Blog Archives - Created through Him

Created Through Him

The conditions

2/18/2013

8 And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; 9 And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. 10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? 11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they (Acts 15:8-11).

This exchange concerns the desire by some in the early church to make gentile believers become circumcised, and therefore make circumcision a condition for salvation. Paul and Barnabas were so concerned that some were teaching this doctrine that they returned to Jerusalem and met with the leaders of the church. The leaders decided that it was contrary to the Gospel to add the requirement for circumcision. The plain teaching of scripture is that salvation is a gift of God through the work of Christ, and that gift in this world is the Holy Spirit. The conditions to receive the gift too are clear. In essence the conditions are through faith to repent and surrender to Christ as Lord. Ultimately the conditions therefore are met based on the work of God not Man.

Rain from Heaven

2/17/2013

16 Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways. 17 Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness (Acts 14:16-17).

We have talked a lot about people being witnesses for the Gospel but these verses indicate that the Creation around us is also a witness. God sustains the Creation and part of His sustaining involves blessing. It should be evident from the seasons, the organized cycle of planting and harvest, the provision of rain and sun that there is a powerful Creator. This Creator God has sustained the Creation from the beginning. The physical regeneration of the Creation during periods for example of springtime is a powerful metaphor for the spiritual rebirth that occurs in Christ.

The light

2/16/2013

46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. 47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth (Acts 13:46-47).

We see in this passage that even the rejection of the Gospel by some people, leads to the acceptance by others. God’s call for us to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth is the primary command for disciples of Christ. But the spread and preaching of the Gospel is according to God’s will and design. We are instruments of grace not the Grace itself. We are to be light that helps people see Christ and see their need for redemption. The redemption though is an act of God. The pattern of redemption is clear. When we respond to the God through repentance and believe the good news of the Gospel, calling upon the name of the Lord, through God’s work of grace by the atonement of Christ, we will be saved. This salvation is a rebirth to a new life. Once saved, the obligation then is to try and reach as many people as possible with the light of Christ. This is the message to the entire world.

Without ceasing

2/15/2013

5 Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. 6 And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison. 7 And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands (Acts 12:5-7).

Peter was put in prison immediately after James the brother of John was killed by Herod. Herod was going to execute Peter as well. However, God still had other plans for Peter, and Peter was miraculously freed from prison. The deliverance of Peter was clearly an act of God, but also notice what preceded these actions: The church prayed without ceasing for Peter. Prayer is the mechanism by which we petition God. The petitions we place before God, which are in accordance with His will, are acted upon very directly by God. It is God that designs and knows the plan for each person however and therefore it is His will that is accomplished in time. Remember too that God sees past, present and future simultaneously, but we clearly do not. And so we should pray without ceasing to God, and know that God can and will deliver us at a time and under the circumstances of His choosing.

Repentance to life

2/14/2013

16 Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. 17 Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God? 18 When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life (Acts 11:16-18).

Peter is describing and defending his actions towards Cornelius (the Roman Centurion) to the church at Jerusalem. The church was initially protesting Peter’s action of associating with Gentiles. However, after hearing Peter’s account, all protest stopped. The church realized that God had elected to save based on His choice, and that this salvation was extended to all that respond through faith and repent. Also notice too that the stoning of Stephen, the conversion of Paul and the opening of the Gospel to all peoples occurred closely together. They are connected according to both God’s sovereign plan and will. It is God’s will to have people from all nations become disciples.

The work of God for the people of God

2/13/2013

42 And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. 43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. 44 While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word (Acts 10:42-44).

In this passage Cornelius, a Roman centurion, had summoned Peter to hear the Gospel. Cornelius had received a vision to call upon Peter, and Peter had also been instructed to spread the good news of the Gospel to the Gentiles. We now know in light of scripture that this was God’s plan from the beginning, a plan to have a people from all nations. But at the time, this was a huge change in thinking for the followers of Jesus. They were Jews and there was no thought that they should interact with Gentiles. The command however from Christ before His ascension was to make disciples of people from all nations. Notice too that the Holy Spirit is present and working to bring about conversion. Conversion is always an act of God, a gracious act of God to individual people, who in turn repent. These people are set apart by God for their good and His glory.

Getting our attention

2/12/2013

9 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, 2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. 3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: 4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?(Acts 9:1-4)

God eventually got Saul’s (Paul’s) attention in a big way. He intervened in his life in such a way that Paul could not miss God’s action. While clearly not everyone experiences the exact same conversion experience as did Paul (thankfully…), we ought to realize that God intervenes in each of our lives nonetheless. Apart from God’s actions we all were in varying degrees of rebellion against God. This rebellion is only ended through Christ. Just as Paul met Christ on the road to Damascus, so to do we meet Christ at the time and place of His choosing.

The result

2/11/2013

3 As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison. 4 Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word (Acts 8:3-4).

After the stoning of Stephen, Saul (later to become the Apostle Paul) began persecuting the church. Notice that the result of persecution was not the elimination of the Gospel. Instead the Gospel was preached in the all the locations that the people fled to. Persecution is difficult and can lead to both suffering and death. But in all of that the ultimate hope is maintained since the Gospel is spread. The Gospel is the message of life and rebirth to all those that God calls and that subsequently respond in faith.

God's mercy and purposes

2/10/2013

58 And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul. 59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit (Acts 7:58-59).

Stephen was stoned by the religious leaders for criticizing them for not recognizing Christ as the Messiah. Saul who later would become the Apostle Saul (Paul) witnessed the stoning of Stephen. All indications are that Paul approved of the stoning. Paul as we now know went on to persecute the early church but ultimately was converted by Christ Himself. This shows both the mercy and purposes of God. God is merciful even to those who commit horrible acts. And according to God’s purposes may sometimes use these people to become His greatest servants. In addition to Paul, Moses and David come to mind.

Power of God

2/9/2013

7 And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. 8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people (Acts 6:7-8).

In the immediate time after the resurrection there was an amazing amount of conversions of people that were originally hostile to the Gospel. Verse 7 indicates that even a number of the religious leaders converted from Judaism to Christianity. These conversions were brought about by the power of the Holy Spirit and through the witness of saints like Stephen. Stephen must have been an amazing witness and clearly there were miraculous works associated with his ministry. God always has a faithful group of witnesses to His power and God chooses to use these people to be instruments of His grace. This, to a world, that always needs the power of God.

Created Through Him