Presidents & KIngs seek Public Acceptance

Acts 12:1-19

Wednesday May 2, 2012, NBC News reported this interview with our President, and the title was, President Obama: Bin Laden’s raid is 'the most important single day of my presidency' and what was not said was that it was a very popular thing, the people of the USA wanted this evil man who had declared war on the United States and killed 3000 people in 9/11, removed from the face of the earth.  Over night it was reported that the President’s numbers went up in the polls.

It was not the first cowardly attack on our nation, the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred on December 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked the United States without warning.  The attack lasted 110 minutes, from 7:55 a.m. until 9:45 a.m.  A total of 2,335 U.S. servicemen were killed and 1,143 were wounded. Sixty-eight civilians were also killed and 35 were wounded.  The day following the attack on Pearl Harbor, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared that December 7, 1941 would be "a date that will live in infamy."

The United States declared war on Japan on December 8, 1941, the day following the attack on Pearl Harbor.  "Remember Pearl Harbor!" became a rallying cry for the U.S. during World War II.  I do not believe we took polls back then in order to do what needed to be done, but this we know that the decision was very popular and we won that war and Japan paid a great price in the destruction of it homes, land, and people.

I listed these two cowardly accounts by our enemies to make this statement; leaders, Kings, Presidents and so on, look for things that will increase their public acceptance.   And that was true in this account by Dr. Luke, of Herod the king on people who belonged to this new group called Christian.  This is Luke’s account: “He killed James the brother of John with the sword, and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.” (Acts 12:2-5 ESV)

When I was younger, being a Christian was not only acceptable, it was in vogue, how times have changed.  What can happen is recorded in history in this account a group of people in a culture become the not so popular group.  But God, I’ve become such an admirer of that phrase in Scripture, and look at what God did; “Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands. And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the Iron Gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him. When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”

(Acts 12:6-11 ESV)

Much later in his ministry Peter writes this to the churches scattered throughout various provinces in Asia Minor.  “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever.” Amen. (1 Peter 5:6-11 ESV)

As a follower of Christ always remember, “But God”, as you recall Dr. Luke’s account of the night God rescued Peter.  You may once again find it is popular with the masses to do harm to Christians!

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

A God we Understand

Acts 11:19-30

Could it be that we who go by the name of Christian need the hell scared out of us?  Is not faith more than what is understood by our minds, and what our eyes have seen?  We are instructed in this way; “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.”  (Hebrews 11:1-3 ESV)  If ask, can you understand the Scripture above, you might wrongly say yes, but no man can fathom something being made out of things that are not visible, that requires an assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen.

Most of us will not grasp God until we stop trying to make Him so small that we have understanding of Him.  Has He not spoken, has he not said; “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9 ESV)  Run and run fast from the man who tells you he understands God, for that man is one of two things, deceived or a deceiver.

If tomorrow, you were told that a deacon in your local church who was known to be a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and all had seen him being used of God doing great wonders among the people, and you heard that he was killed by some people who believed they were doing the work of God, would you not be fearful?  If so, then you understand why the people of this early church scattered to other parts of the nation and to other nations.  Most of them would only talk about Jesus to other Jews but a few men went to Antioch and spoke to the Hellenists Jews.  Those were Jews who adopted the Greek ways, and had little to do with the other Jews. 

If you can put yourself into the story, do you see God at work?  Now, I’m not talking about reading the outcome of this account, but what happens if tomorrow you lose your job, your wife has a miscarriage or one of your children never return from the movie because some evil person takes their life, what do you do?  Many will blame it on bad luck, or blame God, but most of us will not stop and ask God to reveal how he is going to use this horrible thing to advance His kingdom.  But because they were faithful to speak out about what Jesus had done for them, the kingdom of God was advanced and many, in fact so many that the church in Jerusalem sent Barnabas to Antioch, and after seeing and supplying what was needed to grow their faith, he went to Tarsus looking for Saul.  And Saul and Barnabas remained with the people and taught them how to trust in the faithfulness of an unseen God.

Now lets be very clear, God did not cause you to lose your job, nor did he make your wife miscarry or one of your children die by the hands of an evil person, nor did he cause Stephen to be killed, but He did allow it to happen.  If He did not allow it to happen, then He is much too small to trust, but God will supply all of your needs to His richest in glory.  If only we could see what is unseen, it would scare the fear out of us, but in that we do not ask of God, will our vision be increased, will our walk of faith grow?  We can stand against the schemes of the devil and God has told us how, but that armor is not seen, and the enemy of your soul is quick to tell you it is not real or needed, and does it not come down to acting as if God tells the truth?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Prejudice & the local Church

Acts 10:44 -11:1-18

I am not asking is there prejudice found in local churches, but why are we who are part of God’s family, who have received the gift of eternal life, not able to see God’s grace in others who are part of the family of faith in Christ Jesus?  It is not a new issue for the church, for that is what the Scriptures above are addressing.  A story came to mind that a friend named Jim shared with me; he was an elder in his small affluent Methodist church and had come to have a personal relationship with Jesus.  A group of lay people had spent the weekend in what was then called a “Lay Witness Mission” and the power of God exposed the need to many in that local church to receive Christ as their personal Savior.  Jim was not the same man after that time and because I did business with him, I began to see God using this businessman in all aspects of his life, both in his family, his community, and in his church.

Now that was just background to share a story Jim shared with me one day about the elders having a meeting on a big issue facing their church.  It seems that a Mexican family had been visiting and was excited about what God was doing in that local church and felt they were to join.  It is important to share that this was an all white church, and the Mexican people at this time were the ones who worked for them on their farms and other types of jobs like maids and day labors, but not equals, not members of the church.  And yet this family had asked for membership and the elders had to accept or reject the request

Jim had a great sense of humor and also had the Spirit of God living in him, so he told it this way.  The discussion went for sometime on the many reasons why they could not allow this Mexican family to join, and the main reason was that they were fearful that many other Mexicans might also want to join and they would lose control of the church.  The meeting had gone for sometime when one of the elders, not Jim, ask this question: “What would Jesus do” and another of the elders spoke up and said, “Dam, if your going to bring Him into this conversation, it’s all over, and we will have to vote to allow them to join.”  And folks, that’s also very similar to this account given by Dr. Luke in the Scripture listed above.

This is the short view, but please read the full account, when Peter returned to Jerusalem the circumcision party, (or you might say the group that always holds to customs and traditions, we’ve never done it that way group) were not happy with Peter.  This was the complaint: “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.”  (Acts 11:3 ESV)  Now that was a very serious problem, Peter had broken a rule of the Jews, it was not lawful for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God had shown Peter that they were not unclean.  And so Peter give them a blow-by-blow account of what God had shown him and also what happened with the people who heard the message of the gospel.  This was the question Peter ask the men, also Jewish Christians, who had gone with him; “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” (Acts 10:47 ESV)

If you happen to be part of a local church where there is prejudice, or bias against another brother or sister in Christ, you might want to pass on these words of Dr. Luke’s account when Peter had finished telling the story of what God had done with the Gentiles; “If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God's way?” When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.” (Acts 11:17-18 ESV)  But the rest of the story is that many of the Jewish Christians from that day on tried to get the Gentile Christians to follow the customs and traditions of the Jews, and that did not bring unity to the church.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Cornelius’ story as told by Dr. Luke

Acts 10:30-43

 A youth missionary came to our small church and told this story; it is about a witch doctor in the jungles of the Amazon River area, that carved wood objects of worship, we refer to them as idols.  The story goes that one-day he looked at his hands and said to himself “my hands are greater than these objects I’m carving for worship, so will the God who made my hands make Himself known to me?”  A few days later a missionary came to that village and told them about Jesus Christ.  Why did that story come into my mind, could it be that it ties so close to Dr. Luke’s account of this centurion Cornelius?  Both were seekers of truth, this is Cornelius’ story as told by Dr. Luke; Peter has just told the ones gathered why he a Jew was doing what was unlawful, which was for him to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God had shown him he should not call anything or anyone unclean.  Then Peter asks why did you send for me?  “And Cornelius said, “Four days ago, about this hour, I was praying in my house at the ninth hour, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.’ So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.” (Acts 10:30-33 ESV)

Not being a pastor, but spending 40 years of my life in sales, searching for anyone who could say yes to an appointment, and also had the authority to buy what I was selling, this is a dream encounter; I can only guess what excitement that would be for a pastor to have this kind of meeting.  Listen to Peter’s opening; “So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.  (Acts 10:34-35 ESV)  Do you show partiality or does the church you attend?  If so you have a higher standard than God, and folks, that is wrong.

But Peter has much more to say; “As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” (Acts 10:36-43 ESV)

Peter is telling those assembled that what Jesus did was not done in a vacuum but that they also were well aware of these things.  And this is what happen as Peter was speaking; “While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles.”

(Acts 10:44-45 ESV) 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

A paradigm shift is in order

Acts 10:1-9

When reading doctor Luke’s account of Cornelius the centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, it is important to understand that he was not welcome in Israel.  A Jew would consider him as low as a dog, and unclean, but because the Jews were under the strong hand of the Romans and Cornelius was the man in charge of that area, they played nice with him.  Dr. Luke gives this account of Cornelius; a leader of Roman soldiers, a devout man who feared God with his entire household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God.  Now if Cornelius were your neighbor he would be the kind of person who you would trust with the keys to your house, and yet he was not the kind of guy that the apostle Peter would have been seen with.  God would need to change Peter’s paradigm, so God put in Peter’s mind the need to pray and it was the sixth hour and as he was praying he got very hungry and while it was being prepared Peter fell into a trance.  And he saw all kinds of what he considered unclean animals coming down from heaven on like a sheet, and a voice said to him: “Rise, Peter, kill and eat.”  This is doctor Luke’s account of what happen next: “But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven. (Acts 10:14-16 ESV) 

A paradigm shift is in order, for as a Jew, Peter has always been taught what things are clean and what is not and he has lived by those rules.  Have you grown up with a set of rules or ways to live and measure others, and has God made clear that those rules should no longer apply to your life?  Once more, let us return to the story of Peter and Cornelius; “And while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you. Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them.” And Peter went down to the men and said, “I am the one you are looking for. What is the reason for your coming?” And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say.” So he invited them in to be his guests.  The next day he rose and went away with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him.”  (Acts 10:19-23 ESV)

Do you understand why this will not work in most Christian’s life today?  Because most of us do not expect God to give us marching orders, but Peter did listen, and once he heard, he did the most amazing thing; he followed instructions, and a revival took place in Caesarea, because Cornelius was expecting them and he invited his relatives and close friends.  Now this might not happen in our time, but then it might, when Peter came into the room Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him.  Before you make a judgment on what you would or would not do, remember that an angel of the Lord directed Cornelius to send for Peter.  Can you imagine what a shock this was to Peter to have a leader of the Roman army bowing and worshiping you.  This is what happen: “But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am a man.” And as he talked with him, he went in and found many persons gathered. And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without objection. I ask then why you sent for me.” And Cornelius said, “Four days ago, about this hour, I was praying in my house at the ninth hour, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.’ So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.”  (Acts 10:26-33 ESV)  And on that day God’s Spirit opened the hearts of many to come into the family of God.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

True Chruch Growth

Acts 9:30-43

What does a growing church look like, or how can we the American church see past numbers and programs to understand the simplicity of being lead by the Spirit?  God had much to teach Saul, so when the Hellenist’s plan to kill him was revealed; Paul was brought by the brothers to Caesarea and they sent him off to Tarsus.  After this man of God was sent to safety we see the recipe for a growing church; “So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.” (Acts 9:31)

What happens when the people become disciples of Jesus and their identity is not in some denomination?  Could it be that once more we see men and women, boys and girls, telling others in the work place and in neighborhoods and at school about Jesus with the boldness and power of these people in the early church?  And could it be that the lack of unity and trust leads the members of the local church to a form of Godliness that has no power?  Now look at this account, and remember that Peter is by profession a fisherman, not a medical doctor, but when led by the Spirit Peter is used in the life of a man named Aeneas to restore his health.  This is the written account: “There he found a man named Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, who was paralyzed. And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed.” And immediately he rose. And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord. (Acts 9:33-35 ESV)

My prayer is that you understand, Peter was the tool, and the tool understood who was the healer, and the tool gave full credit to Jesus Christ.  Now faith like Peter’s gets the attention of folks and some of the disciples of Christ in Joppa and that is near Lydda where Peter was, ask him to come to Joppa.  A disciple named Tabitha, or translated means Dorcas, was ill and had died and was washed and laid in an upper room.  While she was alive she was known for doing acts of kindness to those she came in contact with, and the widow began to show Peter all the things she had done for them and others.  Now Peter put them out of the upper room and this is the account of what happen: “But Peter put them all outside, and knelt down and prayed; and turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. And he gave her his hand and raised her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive. And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. And he stayed in Joppa for many days with one Simon, a tanner.” (Acts 9:40-43 ESV)

Your first thought may be, has this happened since the early church, and the answer is yes, it is even happening today, but not in the American church, it’s happening in many parts of the world, where we find the church living under persecution.  It is my belief that only when we need Jesus more than we need stuff, will we ever come to being alive with authority and power.  Then we, like the disciples, will not place our identity in denominations, or where we are employed, or in our social status, but in Jesus Christ.  And when that happens we will be like them,  “walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.”  Now that is true church growth!

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Trust

Acts 9:26

“And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple.”

Have you ever given thought to how “trust” effects your life?  Trust is a belief, a hope, a confidence, an expectation, and a dependence on the person trusted.  Many of you have gone into marriage where trust has been broken, or a partnership in business, and to regain faith in that person to be trustworthy does not come easy.  Can you put yourself in the story where this man Saul shows up as a disciple of Jesus Christ, the same Saul who weeks earlier was going to Damascus with the authority of the high priest to imprison all who were disciples of that name.

Now put yourself into Saul’s shoes and you’re in between a rock and a hard place, as an old boss of mine often said, you are now paying for you’re past performance.  Saul needs someone who can witness to what they have seen, and God has such a man named Barnabas, this is what the apostles said about him, Barnabas is the son of encouragement, a man to be trusted.  If you have ever broken trust in a relationship as I have done, learn from this and ask God to send a Barnabas to open doors so that your relationship can be restored.

Picking up the account from Dr. Luke in Acts 9:27, “But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus.”  We do not know but it seems logical that in a small group of disciples, a rumor like what happen to Saul, had reached the ears of the Apostles.  We do know that the disciples of Jerusalem were very fearful of Saul, that is until Barnabas took him to the apostles and told what he had seen and heard, and from that day on Saul walked, worshiped, and preached among the people of Jerusalem, till a group of religious guys who were called Hellenists were planning to kill him.  Hellenists were Jews who spoke Greek and had little to do with the Jews, in fact they had there own places of worship.  Today we might call them posers, they were Jews who wanted to be Greek in life style, but also held to the Jewish customs of worship to some degree, much like many who go by the name of Christian in our time, whose identity is not in Christ, but what identifies them is found somewhere else.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Religious Conviction

Acts 9:19-25

“Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction.”  Blaise Pascal

“Of all bad men religious bad men are the worst.” C.S. Lewis

As I read these verses in Acts chapter nine, I was confronted with how evil religion is and at the same time came to the truth, that it is the nature of mankind to be religious, no matter what he calls that religion.  Saul was of all men a devoted worshiper of the traditions of the Jews and a man of great knowledge and training in that faith, and yet was blind to the teaching of Scripture.  In his encounter with Christ his devotion was changed from a religion to the person, Jesus Christ.  He has moved from a desire to harm a person who is of another religious persuasion to desiring to share how Jesus Christ has changed his life.

And we find this account of what Saul did after his sight was restored and had received the Holy Spirit.  “For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.” (Acts 9:19-22 ESV)  Paul soon learned this fact, in fact, Saul was such a man and God moved mountains in his life; “It is easier to move a mountain than it is to move a person entrenched in the “traditions of men which make the word of God of no effect.” Matt. 15:6-9)” Gary Amirault 

With that quote from Gary Amirault, shall we move on to the account of doctor Luke’s in verses 23-25, “When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.” (Acts 9:23-25 ESV)  What kind of men were these that wanted to kill Saul?  Very devout followers of Judaism, not pew sitters on Saturday, but men with strong beliefs, and their traditions were to them worth dying for, or killing anyone who was perceived to be a threat to the Jewish way of life.  

Now it comes full circle in my thoughts, I am like you religious people about many things, my freedom, my way of life, my family and friends, and yes even my faith.  For years I was just Baptist and because I only knew a small amount of what Baptists believed, I was convinced they were more correct than others, who I had no understanding of, but who also put faith in the same Jesus that my parents had put their trust in, I had not really put faith in anything but self.  One day I also encountered Jesus, and no it was not on a road, and no he did not blind me with a bright light, but He did confront me with Scripture; to the emptiness of my pursuit of self, and His desire to make me into something new, not a do over, but a brand new spirit critter.

In closing these two quotes seem so fitting: “Being a Methodist, a Catholic, or a Baptist does not make one a disciple, it only makes him a Methodist, a Catholic, or a Baptist, who may or may not be a daily follower of Jesus Christ.” –Michael Phillips

“In the beginning the church was a fellowship of men and women centering on the living Christ. Then the church moved to Greece where it became a philosophy. Then it moved to Rome where it became an institution. Next, it moved to Europe, where it became a culture. And, finally, it moved to America where it became an enterprise.”--Richard Halverson, former chaplain of the United States Senate

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

A Seeker of Truth

Acts 9:10-19

Are you a seeker of truth?  Has anyone ask that of you?  I must confess that I’ve asked that of myself often, and the answer is yes, I am a seeker of truth; then what actions or changes have taken place when confronted by truth?  May I tell you at the end of this paper?  Jesus told you and me the following: “and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32)  Could it be you are more like this group that Jesus was addressing than you believe, in that they were very offended by such sayings of Jesus.  This was their reply; “They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.”  (John 8:33-34 ESV)

Can I as a person born in freedom in the USA, say as my Jewish friends, I’ve never been enslaved to anyone, but that is not true, I like you have been enslaved to self, and self loves freedom from all authority.  Self likes to be seen as acceptable, as good, as a person of some honor, by all who are looking with human eyes.  But when self is examined by abiding in the word of God, it falls short, because that mirror to the soul exposes man to a pure and holy God, and to our Lord Jesus Christ.  Such was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias!  He had sought the truth, and found that truth is found in the author of Truth, Jesus Christ.  If you are religious, but your religion is not satisfying, look and learn from Ananias, the following is a very short account of a man who left self to follow Jesus.

“Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.”  (Acts 9:10-15 ESV)

A person who is not a seeker of truth would never have responded in this way, and we could go on to state that they would not have even heard, nor would the Lord have called on them to do so.  A truth seeker has set aside self and the control of pride, and pride is always so full of self that it is only looking down on others and things, that it cannot look up and see God.  Look at the reply of Ananias, “So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; and taking food, he was strengthened.  For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus.” (Acts 9:17-19)

A truth seeker will not be content with what others have said, but will search for Truth, and in doing so they will find the author of Truth, this is what that author said about Himself: “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  (John 14:6 ESV)  Now, those are not my words, those are the words of Jesus, and you must make a choice, lunatic or God, for me Jesus is the way the truth and the life, my truth, my life with the Father.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Conversion of an evil vile Person

Acts 9:1-9

When we read or hear the story of the conversion of an evil vile person whom God confronts with the wickedness of their life, and they respond to Him by bowing before Him in total agreement with what He has stated, that should bring joy and hope to your heart.  Such is the story of the conversion of Saul, such is the story of Charles Colson, and so was my story.   But surely, you must ask, were you as evil as a Saul whose only goal was to kill and put in prison those who believed differently from him?  Or like Charles Colson, a despicable person whose only goal was power and he cared nothing for truth or honesty.  The simple truth is yes, and on my examination before the Lord in a hotel room in Victoria, Texas, I was found guilty of being filled with self, wanting to live independently of a holy God, and do whatever brought me pleasure. 

God has to grow weary of us, in that we have come up with our on spin on what sin is, but only when we are confronted as King David was by Nathan, then a wise man will bow his knee to a holy God; do you recall that account?  How David took the wife of one of his soldiers, who was away fighting for him, and slept with her and she became pregnant and David brought him back to town but Uriah being a man of integrity would not go to his wife.  Plan (A) had fallen short of its goal.  David came up with plan (B) to hide his sin and had Uriah killed in battle and then married his wife.  God sent Nathan to David and told him a simple story of how this rich man took the only lamb of a poor man who loved that lamb as his daughter.  On hearing the story this is the account of David’s actions: “Then David's anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the LORD lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”  Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel,        (2 Samuel 12:1-5 ESV)

When Jesus confronted Saul, Saul heard a loud voice saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.”

(Acts 9:4-6 ESV)  When Jesus wanted to free Saul from his blindness, He sent a man named Ananias who was a disciple of Jesus Christ, and Ananias did not want to go because he understood that Saul had come to put him and others in prison.  But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” (Acts 9:15-16 ESV)

And God always will send someone to confront us about the sin of unbelief it may be He is using this paper to confront you?  Charles Colson was described in this way by Time magazine; “Tough, wily, nasty and tenaciously loyal to Richard Nixon.”  But God had a plan and a man named Tom Phillips whom was the President of Raytheon; when they met at the Phillips’s’ home, Colson ask this question, “Tom, you’ve changed and I’d like to know what happened.”   Tom told Charles that his life had a hole that success and family could not fill and he had began a search for God, first in Scripture and then attending a Billy Graham Crusade in Madison Square Garden.  This is Tom’s account, “I went – curious, I guess – hoping maybe I’d find some answers.  What Billy Graham said that night became the light Tom needed and he ask Jesus Christ to come into his life and run the show.  Colson ask this question; “Is that what you mean by accepting Christ – you just ask?”  Tom replied, “That’s it, as simple as that,”  “Of course, you have to want Jesus in your life, really want Him.”  Then Tom read to Charles from a book called Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis and I want to share just this small part of what was read that night, for God used it to undress the White House “hatchet man.”  “Unless you know God as that – and, therefore, know yourself as nothing in comparison – you do not know God at all.  As long as you are proud you cannot know God.   A proud man is always looking down on things and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.  Charles, shares with the readers of “Born Again” the following: Suddenly I felt naked and unclean, my bravado defenses gone.  I was exposed, unprotected, for Lewis words were describing me.”

 Some time passed, but it was not long before Charles Colson understood that Jesus Christ was the answer, that morning he sat alone staring at the sea he loved, he voiced these words to the seeker of his soul; “Lord Jesus, I believe You.  I accept You.  Please come into my life.  I commit it to You.”  This writer for years was also a proud man who always looked down on things and people, but I also was confronted by five men God had sent to awaken the void in my life for God, and God used a hotel Bible to expose my need for Him, you may want to read Romans 10:9-10?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

God loves you in ways outside of your understanding

Acts 8:20-24

Your highest calling is to love!  God first and most of us who are called Christian do not know how to do what is commanded of us; “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5 ESV)  One day a lawyer ask a question of Jesus, not for knowledge, but hoping to test Him, and this was the question: “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

(Matthew 22:37-40 ESV) 

I have confessed to the Lord that I do not yet know how to love Him in that way, and with that said is it possible to love my neighbor in the way God requires without first loving the Author of Love.  Then the question come to my mind, does that in anyway restrict or limit God’s love for me, and the answer is a profound no, my like of understanding of how to love God does not constrain God’s love for me.   We Christians would, if possible, constrict the ways God shows love in these ways; blessing both in material goods as well as health, but discipline and rebuke are also ways God show love to His children. 

That is why we are wise to not listen to man, but to look into the holy Bible to seek the ways of God.  In the Proverbs we are told the following: “My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the LORD reproves him whom he loves,

as a father the son in whom he delights.” (Proverbs 3:11-12 ESV)  Does the Bible speak more than once and the answer is a strong yes; “And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?  “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him.  For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” (Hebrews 12:5-6 ESV)

You may have never looked at Simon the Magician as a recipient of God’s love, but first God so loved Simon the magician who was passing himself off as “the power of God” that he sent Philip down to a city of Samaria and proclaimed Christ raised.  Simon believed but it so important to understand that our flesh has been taught like a birddog to get its needs met outside of Christ, and so Simon as a believer in Christ, looks to his flesh and so God arranged Peter and John to come and not only bring the gift of the Holy Spirit but to confront Simon.  Rebuking a brother/sister under the direction of God is an act of love, God’s love.

This is doctor Luke’s account: “Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 8:18-19 ESV)  That is an act of flesh, Simon is looking for a way to make an income off the power of God, and God shows love in this way, He has Peter rebuke and provide discipline.  This is the account: “But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” WOW, but listen to what took place after the rebuke; And Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.” (Acts 8:20-24 ESV)

God has shown His love to me often in the blessing of health, and stuff that has made life enjoyable, and He also has shown His love by rebuking, from both Christian and non-Christian, He will always discipline His kids.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Did You look in the Mirror?

Acts 8:9-24

Once upon a time there was a magician named Simon who lived in the city of Samaria, and he was very good at his trade, in fact he was so good that the people were amazed, and they said that he was somebody great.  In fact, from the least to the greatest said, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.”  And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. 

The above is not a bedtime story, in fact you may read doctor Luke’s account in Acts 8: 8-11, and I wonder does Simon desire to be special, to be considered “The power of God” and yet knowing that it was all in the ability to deceive; does that make somebodies name come into your mind?  I bet it does, and yet as we explore such men who seek to be more than they clearly understand to be true about themselves, we can trace the source back to another “not so bedtime” story found in Ezekiel and Isaiah.

Begin with the account of the first prideful creation of God, found in Ezekiel 28:14-17, “You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you. In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I exposed you before kings, to feast their eyes on you.”  And this is the prophet Isaiah’s account of the one referred to as the great deceiver or Satan: “You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;

I will make myself like the Most High.’  But you are brought down to Sheol,

to the far reaches of the pit. (Isaiah 14:13-15 ESV)

Now let’s return to doctor Luke’s account of Philip bringing the good news of Jesus Christ to Samaria.  When the Samaritans heard the gospel they believed and they were baptized both men and women.  In fact, even Simon believed and after he was baptized he hung out with Philip and was witness to both signs and great miracles, and he was amazed. 

The word got back to the apostles at Jerusalem that the Samaritans had received the word of God, and they sent Peter and John with the intent of laying hands on them and praying that they receive the Holy Spirit.  These new believers had only been baptized in the name of Jesus, and so the apostles laid hands on them and prayed that the Holy Spirit might come on them.  Now Simon has seen wonders and he has believed, but remember this man has been getting his needs met and has used schemes for years to be seen as someone he and God knew not to be true.  So what is this kind of flesh going to do when he sees that the apostles have the ability to pray and lay hands on a person and they receive the Spirit of God? 

This is the account: “Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” And Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.” (Acts 8:18-24 ESV)

The above account is the backdrop for all who want to be more than both they and God know to be true, so who came into your mind; someone from what we call history, or someone who you know and must deal with?   Did you look in the mirror, I did, and what I saw was a man who has loved to be considered by others better than both myself and God know to be true.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The persecuted church

Acts 8:1-8

When a person has no personal understanding of a subject, at best we would refer to them as uninformed, unconscious, or oblivious, and this writer would agree that he is ignorant in the area of the persecuted church.  That has not happen at this time in history to the church in America, but I do believe it is soon to happen, unless we Christians begin to act like whom we are.  It has become painfully clear that many of us have lost our way; we have become lazy in our daily walk with the Lord and need to know what real freedom is.  Many a Christian looks to the Constitution of the United Stated of America and it’s amendments as their hope and freedom, but freedom can not come from a document that is not honored by a later generation.  It comes to this question: Who has set you free?  As way of reminder, look at 2 Corinthians 3:17, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

In the USA few of us understand how intent our adversary, the one that is referred to as devil’s schemes, and the powers of this fallen world, to steal, and kill and destroy all that we call freedom.  Once not that long ago Germany was a nation much like us, but they began to listen to the enlightened teachers and preachers of their day, and when evil came they chose comfort over confrontation.  And this is the account of how one man caught up in that web chose freedom in the middle of hell.  This is the account of Viktor Frankl; “As a long-time prisoner in bestial concentration camps he [Viktor Frankl] found himself stripped to naked existence. His father, mother, brother, and his wife died in camps or were sent to gas ovens, so that, excepting for his sister, his entire family perished in these camps. How could he - every possession lost, every value destroyed, suffering from hunger, cold and brutality, hourly expecting extermination - how could he find life worth preserving?  Even in the degradation and abject misery of a concentration camp, Frankl was able to exercise the most important freedom of all - the freedom to determine one's own attitude and spiritual well being. No sadistic Nazi SS guard was able to take that away from him or control the inner-life of Frankl's soul.”

            ,

When Stephen was stoned by the very religious Jews, they were totally outside of the law governing them, but we have this understanding about religion: “Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction.”  (Blaise Pascal)  Though Blaise lived in the 1600’s he nails the evil in the hearts of religious man, and one such man was a guy named Saul, in Acts 7:58 it is said that the ones stoning Stephen laid their garments at his feet. 

As we begin Acts chapter 8, doctor Luke gives this account: “And Saul approved of his execution.  And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.  (Acts 8:1-3 ESV)

As an American Christian it is very hard to grasp what is taking place, and most might even say, how could God allow this to happen to a church that is so young and doing so much good?  I am reminded that a soldier does not question his orders, but he goes and does what he is ordered.  This young church scattered, but in doing so they brought the gospel of love and life, found only in Jesus Christ, to the rest of the world.  If only the church of America will awake to this truth: “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Lost Identity

Acts 7:47-50

Jan and I have had the privilege of visiting some of the great architectural buildings in Europe and in the United States, and the public at large calls them churches, and so do most Christians.  One of my favorites is Notre - Dame Basilica of Montreal.  The reason may be its marvelous woodcarving and the many types of wood that are used in doing the project.  If you work with wood it is a site to behold, and it took years to build the building that stands on that site today.  But the question must be asked; does God call these wonderful marvels his church?  And the other question that must be asked is does God dwell in any of them?

Shall we address the second question first, Stephen’s discourse with the high priest and those who have accused him of falsehoods.  Picking up Dr. Luke’s account in Acts 7:47-48, “But it was Solomon who built a house for him. Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands, as the prophet says,” and then Stephen quotes from the prophet Isaiah, “This is what the Lord says: Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool.  What house could you possibly build for Me? And what place could be My home?  My hand made all these things and so they came into being.” (Isaiah 66:1-2)  So what Christians and the world refer to, as the church building is not the dwelling place of God and that is very clear in Scripture.

Now the first question: “does God call these wonderful marvels (buildings built by the hands of men) His church?”   First and foremost is this fact; the Church is eternal, as is the Word of God, and that opens another question; can a building built by man be eternal?  Now each of us who have by faith, through the grace of God received Jesus Christ as our Lord, have eternal life now.  The apostle John tells us this clearly in John 17:3, “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”  And when Christ came to live in our earthly body, we began at that moment to be eternal.  The apostle Paul gives this insight; “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV) 

The new that has come is Christ in you the hope of Glory, and we must know that our flesh is not our identity; we are now “a spirit critter” as my friend Bill often said.  If we can grasp this truth that the Christ life is eternal, and we have entered into that time line, and our life now, not later but now, extends forever into what we call both future and past.  Much is made of Christ living in us and it should be because you understand that verses stating that “you in Christ” or more numerous, and if you are in Christ where are you at this moment? 

I often look for the evil one’s deception and what a great scheme he has pulled off by getting followers of Christ to join the world in calling a building the Church.  If you ponder on this at all, it is trickery; our identity in Christ has been replaced by a building.  And as you contemplate this look at the ramifications, many only act like a Christian in a building, they do not understand that God is living in them, if they have by faith interred into Christ.

This is what Scripture refers to as the Church: “Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17 ESV)  “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV)  We have                                                                                                                                          been conned by the one the Lord warned us about, in John 10:10, the thief, the liar, the evil one, the devil, and the con was to give up our identity and call something made by man what God calls His temple.  All who are in Christ and Christ in them are the Church, and where two are more are gathered                                                                                                            in His name we have His promise He will join us.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice