WEDNESDAY 19 May 2021 “Confronted!”

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Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,

When was the last time you were CONFRONTED? Someone challenged something they heard you say, or someone questioned you about where they thought they saw you, or who they saw you with? In the past few days we’ve been walking with Peter as he experienced one of the most life changing events of his entire life… in the Roman regional capital city of Caesarea, and in the house of a Roman military officer named Cornelius. Gentiles… a whole bunch of Gentiles, had trusted the truth of Jesus and suddenly the Holy Spirit of God came upon them, just as had happened in Jerusalem on Pentecost day! And Peter was there… an eye witness to it all!

Word travels fast doesn’t it? Of course in our day with cell phones, Facebook, twitter, WhatsApp, and so many other communication platforms, the word ‘viral’ isn’t so much talking about a disease as it is a remarkable communication phenomenon, in which a picture or comment spreads around the world in minutes. Well, word in the first century didn’t spread quite that fast, but it ran pretty quickly, and word of Peter’s experience in Caesarea was running through Jerusalem in short order.

Luke, the author of the book of Acts, tells us in Acts 11:1 “The apostles and brothers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the Jewish believers criticized him saying ‘You went into the house of a Gentile and ate with them.” Confrontation! For both Jews and Jewish followers of Jesus, what Peter had done was unthinkable and unforgivable. Can you imagine their shock when Peter didn’t deny it? In fact I think he may have said “Yup, you’re right! Now, before you throw me out, would you like to hear the story? You know me, and you know I would never have done such a thing unless I was confident God was directing me to enter a Gentile house! Yes, you heard me right, God told me to do it!”

Now some of you may remember an excuse people sometimes used several years ago… ‘the devil made me do it.’ Luke doesn’t say so, but I can imagine a few of the most offended people simply put their hands over their ears and walked out as Peter began telling his story. They didn’t want to hear it. Does that happen in our day sometimes? People would rather believe the rumor, the gossip, than hear the truth. Luke tells us “So Peter began and explained everything to them precisely as it had happened…” (Acts 11:4)

Peter started at the beginning of his story, telling them about being in Joppa at the home of Simon the tanner, and then the vision of the sheet and the voice from heaven telling him to kill and eat what he thought were unclean animals! I’m sure right there some of his listeners thought he was either delusional or it must have been a demon, because surely God would never give a good Jew or Jewish Christian such a blasphemous vision! Then Peter told them about the three visitors from Caesarea, and then Peter said “The Holy Spirit told me to have no hesitation about going with them.” I wonder if right there some of them stood up and waving their arms said “wait, wait! Stop and let us process what you have said. Are you telling us that you believe God gave you a vision which contradicts our Old Testament laws about unclean animals? And are you saying God actually sent Gentiles to you, and God told you to go with those Gentiles, even into their home in Caesarea?”

Friends, have you ever been stretched to believe what God is doing in our world? Especially when God is doing new things, blazing new trails? So Peter continued and explained not one, or two or three but actually six Jewish Christ followers from Joppa had gone with him to Caesarea and they had now accompanied Peter back to Jerusalem, and standing right there beside Peter, they were ready to give eyewitness accounts of what had happened among the Gentiles! Then Peter said these words which are staggering: “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as He has come on us…’ Then I remembered what the Lord Jesus had said; ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized by the Holy Spirit.’ So if God gave them the same gift as He gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think I could oppose God?“ (Acts 11:15-17) Now pause right there, look around the room. What do you see? Confusion? Conflict deep in the souls of good people trying to do the right thing? Friends, how do you accept the evidence that proves something new, something contrary to what you thought?

In that same city of Jerusalem, several months before, the Pharisee Gamaliel had cautioned the zealous Pharisees that if they tried to stop these apostles of Jesus, and if what these apostles were doing was from God, then the Pharisees would find themselves fighting against God! (Acts 4:38,39) That’s what Peter just said… he didn’t want to find himself fighting against God! Have you ever found yourself in opposition to God, my friends?

But the explanation Peter had just given was so hard for them to believe. It ran contrary to their traditions which they had held so dearly for all their lives! But finally, the Holy Spirit evidently did His work of convincing these doubters of the truthfulness of Peter’s report. And so Luke reports something which has changed Christianity from that moment till now: “…they had no further objections and praised God saying, ‘So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.“ (Acts 11:18)

Do you remember Jesus had said to His disciples “I will build My church and the gates of Hades will not prevail…” (Matt. 16:18) Jesus had also said “I tell you the truth, whoever hears My words and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned; they have crossed over from death to life.” (John 5:24) In this moment, in what began as a confrontational meeting in Jerusalem, in about the year 36ad, Jesus’ words became reality to Jewish, Christ following, apostles. Jesus’ church would include Jews, Samaritans and even Gentiles! Jesus’ death on the cross, His resurrection from the dead… Jesus’ Gospel was intended to be made available to every living person, of every skin color, every language, every society, in every place in the world!

Undoubtedly John the beloved apostle was there that day, watching and listening to this confrontation and the remarkable change of attitude which took place. Nearly 50 years later, John was the only one remaining alive of the original 12 disciples. In his very old age the Holy Spirit gave John an extended and detailed vision of future things. As John wrote it down he called it “The Revelation”. It is the final book in our Bible.

In that Revelation, Jesus gave John a glimpse into heaven in the future, and what John saw in that vision is the outflow, over the next several centuries, from this dramatic event with Peter this day in Jerusalem. Listen: “…I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: ‘Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.‘ All the angels were standing around the throne, around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshipped God saying: “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever, Amen!” (Rev. 7:9-12)

Can you see it? Africans, Asians, Island peoples, Europeans, South Americans, North Americans, Middle Eastern peoples… people from many generations and every corner of our planet. People who have heard of Jesus and His Gospel. People who have recognized their need for a Savior, their inability to save themselves, and have repented of their sin and trusted Jesus to save them. People who have been rescued from sin bondage by the power of Jesus, and been transformed into new people by the Holy Spirit of God.

This great vision is only possible because of what happened that day in Caesarea with Peter in Cornelius’ house full of Gentiles, and then what happened in Jerusalem as Peter explained this new God work, and the apostles and others agreed… this is God at work, and we must embrace it rather than resist or reject it! So friends… what is God doing where you live that Jesus is calling you to embrace as a legitimate work of the Holy Spirit?

As God brings people from all over the world to your part of the world, your country, your city, are you embracing it, celebrating it and helping those people to meet Jesus, no matter where they are from? Are you praying for the breakdown of walls all around the world? So as we close today, let’s join the worship in Revelation 7… with this song that you probably know. It’s called The Revelation song, but in this version people from around the world have gathered for a worship festival, and you’ll see the song led in several languages including Hebrew, Swedish, Finnish, Spanish, Tagalog, Portuguese and English. That’s only 7 languages of the several thousand languages spoken in our world. . .but it’s a taste. As you worship, celebrate what happened in Caesarea and Jerusalem in Acts 10 & 11!

Today’s Scripture is Acts 11:1-18.

Choose below to read or listen.

Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.

Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.

Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)

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