Where are people like Cornelius? 

I must confess that when I read about the kind of man Cornelius was before the apostle came to him, I was impressed. He is described as “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 10:2). I am confident that if any of us had met this man, we would have liked him because he was so sincere, unselfish and obviously devoted to God.

If we are going to learn anything from Cornelius though, we have to come to grips with the fact that he was lost in sin. Yes, this man was not a Christian. If he would have died in that state, he would have died in his sins. Consider what Peter says in Acts 11:13-14: “And he told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house, who said to him, ‘send men to Joppa, and call for Simon whose surname is Peter, who will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved.” Prior to Peter’s arrival, Cornelius feared God and prayed to God often but was not saved.

Many people have a harder time accepting that Cornelius was lost in his sins than Cornelius did himself! We might expect that Cornelius, as the head of his household, could struggle to accept admonition from Peter, but he clearly responded to Peter’s message. What was it about Cornelius that helped him accept the words of Peter?

This man feared God not man

Logically, a religious person who is told that he is not right with the Lord should want to know what the Lord said. However, many religious people think they will be saved simply because they are religious. Cornelius was certainly religious, yet he was also lost! If we truly fear God, we will listen to His words (I Pet. 4:11). It does not make much sense to fear God and pray to Him but then refuse to accept His instruction (II Tim. 3:16-17).

This man was humble

When Peter came to see Cornelius, he fell down at Peter’s feet and began worshipping him. The apostle lifted him up and admonished him: “Stand up; I myself am also a man,” (Acts 10:25-26). I am not suggesting in the slightest that should we elevate another man. Still, notice Cornelius’ humility. Many religious people are so full of themselves that they are unwilling to be taught by another. It is hard for people to admit when they are wrong. Cornelius was not like that.

This man wanted others to learn

In Acts 10:27, we read that Peter talked with Cornelius in a public place. This allowed others to hear the same life-saving message at the same time. Notice how Cornelius did not try to act as a “filter” by first hearing the message and then later sharing it with loved ones – he allowed everyone to hear it at the same time. No one has cornered the market on truth – all can know (John 8:32). If Cornelius did act like the mediator, then he would have been guilty of wanting people to follow him instead of the Lord.

This man obeyed immediately

After hearing the message and the command to be baptized, Cornelius and several others obeyed (Acts 10:47-48). There was no sulking and asking “why have I been wrong?” or arguing “but God knows my heart”. Simply put, the gospel message was preached. They heard it, believed and were baptized (Acts 18:8; 22:16; 2:38, etc.).  How about you?

                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Chuck

Can I host non-believers at home?

Second John 10-11 seems to teach that Christians are only allowed to have other Christians in their home. “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him, shares in his evil deeds.”  Is the apostle forbidding saints to have non-Christians in their homes?

To understand this text, we must know what “greeting” contextually means. In verse 9, the brethren were admonished to abide in the doctrine of Christ. If they did not follow His doctrine, John said they would not have God. He then proceeded to take about those who bring teachings that are different from the gospel of Jesus. To receive such a teacher by allowing them to share their “doctrine” without speaking up or defend the gospel of Christ say nothing would be to become a partaker of their evil deeds.

If one were to take John’s warning literally, how could a person stay married to a non-Christian spouse? The inspired apostle Paul told children of God who were married to unbelievers to remain in that marriage (I Cor. 7:10-13). Clearly, the context of II John matters if we are to harmonize these scriptures. Can II John apply even within marriages then? Yes! If the unbeliever (whether a spouse or not) teaches things contrary to the word of God and the Christian says nothing, the Christian is sharing in the evil deeds.

Let us not forget about the commission to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ (Mark 16:15). God’s people need to teach the lost. Does this mean that Christians can teach nonbelievers in their driveway but cannot teach them in their home? This is obviously foolish. It would be just as wrong to listen to someone teach error without defending Christ’s gospel in a driveway as it would in a home or anywhere else. Remember, our goal is to teach. Even when the church assembles, non-believers may attend (I Cor. 14:23). Sometimes the church met in homes (Rom. 16:3-5). Are we to forbid visitors then? Clearly not. As you can see, our God simply does not want His children to invite false teachers into their home to be influenced by them.

                                                                                 Chuck

When did Jesus rise from the dead?

Recently, someone pointed out to me that Jesus must have resurrected from the death on the Sabbath because of Matthew 28:1. It states in that text that the women came to the tomb late on the Sabbath. If the tomb was empty because Christ had already risen, does this mean He resurrected on the Sabbath? Let’s take a closer look.

To make this simple, we will see that the more accurate translations of Matthew 28:1 read like this: “after the Sabbath day, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week…” We must first establish when Christ died. In Mark 15:42, we read that Jesus died the day before the Sabbath. This day was also called the preparation day (Luke 23:54, Matt. 27:62). Without a doubt, Christ was crucified on the sixth day of the week.

Now let’s turn our attention to the statements made concerning the length of time the Lord would spend in the grave. Jesus clearly said that He would be killed and be raised the third day (Matt. 16:21). The same thing was stated in Mark 8:31. On another occasion, the Lord said He would be three days and three nights in the grave (Matt. 12:40).

It is vital to understand how the Jews reckoned time. The Jews told Pilate that the body should not be on the cross on the Sabbath (John 19:31). This is why they wanted His legs broken on the cross – to ensure He died before the Sabbath. Since the text stated “for the Sabbath was a high day”, it meant that the Sabbath was near. It started at 6 pm that evening and lasted until 6 pm the next day.

Knowing all of this, let us revisit the accounts of the women coming to the tomb. The descriptions in Luke and John both state that the women came on the first day of the week (Mark 16:1-2; Luke 24:1; John 20:1).  In Mark’s account, he said they came when the Sabbath was past and on the first day of the week (Mark 16:1-2). Based on this, we can understand that when some versions of the Bible say that the women came at the end of the Sabbath, they are not also saying that Jesus resurrected on the Sabbath. Consider Matthew 28:1 again. It says that the women came “as the first day of the week began to dawn.”  Since the Sabbath ended 6 pm the night before, the first day of the week was close to being half over by the time dawn arrived.

Now let’s focus on some serious problems people have by insisting that Jesus resurrected on the Sabbath. If Jesus was taken down from the cross just before the Sabbath day began, He would not have spent three days in the grave. This would conflict with Jesus’ many statements about spending three days in the grave. We would also have to question whether Paul was truly inspired by Jesus Christ as he preached this point too (Gal. 1:12; I Cor. 15:4).   

We should also question why some people are so adamant that Jesus resurrected on the Sabbath. In some cases, it is because they want to give the Sabbath even more significance. Christians came together on the first day of the week to remember the sacrifice of Christ (Acts 20:7). Christians were never obligated to keep the Sabbath because Jesus nailed the Old Law to the cross (Col. 2:14). If Jesus did not resurrect on the first day of the week, then those who insist He rose on the Sabbath will struggle to harmonize several areas of scripture.

Jesus’ enemies put guards at the tomb because they knew He said He would rise in three days (Matt. 27:64). It would have been easy for them to discredit Jesus if He did not rise as He said He would. But Jesus did rise, so all His enemies could do was to bribe the soldiers to lie (Matt. 28:11-13). We can see clearly that Jesus spent three days in the grave and arose on the first day of the week.

   Chuck 

Are Christians brainwashed?

If you read the first article carefully,  you will realize that Christians are not brainwashed. Being a Christian means a person must reason and come to proper conclusions on their own. If saints are instructed to come to their own conclusions, are Christians thus allowed to believe whatever they want? Only if they ignore the word of God.

Children of God are supposed to only speak by the oracles of God (I Pet. 4:11; II Tim. 3:16). How then can we say that Christians are also supposed to think on their own? To answer this, we must understand the concepts of general and specific authority. For example, husbands and wives are to have their own mate to love (Eph. 5:28; Titus 2:4). Yet, the Bible does specifically state how the husband and wife can demonstrate their love for one another. They are simply required to think of ways to please them (I Cor. 7:33).

If married couples were brainwashed, they would mindlessly go through the motions of doing things they were programed to do and would not consider whether their spouse actually appreciated these gestures.  The same goes for Christians in all other areas of their lives. They are to be hospitable (Rom. 12:13). But how is that to be done? One Christian might demonstrate hospitality by letting visiting Christians stay in their home overnight. Another Christian might demonstrate hospitality by having a family over to share a meal.  Or by hosting several families for a meal. Or by taking a fellow Christian out to eat. The point is that Christians are told to be hospitable – a general command – but that there are several specific ways to accomplish this. These specifics are left to the Christian.

If God’s people were brainwashed, then nothing that was offered to the Lord would be genuine. Something cannot be done out of free-will if that person does not even have a will. This explains why Christians are told such words as, “beware”, “watch”, “take heed”, “choose”, etc. Just as God’s people can choose to serve faithfully, they can also choose to disobey (Matt. 13:18-23).

                                                                                        Chuck

Are you a good recruit for a cult?

Based on my experiences, members of cults seem to share some common characteristics. This article will examine the qualities that make a person a prime target for recruitment into a religious cult. We will do this by noting people in New Testament times who exhibited the same traits and became victims of false teachers.

Be influenced more by the teacher than the teaching

An example of this is found in Acts 14:8-18. Paul and Barnabas healed a man. The people tried to worship them as Gods, but Paul and Barnabas insisted that they were just men and should not be treated that way (verses 12-14). Even after this, they could not stop the multitude from sacrificing to them (verse 18). This happened with teachers who tried to stop correct the crowd - imagine what could happen if Paul and Barnabas encouraged the crowd to worship them instead! Cult teachers tend to be intimidating to begin with. When they find someone who can be so influenced by a teacher, they will have an easy time recruiting followers.

Do not question the teacher nor their teachings

Stories about the shady practices of cult leaders are easy to find in the media, yet their followers are often not dissuaded. Why not? Followers have blind allegiance and refuse to ask hard questions about the cult, its leaders, its teachings, etc. Not only that, followers will defend their actions and teachings. This sounds Biblically familiar.

Jesus asked, “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch? A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher,” (Luke 6:39-40). Just as a righteous teacher can foster righteous disciples, false teachers can foster lost, unquestioning followers.

Avoid those who believe differently

The biggest fear cults have is losing their converts. If they had the truth, they would not have to be afraid. However, they want complete and utter control of all their members. This is achieved by isolating them from family and friends. They are trained only to talk with those who will listen and not question – other people like them. In contrast, Christians are encouraged to associate with non-Christians in order to have a positive influence (Matt. 5:13-16; I Cor. 7:13-16, I Cor. 5:9-10). We do not want Christians to fall away but also do not fear a fallen Christian exposing “secrets” or the inner-workings of the church like those who leave cults tend to do.

Develop an irrational confidence in the cult’s teaching

Christians are told to examine themselves regularly to make sure they are in the faith (II Cor. 13:5). Many Christians, including the apostles, had to be rebuked for doing things that were wrong (Gal. 2:11-12; Gal. 1:6-9; I Cor. 5:1-2; Acts 5:1-5). I have been in many studies with those who belong to cults. I consistently tell them that while I do not believe I am wrong, I will certainly admit that I am if it can be proven. When I ask them to state the same, they refuse. Why? They are puffed up and think the cult is infallible. We all need to remember the words in Romans 12:3, “…not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.”

Cults only have as much power as their members give them. Let us consider these Biblical examples and remember that faith grounded in genuine truth has nothing to hide!

                                                                                  Chuck