The Bible: Church History
Part 2

“Remember, the law powerfully reveals our need
for grace, but it has no power to alleviate
our desperate need for God’s grace.”
-Paul David Tripp

As we jump into the last part of Acts 10, we will be
analyzing an act in Scripture that became revolutionary.
When you read through this chapter you find
that God’s people were accustomed to using the law
to exclude people from grace. It was perceived that if
the rules weren’t followed by strict adherence, your
membership was denied. Thus you were excluded
from redemption and grace.

Jesus said the following about their evangelism tactics
and results:

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you
hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single
convert, and when you have succeeded, you make
them twice as much a child of hell as you
are” (Matthew 23:15, NIV).

Even with this rebuke of the old system, the early
Christian church was shaped by this idea of getting
everything right under the law before new converts
could belong. As a result, Jesus’ grace and forgiveness
was only shared with the other believers of the law.
When Peter had his vision, God was telling him more
than what foods to eat. God was preparing Peter for
a counter-culture shift that the whole of the Christian
community would soon need to adopt.

Jesus came to save the whole world.
As we in the Lubbock Seventh-day Adventist Church
enjoy salvation, may we be shaped by this idea of inclusiveness?
May we all do ministry with the understanding
that it is for everyone, not just us. May our
church never become a social club with strict membership
that is self-serving. May it always be a worldsaving
ministry through Jesus Christ our Savior!

Grace & Peace,
Pastor Geraldo