Bible Study Acts 16.16-34
First, read verses 16 to 18.
Q1 Were the slave girl’s words true? Why was her message so annoying to Paul and why do you think he didn’t he act sooner to stop it?
Q2 What two things does Paul’s casting out of the demon demonstrate? In what ways should we also be confronting evil?
Now let’s look at verses 19 to 25.
Q3 What was the real reason for Paul and Silas’s arrest? Why do you think the crowd joined in the attack against them?
Q4 The punishment, a severe flogging and imprisonment, seems excessively harsh. Yet Paul and Silas respond with calmness and rejoicing. How can this be explained? See also Philippians 4.13 and 2 Timothy 1.7-8.
Q5 What effect do you think Paul and Silas’s singing had on the other prisoners? Can you give any personal examples of how a Christian response to crisis or injustice has affected others?
Finally, verses 26 to 34.
Q6 Is it significant that all the prisoners’ chains fell off and all the doors flew open, not just Paul and Silas’s?
Q7 Why do the prisoners - led by Paul and Silas – stay put instead of running away? What message does their action and attitude give about faith and about the aim of the gospel?
Q8 What caused the jailer to come to faith and what evidence of salvation did his life immediately show?
Q9 Is it surprising that the jailer’s whole household were baptized?
Q10 What lessons can we learn from this story about the way we should act in our society?
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Sermon - Acts 16.16-34
Sermon Acts 16.16-34
Last weekend many of us were away in Begues… thanks to Brenda for leading the service here… our services were a bit different because I’d lost my voice… just about back now, so watch out!
? Relevance of St P’s Missionary Journeys to us, today?
1. Part of OUR story
2. A pattern for the Church to follow today??
Most would say “no” because SOCIETY is too different (eg transport, communication, nation states, political correctness).
Also because position of the CHURCH is too different…
Then we were fresh, new, growing, dynamic…
Now old, tired, declining (?)
Also, PAUL is implicated in the Church’s unpopularity in liberal society – seen as intolerant, dogmatic, authoritarian.
I CONCEDE THAT we aren’t going to be able to do things exactly the way Paul and his friends did, BUT we can still learn some vital principles and qualities from them.
1. PATIENCE
The fortune telling slave girl was clearly demon possessed (repetition, tone, use of title “MHG”), yet it was “many days” before Paul took action. This in turn led to P & S being misunderstood, beaten and imprisoned without trial or justification… How did they react? By calmly praying and singing hymns through the night, so that other prisoners could hear them. They patiently waited for God to set them free, which he did eventually.
Q How patient are we, especially when dealing with people we find difficult, or when waiting for a wrong against us to be put right?
My impression is that we live in an impatient age, an impatient society and that our impatience is limiting the extent to which God can work through us. Last weekend Ann Morisy said we need to be aware of the flows of people in our neighbourhoods? Who are they? What are their physical and spiritual needs? To find out we will need to be prayerful, observant and PATIENT – patient because it can take time for patterns to emerge and for us to be aware of what is really happening..
2. FLEXIBILITY
We will also need to be flexible, just as throughout this second missionary journey Paul & Co showed great flexibility to changing circumstances, local conditions and the promptings and corrections of the Holy Spirit. St P was not the great Mission Strategist he is
sometimes portrayed as, he was just obedient STEP BY STEP to the Holy Spirit and sensitive to the people he was amongst, and their context.
But flexibility is not just about having awareness, it is about bending and stretching and being able to change direction quickly in response to a change in circumstances or new information. Big organisations don’t tend to do flexibility very well – too rigid and rule-bound to change quickly.
At St George’s we are a small part of a very large organisation. Flexibility is not something that churches are generally known for, but at our local level it is essential that we retain the flexibility to change direction quickly, responding to the Spirit’s promptings or to new opportunities to share the Gospel in words and action.
Q How flexible are we as individuals and as a church, in the way we plan our time and use our resources?
We are not necessarily talking about big things – it can be as easy as setting off a little earlier on journeys so that we have time to notice what is happening around us and to stop for a conversation or to give practical help.
OR taking 10 minutes to listen to a colleague at work, even if it means you stay a bit later at the end of the day.
Billie and I got help and directions from a stranger in USA last summer, without asking. He just saw us reading a map!
OR thinking about how those who’ve been here a while can help new expats get to know the system. Maybe we could have a frequently asked questions section on our website or have information sharing mornings?
Ann Morisy talked about the effectiveness of “small, light, well-directed actions” in communicating the gospel. A flexible Christian and a flexible Church can do this (eg… )
3. VISION
…by which I mean THE ABILITY TO SEE BEYOND THE OBVIOUS. Think how our story began. Slave girl – P’s irritation – exorcism – arrest, beating, imprisonment – praise and prayer in prison … THEN the earthquake, freedom from chains and bars and what next?… run away and celebrate victory of God’s servants over their enemies??? NO, P & S stay put, reassure the gaoler and save him from suicide, with result that he and all his household become believers and are baptized (there is another twist in the story before the end of chapter but that is for another time!).
The fact that P & S didn’t snatch at the obvious answer to prayer and stayed put, in the prison, in the darkness, resulted in a far greater harvest!
This can be seen as the difference between the religion of the OT (all about God’s people being freed from captivity to be separate and holy to him) … and the NT, which goes beyond. We are set free to STAY amidst the darkness and TRANSFORM it. God’s aim is
to transform society and win over his enemies through the way Christians live amongst their neighbours!
A turn -around like the one in our story can only be achieved by God. The grace and mystery and scope of salvation are truly amazing! The patience and flexibililty of the apostles are exemplary!
The way God works to further the gospel is beyond any human strategy but he needs us to be involved in his mission. We need strong foundations in our prayer life, our understanding of the Bible and our awareness of the Holy Spirit. We also need the qualities which Paul and Silas show in this amazing story.
DO WE have Paul and Silas’s vision, their ability to see beyond the obvious?
Do we have their patience and flexibility?
Do we have the faith and the guts to let God use us in this way, to continue transforming human society from within?
Last weekend many of us were away in Begues… thanks to Brenda for leading the service here… our services were a bit different because I’d lost my voice… just about back now, so watch out!
? Relevance of St P’s Missionary Journeys to us, today?
1. Part of OUR story
2. A pattern for the Church to follow today??
Most would say “no” because SOCIETY is too different (eg transport, communication, nation states, political correctness).
Also because position of the CHURCH is too different…
Then we were fresh, new, growing, dynamic…
Now old, tired, declining (?)
Also, PAUL is implicated in the Church’s unpopularity in liberal society – seen as intolerant, dogmatic, authoritarian.
I CONCEDE THAT we aren’t going to be able to do things exactly the way Paul and his friends did, BUT we can still learn some vital principles and qualities from them.
1. PATIENCE
The fortune telling slave girl was clearly demon possessed (repetition, tone, use of title “MHG”), yet it was “many days” before Paul took action. This in turn led to P & S being misunderstood, beaten and imprisoned without trial or justification… How did they react? By calmly praying and singing hymns through the night, so that other prisoners could hear them. They patiently waited for God to set them free, which he did eventually.
Q How patient are we, especially when dealing with people we find difficult, or when waiting for a wrong against us to be put right?
My impression is that we live in an impatient age, an impatient society and that our impatience is limiting the extent to which God can work through us. Last weekend Ann Morisy said we need to be aware of the flows of people in our neighbourhoods? Who are they? What are their physical and spiritual needs? To find out we will need to be prayerful, observant and PATIENT – patient because it can take time for patterns to emerge and for us to be aware of what is really happening..
2. FLEXIBILITY
We will also need to be flexible, just as throughout this second missionary journey Paul & Co showed great flexibility to changing circumstances, local conditions and the promptings and corrections of the Holy Spirit. St P was not the great Mission Strategist he is
sometimes portrayed as, he was just obedient STEP BY STEP to the Holy Spirit and sensitive to the people he was amongst, and their context.
But flexibility is not just about having awareness, it is about bending and stretching and being able to change direction quickly in response to a change in circumstances or new information. Big organisations don’t tend to do flexibility very well – too rigid and rule-bound to change quickly.
At St George’s we are a small part of a very large organisation. Flexibility is not something that churches are generally known for, but at our local level it is essential that we retain the flexibility to change direction quickly, responding to the Spirit’s promptings or to new opportunities to share the Gospel in words and action.
Q How flexible are we as individuals and as a church, in the way we plan our time and use our resources?
We are not necessarily talking about big things – it can be as easy as setting off a little earlier on journeys so that we have time to notice what is happening around us and to stop for a conversation or to give practical help.
OR taking 10 minutes to listen to a colleague at work, even if it means you stay a bit later at the end of the day.
Billie and I got help and directions from a stranger in USA last summer, without asking. He just saw us reading a map!
OR thinking about how those who’ve been here a while can help new expats get to know the system. Maybe we could have a frequently asked questions section on our website or have information sharing mornings?
Ann Morisy talked about the effectiveness of “small, light, well-directed actions” in communicating the gospel. A flexible Christian and a flexible Church can do this (eg… )
3. VISION
…by which I mean THE ABILITY TO SEE BEYOND THE OBVIOUS. Think how our story began. Slave girl – P’s irritation – exorcism – arrest, beating, imprisonment – praise and prayer in prison … THEN the earthquake, freedom from chains and bars and what next?… run away and celebrate victory of God’s servants over their enemies??? NO, P & S stay put, reassure the gaoler and save him from suicide, with result that he and all his household become believers and are baptized (there is another twist in the story before the end of chapter but that is for another time!).
The fact that P & S didn’t snatch at the obvious answer to prayer and stayed put, in the prison, in the darkness, resulted in a far greater harvest!
This can be seen as the difference between the religion of the OT (all about God’s people being freed from captivity to be separate and holy to him) … and the NT, which goes beyond. We are set free to STAY amidst the darkness and TRANSFORM it. God’s aim is
to transform society and win over his enemies through the way Christians live amongst their neighbours!
A turn -around like the one in our story can only be achieved by God. The grace and mystery and scope of salvation are truly amazing! The patience and flexibililty of the apostles are exemplary!
The way God works to further the gospel is beyond any human strategy but he needs us to be involved in his mission. We need strong foundations in our prayer life, our understanding of the Bible and our awareness of the Holy Spirit. We also need the qualities which Paul and Silas show in this amazing story.
DO WE have Paul and Silas’s vision, their ability to see beyond the obvious?
Do we have their patience and flexibility?
Do we have the faith and the guts to let God use us in this way, to continue transforming human society from within?
Friday, April 30, 2010
Bible Study - Revelation 7.9-17
Bible Study – Revelation 7.9-17
Q1 In comparison with other parts of the Bible, what are the special difficulties about reading Revelation?
Q2 At the time that Revelation was written, what do we know about the situation of the writer and the people he was writing to?
Q3 How many people will benefit from salvation in Jesus? How can we reconcile what we read in verses 5 to 8 with what we read in verse 9?
Q4 What do you think is signified by the white robes worn by the people in John’s vision?
Q5 Bearing mind your answer to question 2, for what purpose do you think John was given this vision?
Q6 Verse 14 explains who the people in white robes are and where they came from? How clear are you about the meaning of this verse? Does it raise any questions for you?
Q7 Looking at verses 15 to 17, how does this picture of the condition of the saved relate to OT passages like Isaiah 25.6-9 and Luke 6.20-22?
Q8 Have a look at Revelation 21.1-6 and 22.1-5. What is the ultimate goal that the Bible is pointing towards?
Q9 How do these glimpses of the work our Father is engaged in relate to our daily lives? How are we motivated by them?
Q10 Does this passage make you want to make any changes or do anything differently?
Q1 In comparison with other parts of the Bible, what are the special difficulties about reading Revelation?
Q2 At the time that Revelation was written, what do we know about the situation of the writer and the people he was writing to?
Q3 How many people will benefit from salvation in Jesus? How can we reconcile what we read in verses 5 to 8 with what we read in verse 9?
Q4 What do you think is signified by the white robes worn by the people in John’s vision?
Q5 Bearing mind your answer to question 2, for what purpose do you think John was given this vision?
Q6 Verse 14 explains who the people in white robes are and where they came from? How clear are you about the meaning of this verse? Does it raise any questions for you?
Q7 Looking at verses 15 to 17, how does this picture of the condition of the saved relate to OT passages like Isaiah 25.6-9 and Luke 6.20-22?
Q8 Have a look at Revelation 21.1-6 and 22.1-5. What is the ultimate goal that the Bible is pointing towards?
Q9 How do these glimpses of the work our Father is engaged in relate to our daily lives? How are we motivated by them?
Q10 Does this passage make you want to make any changes or do anything differently?
Monday, April 26, 2010
Sermon - Revelation 7.9-17
Revelation 7.9-17
• As a small boy I always wondered what was going on inside my Dad’s workshop. Occasionally he’d let me in and show me the piece of furniture he was working on and a drawing of what it would be like when it was finished. Then I understood.
• Today’s reading from Rev is a bit like that. The Apostle is given a glimpse inside Heaven so he can better understand the masterpiece his heavenly Father is working on.
• John needs this so he can write to encourage the faith of the communities of Christians who are being persecuted by the Roman Emperor (Nero or Domitian).
What John sees
• He sees a great multitude of people, so many that they could not be counted, all standing before the Lamb of God, joyfully praising and worshipping Him.
• He sees that this vast crowd of people are all wearing white robes, indicating that they are pure, clean, whole and accepted by God.
What John learns
• In conversation with one of the elders, John learns who the people in white robes are and where they come from.
• He discovers that they have all come through a great tribulation or ordeal and that their robes have been made clean by the blood of the Lamb.
• He discovers that all those who have suffered will find their suffering reversed, in fulfillment of Jesus’s promises in the Beattitudes (see Luke 6.20-22) and numerous OT prophecies (eg Isaiah 25.6-9).
• Verses 15-17 give a beautiful picture of the victory of God’s justice, of wrongs put right, of perfect fellowship between human beings in which human values and God’s values coincide.
Not just in heaven
• In case we think this salvation is just about life after death, as a kind of compensation for a lousy life on earth, Revelation goes on (chapters 21 and 22) to show that God’s ultimate goal is not heaven but a new creation, from which death and evil have been banished.
• In the end the kingdom of heaven will be fully established ON EARTH, as we pray in the Lord’s Prayer. All who belong to Jesus will be part of that and their number will be greater than any number we can imagine…
Implications for us
We need to understand the reason John was given this vision and what it means for us. In his book Surprised by Hope (SPCK 2007) Tom Wright reminds us of the slogan of Christian Aid, ‘We believe in life before death’. He points out the danger of believing salvation is only about life after death which might imply that there is no real point putting things right in the present world. Wright argues that:
For the first Christians, the ultimate ‘salvation’ was all about God’s new world; and the point of what Jesus and the apostles were doing when they were healing people, or being rescued from shipwreck, or whatever, was that this was a proper anticipation of that ultimate ‘salvation’, that healing transformation of space, time and matter. (p.211)
I began by saying how exciting it was when my Dad let me peak inside his workshop and showed me what he was working on.
• Do you know what was even more exciting? It was the times when he would actually let me join in with his work – usually just by holding things and passing them to him
• but occasionally he’d hand me the screwdriver or the glue or the sandpaper and say ‘now its your turn, son – have a go!’
• HOW EXCITING WAS THAT? It didn’t matter if I couldn’t do the task perfectly yet – my Dad was there to help and guide me and repair anything I did that went wrong.
• The thrill for me was to be joining in with him, doing real work, work that mattered…
WOULDN’T IT BE GREAT if we could bring that same thrill to our lives as Christians?
• When we are given a glimpse inside heaven (as in Rev 7.9ff), we see the masterpiece our Father is making, the work He and his Son and his Holy Spirit are engaged in…
• We see that our Father’s work is about defeating evil, rescuing people from its grip, healing people, setting people free from poverty and despair, showing them tenderness and unselfish love. Its about God bringing more people than we could possibly count inside the safety of his tent (v15).
• It’s also about bringing justice, not in the sense of punishment (retributive justice) but in the sense of making things RIGHT, making things the way they were always meant to be (restorative justice).
• It’s a big thrill for me to see what my Father’s work is all about.
• But how much greater the thrill if HIS work could be MY work… if I could join in with his work.
• And of course it IS my work and I CAN join in. Jesus said “it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work” (John 14.10) and then he went on to say “all who have faith in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these” (John 14.12).
• Jesus goes on to say things like “I no longer call you servants, because servants do not know their master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends” (John 15.15) and “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit – fruit that will last” (John 15.16).
One more quote from Tom Wright :
The work of salvation in its fullest sense is (1) about whole human beings, not merely souls; (2) about the present, not simply the future; and (3) about what God does through us, not merely what God does in and for us. If we can get this straight, we will rediscover the historic basis for the full-orbed mission of the church. (p.213)
• When I preach a message like this my heart starts beating faster, but how well are we doing about putting it into practice, at doing our Father’s work in the name of Jesus and in the power of the Spirit, here and now?
• Not too badly perhaps, but I think there’s a lot we can learn from other parts of God’s church who are more actively engaged in this work on a daily basis. That’s why I’ve invited Danilo along this morning.
• Let’s allow ourselves to be challenged by what he’s got to say and take this with us into our weekend away as Ann Morisy leads us in an exploration of how this church can be a place of hopeful possibility, in an age of uncertainty.
• As a small boy I always wondered what was going on inside my Dad’s workshop. Occasionally he’d let me in and show me the piece of furniture he was working on and a drawing of what it would be like when it was finished. Then I understood.
• Today’s reading from Rev is a bit like that. The Apostle is given a glimpse inside Heaven so he can better understand the masterpiece his heavenly Father is working on.
• John needs this so he can write to encourage the faith of the communities of Christians who are being persecuted by the Roman Emperor (Nero or Domitian).
What John sees
• He sees a great multitude of people, so many that they could not be counted, all standing before the Lamb of God, joyfully praising and worshipping Him.
• He sees that this vast crowd of people are all wearing white robes, indicating that they are pure, clean, whole and accepted by God.
What John learns
• In conversation with one of the elders, John learns who the people in white robes are and where they come from.
• He discovers that they have all come through a great tribulation or ordeal and that their robes have been made clean by the blood of the Lamb.
• He discovers that all those who have suffered will find their suffering reversed, in fulfillment of Jesus’s promises in the Beattitudes (see Luke 6.20-22) and numerous OT prophecies (eg Isaiah 25.6-9).
• Verses 15-17 give a beautiful picture of the victory of God’s justice, of wrongs put right, of perfect fellowship between human beings in which human values and God’s values coincide.
Not just in heaven
• In case we think this salvation is just about life after death, as a kind of compensation for a lousy life on earth, Revelation goes on (chapters 21 and 22) to show that God’s ultimate goal is not heaven but a new creation, from which death and evil have been banished.
• In the end the kingdom of heaven will be fully established ON EARTH, as we pray in the Lord’s Prayer. All who belong to Jesus will be part of that and their number will be greater than any number we can imagine…
Implications for us
We need to understand the reason John was given this vision and what it means for us. In his book Surprised by Hope (SPCK 2007) Tom Wright reminds us of the slogan of Christian Aid, ‘We believe in life before death’. He points out the danger of believing salvation is only about life after death which might imply that there is no real point putting things right in the present world. Wright argues that:
For the first Christians, the ultimate ‘salvation’ was all about God’s new world; and the point of what Jesus and the apostles were doing when they were healing people, or being rescued from shipwreck, or whatever, was that this was a proper anticipation of that ultimate ‘salvation’, that healing transformation of space, time and matter. (p.211)
I began by saying how exciting it was when my Dad let me peak inside his workshop and showed me what he was working on.
• Do you know what was even more exciting? It was the times when he would actually let me join in with his work – usually just by holding things and passing them to him
• but occasionally he’d hand me the screwdriver or the glue or the sandpaper and say ‘now its your turn, son – have a go!’
• HOW EXCITING WAS THAT? It didn’t matter if I couldn’t do the task perfectly yet – my Dad was there to help and guide me and repair anything I did that went wrong.
• The thrill for me was to be joining in with him, doing real work, work that mattered…
WOULDN’T IT BE GREAT if we could bring that same thrill to our lives as Christians?
• When we are given a glimpse inside heaven (as in Rev 7.9ff), we see the masterpiece our Father is making, the work He and his Son and his Holy Spirit are engaged in…
• We see that our Father’s work is about defeating evil, rescuing people from its grip, healing people, setting people free from poverty and despair, showing them tenderness and unselfish love. Its about God bringing more people than we could possibly count inside the safety of his tent (v15).
• It’s also about bringing justice, not in the sense of punishment (retributive justice) but in the sense of making things RIGHT, making things the way they were always meant to be (restorative justice).
• It’s a big thrill for me to see what my Father’s work is all about.
• But how much greater the thrill if HIS work could be MY work… if I could join in with his work.
• And of course it IS my work and I CAN join in. Jesus said “it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work” (John 14.10) and then he went on to say “all who have faith in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these” (John 14.12).
• Jesus goes on to say things like “I no longer call you servants, because servants do not know their master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends” (John 15.15) and “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit – fruit that will last” (John 15.16).
One more quote from Tom Wright :
The work of salvation in its fullest sense is (1) about whole human beings, not merely souls; (2) about the present, not simply the future; and (3) about what God does through us, not merely what God does in and for us. If we can get this straight, we will rediscover the historic basis for the full-orbed mission of the church. (p.213)
• When I preach a message like this my heart starts beating faster, but how well are we doing about putting it into practice, at doing our Father’s work in the name of Jesus and in the power of the Spirit, here and now?
• Not too badly perhaps, but I think there’s a lot we can learn from other parts of God’s church who are more actively engaged in this work on a daily basis. That’s why I’ve invited Danilo along this morning.
• Let’s allow ourselves to be challenged by what he’s got to say and take this with us into our weekend away as Ann Morisy leads us in an exploration of how this church can be a place of hopeful possibility, in an age of uncertainty.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Which Jesus do we follow? Not this one!
shamelessly stolen from Robin Parry's 'Theological Scribbles' blog.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Bible Study - Acts 10
Bible Study – Acts 10
Directed by God’s Spirit, the Christian community breaks out of its Jewish roots to become multi-cultural. The centurion Cornelius becomes the first recorded Gentile to be baptised into the fellowship.
v. 1-8: Cornelius has a vision instructing him to make contact with Peter
v. 9-20: Peter’s vision
v. 24 ff. Cornelius and Peter meet; Peter tells the gospel to Cornelius, his relatives and his close friends and witnesses the Holy Spirit poured out on these Gentiles, evidenced by their speaking in tongues. The story climaxes in v47-48, with Peter’s exclamation “Surely no-one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.”
Q1 What do we learn about Cornelius in verses 1 and 2? Would this man have been considered a friend or an enemy by the Jewish Christian disciples?
Q2 Which is more important, to believe the right things about God or to live the way God wants us to live? In what ways was Cornelius’s life pleasing to God?
Q3 What should our attitude be towards people who are living ‘godpleasing’ lives but who are not Christians? Should we try to convert them?
Q4 The two men had different reactions to their visions. Discuss the different experiences we can have/have had to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
Q5 How is God’s power demonstrated in this chapter?
Q6 In what ways does God demonstrate that he believes in Peter?
Q7 Trace Peter’s gradual understanding of God’s will. What does this tell us about leadership?
Q8 What do you make of the gospel story as retold by Peter in verses 34 to 43? How does it compare to the way the gospel is usually told?
Q9 Jesus’ commission “Go make disciples of all nations…” (Matt 28:19) (Acts 1:8) shaped the missionary endeavours of the church. Discuss the similarities and differences with the challenge faced by the church today.
Q10 The early church had to break out from its old culture in order to grow as the Spirit directed. What “old cultures” might hold back and inhibit our current church?
Directed by God’s Spirit, the Christian community breaks out of its Jewish roots to become multi-cultural. The centurion Cornelius becomes the first recorded Gentile to be baptised into the fellowship.
v. 1-8: Cornelius has a vision instructing him to make contact with Peter
v. 9-20: Peter’s vision
v. 24 ff. Cornelius and Peter meet; Peter tells the gospel to Cornelius, his relatives and his close friends and witnesses the Holy Spirit poured out on these Gentiles, evidenced by their speaking in tongues. The story climaxes in v47-48, with Peter’s exclamation “Surely no-one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.”
Q1 What do we learn about Cornelius in verses 1 and 2? Would this man have been considered a friend or an enemy by the Jewish Christian disciples?
Q2 Which is more important, to believe the right things about God or to live the way God wants us to live? In what ways was Cornelius’s life pleasing to God?
Q3 What should our attitude be towards people who are living ‘godpleasing’ lives but who are not Christians? Should we try to convert them?
Q4 The two men had different reactions to their visions. Discuss the different experiences we can have/have had to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
Q5 How is God’s power demonstrated in this chapter?
Q6 In what ways does God demonstrate that he believes in Peter?
Q7 Trace Peter’s gradual understanding of God’s will. What does this tell us about leadership?
Q8 What do you make of the gospel story as retold by Peter in verses 34 to 43? How does it compare to the way the gospel is usually told?
Q9 Jesus’ commission “Go make disciples of all nations…” (Matt 28:19) (Acts 1:8) shaped the missionary endeavours of the church. Discuss the similarities and differences with the challenge faced by the church today.
Q10 The early church had to break out from its old culture in order to grow as the Spirit directed. What “old cultures” might hold back and inhibit our current church?
Monday, April 19, 2010
Sermon - Acts 10
Acts 10
Sunday Nite series 18.4.2010
We’ve been learning about how the gospel began to spread beyond Jerusalem in the early days of the Church after Pentecost. Two of the key players were Stephen (Ch7) and Philip (Ch8). But tonight we learn how the Church’s first real breakthrough amongst the Gentiles (non-Jews) came not through either of these, not even through Saul/Paul, but through Peter, the leader amongst the original 12.
This is a very rich chapter and I only have time to pick out a few of the significant points.
1. Cornelius is out there
Look at verses 1 and 2. Christians have been told to love their enemies. Here is a man who would certainly be defined as an enemy – a military officer in the occupying army. And a gentile – that division was probably deeper than we can appreciate.
But look at the kind of man Cornelius is, the kind of lives that he and his family are living (v2). They are doing many of the things you would hope and expect Christians to be doing, but they are not yet Christians. They still need to hear about and respond to Jesus. They need Peter. AND as we shall see, Peter needs them. And we notice that it is while Cornelius is engaged in his regular practice of prayer that God’s messenger comes to him.
Just a thought. I wonder how many Corneliuses are ‘out there’ in our society, our circle of contacts. Who are they waiting for to take the good news to them? Me? You?
2. God believes in Peter
We already know from his preaching and his actions that Peter believes in God, but it is equally important to see that God believes in Peter. Notice how God’s angel tells Cornelius to send for Peter, even before God has told Peter how he wants to use him. God knows Peter inside out, he knows his fears and prejudices, all the baggage he carries as a Jew as well as a believer in Jesus.
Yet in spite of all this, God believes that Peter can cross that threshold, see his enemy differently, treat his enemy with love instead of fear or hatred. God entrusts the task to Peter and believes that Peter is up to it.
3. Peter obeys, even when it hurts
Now as we look at verses 9-23 and try to get into how challenging this situation is for Peter. This is turn-your-world-upside-down time, forget-everything-you’ve-heard-about-gentiles-before time.
Notice also how, guided by the Holy Spirit, Peter is able to be flexible beyond his worst nightmare. He is able to accept the impossible, to step right out of his comfort zone and to follow where God is leading.
4. The Gospel according to Peter
In verses 24-33 these two very different men who have been brought together by God catch up on each other’s stories. Then Peter tells the good news in his own words.
• V34-35 God does not show favouritism but accepts those from every nation who fear him and do what is right (NB who might that definition include today?)
• V36 This message of peace with God for all has been sent through the people of Israel, specifically through Jesus
• V37-39 summarise Jesus’s life as a Spirit-filled war against evil, in which Jesus continually sets people free from sickness and evil
• V39-40 shows that the crucifixion and resurrection are the culmination of this war and how the apparent victory of evil over good is turned on its head by God
• V41-43 confirms the testimony both of the prophets of old and the eyewitness apostles that salvation through Jesus is for everyone, not just for a select few.
The gospel Peter preached is the gospel the Church is called to preach today and we need to check our version against his!
5. The Spirit’s work, the Church’s baptism
The truth and power of what Peter is saying is confirmed by the amazing events of verses 44-46. To the amazement of Peter and his companions, God shows his clear acceptance of all who heard the message by pouring out the Holy Spirit on them before Peter has even finished speaking and without any preconditions. This needs to be noticed by any who think you have to go through certain steps, defined by the Church, in order to become a Christian. God’s grace will not be limited in these ways and is poured out by him far more widely and generously than we expect.
Peter responds to what has happened in the right way – even though all his preconceptions have been proved wrong. He doesn’t go defensive and shore up the barriers, he gives the sacrament of baptism as an outward sign of what God has done spiritually in these people. He responds graciously to God’s grace in the life of his enemy.
6. Reviewing our Mission Priorities
In the light of this revolutionary story of how the doors were blown off the early church to allow everyone to come in, by the grace of God, in the name of Jesus and in the power of the Spirit, we must allow our own understanding of the gospel and of our mission to be challenged.
Sunday Nite series 18.4.2010
We’ve been learning about how the gospel began to spread beyond Jerusalem in the early days of the Church after Pentecost. Two of the key players were Stephen (Ch7) and Philip (Ch8). But tonight we learn how the Church’s first real breakthrough amongst the Gentiles (non-Jews) came not through either of these, not even through Saul/Paul, but through Peter, the leader amongst the original 12.
This is a very rich chapter and I only have time to pick out a few of the significant points.
1. Cornelius is out there
Look at verses 1 and 2. Christians have been told to love their enemies. Here is a man who would certainly be defined as an enemy – a military officer in the occupying army. And a gentile – that division was probably deeper than we can appreciate.
But look at the kind of man Cornelius is, the kind of lives that he and his family are living (v2). They are doing many of the things you would hope and expect Christians to be doing, but they are not yet Christians. They still need to hear about and respond to Jesus. They need Peter. AND as we shall see, Peter needs them. And we notice that it is while Cornelius is engaged in his regular practice of prayer that God’s messenger comes to him.
Just a thought. I wonder how many Corneliuses are ‘out there’ in our society, our circle of contacts. Who are they waiting for to take the good news to them? Me? You?
2. God believes in Peter
We already know from his preaching and his actions that Peter believes in God, but it is equally important to see that God believes in Peter. Notice how God’s angel tells Cornelius to send for Peter, even before God has told Peter how he wants to use him. God knows Peter inside out, he knows his fears and prejudices, all the baggage he carries as a Jew as well as a believer in Jesus.
Yet in spite of all this, God believes that Peter can cross that threshold, see his enemy differently, treat his enemy with love instead of fear or hatred. God entrusts the task to Peter and believes that Peter is up to it.
3. Peter obeys, even when it hurts
Now as we look at verses 9-23 and try to get into how challenging this situation is for Peter. This is turn-your-world-upside-down time, forget-everything-you’ve-heard-about-gentiles-before time.
Notice also how, guided by the Holy Spirit, Peter is able to be flexible beyond his worst nightmare. He is able to accept the impossible, to step right out of his comfort zone and to follow where God is leading.
4. The Gospel according to Peter
In verses 24-33 these two very different men who have been brought together by God catch up on each other’s stories. Then Peter tells the good news in his own words.
• V34-35 God does not show favouritism but accepts those from every nation who fear him and do what is right (NB who might that definition include today?)
• V36 This message of peace with God for all has been sent through the people of Israel, specifically through Jesus
• V37-39 summarise Jesus’s life as a Spirit-filled war against evil, in which Jesus continually sets people free from sickness and evil
• V39-40 shows that the crucifixion and resurrection are the culmination of this war and how the apparent victory of evil over good is turned on its head by God
• V41-43 confirms the testimony both of the prophets of old and the eyewitness apostles that salvation through Jesus is for everyone, not just for a select few.
The gospel Peter preached is the gospel the Church is called to preach today and we need to check our version against his!
5. The Spirit’s work, the Church’s baptism
The truth and power of what Peter is saying is confirmed by the amazing events of verses 44-46. To the amazement of Peter and his companions, God shows his clear acceptance of all who heard the message by pouring out the Holy Spirit on them before Peter has even finished speaking and without any preconditions. This needs to be noticed by any who think you have to go through certain steps, defined by the Church, in order to become a Christian. God’s grace will not be limited in these ways and is poured out by him far more widely and generously than we expect.
Peter responds to what has happened in the right way – even though all his preconceptions have been proved wrong. He doesn’t go defensive and shore up the barriers, he gives the sacrament of baptism as an outward sign of what God has done spiritually in these people. He responds graciously to God’s grace in the life of his enemy.
6. Reviewing our Mission Priorities
In the light of this revolutionary story of how the doors were blown off the early church to allow everyone to come in, by the grace of God, in the name of Jesus and in the power of the Spirit, we must allow our own understanding of the gospel and of our mission to be challenged.
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