Turmoil in Peace City Acts 15

                If it wasn’t for people church life would be simple. You know what I’m saying. Sometimes the hardest part of being involved in ministry is dealing with people. The truth is people are complicated, emotional, and tend to be a touch selfish. Conflict is bound to happen when more than two individuals spend much time in close proximity to one another.

            Come on, if we are brutally honest, there are parts of church life that are less desirable than others. While I look forward to preaching and teaching the word and spending time with individuals in counseling and visiting situations, I don’t look forward to the politics of church. Anytime you get a group of people together who think differently and start discussing things such as money or traditions you are in for a long night. These issues have split many a church throughout church history.

            This is nothing new. These issues plagued the early church as well. In fact one of their biggest obstacles was over the traditions of their forefathers. The debated the same things about whether salvation was a free gift of grace or dependent on human works. There was great debate in their time and that same debate carried on today. I have heard many people say, “We should not debate over Scripture” but salvation is no trivial matter. If we are to get salvation wrong we get the whole Christianity thing wrong. It’s that simple.  

In Acts that was what was on salvation and chopping block: “How do we introduce outsiders to the gospel?”

            One group wanted to require them to undergo a special ceremony to prove their loyalty, and required them to keep a list of man-made laws and traditions. These men were self-appointed guards of legalism. They were requiring more than God had asked. They were adding elements on to salvation. They made Salvation and inclusion into the church about works and not about grace. The Judaizers were saying that Gentiles must become Jews before they could become Christians.  

            How much are we like that in our groups and churches. Jesus made the gates to heaven narrow enough, too narrow for us to convert the way of Christ into a toll road. We are called to call people to repentance in Christ, they do not have to become Baptists, or Pentecostals, or ect. We call them to repentance in Christ, not admittance in our belief system

THE SOLUTION

            When it comes to a doctrinal issue, now that is something we can’t just vote on. That takes some serious prayer, study, fasting, and discussion. In every church differing opinions are abounding; however, peacemakers are few and far in between. So what do we do when we are faced with a dilemma in church life? Who is qualified to make spiritual decisions for the body? Who establishes the doctrine of the church? When we can’t agree what is the solution?

            Fortunately, God did not leave us in the dark when it comes to these issues. Sometimes it can be disconcerting and difficult to hear God’s voice through men because while God’s word is perfect man’s interpretation is subject to error. That is why God gives us a structure to resolve conflicts and keep unity.

            God’s solution to overcoming disagreements and disputes is accountable leadership and submission to an elder body. Like it or not God places “Elders” in every church who are to establish doctrine and lead through disputes and are held accountable to other leaders and to God. The Body is expected to submit to their teaching and lead. The answer to resolving a matter is not by voice vote or secret ballot but by submitting to an elder body that prayerfully and diligently walks through the scriptures and seeks God for an answer.

            This style of conflict resolution goes all the way back to Acts 15. Historically church leaders have met to discuss doctrine and settle issues and there has always been resistance to doing the work of the gospel. Yet, it is through these moments when people of differing views sit around the table and discus doctrine that we can come to see the error of our own ways. For truthfully we are all human and we could all be wrong on a great many things and only by engaging in challenging debates will we be confronted with that error. To error is human but are we willing to be vulnerable and to humble ourselves and listen to others viewpoints?

            We must humble ourselves, realize we are fallible, and accept God’s plan of salvation and sanctification of His church. God has set a pattern for his church to follow: submission to a plurality of elders who are accountable to each other and to God. We are called to submit one to another and come to a place where we accept that although I personally disagree I am able to lay down my pride and not feel the need to voice all my objections. The Kingdom of God is not a democracy sometimes we have to yield our will and do what His word says.

 Are we willing to lay our pride down before the king? Are we willing to stop trying to rule our own life, Are we guilty of trying manipulating others? Are we guilty of putting a heavier burden on outsiders than we ourselves could bear? At the foot of the cross we must lay it all down.

The Stoned Apostle and the problem with praise ~ Acts 14

I once heard it said, “You are never as good as people say you are, and your never as bad either.

As much as we all love a little praise and enjoy accolades; we would do wise to avoid those who have only good things to say about us. If the enemy cannot discourage us from our mission he will attempt to cause us to fall victim to our own success.  Showering a person in excessive praise is like handing a habitual poor person a million dollars or a drunkard a bottle of Jack Daniels. It does more harm than good. A little praise is a good thing, too much is damaging. A little hope can inspire people too much can become dangerous.

This was the scheme the enemy used to try and bring down Paul and Barnabas in Acts 14. The ministry they did in the Region of Iconium was so immensely successful that a great many of the Jews and Gentiles believed on Christ.  Wherever they traveled people desired to hear them speak. Paul delivered some of the most profound, convincing, and moving messages the people had ever heard. He was not only a skilled orator, he was also an accomplished philosopher, and a highly entertaining individual. Yet atop these traits, he was a man filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.  

Paul’s hope inspired the elect, those hungry for the world and whose hearts had been cultivated by the Holy Spirit and it enflamed the agents of the enemy.  The enemy tried to intimidate Saul, to drive him away. When Paul refused to stop he was faced with a new challenge his ego. The enemy appealed to Saul’s ego in a subtle way to get him to change sides. That after all has been his scheme from day one. He sought to turn Adam and Eve to become like him by claiming divinity. He Even attempted to turn Jesus when he tempted Christ in the wilderness. He wanted Christ to bow to him and he would give him all the kingdoms of the earth. If Satan can’t destroy us than he will become our biggest cheerleader; it would bring him pleasure to watch man destroy himself in pursuit of fame and power.

So what is the point I’m trying to make?

In this passage there are several things that standout to me about the character of Paul and the picture of a Spirit-Filled life. First is that those who are yielded to the Spirit lead effective and bold lives. Secondly, those who are yielded to the Spirit are faithful to the end. Finally, those who are yielded to the Spirit are humble and discerning.

In the course of a few days, Paul and Barnabas had been threatened with death, treated as Gods, and stoned nearly to death. Despite all of this they went right back to the same people who tried to kill them. They were resolved not to allow anything to get in the way of the message of the gospel. They would not treats, death, illness, or their own pride to get between the lost and Christ.

What about us. Do we have that same resolve? Not just to stand in the face of persecution but the faith to deny ourselves and to not be swayed by the flattery of others. Proverbs 29:5 reminds us that “A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet.” Are we willing to be discerning enough to notice when we are being set up for a fall. Are we allowing our pride to get between us and the gospel?

Paul was not in it for fame or fortune. I can hardly imagine Paul as a televangelist. This account should serve as a warning to us of what this word will throw at us. Are you ready? 

Come To Jesus~ Acts 13:13-43

Have you ever been around a group of people who had seemingly no purpose, no direction, and no vision for the future? That is what the religious crowd had become in Paul’s day. They were like a pile of dead dry wood, a tinder pile awaiting a spark.  The embers of hope, purpose, and vision had long since burnt out. How could they last much longer Judaism was dying out as creation made room for the Savior of the world.

Luke provides for us the accounts of the first missionary team and their first journey. In Acts 13 Paul and Barnabas embark on a difficult mission. John Mcarthur describes their journey in his commentary as being arduous. He writes,

 “The road from Perga to Pisidian Antioch, some one hundred miles away, was difficult and dangerous. It wound its way through the rugged Taurus mountains, clinging to cliffs that ascended to dizzying heights. Travelers also had to cross the turbulent and flood-prone Cestrus and Eurymedon rivers. The Taurus mountains were notorious for the robber bands who infested them. Those bandits, who had plagued Alexander the Great and Augustus Caesar, were still unsubdued in Paul’s time. When Paul wrote, “I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers” (2 Cor. 11:26), he may well have had this journey in mind.”

Paul and his companion are taking the message of the Good News of Jesus Christ to the most remote parts of their world. They risked it all to carry Christ’s message to those in need of hope. Upon arriving at their destination they found a group of people hungry to hear of their message of hope.

Pisidian Antioch

In the Synagogue, After the reading of the Law and the Prophets the temple officias and the people were desperate for some real hope. The law was given so that we may see our need for the Grace and sacrifice of Christ. The stage of man’s heart had been set. For what the Law and the prophets could not do, Christ had indeed competed. The people grew hungry for hope.

The Holy Spirit sovereignly arranged the circumstances, opening wide the door for Paul to proclaim the gospel. He stood up, and motioning with his hand to get the audience’s attention. In like manner, the Holy Spirit sovereignly arranged the circumstances, opening wide the door for us to share of the hope locked inside our hearts. It is for this reason that Peter urges us all to “sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you (1 Peter 3:15)” We are to be ready in season and out of season, ready to walk through the doors of divine opportunity.

Men have long wrestled with the question of where (if anywhere) history is going. Is there a purpose, goal, or culmination to history? Or is it merely a succession of sunrises and sunsets, a meaningless series of swiftly flowing years leading nowhere?

Viewing history as purposeless appeals to sinful people, since it grants them freedom to do as they want with no fear of accountability to a divine moral judge; for if there is no God we are permitted to live any way we choose. However this is not reality, the Spirit draws the hearts of all mankind. We have been created without excuse. Even the heaven declare the greatness of God.  Our own laws and prophets are covered in the fingerprints of God. All of which lead to the overwhelming reality that we could never keep the letter of any law. The good news is that God has fulfilled the covenant of the law and it could no longer satisfy. Just as the wise King wrote: 

He [God} has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart.(Ecc 3:11).  

Therefore, we must view Jesus as the culmination of history, the fulfillment of prophecy, and the justifier of sinners. He is my source of hope, life, and of a future. Apart from the saving grace of Christ I have nothing. I have great hope in Him, I am truly satisfied with Jesus he is my hope and stay. What about you? Are you living an aimless, wander life void of purpose and security? Do you find yourself feeling as if your whole life is like the tossing waves? When you thin of your future does it frighten you? Do you have a peace a security about where you shall go after this life is through?

If you said no to any of the above: Come To Jesus! Come To Jesus and find hope, security, and purpose, Come to Jesus and find salvation. Most importantly, Come to Jesus so that you may live!

Superseding Superstition Acts 13;4-12

It is no secret that Kings and rulers throughout history have consulted astronomers, magicians, and sorcerers. Today it is not unheard-of that world leaders consult astrologers as they schedule key events. It is also no secret that there are demonic forces at foot in our world. How else could you explain some of the most wicked, heinous acts?

 What happens when the power of the gospel confronts the power of the occult? The contest on Cyprus in Acts chapter 13 and its outcome show us. The Missionary Thrust: Proclaiming the Word (13:4-5). God wins every conflict, the war is already won and our enemy is playing for keeps.

The Power of God is strong enough to convince and shut up politicians. Now that’s powerful. Paul and Barnabas were led by the Holy Spirit and because of the power of the testimony and the message they proclaimed even the Governor of the region, known as the proconsul desired to hear their message. 

The Governor was recorded as being an intelligent man, and desired to hear more about the message Paul and Barnabus preached. The lost are hungry for the gospel. 8 out of 10 people would at least listen to the message of the gospel, according the Billy Graham Evangelistic association. Church goers have bought the lie that the world is not interested. That is simply not true. People are desperate for hope, healing and purpose. 

Furthermore, Satan cannot by any means stop the conviction of the Holy Spirit; nor can he hinder sinners from hearing the call of God to repentance. However he can try to confuse the hearer with vain philosophy, discourage the messenger, and distract us from the faith. That is exactly what Bar-Jesus, the false prophet was seeking to do.

Bar-Jesus is probably a court astrologer with demonic powers (who calls him part of the world of "religious con-artists who practiced quackery and interpreted dreams"). He reminds me a great deal of flaky tela-evangelists like Peter Poppoff, or other who exploit “divine powers” to bring about fame and fortune. As a sorcerer he claims to know magic formulas by which he can break the bonds of fate and give the governor control over the future. When faced with the truth of the gospel, Bar-Jesus actively opposes the missionaries (compare Lk 21:15; Acts 6:10). He makes every effort to "completely turn aside" the governor from the faith (compare 13:10; 20:30). Bar-Jesus was full of the devil.I find his name interesting. Bar in the Greek means Son of Jesus or the son of the one who saves. He tried to set Himself up as someone great, he imitated the powers of God. He tried to convince the rulers and the people that he had real, unrivaled powers. 

Despite the convincing show put on by Bar-Jesus, we see a greater power at work. Satan has limited power, is not omnipresent, omniscient, nor omnipotent. He is a created being and though he has been around for many ions he is limited yet crafty. He can predict the ways of man. However he is by no means a rival to God. 

In contrast, The Holy Spirit is clearly at work in this confrontation and is the victor hands down. In the first half of this passage we see the sovereignty of God the Spirit to draw sinners to him and His followers to action, empowerment of his followers to deliver His message, and the overwhelming power over the enemy and the effect that has to bring sinners to repentance.

After the Holy Spirit defeated the powers of the enemy by striking the sorcerer with blindness the Governor believed. This story is a reminder of what the Apostle John reminds us of in his epistle:

“You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” ~ 1 John 4:4

No matter what difficulty we face in life our God is stronger. The question than for us: are we satisfied with Jesus? Are we trying to find something else outside of our relationship with Jesus Christ? Are we relying enough on the power and sufficiency of the Holy Spirit or on our own strength? At the end of the day I am not enough! I need Jesus and His Spirit every hour. Without him my attempts to show off are nothing. We can have the most convincing display of power and piety yet if we are fighting for any team but God we have already lost? 

Whose team are you on any way are you fighting for yourself, your family, your career? If you’re fighting to make yourself known than your fighting a losing battle. I urge you to stop fighting to lay it all down at the foot of the cross and let God fight your battles. It’s not yours to fight! Give it to God