Hammer on Anvil '

In the verses preceding these, Jesus told Peter, “I tell you the truth, when you were younger, you tied your own belt and went where you wanted. But when you are old, you will put out your hands and someone else will tie you and take you where you don't want to go” (NCV). He was alluding to how Peter would be martyred.

“It is the will of Christ that his disciples should mind their own duty, and not be curious about future events, either as to themselves or others. Many things we are apt to be anxious about, which are nothing to us. Other people's affairs are nothing to us, to intermeddle in; we must quietly work, and mind our own business. Many curious questions are put about the counsels of God, and the state of the unseen world, as to which we may say, What is this to us? And if we attend to the duty of following Christ, we shall find neither heart nor time to meddle with that which does not belong to us.”

When the believers heard this, they stopped arguing. They praised God and said, “So God is allowing even other nations to turn to him and live” (Acts 11:18).

Remember this story? In Acts 10, Peter had a vision in which a large sheet was lowered before him. It contained all kinds of animals, and a voice told Peter to "rise and eat." Peter was indignant and protested, "But I have never eaten anything impure or unclean!" The voice spoke to him again and said, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean."

At first read, you may think this passage is about Jews eating stuff that's not kosher. But in fact, God was impressing upon Peter to not consider PEOPLE impure whom God has made clean. In this case, it was Cornelius. While in prayer, God told Cornelius to send for Peter, and he did so promptly. There was just one problem with this, according to the mores of the day: Cornelius was a Gentile and Peter was a Jew. Peter tells Cornelius in Acts 10:28: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean."

In chapter 11, when Peter returned to Jerusalem, the circumcised (Jewish) believers criticized him and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.” When Peter explained, the believers responded with the verse quoted at the beginning of this blog.

How often have we responded with criticism when a brother or sister ministered to someone whom we deemed unworthy? One of my friends is devoting her life to ministering to women who work as exotic dancers. She blogged recently about the interesting responses she gets -- yes, even from Christians -- when they ask her what she does for a living. Some people nervously clear their throats, others simply walk away. It's as if they don't believe she would actually waste her time on these women.

I have encountered some very similar responses over the years about ministering to women who have had abortions. Unfortunately, some of those responses have been from pastors. It is distasteful to them, so they bury their heads in the sand and deny that there are women sitting in their church services who have had abortions. Women who need help and healing, not judgment.

This week, think about your "pet sins." We all have them. You know, those nasty little infractions that make us believe someone is out of the reach of God. Homosexuality. Abortion. Addiction to sex or pornography. Alcohol or drug addiction. 

Now think about the passage from Acts. Peter protested at first to the command to "Rise and eat," clinging to his religiosity and tradition. God had to open his eyes to the truth that salvation is for all who call on the Name of the Lord.

May we allow the Holy Spirit to search our hearts and blast us out of our tradition and our prejudices and our prideful "holier than thou" attitudes. All have sinned, and that includes us. We who know the truth need to be about our Father's business, bringing hope and light and salvation to others.

 

"I will be in them and You will be in Me so that they will be completely one. Then the world will know that You sent Me..." (John 17:23, NCV).

Generally when we talk about unity in the Body of Christ, Ephesians 4:3 is the Scripture cited: "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." But as I read this passage from John last week in my devotions, the second part of this verse grabbed me: "THEN the world will know that You sent Me."

When will the world know that God sent Jesus? When His followers are "completely one." Gulp.

If you have been part of a body of believers for any length of time, you are well aware of the fact that sometimes unity seems hard to come by. We seem to forget that we are not our own, that we were purchased with the precious blood of Jesus. We push and shove and gossip and try to cause dissension when we don't get our own way.

Just last week, I heard another sad story of a church about to implode due to lack of unity. The youth group was given permission to do a worship service. When they began to play and sing, the adults promptly sat down, rather than standing for worship as they would normally do. The message they sent to the youth was, "If you're not going to do things OUR way, we're opting out." How tragic!

First Peter 2:9 says we are "a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a  holy nation." Our mission is to "declare the praises of Him who called us out of darkness." The knowledge of who we are in Christ Jesus should bond us together in holy, brotherly love. What can be done to foster unity of the Spirit?

Nothing is more vital in this endeavor than to commit ourselves to lives of prayer. Remember the Upper Room? Christ's followers stayed there for ten days and "joined together constantly in prayer" (Acts 1:14). Jesus had exhorted them to not leave Jerusalem, but to "wait for the gift My Father promised" (Acts 1:4). I sense that in those ten days of united prayer, the disciples' hearts were knit together as one. Today, it's like pulling teeth to get God's people to come together for a prayer meeting.

I recently read an Andrew Murray devotional that painted a vivid picture of the importance of unity:

Because of the many mountains in Natal (a region in South Africa), the streams often flow down with great force. The Zulus join hands when they want to pass through a stream. The leader has a strong stick in the right hand, and gives his left hand to some strong man who comes behind him. And so they form a chain and help each other cross the current. When God's people reach out their hands to each other in the spirit of prayer, there will be power to resist the terrible influence that the world can exert. In that unity, God's children will have power to triumph with God.

Wow. What a lovely illustration of unity in the Body of Christ! Joining hands in a spirit of prayer, realizing that we CANNOT do life alone!

Are you forming a chain today in your relationships with other believers? Or are you yanking and pulling and stubbornly trying to go your own way? My friends, the world will not know we are believers in Jesus when all they see is bickering and jealousy. John 13:35 says, "Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are My disciples."

Let's try to do what the disciples did as they waited for the Holy Spirit. In the communion of loving, believing, faithful prayer, our hearts can be united for the one purpose of living for and glorifying God. 




 

"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:26).



God calls us to uphold two great commandments above all else: Love God and love others. It would not be in His character to ask us to hate anyone. So what does this verse mean?

Matthew 10:37 says something similar: "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." Barnes' Notes on the Bible explains:

"Christ must be loved supremely, or He is not loved at all. If we are not willing to give up all earthly possessions, and forsake all earthly friends, and if we do not obey Him rather than all others, we have no true attachment to Him."

I have encountered many counseling situations that illuminated the truth of these verses. For example, a young woman who I had mentored briefly in the past contacted me. I hadn't heard from her for months, because she generally didn't like what I had to say about how she was living her life. She looks to men constantly to fill the God-shaped vacuum in her heart. In her early 20s, she has already been divorced and has a child.

In a Facebook message, she informed me she just became engaged, and wants to get together with my husband and me so we can meet her fiance. I did not respond right away; I knew I needed to seek the Lord about what to say to her, and I prayed her heart would be receptive.

I told my friend it would not be a good idea to meet her fiance until she and I had a chance to talk first. I told her I was sorry to hear that she is still running from God and into the arms of men, looking for fulfillment in all the wrong places. I said I was willing to meet with her, but would understand if she didn't want to after reading my note.

This is what I think Jesus means by loving Him more than others. It means doing the hard thing. It means not glibly saying, "Congratulations on your engagement!" when you know that's the worst thing that could be happening. It means upholding God's standards, rather than responding the way the rest of the world might respond.

I would have done my friend a grave disservice by pretending to be happy about an impending marriage that -- unless God intervenes in a big way -- is doomed before it begins. Someone has to tell her the truth. Lots of people have tried, most notably her dear parents, but to no avail.

Surprisingly, my friend responded that yes, she would like to meet with me. I am praying for wisdom. I so want her to know how much God loves her, and that she doesn't have to feed on the garbage thrown to the pigs any longer. She can come HOME, and be embraced with open arms by the God who knit her together in her mother's womb.

May we all endeavor to hold out the truth of God's Word, no matter what we face. Anything we do in our flesh will not bring about God's best.