Mandeville Church

Prison and Providence

Jun 092010

Imprisoned

The first righteous man I can remember going to prison was Joseph. His brothers sold him into Egyptian slavery, and he ended up in the Egyptian prison for a couple of years. How could God let that happen to a righteous man? The funny thing was, God never left Joseph. If God wasn’t actually guiding Joseph’s life, He was certainly working in it.

Several of the prophets were imprisoned because they told the truth…and the people couldn’t handle the truth. Micaiah (1 Kings 22:26-28) told King Ahab he would be defeated in battle. He was imprisoned for his efforts, although what he prophesied shortly came to pass. Jeremiah was imprisoned several times (Jeremiah 32, 37). Once they threw him into a dry well, and he sank in the mud (Jeremiah 38:6).

Jesus was taken into custody, tried unfairly, condemned, and executed.
Peter and John were arrested in Acts 4, beaten, and instructed not to teach in the name of Jesus any more.
The apostles were imprisoned again in Acts 5:18, but an angel of God broke them out.
James, the apostle and brother of John, was executed with a sword by Hing Herod because of his allegiance to Christ (Acts 12:2).
Peter was also imprisoned by Herod (Acts 12:3).
Paul and Silas were thrown in a Philippian jail cell in Acts 16:22-24.

Now, in Acts 23, Paul was again taken into custody, this time by the Romans. Some might question God, “Where is God? Why is He not acting to help Paul? How can I believe in a God who allows this kind of thing to happen?” But can’t you see that Paul is in good company here? He sits in prison alongside his own Lord, Jesus. He sits beside many righteous men of years past, men who were sold, restrained, and even killed because of their faith. God was right there with Paul. God didn’t throw Paul into prison; God didn’t beat Paul; God wasn’t trying to kill Paul – sinful men did all those things. God gave him the encouragement and strength he needed to endure.

Can you believe in a God like that? That’s the God I serve! He is a God who provides for His children in every situation they find themselves. I don’t care what your life looks like right now – if you are His child, God is working in your life somehow for your good.

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

God bless,
Nathan

A Great Contrast: Herod vs. God

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Mar 082010

Ruins of Herod's Palace

There were many Herods. If my history is correct, here is a brief summary of some of the Herods during the New Testament period leading up to our Herod in Acts 12.

Herod the Great is the one who ordered the extermination of all male children killed in Bethlehem, two years old and younger, in an attempt to do away with the Christ child. He was a crazy man at the end of his reign and attempted to kill everyone who looked at him funny for fear that they were trying to take his throne. He even killed most of his children to stay possible rebellion. Herod the Great died around 4 BC.

Herod Archelaus (also called Philip in Matthew 14:3) is the Herod who took the throne after Herod the Great died (when Joseph and Mary came back from Egypt) in Matthew 2:22. Archelaus married Herodias, who would later leave him for his brother, Herod Antipas.

Herod Antipas is the Herod who killed John the Baptist. Jesus called him “that fox” in Luke 13:31-32.

Herod Agrippa I (not to be confused with Herod Agrippa II in Acts 25-26) is our character in Acts 12. Now that God was multiplying His divine kingdom, Herod chose sides between the Jews and the Christian by killing the apostle James (Acts 12:2). Since this pleased the Jews, Herod captured Peter, perhaps because he seemed to be the “ring leader” of this Christian movement, and prepared to execute him, too.

The Holy Spirit contrasts two powers in Acts 12. On the one hand we see Herod the king fighting against the Lord’s kingdom. Herod believes he can do anything he wants. He has no care for God or any man. In fact, as the people of Tyre and Sidon chant, “The voice of a god and not a man” (Acts 12:22), Herod magnanimously accepts the adoration. He was willing to be considered a god in the eyes of the people. Do you remember what Peter did when Cornelius bowed before him? He said, “Stand up; I too am just a man” (Acts 10:26). But Herod was full of himself.

On the other hand we see the power of God. God is in control of this world, and He is a jealous God (Exodus 20:5). God is the ONLY one who deserves adoration and acknowledgment as Deity. And He has every right to glorify His own name and punish those who raise themselves up against Him. God struck Herod with worms. This is not a fun way to die, either. It hurts. Other historical sources say Herod was actually carried off the stage dying of these things…as if God didn’t waste any time! That certainly would fit with the events in Acts 12.

Hey, look – the god-man is suddenly dying. The one who has been attacking the Christians is in pain. The killer has now become God’s target.

“But the word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied” (Acts 12:24). Men rise up, fall, and are forgotten (the picture above is of the ruins of Herod’s palace – nothing left of the splendor of man). Persecutions come to nothing after a while. But God’s word and God’s kingdom endure forever!

God bless,
Nathan

Surprised by Salvation

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Mar 052010

Surprise from Above

We love the stories of men and women in impossible situations, near death, saved in the last hour. We should really love the Bible, then, because it’s full of those kinds of stories! We should really love the Lord, then, because He’s the One who saves.

Peter, I’m sure, loved the Lord greatly after an angel broke him out of prison. The event, recorded in Acts 12, seems surreal at first. An angel appeared suddenly in the prison cell with Peter, and Peter’s chains simply fall off. The angel struck Peter in the side and said, “Get up quickly!” There was no, “Hi, Peter, I’m an angel sent by the Lord to break you out of here…now here’s the plan…” Peter, thinking it was all a dream, quickly dressed and followed the angel past two sets of guards. The prison gates swung open without a touch. And Peter was free – just like that! It was only after he was standing a

lone in the street outside the prison that Peter realized, “Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent forth His angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting” (Acts 12:11).

Peter was surprised by the Lord’s salvation. He wasn’t even expecting it, or at least he never expected to be saved in such an exotic manner!

Peter wasn’t the only one surprised. A bunch of disciples had been praying together in the home of Mary, mother of John Mark. Peter found them there praying, but they wouldn’t believe it was really Peter standing outside their gate. They were surprised by the Lord’s salvation, even though they had been fervently praying for it.

Grace in Amazing Places

We might ask if we really should be surprised when the Lord acts in marvelous ways to save us from various afflictions. Do we demonstrate a lack of faith? We can see from this event in Peter’s life that, although we ask the Lord to intervene and help, we just don’t always know HOW God will work (or even IF He will choose to work) for us. God surprises us all the time because He works outside our little worldview. He does many things we wouldn’t expect. Who would have expected God to sacrifice His own Son to deliver us from the worst possible situation – eternal damnation? Someone coined the phrase: “Surprised by Grace.” We can’t help but be overwhelmed when God acts.

It is so comforting to realize that God works for His children! Like Peter, it’s often AFTER God has brought us through some grave situation that we can look back on the path we took and see His salvation at work. While we walk the road of affliction, we simply trust. After God delivers, we pour out our thanksgiving! Praise be to our awesome God who loves us and gave Himself for us.

Praise the Lord today,
Nathan

Teach a Man to Fish…

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Mar 022010

Teach a Man to Fish

There may be several reasons God led Peter the long way. Yesterday’s post asked the question, “Why didn’t God just come out and tell Peter directly that He wanted Peter to baptize the Gentiles?” Instead, God took a more indirect approach.

1. God gave Peter a principle. God might have told Peter, “Go, baptize Cornelius.” Peter could have gone, baptized, and considered it a “special case.” But Peter learned a principle here: God considered the Gentiles clean, and so should the Jews. This opened the door of the Kingdom to ALL Gentiles. God taught Peter to fish, so to speak (give a man a fish, feed him for the day; teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime). Peter didn’t have to keep coming back to God in every Gentile case and ask, “Lord, is it okay to baptize THIS Gentile family?”

2. God wanted Peter to get comfortable with the idea. Peter might have had a conscience issue eating with Gentiles, so God didn’t force him into the situation with no warning. God got Peter thinking about it first so he would understand it REALLY IS okay to eat with Gentiles and teach them the gospel of Christ. That’s a loving approach, isn’t it? I find it comforting to know that God is concerned about us in this way. Don’t you think we ought to be concerned about each other like this, too? Sometimes men need to be led into an understanding.

Through it all, we understand a higher principle. God CAN and DOES teach us principles which He expects us to apply. God has not plainly told us everything in one-line sentences. God never said…

…don’t drink alcohol…
…don’t gamble…
…don’t commit suicide…
…don’t abort a child…
…assemble on the first day of the week…

…and many more. God never said those things in so many words, but we understand the PRINCIPLES which apply in these cases. It’s a good thing to find out what is pleasing to the Lord (Ephesians 5:10), however God teaches us.

God bless,
Nathan

Following God’s Trail

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Mar 012010

Following the Trail

I just want to know…why didn’t God just say, “Peter, I want you to start preaching to the Gentiles now”? Instead, it’s like God laid a trail of clues for Peter to follow. He laid out several pieces of evidence to create a complete picture.

1. God gave Peter a vision of an object like a great sheet full of animals (Acts 11:5-10). He told Peter to “kill and eat.” Isn’t that cryptic? The principle was clear, at least: “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.” But Peter did not know how to apply the principle at first.

2. God told Cornelius to send some men to get Peter (Acts 11:11, 13-14).

3. God told Peter to go with those men (Acts 11:12).

4. God baptized Cornelius and his family with the Holy Spirit right in front of Peter as confirmation (Acts 11:15-16).

God did a lot of work to bring Peter and Cornelius together. But why didn’t God just tell Peter what He wanted? God COULD have said, “Peter, I’m now going to bless the Gentiles in Jesus Christ just like I have blessed the Jews. Go preach to Cornelius and baptize him just as you would a Jew.” Wouldn’t that have been clearer?

What do you think? Why do you think God did it this way?

Nathan

Did I Crucify My Lord?

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Feb 262010

Is It My Fault?

We sing, “They crucified my Lord, laid Him in the tomb…” Then we sing, “I’m the one who shouted ‘Crucify!’ I’m the one who made His cross so high…” Which one is it? Am I responsible for crucifying Jesus Christ of Nazareth? Or is it someone else’s fault?

There is at least one striking DIFFERENCE between Peter’s preaching to the Gentiles and his sermons to the Jews. It seems whenever Peter preached to the Jews he was always saying, “YOU killed Jesus of Nazareth! You are responsible for the death of the Son of God! Repent!” (Acts 2:36; 3:13-15; 4:10; 5:30). In Acts 10:39 Peter DID speak of Jesus’ crucifixion, but he didn’t put the blame on Cornelius: “They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross.”

Literally and specifically, the Jews were responsible for crucifying the Lord. They shouted “Crucify Him!” They said to Pilate, “His blood be on our heads and on the heads of our children!” Pilate washed his hands in the presence of the people and said, “You see to it – I’m not responsible for this Man’s death.”

So there is a big debate about who really killed Jesus. Was it the Romans? Don’t you know the Jews didn’t have the power to crucify anyone? Jesus was killed through capital punishment – by the Roman empire. So, technically, it was the Romans’ fault. But they never would have crucified Jesus unless those Jews hadn’t been causing a scene. They really just let the Jews have their way. So it was the Jews’ fault.

But not Pilate’s, because he declared himself innocent, right? Wrong! Pilate was the one in power, and he allowed it. No matter what he claimed to the contrary, Pilate is to blame.

I’m just like Pilate sometimes. The whole debate over who really killed Jesus is immaterial, really. Jesus went to that cross WILLINGLY. He was the One who was really in complete control. Even as we see Him at His weakest point (physically), we sing, “He could have called ten thousand angels!” The Bible actually says 12 legions of angels, which would have been MORE than 10,000 – and one angel would have been plenty to deliver Jesus from that blood-thirsty crowd. But Jesus allowed it to happen. Why? Because He wanted to forgive the sins of every man and woman on earth.

As much as it’s technically correct to say, “They crucified my Lord,” it’s also technically correct to admit, “I’m the one who stood and watched Him die. What have I done!? I’m the one…” It was for MY sins that Jesus so willingly died. What love He had for ME. What love He had for YOU. As much as individuals hate it sometimes, this gets personal. But in the realization that I’m actually responsible for the death of Jesus Christ, so also is the realization of the GREAT LOVE He has for me…and you.

May we revel today in the love of Christ and remember not to sin!
Nathan

Peter’s Vision and God’s Choice

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Feb 242010

Kill and Eat!

As a good Jew, Peter had never eaten an unclean animal in his life. Then, in Acts 10:9-16, God presented him with a great sheet full of unclean animals and commanded Peter to “kill and eat.” There are a number of thoughts which come to my mind.

1. I wonder what PETA would say about this?

For all you vegetarians out there, I’ll respect your health habits, but I won’t respect you telling me that it’s wrong to kill and eat. God said to do it. In fact, He makes it clear in this passage that killing and eating is good and clean.
2. Was God tempting Peter to sin against his conscience?

In Romans 14:14-15, Paul wrote, “I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are not longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died.” Peter certainly considered these animals to be unclean, so why was God pushing him to kill and eat? Wouldn’t that have offended his conscience? God does not want us to go against our consciences, but He wants us to CHANGE our consciences to conform to the truth. We humans sometimes push another to change his or her conscience because we just know our way is right…and it just might not be. It might be that our brother has the right way of thinking. God’s way is always rig

ht, and it’s perfectly good and proper for Him to push us toward truth.

3. This was really not about eating meat; it was about God’s choice.

All Men are Welcome

There was a spiritual message embedded in the sheet vision (pun intended ). God was using this idea of unclean animals to get Peter to understand a principle. The Kingdom of Christ crossed boundaries Peter hadn’t yet crossed. Peter’s mind needed to be expanded to see how great the Kingdom was to be. He needed to experience new freedoms in Christ. This vision was preparing him to open his mind (and heart) to the “unclean” gentiles. God had chosen these Gentiles in Christ, just as He had chosen the Jews in Christ.

God is the Master Teacher, and His use of visual aids is stunning. Peter didn’t get the message right away – in fact, he resisted each time he was told to “kill and eat.” But when those Gentiles came knocking on the door and told him that God had arranged a meeting between him and Cornelius, THEN the pieces fit in his mind. As he began his sermon to Cornelius and his household, Peter said, “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.” (Acts 10:34-35) The Kingdom is open to all.

He got it! God chose ALL men who fit the spiritual criteria – fear God and keep His commandments (Eccl. 12:13) – regardless of nationality or any other earthly characteristic. I’ll tell you why that’s so awesome – because that means you can KNOW, with absolute certainty, that YOU are acceptable to God!

God bless,
Nathan

To Believe or Not To Believe

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Feb 222010

Do you believe in miracles?

Finally, after discussing Stephen (Acts 6:8-7:60), Phillip (Acts 8), and Saul (Acts 9), we return to Peter’s story at the end of Acts 9. It’s as if there was a pause in his story, and now Luke hit the play button so we can continue.

Right off the bat, we find Peter still engaged in mighty miracles. First he healed Aeneas who had been paralyzed and bedridden for years (Acts 9:32-35). The result of that healing was a jump-start for the kingdom of God in Lydda and Sharon, towns to the west and north of Jerusalem.
Second, Peter raised Tabitha from the dead (Acts 9:36-43). I have always pictured Tabitha as an older woman…I guess because she ministered to the widows. But I could not find that detail in my reading today. All it says is that fell sick and died. She could have been any age! Perhaps Tabitha was a young woman. She easily could have been. Again, the result of the miracle was that “many believed in the Lord” (Acts 9:42).

Most miracles of healing had a level of compassion to them. Jesus healed out of compassion, and so did His disciples. But the main purpose of the miracles was not to heal the world of sickness, to rid the world of disease, or to make life easy for everyone. The purpose of the miracles was always in service to the Kingdom of Christ. And they accomplished that purpose. Many believed; many were added to the Lord. Why don’t we have miracles today so we can believe? We do! We have all those signs and wonders recorded for us in the New Testament by eyewitnesses.

To believe or not to believe

John expressly said, “Many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:30-31). We read these today and we have a choice: to believe or not to believe…that is the question.

Do you believe Jesus actually gave Tabitha life after she had died? Do you believe Jesus healed a man after years of being paralyzed? MAINLY, do you believe Jesus rose from the dead Himself? Those questions determine faith. The Bible lays these miracles out as historical, real events of the past. Do you believe in the evidence presented? If you don’t believe in these miracles, you might as well not believe in anything else recorded in the Bible, either. It’s all tied together; it’s all presented as fact. You can’t pick and choose without being entirely subjective. God has laid it on the table – take it all or leave it alone!

So tomorrow we discuss Acts 10.

May God bless our reading and understanding of His word,
Nathan

The Gospel Explosion

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Feb 102010

We have a bunch of Disney audio books on tape which all start off with, “This is the story of ____________. I hope you read along with me in your book…” I hope you’re still reading along with me in your book . We are in Acts 8. We spent a lot of time in some of the previous chapters (there’s just SO MUCH to see), but I’ve decided to pick up the pace a little. We’ve been hovering about 1000 feet above the text…now I’d like to take us to 5000 feet. It’s the same picture, but maybe we can see more of it.

Remember Acts 1:8: “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” This is a 1-2-3-4 stage outline of the book of Acts.

They received the Power of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2 – the Day of Pentecost.
Acts 2-7 have to do with the spread of the gospel among the Jews in Jerusalem.
In Acts 8-12 the word of God goes to Judea and the Samaritans and the first Gentile family.
Acts 13-28 tells the story of Paul, apostle to the Gentiles, who goes to the remotest part of the earth.

This is the beginning of a Gospel explosion! As you read Acts 8, there are two main stories: Philip takes the gospel to Samaria and then to the Ethiopian eunuch. Think about those two stories. How do they demonstrate God’s acceptance of individuals into His new Kingdom under Christ? Who were the Samaritans? What was special about the Ethiopian (you might reference Deuteronomy 23:1)? We will deal with these points in the next couple of posts. Stay tuned!

God bless,
Nathan

How Can You Be So Sure? (Acts 4)

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Jan 082010

Confidence

So Peter and John healed a lame man and preached a great sermon about repentance…

…and the Sadducees were not happy because in their teaching they said something about a RESURRECTION, and they certainly didn’t believe in being raised from the dead: ludicrous! …

…so they threw them in prison, because, after all, the Sadducees were in power at the time and they didn’t like what these guys were preaching. Doesn’t sound like they had the same “freedom of speech” laws that we do.

How can you be so confident in the face of those kinds of obstacles? When the government comes down on your head and tells you: don’t say anything about homosexuality because that’s hate-speech…and don’t tell your children what to do, it will hurt their self-esteem…and don’t pray in school because the Muslims and the Atheists and the Buddhists will all feel out of place…and, while you’re cleaning up your act, don’t preach about that SIN thing from the pulpit – it makes the listeners feel bad, for crying out loud!

How can I be so sure about what I say in response? How can I be confident in my teaching and practice? How can I be SURE of my salvation, when it’s compared to the salvation of those following other religions? What makes my religion so special? Anything?

I’ll ask you this question: What verse or verses in Acts 4 gives you confidence in the Way of Christ?

God bless,
Nathan

Page 1 of 212 »

Prison and Providence

A Great Contrast: Herod vs. God

Surprised by Salvation

Teach a Man to Fish…

Following God’s Trail

Did I Crucify My Lord?

Peter’s Vision and God’s Choice

To Believe or Not To Believe

The Gospel Explosion

How Can You Be So Sure? (Acts 4)

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