Friday, October 16, 2009

ACTS 10- God's Justice...


So, Cori and I were reading Acts 10 this morning and we have some things that stand out to us in regards to how the church should operate in the world today. With unemployment at an all-time high and people everywhere struggling to keep afloat in life, the church has an opportunity like no other to extend God's justice to those who hurt most. The bottom line is that we are living in the perfect age to begin a new kind of Christian crusade that will give rather than take, heal instead of destroy.

Looking at Cornelius in this story, we see:
  • He was already praying and taking care of those in need around him (God's justice)
  • These daily habits in his life attracted God's attention and favor
  • God knew that he would be obedient to the word God had for him
  • God used this man's obedience to open the door for the Gospel to come to a whole new group of people
What can we, as a church, learn from this passage? Cori and I believe that we need to restore the understanding of "works" in the church today. You see, in our urgency to be defined by grace, we have had a tendency to sweep works under the rug. When Jesus shares the story of the sheep and goats in Matthew 25, he makes it clear that the only thing that separates the two groups of people is what they did (and didn't) do.

Of course, I do not want to downplay the role of grace and salvation, but I think that we have lost touch with the theology of works in relation to grace. Let's become a church that is known for it's works of mercy, compassion and justice....a church that attracts God's attention, every day.
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4 comments:

  1. Carissa ColeOctober 16, 2009 at 7:38 PM

    Amen Jerimiah! I think that it is important to not only help people in need spiritually, but in other ways as well. The Lord provides for everyone that is faithful, and by bringing other's to salvation, and helping them in any way possible, I believe that we too will be blessed in return.

    Praise the Lord, and may He bless you both tremednously!! We love you guys!!

    Dave and Carissa

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  2. John VintigniOctober 16, 2009 at 9:29 PM

    I do my best to live by this. I try to look for little ways I can bless the people around me every day. It could be as small as smiling at people that look like they are haing a bad day. I try to give much bigger than average tips when I eat out. I would like very much for the church as a whole to be like that.

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  3. ElizabethOctober 17, 2009 at 1:33 AM

    Saint Augustine used to read the gospels in the morning and then go out in the afternoon and practice what he had just read that morning. What would happen if we did that???

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  4. jeremiahOctober 17, 2009 at 1:07 PM

    Yes, you guys get it! We are going to start a revolution of mercy in Gettysburg and the surrounding communities! We have only begun to see how the Gospel will change the face of Adams County!

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