Prison Break

5.29.16

Peter and the Apostles continue to spread and share the gospel of Jesus. Twelve years have passed since the ascension of Jesus recorded in Acts 1. Herod the Great's grandson, King Herod Agrippa is on the throne in Israel and he begins a terror attack and killing of Christians. In 42 A.D. he kills James, the brother of John and imprisons Peter. Acts chapter 12 records the miraculous escape.

"It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.

So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.

The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.

Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him."

Acts 12:1-10

1. Freedom Comes Thru Prayer

"So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him." (verse 5)

Prayer is often accompanied with fasting. Both are examples of self discipline and a desire to connect with God. Prayer and fasting opens doors and unlocks God's power in our lives. Isaiah wrote about this in Isaiah 58, verses 6-9...

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:

to loose the chains of injustice

    and untie the cords of the yoke,

to set the oppressed free

    and break every yoke?

Is it not to share your food with the hungry

    and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—

when you see the naked, to clothe them,

    and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

Then your light will break forth like the dawn,

    and your healing will quickly appear;

then your righteousness will go before you,

    and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.

Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;

    you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I."

God is the source for freedom, and is the place we should always start!

2. God Can Set Us Free

In Acts 12:6-7, we read that God sent an angel who woke Peter and broke the chains off of him so that he would get up and follow the angel. This begs two questions:

a) Do we grow comfortable enough in our chains that we sleep? We give up, exhausted in our struggles against the chains that entangle us?
b) How can God "wake us up"? Have you ever received or heard of someone experiencing a "wake up call" event? What was that like?

3. Following God's Instruction Is Key

Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision.
Acts 12:8-9

The angel tells Peter to wrap his cloak, it is an act of preparation for quick movement. The command is to act with haste and be prepared. Proverbs 13:13 tells us "He who scorns instruction will pay, but the one who respects command is rewarded." We are to follow God's instruction even if we are like Peter and not fully understanding the outcome.

4. We Have A Responsibility Once Freed

Once outside of the prison, the angel takes Peter so far...ad then disappears. Peter is responsible for his actions after this point. Galatians 5:13 reminds us that we are "called to be free, but in do not us your freedom to indulge the sinful nature." There is a pattern from Genesis on of God allowing us to have a part in our destiny. Beginning with Adam and the naming of the animals, tending the garden, Noah building the ark; and on and on we see a place for God to act and space for man to participate. That participation requires responsibility.

5. Go To Those Who Celebrate Freedom

In verse 12 of Acts 12 we read that Peter returned to the house of Mary where the members of the church were gathered. He recalled the events of his freedom and they celebrated with him. The author of Proverbs instructs us that "He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm." (13:20) When we are set free, we should strive to stay away from others who may entice us to once again plunge back into the entanglement of sin.

Takeaway From Today

What has captured you?

Are you prepared for freedom?

These two questions should haunt us all. We too easily slip into our habits and sins...imprisoned without chains. Are we ready for freedom? Do we pray for it? Seek it? And what if God is willing, but we must take the steps to obey his instructions for getting out?

The Sufficient Gospel

5.22.16

Peter Testimony of the Gospel

“We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
Acts 10:39-43

Peter presents the good news of Jesus in simple terms:

a) Jesus died on the cross.
b) God raised him from the dead.
c) This resurrection was witnessed by many, but not all.
d) Jesus will judge all mankind one day.
e) He alone fulfills the prophecy as the one to be this judge.
f) Everyone who believes in Jesus will be forgiven.

God can act in ways that surprise us. 

"While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles."
Acts 10:44-45

These "circumcised" believers were Jewish Christians. They were astonished that God would allow these pagan non-Jews into the body of Christ. For many in the early church the "narrow gate" believers had to pass through was as much Judaism as it was Jesus himself. There was a clear prejudice against non-Jews becoming believers.

There will always be critics of change.

The apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.”
Acts 11:1-3

The very men who were challenged by Jesus to go into all the world and preach his good news stand Peter on impromptu trial by critic for carrying out this very commandment. There is definite attitude of "This is how we do it" going on in the early church. There is no room for God to do something different than exactly as he had with them.

Let truth be the proof.

Peter shares the story of what God did at the house of Cornelius -

"So if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?” When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.”
Acts 11:17-18

We should have the attitude Peter takes - "who am I to stand in God's way?" We are too often hubris in our thought that God should do things our way. We see in the response to truth that there was still a hint at prejudice, because they state "So then, even to the Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life."

The word EVEN is powerful. It shares the hearts of the men there that they were still struggling that a group of people different than them would be accepted by God. It begs the question of is the "EVEN" in your life? Is there a people group or person who you would never believe could follow Jesus? Does it affect your evangelism or outreach? Keep in mind that at one point or another in your own life, someone may have looked upon you as being their "EVEN".

The gospel is sufficient.

There was a push back to Peter's freely sharing time and gospel with Gentiles. Paul writes about this in Galatians chapter 2:

"For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray."

We must not pollute the gospel! When we do, it weakens the power of what Jesus accomplished on the cross! A gospel that includes the cross of Jesus plus something, then it is not a true gospel. The plus usually dictates a personal belief or preference... i.e., bible translations, church attendance, membership in certain denominations or specific churches, musical instruments or no instruments, and so on and so on... the list is nearly endless of the things people will add to the gospel of the cross in hopes of leading a person to be a "true" follower.

Takeaway From Today

We need to be clear about the gospel of Jesus 

and not add or take away from it. 

The Gospel For All

5.15.16

In Acts chapter nine we read about Peter and his travels. He visits believers throughout Israel to encourage them, pray with them, and in one case raise them from the dead. He is on a high in his ministry. He is a rock star of sorts, traveling and in demand. He is requested in Joppa where he stays with Simon the tanner. While he is there, God is moving in the heart of another man, Cornelius the Centurion. Acts chapter ten opens with Cornelius in prayer and a visit from an angel. The interaction between Cornelius and Peter provides a number of valuable lessons for us.

1. God initiates the spread of the gospel.

One day at about three in the afternoon he [Cornelius] had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”
Acts 10:3

This angel directs Cornelius to send for Peter who is in Joppa staying at Simon the tanner's house. God's directive begins a shift in focus for the early church - from Jewish/Jerusalem focused to Gentile/world focused. Cornelius obeys and sends for Peter.

2. New covenant, new rules. 

He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” 
Acts 10:11-13

Meanwhile back at the tanner's house...

Peter is tired and goes to lay down as he waits for supper to be prepared. While he is laying there he enters a trance and is challenged with a vision from heaven of previously "impure or unclean" animals to eat. The animals are presented on a sheet that is lowered into Peter's view from heaven. The voice from heaven tells Peter to not be so quick to judge these things as unclean, and that since God created them, they are now permissible. God is preparing Peter for a paradigm shift in his theology. The vision concludes with verification that he is to travel with the men coming to invite him to visit Cornelius. 

3. God can use even our reluctant obedience. 

You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. 

Acts 10:28-29

Peter, filled with some sense of self importance perhaps, and a sense of Jewish superiority in spiritual matters, reluctantly visits at the home of this Gentile. He announces this to the people waiting for him at the house of Cornelius. In this exchange, where Cornelius explains why he called for Peter, a directive from an angel, Cornelius is expectant of a word from God. Cornelius is so confident, that it says he called all of his household to hear from Peter.  These two men could not be more different. One, a Jewish fisherman, the other a trained and cultured Roman Italian Centurion. But it is the Roman, the pagan, the gentile, that is expectant of God and what He will do. The apostle, the follower, Peter, is reluctant to come and has apparently little to no expectations for the exchange. 

4. Peter realizes that the gospel of Jesus is for everyone. 

Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. 

Acts 10:34-35

Peter is humbled. It's not the first time. Sure not to be the last. His eyes are opened to the thing that God was showing him at the house in Joppa with the sheet and the directive to not call things (or people groups) unclean. It changes the game so to speak. Peter, a disciple of Jesus and founding father of the church is breaking new ground with this visit. 

Takeaway From Today

We must be prepared to accept others who are different into the church. 

We will interact with people that are similar to us. We will interact with people who are vastly different. In all, we will have to learn that the church is not for just us "saved" people, but for the broken, socially challenged, culturally different lost people of the world. We must be open to the idea that not everyone in the church or in heaven will act, look, and be like us. God is a god of diversity (look at nature), and his church will be too.