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Old 06-11-2009, 09:04 AM
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George George is offline
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
Posts: 891
Default Re: "Rightly Dividing The Book of Acts"

Aloha brother Winman,

This Post is in reply to your Post #32. Instead of repeating myself – here is what I have said before:

Re: "Who Will be Judged"? > 10-14-2008 > Post #119
Quote:
The "KEY" to understanding the Bible is understanding the difference between the Jews; the church; and the Gentiles [1 Corinthians 10:32] Basically I perceive the Bible thusly: The Old Testament (From Genesis 11:26 - Malachi 4:6) is the continuous story of God the Father offering Himself to His people (the Jews) and being rejected. In the New Testament (Specifically inthe four Gospels) is the story of God the Son offering Himself to His people (the Jews) and being rejected. And from Acts Chapter 1 through Acts Chapter 7 – we have God the Holy Spirit offering Himself (through the persons and testimony of His disciples) exclusively to His people (the Jews) and they rejected Him (by rejecting the Apostles - whom He was living in).

Only after God's people (the Jews) rejected the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (the entire Godhead) did God turn to the Gentiles. From Acts Chapter 1 through Acts Chapter 6 we see a continual appeal (only to the nation of Israel) on the part of the Apostles to get the nation of Israel to repent of killing their Messiah and they promised He would return. The stoning of Stephen [Acts Chapter 7] is a "turning point" in Scripture; for, immediately after his death God turned to the Gentiles (First the Samaritans - Acts Chapter 8; and then the Gentiles Acts chapter 10; and finally the call to the Apostle of the Gentiles, the Apostle Paul, and the establishment of the New Testament church - a "mystery" to all of the Prophets, priests, and even to those disciples that walked with Jesus - Luke 18:31-34) Luke 18:34 And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken. {None of His disciples understood the "Gospel" - NOT until after Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, because "these things" were "HID" from them!}
The Jews REJECTION of Peter’s (and the rest of the Apostles’ and Disciples’) call for NATIONAL REPENTANCE was specifically a REJECTION of GOD the HOLY SPIRIT (Who was living IN the Apostles & Disciples)

The nation of Israel's (Jews/Hebrews) rejection of the LORD God of the Old Testament was a REJECTION of God the FATHER:

Psalms 103:13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.

Psalms 68:4 Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.
5 A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.


Proverbs 3:12 For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.

Jeremiah 31:9 They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.

Malachi 1:6 A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?

Matthew 7:11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

Luke 11:13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

The Jews (Hebrews) had an exclusive relationship with God:

Deuteronomy 7:6 For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.
7 The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people:
8 But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.


The LORD God of Scripture was a FATHER to the Jews (Hebrews). When the nation of Israel rejected God (in the Old Testament) – they REJECTED God the FATHER.

I am not going to cite the verses (because we already agree), when the nation of Israel (Jews/Hebrews) rejected the Lord Jesus Christ – They REJECTED God the SON.

When the nation of Israel (Jews/Hebrews) rejected Peter and the rest of the Apostles and Disciples they REJECTED God the HOLY SPIRIT (for HE was living IN them and guiding them in what they said).

It was only AFTER the nation Israel had REJECTED the entire GODHEAD (Father, Son, & Spirit) did God TURN to the Gentiles.


Re: "Is water baptism for today?" > 05-25-2009 > Post #196
Quote:
What none of them knew was that even after Peter James, John, Philip, Stephen, and the rest of the Disciples preached (from Acts Chapters 2-7) the “SOON RETURN” of Israel’s Messiah & King to the nation Israel - IF the nation of Israel would REPENT of killing the Lord of Glory; that upon the nation of Israel’s REJECTION of Peter’s call for National REPENTANCE for murdering their Messiah & King, that God would TURN TO THE GENTILES (beginning at Acts Chapters 8-10) and establish His church (the church of God); the “mystery” of the body of Christ, made up of Jews & Gentiles, (a “mystery” revealed to the Apostle Paul [Ephesians 5:32]– and NOT to Peter, James, John, etc.)

What all of the Jewish disciples were expecting AFTER Christ’s resurrection from the dead was the “RESTORATION” of the nation of Israel to its former "glory” – they weren’t thinking about (or expecting) the individual salvation of both Jews & Gentiles (that was the furthest thing from their minds)

The “message” is simply: You (Israel) “delivered up” and “killed” the “Holy One”; the “Prince of Life”; God’s “Son, Jesus”. You, and your “rulers”, did it “through ignorance”. Now “REPENT” (of killing Him), and be “CONVERTED” (change your hearts and minds) so that your “SINS” (of delivering & killing God’s Son) may be blotted out; and IF you “REPENT” (of killing your Messiah) – “He (GOD) shall SEND Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you”! Did you get that?

The “message” ("gospel" -good news) that Peter delivered was NOT Paul’s “Gospel” – it was simply: you killed the Lord of Glory – REPENT of this SIN and God will SEND the Lord Jesus Christ BACK! BACK to do WHAT – WHY to set up the “Kingdom” that all of the Jewish Disciples were rightfully “expecting”. So WHAT HAPPENED? The Jews (the “Rulers” of the nation of Israel) REFUSED TO “REPENT” (of killing the Holy One of Israel) and because of their REFUSAL God turned to the Gentiles; and called the Apostle of the Gentiles (Paul); and “revealed” to Paul “the Gospel of the Grace of God” – Paul’s “Gospel”, that “Gospel” which he called: “MY GOSPEL”, to distinguish it from the peculiarly Jewish “gospel” which preceded it.
I think I have nearly exhausted every possible way in which I can convey to you WHY I believe WHAT I believe. It is now up to you to search the Scriptures to see (for yourself) whether the things that I have presented here are “true” or not. Remember:

Real genuine Bible study should not be just an academic exercise or a mere intellectual pursuit. Instead, true Bible study should be an honest and sincere search for the truth. What saith the Scripture?

Romans 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;