Blessings

God chose Abraham.

From Genesis 12 we understand the purpose for which God chose him.  Genesis 12:2&3 say:

“²I will make you into a great nation.  I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.  ³I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt.  All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”[i]

According to this, the purpose for which God chose Abraham was to bless him, and through him all the families on earth.

The story of Abraham, his life and his blessings unfolds in Scripture as the story of redemption.  All the families on earth are blessed through Abraham because it is through Abraham and his descendants that the Messiah, our Savior, is given.

For Abraham, the journey was not easy, and the way was not certain.

He had to let go of everything that he was relying on.  He left his homeland, his relatives and even his father’s family.  At one point, he even offered his son Isaac as a sacrifice to God.

Genesis 24 is a transition point.  The blessings that God promised to Abraham are to be passed on to Isaac and then continue through Isaac’s descendants.

Genesis 24 starts out, “¹Abraham was now a very old man, and the LORD had blessed him in every way.”

“Abraham was now a very old man.”  These were the sunset years of his life.  He was 140 years old.  Isaac, the son he loved, was now 40.  (cf Genesis 25:20)  Isaac was born when Abraham was 100 years old, and in spite of his advanced years, Abraham was able to watch Isaac grow to adulthood.

Genesis 24:1 also points out that the “Lord had blessed him in every way.” Abraham was blessed materially.  He had servants and property.  He did not lack for money.  He shared his life with Sarah and Isaac whom he loved.  He was at peace with his neighbors.

Full of years and blessings, chapter 24 comes to the point where the continuing story is going to change from Abraham’s story to Isaac’s story.

The blessing is to be passed on through succeeding generations, but Isaac is not married.  The story of how Abraham finds a wife for his son is also the story of how the blessing is passed on to Isaac.

First, we see how Abraham held fast to the promise of God.

We see this in two things.

1)    He would not allow his son to marry one of the Canaanite women

2)    He would not allow his son to go back to where he came from.

By avoiding marriage to a Canaanite woman, Abraham hoped to keep his son from being led away from the worship of the One True God.  The Canaanites were descendants of Canaan, who was cursed by Noah.  They led the way in idolatry and occult practices to the point that the Lord eventually destroyed them.

God’s covenant with Abraham was to be Abraham’s God.  In order for the covenant to be passed on, this aspect was critical.  It was essential that God be Isaac’s God. 

The same continues to this day.  2 Corinthians 6:14 says, “Don't team up with those who are unbelievers.  How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness?  How can light live with darkness?” 

Solomon was the wisest man that ever lived.  However, he ignored God’s warnings about not taking many wives and especially about not taking wives from among the idolaters around him.  The results were disastrous.  

The principle here is one that Abraham learned the hard way.  The influence of a mother on a child was a problem in the relationships in Abraham’s family as seen in the story of Ishmael.  In finding a partner, the heart toward God is more important than any other consideration.  How can a person be a soulmate if both are not serving the same God?  This is true in every endeavor of life and especially in affairs of the heart.

I said we saw Abraham holding fast to the promise of God in two areas.  The first was his care not to let Isaac marry a Canaanite woman.  The second was in his command that Isaac never be taken back to where he came from.

The promise of God was clear.  God promised to give Abraham and his descendants the land where Abraham was sojourning.  Abraham had offered Isaac up on an altar on Mount Moriah.  This was the area where the future temple would be built, and it was not far away from the place where the Son of God Himself would die on a cross.  Abraham did not know these facts, but he had learned the hard way that when God calls a person to a location it is important to stay there.

Abraham had tried traveling in the land of the Philistines and that ended badly.  He also tried traveling in the land of Egypt.  That also ended badly.  Through these experiences, God had taught Abraham the importance of holding on to the promises of God.  God’s promise was specific as to the land that Abraham was to inherit.  It was important that Isaac not leave the land that God had promised.

If the principle behind not marrying a Canaanite is keeping God first, the principle behind not leaving the land is staying true to our calling.  This is not as mysterious as it may sound.  Abraham knew God wanted him in Canaan.  If we are sure to put God first, we can be sure that God will make our calling clear.  We can trust Him.  Difficulties and obstacles will come, but we are not to be shaken by such things.

Holding fast to the promise of God, Abraham next took action.

Since he was too old to travel, he had his most senior and trusted servant go to take care of finding Isaac a wife.  In both Abraham’s sending of the servant and the servant’s approach to solving the problem, we see principles to help us in laying hold of the blessings of God. 

The promise was there.  Abraham had been living it.  Now it needed to be passed on to his son.  This meant that his son would need a wife.

So Abraham sent the servant in the general direction of his family.  Abraham had been away for 65 years.  He did not know if and where his family was.

The servant had to travel 1,000 miles.  Probably two months journey to find these people.  He did not even know how he would find them.

It had all started the same way.  God had told Abraham to go to a land that God would show him.  Abraham left not knowing where he was going.  Now Abraham was sending out his servant on a long journey and neither of them knew if he would find anything.

It often is like this when God calls us.  We cannot see the end, but He calls us to move out and trust Him.  Rarely does God show us the end of where we are going.  He requires us to boldly step out of the boat if we would walk on water.

The servant tracked down the town where Abraham’s brother Nahor had settled.  As he approaches the town, he asks God to intervene.  He seeks God’s help.  I cannot help but speculate that he has been asking God for guidance all along the way.  After all, he has had a couple of months on the road to think about this.  He has probably had to ask along the way if anyone knew where Nahor had moved.

He fully expects God’s help and praises God when he gets just what he asked for.  This is an amazing story of faith, answered prayer and God’s guidance.  It all started by stepping out boldly in obedience to what God had called them to do.

We have seen Abraham’s determination to hold fast to God’s promises, and then move out boldly, trusting and seeking the Lord’s direction.  In closing, I want us to consider the results.

Faith bears fruit.  James 1:4 says, “So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”

We find this in Abraham.  He had traveled through many trials and now in the final years of his life he was perfect and complete, needing nothing.  We also see this passed on to his son Isaac.

As the servant returns from his successful journey, the caravan meets Isaac out meditating, walking in the field.  We are told, “⁶⁷And Isaac brought Rebekah into his mother Sarah’s tent, and she became his wife.  He loved her deeply, and she was a special comfort to him after the death of his mother.”  (Genesis 24:67)

How blessed this was!  See the words here!  “He loved her deeply.” The words and the ending leave us with the impression that God’s blessing to Abraham has been passed to his son.

I want us to consider something in the story that is significant in this respect.  As the author is telling us about Isaac waiting, it gives us some significant details.  It says he is meditating.  He has a relationship with God.  His father’s practice of intimacy with God has been passed on to the son.  Genesis 24:62 says, “Isaac, whose home was in the Negev, had returned from Beer-lahai-roi.”   The author points out this important detail to remind us of who God is.  Beer-lahai-roi means, “the well of Him that lives and sees me.”  It is this fact that is behind all of God’s blessings.

Salvation is free and blessing is free to any who will receive them because God is a God who sees.

Salvation is free.  Blessings are free and abundant.  However, a God who says, “You are to have no other gods besides me,” gives them. Are you willing to let go of all you are holding onto in favor of holding onto the promises of God?  Are you willing to step out boldly holding onto those promises and trust that God will take you to where you need to be?

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[i] Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation. Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Steam, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Faith is Tested

When we meet Abraham in Genesis, he is called Abram.  He is living in Mesopotamia with his father’s family.  God spoke to Abram while he was living in Mesopotamia and told him to get up, leave his home and father’s family and travel to a land that God would show him.

Abram moved from what is now Iraq to an area that is Syria in the present day.  It was there, in a city called Haran that God appeared to Abram a second time and said:

Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you.  ²I will make you into a great nation.  I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.  ³I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt.  All the families on earth will be blessed through you.  Genesis 12:1-3[i]

Abram moved away from Haran, leaving all behind except his nephew Lot.  Lot apparently was Abram’s heir.  Abram held on to this family connection until Lot and Abram’s combined possessions became too great for the land to support. 

Abram and Lot parted ways, and then God appeared to Abram again.

¹⁴After Lot had gone, the LORD said to Abram, “Look as far as you can see in every direction—north and south, east and west.  ¹⁵I am giving all this land, as far as you can see, to you and your descendants as a permanent possession.  ¹⁶And I will give you so many descendants that, like the dust of the earth, they cannot be counted!  ¹⁷Go and walk through the land in every direction, for I am giving it to you.”  Genesis 13:14-17

We do not know what Abram looked like.  We do not know how tall he was, or any of his physical characteristics.  Like Jesus, he had no form or beauty that we should be drawn to him.  The thing that sets Abram apart is the call of God on his life.  There are two unique characteristics to this call that we can observe in what we have just covered.

First, there is a promise of blessing.  God called Abram for the purpose of blessing him.

Second, in order to receive the blessing Abram had to let go of everything he might have been relying on.  First, it was his homeland.  A few generations of Abram’s family lived in Mesopotamia.  Next, it was his family.  He left his brothers and relatives.  Finally, he left his only living male heir, Lot.

All this leaving makes me think of Romans 12:1 where it says, “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.”  ESV

Genesis 22:1 & 2 say:

¹Some time later, God tested Abraham’s faith.  “Abraham!”  God called.

“Yes,” he replied.  “Here I am.”

²“Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah.  Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.”

Of all the things God has asked Abram, now Abraham, to give up, this is the hardest.  “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much . . .” 

The call of God is first a call for the purpose of blessing.

If God was willing to give up His One and Only Son to save us, can we imagine anything He would be unwilling to give for our sake?  Romans 8:32 says, “Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?” 

The call of God is also a call to leave all else and follow Him.  God calls on each of us to let go of everything we might be relying on.  This is consistent with the first commandment.  “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”

Jesus said:

³⁷“If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine.  ³⁸If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine.  ³⁹If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.  Mathew 10:37-39

Abraham has become our example because he was willing to rely completely on God.  Is there anything that we have or hold besides God that we will not lose anyway?  All our possessions will grow old and spoil.  All our family will eventually pass on.  Everything we have is temporary at best.  Is there anything we have that we did not receive from God?

In his willingness to rely on God alone, Abraham experienced the provision of God.  As he lifted the knife to kill his son, God stopped him.  God provided a Ram as a substitute for Isaac.  Hebrews 11 says this about this incident:

¹⁷It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him.  Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, ¹⁸even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.”  ¹⁹Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again.  And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.

Genesis 22:1 starts out, “Some time later, God tested Abraham’s faith.”  The testing of faith is hard to understand.  We cannot know what God knows or see what God sees.  Because of this James 1 gives good advice when it says:

²Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.  ³For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  ⁴So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

If Abraham had held on instead of relying on God, he would never have known God’s provision.  His faith would not have grown.  His experience of God would have remained shallow at best.  He would not have become what James calls “perfect and complete.”

Is there something you are holding on to?  Is there something that God is asking you to let go?

Abraham experienced God’s call and then because of faith he experienced God’s provision, and finally he experienced the fullness of God’s blessing.

Genesis 22:15-18 says:

¹⁵Then the angel of the LORD called again to Abraham from heaven.  ¹⁶“This is what the LORD says: Because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your son, your only son, I swear by my own name that ¹⁷I will certainly bless you.  I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore.  Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies.  ¹⁸And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me.”

Look at this again, “I swear by my own name that I will certainly bless you.” 

God is certainly a help in time of trouble.  He is Jehovah Jireh, the Lord will provide.  In addition, He is so much more.

He wants to bless us.  He longs to bless us.

Lamenting over Jerusalem, Jesus said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers!  How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me.”  (Luke 13:34)

God shows He wants to bless us when He says, “For it was I, the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt.  Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things.”  (Psalm 81:10)

Think of the position that God has given us because of Jesus Christ.  He provided a substitute to die in our place and pay the price for our sins.  1 John 3:2 tells us:

Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears.  But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.

We see in Genesis 22:1-18 how Abraham experienced God’s call, provision and blessing.  In closing, I would like to reconsider Romans 12.  However, this time I would like to read all of verses 1 and 2.

¹And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you.  Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable.  This is truly the way to worship him.  ²Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.  Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Do we want to know how good and pleasing and perfect God’s will is?  It starts with letting our bodies be a living and holy sacrifice.

If you are like me, we need to spend less time telling God what we think needs to happen and more time praying for His will to be done.

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[i] Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation. Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Steam, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Pentecost

Pentecost, otherwise known as “The Feast of Weeks,” is the second of the three major Jewish festivals (the other two are Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles).  The Hebrew word for the festival is “Shavuot,” and it means weeks.

Passover was in early spring and included first fruits offerings from the early harvest of barley.  Shavuot was in late spring and included first fruits offerings from the wheat harvest.  The Feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkot, was in the fall, was the final harvest and included first fruits of olives and grapes.

All three of these festivals involved a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.  It was required of all Jewish men to travel to Jerusalem to observe these three festivals.

Exodus 34:22-24  ²²“You must celebrate the Festival of Harvest with the first crop of the wheat harvest, and celebrate the Festival of the Final Harvest at the end of the harvest season. ²³Three times each year every man in Israel must appear before the Sovereign, the LORD, the God of Israel. ²⁴I will drive out the other nations ahead of you and expand your territory, so no one will covet and conquer your land while you appear before the LORD your God three times each year.[i]

The Passover celebrated God’s deliverance of His people from slavery in Egypt. Seven weeks after the 2^nd day of Passover was the Feast of Weeks.  Jewish tradition holds that the law, or Torah, was given to Moses at that time.  It is also tradition that David was born and died on that day.

Here is a list of the Holiday traditions surrounding Shavuot.

1.    The Ten Commandments are read to commemorate the giving of the Law.

2.    Some Jewish people stay up all night studying the Torah (Law) to "re-live" the revelation at Mount Sinai.

3.    Book of Ruth is read, tying in with the theme of harvest as well as the theme of community.  This also ties in with the belief that King David was born on Shavuot, since the last verse of the book shows that Ruth was one of his ancestors.

4.    A 12th century Aramaic poem, Akdamut, which heralds the Messianic future, is read.

5.    Jewish people traditionally decorate their homes and synagogues with flowers and greens.

6.    An older tradition prescribes that two loaves of leavened bread be baked; some say they represent all of humanity (one loaf is the Jewish people, the other Gentiles), while others see them as representing the two tablets Moses brought down from Sinai.

7.    It is traditional to eat milk products, because the rabbis say that when our people received the Law they were as newborn babies.[ii]

Here is a link to an entertaining video about Shavuot:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFG_2iT-Lm4

In Jesus’s day, Jerusalem was crowded at the time of Shavuot, or Pentecost.  It was at this feast time that the Holy Spirit was poured out.  Acts 2:2-4 says:

“Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting.  Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them.  And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.”

 This was an astounding event.  While all Israel was gathered together to celebrate God’s provision for them, God provided something even more momentous than the Law.  If they had been like newborn babies at the giving of the Law, this was to be even more transforming and powerful.  This was not the doing away with the Law, but the fulfilling of it.  Now what the prophet Jeremiah said about the law of God being written on the hearts of His people would be fulfilled.  “But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day," says the LORD.  "I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts.  I will be their God, and they will be my people.”  (Jeremiah 31:33)

Look at verse one of Acts chapter 2.  It says, “On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place.”  Notice that it says, “All the believers.”  Acts 1:15 speaks of 120 believers gathered together in one place.  All the believers gathered together in Acts 2 must be at least 120 believers.

Next, look at verse 41.  It says, “Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.”   Romans 8:29 speaks of Jesus being the first born among many brethren.  The resurrection took place at Passover.  Jesus then would be the first harvest.  These 3,000 then would be the first fruits of the second harvest.  I do not have any Biblical support for this statement, and it is just my imagination at work, but I do find it significant that God chose to pour out His Spirit on this particular feast day.

Jesus said, “But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come.  If I do go away, then I will send him to you.”  (John 16:7)  This passage in Acts 2 is an example of what Jesus was talking about.

As far as I know, there has never been another day in history when 3,000 people gathered in one place made a decision to accept Christ as Savior at the same time.  In 2012, the number of people in the world that called themselves Christians stood at 2.2 Billion.  There is a great difference between being Christian in name and professing Christ.  However, there is no way to account for the billions of people throughout history that have called themselves Christian apart from the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is still working.  “On average, around the world, 178,000 people convert to Christianity every day.”[iii]

In Acts 2:7 it says, “They were completely amazed. “  How can this be?” they exclaimed.”  Next in verse 12 it says, “They stood there amazed and perplexed. “  What can this mean?” they asked each other.”  In two places closely connected, the text emphasizes how amazed and perplexed the people were.

When the sound of the mighty rushing wind was heard, people went running to see what it was.  They knew something was happening and they wanted to see.

When they saw, they were even more amazed.  Galileans were speaking languages from all corners of the Empire. 

What they saw needed explaining. 

This is true of many of the works of the Holy Spirit.  How does one explain the growth of the Church from 120 people to billions?

How do you explain what He has done in your life?  The Lord leads and opens doors.  He provides for us and makes a way for us.  Everyday people are delivered from all kinds of bondage.  I used to listen to the radio program “Unshackled.”  Every week there would be the story of a person who was saved from drug addiction, alcohol or a life of crime.  The Holy Spirit is still at work today.

On that Day of Pentecost, people did not understand what was happening so they made their own explanation. “They’re just drunk, that’s all!”  (Acts 2:13)

Peter got up and explained.  He says, ““Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem!  Make no mistake about this.  These people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming.  Nine o’clock in the morning is much too early for that.  (Acts 2:14-15)

He then explains that this is what the Prophet Joel foretold:

‘In the last days,’ God says,

‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy.

Your young men will see visions,

and your old men will dream dreams.

¹⁸In those days I will pour out my Spirit

even on my servants—men and women alike—

and they will prophesy.

¹⁹And I will cause wonders in the heavens above

and signs on the earth below—

blood and fire and clouds of smoke.

²⁰The sun will become dark,

and the moon will turn blood red

before that great and glorious day of the LORD arrives.

²¹But everyone who calls on the name of the LORD

will be saved.  Acts 2:17-21

Certainly, verses 17 and 18 were fulfilled that day with people proclaiming the great things the Lord had accomplished.  However, the sun becoming dark and the moon turning to blood are things that are yet to be fulfilled.  These things are foretold in Revelation.  Peter is talking about the Church age, the time from Pentecost until the Church is taken up to meet Jesus in the air.  The Spirit has been poured out and is being poured out.  The work that the Spirit started that day is continuing to this.  Everyday people are turning to the Lord and are being baptized. 

Peter gives the inaugural address for the Church.  In it he says, “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.”  This is the same message Paul repeats twice in Romans 10.  Peter summarizes the core of this message when he says, “So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!”  (Acts 2:36)

This is the same message that we preach today.  Jesus is both Lord and Messiah. 

There is another feast.  It is the feast of Tabernacles.  It is the final harvest. 

There is also another day coming.  Jesus will return.  The sun will be darkened, and the moon will turn red like blood.  This will be the final harvest of the Church age as our Lord and Messiah ushers in His 1,000 year reign on earth.  Until that time, the call that Peter made is still our call and invitation today.  It goes like this:

Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.  Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  This promise is to you, and to your children, and even to the Gentiles—all who have been called by the Lord our God.  Acts 2:38-39

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[i] Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation. Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Steam, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

[ii] http://www.jewsforjesus.org/publications/newsletter/june-2005/shavuot

[iii] http://www.worldhopperministry.com/why.html

All in the Family

In the ‘70s, there was a sitcom named “All in the Family.”  Archie Bunker, his son-in-law “Meathead,” daughter Gloria and wife Edith made up a strange family.  Archie’s bigoted attitude toward everybody and everything along with the accompanying family dysfunction made for great comedy.

Racism, bigoted attitudes and snobbery are not limited to white, middle class, middle-aged men.  It comes in all colors, shapes and sizes, and it goes in all directions.  In addition, racism and bigoted attitudes are not new.  These things are not modern inventions.

At the time of Jesus, there already existed ancient prejudices and animosities between different groups of people.  The Jews hated Samaritans and had nothing to do with Gentiles.  Samaritans and Gentiles returned the favor.

When the Church was born, there existed a unique situation that removed many political and language barriers.  The Roman Empire did away with political boundaries and gave a vast area of the world a common trade language.

Because of the Roman Empire, it was possible for persecuted Christians from Judea to relocate within the Empire.  Acts 11:19 tells us, “The believers who had been scattered during the persecution after Stephen’s death traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch of Syria.”[i]

However, this political freedom did not do away with barriers of culture.  Acts 11:19 finishes with, “They preached the word of God, but only to Jews.”

I do not think these early Christians were malicious, nor do I think they had bad motives.  I think they were doing what came naturally.  They were associating with those they felt comfortable with.

When the early Christians relocated because of persecution, it was natural that they should form connections in Jewish communities already in existence.  For example, even the Apostle Paul, who was the Apostle to the Gentiles, went first to the synagogue when he entered a new community.  This was a natural connection for him, a Jew.

This world’s system tends to build cultural barriers and some of these form into prejudices.  There are those, who like Archie Bunker, adopt attitudes toward others that are simply un-“Christ-like.”

The early Church was remarkably open to different cultures and peoples, especially in light of their Jewish background.  Barnabas rejoiced when he saw large numbers of Gentiles turning to the Lord.

This openness is remarkable, considering the cultural barriers that existed.  In order to overcome these barriers, the Lord took the believers through a process.  First, Peter had a vision of a sheet filled with all manner of unclean and forbidden animals.  A voice from heaven commanded him to eat these animals.  Being a good Jew, Peter refused.  This vision was immediately connected with Peter sharing the Gospel with a Gentile, his family and friends.  These Gentiles believed in Jesus and received the Holy Spirit.  When Peter’s fellow Jewish believers and apostles heard of this, they asked him what he was doing speaking with Gentiles.  Peter explained what happened and the believers began to understand that the Lord wanted to save Gentiles also.

With the stoning of Stephen, persecution of believers in Christ began.  This persecution spread believers and as they were going, they preached the Gospel.  Cyprus was one of the places listed in Acts 11:19 where believers went when they fled persecution.  These relocated Jewish believers shared with their new neighbors about Jesus.  Verse 20 tells us that some of the believers from Cyprus went to Antioch.

The persecution spreading believers was in Judea not Cyprus.  Believers fled Judea to Cyprus to avoid persecution.  Verse 20 does not say the Cyprus Jews were fleeing persecution when they moved from Cyprus to Antioch.  If these are Cyprus Jews converted by Judean Jews, there is a cultural difference.  These believers have been living in close proximity to Gentiles longer than the Judean Jews.  Associating with Gentiles is therefore more natural or comfortable for them.

This explains Acts 11:20 where it says, “Some of the believers who went to Antioch from Cyprus and Cyrene began preaching to the Gentiles about the Lord Jesus.”  It is what happened next that is a testimony to the leading of the Lord.  Acts 11:21 says, “The power of the Lord was with them, and a large number of these Gentiles believed and turned to the Lord.”  The power of the Lord caused a large number of Gentiles to turn to the Lord.

This outpouring of God’s power got the attention of the Church in Jerusalem, so they sent Barnabas.  Barnabas saw the large number of Gentile converts and interpreted this as evidence of God’s blessings and he was filled with joy.

The strategy here was not of human origin.  They did not have planning sessions and evangelism training.  They did not have a visitation program and a bussing ministry.  I am not speaking against these things.  However, the explosive growth of the church in Antioch was not the result of a program or strategy. 

The Church in Jerusalem sent Barnabas as a helper.  His name means encourager, and that is what he did.  He went and got Saul from Tarsus.  Saul was the most educated man among all the believers.  If anyone was equipped to teach these new Gentile converts the Scriptures and how they related to Jesus, it was Saul.  In other words, the Church in Jerusalem was doing everything within its power to welcome these Gentiles into the family.  They did not come with a program.  They did not come to take control.  They came to rejoice together, welcome them into the family, and provide assistance.

There is one thing that Barnabas did that is key, and it is a principle that we should follow today as well.  If we want to see God work in our day, we must apply this principle.  It is found in verse 23.  Verse 23 says, “He encouraged the believers to stay true to the Lord.” Besides the fact that the Gospel was preached, this is the only principle that Barnabas taught.  My interpretation or translation of this verse would be, “He exhorted them to purpose strongly in their hearts to hold fast to and abide in the Lord.”

It was this principle that Jesus taught when He said, “Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit.  For apart from me you can do nothing.”  (John 15:5) 

It was abiding in or remaining in Jesus that produced fruit in the lives of the believers.  This is why Barnabas encouraged them to remain in the Lord.  The spread of the Gospel from Judea, throughout Samaria and then to the far reaches of the earth was an organic process.  It grew like a plant, naturally.

Saul and Barnabas taught.  We do not know exactly what they taught.  However, we know that Barnabas, the encourager, encouraged them to stay true to the Lord.  Furthermore, we know that Saul was an expert in the Old Testament Scriptures.  We can get a feeling for what he taught by reading the book of Romans.

In Matthew 28:19-20 Jesus said:

Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.  And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

This is pictured for us in what is happening in Acts 11.  This word “go” in Matthew 28:19 could be translated “as you are going.”  This is what the believers were doing. 

As these believers became disciples, they joined a family.  The family shared, helped and encouraged each other.  We have here the touching story of prophets traveling from Jerusalem to Antioch.  These prophets traveled 300 miles on foot to fellowship with their new brothers and sisters.  To fellowship and encourage each other, they traveled 20 to 30 days. This family connection is reciprocated by the offering the Antioch believers shared with their brothers and sisters in Jerusalem. 

In a world filled with bigoted attitudes and prejudices, the church was breaking down walls and crossing cultural barriers.  It was not their strategy or program.  It was God’s strategy and program.

As believers, we are all part of God’s family.  As such, it is imperative that we stay true to the Lord.  Remaining in Him will bring fruit.  The power to make that happen is in Him.

If you have never received Jesus as your Savior, you are not part of the family.  The Gospel the believers spread wherever they went has not changed in 2000 years.  Although you and I have rebelled against and offended God in many ways, He invites us to be part of His family by accepting Jesus as our Savior.  Please choose to do this today.

For us believers, I would say, “Remain in Jesus.”

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[i] Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation. Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Steam, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

God Saves Anyone

Acts 10

Cornelius was an Italian name.  He was a centurion of the Italian cohort.  Technically, a cohort was a tenth part of a legion.  However, when used to describe provincial and/or auxiliary troops, it described a regiment of about a thousand men.  This is most likely what is referred to in Acts 10.  In favor of this conclusion, is also the fact that the regiment or cohort had a name, “The Italian Cohort.”  It is not likely that a division of a legion would have a name, but it was common for legions to have names.

This is significant because it places Cornelius as a part of enforcing Roman rule in the region.  Herod the Great built Caesarea, and it was the administrative Center of the Judean Province of the Roman Empire. Although Cornelius was a part of enforcing Roman rule, his was a relatively subordinate role, as a centurion, Cornelius commanded 100 men.

Cornelius was a Gentile, most likely an Italian.  However, he was devout.  Acts  10:3 tells us he was praying one afternoon at about 3:00.  From this, we gather that Cornelius followed Jewish customs regarding prayer.  We are not told at what point he became convinced that the God of Israel was the true God, or by what process he became convinced.  When we meet Cornelius, he is already practicing as much of true religion as he knew.

We also know he was not acceptable to the Jews.  In verse 28 Peter says, “You know it is against our laws for a Jewish man to enter a Gentile home like this or to associate with you.”[i] Peter says, “You know.”  Cornelius knew from experience the prejudice and practice of the Jews.  He was unacceptable.

He prayed regularly and gave to the poor.  I wonder what he prayed for.  He knew the Jewish God was the true God, but he was a hated Roman, a foreign invader enforcing the occupation.  Could Cornelius ever become acceptable?

He was born of the wrong race.  He was raised in the wrong culture.  He was part of the wrong class.  He was trained in the wrong profession.  Everything was against Cornelius from the start.

This was not an issue of money or of social status.  Cornelius had a job and enough money to give to the poor.  He had family and friends.  Yet, he knew something was lacking.  He was seeking God and praying.

Have you ever been there, seeking God and praying?

Have you ever wondered if you are good enough?

Or, perhaps, you have never been good enough.  Born on the wrong side of the tracks, you have never been accepted.  Part of the wrong class, trained in the wrong profession maybe you can identify with Cornelius.

Or, maybe you know somebody like Cornelius, someone who will not come to church because they would not be acceptable.

God deals with this issue with all of us.

There are two extremes.  There are those who believe they are born in the right class, right race and right place so they are acceptable.  On the other extreme, are those who believe they are born in the wrong class, wrong race, and wrong place so they are unacceptable.

At the beginning of the Church, when Jesus established the Body that was to be His presence on Earth, He dealt with this issue.

From Moses to Jesus, the way to God was through the temple in Jerusalem.  The Jewish people had the priesthood, the Bible and the temple.  The keys were in their hands and they were not opening the doors to anybody.

They had misunderstood part of God’s purpose.

God determined it essential that worship of Him remain pure and unmixed with superstition, idols and other gods.  He is the One and Only true God.  There is no one like Him.  In other words, he is separate or different from all others.  The word for this is Holy.  We feel this holiness when we approach God and feel unworthy or unacceptable.  We instinctively know that we are not good enough.

When God was giving the law for the practice of worship and life in His presence He said, “You must be holy because I, the LORD, am holy.  I have set you apart from all other people to be my very own.”  (Leviticus 20:26)

In order to establish this idea of holiness or separateness in their hearts and minds, God gave various laws for purification as well as dietary restrictions.  At the time of Jesus, there were those among the Jewish people that thought they were better than others were because they kept the law.  They felt that they were born of the right race and the right class.  They felt they were acceptable.  The apostle Paul was one of these until He met Jesus on the road to Damascus and then he changed.  He wrote: 

¹⁷You who call yourselves Jews are relying on God’s law, and you boast about your special relationship with him.  ¹⁸You know what he wants; you know what is right because you have been taught his law. (Romans 2:17-18)

This mindset was what set Cornelius apart and made him unacceptable.  It was this mindset that Jesus addressed in order for the Gospel to go to the ends of the earth as He had commanded.  He started with Peter.

Peter has a vision.  All kinds of unclean animals are on a sheet and he is commanded to kill them and eat them.  He refuses.  This happens three times.  Each time a voice comes from heaven and says, “Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.”  (Acts 10:15)  Verse 17 tells us that Peter was very perplexed, and wondering what the vision could mean.

He later makes the connection and shares it with Cornelius when he says, “You know it is against our laws for a Jewish man to enter a Gentile home like this or to associate with you.  But God has shown me that I should no longer think of anyone as impure or unclean.”  (Acts 10:28)  Peter is learning that the Gentiles are to be accepted in the Church.  This is a new idea to him as a Jew.  The dietary laws taught holiness, and had been misapplied to teach that Gentiles were unclean and impure.

This still happens today.  There are those that feel they must clean up their lives before they come to church.  Others feel like they will dirty the water if they are baptized.  Still others believe they were born in the wrong place and everything has been against them from the start.

The Gospel is for everyone.  Peter preaches the Gospel in very few words and says:

He ordered us to preach everywhere and to testify that Jesus is the one appointed by God to be the judge of all—the living and the dead.  He is the one all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name.  (Acts 10:42-43)

Let’s repeat that last line, “Everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name.”

The Gospel is for everyone.

Besides the vision and teaching of Peter, the Lord confirms this fact by a miracle.  Verses 44 and following give an account of the Holy Spirit falling on all who were listening to the message.

Peter started his message with, “You know what happened . . .” They were familiar with all the events surrounding the preaching of John the Baptist and Jesus.  They just needed to make the connection.  As soon as they made the connection, God showed His approval by giving the Holy Spirit.

This proved to be a turning point in the Church.

In chapter 11 of Acts, the apostles and other believers confront Peter.  How could Peter go into the home of Gentiles?  How could He preach to them and even eat with them?  When Peter defended himself against these charges, he told them exactly what happened.  And, the deciding argument was since God gave the Holy Spirit, who was Peter to stand in the way?

From that day to this, the ministry of the Church continues to be primarily to us Gentiles.  God has not given up on the Jews.  However, He has given us Gentiles access to all the promises and covenants.  The Apostle Paul said, “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.”[ii]  (Romans 10:12, NIV) 

We make distinctions.  God says He does not.

The truth is not one of us is worthy, or acceptable.  Jesus makes us right with God.  When we believe on His name, our sins are forgiven and we are made acceptable.  It does not matter if you are male or female, Greek, Roman, Italian, Chinese, African, Jew or Gentile.  It makes no difference, none.

He ordered us to preach everywhere and to testify that Jesus is the one appointed by God to be the judge of all—the living and the dead.  He is the one all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name.  (Acts 10:42-43)

Come, just as you are.  God accepts you.  Based completely on what Jesus has done.  Come and see if He does not give you the gift of His Holy Spirit.

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[i] Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation. Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Steam, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

[ii] Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.