Making The Application (Acts 10) By Zeke Flores
(Reprinted from The Expository Files, http://www.geocities.com/w_berkley/)
Often in an assembly, a brother will pray for us to have the wisdom to apply the lesson we're about to hear. Such prayers are good and should not cease but too often, the prayer is not answered. It's not because God hasn't made available the tools for its implementation, but sometimes the preacher fails to give a concrete example of how to make the application of the spiritual principles that he's tried to impart. Or, perhaps the listener fails to recognize opportunity in his own life wherein he could direct the teaching.
In Acts 10, we have the familiar story of Peter and Cornelius. In this wonderful story of conversion by God's providence is an excellent example to help us learn how to apply spiritual principles.
Understand God teaches in many ways. There are commands and these are easy enough to understand, but God also uses principles and concepts by which we can necessarily infer what He wants us to learn. Peter, praying on a housetop in Joppa, falls into a trance and sees a vision of unclean animals being lowered to earth. After being commanded to kill and eat these animals, he refuses and cites his dedication to the dietary restrictions of the Mosaic Law. The vision appeared three times and finally was taken up into the sky. God wanted Peter to understand a deeper thing than merely the fact that some food had been restricted in the Law and Peter is left "perplexed" and wondering what is was that he was to learn from this vision.
Spend time thinking about what you can get out of the teaching.
Peter was "perplexed" (Acts 10:17, NASB). He "wondered
within himself" (NKJV) what the meaning of the vision could
be. Though he didn't immediately get it, that didn't stop him
from thinking about it further. Verse 19 tells us he was "reflecting"
or "thinking" or "pondering" on the vision.
It means he was fixated wholly on trying to determine the meaning
of what he had seen. He was turning the vision over and over,
through and through, in his mind being deep in thought over what
it might mean.
Things work together that might help us apply the teaching. While
Peter was seeing and thinking over the vision, Cornelius an "unclean"
Gentile some 25 miles away in Caesarea was sending men to bring
Peter there and teach them God's way. "And we know that God
causes all things to work together for good to those who love
God, to those who are called according to His purpose." (Rom
8:28) We should recognize the "all things" in Romans
8 is limited by the context of that passage, but we should also
recognize the many "helps" that God allows in life to
strengthen our walk in Him. How many times have we prayed for
patience and then the next day be confronted with a situation
that severely tests it?
Recognize opportunity to apply the teaching. There came a time
in our text that Peter "saw the light" and knew what
God meant for him to know by the strange vision. Peter, a Jew,
entered the home of Cornelius, a Gentile and said, "You yourselves
know how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with
a foreigner or to visit him; and yet God has shown me (emphasis
mine - zf) that I should not call any man unholy or unclean. I
most certainly understand NOW (emphasis mine - zf) that God is
not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears
Him and does what is right is welcome to Him." (Acts 10:28,
34-35)
All his life Peter had been taught that Gentiles were inferior
to Jews and had no access to the God of Israel. The vision that
came to him from God showed him differently and Peter was not
only quick to recognize and apply that principle, but he did so
in spite of years of conditioning and practice. By doing so, Peter
was able to preach God's will to a houseful of people who wanted
to obey Him. What an awesome example for those of us who believe
that old dogs can't learn new tricks! Changing one's mind and
ingrained habits are difficult, to be sure, but that in itself
doesn't make change impossible.
The results for Peter meant the first of many Gentile converts. In fact, he got the opportunity to relay the story of the conversion of Cornelius' household to the other apostles and brethren in Jerusalem. "When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God saying, 'Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.'" (Acts 11:18) But it may not have happened that way if Peter hadn't kept an open mind, reflected on God's teaching, and recognized the opportunity to implement it.
Just because the preacher doesn't always point out a specific example of how one might apply Biblical concepts doesn't nullify our responsibility to bear fruit from it. Let each one of us think on the things presented, whether by hearing or by reading, and resolve to "apply it to myself." Think about Peter and his success. Who knows what the results might be from you making the application!
The Death and Resurrection of the Body (1 Cor. 15:42-44)
by Wayne S. Walker
(Reprinted from The Expository Files: http://www.geocities.com/w_berkley/)
Most people try to take care of their bodies. We usually eat good
food, take baths, see the doctor when we are sick, brush our teeth,
visit the dentist twice a year, get our eyes checked, wear nice
looking clothes, fix our hair, and maybe even exercise some. All
of this is for the well-being and enhancement of the physical
body. However, someday, no matter what we do, we are going to
die, and our bodies will be put in the grave where they will return
to the dust of the ground from whence they came, unless Jesus
comes first.
Yet, just as surely as the body without the spirit dies, so when Jesus does return, the bodies of all who have or will have died will be raised from the dead and reunited with their spirits. In 1 Corinthians 15:42-44, Paul talks about the death and resurrection of the body. "So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in honor. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body."
It is very important to note that Paul is not discussing the nature and immortality of the soul in this passage. Rather, he is talking about what happens to the body in both death and the resurrection. Some have misused this passage to teach "conditional immortality," affirming that even our souls cannot be considered immortal until after the resurrection of the dead. However, the subject is introduced in verse 35. "But someone will say, 'How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?'" The topic which Paul is addressing is not the soul but the body. What does Paul have to say about this?
First, he says that it is sown in corruption and raised in incorruption. The word "corruption" apparently refers to the fact that the body is physical and will decay, as God has said (Genesis 2:7, 3:19; Ecclesiastes 12:7). It will be put in the ground and return to the elements from which it was made. However, when it is raised, it will never again be subject to decay but will be incorruptible. This, which is now corruption, will in the resurrection will put on incorruption (1 Corinthians 15:50-54). The reason is that we shall be fitted for an inheritance that is incorruptible (1 Peter 1:3-5).
Second, Paul says that the body is sown in dishonor and raised in glory. Why sown in dishonor? This probably refers to the fact that we are guilty of sin (Romans 3:23, 5:12). The body or flesh has been the instrument through which we have committed these sins (Romans 8:5-8). However, at least for the righteous, the body will be raised in glory because it will then be perfect or sinless, like Christ's glorious body (Philippians 3:20-21, 1 John 3:1-3).
Third, Paul says that the body is sown in weakness and raised in power. The very weakness of this physical body is seen in the fact that it wears out, dies, and then decays. In John 11:38-39, after Lazarus became sick and died, Jesus came and commanded the stone of his burial place to be removed. Martha, and probably everyone else there, was amazed because a body that had been in the tomb for four days would be repulsive and offensive. After the body dies, man does not have the power to bring it back to life, in spite of all those horror movies about "the living dead." However, God has power to raise the dead and will do so at the end of time (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
Fourth, Paul says that the body is sown a natural body and raised a spiritual body. The idea of the natural body here is simply that which is physical by nature and hence mortal or subject to death (Romans 6:12-13, James 2:26). However, while the body that is raised will be the same body, it will no longer be natural or physical but spiritual. Paul talks about a change taking place; hence, it will be different in nature. In 2 Corinthians 5:1-4 Paul talks about the destruction of our earthly house or tent, referring to death, and then being clothed with our habitation which is from heaven.
Paul illustrates this change with the sowing of wheat. "Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain, perhaps wheat or some other grain. But God gives it a body a He pleases, and to each seed its own body" (1 Corinthians 15:36-38). When we sow a seed, it must die in order to produce a new plant. The plant that comes forth is not the same seed that was planted. It is like the one from which the seed came, but it is still different because it is new life.
One other thing that we need to remember is that in this passage Paul is primarily talking about the resurrection of the righteous. Yes, all of the dead, both righteous and unrighteous, will be raised at the same time (John 5:28-29). However, the blessings of the resurrection that Paul discusses in these verses are reserved for those who are righteous (Philippians 3:10-11). All will be raised, but only the righteous will attain unto the resurrection of life.
MONTHLY BIBLE READING: Jesus' teaching on morals and ethics - The Gospels
GOSPEL MEETING: Our winter meeting will be held during the week of February 15-20, 2004. Sunday night through Friday night. Services will be held at 6:00 PM on Sunday and 7:30 PM each weekday evening. It will once again be our pleasure to have Robert Harkrider as our guest speaker each evening. Bro. Harkrider is the full-time evangelist for the South Bumby congregation in Orlando, Florida.
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