Acts 13 – 14
Verse 13:10 is a warning we must all be aware of:
and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?
A man named Bar-Jesus was preaching a different doctrine from the truth and Saul/Paul called him out for this grievous action. I read this and wonder how many “Bar-Jesus’” there are in the world today. How many are preaching and twisting the Word of God to their own pursuits? This is why it’s critical not to just sit in the pews and be feed whatever the preacher says. Unless you have read and know the truth, you may be subject to being led astray.
I know there is the “theology” that “once saved always saved” but after reading the Bible through three times I cannot say that with confidence. Now some would say we need to be in constant preparedness with confession or our souls are destined to hell. I tend to believe more that we can reject Jesus after being saved and lose salvation. There are verses that support both of these ideologies. I will say that the “once saved” crowd has argued that those people who reject Christ after being “saved” were never really “saved”.
The answer to this is difficult and could be interpreted many ways. But the key with not following a modern “Bar-Jesus” is to know the truth. I am not going to argue minor doctrinal points between Catholics and Protestants, but rather stay focused on the Bible and you will not be led astray. Believe me when I say this, there are Satanist and Luciferian in all denominations of the modern church today trying to lead followers of Christ astray and either never obtain salvation or lose it. The ONLY way to protect yourself is to read the Bible on your own, don’t get lost in the nuts and bolts details but discuss and explore any confusion with others.
Verse 13:45 shows the other problem the “faith” has:
But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him.
I get concerned that when Jesus’ appears to the church as a humble man in blue jeans and a white tee there will be many church leaders who reject Him again. Think about it, the Pharisees of the time knew all the signs and could see all the prophecies being fulfilled in Jesus yet they still rejected Him. Why? I believe two reasons here with the first being Jesus did not fit their preconceived image of the Messiah being a mighty warrior. Second it really upset their status quo. If Jesus was the Messiah then their “norm” would be upset and the life they knew would be forever changed. People don’t like radical change.
So if Jesus were to come today is jeans and a tee, would the modern leaders reject Him as a “Bar-Jesus”? He definitely would not fit into the “image” of Him riding from the Heavens on a chariot with clouds of thunder. So would the Christian church lead people away from salvation or would they embrace the man who returned, just not in “their” image? These are tough questions to ask, but are ones we need to find in scripture so we do not “miss the boat”!
Verse 14:19 shows the persecution that Christians went through:
But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead.
How would your faith stand up to a potential stoning? Would you be inclined to follow Christ knowing you would be harmed or killed? Today we keep silent because the ACLU does not allow us to display the 10 Commandments on the steps of the court house whose laws are so entrenched in the Jewish Law it “ain’t even funny”. We back down and cower, yet Paul returned the next day from whence he was stoned and continued to preach! DON’T BACK DOWN, WE ARE NOT BEING STONED!!