Cherry on Top

Life can be difficult and it has been difficult recently at my house. There has been one particular person that has been more difficult and he has come very close to losing his life though I don't think he realizes it. It is in these times that I realize what a wimp I am, especially compared to Paul the Apostle who admittedly is a pretty high standard. We have been studying his life in Acts and it is hard to keep that man down. When I start to feel sorry for myself, I can always count on Paul's troubles to be worse than mine. He does get down, but he never loses his focus on his mission no matter what the cost.

"But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God."

My particular course at this point in time is to train three energetic children in the way they should go. Like most things in life, this is easier said than done. I have been really discouraged because of my son's behavior and was headed upstairs to deal with the 2nd or 3rd infraction of this recent unacceptable behavior. On the way upstairs, I decided to pray in that moment for God's intervention in the situation. My frame of mind was not good as I referenced in the first paragraph. I needed God to intervene and quickly! When I reached my son, I found him to be contrite and even willing to take his punishment, amazing. And God put a cherry on top for me when my newly teen-aged daughter told me that she had been sharing Proverbs with him and had written them down for him to help him. There is hope! With God there is wonderful, glorious hope. Now if I could only get her to wear her glasses at school! That would be truly amazing.

August 12, 2012 - Paul's Third Missionary Journey (2 of 2)

Lesson and class discussion of Acts 18:23 - 21:16 using John MacArthur's commentary, led by Bob Carroll.

August 5, 2012 - Paul's Third Missionary Journey (1 of 2)

Lesson and class discussion of Acts 18:23 - 21:16 using John MacArthur's commentary, led by Bob Carroll.

July 29, 2012 - Paul's Second Missionary Journey

Lesson and class discussion of Acts 15:36 - 18:22 using John MacArthur's commentary, led by Bill Gambrell.

Adorn the Doctrine of our Lord and Savior

…adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect. 

Sometimes we live in a tunnel, with only a dim light somewhere far off that gives us hope that perhaps there is an end to the madness we are facing.  In moments like that when someone asks us to explain why we would believe in a god, it can strike one as a really really good question.  

As Americans we have been taught that we deserve life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, that these things are inalienable rights from our God. So fundamental are these rights that President Bush decided to create the Bush Doctrine to global problems using this foundation.  So when an American asks another who is in a tunnel why do you believe in god, it is natural to look at ourselves and see how god is not providing these inalienable rights and lose faith.

The problem is, these rights do not exist!  We were not created with these rights; we were created as Paul says in Titus 2:10 “to adorn the doctrine of Christ.”  Think about it, life is not a right – it is a gift, liberty is no where promised in the bible - as we are either “slaves to sin” or “slaves to righteousness.”  The pursuit of happiness borders or is hedonistic and is not a God honoring standard or goal.

Which of those rights would have helped Peter and John while standing before the Jewish leaders in Acts 4?  How about for Stephen as he was facing death in Acts chapter 6? Or even Peter as he was facing the angry Jewish Christians for baptizing Gentiles of all people!

 Instead, if there is one common theme that comes through in the book of Acts, one thread that established their purpose for their life and ministry, it was not American values - but rather it was recalling and proclaiming the glory of God.  (cf. Titus 2:10).

Peter did it in Acts 2 as he recalled God at work in the history of the Jewish race.  In Acts chapter 3 Peter healed people to show them the power and authority of God. In chapter 4 where he says, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”  In Acts chapter 5  Peter says to the high priest, “we must obey God rather than men.” In Acts chapter eight the Freedmen Acts “were unable to cope with the wisdom and the Spirit with which he (Stephen) was speaking.“  In Acts chapter 7 Stephen was repaid for his efforts by being stoned to death, but not before he gave a systematic survey of the glorious works of God in Jewish history. In Acts chapter 8  the Ethiopian eunuch, who was in charge of all the treasures of the queen of Ethiopia, was led to Christ by Philip explaining to him a passage in Isaiah.   In chapter 9 Ananias was directed by God himself to go to a tormentor named Saul whom God had met on the road to Damascus.  In chapter 10 God displays his vision to Peter who then speaks of the glory of God to the gentile Cornelius and his whole household was saved!   In Chapter 11 when Peter is facing the wrath of his Jewish Christian brethren for having led gentiles to the Lord his answer which settled the matter was “therefore, if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?  

We can continue on and on, but the point has been made.  So, how does this relate to our Christian in a tunnel?  Well, each of the individuals we have mentioned died for their proclamations.  They did not just lose a job or a friend.  They did not worry about their life, liberty or happiness.  In fact, Paul later explains that he is constrained, as a debtor to all, to proclaim the gospel.  He says in all circumstances he had learned to be content.  All the bravado and miracles by them that occurred in this special time – was in the end met with the long tunnel by each of them.

The key answer for our Christian in the tunnel was given by Peter when he wrote in 2 Peter 1, “knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ made it clear to me, I will be diligent that at any time after my departure you will be able to call these things to mind.”

We will unpack this further in my next blog post.

Bob Carroll

July 22, 2012 - The Jerusalem Council

Lesson and class discussion of Acts 15:1-35 using John MacArthur's commentary, led by Holly Lundberg.

July 15, 2012 - Paul's First Missionary Journey

Lesson and class discussion of Acts 13:1 - 14:28 using John MacArthur's commentary, led by Bob Carroll.