Lessons from Biblical Figures on Being Saved from Satan's Schemes and Keeping Ourselves in the Current of the Age

 

Lessons from Biblical Figures on Being Saved from Satan's Schemes and Keeping Ourselves in the Current of the Age

Gal 2:11-14 "But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned..."

Acts 13:13 "Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem"

Acts 19:1-2 "Paul said to them, 'Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?'"

Acts 16:6-7 "And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia... the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them"

Jer 31:31-34 "I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts"

Rom 8:2 "For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus"

 

Figure	Significance	Lesson	Example	Application	Related Scriptures
Peter	Being saved from the veil of religious tradition and old background	Must see the vision of God's eternal economy and live under this vision, holding the truth of the gospel, freed from religious tradition	1. Saw a vision in Joppa, learning not to distinguish between clean and unclean 2. Was opposed by Paul face to face in Antioch for not walking uprightly according to gospel truth	1. Not being limited by traditional concepts in gospel preaching 2. Holding gospel truth in practice without compromise 3. Humbly accepting correction	Acts 10:9-16 "On the next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. And he became hungry and wanted something to eat..."
Barnabas	Being saved from human opinions and natural relationships	Must transcend personal feelings and human relationships, taking God's will as priority, avoiding disputes arising from personal relationships	Had a dispute with Paul over Mark and they separated, going their separate ways	1. Taking truth as standard in co-worker partnerships 2. Not letting natural emotions affect spiritual judgment 3. Being willing to separate when necessary to maintain work purity	Acts 15:35-40 "But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them... And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other"
Apollos	Being saved from the limitation of incomplete revelation in ministry	Must be completely one with the ministry of the age, receiving more complete revelation of truth, not being stubborn about incomplete knowledge	Only knew John's baptism, later instructed by Priscilla and Aquila in the way more accurately	1. Maintaining a learning heart, receiving more complete truth 2. Keeping consistent with contemporary divine revelation 3. Humbly accepting help and correction from others	Acts 18:24-26 "Now a Jew named Apollos... had been instructed in the way of the Lord... When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately"
Paul	Being saved from various hindrances and limitations in multiple aspects	1. Following the Spirit's leading, not bound by old relationships 2. Practicing Body life, receiving fellowship from members 3. Freed from religious mixture, holding pure ministry 4. Making good use of circumstances to complete mission	First lesson: Forbidden by the Holy Spirit in Asia Minor, obeyed Spirit's leading to Macedonia Second lesson: Received saints' counsel about going to Jerusalem Third lesson: Refused mixture with Judaism Fourth lesson: Appealed to Caesar, utilizing Roman citizenship	1. Sensitively following the leading of the indwelling Spirit 2. Receiving Body fellowship and leading 3. Holding to the pure New Testament ministry 4. Making good use of circumstances to complete God's commission	Acts 20:23 "except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city" Acts 21:4,11-14 "Through the Spirit they were telling Paul not to go on to Jerusalem... we urged him not to go up to Jerusalem" Acts 25:8-12 "Paul argued in his defense... 'I appeal to Caesar'"
James	Learning from mistakes and mixture to be freed from the hindrance of religious zeal	Must be freed from treasuring the letter of the law, turning to the law of the Spirit of life; not boasting in religious zeal, but pursuing Christ	Boasted that there were tens of thousands of Jewish believers in Jerusalem zealous for the law, leading to mixture and devastation of the church	1. Not boasting in religious achievements 2. Treasuring the law of life over the letter of the law 3. Pursuing Christ over maintaining tradition 4. Avoiding causing mixture in the church	Acts 21:18-21 "On the following day Paul went in with us to James... they said to him, 'You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed. They are all zealous for the law'"

 

Key Points:

Common Lessons

1.      Being freed from the old: Must be saved from outward dead regulations, human opinions, and the self with its old concepts

2.      Following the age: Keep ourselves in the current of the age, staying consistent with God's present move

3.      Building the Body: Everything is for building the Body of Christ to accomplish God's eternal economy

Practical Applications

• Personal level: Always looking to the Lord's mercy (Heb 4:16), living under the law of the Spirit of life
• Church level: Avoiding religious mixture, holding gospel truth, practicing Body life
• Ministry level: Being one with the ministry of the age, receiving complete revelation, faithfully completing the commission

Conclusion:

This chart details the important lessons to be learned from these five biblical characters. Each character represents a different aspect of salvation:

Peter taught us to break free from the bondage of religious traditions, Barnabas reminded us not to be swayed by natural emotions, Apollos showed us how to be consistent with the revelation of the times, Paul demonstrated how to be saved and fulfill the mission in various circumstances, and James warned us about the possible adulteration that religious zeal may bring.

The core of these lessons all point to one goal: to build up the Body of Christ and to accomplish God’s eternal economy. We need the Lord’s mercy to be delivered from these obstacles and to keep ourselves in the flow of the times and one with God’s present move.

  

*Please refer to the April 2025 International Elders and Responsible Brothers Training General Topic: Oneness and the Vital Aspects of Acts Chapter 5 Keep Yourself in the One Flow of the Lord’s Work for the Expansion of the Church and Be Saved by the Lord’s Mercy from Satan’s Schemes