First the Question: The Apostle Peter feared James, the LORD’s brother, and other prejudiced Jews, and Peter refused to eat with Christian Gentiles. True or False?
Take a moment to respond at the LLM Question of the Day
And now the answer to the LLM Question of 6-3-2012
Question: The Apostle Paul did not want to build on the foundation of the Apostle Peter. Romans 15:20. True or False?
Answer: TRUE! After the (albeit temporary) fall of Israel there was a man who went all over the known world seeking Gentiles. His name was the Apostle Paul. Read Romans 1:14, that he was debtor to every kind of a Gentile; that he was ready to go to the heathen at Rome. The Apostle Paul did not want to build on the Apostle Peter’s foundation (Romans 15:20). We may rest assured that Peter did not go to Rome ahead of Paul to establish a Christian assembly. Paul wanted fruit among the Gentiles at Rome (Romans 1:13, Romans 15:21). And, Peter had already agreed to go to Jews. (Galatians 2:9). Now, out of the 768 responses we received to this question, 81.8% of you got it right! Much better!! Therefore, NOW, let us take a look at,
What Does the Roman Catholic Bible Teach About Roman Catholicism? Part 3 of 7
THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, ISRAEL’S SAVIOUR FIRST
Christ on earth did not preach what the Apostle Paul preached in Romans 11:30, that the Gentiles obtained God’s favor, because of Israel’s unbelief; for Christ said He was sent ONLY to Israel. (Matthew 15:24). Christ was made under the law to redeem them that were under the law (Galatians 4:4), and to fulfill promises God had made through Old Testament prophets to and for Israel. (Romans 15:8).
Roman Catholics would be delivered from their unscriptural claims concerning the Apostle Peter, and from other errors, and evangelical Christians would likewise be delivered from their various faulty belief system, if they would all see the great and important truth that Christ was RAISED UP from Mary’s womb to be Israel’s Savior FIRST and He was RAISED UP from Joseph’s tomb to be Israel’s Savior FIRST.
No truth is more clearly taught than is this all important truth in the Roman Catholic Bible. Read in Acts 13:23, Acts 5:29-30, Acts 3:22-25, Luke 1:69, Galatians 4:4, Luke 4:16 and Luke 2:39, Luke 1:27-33 and Luke 19:9-10, that the LORD Jesus Christ, in incarnation, was RAISED UP from Mary’s womb to be Israel’s Savior and that Christ’s own words are recorded in Matthew 15:24, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” “Of David’s seed God RAISED UP unto ISRAEL a Savior, Jesus.” (Acts 13:23). This refers to Christ’s incarnation; not to His Resurrection. Do not hurry away from this statement, let it SINK IN!.
Now read Luke 19:9-10: that salvation came to Zaccheus, because he was a son of Abraham, and because the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost. In Ezekiel 34 it was prophesied that the LORD would seek His SHEEP. An unsaved Gentile is NOT called a sheep in the Bible. Christ on earth never sought a Gentile, so far as there is any Bible record. The Samaritans were not Gentiles. (Matthew 10:5-7). Two Gentiles sought and found Christ while He was the Son of Man here, on earth, seeking the sons of Abraham. The one Gentile was a woman, who said that she would take her place as a little dog under the table and receive crumbs from Israel’s table. (Matthew 15:21-27…Mark 7:21-27). The other Gentile was a Roman official, for whom the Jewish elders interceded, going for him to Christ, because that Gentile loved the Jews and built them a synagogue. (Luke 7:1-10)). The other Gentiles, who said, “we would see Jesus”, were seeking the Son of man, but did not reach Him. (John 12:20-24). But all sought Christ.
Another Roman official, who saw what happened at Calvary, said concerning, Christ, “surely he was the Son of God.” (Matthew 27:54). He may have been the centurion of Luke 7:1-10. About seven or eight years later another Roman official was seeking the LORD. His name was Cornelius. He obtained God’s favor, because he was good to the Jews, gave them money (Acts 10:22) and because he was a devout, God fearing, praying man. (Acts 10:1-6). We challenge the Roman Catholics to prove by their own Bible that there is one record that either the LORD Jesus Christ on earth, or the Apostle Peter before or after the death of Christ was seeking and saving Gentiles, except the cases we have mentioned.
However, after the (temporary) fall of Israel there was a man who went all over the known world seeking Gentiles. His name was the Apostle Paul. Read Romans 1:14, that he was debtor to every kind of a Gentile; that he was ready to go to the heathen at Rome. The Apostle Paul did not want to build on the Apostle Peter’s foundation (Romans 15:20). We may rest assured that Peter did not go to Rome ahead of Paul to establish a Christian assembly. Paul wanted fruit among the Gentiles at Rome (Romans 1:13, Romans 15:21). And, Peter had already agreed to go to Jews. (Galatians 2:9).
When God’s religious nation was cast away, Paul went with the Ministry of Reconciliation to Gentiles, to beg them to be reconciled to God. (Romans 11:15 and 2 Cor. 5:16-21). His statement, was then, “there is none that seeketh after God.” (Romans 3:11). After the seeking Gentile (Sergius Paulus) of Acts 13:7-15, the Apostle Paul was seeking Gentiles. The Gentiles were called ‘a foolish nation’, ‘no people’ (Romans 10:19). They were not only alienated from Israel (Ephesians 2:11-12), but from the Life of God (Ephesians 4:18), in the world having no hope, without the One True God, dead in sins, afar off from God. (Ephesians 2:1-4 and Ephesians 2:11-13). Salvation by Grace was sent to them when, and because, God set aside Israel (temporarily), His RELIGIOUS nation. (Romans 11:11-I5). Then the Apostle Paul made known God’s eternal purpose, kept secret from BEFORE the foundation of the world, (Romans 16:25; Ephesians 3:1-11; Ephesians 1:4-5; Ephesians 6:19-20, Ephesians 1:11; Colossians 1:23-28; 2 Timothy 1:9-11; 2 Timothy 2:7-9; Colossians 4:3-5; Romans 11:25; 1 Corinthians 15:51; Ephesians 4:7-14), something wonderful and glorious for the alienated, dead, hopeless Gentiles, to be Baptized by God INTO the glorious, holy, un-prophesied Body of Christ. Ephesians 5:20-26.
Even as late as Acts 13:30-36 Paul declared that God RAISED UP Christ AGAIN from Joseph’s tomb, to be Israel’s Savior, to give them the SURE MERCIES OF DAVID, mentioned in Luke 1:67-70, and Acts 3:19-26. Peter in Acts 5:31-32 declared that GOD RAISED UP Christ again, to be a Prince and a Savior to bestow blessings upon Israel.
As we read Acts 3:19-26 and Acts 5:29-32 and Acts 13:23, and Galatians 4:4 and Matthew 15:24 and Matthew 10:5-9, we say, “Where do the Gentiles come in?" And how about John 3:16, that God so loved the world that He gave His Son that whosoever believeth on Him might not perish but have everlasting life? These are questions that must be asked and answered by all Christians, regardless of Church name, who are to understand the Bible and clear and rid the Church from Judaism, legalism, fanaticism, ritualism and sectarianism; in fact from every ill and ism with which the Church of the Age of Grace, the Body of Christ, is afflicted.
If Christ was RAISED UP, in incarnation, to be Israel’s Savior, and RAISED UP, in Resurrection, to be Israel’s Savior, then Israel had to receive or reject the ‘TWICE‑RAISED‑UP’ MESSIAH before God would send Peter’s ‘KINGDOM’ message (his message to Cornelius) to Gentiles or Paul’s ‘GRACE’ message to Gentiles. Peter said, “TO ISRAEL FIRST” (Acts 3:26). Paul said, “TO ISRAEL FIRST” (Acts 13:46).
BUT, Peter never preached to Gentiles what Paul preached to them: that Gentiles obtained mercy from God because of Israel’s unbelief. (Romans 11:30). Paul never preached to Gentiles Acts 10:34-35, or what the LORD Jesus Christ, while incarnated, preached, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of Israel” (Matthew 15:24), “go not into the way of the Gentiles”, “it is not lawful to go to the Gentiles” (Matthew 10:5-7, Acts 10:28). Christ said to the Apostle Paul, “Get out of Jerusalem, I will send you far hence unto the Gentiles.” (Acts 22:17-21). Paul went ‘FAR HENCE’ to the Gentiles and finally said, “the gospel is gone into all the world, preached to every creature under heaven.” (Colossians 1:5-6 and Colossians 1:23). And then Paul added, “Whereof I Paul am made a minister.” Even before he went to Rome, Paul wrote that he had preached the gospel to Gentiles where Christ had not been named from Jerusalem to Illyricum, ‘FULLY PREACHED THE GOSPEL’(Romans 15:16-20). His unfinished task was Rome. Rome was NOT assigned to the Apostle Peter, but to the Apostle Paul.
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In Ephesians 1:13 the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul declares that men are saved and sealed by hearing and BELIEVING the Word of Truth, the Gospel of your Salvation. Therefore, here, now, is declared unto you the Word of Truth, the Gospel of your Salvation: "that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures" 1 Corinthians 15:3-4. BELIEVE today. The time is short.
So There You Have it!
Spread this message to everyone you know, far and wide.
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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