Do you know the difference between the "outward" and the "inward" call?

Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, 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. Acts 10:40-41

Why don’t all people believe the gospel? Because though the gospel must be proclaimed by God’s people, it must also be revealed by the Holy Spirit. In verse 40 Peter was literally saying that Jesus was seen after rising from the dead, not by all people, but only by some. Spiritually, this is also true of the fact that all people do not believe unto salvation. Everyone who hears the gospel proclaimed receives an “outward call.” Only those who also receive an “inward call” will believe and be saved.

Some will object, insisting that this is not fair. These insist that all who hear the gospel proclaimed (outwardly) are responsible to believe. Those who believe are saved and those who do not are not saved. And that is true. The only problem is that if God did not give the “inward call,” no one would believe and all would be lost. Since everyone deserves His wrath equally, a better question would be, “Why does He graciously give that ‘inward call’ to anyone?”

Three Take-Aways:

1. If you believe, it is by God’s grace, and therefore no one can boast and God gets all the glory.

2. Pray for those who do not believe, that God would be pleased to extend His regenerating grace (including the inward call) to others, as He has to all who believe.

3. Proclaim the gospel, because the “inward call” is given by God only as the “outward call” is proclaimed by His people.

A “gospel” that is not the gospel

Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, 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. Acts 10:40-41

Last time we considered how the Christ’s crucifixion for the forgiveness of His people’s sins is a key ingredient to any gospel presentation. Without it there is no gospel, since that is the reason for which Jesus came (Matthew 1:21).

But the crucifixion without the resurrection is no less essential. Had Jesus remained dead after being crucified, His mission would have ended in failure and He would be no more than another martyr. But Hallelujah! He did rise from the dead on the third day!

By dying He purchased forgiveness for His people’s sins. And that was paid, not merely by Roman crucifixion, but by receiving the unmitigated wrath of God the Father that we, who He came to save, deserved—a wrath undeserved by Him, because He had no sin of His own.

Then when Jesus rose from the dead, He secured eternal life for His people by defeating sin, death, and Hell on our behalf.

If or when either Christ’s death or His resurrection are omitted, that “gospel” is incomplete, and therefore not the gospel. And let us be reminded, “the gospel is the power of God to salvation.”

Do you know this key ingredient?

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. Acts 10:39

Peter was explaining to Cornelius’s household how Peter and the other disciples were eye witnesses of Jesus’ ministry, including the crucifixion and resurrection. Peter and the other Apostles were special eye witnesses concerning Jesus. Cornelius and his household heard Peter’s testimony and the Holy Spirit regenerated them, giving them the gifts of faith and repentance.

When Jesus prayed for His disciples in John 17:20, He said, "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word…” He mentioned every generation of believers, since we have all believed because of the Apostles’ testimony, recorded and preserved in the New Testament.

All believers are called to bear testimony of Jesus, and as we do, the Holy Spirit continues to save people, generation after generation. So let us be sure that we include in our testimony of Jesus the key ingredient of Peter’s testimony: Christ’s crucifixion. As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:23, “We preach Christ crucified!”

Bonus Word: And let us be assured, as we bear testimony of Christ, the Lord will save His people.

Who has God anointed to do what?

…that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: 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.
Acts 10:37-38

Why would Peter (quoted here by Luke) say that “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth”? After all, Jesus was and is God. Here are a few thoughts:

First it does not mean that at some point Jesus the man became God. No, Jesus of Nazareth was both God and man from the instant He was supernaturally conceived in Mary’s womb. The Holy Spirit was always with Him.

Second, it indicates and reminds us that the God-man, Jesus, was especially chosen and appointed to be the Messiah who would go “about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil.” Of course His anointing was to do much more than that. He preached the good news, and ultimately gave His life on the cross and rose from the dead to save His people from our sins.

Third, let us be reminded also of Jesus’ words in John 14:12

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.”

This does not mean that as believers we become God, are equal with, much less greater than Jesus. What Jesus meant was that as the Holy Spirit now fills all believers, the work of Holy Spirit, working through many instead of only through Jesus, will be multiplied. Child of God, “God is with” us, also. So, though we do not heal the sick, or rise from the dead, and though we cannot save anyone, we too are anointed by the same Spirit to proclaim the gospel everywhere we go.

Ask the Lord to use you by the power of the Holy Spirit today.

How often do I even think about the fact that Jesus is Lord?

The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all—Acts 10:36

I fully understand that the phrase “He is Lord of all” is not the point of this verse. Even the punctuation, bracketing the phrase by dashes, sets it aside. It is mentioned as a “given.” In other words, it is an established fact that needs no defense or proof. That Jesus is Lord of all is a “given,” or at least it should be. At least for Christians. And I would assume that if you are reading this, you are a Christian, and you do most certainly know that Jesus is Lord of all.

But how often do we fail to live like it is true?

Though there is no aspect of my life that is not under the Lordship of Christ Jesus, every time I sin, my actions deny His Lordship. Even in areas in which I am not sinning, per se: eating, drinking, enjoying leisure, or just “vegging out,” how often do I even think about the fact that Jesus is Lord?

I’m not saying that we are to be formally praying every minute of every day, but doesn’t God’s Word say, “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)? And “Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.” (Colossians 3:23).

Lord forgive me, not only for sinning against your Lordship, but for living as though Your Lordship doesn’t matter.

How do you define peace?

The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all—Acts 10:36

The gospel is the supreme message of peace! And yet it is based on a peace that the world has no ability to comprehend. The world seeks a peace which is fundamentally personal and individual. It is a peace defined and understood as a cessation of hostility, discomfort, and inconvenience. This is a peace that no one has ever had, has, or will have in this life. Why? Because as Jesus said, “In this world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33). Or as it says in Job 5:7, “Yet man is born to trouble, As the sparks fly upward.”

This peace-that-doesn’t-exist (in this world) insists that no one can be sick, as though mortals who will all one day die must be hermetically insulated from illness. It insists that if anything happens to me that I do not like, I must sue somebody (regardless of whether that person(s) is responsible or not). It even goes so far as to say that if anyone says (or even thinks) anything that makes me feel uncomfortable, that person must not be allowed to say (or think) such things. Oh, and by the way, if my hyper-sensitivity makes others feel uncomfortable, they are wrong. There is no peace, nor will there ever be peace, in this line of thinking.

The peace that comes through Christ is not personal individual peace at the expense of others. It is peace with God. It is a peace won for us by Jesus Christ who laid down His rights for those who are wrong. We experience this peace, not by demanding our rights, but by acknowledging that before God we have no rights! Then, upon receiving Christ, we lay aside our rights and commit to loving Him who is always right, as well as loving our enemies, no matter how right or wrong they are.

That’s peace.

To be like Christ is to show no partiality

Then Peter opened his mouth and said: "In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.” Acts 10:34-35

God shows no partiality. Not between races, nationalities, sexes, skin colors, physical abilities or disabilities, intelligence, education, socio-economic status, or any of the other ways people may be categorically subdivided.

In yet another way we sinful people are not like God is that: WE DO!

Consider the following:

Human beings generally like and feel more comfortable with people like themselves. That isn’t bad. It only becomes bad when we refuse to be with people who are not like us. It is likewise bad when we disrespect those who are not like us. Let’s be careful to be like God and show no partiality.

Let us be equally aware that in our current age of insanity, being “woke” and embracing “intersectionality,” is equally bad. The woke and intersectionality crowd pride themselves as being better than those who are not like them. Ironically, being like them is based on showing partiality to some groups while hating others who, ironically, they call haters.

To be like Christ is to show no partiality. His kingdom is made up of all kinds of people, saved from every imaginable background. Once we are saved, however, those differences melt away as we are one body in Christ.

Bonus Thought: This does not mean we are to agree with or embrace every ideology (opinion or worldview). Sin is still sin, and sin is wrong. But while we reject sinful ideologies, we must love even those who are enemies of the gospel who embrace such unbiblical worldviews. For such were some of us!

Our presence and expectation regarding corporate worship and hearing the Word of God

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." Acts 10:33

Cornelius had received a vision in which God told him to send for Peter so that Cornelius might hear the gospel. He sent for Peter. Peter arrived and this is what Cornelius told Peter. (Please learn four important lessons.)

First, Cornelius was glad Peter came. How thankful are we that God provides teachers who can instruct us in the His Word?

Second, Cornelius was present. How committed are we to be “present” whenever the Word of God is being preached? This is based on conviction regarding God and His Word, not on our convenience. And are you mindful that we are present “before God”?

Third, Cornelius’s entire household was present. Families are to worship together. Note also that gathering together to hear the Word of God applies to our households and the larger church family. Whenever anyone is not present, the church is incomplete. Your presence helps complete the gathering of the local body, and your absence contributes to our incompleteness.

Fourth, Cornelius and those gathered together were there to hear the Word of God—understanding that when God speaks, His Word has the weight of “commands.” This is really what is at stake. Do we gather with expectation to hear from God? How expectant are we? Does this expectation fuel our passion to be present, with our family (both our households and our church family)? Do you anticipate hearing from God?

A footnote about being “present.” Understanding that a few cannot venture out due to health, are those who are able, faithful in attendance? And are those who may only participate via live stream as eager to “tune in” and participate, as those who are present? This includes letting us know you are with us by filling out the RSVP form each week.

What about visions and dreams?

…I ask, then, for what reason have you sent for me?" 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, and said, 'Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms are remembered in the sight of God. 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.' Acts 10:29-32

God speaks primarily through His Word, rather than through visions and dreams. But while it is not the norm, God can, and sometimes does, give visions and dreams.

We hear of these things even in our day, especially in Muslim cultures. But look at what God did with Cornelius, and see an important parallel with these modern reports of visions and dreams. God didn’t communicate the gospel in Cornelius’s vision. His vision instructed Cornelius to call for Peter. In the modern stories I’ve read concerning the conversion of Muslims following visions or dreams, the gospel was not communicated in the vision or dream. Rather, as in Cornelius’s case, the vision or dream prompted people to speak to a Christin or to read the Bible.

In Cornelius’s case, Peter came and preached the Gospel, resulting in salvations. In the modern testimonies, those who received such visions or dreams sought out Christians and/or Bibles, and upon hearing or reading the gospel, were converted.

The takeaways I get from this are as follows: (1) God communicates the gospel through His Word and the preaching of the gospel, not through visions or dreams (1 Corinthians 1:21). (2) In rare instances, God has spoken to people through visions or dreams prompting them to read the Bible and/or hear the Gospel preached, resulting in conversions. (3) I will not condemn these visions and dreams because (a) there is biblical precedent, and (b) the conversions do not violate the biblical instruction that conversion happens as a direct result of the gospel, not directly from the visions or dreams. (4) I praise God that He will save and is saving His people!

An Important Footnote: For we who are saved and have access to the Bible and biblical preaching, we must be diligent to read God’s Word and to hear biblical preaching to hear God’s voice, rather than chasing after visions and dreams!

On "worshiping" mere mortals

When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am a man.” Acts 10:25-26

I doubt that anyone reading this is ever tempted to actually blatantly worship another mere mortal. But many, to varying degrees, are prone to adulate other mere mortals. All cultures have their heroes. It is not bad to honor heroes if they have actually done something heroic. Celebrities are something else altogether! Someone once sad “Heroes are honored for doing something heroic or at least extraordinary. Celebrities are usually famous for being famous."

Celebrity worship, or even honoring celebrities is likely to be misguided. What does celebrity worship look like? Examples may involve posters of celebrity performers, or athletes—or wearing a jersey with an athlete’s number on it. The problem is in the heart. The posters and jerseys only display what is in the heart.

But what about in the church? It is fine to love the teaching ministry of a favorite preacher, but we must not make the mistake Paul hones in on in 1 Corinthians: “identifying ourselves” with a favorite teacher:

Now I say this, that each of you says, "I am of Paul," or "I am of Apollos," or "I am of Cephas," or "I am of Christ." 1 Corinthians 1:12

Be careful telling people how great they are. Instead, tell them you thank God for speaking to you through them.

And whenever we are on the receiving end of adulation, let us do as Peter did, deflecting any adulation we may receive, pointing the well-meaning person toward Christ and away from ourselves.

What was the purpose behind Peter's vision?

So he invited them in to be his guests. The next day he rose and went away with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him. And on the following day they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. Acts 10:23-24

The more immediate purpose behind the revelation Peter received wasn’t about food. It was about accepting Gentiles into the family of God. God was preparing Peter to preach the gospel to Cornelius and his household (Roman Gentiles).

As we will see as we work through this passage in the coming days, God appointed Peter to lead these Gentiles to saving faith in Christ and to be filled with the Holy Spirit. This would have been scandalous to a faithful religious Jew. So God gave a vision and instruction to Peter to prepare him for this work.

The vision and instructions do also instruct us about the Jewish dietary laws. Not that they were unimportant, but under the New Covenant, our devotion to God that sets us apart from the rest of the world is not merely outward—what we eat and do not eat. Under the New Covenant our “separateness” from the world is a matter of the heart. And we are not only allowed to eat what was formerly forbidden, we are to embrace all kinds of people from everywhere in the world who God is pleased to bring into His family.

Enjoy our dietary freedoms (I enjoyed BBQ’d pork ribs earlier this week!); but more importantly, let us love the brethren, no matter who they are, or where they are from.

If it is not clearly from His Word...

Now while Peter was inwardly perplexed as to what the vision that he had seen might mean, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon's house, stood at the gate and called out to ask whether Simon who was called Peter was lodging there. And while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you. Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them.” And Peter went down to the men and said, “I am the one you are looking for. What is the reason for your coming?” Acts 10:17-21

Peter was perplexed by the vision and instructions he received from the Holy Spirit. Of course He was! This revelation was contrary, not only to what Peter knew and believed, but to the Old Testament dietary laws! Two considerations:

This was a special time of transition. Jesus had established a New Covenant, which in many ways superseded the Old Covenant. The New Covenant did not obliterate the Old Covenant. The Ten Commandments are still the Ten Commandments, but the New Covenant does lay aside both the Jewish civil caw, and the ceremonial law (including the dietary laws).

Peter was a person in a special position. As an Apostle, Peter did receive special revelation—He wrote two books in the New Testament!

My point? While God spoke to the Apostles during those times of transition, the way He speaks to us today is through His Word. I know you know it, but let me say again, do not trust in anything about God or supposedly from God unless it check out 100% with God’s Word. I wish it were not so, but sadly, people who should know better routinely claim “God told me…” If it is not clearly from His Word, it is not from Him.

Must God repeat Himself?

And a voice came to him, "Rise, Peter; kill and eat." But Peter said, "Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean." And a voice spoke to him again the second time, "What God has cleansed you must not call common." This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again. Acts 10:13-16

How many times does God have to say something before we get it?

Though once should be sufficient, the truth is, we are not only slow learners at times, we can also be rather stubborn. Peter was so glued to his convictions about touching what is ceremonially unclean, he not only opposed the Lord, he had to be corrected three times before his got it.

Let us not be too hard on Peter. He was no different from us in his outspoken, impetuous, and slow-to-learn ways. But while going easy on Peter, we may all need to be a bit harder on ourselves. Let us embrace (rather than object to) what God says. Let us be satisfied that if the Lord has spoken, as He most certainly has in His Word, He doesn’t need to repeat Himself if we will submit to His Word the first time.

Bonus Thought: Because we are both slow and stubborn, how wonderful it is that God is so graciously patient with us!

The Words “No” and “Lord” simply do not belong together

And a voice came to him, "Rise, Peter; kill and eat." But Peter said, "Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean." And a voice spoke to him again the second time, "What God has cleansed you must not call common." This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again. Acts 10:13-16

Once before (Matthew 16:22), when Jesus told the disciples that He was to be crucified, Peter rebuked the Lord and said, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!" Now here in Acts 10, after receiving a divine vision about accepting what was previously forbidden, Peter said, "Not so, Lord!”

To be fair to Peter, he was following his strongly held convictions. But when the Lord says something—anything—we are in no position to oppose Him.

I may not voice my objections to the Lord, but too often, my attitudes and actions oppose Him. Whether in our minds, our words or our actions, defying the Lord is the wrong thing to do! The Words “No” and “Lord” simply do not belong together. Because Jesus is Lord, the only correct response is “Yes, Lord.” And that is true even when what He has said is hard for us to swallow.

A word of caution: This does not apply to what people claim the Lord has said, or to our fanciful imaginations when we think the Lord is speaking to us. God speaks to us in His Word. As Isaiah wrote (8:20), “To the Law and the testimony [the Word]! If they [other people or our “feelings”] do not speak according to this word [the Word of God] it is because there is no light in them!

Let us not oppose God, and let us be sure that it is His voice that we are obeying.

Christ and the gospel are not exclusively for people like us, or for people we like.

“…and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. And a voice came to him, "Rise, Peter; kill and eat." But Peter said, "Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean." Acts 10:11-14

Peter was praying. While praying, God gave the Apostle a vision, a vision that troubled Peter. In the vision God showed this devout Jewish man all kinds of foods that Jewish people were forbidden to eat. And God said, "Rise, Peter; kill and eat." Jewish people who are truly committed to the Jewish dietary laws do not merely “not eat” forbidden foods. They wouldn’t “dream of eating” those nasty things! Peter replied, "Not so, Lord!“

Besides the fact that under the New Covenant in Christ, dietary laws are set aside, the point the Lord was driving home for Peter is that unclean people (gentiles), not just foods, are no longer to be rejected.

This was far more important than the good news that we can eat pork! (which is good news, indeed!) It means that all kinds of people, not merely Jewish people, need to be embraced and told about Jesus and the gospel.

Being gentiles rather than religious Jews, we do not have an aversion to gentiles as Peter did. But we may have ill feelings about other people who are not like us. Our aversions may be racial. We must renounce such aversions. They may be cultural, ideological, or political. These too must be renounce for the sake of Christ and the gospel.

Christ and the gospel are not exclusively for people like us, or for people we like.

The way people come to Christ

About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, "Cornelius!" And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, "What is it, lord?" So he said to him, "Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God. Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter. He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He will tell you what you must do." Acts 10:3-6

This religious man, Cornelius, was about to have an encounter with Christ and the gospel. Though we was religious, being religious is no guarantee that one knows the Lord Jesus. God graciously intervened in Cornelius’s life. How? By sending a believer, in this case the Apostle Peter, to tell him about Jesus.

Don’t miss this. No one is saved by being religious. People are saved when they receive Jesus Christ. And the way anyone receives Christ is through Christians communicating the gospel. As Christians communicate the gospel, the Holy Spirit regenerates (gives new life to) those He purposes to save.

When people are regenerated (born again) by the Holy Spirit as they hear the gospel, it is because the Holy Spirit is giving them understanding of the gospel. That understanding includes realizing their spiritual need, that Christ is the only One who can meet that spiritual need, and that they must receive Him through simple faith in Christ alone. And when one responds to the gospel in true saving faith, that person will have an earnest desire to turn from known sin to follow Jesus as Lord.

The point here however is that the way non-believers come to Christ is through believers who communicate the gospel to them. Let us pray that He will open doors for us as He did with Peter in Cornelius’s life.

The world is filled with zealous religious people who do not know Christ

There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always. Acts 10:1-2

God is at work, revealing Himself to people. All kinds of people. Even people we might think are the least likely to believe. Cornelius (and his household) are prime examples of this truth.

Remember that the first believers were virtually all Jewish. That is not a big surprise. Jesus is the King of the Jews, Jesus did “come to His own,” (John 1:11) namely, Jewish people. But even when the young church was primarily Jewish, God was at work saving Gentiles as well. Again, Cornelius (and his household) are prime examples of this truth.

That Cornelius was a devout man who feared God (religiously and reverently inclined), and that he was charitable and prayed always—these do not mean that he was saved. The world is filled with zealous religious people who do not know Christ. So is Hell, for that matter. But these people may be ripe to receive Christ.

When people’s lives seem to exhibit these kinds of inclinations, let us pray that the Lord will reveal Christ and the gospel to them. Let us ask the Lord to use us to reveal Himself to them. And let us seek to engage these dear ones in conversation about Christ and the gospel. One of two things will happen:

Sadly, some will steel themselves in their faith in their religious activities, and may even pridefully reject Christ and the gospel because they are sure their religion is enough.

But praise God, others will respond as Cornelius did.

We are, at best, only scalpels

But Peter put them all out, and knelt down and prayed. And turning to the body he said, "Tabitha, arise." And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. Then he gave her his hand and lifted her up; and when he had called the saints and widows, he presented her alive. And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed on the Lord. Acts 9:40-42

While Peter was the human instrument through whom the Lord healed Tabitha, note that Luke recorded (v.42) that when news of this healing “became known throughout all Joppa,” “many believed on the Lord.”

God works through people, but the work, and the results, are the Lord’s. And therefore, the Lord is the One who must receive all glory. Those who believe as a result of any form of ministry done by His servants, must believe in the Lord—not in His servants.

When a surgeon performs surgery using a scalpel, it is the surgeon, not the scalpel, who is thanked.

It is not likely that any of us will be used by the Lord to raise the physically dead to life. But hopefully we are all being used by God in various ways to serve others. When God is pleased to work through us, let us be conscious of Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” May we be used by the Lord so that He receives the thanks and praise.

And when the Lord uses someone in our lives, though it is appropriate to thank that person, let us give greater thanks and praise to the Lord.

We cannot heal or expect that God will always heal, but we can and should pray for each other.

At Joppa there was a certain disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and charitable deeds which she did. But it happened in those days that she became sick and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. Acts 9:36-37 (Read v.36-42)

A godly woman named Tabitha live in Joppa, a coastal city eleven miles northwest of Lydda, where the Lord healed Aeneas. She became ill, and apparently suddenly died. The believers in Joppa called for Peter, who when to Joppa. Upon arriving—and seeing the sadness Tabitha’s death cause those who knew her—Peter called on her to rise from the dead, which she miraculously did.

Again, though no particular mention is made, what was true when Aneanas was healed was also true when Tabitha was raised from the dead: Peter did not make it happen. God did. God was pleased to work through Peter—but make no mistake, Peter could not have made this happen. It was God!’

As it was in Lydda, people came to saving faith when Tabitha was raised from the dead. But as is always the case, people weren’t saved because they witnessed a miracle. How do we know this? Simple, because many witness miracles and do not trust Christ for salvation.

We thank God for healing, and we thank God for saving His people. But we must not make the mistake of believing that salvations always follow miracles. It simply is not true! We thank God when it does happen, but it certainly does not always happen.

Bonus Thought: When anyone on the body is ill—especially with a serious matter, though we cannot heal or expect that God will always heal, we can and should pray for each other.

Christmas Day, 2020

But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Galatians 4:4-5

Jesus was born at exactly the right moment in time. The promise of a Deliverer who was the “Seed” of the woman (Genesis 3:15), was certainly a long time in coming. Think of how many hundreds, even thousands of years passed from Adam and Eve’s first sin—and the subsequent promise of a Deliverer—until Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Mary. But He came on time. Not a moment early or late, He came according to God’s perfect timing.

This has been a long year filled with no shortage of troubles in the form of a nasty virus, a bitter political season, lawless riots in our streets, and an uncertain economy. Many of us have wondered when will life return to “normal”? Maybe instead of longing for life as was “normal,” we ought to pray that as individuals, families, churches, and nations, we would turn to Jesus.

It is time. Maybe even past time.

I pray that we all enjoy celebrating Christ’s birth. I pray even more that this Christmas we would all look to, trust in, and love the Lord Jesus as adopted children of God.