Life Lessons with Dr. Steve Schell
Religion & Spirituality:Christianity
Peter is under attack. He’s having to defend himself. A sizeable and vocal group within the early church were deeply convinced that faith in Jesus in no way changed their requirement to observe the Law of Moses. They believed the statutes and ordinances in the Torah were meant to be eternal commands and therefore must be kept by anyone who wishes to be saved (Ac 15:1). And they were furious with Peter for two reasons. First of all, he had ritually defiled himself by entering a Gentile home and eating improperly prepared food. But second, and even more importantly, they were dismayed that he had actually baptized these Gentiles, because it meant he believed they were saved. By baptizing them, particularly as an apostle, he had welcomed them into the church. They were to be thought of as brothers and sisters. They were to be included in church gatherings. But in the minds of Peter’s accusers unless these Gentiles kept the ceremonial laws they were still “unclean” (Ac 15:5). By welcoming Cornelius’ household into the church Peter had opened the door for unclean people to sit next to them in a worship service, and if they touched them they, too, would become unclean. So as soon as he arrived in Jerusalem they cornered Peter and scolded him. And Peter’s only defense was to point to the fact that it was God, not he, who had welcomed these “unclean” people into His church. By baptizing them in the Holy Spirit, He proved that in His eyes they were perfectly “clean.”
31 - Chosen Vessels
30 - Paul Meets Jesus
29 - A Divine Appointment
28 - Authority To Minister
27 - Shepherds and Wolves
26 - Phillip in Samaria
25 - Scattered
24 - Steven Full of Grace
23 - Handling Problems Well
22 - Gamaliel
21 - Power in Community
20 - Ananias and Sapphira
19 - The Price of a Soul
18 - Godly Disobedience
17 - Answering Our Accusers
16 - Decisions of the Heart
15 - The Gift of Guilt
14 - Anatomy of a Healing
13 - The Meaning of Baptism
12 - Koinonia
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Life After Ministry
Cast The Word
Let Me Be Frank | Bishop Frank Caggiano’s Podcast | Diocese of Bridgeport, CT
The Bible Recap
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)