Daily Truth Bible Study Acts 10:24-48 part 1

Daily Truth Bible Study Acts 10:24-48

Last time, we saw the messengers of Cornelius arrive in Joppa to find Peter. Cornelius had seen a vision where an angel told him to send for Peter and where to find him. Much is happening here. A Roman Centurion and a gentile is being saved. This is huge! God is saving a man who is functioning inside a corrupt political/military government and a pagan gentile culture. And not only that, God is teaching Jewish Christians an unbelievable truth about God’s plan: Gentiles will be saved and will be equal to Jews in God’s kingdom! Unheard of and unbelievable!

I am using John MacArthur’s commentary on Acts for guidance in this study. MacArthur notes that a milestone in the Church’s history is reached when the two worlds collide. Peter and six of his fellow Jewish believers are going to see the unseeable, learn the unknowable and experience the unbelievable.

Cornelius had not been sitting around buffing his nails while his servants were gone to fetch Peter. He had prepared a gathering of  friends and relatives. Why? To hear what Peter would tell them.

Cornelius obviously valued what Peter would tell him and his relatives upon arrival. After all, Peter was the leader of the Church. He was the top guy in God’s blossoming group of believers in Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself had announced to Peter his responsibility for leadership of the group. And this guy was coming to see Cornelius!

This was not a political power display however. Cornelius was not trying to impress his friends. He had called everyone together because he expected Peter to tell them something important from God. Afterall, an angel had told him to send for Peter. Cornelius wanted his family and friends to benefit from knowing God. Anyone who knows God should have the desire for others to know as well.  Cornelius was in the process of moving from death to life. His concern for others is a proof of this occurence.

God was doing the work of transformation in Cornelius. This conversion would likely cost Cornelius his life as the Romans were not charitable toward the Jews and certainly not toward the Christians. Roman soldiers were killed if they ever got out of line with the rules and regs of military operation. Cornelius would either have to leave the Roman territory or die. However, this is apparently not a concern for him. It is not even mentioned in the text! The important thing to keep in mind is that God is saving his soul! This is far more important than preserving his temporary condition.

This truth must have entered his mind prior to inviting his friends and relatives over to hear Peter speak. He was caught in a paradox that many would experience and still face today. He chose to expose the others to eternal salvation even though it could cost them their lives. Cornelius had everything in proper perspective.

In Mark 8, Jesus addresses this very issue. He compares to outcomes of preserving one’s life now versus giving one’s life away for the sake of Christ and the Gospel. Cornelius made the correct choice. What choice will you make?  

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Decisionalism vs. Regeneration What does your church teach?

It is a modern-day epidemic. You will hear a preacher say something like,  “If you want to know you can have Heaven as your home, then ask Jesus into your heart” or “Raise your hand if you have made a decision to allow Jesus to be Lord of your life” or something similar but is this true? Sometimes, you will not even hear mention of the need for salvation. Instead you will hear a preacher say something like, ” We would love to have you as a part of our loving and thriving congregation, please sign the tear-out in your welcome kit and become a member today” or ” Your wonderful life could be made much more fulfilling by having Jesus in it; send a text to 2125LOVE and you will be assured of eternity in Heaven” but is this true?

In the clip of the Paul Washer sermon, you will hear Paul challenge some of the inaccurate and eternally damning assumptions made by too many people. Paul shares with us what the Bible really teaches about regeneration.

Who is a Christian? The one who confidently proclaims Christ but lives like the world or the one whose life changes 180 degrees for a Godly instead of worldly existence? God is the judge. Make sure on which side of the aisle you are standing.         (Thanks to www.illbehonest.com) 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5bc8QU4h2w&feature=channel

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Brian McLaren’s new book: New Christianity or Old Liberal Heresy ?

I admit up front that I am no fan of Emergent Church (cult) leader of sorts, Brian McLaren. He simply does not believe the Bible and has set out to change Christianity repairing the damage the creator did along the 13,000 years before McLaren burst onto the scene.

Many detailed reviews are available for the new book, A New Kind of Christianity so I will not add to the clutter. I will use this time to review McLaren and his ilk.

After following McLaren for years, I have been aware of his heresy and general distaste for the real God of the Bible. But, what has become amazingly clear since the publication of the new book is his ARROGANCE. Now, it is obvious that anyone who seeks to re-write God and His word in order to make Him more up-to-date and palatable to man is arrogant. I would lump Rick Warren, Robert Schuler, Bill Hybels, Joel O$teen, and many others into this category. However, there is a new king mackerel in the arrogance sea and his name is guru McLaren!

At least McLaren comes out in the open about his unbelief. He names 10 things he would do differently if he were God…basically. I know a great deal of reading any material is wrapped up in context and point of view. Apparently McLaren envisions himself as an envoy who will bring people of many faiths together around a new set of rules for engaging in the discussion of faith. Some may agree with him that new rules are necessary since many do not like the existing guidelines put forth in the Bible. I am not in that camp.

What McLaren and his heretical ilk are doing is redefining what it means to be a Christian. The only problem for them is … God is not threatened by their wishes, desires, or plans to take over. In school yards across the world, strong kids take over the games and change the rules as they please by overcoming the weaker classmates. God will not be manhandled by anyone!

McLaren fans beware! There is already a God of the universe. He has written a book. It contains the information He wanted to communicate. The ego of man is no match for the power of the omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent God.    

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Whom should we fear?

In these present days of man-centered dogma delegating what can and cannot be taught or preached in churches in America, I think a little cleansing is due. Let’s look at some teaching that is Biblical but not often taught: The fear of God. J. Randall Easter of Azle, TX brings this brief message about the fear of God. (Thanks to www.apprising.org)

But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! (Luke 12:5)

Fear is something that mankind deals with on several different levels.  Fear causes mankind to hide, rebel, lash out, slander, panic, and to be something that they really are not.  The fear of man is a great snare that binds men and constrains them to simply be tossed around by the greatest pressure.  Pressure comes from one side and they move the other way and then a greater pressure comes from the other side and they move the other way.  Unstable men are unstable in all their ways.  Jesus makes it clear who men are to fear.  It is not the government, the religious leaders of the day, the employer, or the influential people of the community they Jesus tells us to fear, but rather we are to fear God.  It is God and God alone who should cause mankind to tremble.  The fear of God is to affect the way that we speak, act, make decision, set priorities, establish goals, love our spouses, train our children, serve our churches, and live in our communities.

A healthy fear of God is what is greatly needed in our churches today and it is the very thing that will bring lost men to repentance.  Churches are filled with people pleasing, back patting, high-fiving; emotional babies who seek to make sure that the whole thing is about them.  Jesus says, “Fear him!”  Jesus says he will tell us who to fear and then he specifically shows that we had better fear the one who holds man’s eternal destiny in his hand.  Eternity! Eternity!  The word is filled with fear and it is filled with hope. Mankind will have to stand before this God some day.  Man will stand before the One who utters his voice and causes the earth to melt, who judges in righteousness and truth and who will not allow anything unclean to enter into his presence. 

Dearly beloved, meditate upon the Lord your God today and seek to have a right vision of him.  Examine your life and see how it is that you worship, pray, study Scripture, treat your spouse, train your children, and how you live in the world.  Are these areas of your life reflections of your fear of God?  What is the first thought that comes to your mind when a difficult situation comes your way?  What is your first area of refuge when trials come?  If you have a healthy fear of God, he will be the one who has the greatest effects upon you daily life in all these areas.

J. Randall Easter, Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Briar, Azle, TX.

 

Discerndamentalist or Pharisee ?

Rick Warren Rick Warren Rick Warren Rick Warren Rick Warren Rick Warren

In case you are not up-to-speed on your emergent church lingo, let me clue you in to a term they use for anyone who does not validate  them by approving of every hair-brained idea they come up with. They call you a pharisee. So, when you see Warren and others do unbiblical things and call them on it…you’re a pharisee. I prefer the term, discerndamentalist.

Playing the Pharisee Card  (excerpted from www.betterthansacrifice.org )

Rick Warren, CEO of Saddleback Church, yesterday played the Pharisee card. He wrote: ‘It drives Pharisees nuts to watch God keep blessing ministries they ridicule & despise. God’s sovereignty is often humorous.’

Now, Rick Warren’s proof of the rightness of his position (and that his opponents are wrong) seems to be based on his claim of God’s ‘blessing’. And, as CEO of Saddleback and self-proclaimed disciple of management guru Peter Drucker, he knows how to apply best 21st century management practice to his business. So, it is important for Mr. Warren to be able to quantify this blessing.

How is God’s blessing measured? Well one easy way, in Mr. Warren’s book, is by seeing how much your church grows. A numerically growing church is a blessed church. Saddleback has grown vastly over the last three decades. So, God must be blessing it. And He must approve of their theology and practice. Quod erat demonstrandum.

The only problem with this, and it is just a teensy-weeny one, is that not all growth is good growth.

Measured on the basis of numerical success, Baal-worship was doing pretty well in ancient Israel. (If you are unfamiliar with the story, now would be a good time to read 1 Kings 18.)

All but a remnant of 7,000 people had bowed the knee to Baal. Thus, the 450 prophets of Baal whom Elijah confronted must have been pretty confident of God’s favour. After all, 450–1, that’s pretty good evidence of whose side God is on, right?

At least, it must have seemed that way.

Until Elijah routed the prophets of Baal and had them all executed at Brook Kishon.

It turned out that Elijah was the one who had been listening to (and trusting in) God, after all. He was the real Prophet. The prophets of Baal? They were self-deceived impostors, false prophets with no legitimate place in God’s kingdom.

Which brings us to the question, how does Rick Warren know that God is blessing him and those ministries fashioned after his own?

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