a safe place, I can do good works that are clean before God.  What makes them clean?  They are clean because they are not done out of the selfish reason to make ourselves look good to God.  Rather, they are done out of thanks to Jesus for salvation and the belief, the faith, that He is helping us to become like God through the works He leads us to do by His Word and by His Spirit.

So, when you help people, or go to church on any particular day, and you do it because you love Christ and want to honor him, it can be a clean work acceptable unto God and makes you more like Jesus.  However, if I do these things because I believe I have to do these things to achieve my way into heaven, then they become dead works.  They are not really done in Christ by the Spirit, but in the flesh.

May God help us to come alive to Jesus by the Help of the Holy Spirit in order to do the works that He has created us to do.  “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”  (Ephesians 2:10).

Jerusalem Counsel III Audio

The Acts of the Apostles 58

Subtitle: The Jerusalem Council I

Acts 15:1-12.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, October 8, 2023.

The early Church was spreading rapidly, and it was becoming clear that there were some very different ideas on what Gentiles had to do in order to be saved. 

Of course, God was never confused, or unsure of their salvation.  It was the preachers, teachers, and elders who had some conflicting ideas.  To be fair, most of the conflict is caused not among the apostles, but from a group of Pharisees who had become believers in Jesus as the Messiah.

The church in Syrian Antioch had become the main hub of ministry to the Gentiles, specifically through the missionary work of Paul and Barnabas.  Thus, they are the ones who are going to present this conflict before the apostles and elders of Jerusalem because the Church needed to be united on such an important doctrine, salvation itself.  However, that unity needed to be founded upon what the Lord would have them teach.

This issue of unity is important.  Unity is good when it is united upon a good thing.  However, unity around a bad thing is at best a house of cards.  This world cannot deliver anything without God, but an implosion of ideas, activity, and culture.  In reference to the end times, Paul tells the Thessalonians that when the world says, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them.

The key here is determining what God expects from the Gentiles who are coming into the new covenant.  This will even have implications on what God expects from Jews as well.

Let's look at our passage.

A conflict arises regarding Gentile salvation (v. 1-5)

At the end of chapter 14, Paul and Barnabas had come back from their missionary journey in Asia Minor.  They reported to the people all of the amazing things God had done among the Jews and Gentiles there.

It then says that they stayed there "a long time."  Luke is good at giving general statements that make it hard to nail down a perfect timeline.  However, from analyzing the book of Acts along with passages in Galatians that giving timing information, we can determine that within the next year certain people from Judea arrive in Syrian Antioch.  They have some strong opinions on what Gentiles need to do to be saved, which causes a big conflict.

Before we look at this conflict, I want to point out one of the schemes of the devil.  Whenever God's people see a big victory, there will always be a spiritual counter-attack from the kingdom of darkness.  Another thing to keep in mind is that he doesn't always use pagans, witches, and satanists to do his bidding.  Of course, he does use them.  Yet, at the same time, the devil is always on the prowl for unstable Christians who are not grounded in the Word of God, and are not led by the Holy Spirit.

The devil finds fertile ground in these men to stir up conflict in the church even though they are believers in Jesus.  This is why it is important for us to pay attention to what the Bible says about our relationships in the Church.  We do need to be forgiving and work for reconciliation, but we also need to be firm on the truth.  This helps to defend against the devil's ability to find leverage within someone's heart and mind.  He knows how to ask slippery questions that get us second guessing, and thinking that we know what others are thinking and what their motivations are.

These Jews from Judea, the area surrounding Jerusalem, were teaching that a Gentile had to be circumcised in order to be saved.  However, circumcision was just the cause célèbre, the tip of the conflict.  Notice that verse 1 mentions that the custom of Moses is why they think that.  Of course, Moses instituted other customs as well.  We will see in verse 5 that they believed Gentiles should obey the whole Law of Moses in order to be saved.

It is important to understand what they are doing.  If you think about it as a formula, it would look like this.  Obeying the Law of Moses + Believing in Jesus = Salvation.  To them, Jesus is simply an addendum to the Old Covenant made with Israel through Moses.  They fail to see that this is a new covenant altogether.  It is based upon God writing laws upon our heart instead of on stone tablets.

Verse 5 also relates that the source of this persuasion are a group of Pharisees who had become believers.  Of course, the apostle Paul had also been a Pharisee who came to believe in Christ.  However, Paul learned his lesson about kicking at the goads of the Holy Spirit the hard way.  They on the other hand have not. 

Now at the first, this argument of the Pharisees might sound wise.  They would just cast the aspersion against Paul and company that if a person is merely saved by faith in Jesus, then they can sin with impunity.  Of course, this would be an error.  You can say that you believe in Jesus, but have you really put your faith in Jesus?  God knows.  He is not playing a game of words.  He deals in reality and truth.  However, let's keep walking through the passage.

Paul and Barnabas quickly get wind of what these guys are teaching and a strong dispute breaks out between them.  Neither side is backing down.  

Let me just remind us something Paul taught in Acts 13:39 when he was in Pisidian Antioch.  He said, "and by Him [Jesus] everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses."  So, Paul does not just see this as an issue for the Gentiles.  He sees it as critical to understanding even how Jews are made right before God.  There were certain things that the Law of Moses could never justify.  Only God's perfect sacrifice could make right those things, and that is Jesus.  The Law's weakness is not what it says, but that I cannot fulfill it in the flesh.  I need a redeemer, and that redeemer alone can make me right with God.

As I said before, if we make unity the cardinal doctrine, we must make it a unity upon what God is saying and doing.  This is why it is a good thing, a necessary thing, to stand strongly against those who teach error, especially when they claim to be believers.  These men were in danger of supplanting the truth in the hearts and minds of the believers of Antioch, and anywhere else they would go.

In Galatians 2, Paul refers to these men as false brothers (in the same fashion as the Bible speaks of false christs, false prophets, and false teachers).  He most likely did not call them that up front.  But later, he would see that many of them never truly embraced the grace of Jesus.  They were more about keeping the Law and its traditions than they were about coming into the new covenant.  In Galatians 2, Paul says that they did not submit to those false brothers for even one hour.  In our day, he would probably say not for one nano second.

When it is clear that neither side intends to relent, the church of Antioch decides to send Paul, Barnabas, and some others to Jerusalem in order to talk with the apostles and elders there.  This issue had to be ironed out now.

It is interesting to me that Paul and Barnabas did not jump on a ship to Jerusalem, which would have been quicker.  Instead, they travel down the coast through Phoenicia (modern-day Lebanon) and Samaria (northern Israel).  As they travel, they share with the churches they find about God's gracious work among the Gentiles.  We are told that this brings great joy to the believers.  It is always wonderful to hear stories of God moving powerfully anywhere in the world today.

I think the main purpose was to counteract any of the false teaching that may have happened by this group of men who had stirred up so much conflict in Antioch.  By the way, the term "Judaize/Judaizer" is often used of Christians who teach others to obey the Law of Moses in addition to believing on Jesus for salvation.

This group from Antioch is received by the Jerusalem church like any group of believers coming from abroad.  Paul and Barnabas share all that God was doing through them, particularly among the Gentiles.

This initial report is quickly resisted by a group of Pharisees who were now Christians.  In verse 5, we have their main argument.

First, they state that "it is necessary..."  Necessary things have no wiggle room.  They are not saying that they think it is wise for Gentiles to do this.  There are thing that I myself choose not to do out of wisdom, not because I believe they are necessary.  I will not drink alcohol because of the damage it did in my life before I surrendered to Jesus.  I do this not because it is necessary for salvation, but as a matter of wisdom.  I've never looked back.  Yet, they are emphasizing that there are some things that the Gentiles necessarily have to do.

Now, let's be honest.  There are some things that God says are necessary, and when He does, we do well to pay attention and obey.  Acts 4:12 says, "There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”  Jesus is a necessary condition to salvation.  This cannot be rejected without losing salvation.

Second, the first necessary thing is circumcision, according to the Judaizers.  Circumcision was a sign that you were under the covenant of Moses.  They believed it necessary for Gentiles to be circumcised to be saved.

Third, which actually incorporates the second, the Gentiles should be commanded to obey the Law of Moses.

This contention precipitates a gathering of the apostles and elders.  It is not referred to as a council in Acts, but historically it is viewed as an official gathering of the leaders of the Church to hammer out doctrine, so it qualifies as such.   They gather to determine exactly what should be taught to Gentiles in regard to salvation.

We should note that the kingdom of God is not about a democracy where everyone votes, and each votes is equal, regarding what we are going to teach.  What we teach must be based upon the decrees and work of God, and it should be led by spiritually mature believers.  Like a family, we would not expect the toddlers to help with the security and provisioning of the household.  Moms and dads are accountable before God to make decisions that are in conformity with God's Word for the sake of the children in their home.  Similarly, the apostles and elders are supposed to be a safety, and a help, to the new believers coming into the Church.  Of course, those elders would one day pass on, and young believers would become the elders of tomorrow.

They gather in order to make a decision (v. 8-12)

Luke tells us that there was much dispute, and then he gives us three testimonies that seem to have helped the group make their decision.  It is not important what all the intricacies of the arguments were.  Rather, Luke gives us the important testimony.  He gives us what we need to know.

The testimony of the apostle Peter is given first.  He was one of The Twelve taught directly by Jesus, and God had worked powerfully through him in Jerusalem and the surrounding area.  He also did not represent the "extreme" of the position of Antioch.  He was from Jerusalem, not one of "them."  Of course, the position of Paul and Barnabas, even that of the Antioch church, was not "extreme."  It is only extreme to a person who is unwilling to listen to God, and continues to resist what He is doing.  If God is moving and we are dead set on staying still, then even He will seem extreme to us.

So, what is Peter's argument, and which side does he take?

Peter points out that God's ministry through him made no distinction between Gentiles and Jews, especially in the pouring out of the Holy Spirit.  They knew the story of Peter's vision of the sheet let down from heaven and how God told him to go to Caesarea and preach the Gospel to the Gentiles there.  In fact, even before he finished his sermon, God poured out the Holy Spirit upon those Gentiles in the same manner as had happened to the Jews on the Day of Pentecost.  Peter says that God, who knows the heart of a man, poured out the Spirit upon them.

How do you argue against that?  So, you are left with disagreeing that God had actually led Peter to do this.  However, that leads you to having to deny that they actually received the true Holy Spirit.  They would have to reject Peter's clear ability to know what God is doing before everyone.

Peter was not participating in an intellectual exercise of who-can-outwit-whom.  He was dealing with the reality of what God was telling Him, and what God was doing among Gentiles.  Jesus was saving and filling Gentiles with the Holy Spirit without them being circumcised.  This is a bigger deal than we might think.

Peter then says that God purified their hearts through faith (verse 9).  How could God take up residence in an unclean vessel (Gentiles were considered such under the Law)?  God had to purify them first.  On what basis?  Purely on the basis of their faith in Jesus.  There is no way theologically around this except calling Peter a liar, which would not be based in reality either.

In verse 10, Peter clearly separates himself from those who are pushing for Gentiles to be circumcised and follow the Law.  He asks them why do they "test God" by putting a yoke upon the neck of the disciples that even we Jews couldn't carry.

This phrase "testing God" is loaded with the connotation of Israel in the wilderness where they tested God.  Those who tested God in the wilderness perished while others went into the Promised Land without them.  These Pharisees may not have known it, but they were acting the part of their forefathers in the wilderness.  They were rebelling against God.

Peter could not have put this in clearer terms.  He is firmly on the side of Paul and Barnabas, but really on the side of Jesus.  He believed it to be dangerous to persist in requiring Gentiles (or Jews) to follow the Law of Moses in order to be saved.  Why would it be dangerous?  This is the argument Paul makes in the book of Galatians.  It is dangerous because it teaches you to lean upon all the wrong things for your salvation.  It diminishes Jesus to something less than your total hope of salvation.  Salvation belongs to the Lord, and is not a work of man, though we can work with the Lord in it.

Peter ends his testimony in verse 11 by giving a summary that parallels that of Paul in Ephesians 2:8,9.  "We believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they."  When you couple that statement with the statement earlier that they were purified by faith, we see the grace of God working through our faith in Jesus to save us.  "Not of works lest any man should boast," as Paul would later say.

Peter had come to see salvation as a gift, a grace, of Jesus, and that even Jews are saved in the same manner as Gentiles.  There are not two paths to salvation: one for Jews, and another one for Gentiles.  In Jesus Christ, we are saved the same way, into one body, the Church (English), the Ekklesia (Greek), the Qahel (Hebrew), the People of God.

After Peter's testimony, we then have Barnabas and Paul testify.  Instead of focusing on a biblical argument, they give evidence of the work of God among the Gentiles.  In a sense, they are packing the testimony of Peter, which involves the work at one point in time among one group of Gentiles, with that of many groups of Gentiles, and many points of time, and many different places.

This creates a mounting question that is harder and harder to overlook.  Why would God fill Gentiles with the Holy Spirit and do miracles among them, if they now needed to be circumcised?  If circumcision was needed at all, then God would not do the other.  They would not be fit for service, and for His presence.  A holy God filling an unclean vessel would have been a concept that was anathema.  The vessel is cleansed first, and then it can be holy unto the Lord for His work.

The Pharisees are faced with either obeying God in this matter, or continuing to hold on to their traditions and points of pride.

We will finish up with the council next week.  Yet, let us notice that the freedom of Christ for believers is often put in contention with obeying the Word of God.  However, this is a false dichotomy.  We who have put our faith in Jesus have been purified by faith and now stand in a place of safety, on a foundation of salvation.  From that safe place of Jesus, we are enabled to partner with the Holy Spirit and follow the commands of Christ.  We are enabled to walk out the righteousness of Christ by the grace of God.

You will notice that the moral aspects of the Law (forbidding sexual immorality, murder, hatred, dissensions, etc.) are all restated in the New Testament.  However, the dietary laws, the temple ordinances, the special days of observance, et. al. are not reiterated as obligations of believers.  However, regardless of this, even the moral requirement to love one another is not a work I am doing to obtain salvation, but an act of love out of thanks for salvation.  Jesus said, "If you love me, you will obey my commands."  Let us love the Lord our God with all our heart.  And, if we stumble, let us confess our sin, repent of it, and let him do his work of cleansing us from all unrighteousness.

Jerusalem Council I

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