First the Question: Is God's order today, in this Dispensation of Grace....To The Jews First, (Ephesians 3:2, Romans 11)? Yes or No?
Please take a moment to respond at the LLM Question of the Day
And now the answer to the LLM Question of 8-1-2011
Question: There is a great difference between Matthew 15:21-27 and Romans 10:12-16. True or False?
Answer: TRUE! Out of the 633 responses we received 84.2% of you got it right! Therefore,
Today let us consider, THE GOSPEL OF JOHN....THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST, pt. 3 of 12
BACK TO PENTECOST....ON TO PERFECTION
Many Christian workers today like the slogan, “back to Jesus,” and prepare their messages ACCORDING to their slogan as opposed to the Scriptures. They mean well. And, we can understand why the Modernists and other unsaved church-members delight to find their so-called “social Gospel” in Matthew, AND why they prefer to have very little to do with John’s Record.
But evangelical Christians, who are eager to see sinners saved and who labor with zeal and enthusiasm, know that they have a very difficult task when they endeavor to preach from Matthew, Salvation by Grace to Gentiles.
They know, or SHOULD know, the great difference between Matthew 15:21-27 and Romans 10:12-16. In the first set of Scriptures the LORD Jesus, sent ONLY to Israel, speaks of the Jews as ‘children’, and of the Gentiles as ‘dogs’. In Romans 10:12 we read that there is NO DIFFERENCE between Jews and Gentiles. After reading the eleventh chapter of Romans we know that God’s order was NO LONGER “to the Jew ‘FIRST’.” (Romans 1:16, Acts 3:26, Acts 13:46, Mark 7:27).
After the truth of Romans 11 was revealed, the Jews, like the Gentiles, had to come to God through Christ as “sons of Adam” and not with special, priority claims as “the children of Abraham.”
Another group of so-called evangelists are as confused as are the “back to Jesus” preachers....they are those evangelists whose slogan is, “back to Pentecost”. God’s instructions are “on to perfection” (Hebrews 6:1-4), which means on to Ephesians 4:7-14 and on to Romans 16:25.
To better understand this principle of progressive revelation, (“On to perfection”), let us carefully consider the experience of an eloquent messenger who was, through ignorance, preaching a Bible message which was not up to date. In Acts 18:1-3 we find the Apostle Paul abiding in the home of a fellow tentmaker, Aquila, who also was a Jew. Priscilla was the wife of Aquila. This Jew and his wife were driven out of Rome, together with other Jews. Then later on they went back to Rome. Paul referred to them as “helpers in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 16:3). If they were Paul’s helpers, then surely we know that Paul was their helper and their ‘Grace’ teacher in Christ Jesus. At the time Paul was living in their house (Acts 18:3), the Apostle Paul had received the Gospel of Grace by direct revelation from the RISEN LORD Jesus. (Galatians 1:11-12). Think of the privilege that Aquila and Priscilla enjoyed, learning the LORD’s new message from the Apostle Paul and then laboring with Paul to teach the ‘Grace’ message to others.
( Millions of religious messengers today, many of them saved, do not seem to know what a great spiritual crime it is to pervert the ‘Grace’ Gospel, with religious doings and law keeping, and thus subvert souls and corrupt the minds of believers and unbelievers from the simplicity that is in Christ (Acts 15:24, Galatians 1:7-10, 2 Cor. 11:1-3). )
Note the experience of the eloquent preacher. His name was Apollos. We read concerning him in Acts 18:24-28, “And a certain Jew name Apollos, an eloquent man, and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus This man was instructed in the way of the LORD: and being fervent in the Spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the LORD.” So far splendid. How the LORD needs such messengers today! But! But what? Note the last statement in Acts 18:25, “knowing only the baptism of John.” His slogan was not only “back to Pentecost and Acts 2:38,” “back to Mark 16:16,” “back to Jesus and the Gospel of the Kingdom,” but ALSO, “back to John the Baptist, and baptism unto repentance for the remission of sins.”
Then a great change took place. Apollos was taught the difference between the ‘Kingdom’ message of John the Baptist and the twelve Apostles, and, the ‘Grace’ message which the RISEN Christ revealed to and through the Apostle Paul.
We read in Acts 18:26 what Aquila and Priscilla did after they had heard Apollos preach, “they took him unto them and expounded unto them the way of God more perfectly.” Then Apollos became a real help to those, who, with him, believed through Grace. (Acts 18:27).
There are thousands upon thousands of eloquent preachers today, (and some who are not eloquent), who are fervent and zealous, who teach diligently salvation by repentance toward God, Faith in the LORD Jesus Christ, and by baptism with or in water. Many of them are mighty in their favorite Scriptures, interpreting all salvation messages in the light of Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38, and Acts 22:16. They dogmatically contend for water baptism in John 3:5, “born of water;” in Romans 6:3-4, “water baptized into Christ’s death” and “buried with Him by water baptism.” They interpret Galatians 3:27, Colossians 2:12, and Ephesians 4:5 as water baptism. Many of them even read water into Titus 3:5-6. They apparently have no desire to understand the meaning of Romans 11:11; that when and because of the ‘FALL’ of Israel, Salvation was sent to the Gentiles in a new way, at which time God ushered in a new spiritual program and dispensation, “the Dispensation of the Grace of God for Gentiles” (Ephesians 3:1-3).
Up to the time the RISEN LORD Jesus Christ revealed this eternal purpose of God to and through the Apostle Paul, it was called “The Mystery of Christ.” In the Scriptures it is plainly stated that the Kingdom, which Christ will establish on earth when He returns as the Son of man, will be God’s Kingdom prepared ‘FROM’ the foundation of the world (Matthew 25:34), WHEREAS the Body of Christ, into which believing Jews and Gentiles are reconciled by the cross (Ephesians 2:15-16), into Which they are baptized by the Holy Spirit, was purposed by God, in Christ, ‘BEFORE’ the foundation of the world. (Ephesians 1:4-5).
Not knowing this difference, they make no attempt to obey Ephesians 3:9, “make all (saints) see what is the dispensation of the Mystery.” They do not believe the Apostle Paul’s testimony in 1 Corinthians 3:10; that by the Grace of God he (Paul) was appointed the LORD’s chief builder (head carpenter) to lay the foundation. They prefer Peter’s Keys of the Kingdom. Their favorite verse in the Bible is Mark 16:16.
These religious, confused, pastors, preachers, and teachers, may be like Apollos in several ways; but unlike Apollos, they are not unprejudiced and humble enough to be led in the way of God more perfectly, and learn that there is almost as much difference between “the Gospel of the Kingdom” preached by Peter and the Eleven, in Acts 2:38, “BEFORE the Fall of Israel,” and the message preached by the Apostle Paul in Titus 3:4-8, “AFTER the FALL of Israel (Romans 11:11-12),” as there is between Law and Grace.
As we diligently, prayerfully, and thoroughly study Matthew, Mark, Luke, and the ministry of the twelve Apostles in the first chapters of the Book of Acts, when it was unlawful for the Apostles to preach to Gentiles (Acts 10:28, Acts 11:19), we certainly know that the Gentiles were not receiving Divine mercy because of Israel’s unbelief, as in Romans 11:30; that the believing Gentiles were not rich because of the diminishing and fall of Israel. (Romans 11:12).
Inasmuch as we read that thousands of Jews were saved from Pentecost on (Acts 2:41; Acts 4:4; Acts 5:14; Acts 6:7; Acts 9:42), we know that the Apostle Peter could NOT have truthfully said at the time he preached to the household of Cornelius what the Apostle Paul said some years later concerning Israel, “the election hath obtained it (righteousness); but the rest were blinded.” (Romans 11:7). Then Paul proclaimed the Mystery of Romans 11:25, that a blindness in part had happened to Israel UNTIL the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. Then what? Then all Old Testament prophecy will be fulfilled, and God’s ‘Kingdom’ nation (Israel) will be saved. (Romans 11:26-29).
Every minister of Christ should search the Scriptures diligently to learn WHY after the LORD chose Peter’s mouth to preach to Gentiles (Acts 15:6; Acts 10:34; Acts 11:18) He then sent Peter to the Jews (Galatians 2:9) and WHY He raised up an Apostle, who was NOT one of the ‘twelve’, to be the Apostle to the Gentiles. (Romans 11:13).
Take the time to read the setting of the Apostle Paul’s statement that he glorified his office as the Apostle of the Gentiles, by reading the verses immediately preceding his statement in Romans 11:13, and the verses immediately following. The setting is very important. We should interpret John 1:11 in the light of all we have stated in the past few paragraphs.
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” Acts 16:31, while there is still time!
So There You Have it!
Spread this message to everyone you know, far and wide. The time is short
Grace be to you and peace, from God: our Father, and The LORD Jesus Christ.
In The LORD Jesus Christ,
The Lion and Lamb Ministry
Pastor David Picos, D.D.
Minister and Ambassador for Christ in the Ministry of Reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18-20)
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