The Unique Case of Cornelius

In tonight’s class at church it’s a class on Personal Evangelism (something I personally know I need to work on). And the question was asked, “what if when teaching baptism, the person we’re teaching wants to take us to Acts 10 and the case of Cornelius?” The teacher suggested that we avoid that at any cost. However, I’m not happy with that answer (don’t get me wrong, he’s a perfectly capable teacher and is probably 100 times better at personal evangelism than I). I didn’t point this out in class (I should have) because it would have taken almost the whole class to convey what I wanted to say. So I’ll post it here, for those of you who may not have a way to refute Acts 10 and the unique case of Cornelius.

First, I’d like to start out with a little history. Historically, the Jews and the Gentiles did not get along. Quite frankly, Jews thought Gentiles were unclean heathens who had no place in the church. I want you to notice how, through God’s providence, the Gentiles were gradually added to the church.

Acts 2: Here we have the account of the day of Pentecost. We also have a potential race crisis. Present here, were Jews and proselytes (those not born of Jewish decent, but had gone through the necessary acts to become a Jew, including circumcision and thus able to intermarry with Jews). Had there been Gentiles (those who are not Jews) present on this day, there would have been serious problems.

Acts 8: Here we have the account of Philip preaching to those in Samaria. Samaritans were, for lack of a better word, “half-breeds” according to the commentary by Gareth L. Reese, Samaritans were the result of marriages between poor Israelites and relocated foreigners, in other words, God took a half-step up from Jews and proselytes and here we have Jews and Greeks. It’s also of worth to note that Philip was a Hellenist, which were Jews adopting to Grecian philosophy, sympathy, speech, etc and would have probably been received better than a Hebrew. We can also make note that in this chapter the Ethiopian Eunuch was ministered to by Philip and baptized (and in case you didn’t know, you can see the entire plan of salvation in this one segment of scripture).

We come to Acts 10: Here, of course, we have the account of Cornelius. In verse 10:28 we note that Peter says: “Ye yourselves know how it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to join himself or come unto one of another nation.” According to Reese’s commentary (he uses the NASV, I use the ASV) Peter uses the word “foreigner” which is translated allophulos, which was kindly selected to avoid using the word “Gentile”. Either way, Peter was trying to be tactful about this situation. Here we note that we’ve take yet another 1/2 step up and we now have Greeks and Gentiles (among Jews). What’s most important to note is that as Peter preached unto them Jesus, the Holy Spirit fell on them with no laying of hands (10:44). I’d also like to note the scripture before. What exactly did Peter say in 10:43? EVERYONE who believeth on him. What was the Jews problem? They thought that the gospel was only for them! Directly after Peter had spoken these words, the Holy Spirit fell on those who heard him speak (Cornelius and his crowd). Were these saved? No, because what need would there be to baptize them had they been saved already? None. But here’s what’s interesting. Notice in chapter 11 we see Peter coming back to Jerusalem (11:2). Those of the circumcision (Jews) came to Peter and were basically like, “Hey! What’s the big idea Peter?” Peter said, “listen, I was just preaching and the Holy Spirit fell on them like it had on us in the beginning.” Had Peter laid hands on Cornelius and his crowd, the Jews would have been like, “What’s the big idea Peter? What did you do that for?!” In Acts 2:1ff we note that the Holy Spirit fell upon the apostles, in other words, it was directly from God. What do we note in Acts 5? Here we see the apostles on trial, Gamaliel a doctor of the law (5:34) stood up and he said, Listen guys “refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or work be of men, it will be overthrown: but if it is of God, ye will not be able to overthrow them; lest haply ye be found even to be fighting against God. In other words, in chapter 10, by God directly pouring out the Holy Spirit on Cornelius and his crowd He’s saying “hey, this is my doing, remember what Gamaliel said?” What did the Jews questioning Peter say in 11:18? “And when they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then to the Gentiles also hath God granted repentance unto life. (ASV) Incidentally, this is something you can bring out to refute the idea that Cornelius wasn’t baptized yet saved.

Finally, I want to end with Acts 11: We find Paul in Antioch. Were Gentiles send Paul out to preach to Gentiles. Thus we have the end of the cycle of God’s providence to show the Jews that the gospel is for Gentiles as well.

In conclusion, we can learn from this a few things. 1)God is awesome. 2)Cornelius was not saved before being baptized. 3)There is to be no racism in the church. 4)God is AWESOME! 5)The gospel is for all.

Where No One Stands Alone

This is another of my favorite hymns. It was written by Mosie Lister. The lyrics are very powerful and the singing of the song its self often times sends shivers down my spine. It makes me think of one of the last things Jesus told His disciples in the last verse of the gospel of Matthew when He gave them the Great Commission: “and lo, I am with you always, even until the end of the world.”

Once I stood in the night with my head bowed low
In the darkness, as black as could be
And my heart felt alone
And I cried oh Lord
Don’t hide your face from me

Hold my hand all the way
Every hour every day
From here to the great unknown
Take my hand
Let me stand
Where no one stands alone

Like a king I may live in a palace so tall
With great riches to call my own
But I dont know a thing
In this whole wide world
That’s worse then being alone

Hold my hand all the way
Every hour, every day
From here to the great unknown
Take my hand
Let me stand
Where no one stands alone

Take my hand
Let me stand
Where no one stands alone

Proverbs 1

The first few verses of the first chapter of the book of Proverbs begins with Solomon explaining to the reader the purpose for the book. To know wisdom and instruction, to perceive the words of understanding, to receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, judgment, and equity; to give prudence to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion… Proverbs is full of scripture on how to live a godly life. In verse 4, “the simple” likely refers to those who are young and naive. A wise person has learned by experience the things that are true, praiseworthy, and good from what is false, shameful, and bad. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that your present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, by be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:1,2) In order to live godly and “be saved from this perverse generation” we must totally change the way we look at life.  Verse 5 explains that a wise man will hear and increase learning, meaning that those who want to be wise can add the words of this book to their lives and increase in wisdom. The key to the entire book of Proverbs is in verse 7, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. All wisdom depends on knowledge of God and submission to His will. To know something but not know God overturns the value of having knowledge in the first place. Verse 8 teaches that we are too heed to the instruction of our parents. You know, I always believed I knew everything when I was younger. As  I got older, I realized my parents knew a lot more than I gave them credit for. The reason is because they’ve been through most everything we younger folks have. Verse 10 if sinners entice you, (and they will) do not consent. There will be times in life that the pressure to go along with the world will seem like it’s not something you can say no to, but we must do it. You know, I really can’t stand these people that think that the grace of God is so great they can do whatever they want in this life and still make it to heaven. The grace of God is indeed great, we can see that evident in the fact that he even sent His Son to pay in blood the sins we commit. But that doesn’t give us free reign to continue to live however we want.. in Romans, Paul covers this very point. Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid! We who die to sin, how can we who died to sin live any longer therein? (Romans 6:1,2) The proceeding verses (11-14) is the first of several texts in which wisdom is taught by means of a story. The parents caution us: For their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood. Surely, in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird; but they lie in wait for their own blood, they lurk secretly for their own lives. It wouldn’t make much sense to spread a net in front of a bird you intend to catch. Likewise, the fool will watch the trap being set, and yet be caught by it. So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain; it takes away the life of its owners. The study of wisdom is a matter of life and death. The following verses deal with Wisdom calling out to the “simple ones”, the naive ones who have not yet decided what direction they want to take in life. Wisdom ridicules those who reject her because their end will be destruction but whoever listens to me will dwell safely, and will be secure, without fear of evil. (verse 33) Those who embrace wisdom will gain knowledge on how to life righteously.

Good News and Bad News

Have you ever had someone come up to you and proclaim “I’ve got good news, and I’ve got bad news.”? Usually, the person asks you which news you want to hear first. Well, I’ve got good news and I’ve got bad news, but you’re going to hear the bad news first.

The bad news is, you’re a lost soul, for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23) and sin cannot enter heaven.

The good news is, God loves you so much that He provided a way for everyone to receive forgiveness of sins. He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will. (Ephesians 1:4-5) Before God even created us, He knew that we would become rebellious, and yet still formed the plan of salvation through the shedding of His Son’s blood. I can’t even fathom the amount of love required for God to sacrifice His Son while knowing that we would be a rebellious creation.

Judging

In today’s secular world, the only thing that is considered sin is being intolerant. It’s commonly believed among these people who hold this belief that there are no absolute standard of right and wrong. These people don’t hold any onto any biblical standards, but these people love to throw around one scripture that they feel supports their ideals on tolerance. Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with what measure you use, it will be measured back to you. (Matthew 7:1-2) They love to point out that they believe this scripture to be saying that you are never supposed judge anyone. Anyone who does show any attitude of judgment are considered as acting holier than thou, a bigot, or just plain mean. I would suggest to you that if we are to follow the command of Christ when He gave the great commission, there would be a form of judging involved. There are moral absolutes and those are the absolutes laid forth in the Word of God.

First, let’s look at what this scripture is not saying. It is not saying that judging is always wrong. Church discipline depends on judging whether or not the actions of a certain person requires removal of fellowship. I would also suggest that anyone who truly cares about their brothers and sisters in Christ, when they see them doing something not in accordance to the scriptures, pull them aside and say “Hey, what you are doing is wrong and here’s why.” What this scripture is not saying is that you go around nit picking every little thing your brothers in sisters in Christ do. When you come upon a situation where judging is necessary, you are to approach the situation with an attitude of humbleness and genuine love for this persons soul. You also need to make sure that you’re not guilty of the very sin that you are approaching someone about. Verse 3 talks about someone approaching a brother to express concern about sin in their life, and yet this person hasn’t stopped and looked at the sin in their own life. We are to have genuine care and concern for the brothers and sisters around us. I know there have been times in my life where I go about doing something wrong and didn’t even think about it till someone took the time to stop and point it out to me. Our attitude towards such criticism shouldn’t be to tell them that they are acting “holier than thou”, but to be grateful that they felt enough concern to point something out in your life that they are concerned with in relation to the destination of your soul.

Let’s not take the world’s view that there are no absolute standards of right and wrong and thus should never judge anyone. But let’s approach such situations with an attitude of genuine care for the destination that persons soul. Not everyone is going to appreciate such criticism. Not everyone will feel the need to change anything. But let’s not let that discourage us from helping to spread that absolute moral standards laid out in the bible.

Lust

But I tell you, anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:28) In today’s society it’s almost impossible to go a day without sexuality being thrown in your face in some way. Everything from shampoo commercials to that hot blond peeking out at you from the cover of Maxim magazine. Sex has become one of the biggest ways to boost sales. It has been cheapened by our society today. Boundaries of modesty are constantly being pushed. What used to be considered unacceptable to air on television is now being shown on regular viewing channels. Sex is God’s greatest masterpiece, meant to be shared between a man and his wife. Imagine if someone took something like the Mona Lisa and painted a green mustache on her face. That’s exactly what we are doing with our societies view of sex today, we’re essentially ruining God’s masterpiece. I hear people say all the time “it’s my body, I can do what I want.” No, it’s not your body: Glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. (1 Corinthians 6:20) Everything we do in mind and body, we should do to the glory of God. How can we be glorifying to God if we aren’t adhering to his plans for sex? Sex isn’t just a bodily urge to fulfill. I would suggest it’s more spiritual than physical. So much pressure has been placed on performance in today’s society, and porn doesn’t help the situation. The porn industry brings in more revenue annually than every major sports team combined and puts unrealistic expectations of sex into the minds of men and women. So, do yourself and your future spouse/spouse and STOP WATCHING IT! Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul. (1 Peter 2:11) Make a concentrated effort this year to overcome lust. It’s a hard battle, but everything is possible through Christ. (Philippians 4:13) You can’t do it alone, so pray about it every single day. Ask your church family to pray for you. If you struggle with porn, visit http://www.xxxchurch.com and get the free accountability software. Move the computer to a public place in your house. Cancel that subscription to Sport’s Illustrated. Do whatever it takes to overcome lust in your life.

Strength

Show me your strength, this is our time to bleed.
We’ve suffered for far too long.
I won’t give in. We’ll fight, we’ll fight.
I’ve never felt so alone. Will I ever find my way.
You chose to hide in fear, in fear.
Will we find strength within to fight against this world we’re in.
As my soul pants forth it thirsts and longs for you.
My tears have ran dry. All my hope is in you.
I won’t hide behind my faith to keep me safe.
The time has come for us to rise against our fear and lead a world that hides its shame.
I hope we’ll rise at the chance to live again.
The pain that dwells inside have run their roots far too deep.
We swallow at the chance to truly live because we choose to hide behind suffering.
If we fight against our emptiness and battle through our many losses,
Will we have the chance to breathe again in a world that tells us we are nothing ~ “Strength Within” War of Ages

Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)

Sometimes, the attack of the devil seems beyond our ability to handle. I know personally there were times when I’ve thought it would be so much easier to just give in because I’m not strong enough to withstand this. That line of thinking is of the devil. The devil would have you believe that you are not strong enough to withstand his attacks. Granted, you alone are not strong enough to withstand them but we have a weapon that never fails, the strength of our God through Christ. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13) We were lost in our rebellious, sinful state but through the shedding of Christ’s blood we overcome our final enemy, death. For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. (1 Corinthians 15:26-27) Without His blood, we would have no hope of eternal life. While here on earth the attacks of the devil may seem to strong but he has no real sway over us. The only victory the devil has is when we entices a soul away from God. Our ultimate victory comes when Christ returns and death is finally overcome. Our strength should be in the knowledge that if we remain faithful we will have eternal life. Be thou faithful until death and I will give thee a crown of life. (Revelation 2:10) Satan can have no victory so long as we cling to the cross of Christ and walk according to the commands of our heavenly Father. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7)

The Greatest Commands

Love one another, for love is of God
He who loves is born of God and knows God.
He who does not love does not know God,
For God is love, God is love.

Love bears all things,
Believes all things,
Love hopes all things,
Endures all things.

God is love, God is Love, God is love.
God is love, God is Love, God is love.
God is love, God is Love, God is love.
God is love, God is Love, God is love.

Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
With all thy soul, all thy strength, all thy mind.
Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
For God is love, God is love, God is love.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (1st John 4:7-11)

You know, this time of year a lot of people celebrate the birth of Christ. While I don’t think there is anything inherently wrong with that, I’d like to consider an even more important event than the birth of Christ. Christ came to this world in the form of man, flesh and blood just as we are. Through His life, we have an example of how to live a life in submission to the will of God. But most importantly, it’s through His death that we are able to have salvation from our sins. By the shedding of His blood, we find the means by which we can be cleansed of sins and able to be reconciled to God to spend eternity in Heaven. Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will. (Ephesians 1:4-5) I don’t know why, but before God even created us, He saw us and loved us. He also knew we would be flawed and thus created the plan of salvation through the sacrifice of His Son. During this holiday season, it’s fine to remember the birth of Jesus, but even more than that, remember His death. God bless you and yours during this time.

Happy Holidays

I pray that you and your family are blessed this holiday season. As we prepare to enter a new year, I pray God blesses you throughout this year with prosperity and happiness. God bless.

Christ in our place

For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:7-8) Some people in history have laid down their life for the preservation of good people. There is nothing we do in order to earn the fact that Christ died for us. Paul tells us that while we were still on the path to destruction, completely oblivious to the fact we were headed there, Christ died for us. In other words, Christ did not die for good people. Christ died for sinners. That’s pretty much unheard of in human history. But, Christ shed his blood so that we might be reconciled to God. (Verse 10) But even more than the fact that He died, is the fact that he lived again. We know that the wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23) But through Christ’s death, we have eternal life.

All that is asked of us in return is to live for Christ. To submit our lives in discipleship of Christ’s teachings.  If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matthew 16:24-26) In order to claim hold of that gift of eternal life through Christ, there are things we must turn away from. There are things we must deny ourselves if we want to be a follower of Christ.  Also, we must take up our cross daily. The fact that Jesus decided to use the cross to describe discipleship to Him shows that it is not an easy path to take. There will be people out there who will mock you and persecute you. But you must count the cost if you truly want to be a disciple of Christ.

The end reward will be an eternal home in Heaven. Sure, the costs here on earth might seem great. But the reward after this life is over is much greater than any earthly cost. Our life here in earth is but a vapor. (James 4:14) We are, for lack of a better term, aliens. This is not where we will be forever. We are here on earth for only a short period of time. The things you do in this life holds a lot of weight as to where you will spend eternity in the life after.