Exploring God’s Word with Brad Thurston

When Defense is Offensive

Episode Summary

Acts 11:1-18 In sports it is often said that the best offense is a good defense. In the case of Jesus on trial, his defense may have seemed unusual, but it turned out to be the best offense! His death was offensive to sin, death and the devil whom he defeated for time and eternity! Peter's defense of his actions in this passage of scripture point to his response to a divine intiative.

Episode Notes

Watching basketball during the playoffs is a lot of fun.  I do enjoy the great offensive plays, the trick shots and the no look passing leading to great baskets and shimmies. But spending some time with my son in law and hearing him talk about the game, I see the importance of having a great defense.  Draymond Green is brilliant at defense. And that leads to wins!

The same is true with Jesus, when I see his defense before pilot, which leads to victory over the devil!

Read Text

The obvious question is: Why the repetition?

The Answer lies in the opening verses of the account:

  1. The apostles and the brothers and sisters had heard about how the Gentiles had received the Word of God. As had they and the folks in Samaria when Peter and John went to them
  2. It is those of the circumcision who criticize Peter for entering the house and eating with Gentiles
  3. The messianic movement did not see following Jesus as a separate religion!
  4. They do not see how their zeal for God should be minimized by association with Idol worshippers.
  5. They are not against Gentiles becoming a part of the Jewish community and sharing in all the benefits of believing in the Messiah
  6. They are against diluting their status as those who hold fast to the law God gave and the fear of the lord as in the one true God.  The status of the Gentiles has not yet been determined. In their minds, they should be circumcised, thought the Torah, and keep the festivals and traditions. “For a Jew to eat without attending to ritual purity or to dietary regulations meant loss of identity, for the entire rationale for such regulations was the “holiness”, that is the separateness, of this people, based on the commandments of God.” – Luke Johnson this is a major problem to them – one we will continue to see battled out in the books of the New Testament.
  7. Peter’s defense
  8. The sequence of events that were orchestrated by God
  9. Two visions given in separate locations to very different people that complemented one another - a response to divine initiative!
  10. The command by the spirit to not doubt, debate, or complaint (which is what these circumcizers were doing)
  11. The presence of witnesses, both Jew and Gentile
  12. The crowning event was the outpouring of the Spirit
  13. Peter’s reply is: “Was I powerful enough to prevent God?” vs 17
  14. The consequence of this is the following: If God accepts them, who are we to reject them? If they are participants of the same Spirit as us without all the religious traditions we have grown up with, why should we burden them with what they know nothing about?
  15. This issue will not resolve itself for quite a while yet because it means that God is no respecter of person, male or female, jew or Greek, young or old, slave or free, rich, or poor: these tags mean nothing to God who gives abundantly all that we need for life and godliness.  All who seek God can be saved!  For Peter the sign of conversion is the evidence of the Holy Spirit in a person’s life and then their baptism to seal their clear commitment to the Lordship of Jesus.
  16. We see Peter’s growth in his understanding of the vision God gave him, and his interpretation of the words of Jesus take on new meaning:  In Acts 1:5 Jesus spoke of the baptism on the Spirit to a small group of Jewish followers, but he clearly intends it for all followers!
  17. How do we apply this understanding to us today?
  18. See what Church history teaches us:  Hudson Taylor taught his people to be Chinese in all things except sin.
  19. How do we approach people who have different cultural ways of praising God?
  20. In Korea they all pray out loud at once
  21. In Polynesia they dance in church
  22. In East Africa they play drums like church bells in England
  23. In Mozambique they cast out demons and prove to the Imams that Jesus is still alive
  24. In Brazil the small churches have large loudspeakers to preach to all the neighbors
  25. In our community, all the different churches have their idiosyncrasies that keep us apart from one another – to which Jesus says, “All men shall know you are my disciples if you love one another, not if you love one another in your little corner.  You can start there, but we need to have a greater understanding of the vision that Jesus gives to his church!  His church ought to be international, intercultural, and diverse – loving the ones that Jesus loves and hating sin with a passion whenever it shows up in our lives or others to destroy them. We need to see God intervene in people’s lives working miracles of deliverance, forgiveness, and reconciliation.  We need to celebrate when God breaks the barriers down that separate us and not complain about how they affect our sensitive traditions and preferences.  This battle is not just visible in the distant past but touches our lives in the here and now….
  26. Whatever sin your life is hiding, you are not hiding it from God. And he wants to break through into your heart and give you his Spirit without condemnation. His salvation is for all who believe and put their trust in him.  Will you do it today?