Search the Scriptures Daily Program #0306d transcript follows:
Gary :
If you have a question for Dave and Tom to respond to in a future Contending for the Faith, stay with us. We’ll have our contact information at the end of the program. You are listening to Search the Scriptures Daily, a radio ministry of The Berean Call. Now our final segment:
UNDERSTANDING THE SCRIPTURES
And we resume our excursion through the Book of Acts. Here again are Dave and Tom:
Tom:
This is our Understanding the Scriptures segment. We’re going through the Book of Acts. Acts by the way are the Acts of the Apostles. There’s a lot of history there. It is believed that Luke wrote the Book of Acts.
Dave:
Tom, the gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, those of course are the Acts of Jesus and John says the world itself could not contain all the books that should be written if you told about all the things that Jesus did. I believe that Acts is the continuing works of Jesus, acts of Jesus through his apostles now because he is living in them. So it is the Acts of the Apostles, but it is the continuing work of Jesus Christ.
Tom:
Right, this is Acts:10:34Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:—
Dave:
Peter is in the house of Cornelius, a Gentile, he’s a centurion, and Peter knows that he is not supposed to have anything that has to do with Gentiles, that’s what he’s been taught. We’ve gone over this before, but it took a vision from God to get him to go and this man has seen a vision of angel coming and telling him to send to Joppa to the house of Simon the tanner, for a man named Simon Peter who’s living there and Peter has come and he is stunned by what Cornelius has had to say. And Cornelius in fact the verse before it says as soon as the angel told me to send for you, I sent for you and he says it’s a good thing you came. So God is at work here and now he begins—
Tom:
Dave you just set me up because I don’t know what it is today, but I’m a man of 1000 questions here. So I’ve got some questions for you. Acts 10:34 , “Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons….” Question #1 is how long down the line did Jesus; giving them the Great Commission did he finally get the idea that God is no respecter of persons and he was to go out and evangelize? It seems to me that this vision that he had which came to him three times—
Dave:
On the same hour.
Tom:
Yes, one right after the other. In other words, they hadn’t moved very quickly on this Great Commission. So how long—I’ve heard this is almost 10 years later. What do you think?
Dave:
You know Tom, I do not know that and the Bible doesn’t tell us. But you would think it was sooner than that. But you know when Jesus said—here are two disciples on the road to Emmaus, Luke:24:25Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: and he basically says, “ You idiots , you fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. Ought not Christ to have suffered these things…and so forth?” The problem was the Torah; the scriptures were read in the synagogue every Sabbath. They did know what was being read. They didn’t understand it. In fact in Luke 24 it says then opened he their understanding that they might understand the scriptures. And Paul writes you remember Moses came down from the mount and he had to put a veil over his face because he was just shining with a light left over from being in God’s presence. The people couldn’t look at him and then Paul says, “And that same veil is on the hearts and minds of the Jews as they read their scriptures to this day. So they should have known, and Tom we can go down the dozens of passages—just take the first one when God calls Abram in Genesis:12:3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. and he’s going to give them the land, but he says in you and in your seed will all nations be blessed. So when Jesus went into all the world and preach the gospel they didn’t understand. But this wasn’t some new idea that he dreamed up. If we went (just very quickly—let’s do that. It might be worthwhile. Go to Psalm 22 where David is foretelling the crucifixion and notice what verse 27 says, “All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.” So if we went to just a couple of other passages here Tom, but you see the Bible is one book and the Bible interprets itself. So if we go to Isaiah:42:1Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles., “Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; (this is God speaking and he’s talking about His Son the Messiah) I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.” Verse 4 says, “…and the isles shall wait for his law.” That’s the isles of the Gentiles. You get that in Genesis:10:5By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.. But let’s go over to Isaiah 52 and see what it says. Verse 10, “The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.” Verse 15: “So shall he sprinkle many nations …” and so forth. Then if we go to the last book of the Old Testament, Malachi. Malachi:1:11For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts., “For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles…” and in my name shall the Gentiles trust. So it’s all through the Old Testament so it must have startled the disciples. Maybe it went right over their head. They didn’t understand Jesus said go into all the world, preach the gospel and make disciples of all nations? It’s there; it is all through the Old Testament!
Tom:
Yes but Dave, their tradition. You remember: “Tradition, tradition…”
Dave:
Tradition, right.
Tom:
Well first of all, we mentioned in programs past that the Jews were not evangelists. They did not go out to evangelize. We said they had no sense of trying to take over the world as Islam does, so that was one thing. The other thing is the Gentiles were unclean, so they had a lot of history, a lot of tradition, and a lot of their teaching to really turn around or change from.
Dave:
Absolutely, but it was all there if they had paid attention to it.
Tom:
Verse 35, “But in every nation, (again this is Peter speaking to these Gentiles, the home and the people that Cornelius had gathered together in his home) he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him (that is God). The word which God sent unto the children of Israel , preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:) That word I say ye know, which was published throughout all Judea , and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached; How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem ; whom they slew and hanged on a tree:”
Dave:
“Him God raised up on the third day, and shewed him openly; Not to all people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead.” To say that Cornelius and his family and friends who were gathered there, to say that they knew this is saying a lot. The word had spread. Paul later on, he’s talking to King Agrippa after he’s been arrested, he says, “For the king knoweth of these things, before whom I also speak freely, (this is in Acts:26:26For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner.) for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner.” Everybody knew; everybody knew that Jesus had healed the sick, raised the dead that they had turned against him, that they had crucified him, they all knew that wow, they say he rose and that they had seen him and so forth. Everybody knew this. This wasn’t done in a corner. This was not a secret society that they were asked to join, but this is openly proclaiming, historic events that are the foundation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. So we have to come back and comment on these scriptures that we just read, but they knew and God had already prepared their hearts.
Tom:
Dave, one little side note: I was with a young man the other day and he had a Jehovah’s Witness come and one of the things that this Jehovah’s Witness kept pressing was “well you Christians have got it all wrong. Jesus didn’t die on a cross, he died on a pole. Well, here it says he hung on a tree. So what is he going to say about that? Well next time we’ll go over that.
Gary :
Dave and Tom will continue their discussion on the topic of salvation next week; we hope you can join us. This is Search the Scriptures Daily, a radio ministry of The Berean Call.
Are you sincerely seeking the Shepherd, or simply following the flock? Can you find the Bible at the box office? The new book from The Berean Call by T. A. McMahon, Show Time for the Sheep? The Church and the Passion of the Christ , challenges readers. Is Mel Gibson’s block buster film true to the Bible? Have cinematic biblical ethics become the super tools of today’s evangelism? This important new book looks at the increasing use of entertainment and amusement to teach the Word of God, and the expanding efforts to make the gospel message more seeker-sensitive. The advancing use of ecumenism and the resultant confusion between Catholicism and biblical Christianity. The multiplying affect of doctrinal error, through increasingly paraphrased Bibles, and the proliferation of visual renditions of Scripture.
Executive Director of The Berean Call and co-author of The Seduction of Christianity, T. A. McMahon:
The title of the book is a question, Showtime for the Sheep? and I’m asking the question, and I have a great concern, having a media background myself, that maybe we are moving into something which, even thought it has elements in it that seem to refer to Scripture, Is it entertainment? Is it for amusement? And do those elements draw us away from God’s truth?
Gary :
This book calls the shepherds and the sheep of Christ to reconsider their rush into media driven ways of doing church, contrary to God’s ways. Read this Berean’s response to Bible movie mania, Showtime for the Sheep, The Church and the Passion of the Christ , by T. A. McMahon, available now in paper back and e-book. Information on how to order in just a moment. Now available as an audio book.
Would you like to expand your knowledge of God’s Word? We offer a wide variety of items that will greatly assist you. From books and tracts, to audio and video recordings, CD-ROM, our internet website, and much more. For a complete list of materials, or to get a copy of today’s broadcast, write to us at PO Box 7019 , Bend , Oregon 97708 , call us at our toll free order number 877-882-4253, that’s 877-88Bible, or visit our website at www.thebereancall.org . If you would like a copy of this broadcast, ask for program #0306, and be sure to mention the call letters of this station. Get a pen or pencil ready; we’ll repeat our contact information in just a moment. Next week, we’ll continue our series of program based on Dave Hunt’s latest book Judgment Day and “Is God’s selection of a special people intolerance?” In Religion in the News, “Professing prophets in Portland ,” we’ll take a look at that story and address the question: “How do we walk in the Spirit?” We hope you can join us. If you have questions or comments about this program, we urge you to contact our offices. Search the Scriptures Daily Radio Ministry is made possible by God’s grace, your prayers, and your financial support. I’m Gary Carmichael, and for Dave, Tom and everyone here at The Berean Call, I would like to thank you for tuning in and invite you to join us again next week. In the meantime, if you desire to know God’s truth, search the scriptures daily. For more information about The Berean Call, write to us at PO Box 7019 , Bend , Oregon 97708 , call us toll free at our order number 877-882-4253, that’s 877-88Bible, or visit our website at www.thebereancall.org .
