Saved by Grace

November 8, 2015 Background Scripture: Acts 15:1 – 35 Lesson Passage: Acts 15:1 – 12 The early Christian church was challenged by a huge doctrinal question. How should a Christian church composed of Jewish converts evaluate the authenticity of a Gentile convert’s testimony? The initial decision, which seemed reasonable to some of the Jewish Christians, was to require the Gentiles to become Jewish proselytes through circumcision and then accept their testimony of conversion to Christianity. This crisis within the early church was the first to highlight the Apostle Paul’s ministry to the church. Paul was trained in the tradition of the Pharisees and had extensive knowledge of the Holy Scriptures we recognize as the Old Testament today. None of the other apostles appear to have such a stellar background and knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. Paul recognized that God was saving Gentiles without them participating in any of the Jewish rituals. Paul also understood that his salvation through Christ did not come about because of his extensive knowledge of the scriptures or his religious adherence to the Jewish rituals. In essence, it was the Apostle Paul who was first to recognize that Christianity is not an offshoot of Judaism. Christianity is its own stand-alone religious faith based on salvation through Jesus Christ and not based on works or activities specified by a code of law. When Jewish Christians came from Jerusalem to Antioch, where Paul was, and declared to the Antioch Christians that the Gentiles could not be saved without circumcision, Paul and Barnabas contended with them over the issue and insisted the issue needed to be reconciled by the chief Apostles in Jerusalem. This was a major turning point in the development of the church. Christians everywhere recognized the Jerusalem based apostles as the head of the church and the ones who were tasked with resolving doctrinal questions. This attitude held the church together as one body in Christ. Without this attitude, the church would have been challenged in its survival since most of the church’s growth would come from Gentile converts and not Jews. The church at Antioch sent a committee composed of Paul, Barnabas, and others, who were not named, to Jerusalem for a resolution. This decision kept the church connected to the Apostles’ doctrine or teaching. It was of the utmost importance that they who were personally taught and trained by Jesus during his earthly ministry give guidance to the infant church. The church at Antioch acknowledged as much through their decisive action. Although Paul and Barnabas had many testimonies concerning the miracles God wrought through them among the Gentiles, this was not considered until the Apostle Peter first rendered an opinion concerning God’s work among the Gentiles through him. Paul would become known as the apostle of grace but in this setting it was Peter who declared that all are saved by the grace of Jesus Christ without exception. Peter further added that the Mosaic Law was a yoke that even the Jews were unable to bear and to burden the Gentiles with such a yoke was not necessary. After this, the testimony of Paul and Barnabas confirmed what Peter had declared. All Christians are saved by grace. Robert C. Hudson October 28, 2015

God Rescues Peter

November 1, 2015 Background Scripture: Acts 12:1 – 24 Lesson Passage: Acts 12:1 – 11 Today’s lesson finds Peter in a situation that no one wants to be in. Peter had been arrested and was sitting chained in a prison cell under heavy guard facing certain execution. All of this was due to circumstances beyond Peter’s control. Peter’s life was in someone else’s hands and it was because of his relationship with Jesus. Peter, John, and James were the members of Jesus’ inner circle during his three years of public ministry. They were given special privileges during Jesus’ ministry on earth. Herod attacked Jesus’ inner circle after Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension. Herod had James executed by sword. Next, he had Peter arrested and kept under maximum security with plans to deal with him after the Passover. Perhaps Herod’s intention was to stop the Christian movement by executing the main proponents, who were Jesus’ inner circle of disciples. What we know of Peter’s disposition during this time was that he went to sleep in the prison. The church, however, was not asleep. The church was having a Prayer Meeting in the home of John Mark’s mother, Mary. The focus of the Prayer Meeting was to seek God on behalf of Peter. While Peter slept and the church prayed, God dispatched an angel to the prison where Peter was kept. What happened next reminds me of the saying that sometimes God does for us only what we cannot do for ourselves. The angel awakened Peter and caused the chains to fall off of him. The angel escorted Peter out of the prison and to a place of safety and gave him instructions to go to James and the other brethren and tell them what had happened. This angel could have removed Peter from the prison without waking him up. He could have delivered Peter directly to James and the other brethren. Rather than that, the angel escorted Peter to safety and sent him to the brethren. If this had happened any other way, perhaps Peter would not have been so sure it was the Lord’s doing rather than the hand of man. I think we are often confused whenever the circumstances of our deliverances are not clear as to whether it is of God or man. Peter saw the chains fall off and the iron gate open of its own accord. This clearly was not man’s doing. Christians are admonished by the word of God to be subject to government authorities because they are ordained of God. But here we see the other side of this. The reason we can be subject to authorities is that God will step in and deal directly with those in authority if they seek to destroy His people. We are admonished to do God’s will and God promises to never forsake His own. I don’t know if Peter was being negligent in sleeping in the prison or if he had learned the lesson of Jesus sleeping in the midst of the storm on the Sea of Galilee. But I do know from this lesson that while the church was in prayer to God for Peter, God was at work on Peter’s behalf. By attacking Jesus’ inner circle, Herod was on a path to destroy the church. Perhaps Herod did not get the memo: Jesus died for the church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Herod arrested Peter with bad intentions but God rescued Peter. Robert C. Hudson October 24, 2015

Peter Defends His Actions

October 25, 2015 Background Scripture: Acts 11:1 – 18 Lesson Passage: Acts 11:1 – 18a In last week’s lesson, the scriptures revealed how Peter struggled to overcome his personal bias against Gentiles as God used him to deliver the gospel message to the household of Cornelius. Although Peter did what God required of him, it is not clear that his attitude was in line with his actions. In other words, was he convinced that this needed to be his attitude concerning Gentiles going forward? Our lesson passage is a reminder that what God begins in us He completes. When Peter arrived back in Jerusalem, some of the Jewish Christians debated with him concerning his actions with the Gentiles. Peter had a serious choice to make: he could agree with his Jewish colleagues and treat his ministry to the Gentiles as an unfortunate error on his part that should not be repeated or he could agree with God and defend his ministry to the Gentiles. Having been brought up in the traditions of the Jews, it would have been easier for Peter to accept the attitude that he always had that agreed with the Jews. Undoubtedly, the vision God gave to Peter prior to his assignment at Cornelius’ house played a major part in Peter’s decision. But the final push Peter needed came as a result of the work of the Holy Ghost at Cornelius’ house. Those of Cornelius’ household who heard and believed Peter’s preaching received the baptism of the Holy Ghost and the manifestation of it served as a witness for Peter and those who traveled with him that everything was approved of God. This was the core of Peter’s defense to his fellow countrymen. God gave Peter a vision of His ability to cleanse the previously unclean and then God showed his approval of Gentiles who placed their trust in Him at the house of Cornelius. Since God gave the Gentiles the same spiritual gift He gave the Jews, Peter was satisfied that what he did was all within the will of God. Peter recognized after God’s work at Cornelius’ house that his bias against the Gentiles would in effect be bias against the work of God. Peter refused to allow himself to be in the position of opposing God’s work even though God’s work appeared to be contrary to Peter’s Jewish upbringing. This was Peter’s argument to his countrymen in Jerusalem who challenged his going into a Gentile’s home and fellowshipping with them. Peter’s defense of his actions caused his countrymen to acknowledge that God had also extended eternal life to the Gentiles. For this, they celebrated and glorified God. Had Peter given in to the prejudice of his countrymen, all of them would have been worse for it. Instead, Peter defended his actions as being orchestrated by God and he acknowledged that God had provided the Gentiles the same sign the Jews received in the beginning. The writing of the Apostle Paul helps us to understand the witness of the Holy Ghost baptism. Paul declared that speaking in unknown tongues is given as a sign to unbelievers but prophesying or preaching is given to believers. The Jews did not want to accept that God would save Gentiles but they could not deny the sign God gave to witness against their unbelief. Rather than give in to negative peer pressure, Peter defended his actions by referring to the sign God gave them of His acceptance of the Gentiles and he and his countrymen were able to overcome prejudice because of it. Robert C. Hudson October 5, 2015

Peter Preaches to Gentiles

October 18, 2015 Background Scripture: Acts 10:1 – 44 Lesson Passage: Acts 10:24 – 38 As incredible as it may seem, sometimes we dare to set personal standards that exceed the standards of God. This is especially true when it comes to how we believe God sees us and how we dare to view others. We can all be thankful that when it comes to personal scrutiny, God’s standards supersede all others. However, we sometimes forget and assume the role of determining the standards of righteousness for others. Today’s lesson is a reminder that we are not alone in this wayward thinking and neither is this way of thinking a new reality. From the very first family who lived in this world, we note how one brother judged, condemned, and destroyed another. That attitude has persisted in this world since the beginning of time with the first family. It was still alive two thousand years ago and it is still alive today. Perhaps the only thing that is surprising is that it involves not some lowlife creatures who are disappointed with their own lives but this attitude is present even in some of God’s finest. Peter is listed in the gospel accounts as one of the first disciples selected by Jesus who would later become apostles. Among the group of twelve handpicked disciples of Jesus, Peter was included in the “inner circle” with John and James. The inner circle of disciples was singled out on several occasions to accompany Jesus into some settings the other disciples were not privy to. They were witnesses to some divine acts that the other disciples were not. Eleven of the twelve disciples were tasked with laying the foundation of the church of Jesus Christ after Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. During the time of ministry after the ascension of Jesus, Peter was given the command by the Lord to do what was unthinkable for Peter. Peter was commanded to go to the Gentiles and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to them. This did not go well with Peter’s Jewish upbringing that taught him to steer clear of Gentiles because of their uncleanness. God revealed to Peter that whatever was viewed as unclean could be made clean by Him. Once cleaned by God, Peter did not have the privilege as a servant of Christ to continue to declare a thing or person to be unclean. This was all demonstrated to Peter in a vision where he was told by God to eat various creatures that were by Jewish dietary standards defined by the Law considered to be unclean. In the vision, Peter protested the request and stated his conviction that he would not eat anything considered ritually unclean. God rebuked Peter and told him that he was to accept what He had cleaned as such. Peter was told that a group was seeking him and he awoke from the vision. The group summoned Peter to the home of a Gentile named Cornelius. Peter declared the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles there. For Peter to go into the home of a Gentile was for him an unclean act. To offer the Gentiles the message of salvation that was heretofore reserved for the Jews, must have felt akin to treason to Peter. But the nagging message of the vision reminded Peter that God can clean the unclean and he must accept God’s work as sufficient. Peter declared the gospel message in Cornelius’ house and the whole household believed the preaching and was saved. Peter preached the initial sermon on the day of Pentecost to the Jews at Jerusalem and he preached to the Gentiles at the home of Cornelius. Those two sermons delivered the message of hope to all—both Jews and Gentiles. Jesus promised Peter that he would give him the keys and Peter had now used them to open the gospel message to whosoever would receive it. We can celebrate today because Peter preached to Gentiles. Robert C. Hudson October 5, 2015

Saul Begins to Preach

October 11, 2015 Background Scripture: Acts 9:19b – 31 Lesson Passage: Acts 9:19b – 31 Nothing propels a person forward like a personal testimony. Indeed, sometimes it seems as though that’s all we have to motivate us. That appears to be the case with Saul in our lesson today. Saul had gained notoriety as a religious leader of the Jews who did not mind vigorously persecuting anyone who dared claim to be a follower of Jesus or “The Way” as it was called then. Saul had the support of the Jewish leadership who were in cahoots with the local Roman civil authority. In other words, Saul was given the authority to do or encourage whatever he chose to do in order to destroy what was believed to be a religious sect that threatened Judaism. As Saul traveled from Jerusalem to Damascus, his reputation preceded him for the Christians of Damascus knew who he was and what authority he had been granted to pursue Christians. But a funny thing happened to Saul on his way to Damascus, i.e., funny as in ironic. Saul had an encountered with Jesus—the risen Lord! Perhaps Saul had considered the gospel message of resurrection to just be a rumor but now he knew the realness of it. Certainly Saul knew the realness of the crucifixion and death of Jesus because it was orchestrated by his fellow Jewish leaders. But just maybe he did not accept the eye witnesses’ accounts of Jesus’ resurrection as a reality until he found himself on the ground having a one-on-one conversation with Jesus. Saul was between Jerusalem and Damascus on the ground and physically blind while engaged in a conversation with Jesus. Jesus was clear that he was taking it personal that Saul was persecuting the church which he had purchased with his own blood. Jesus’ question to Saul was: Why are you persecuting me? Jesus identified one hundred percent with the pain of the church. Jesus suffered when the church suffered but Saul was engaged in a losing battle to destroy the church. In a note of divine irony, it would be Saul the persecutor who would become the most recognized individual in ensuring the growth and stability of the church. Yes, the persecutor of the church would become the preacher of the gospel. I am really convinced that God has a wonderful sense of humor. Saul’s life gained new meaning on the Damascus road. That encounter with Jesus established Saul’s purpose for being born into this world. Saul’s life purpose was not what he might have supposed and that is to become a great religious leader of the Jews and to defend Judaism against all threats and perceived threats. Saul would become an important part of the foundation of the Christian faith. It would be Saul the Pharisee and not the fishermen or the tax collector who would deliver the biblical defense of the Christian faith. With all of his training and instruction in the Old Testament scriptures, Saul would write half of the New Testament scriptures to provide instructions and clarity to the church of Jesus Christ throughout the Church Age. Although the Christians who knew him as Saul the persecutor would be slow to accept his genuineness, they would come to appreciate the power of Christ to transform wayward people as they witnessed the transformation of Saul when he began to preach. Robert C. Hudson September 30, 2015