PHISH BOWL MINISTRIES
March 2014
“Phishing for saints until the
nets are full”…Matthew 4:19
Dear
friends,
How good it is to write to you
all! There is no quiet spot at the
Phoenix Center and because most of the men are stuck here due to lack of jobs, case
manager holds or one of a dozen other reasons, they cannot leave. It seems like I get home and bam, a dozen
guys want to play or talk. It would not
be so bad if the discussions were about our Lord Jesus, but it seems for most
of them, Jesus got them out of prison or kept them from going to prison, and
now they have kept Him on the shelf right next to their unused Bible, until the
next crisis. What this has meant for me
is that it has been hard to concentrate on writing PB until now.
As for me, I have been blessed
with many hours walking from here to there or traveling on the bus, learning
about grace, mercy and love and it all started in a study of Galatians which
sent me to Habakkuk 2:4 “the just shall live by faith” and now I’m in Romans.Father has used this time, the separation from the family of God, for me to be taught the fundamental truth about my walk and my relationships with the other saints around me. Similar to the point in Acts where Peter is told not to call anything unclean that God has made (or calls) clean.
Can we apply this truth to our fellow brothers and sisters? How many times do I hear saints tearing down other saints with words of judgment when God has made that saint complete and righteous in the heavenlies? If we truly believe God’s mercy is in abundance on us, then should we not also extend those same mercies to our fellow saints? Yes!
Now knowing that today we stand fully justified, we need to live that trust out daily. How do we do this? Let’s look at Habakkuk 2:4, “the just shall (or will) live by faith”. We started in faith in believing that God sent His son who chose to die on a tree and was raised from the dead (short form), bringing about salvation.
We want to try to live it out by trying to win God’s favor. However, all this does is bring about depression because we can never do enough to stand in our own goodness to please a perfect God. So, that brings us back to “the just will live by faith”: Faith that He did all of the work, faith that He is a loving God who loves you and faith that the work is finished. We now live by faith.
So you might be thinking, “Hey, Tim. Don’t over teach grace. Don’t you know if you go around telling people that grace covers all our sins, they will start to live anyway they want to?” Well, they just might, but that doesn’t remove the truth of the Bible. Grace is served 100 proof or not served at all. If we water it down with a list of our own do’s and don’ts, then we are playing God and placing a yoke that we would not be able to bare. The weight would crush us over time and we will find ourselves back at the cross, asking for help.
Now, I have learned over time that grace and knowing the finished work of Christ does not bring me to a point that I can sin as I please, but it gives me a hunger to live a life pleasing to the Father; a life that is growing daily in who He is, how much He loves us and even in the corrections that He is doing a good work in me to make me more like Him.
So, grace did not bring me to freedom to sin. Grace broke me. It broke me of self, because I now know the cost of that grace; the life of God’s only Son.
If someone tells you they are saved and can live any way they want to, then I don’t think they truly understand what they were saved from, the cost of that salvation nor are they broken over being the one who put Christ on that cross.
We have been in Acts for years now. Time and time again, I have gotten lost in the trust that these men got it. That they truly believe and as a result their own wants and their own plans did not matter. The only thing that did matter was Christ. Peter shows us a beautiful picture of this, no matter how many times that Peter is…well Peter, he comes full circle in doing the will of the Father.
Now, we are going over some of the biggest cornerstones of the truth of our faith. We have seen boldness in proclaiming the truth about Christ, the setting out to form the church of Christ. Christ changing what would have been the most unlikely person into a believer. Now we will see that this is not just another sect of Judaism, but it is for all, and what God wanted from the beginning.
Acts 10:24 And the following day they entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was
waiting for them, and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 As Peter was coming in, Cornelius
met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. 26 But Peter lifted him up, saying,
"Stand up; I myself am also a man." 27 And as he talked with him, he went
in and found many who had come together. 28 Then he said to them, "You know
how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of
another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or
unclean. 29 Therefore I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. I
ask, then, for what reason have you sent for me?" 30 So Cornelius said, "Four days
ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed
in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing, 31 and said, 'Cornelius, your prayer
has been heard, and your alms are remembered in the sight of God. 32 Send therefore to Joppa and call
Simon here, whose surname is Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a
tanner, by the sea. When he comes, he will speak to you.' 33 So I sent to you immediately, and
you have done well to come. Now therefore, we are all present before God, to
hear all the things commanded you by God." 34 Then Peter opened his mouth and
said: "In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. 35 But in every nation whoever fears
Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. 24 And the following day they entered
Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them, and had called together his
relatives and close friends. 25 As Peter was coming in, Cornelius
met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. 26 But Peter lifted him up, saying,
"Stand up; I myself am also a man." 27 And as he talked with him, he went
in and found many who had come together. 28 Then he said to them, "You know
how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of
another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or
unclean. 29 Therefore I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. I
ask, then, for what reason have you sent for me?" 30 So Cornelius said, "Four days
ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house,
and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing, 31 and said, 'Cornelius, your prayer
has been heard, and your alms are remembered in the sight of God. 32 Send therefore to Joppa and call
Simon here, whose surname is Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a
tanner, by the sea. When he comes, he will speak to you.' 33 So I sent to you immediately, and
you have done well to come. Now therefore, we are all present before God, to
hear all the things commanded you by God." 34 Then Peter opened his mouth and
said: "In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. 35 But in every nation whoever fears
Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. 36 The word which God sent to the
children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ--He is Lord of all-- 37 that word you know, which was proclaimed
throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John
preached: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and
with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the
devil, for God was with Him. 39 And we are witnesses of all things
which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by
hanging on a tree. 40 Him God raised up on the third day,
and showed Him openly, 41 not to all the people, but to
witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He
arose from the dead. 42 And He commanded us to preach to the
people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the
living and the dead. 43 To Him all the prophets witness
that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of
sins." 44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit
fell upon all those who heard the word. 45 And those of the circumcision who
believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the
Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 46 For they heard them speak with
tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, 47 "Can anyone forbid water, that
these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we
have?" 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord.
Then they asked him to stay a few days. 39 And we are witnesses of all things
which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree. 40 Him God raised up on the third day,
and showed Him openly, 41 not to all the people, but to
witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He
arose from the dead. 42 And He commanded us to preach to the
people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the
living and the dead. 43 To Him all the prophets witness
that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of
sins." 44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit
fell upon all those who heard the word. 45 And those of the circumcision who
believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the
Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 46 For they heard them speak with
tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, 47 "Can anyone forbid water, that
these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we
have?" 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord.
Then they asked him to stay a few days.
Side note: Over the next two
Phish Bowls, we will be revisiting teachings which we’ve already done. The concern will come up: Tim, we have
already gone over this! Hold on for one
second, the Holy Spirit chose to revisit this point over and over again and we
should stop and ask ourselves, what is the point? So, I would cheat you by skipping over any
part of the Bible.Verse 24: Don’t miss this; Cornelius was so excited about his home Bible study that he called his family and friends! He was not afraid; rather he was proud to be holding it in his house!
Verses 25-26: As Peter walked in, Cornelius fell at Peter’s feet and worshipped. And Peter, being the first Pope, accepted the worship! NO! Sorry, I couldn’t pass up the chance at a good joke! No, Peter, like the rest of us know that the Father is no respecter of man. We are all equal in the sight of God. Sorry to those leaders in the Church who think they are special. Peter tells us all, “I myself am also a man”, or “I’m no better than you”. I’ve learned over the years that leaders are only the first servants.
27: Going back to verse 24, “many had come together”. The faith of Cornelius is demonstrated by the fact that he had a houseful of people when Peter arrived.
28, 29: Peter gets it! It’s no longer a Jewish thing and the same Peter who had pridefully told Jesus that he had never done anything against the Law (my paraphrase), is now saying, ‘hogwash to the Law’ (again, my paraphrase).
30-33: Let’s ask ourselves a question here. God sent a man or angel to Cornelius. Why did he not just tell Cornelius about the Good News? Why, instead, did he tell him to go see Peter? The reason is that Father has chosen that we will be His messengers of the Good News about Jesus. So, if you and I don’t do it, who will?
Verses 33-43: OK, the only way that I can cover this without writing a book, is to just cover key points. Father made a way for all of us to be saved from the penalty of our sin. This is only found in the death, burial and raising from the dead of Jesus. We can’t do anything except to accept this free gift of Father. I will not at this time cover Father’s foreknowledge which brings us to His election. Election and our freewill go hand in hand, but no matter what, never forget that He did the work and it covers ALL of our sins; yesterday’s, today’s and tomorrow’s.
35: “whoever” and in Greek this means “whoever”. Believers are accepted by Him.
38: God anointed Jesus…with the Holy Spirit. I don’t understand how so many people miss our three in one God.
39: Why “killed by hanging on a tree”? Why use this verbiage? I believe it shows that the world killed him, all of us. Jews stoned someone to death, but Rome (the world) killed by crucifixion. I believe that Peter used this to show his Gentile host and friend that they too killed Jesus.
40: Peter, back in vs. 34, also tells us that he was a witness of all things which included “God raising Jesus from the dead and showing Him openly”.
42: He commanded us to preach Jesus, not Moses or the Law, but Jesus along with grace, mercy and love.
43: And once again, “whoever believes… will receive remission of sin”.
44-48: I can only close this teaching as to why the Holy Spirit is going to choose to go over this again in Chapter 11 and that is…The Holy Spirit fell upon all those who had heard. The Jewish believers were amazed because they saw that the Gentiles (us…we are NOT Jews) had received the same gift of speaking in tongues that they received (Chapter 2) and life will never be the same from this day on. Jesus is for everyone who believes. The Good News had reached the Jews, the Samaritans and now the Gentiles. All were united by the same faith in the same Lord with the same Holy Spirit.
Next month, Acts 11 and more tidbits of truth.
Now, in closing…there are many whom I wish to tell about how you have impacted my life in ways which words will never do justice. If I start a list then I will hurt someone by not adding their name too, which is not my intent. The conditions of my release prevent me from one on one contact, but know that you are in my prayers daily.
PBM
is an outreach of:
Calvary
Chapel Loveland276 E 29th St
Loveland, CO 80538
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