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