Journey to The Journey

Several years ago, I received some sad news on Christmas morning from a missionary friend of mine. Some believers in the small province where she was ministering, joined with their brethren around the world in gathering together to celebrate the Lord's birth. For most of us, this is a joyful time with friends and family. However, for these Christians, living in a nation that is closed off to the Gospel, there is the constant threat of persecution.

With all of these different thoughts and feelings swirling around, it can be hard to understand what we should take away from these passages. How does Acts chapter 12 point us to Jesus? That's the question we always want to answer when we engage with scripture, "Where do I see Jesus in this passage?" I believe underneath all of the emotions of the narrative in this chapter, we can see Jesus in a few distinct ways.

The significance of covenants (the Bible's term for God's promises) is a key theme throughout scripture. The formal process of tracing the progression of God's covenantal promises throughout redemptive history, as they have been revealed in God's word, is called Covenant Theology. Covenant theologians distinguish between two fundamental covenants that establish God's plan for mankind. First, the covenant of works, as established with Adam before his fall into sin; and second, the covenant of grace as established through Adam (after the fall), on to Noah, to Abraham and the patriarchs, to Moses, to David, and finally consummated in Christ.

When my children were very young, we used to do family devotionals that were designed to illustrate biblical truths in fun and creative ways that were both engaging and impactful for kids. A few of those, that were particularly good at accomplishing that goal, are still emblazoned upon my children's memories even now many years later. One, in fact, we were just recently talking about over dinner. Here's the scenario:

If you take the time to study the teaching of Jesus that is recorded in scripture, you will inevitably encounter something that he said that will leave you scratching your head. Cody touched on one of the "hard sayings" of Jesus in this week's lesson when he referenced Jesus' teaching in Matthew chapter 10. Starting in verse 34, listen to what he says:

Discernment is the filter through which everything in life must pass. It removes the imperfections and purifies things. Everyone, regardless of who you are and what you believe, is ultimately on the pursuit of truth. In our increasingly relativized culture, truth is now in the eye of the beholder. There is no absolute truth, but rather we define our own truth autonomously. However, Christians must reject any worldview that emphasizes the subjective nature of personal experience over and above the objective reality of God and the truthfulness of his word.

Peter's vision and subsequent proclamation of the Gospel to the Gentiles in Acts chapter 10 marks a huge transition in redemptive history. Formerly, from the time of the patriarchs, God's covenantal promises were made to Israel, and to Israel alone. Now these promises were being extended to those who were formerly excluded. Understanding the significance of this moment is vitally important for a number of reasons.

We may not like to admit it, but the reality is, whenever there is disagreement over a doctrinal issue within the church, someone is right, and therefore someone has to be wrong. As a teacher, one must be true to their understanding of scripture...for better or for worse. In other words, I can't (or at least shouldn't) teach or preach anything that is contrary to what I believe the Bible itself is teaching. I would think it is safe to say that most of us want our teachers to, at minimum, be true to their convictions.

When we don't live according to our calling, we become consumers. We experience all the benefits of membership within the community of faith, but all of those benefits end with us. They don't transfer to those around us. We aren't feet that go, nor hands that serve, but rather we are like corpses. Why would Jesus pour out his blood upon the cross to save us from death in order for us to continue to "live" lifelessly?

James 4:4 teaches us that friendship with the world (that is being a worldly person) puts you at odds with God. Furthermore, Jesus teaches us in John 15:19 that the world hates his disciples because they are not of the world, but rather have been called out of worldliness through him. So to summarize these two contrasting positions, as simply as possible: God opposes worldliness and worldliness opposes God.