Details

Published: 10 November 2017

All together there are 70 verses describing Peter’s trip to Caesarea to visit the Roman soldier Cornelius.  One must ask, “In light of all the problems in the world, why does this story get so much press?”  The answer is simple and complex.  First, the simple part.  The charter members of Christianity were all Jews.  Charter members in general have a hard time with inclusion and if as a general rule they had been taught that Gentiles were “dogs.” That made it even more difficult to embrace those outside the Jewish nation.  In spite of the teachings of the OT and the reminders of Jesus to be rid of contempt, even the apostles needed some help to embrace a new paradigm.  Understanding this reality answers a lot of other questions about tongues, the baptism of the Spirit and the timing of these events.  Peter and the other Jews needed to see for themselves that the wall had come down for Gentiles too, see Ephesians 2.  Second, the more complex part of the answer.  The Biblical narratives are more than just “another story.”  This story in Acts 10 is a standalone story for sure but there are many layers of doctrinal content included as well.  The Holy Spirit is an award winning author  and the Bible is still the all-time best seller.  The themes in this story are powerful reminders of God’s love, human struggles, gospel content, leadership influence and sound theology.  We’ll explore some of those themes Sunday morning and Sunday evening…and we’ll end our study the way the chapter ends…with the baptism of believers confessing their faith in Jesus Christ.

Details

Published: 26 October 2017

Sunday we’ll be studying Peter’s travels from Jerusalem to Joppa.  As he made pastoral visits along the way God empowered him to do miracles and see many people come to saving faith in Christ.  This movement of God from Jerusalem and outward is the beginning of what we call “modern missions.”  God has always wanted people of every tribe, tongue and nation to be a part of His family.  Thankfully this passion of God has not ceased!  While the access to the gospel message has increased exponentially in the last century, the mission of God has not diminished.  We are still to be involved in the Great Commission.  Making disciples of all kinds of people is our purpose as a church and that passion should not be limited to the greater Greenville area.  Because of the nature of this good news our reach should exceed our grasp.  The only way that can be accomplished is by missions.  We cannot all go but we can all pray.  We are not all sent, but we can all be involved in sending.  We believe missions is still very much needed in our crazy world and we want to join God in His work.  November 3-5 is our Missions Emphasis Weekend.  Watch the bulletin for a number of opportunities to learn about ways you can be equipped and informed about God’s glocal mission.