When we read incidents in the lives of Bible
characters it is necessary to remember that they were not finished articles.
Usually each of them had made some spiritual progress, but still had a good way
to go. This was true of Simon Peter, whether in the stories in the Gospels or
those in the Book of Acts. It was also true whether he was involved in little
decisions or important occasions. Peter was always a disciple in progress.
In the final verse of the previous chapter (Acts 9),
as we noted in yesterday’s reading, Luke tells us that Peter went to stay with
a man called Simon the tanner. This was a strange choice in at least one way
because a Jew would be regarded as ceremoniously unclean if he came in contact
with dead bodies. Of course, Peter had been taught by Jesus that the ceremonial
law would be abrogated and would no longer be binding on his people. Yet Peter
made slow progress in this regard. Nevertheless we can also say that Peter’s
choice was a spiritual one, that his decision-making was based on his
understanding of God’s truth, even if he had a long way to go. We can even say
that he was exercising his Christian liberty.
What is Christian liberty? It is not that Jesus has
freed me so that I can do as I like. Nor is it merely that Jesus has freed me
from man-made laws, although it is an application of that reality. I would say
that Christian liberty is the freedom to live in any manner that furthers the
gospel. If the neutral activity that I want to do will hinder the gospel in my
current location, then I am not free to do it. But Jesus has set me free from
doing things that will hinder the gospel. And obviously the Jewish ceremonial
law was a barrier to Gentiles, so Peter on this occasion chose to ignore it.
But there were other reasons why Peter chose to stay in that location.
One was choosing a place
where he would have time to pray. The time he chose to pray was six o’clock in
the morning, and he made it his priority for the day. It was even more
important to him than his breakfast. Luke is not saying that all of us should
pray before breakfast, but he is saying to us that our lives have to be
arranged so that we will have a regular, daily time of prayer.
When we think of prayer, there are two inadequate
responses. The first is that it will happen automatically and the second is
that it will happen spontaneously. Both these suppositions seem spiritual but
in reality each is an expression of spiritual laziness. Obviously there is a
sense in which a Christian automatically prays, such as when he speaks to God
when driving a car or walking along a road; there is also a sense in which he
will pray spontaneously when matters come to mind suddenly without any prior
hint. But neither of these responses is a substitute for real prayer. The only
adequate alternative is organised time for prayer.
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