The Acts of the Apostles 43

Subtitle: A Critical Juncture

Acts 10:17-33. This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on June 4, 2023.

Last week, we saw that both Cornelius the Centurion of Caesarea and the Apostle Peter had a vision from the Lord.  The content of the visions are different, but they are essentially about the same thing.

This is a critical juncture in the book of Acts.  Chapters 10 through 15 portray the Lord opening a door for the Gospel to be preached among the Gentiles.  And, let's be clear.  The goal of the Gospel is not only to have it preached all over the earth, but that every person on earth would have a proper hearing of it.

Even though Saul of Tarsus, the Apostle Paul, would come to be used mainly to reach the Gentiles, it is  Peter that God uses to initiate the Gospel being preached to Gentiles.  His witness will be incredibly important in Acts 15 at a council of the Church regarding this issue.

Turmoil is always going to come to the Church simply because we are human.  Some look to good leadership as the key to protecting the Church, to which I would say, "Yes."  However, it is the leadership of Jesus through His Holy Spirit that should be leading.  There have been many people in the Church through the centuries who are very skilled at commanding others, but are they headed in the same direction as the Spirit of God?

Jesus spent time with these Apostles, teaching them and correcting them.  He also poured His Holy Spirit out upon them so that the Church would be enabled to have a strong and sure foundation on which to build.  The faith of the nations is not up to skilled leaders today.  Rather, the faith of the nations is to be put precisely upon the faith that was once and for all delivered unto the saints (Jude 1:3) in the first century.

All of this is led and helped by the Holy Spirit.  As the Holy Spirit works on the hearts of lost people, He also works to connect them with true believers in Jesus so that they can have a good hearing of the Gospel.

Let's look at our passage.

Peter is led by the Spirit (v. 17-23)

Peter has been filled with the Holy Spirit, and we see him in a daily communion with the Lord in prayer.  The filling of the Holy Spirit is not a one and done event; it is not something that you "move on" from.  He takes up residence within your heart and daily works with you to become like Jesus.  He is twice called the Spirit of Christ.  That is, when the Spirit moves upon us, He is relating the desires and commands of Jesus to His disciples.  Of course, we must never take this for granted.  We must actively cooperate with the leading of the Holy Spirit.

You may not receive great directives from the Lord every day in visions, dreams, or angelic visitations.  However, we all start our life as a believing disciple with a set of great directives, commands, from the Lord Jesus.  We are to believe on Jesus and his righteousness to remove our sins.  We are to be a people of the Word of God, prayer, and seeking the leading of the Holy Spirit through them.  We are to seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit so that we can be enabled to become more like Jesus, and to share his Good News with those who do not know him.  That can keep us all busy for a lifetime.

Several aspects of the enabling of the Holy Spirit are seen here.  Peter is given instruction, and he is given direction.

We know that this instruction has to do with the Gentiles receiving the Gospel.  However, this was not as clear to the early Jewish Christians.  For various reasons, it was easier to see preaching the Gospel throughout all of the nations as having more to do with reaching Jews, or Israelites, who had been dispersed to the nations in the prior centuries.  The Old Testament prophesied that Messiah would draw the dispersed of Israel back to the land, and he would restore true worship.  Yet, a close reading of any version of the Great Commission (see Matthew 28:18-20) will show that it is honestly impossible to restrict his commands to simply reaching Jews among the nations.

This social and cultural hurdle has to be overcome by the work of the Holy Spirit.  Notice that the Holy Spirit gives Peter clear instructions, but they do not answer every question that he might have.  The men from Cornelius are arriving.  The Holy Spirit tells Peter that they are there and that he needs to go with them because they are sent by Him.

This is a signature style of the Lord.  He is faithful to give us enough instruction and direction that we can obey, and yet, not enough that it no longer  requires faith on our part.  There will always be plenty of things that we just don't know.  Don't let yourself be frozen by questions and analysis at such times. 

Part of our humanity is that we are generally uncomfortable with not knowing the answers to our questions.  Yet, God values faith over robotic obedience, which we could never give anyways.  He is more interested in you growing to become like Him than you mimicking Him without a change of heart.

In many ways, this is a stronger teaching technique.  We are forced to move forward in faith that it will be clearer down the road.  As we are faithful to what we do know, God helps us to discover more of the truth as our questions experience the fruit of our faith. 

Jesus did this with his own identity as Messiah.  Many of the disciples had come to Jesus on the testimony of John the Baptist.  Yet, Jesus does not emphasize the disciples learning by rote a list of doctrinal teachings on his Messiahship.  Rather, they experience life with him and come to discover that Jesus is doing what Scripture says Messiah would do.  Jesus blessed Peter because "flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven."  These men had been convinced by God's Spirit and not the teaching of a human being.

Here, Peter is learning that he does not need to worry about being defiled by the company of Gentiles, as well as the fact that God was going to save and fill them with the Holy Spirit too.  He didn't have perfect understanding of these things at first.  However, following Jesus is not about being perfect.  It is about being perfected as we rely upon the Spirit of God in our life.  It is about being in the harness with God, and having Him help us along the way.

Thus, God gives us enough to believe him, but leaves room requiring us to walk forward in faith.  I know that I don't have all of the answers.  But, this one thing I do know.  Through His Spirit, God will be with me all the way.  This is what enables us to face a world that is under threat of nuclear destruction without fear.  My life is in God's hand, which doesn't mean a nuclear bomb cannot explode (remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki?).  My life is in God's hands so I know that He is leading me to that which is good.  My hope for tomorrow is not about God controlling everything so that I do not have a bad day.  Instead, it is about knowing His plan for me is good and eternal.  Even death cannot separate us from the love of God and the eternal love He wants to pour out upon us.  God has a plan for you and me.  He intends to bring us through this life to the goodness that He has reserved for us on the other side.  And, good news, there is good even now in the midst of the difficulties of this life.

Peter is also told in verse 20 to go while "doubting nothing."  This is not a categorical statement for everything for the rest of his life.  He doesn't have to answer that cell phone call from "Scam Likely" and do whatever the person on the line says.  This word is specifically about these men and the situation they will create.

When Peter goes downstairs, he is going to see that these men are Gentiles.  He will have doubts about receiving them, lodging them, and going with them to Caesarea.  And while we are at it, let's recognize that we always have doubts.  The point is not so much to get to a theoretical place where doubts never rise in our hearts and minds.  Rather, it is about not letting the doubts cause you to resist, or even rebel against, the clear command of Christ. 

When doubts pop up, you must remind yourself that God has spoken to you.  I see this with those who become Christians, but then have a nagging fear that they may have committed the unpardonable sin.  They fear that the "salvation" is not real.  The only answer to such a thing is to go back to that moment of turning to the Lord.  Most of them could point to a very real moment in which the Spirit of God convicted them of their sins and their need to believe on Jesus.  The Holy Spirit is not playing a game with people.  He would know if someone had committed and unpardonable sin or not.  It is the work of the Spirit of God that gives us confidence that we should keep walking forward in faith trusting God.

Even when we know what God wants us to do, our fleshly mind and heart can come up with doubts.  This is why it is important to have a daily communication with God in prayer, and in the Word.  This can strengthen our confidence in God's leading.  What we do for Christ will be done by faith in him, not simply by feeling and reason.

With all of this leading of Peter by the Holy Spirit, it is interesting to note that the Holy Spirit leaves some of Peter's instruction, or understanding, to come to him through other people.  Thus, we need to seek the Holy Spirit's leading within us, but also learn to hear and see it through others. God also works in and through other people. 

Of course, this is an area where it is important for us to be mature enough in the Lord to recognize when the Lord is working through another person.  In the end, I am responsible to hear what the Spirit is saying and then bring my life into conformity to it.  All of us came to Christ through the work of other people.  However, we then had to take responsibility for what God was saying and make the choice ourselves.  We will see this dynamic throughout this story.

Peter lodges the men over night, and then they head out on the 40 miles trek to Caesarea.  Verse 23 tells us that Peter takes some of the brethren from Joppa with him.  It will be important for others to be witnesses of what transpires in Caesarea.

Sometimes in questionable areas, we can try to do things in secret out of fear.  However, it is always wise to have other believers with us.  In cases where they can't go with you, you can at least talk with them about what is coming up, and ask them to be praying for you.

Peter knows that God is leading him.  He just doesn't know what all God is leading him to do.  When the council in Acts 15 convenes, there will be a large number of witnesses of what God has been doing among the Gentiles.  Each one of them were individuals who stepped out in faith with others.

Peter meets with Cornelius (v. 24-33)

The next morning the group heads out.  Though Peter is headed to see Cornelius, this is more than a meeting with a man.  God is in this meeting and has an agenda of His own.

We are told that Cornelius was waiting for them.  He wants to know what he should do, but he also wants his relatives and close friends to know as well.  We don't know the number of people who have gathered, but the number is less critical than the fact that God is using Cornelius to draw a crowd.

We are not always sure how God is going to use us as well.  A good prayer is this.  "Lord, I want to accomplish what You have for me to do, so help me to recognize it and to do it." 

May God bless those faithful people like Cornelius who have the fire of God within them to gather others to hear the Word of the Lord.  There is no idea that God told him to do this.  We generally do not need a direct word from the Lord in order to do something.  This is in keeping with the God of Israel.  He continually calls for people to hear what He has to say.

The fact that Cornelius meets Peter at the door is a sign of great respect.  This is not the normal way that a Roman centurion would deal with a Judean. 

On the other hand, an angel of God told Cornelius to send for Peter.  If God did something similar in your life, that person would go way up in your estimation.

However, Cornelius falls to the ground and worships Peter.  This word for worship does have a range of meaning.  Thus, the question is this.  Is Cornelius simply showing great respect to Peter as one of greater authority (spirit) than he, or, is he actually worshiping Peter as a divine man.  The gentiles had a mentality that the gods and demi-gods could appear as people and walk among us.  We see this in Acts 14 when Paul and Barnabas heal a man crippled from birth.  The people cry out that "the gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!"

Peter probably would have been uncomfortable with both ends of the spectrum.  He definitely would not allow someone to worship him as divine.  Yet, he also knows that he is nobody to be bowed down to.  Only Jesus deserves such honor.  At the cross, Peter had found out just how great he really was.  He was not Peter the Great, but rather, he was Just Peter the Pebble.  It was to Peter the Pebble that Christ spoke the tender words.  "Do you love me?  Feed my sheep."  Peter is not full of himself and needing a fragile ego stroked.

The Church would be in a far better place had those who served in the Church of Jesus through the centuries had the same humility that Peter came to have.   Throughout the years, powerful people within Christianity have done a great disservice to God by requiring too much undue homage to be paid to persons of authority.

Peter was not this way.  He took Cornelius by the shoulders and pulls him up.  He impresses on Cornelius that he is just a man.  Cornelius is a devout believer, but he clearly is in need of godly instruction.  This is why the Lord has enabled this meeting.

It is then that Peter discovers a whole group of Gentiles have gathered.  The elephant in the room is that this would not normally be done by a godly Jew.  Peter begins by clearing out this social issue that had become a wall between Jews and Gentiles. 

Verse 28 says, "You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation."  This was not so much from a specific command in the law as it was a protection that developed from the laws of ritual cleanliness.  Gentiles did not operate according to the Law of Moses, and so were generally defiled through the foods they ate and activity they did.

We should take some time to explain that the word "defiled" or "unclean" in this context has to do with a ritual (ceremonial) defilement.  A defiled person could not go before the altar of God, period.  Thus, it is more about the ability to approach God.  Of course, at the altar, a person could then offer sacrifices for their sins, which Jesus is the once-and-for-all offering for sin.  Of course, no godly Jew ever wanted to be defiled and unable to participate in festivals, or offerings.  Over time, a safe set of instructions had been built up like a wall against accidentally becoming defiled. 

This wall had then become a wall between God's people and the ones that God wanted to reach, Gentiles.  It can get so thick that we no longer have a concept that maybe God still cares about them and wants to reach them.  Yet, if you closely read the Old Testament, you will see that God's heart for reaching the Gentiles was all through it.

Peter tells the group that God has shown him not to call any man common or unclean.  Notice that Peter is making the connection that the Holy Spirit is leading him to make.  The unclean foods was representing the Gentiles.  Just as God had cleansed all foods so that they could now be eaten under the New Covenant, God had also cleansed all Gentiles so that they could now interact with Jews and directly approach God for forgiveness.

When  you run into people who ridicule Christians not following their own Bible because they eat pork or shellfish, point them to this verse.  The death of Jesus on the cross had fulfilled the law and made the foods and the Gentiles clean.  This doesn't mean Gentiles were all saved at the cross, but that they now can approach (have access to) the throne of Grace and believe on Jesus Christ!  There would be no restrictions.  This is not a whimsical change.  It is a change that is made possible through the Incarnation, death, and resurrection of Jesus!

In verses 30 through 32, Cornelius tells his story of the angel in the vision.  Back in verse 6, the angel says of Peter, "He will tell you what you must do."  In verse 33, Cornelius says that they are gathered "before God to hear all the things commanded you by God."

There is a necessary component to what God wants Cornelius to do.  He is a God-fearer, but he still needs to put his faith in Jesus as the Messiah and Savior.  The same commands given to Peter and his fellow Jews, as well as the Samaritans, are intended for these Gentiles.

This is a good picture of how we should always be when we gather to hear the word of the Lord.  Whether I am an individual in times of devotion (reading the word and praying), or a family honoring God at home, or a church gathering for weekly fellowship, we need to have an attitude that we are gathered before God in order to hear what He would have us do.

God accepts the worship of Cornelius, but He also expects him to grow in his understanding, his worship, and his obedience.  If Cornelius wants to participate in a deeper walk with God, then he will need to mix his hearing with faith.

If this was a group of Jews, Peter would not hesitate to tell them about believing in Jesus.  Yet, now he is faced with the obvious desire of God.  Who is he to tell God that He can't save Gentiles this way?  Who am I to stand in the way of people hearing the Gospel?  For Peter, it was the barrier of "unclean" Gentiles.  God tells him not to call unclean what He has cleansed.

This work of Jesus makes it possible for "whosoever" desires to come before God and ask for cleansing of sins from Jesus.  Everybody needs to hear and have the opportunity to believe.  We have our own ideas about who can possibly come to faith in Christ and deserve a hearing.  For you, it may be a person with tattoos, piercings, and colored hair.  Yet, for them, it may be a person who wears a suit for a living.  The Spirit of God wants to break down these barriers and bring us into situations where we can share the Good News about the sacrifice of Jesus, and the promise of the Holy Spirit.

Peter sees in this moment that God has broken down this wall that had developed between Jews and Gentiles.  May we be a people who are led by the Spirit and not our cultural sensibilities.  The Assemblies of God was always a missionary movement.  The founding generation sought to be filled with the Holy Spirit so that people around the world would have a Spirit-filled witness in their life.  This would give them the best possible chance to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved.

God help us to desire, to hunger, for the baptism of the Holy Spirit so that we can be a powerful testimony in the lives of others.

Critical Juncture audio

The Acts of the Apostles 42

Subtitle: A Tale of Two Visions

Acts 10:1-16.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Pentecost Sunday, May 28, 2023.

Jesus in John 16:12-15 told his disciples that he had much more to say to them, but they would not be able to bear it, or handle it at that time.  However, he promised that the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit, would come and teach them everything that they needed to know.  He would guide them into all truth- at least, all the truth that they would need.

These apostles are often referred to as the early leaders of the Church, but let us recognize up front that Jesus is the true leader of the Church.  The Apostles and any subsequent leaders are simply helpers, servants of the Lord, in his leadership.

In our passage today, we will be given a glimpse at what it looked like for the Spirit of Truth to lead the early Church.  The issue at hand was the status of Gentiles who would be coming to faith in Jesus.  What exactly did they need to do in order to become Christians?  Did they need to first adopt Judaism and its requirements and then believe on Jesus?

The book of Acts from chapter 10 to 15 gives a resounding, "No," to this question.  All of this features the Holy Spirit teaching the apostles.

Let's look at our passage.

The vision of a Gentile named Cornelius (v. 1-8)

As Peter continued to minister in Joppa, Luke brings our attention to a Gentile in Caesarea named Cornelius.  This city was 40 miles north on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, and it was the headquarters for Rome's operations in the area, hence the name, Caesarea.

Cornelius is an officer in one of the Roman Legions, particularly the Italian Regiment, or Cohort.  He is a centurion, which generally means a command of 100 men or less (depending on losses in battle).  Of course, such a profession would not put Cornelius on the "nice list" with most Judeans.

Yet, verse 2 tells us that this Cornelius was a devout believer in the God of Israel.  It was not uncommon for there to be Gentiles who were sympathetic towards, and even convinced of the God of Israel as the One True God.  Most of them, however, did not want to be circumcised and officially become attached to Israel.  This created a group of people that were referred to as "God-fearers."  They were uncircumcised, but followed many of the customs and worship of Israel.

We are also told that Cornelius was very generous in alms, or charitable giving.  He had donated to particular issues that would help the people of Israel.

On this particular day, we are told that it was the ninth hour, or 3:00 pm.  Verse 30 will tell us later that he was praying and fasting.  This would be at the time of the evening sacrifice in Jerusalem.  All of this pictures a man who is worshiping God in Spirit and in truth.

Of course, prayer is a relationship with God, which begs the question.  What is his status with God?  We will talk more on this later.

As Cornelius is praying, he has a vision of an angel coming into the room.  A vision is commonly distinguished from a dream.  It is used of a person who is not asleep, and yet, sees something that may be as real as a dream, i.e., a day-dream.  It is a real spiritual interaction.  However, a vision is generally distinguished from an actual physical manifestation.  He mentally sees and hears the message of the angel.  If someone else had been there, they would not have seen or heard the angel.

Though Cornelius is startled, he addresses the angel with, "What is it, lord?"  Again in verse 30, he tells us that "a man stood before me in bright clothing."  This is common in biblical text.  Heavenly angels generally look like men when they appear to people.  However, something makes it clear that it is not an earthly messenger.  Here, the clothing of the man is glowing, he has a message that is from God, and it would not be easy for a mortal to slip into Cornelius' room.  There was no doubt it was an angel.

The angel tells Cornelius that his prayers and alms have come before God as a memorial.  That is important to note.  Whatever his status, God was taking notice of his prayers and charitable works.  The term "memorial" is a reference to a kind of sacrifice.   This can be seen in Revelation 8:4 where we see the heavenly temple.  Incense is burned before God along with "the prayers of the saints" by angels.  It is not clear exactly how this is done.  However, the truth is shown that the prayers of the saints are before God continually.

Of course, God doesn't need incense offered  with their prayers.  He sees it all.  Thus, the importance is a demonstration to the heavenly beings that humans are praying unto God, and that God is receiving their prayers.

I believe that his status was much like Abram's.  Yes, he is a gentile and is not in complete conformity to the Law of Moses.  Yet, he is approaching God in faith, and God is responding with grace.

We should note that Cornelius is not praying to see an angel.  He already has a lot of God's grace as he has heard the truth of God, and is serving near Israel.  Rather, it was in the midst of his being faithful to God in prayer that God said, "that's my man." 

The angel is not so much a response to good worship and prayer, but as a fulfillment of the purposes of God.  This was just the sort of man that the Lord would use to help the Church to understand that Gentiles were to be saved just like Judeans.  God's grace comes to us in many different ways.  It is not ours to worry about the way, but rather, it is ours to be thankful for whatever ways the grace of God materializes.

When you pray, you may feel like nothing big is happening.  However, at the least, your prayers are coming before God.  If you are discouraged in prayer because you want something specific to happen, be careful that you are not complaining about the grace of God you already have.  God has a timing for everything, and we can be guilty of overlooking the grace that He is already giving us each and every day.

Cornelius is then told to send to Joppa for a Simon Peter who was staying with Simon the Tanner.  Peter would then tell him what he "must do."

Couldn't the angel have told him what to do?  Yes, of course, the angel could have.  God Himself could do everything in the universe while we all stand on the sidelines cheering, "Go, God!"  But, God isn't looking for a cheerleader to cheer Him on.  That may stroke your ego, but God is looking for a bride who will join Him in the field of work.

It was important that an apostle of Jesus be involved in this critical juncture of Gentiles coming into the Church.  Though Paul would become the main apostle to the Gentiles, Peter would be an important link in convincing the Jerusalem Church that God was saving Gentiles too.  He would be critical in establishing what the status of Gentiles coming to Christ would be.

Though it was afternoon, Cornelius immediately calls two of his household along with a soldier who is also a devout believer from his personal detail.  He tells them the task and sends them to Joppa in order to fetch Simon Peter.

Let us note how important it is to respond to the promptings of the Lord as quickly as we can.  All of us can think of times where we were dilatory with the leading of God's Spirit.  God doesn't generally send angels to speak to us, though He can do so at any time.  Typically the Holy Spirit prompts us in our heart and mind as we pray.  The person who is devoutly praying to God will receive instruction from Him from time to time.  We need to be in a relationship with Jesus where we are seeking his leading, and responding quickly to the leading that He gives.  Don't be lazy, and don't be resistant, or rebellious.

Peter has a vision (v. 9-16)

As the men from Cornelius approach Simon the Tanner's house, Peter also has a vision around noon.  These two visions are basically the same, but they would hit those who first heard about it as a contrast.  Peter is a Jew, devout, and an apostle of Jesus.  Of course, we can picture him having a vision.  However, Cornelius is not a Jew nor a follower of Jesus.  Yet, the same God is working in them both for His singular purpose.

Peter is praying and becomes extremely hungry.  It appears that this has been made known to the house and they are fixing some food.  Meanwhile, he continues to pray on the roof of the house.  I don't know if God caused him to be hungrier than usual, but regardless, He uses Peter's hunger to emphasize a command that will be important in regards to Cornelius.

Verse 10 tells us that Peter "fell into a trance."  The difference between a trance and a vision is nothing.  They are the same thing described from two different angles.  The word "vision" focuses on the fact that he sees something.  It is the experience from the view of the person who sees it.  The word "trance" focuses on the fact that his mind is elsewhere at the time.  It is the experience from the view of a person watching the one having the vision.  In fact, in Acts 11:5, Peter will describe this event with both words.  He will say, "in a trance, I saw a vision."

The vision was of a sheet that is bound up on all the four corners creating a sling.  It is let down from heaven before him and is filled with unclean, or non-kosher, animals.  Unclean animals are such that the Law of Moses proscribed from being eaten by the people of Israel, and from being offered up as a sacrifice to Yahweh.

Of course, it is not the contents of the sheet that are the problem, but the content of the command that is given to him next.  Peter is told to rise up, kill and eat.  This picture is going to occur three times.  Peter protests that he had never eaten such animals before.  It appears that he also has no desire to do so even though he is quite hungry. 

God knew that he would respond this way, and He intends to use this to hammer home a point Peter needs to understand.  Before we get into the point, we should touch base on this whole issue of unclean and common as opposed to that which was clean and holy.

We often use unholy to mean something morally bad, but the foods themselves were not morally bad.  To be holy simply means that something, or someone, is set apart for a particular purpose of God.  To be unholy simply meant to be a thing, or one, that is not set apart for a particular purpose of God.  Israel was a holy nation.  They had been called to do a particular, special duty for God among the nations.  The other nations were unholy, or common.  Yet, within the nation of Israel, there were particular people who were called to serve as priests in the temple.  In this area, the priest would be holy, but the other Israelites would be common.  The same could be said of a temple bowl.  A common bowl could be used for any purpose you like.  It wasn't holy.  However, a bowl that had been consecrated to God's work in the temple could not be used for a common purpose.  Even among the priests, only one man could go into the Holy of Holies once a year.  None of the common priests could perform the work of the high priest.

At this point, it is important to note that the clean and unclean animals served an important purpose in Israel.  Yet, now God was directly connecting the concept of unclean animals versus clean animals with the concept of unclean peoples (i.e., Gentiles) and clean people (i.e., Israel).

Let me interject at this point that I run into people who make a big deal out of Christians changing the laws of the Old Testament.  Or, they will say something like God said it was bad and then He changed His mind and said it was good.  They underlying accusation is that God is whimsical or Christians are hypocritically changing the bible.  Neither are true.

Note what God says to Peter's protest.  "What God has cleansed you must not call common."  Do you see that.  Something has changed from the days of Moses to the vision of Peter.  God has actively "cleansed" these foods.  How did He do that?  The death and resurrection of Jesus fulfilled all the requirements of the Old Covenant.  God would now establish a New Covenant with the remnant of Israel and whosoever will of the Gentile nations.  It was no longer necessary under the New Covenant to continue a restriction on foods because the truth that they pictured was now changed.  Gentiles were no longer considered common because of the work of Jesus.

Let's be clear here.  Common and holy here have to do with the ability to approach God and have our sins dealt with.  Yes, we can speak of the holiness of one who has had their sins removed.  But, the Old Testament had an additional concept of being able to approach the altar of the Lord and offer sacrifices for your sins.  Gentiles could not do this under the Old Covenant because they were unclean.  Now, through the work of Jesus, they have been made acceptable to enter God's presence and be cleansed.  This is not a whimsical or hypocritical change.  It is a very real sacrifice done once and for all by God's Anointed One, Jesus.

Under the New Covenant, Christians can eat any food without fear of defilement.  All foods are cleansed by the work of Jesus.  However, this is also a picture of the reality that any person from any tribe, tongue, or nation, can come to God in faith and be accepted at His altar.  There is no longer any distinction between a Jewish Christian or a Gentile Christian, other than heritage.

There is a sense of warning in this command, "you must not call common."  If God makes something holy, then no one should treat it as unholy, common.  This would apply to Jewish Christians like Peter who would tend to shrink away from treating Gentiles as completely clean in Christ.  However, it would also apply to the Corinthian Christians who were taking the Gospel of Jesus and the Gifts of the Spirit, and using them in a defiled way, unholy way.  Such people often have an attitude that says, "Jesus has paid the price so all things (i.e., even sin) are clean to us now."  Such a thing must not be done.  It is important for the Church to uphold this truth in a day and age that is transgressing this on both sides.

Do you believe that God is working in your life as He was in Peter's life, or Cornelius' life?  Yes, the scope of what God is doing is greater in them.  You may not see an angel, or even have a vision.

However, we need to recognize that as we are praying and serving Jesus, there comes times when He speaks to our heart and mind.  It might be something that you are intimidated by, or afraid to do.  It might be something that you are even unsure about.

This is why God has given us His Word, His Spirit, and a body of believers with the Gifts of the Spirit distributed as He wills.  Peter had great spiritual gifts placed in his life in order to help the early Church and even us today through the word.  We may not all experience everything that Peter did, but we are all the beneficiaries of what God did through him and the other apostles.

It is not the vision, or angelic visitation, that we should be seeking.  Rather, it is the purpose and presence of the Lord Jesus Himself that is our desire.  The help of the Holy Spirit is always happening and available for those who are seeking Him.  However, it is up to God the particular ways that His grace is given to us.  Let us be a people who are used of God to further His work of saving Gentiles and Jews in these last days!

Two Visions audio

The Acts of the Apostles 41

Subtitle: Peter Continues to Minister

Acts 9:32-43.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on May 21, 2023.

We are picking back up where left off several months ago.  At this point in the book of Acts, Luke has detailed the beginnings of the Church in Jerusalem and its spread.  He has also introduced Saul, his persecution of the followers of Jesus, and his conversion to faith in Jesus as Messiah.  After an attempt on his life, Saul left the area and went back to Tarsus, his hometown.

Luke's narrative now turns back to the Apostle Peter.  Today, we will look at two miracles of healing that were done through Peter.  All of this is leading up to an important event in Acts 10.  It will be the first time that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit comes upon Gentiles who believe in Jesus.

Let's look at our passage.

The healing of Aeneas (v. 32-35)

Here is a link to a map of the area in our story today.

In Acts 8:40, we are told that Philip, a deacon of Jerusalem, had preached in all of the cities from Azotus to Caesarea.  God worked through Philip to do miracles, healings, and exorcisms.  Lydda and Joppa would fall within this area.  Thus, Philip would have seen healings and salvations in Lydda, and there had been ministry in the name of Jesus already.

Verse 32 tells us that Peter was going throughout all of the area and visiting believers.  He is being faithful to the Lord's command to him, "Feed my sheep."  Just as Peter and John followed up on Philip's ministry in Samaria, so Peter is now coming into these areas after Philip.  It could be as much as a year or two since Philip has ministered here.  Some of these saints in Lydda may also have fled to there from the earlier persecution in Jerusalem under Saul of Tarsus.  Regardless, Jesus intended his disciples, apostles, to be a gift to the early Church, helping it to be established firmly upon His Word and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Verse 33 tells us that Peter "found" a certain man named Aeneas.  He had been bed-ridden from a paralysis for eight years.  We know very little about this man.  It doesn't say that he was a believer like it will mention with Tabitha in the next event that Luke relates.

It also begs the question.  Where was Aeneas when Philip ministered in the area earlier?  Why wasn't he healed and saved then?  However, we could ask the same question about people who were healed by the apostles.  Jesus had ministered throughout Israel for three and a half years, healing people and casting out demons.

There seems to be a certain accident of timing in many things in life.  The timing can be affected by the person.  Were they gone when it happened, or unreceptive at that time?  It can be affected by circumstances outside of the person's control.  Why are some reached quickly and others take a great length of time?  On this side of eternity, our lives are filled with questions that will most likely remain unanswered.  Our walk and experience with the Lord is not dependent upon having all of the answers.  What matters is that a person comes to faith in the work of Jesus as their Anointed Savior, and submit to him as their Lord.

You may notice that your conversations with some who are not Christians can devolve into one question about detail in the Bible after another.  However, at some point, you have to move a way from questions that are the theological equivalent of "Did Adam have a belly button?" and  press the issue.  Can you now put your trust in Jesus as God's answer for your sin and the sin of the world? 

We are never going to have all of the answers.  Even if we did, you may think about whether or not it would actually help us.  Peter's power came from a trusting relationship with the Lord and not from having all of the answers.

I love how Peter says to Aeneas, "Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you."  Peter wants to make it abundantly clear just how this healing is happening.  We shouldn't turn this into a kind of mantra that always works to perform healings, and yet, we shouldn't rush past it.  God does use people in different ways, and we should recognize that.  However, we can never see that person as our source.  God is our source.  He is the giver of ever good and perfect gift.

Peter then tells Aeneas to arise and make his bed.  It was most likely a bed roll so making it is most likely rolling it up.  Yet, we are told that he arose immediately.  The cynic may cry foul, and call it a long con, but that just doesn't make sense.  He is not going to convincingly pretend to be paralyzed for 8 years in order to make the disciples of Jesus look good after Jesus himself was crucified.  However, Aeneas was initially paralyzed, God touched the underlying issue and he was healed in an instant!

The spread of this story among the people of Lydda and the area around it called the Sharon led to an influx of believers into the faith.  Just like this paralytic not being healed, we see that there were still people who needed to be saved.  They had resisted, or missed out, earlier, but now they have finally believed.  Oh, the grace of God to not give up on us!

The phrase "turned to the Lord" reminds us that salvation is not just a matter of intellectually faith in Jesus and a change of life-style.  It is also a relationship with the Lord Jesus who is the master.  They have changed their mind and become his students.  They have believed on Jesus and have been born again by the Spirit of God into His family as a child of God.  They have said "Yes" to Jesus and have taken their place among the bride of Christ.  God is always working to bring us into proper relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. 

They had been resisting, but now they believed.  What if God was as easily miffed as we are?  God's grace kept sending people their way.  Yes, for all people, there is a last time that the gospel is brought to our minds and hearts, but even then God loves us to the very end.

The raising of Tabitha (v. 36-43)

At this point, our story segues to the nearby coastal city of Joppa, modern-day Tel Abib-Yafo.  The news of the healing of Aeneas spreads so that the believers in Joppa hear that Peter is nearby.  While this good thing is happening in Lydda, there is trouble in Joppa among the believers.

A woman named Tabitha becomes sick and dies.  Luke notes for his Greek readers that her Aramaic name of Tabitha is equivalent to the Greek name Dorcas.  Both of the names mean "gazelle" in their respective languages, and she was a graceful woman.  She was a very industrious doer of charitable works among the people of Joppa.  Verse 39 gives us an idea of at least one thing that she did.  It speaks of the widows weeping and showing the tunics and garments that Tabitha had made for them while she was alive.  Apparently, Tabitha was able to afford making and giving away these garments to the less fortunate in town.

We could contrast this with a man like Peter.  We should not put down very natural gifts of helps like Tabitha displayed in relation to the supernatural gifts that were displayed through Peter.  We can be guilty of diminishing the importance of simply using the natural gifts of God in our life to bless others.  It reminds me of Moses when God sends him to go to Egypt and deliver the Israelites.  Moses is very intimidated by the task.  However, God asks him, "What is that in your hand?"  It was a simply staff, but it was all Moses needed as long as the Spirit of God was with Him.  The Spirit of God used Tabitha to bless people, but not through healings and raising people from the dead.  It is not that Peter had no natural abilities either, and Tabitha no spiritual ones.  Both of them upon their deaths would find people weeping over their passing.

So, Tabitha became sick and died during the time that Peter was at Lydda.  Tabitha is the kind of person that we can struggle with their deaths.  She is not dying of old age.  Why would God allow her to die?  We need more people like her.  Why don't you take a bad person?  Many are the questions that people have of God. 

Clearly, not all believers are healed from disease, and even less are raised back to life from death.  There are only a few stories from the Old Testament.  Jesus himself raised three people back to life: the son of the widow of Nain, the daughter of Jairus, and Lazarus.  There are only two stories of someone raised back to life in the New Testament.  Peter raising Tabitha here, and Paul raising Eutychus, a young man who fell out of a window and died- probably breaking his neck, or blunt force trauma.

In all of these cases, it is probably best not to use the term resurrection.  They are brought back to life, but into mortal bodies.  This is different from the resurrection of Jesus and the promise of resurrection to believers (1 Corinthians 15).  At the resurrection, believers receive a glorified, immortal body.  The story here is more on the level of an impossible "healing." 

Lazarus was raised from the dead after being in the grave for four days.  Yet, he went on to grow old and die.  When he died, Jesus did not come down out of the heavens and raise him back to life, or send an apostle, nor should we see his later death as some kind of failure with the spiritual power of the Church.  Lazarus would die a second time and, though it too would be sad, it would be the grace of God.  He can let go of this mortal body knowing that he shall have a glorified one in the resurrection.  This is not to discount this mortal life.  It is in this mortal life that God teaches us about Himself, and we can do exploits for His glory.   It is where we learn to trust Him!

Some think that God should have made us powerful like the angels.  They seem to see our weakness as an argument against the goodness of God.  But, it seems that a perfect world is one in which we face the exact kind of difficulties that will enable us to become like God enough to understand His heart.  I'm reminded of the classic problem of a man who creates a business from scratch from hard work and over the top of great adversity.  No matter how good of a man he is, his kids, and then grandkids, will not have as much adversity as he did.  They will only know a life of being born with a silver spoon in their mouth.  This doesn't guarantee that a kid will be spoiled and not like their grandfather, but it tends towards that.  It appears that a world in which nothing can ever go wrong would more likely ensure that none of us truly understood God and became like Him.  We would never truly be able to have a deep relationship with Him.

Christians have a greater hope than having someone pray for us and being healed, or raised from the dead.  The God that can heal mortal bodies and raise them back to mortal life, can do even greater things than that!  He is able to do far above what we often are wanting from Him at the time.  Let us learn to trust the Lord.

Back to our story, we are told that the disciples send for Peter and urge him to come without delay.  This seems to imply that she wasn't dead yet when they sent for him.  I say this because they would have no expectation that Peter would raise her from the dead.  None of the apostles had done such a thing.  Yet, she passes before Peter comes.

Verse 39 describes the scene as Peter shows up in Joppa.  They brought him to the room where Tabitha's body has been prepared for burial.  There are women weeping, mourning her death, and explaining what a special woman she was.

However, at verse 40, something changes.  Peter has all of the weeping women and others leave the room.  We then see a scene similar to the time that Jesus healed the daughter of Jairus in Mark 5.  Peter was there and saw all that Jesus did.  Surely, this is not he first person in the Church around Peter to die.  What gives rise to this coming raising of Tabitha from the dead?

This is conjecture at this point, but I do believe that the Holy Spirit put it in Peter's mind and heart.  Something about this scene gave Peter the faith, or belief, that God may want to raise this woman back to life.  First of all, we are told in Mark 5:41 that when Jesus healed the girl he said, "Talitha, cumi."  Talitha is an Aramaic word that simply means "little girl," and cumi means "rise."  Talitha sounds the same as Tabitha, but is different by one letter.  I think that, upon hearing that her name was Tabitha, Peter remembered Jesus saying "Talitha, cumi."  This may have put the question in his mind.  Does the Lord want to raise her?

Thus, Peter does the same thing as Jesus did by putting the people out of the room.  In Mark 5, Jesus was clearly bolder than Peter.  He told the people the girl was merely sleeping and that he would wake her.  They began to ridicule her.  Thus, for Jesus, it appears that he is removing the doubters, not just so that he could perform the miracle, but also because this was a holy thing and they were not worthy to witness it. 

We can become stuck in a group that is not speaking and walking in faith in Jesus.  Even if it is not spoken, people can be cynical and doubtful.  God's people will not thrive in an environment of doubt.

Peter does something that Jesus didn't.  Peter gets on his knees and begins to pray.  Jesus prayed all the time, but he didn't need to pray on the scene to do a miracle.  Jesus was already prayed up, and knew the will of the Father.  But, this is just Peter.  I think Peter is praying for understanding from the Lord.  Lord, are you really wanting to heal this woman?  Do you want me to command this dead body to rise? It doesn't say how long he prayed, but at some point, Peter says to the body, "Tabitha, rise."  Luke doesn't say what language Peter used, as Mark does with Jesus.  However, I tend to think that Peter said, "Tabitha, cumi."  It is not the language and the words that brought Tabitha back to life, it was faith in Jesus and trust in the leading of the Holy Spirit that healed her that opened the door for the Lord to heal her.

We want to avoid two extremes that exist today.  Some point to a passage like this and attempt to make it normative for every Christian at all times.  To them, the Church should be raising people back to life all over the place, and when you really have Jesus, you will do this too.  This is in the face that the whole New Testament only lists twice that this happened in around 30 years of ministry.  It was a rare thing.

On the other hand, some go to the other extreme and say that God doesn't heal or raise people from the dead anymore.  It is one thing to say that raising from the dead is rare, but quite another to say that God doesn't do this any more, to say that God doesn't heal anyone any more.  What does the Word of God say?  It tells us that, when someone is sick, we should call the elders together, anoint the person with oil, and pray for them.  Whether God grants a miracle or not is up to Him.  My part is to be a person on his knees seeking God for what His will and purpose is, and then do it.

Just as God used Tabitha to dress some widows in Joppa, so He can use a doctor to help you, i.e., through natural means.  However, God is able to use anything.  He still has the creative power to turn dirt into a body, and a broken body into a healed body.  We will never be able to put God's power into a Petri dish.  God is not jumping through our hoops to satisfy our fleshly mind, or curiosity.  But, He does care about your soul, and He does want a relationship of trust and faith with you.-o

When you think about it, Tabitha's raising back to life is a mercy to the people of Joppa rather than to her.  She was in the presence of the Lord.  There can be a level of selfishness in our mourning and crying out to God about His purpose in taking someone "too soon."  If they knew Jesus, then they are in a better place.  However, the answer is not to "de-supernaturalize" our faith and walk with God.  Rather, He is the one that we always need, and it is to Him that we should always look.  Lord, what do you want me to do in this moment?  Help me to honor you.

In these stories, the tragedies are reversed by God, or at least, they are ameliorated, improved by His grace.  However, let us know that, even if these people had not been healed or raised from the dead, God still would love the people of Lydda and Joppa.  He would still love Aeneas, and Tabitha.

Luke does not describe the shock and joy when the people see Tabitha alive.  She responds immediately to Peter's command to rise.  She sits up and he helps her out of bed, presenting her to the people.

News spread about this amazing miracle, leading many to believe on Jesus.  Luke ends this story with the note that Peter stayed at Joppa for many days at the house of Simon the Tanner.  The influx of people who heard about the miracle provides a great springboard to sharing the Gospel of Jesus.

God gives miracles from time to time, but they are not the emphasis.  The emphasis is people turning to the Lord Jesus because they see that he is truly the one who can forgive sins, and make us right with God.  May God help us to be a people of faith! 

Let us not make anything become an ultimatum to the Lord because we don't understand.  Instead, let us trust Him because He has proven trustworthy.  If you challenge God to heal someone, or do a certain thing, as a condition of faith, He may simply not do it.  He loves you too much to jump through your hoops on demand.  His purpose is bigger than this mortal life, even eternal in scope.  Trust God because He loves you and is fitting you even now for an eternal relationship with Him.

This generation needs people who are trusting in God.  Even those who ridicule you for your faith do not understand just how much they need you to stand firm.  They will never see it, or admit it, until the day that they come to faith in Jesus.  May we be God's blessing to the people in our life in the ways that He determines.

Peter ministers audio

Pursue What Is Good

1 Thessalonians 5:12-15.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Mother's Day Sunday, May 7, 2023.

Believers are instructed in a multitude of ways to do what is right and good, but as the Lord defines, not as we define it.  Therein is the rub.  Many people think that they are doing what is right, but they are not using the mind of Christ.  Instead, they have a different way of thinking, a different "wisdom."

Today, we have become so messed up on what is good that some in our government think that it is good to subvert the duty of parents to raise their kids, and seek to scam them into things like transgender surgeries.

It has never been easy to be a girl who is facing the reality of becoming a woman, or a boy who is facing the reality of becoming a man.  However, this is far more perilous in a society that is losing its moorings on the shores of truth.  Such young people need to be encouraged to have faith and trust God in this transition because God has good things for them that happen precisely because it is tough.  In fact, we should recognize that it is a kind of signature of God to create things in such a way that we will need to give ourselves to a it with a faith in Him.  It is not a blind leap of faith, but it is faith nonetheless.  I walk forward bravely trusting that God will use the hard situations in order to lead me to good things.

We can be frozen by fear.  Of course, no one stands still in life physically.  You will become a woman, but you can be stuck at the emotional level of a child in an adult body.  This tragedy is all too common, but it is not what God has planned for us.

Let's look at our passage.

Honor Mothers (v. 12-13)

Paul is writing to the Thessalonians, and he is not so much writing about mothers as he is writing about those who perform functions within the greater body of the Church of Jesus.

I want to remind us of the 5th Commandment in Exodus 20.  "Honor your father and your mother that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you."

I will note two things about this command.  First, the command is addressed to the individual "you."  God is speaking directly to us as individuals and not just to society.  It is not "society's job" to honor mothers.  It is mine.  Yes, if we have a whole society of individuals who are honoring mothers, then we will see that society reflecting that honor.  This doesn't change my primary point.

The second thing is that the Hebrew word for "honor" has the sense of weight and even value. Now, value for things in this life is transitory.  However, it is often the blurred lines between price and value that cause the trouble.  Price is what I am willing to pay for something.  Value is the thing that is obtained.  No price is too high to pay for something that has great value (proverbs 31).  Thus, we need to recognize that moms (parents) have a heavy, valuable, place in our life.  Being a mom, and doing the things that moms do, is an important, heavy thing in our society, more important that any job you can do for our corporations today. 

Our society has done a great disservice to this Republic by treating moms as if they are nothing.  If we really understood just how incredibly heavy, important, and valuable being a mom was no one would want to do it.  This is similar to the way Jesus talks about how important fidelity in marriage is in Matthew 19:8-10.  The disciples respond that “If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry.”  We tend to treat the heavy things of God lightly.  We do so at our own harm, and to the detriment of others.

There is so much dysfunction in our homes these days that it requires us to deal with the question.  What does it mean to honor a mom who doesn't deserve it?  Many have been hurt by parents, and only respond to God's call to honor parents with more hurt.  I do believe that we are meant to wrestle with this.  Just as a parent of an undisciplined adult-child wrestles with what it means to love in the current situation, so too an adult child has to wrestle with what it means to honor in the case of a parent who has been absent, or hurtful.  The honest wrestling before God helps us to become something better than we would have.  In fact, it helps us to become more like God.  The key is not to cast off the value or importance of what they were and are in your life.  You can't pretend they don't exist (i.e., act as if they are nothing) because they do exist.  Your heart and mind know that God wanted something better from them in their dealings with you.  Instead of walling them off with pretense, wrestle with doing what is right as God defines it.  Care for them in their declining years even if they failed to care for you in even minimal ways during your childhood.  By doing so, you witness to them of God's righteousness, and His offer of forgiveness and salvation for those who repent.  Ask God to help you to love them even though they are not lovely.  Ask God to help you to care for them even when they do not care.

In Thessalonians 5, Paul most likely is thinking of Church leaders, but he keeps the wording purposefully general.  Moms fit this category of "those who labor" among us.  The labor of being a mom is particularly close to the heart of God.  Mom's represent that one who labors through sorrow to bring a child into the world and then nurtures their life physically, emotionally, and mentally.  She represents a part of God's heart towards us.  God always intends the labor of our life to be a labor of love.  Yet, love is a very trying virtue, just as labor is a trying virtue.  Labor tries and tests us; it refines us, if we will lean into the purpose that God intends in it.

Think about all of the hard work that goes into being a mom.  It is no wonder that countless young women are fearful and intimidated at becoming a mom.  However, all labor has a way of bringing more out of us than we believed possible because we are capable not only doing more than we think, but also of becoming more than we are.  You can grow in ways that your flesh doesn't want to grow, but God designed for you to do, if you trust Him.

I am connecting the word honor with the word "recognize" in verse 12.  It involves not only seeing the labor that moms do, but also perceiving the value and heavy importance they have in our lives.  We need to see moms as God sees them.  None of them are perfect, but they are all incredibly important!  We only harm ourselves when we act as if it is something light and meaningless.

Moms not only have labor to do, but they also have authority from the Lord.  They are "over" their children "in the Lord" in order to "admonish" them.  Parents are directly authorized by God Himself.  He is the source of all proper authority.  This begins in the inherent ability of a man and a woman to conceive and to birth a child.  This natural ability demonstrates a God-given right that women have to birth a child.  When we act upon our right to have a child, it then activates a duty that we have to that child.  All rights have corresponding duties that go along with them.  If we exercise rights without doing the duties, then we create a mess.  The same God who gives us rights will also hold us accountable to the duties that we have in them.

It is tragic to see the many ways that the State is elevating itself and transgressing this primary authority of parents.  However, we cannot place all of the blame upon the State.  There is a reasons that we are here.  The rise of dysfunction within society overflows the home and comes out into our schools, our streets, and public in general.  If a child is being abused by a parent or parents, then the people in that community should step in to help the child.

However, here is the problem.  What is your definition of abuse?  In short, if you insert yourself in a situation in which another person has authority from God, then you had better be correct, i.e., using God's definition of abuse.  It is a holy ground between that parent and God, and God will hold them accountable.  If you step in, you had better take your shoes off (holy ground), be prayed up, and actually be led by God to intervene. 

When the State intervenes, its definition is not the same as God's.  Yes, there are some situations in which we can say that the State really did stop a horrible situation (their definition somewhat coincided with God's).  Yet, in other ways, the State is only creating another abusive environment in which parents are increasingly unable to protect their children.

It does not good to complain.  Instead, we must focus on doing our duty to the children in our lives, and helping moms to rise up to their labor in the Lord.

Paul then says in verse 13 to "esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake."  Esteem deals with how we think about people.  We are to think highly of them, and to do so "in love."  Love tests us all, as I wrote earlier.  Parents are to lead their kids in what it means to love.

Circling back to the parent who has done hurtful things, we should note that we are more likely to label something as hurtful when we are younger.  We can get angry that our parents ground us, or discipline us in any form.  Generally, people grow up and look back to recognize that their parents were simply trying to love them by teaching them something more important than immediate gratification.  Of course, they are not perfect in their attempts to do what is best for us, but neither are we perfect.

This understanding that we should esteem and honor people for the sake of the work that they do is important.  Like an arm-chair quarterback, we can look back and still be too harsh in our judgment.  In this sense, most people just need to have kids for themselves so that they will understand that it is a tough job helping a young person transition into adulthood.  We should respect and esteem that they had a difficult job, and that we ourselves had an impact on how difficult it was.  This should never excuse abuse, but it puts the labor of parenting in perspective.

The last phrase of verse 13 says, "be at peace among yourselves," in the NKJV.  That first part is actually a verb that is active.  It is not focused on merely resisting the urge to make waves, or be frantic.  Rather, it is calling us to actively be working for peace, a peacemaker, with others.  This is a big part of a mom's job, especially if there are multiple kids in the home.

Some people are not interested in peace, or they just don't know how to come to terms with peace.  In such cases, the best that a person can do is to put the offer on the table, and then to be open for change down the road.  You may have to give them some space.  However, always be praying for change, and ready to forgive when true repentance comes around.

I think peace is a minimum that God desires between us.  Even more, we should walk in love with one another.  Yet, we could say that peace is simply one facet of the virtue of love.  It is the best basis for peace with someone.  Absence of turbulence is nice, but we are called to active peacemaking.

Pursue what is good (v. 14-15)

Families really do need to hold on to what Paul says in verse 14.  Pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.  Our flesh will always bend things towards ourselves, even if just a little bit.  As I said earlier, we can also bend the definition of what is "good" too much towards ourselves.  We really need a relationship with Jesus through the Holy Spirit in order to hear the Word of God, and sense the conviction of the Holy Spirit in regards to what the "good" is that needs to happen in each situation.   This should be our prayer.  "Lord, please show me what will make for the good both for myself and for everyone involved."

Part of pursuing what God says is good will involve warning the "unruly."  This word pictures a soldier who is out of ranks and may even be AWOL.  This is similar to the biblical concept of submission.  It has the idea of taking your proper place within the ranks and performing the proper duty.  Thus, the unruly person  is refusing to embrace their proper place and duty.    This can be a child who refuses to listen to their parents, or a government who oversteps its bounds of authority. 

Those who castigate the whole biblical idea that God created young girls to grow up and become adult human females who are able to conceive, give birth, and raise a next generation to worship God and bless others, should slow down and think through what they are doing.  They are destroying the very foundation and fabric of what it means to be a woman- and a man for that matter.  They may rejoice in that because they want to replace it.  However, when you fight against the nature that God hard-wired into humans, you never come out on top.  Any society we try to create to replace one built upon a biblical world-view will end up being sub-par.  They will find themselves working directly against God, and they will have to give answer for that to Him.

Thus, a warning from a parent to a child involves cautioning against certain behaviors.  We do this socially when we warn people at a wedding that what God is putting together no one should take apart, those in the marriage included.  God will hold you accountable for working at odds to His purpose.

Yet, admonition, or warning, also involves teaching the good that a person should embrace.  We need to understand and promote God's good purpose in becoming a mom, for her, for the children, for the husband, and for society.  

All of us come into the world in a weak position.  If someone doesn't help us, we will die.  God's design makes it clear that the most likely people to take care of that child are the people who came together in love and produced that child.  Yes, the child will affect society and can be an asset or liability to it.  However, that does not put society in the best position to control the raising of that child.  The best scenario for any child is a male and female committed to a life-time, loving relationship, preparing them for life.

Next, Paul tells us to comfort the faint-hearted.  It pictures those who have lost heart and are discouraged.  The word "comfort" here is often used in the context of someone who has had a loved one die.  Mary and Martha were comforted by their neighbors when their brother Lazarus died.  The most common way that we comfort the bereaved is through stories about the deceased.  A young mother metaphorically is wrestling with the "death" of a past youthful life with little responsibility.  She needs us to comfort her, rather than to berate her.  Young moms need to hear the stories of older moms' and their own transitions.  It isn't easy, but it isn't as impossible as your heart and mind are telling you at the moment.  There is joy on the other side of the hard work of today, all along the way.

Paul then tells us to support the weak.  This deals with people who are in a weak position, whether through broken relationships, financial troubles, past trauma, etc.  This is similar to the faint-hearted.  We are told to support them.  Instead of looking down on young mothers, we should come along side of them and help, be a support.  What is it they need?  Experienced moms are in the best position to know how to come alongside of a young mom and support her.  In fact, mothering itself could be defined by helping the weak out of compassion and love.

We are also to be patient with all.  Patience here is the long-fuse term.  Yes, we need to hang in there and not quit easily, but we also need to restrain ourselves from "blowing up" to easily.  All relationships are made worse when we have a short fuse with one another.

Patience does not mean being silent and never dealing with issues.  Often, when a person blows up, it is because they have not talked about things that they should have.  Thus, patience ties in with peacemaking.  Whether communication isn't happening, or a person just doesn't change, we easily become weary with other people.  Understanding that moms who are actively raising kids are under a lot of stress all of the time should be in the back of our minds at all times.  No, they are not the only ones who deal with stress, but that does not undercut the point.  It only makes it more important for us all to work for peace and be patient with one another.

Of course, trauma and past hurts can make any relationship difficult and requires great patience on the part of the other party.  Sometimes both people have past hurts and difficulties.  Let us love one another through patience.

Lastly, Paul calls for pursuing what is good for yourselves and for all.  Another way to say this is to reject a "pay back wrong for wrong" attitude.  It is almost a knee-jerk response for us to give back to others what they are dishing out.  However, this never brings about lasting and good change.

As the culture wars heat up, it is easy to see people as the enemy, and to justify all manner of actions against others.  There are definitely some who have given themselves over to doing evil to others, but Christians are not to respond in kind.

There is a difficult and heavy thing here that we need to carry.  We don't want to do so, but the Lord calls us to it.  It is called a burden.  We need relationship with God as the foundation to a relationship with others, especially when they are being an enemy to us.

When we resist people who are doing unrighteous things, we must do so with an eye to helping them to see the truth.  We don't do them any favors by hiding in our closets or retreating from the public debate.  However, we need the wisdom of God as to how and when to interject the truth.

Our attitude can sour with a sense of hopelessness.  "It doesn't work...It won't do any good!"  Listen, you cannot change society, but you can make a difference in the experience of people in your sphere of influence.  Take time to support the moms in your life regardless of how well they have done in the past because their labor is incredibly important to our families and to our Republic.  If enough moms are encouraged to do a godly job in raising the next generation who knows what is possible in this land.

Pursue Good audio