Thursday, June 13, 2013

Paul, God's Chosen Herald

Paul The Dispenser


  Most people do not seem to be aware that there are two gospels in the New Testament.  Peter's Gospel given to the Jews and Paul's gospel given to the nations.

In Galatians 2:7-8 Paul contrasts the gospel he is given against the one Peter was given

7 But, on the contrary, perceiving that I have been entrusted with the evangel of the Uncircumcision,
8 according as Peter of the Circumcision (for He Who operates in Peter for the apostleship of the Circumcision operates in me also for the nations),

  Everytime he refers to the evangel of the Uncircumcision, he is referring to a gospel that is given on the basis of grace to the nations.  Whereas Peter's evangel is the evangel of circumcision to the 12 tribes of Israel who's gospel is based on the fulfillment of the law of Moses.

  See the difference?  The Evangel of Uncircumcision is based on grace apart from the law.

Romans 11:13-14
13 Now to you am I saying, to the nations, in as much as, indeed, then, I am the apostle of the nations, I am glorifying my dispensation,
14 if somehow I should be provoking those of my flesh to jealousy and should be saving some of them.

  Again, Paul refers to himself as an Apostle to the nation.  What is this dispensation he talks about?

Hebrews 1:1-2
1 By many portions and many modes, of old, God, speaking to the fathers in the prophets,
2 in the last of these days speaks to us in a Son

  In simply speaking, the author of Hebrews is saying "God operates different ways, at different times".

  Beginning in Genesis; God operated in an era of innocence with Adam.  That changed after the garden of Eden ended with the first sin.

  When the earth was filled with wickedness and God tolerated it no longer, God appointed Noah as his dispenser when he built the ark and only 8 people in the world were saved.

  Again, later when God appointed Abraham as the head of nations and his chosen people, Abraham was his dispenser.

  Then, when Moses came on the scene and brought forth the law, Moses was God's dispenser.

  When Jesus Christ came and died on the cross, he chose Peter as his dispenser.

  Finally, when the Jewish nation rejected Christ as the messiah in their generation, God chose Paul as his dispenser to the nations.

  God always remains the same, yet his plans change according to the era.  God uses men to dispense his plans.

  What is a dispenser?  Just look at the picture of the Pez toy up there.  What does a Pez do?  It dispenses a candy every time you press on it.

  It's the same thing with the men that God has chosen to dispense is plans and operations.  They "pop" out a message every time you "press" on them.

  Here is the key thing with understanding how God works with his dispensation.  It is dependant on the era that it operates in.  No one would build an ark and expect to be saved from a flood today.  That era is passed.

  Yet some people today still look to Moses' dispensation expecting to be saved; that era has long past.  What dispensation are we in today?  For the nations; it is the dispensation of Paul, for the Israelite; it is the dispensation of Peter.

  Christ has come, and it's a new era folks.  We don't gather at a temple, or a tabernacle anymore.  We no longer sacrifice sheeps and goats on an altar.  So why do we still act like Moses it the big shot?  So many Christians point to the ten commandments today.  They want them on our walls, in our homes, and courts.  

  It's so contradictory, Christmas, we worship baby Jesus, Easter we worship crucified Jesus, and then the rest of the year we put Christ away and look at Moses.  Wake up people - it's era of Christ, grace, and the apostles - NOT MOSES.

No comments:

Post a Comment