Peter is criticized by the Jews for going to the Gentiles with the gospel so Peter recounts the story of why he did it. Interestingly he does not share any verses from the Bible but relies solely upon his experience with the Holy Spirit. This is a good reminder that we should rest upon the leading of the Holy Spirit, it is one of the main authorities in our lives. Obviously this does not give license to deny Bible if we think the Holy Spirit is leading us somewhere.
When Stephen is martyred the saints are scattered across the ancient world. God was even working in the extreme pain of a martyred Christian. As a result of this pain, God is glorified, the gospel is taken to the world, and many repent and believe.
As I spoke to the children yesterday I became very thankful that I was just resting upon the Word. In order to teach them about purity they needed to understand God’s goal for their lives. They needed to know that the Bible does not promise them a pain free life, only happy days, and financial wealth in the future. They needed to understand that God wants to mold them into Jesus’ image (Romans 8:29). This was a hard task to do for me because I am a rich American who has never faced the kind of pain these children have faced while living in poverty in Ecuador. As I remained faithful to the gospel of grace it was awesome to see these kids affirm the Word. These young children had a mature understanding of the gospel as they described Jesus and spoke of making him their ultimate love! I have a lot to learn from them.
