TUESDAY 18 May 2021 “A New Thing”

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Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,

Do you find yourself confused, perplexed when things happen out of the normal, logical order in which YOU think they are supposed to happen? By the time we reach adulthood, we realize we live in an unpredictable world, but yet we expect predictability, consistency from so much of life, don’t we?

Do you find yourself expecting God to function according to unchanging, predictable, logical, step by step processes? And when God doesn’t… when God does something unexpected, does that trouble you? How do you respond when God does the unexpected? In the weeks, months and even the first few years after Jesus’ resurrection and return to heaven, according to the record we have in the first 10 chapters of the book of Acts, we see that this ‘Jesus spiritual movement’ was anything but predictable! These past few days you and I have been looking at Acts 10 and Peter’s totally unexpected encounter with Cornelius and a houseful of Gentiles in Caesarea. Contrary to Peter’s Jewish training and tradition, he went into Gentile Cornelius’ home, at Cornelius’ invitation! He did so because he believed that a vision Peter had experienced the day before showed him God was directing this unexplainable encounter of Peter and Gentiles. It wasn’t logical, but he was confident God was directing him, so he obeyed and went into the crowd of Gentiles, in a Gentile home!

For Peter this was not the first time he wrestled with watching God do the unexpected, even the unexplainable! It actually happened many times for Peter in the months that he walked with Jesus. It had happened most recently, as recorded in Acts 8, when Peter and John went into Samaria to investigate reports that Philip was experiencing a ‘Jesus spiritual movement’ among the Samaritan people. When he arrived, Peter was astonished by what he saw. Yes, it was true, many, hundreds of Samaritan people had believed the truth of what Philip had told them about Jesus, and they had trusted in Jesus for their salvation! They had even been baptized in the name of Jesus, as Jesus had instructed the apostles to do. But the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon these Samaritan believers in Jesus!

When Peter and John prayed over the Samaritans, it was then that the Holy Spirit of God came upon the Samaritans! The Spirit came upon these Samaritans, in the same way that He had come upon the Jewish believers in Jerusalem, on the day of Pentecost! Peter was shocked, amazed, but he had to believe it for he saw it with his own eyes! And even though illogical to Peter, he came to understand God was offering salvation, by faith in Jesus, to Samaritans as well as Jews! It was almost beyond belief. It was certainly beyond all he had always been told and taught… but it was happening, right before his eyes, so he had to believe it! Jesus was saving Samaritans!

In Caesarea, as Peter told his story to the Gentiles in Cornelius’ gathering, of his months with Jesus, and as Peter explained what he had learned about the truth of who Jesus is, why Jesus, God the Son, came to earth, what Jesus’ death and resurrection mean, and especially when Peter explained how his personal life was so totally changed by Jesus, well… Acts 10:44 tells us “While Peter was still speaking the Holy Spirit came on all who heard his message. The circumcised followers of Jesus who had come from Joppa with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out [by God] even on Gentiles!” Once again, God was doing spiritual things in a new way that confused Peter. These were Gentiles! It was a huge stretch to consider God would actually save Samaritans, but Gentiles, really? Was that possible? Yes it’s true Jesus had often said “whoever” and “anyone” when explaining that He had come to bring God’s truth and salvation to those who would believe in Him. But Gentiles??? Was God really willing to save Gentiles? Friends, can you begin to imagine how difficult it was for Peter to accept this?

But Peter could not deny what he was seeing and hearing. He, and the two or three Christ following Jewish believers who had come with him from Joppa, simply could not believe the Holy Spirit was coming upon these Gentiles, as they believed in Jesus! And the Spirit was coming on these Gentiles, in the same way the Spirit had come on them, Jews, during Pentecost, when they believed in Jesus! The proof was what Luke reports: “For they (Peter and those who came from Joppa with him) heard them (the Gentiles) speaking in tongues and praising God.” (Acts 10:46) Unlike Acts 2, we do not have a listing here of exactly which languages or dialects they were speaking in.

But do you notice one more thing here in Acts 10 which broke the normal pattern? Look at vs. 47. “Then Peter said, “Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have! So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.” Now wait just a minute. Do you see it? These Gentiles had evidently believed but they had not yet been baptized! Peter was confident the pattern for authentic, genuine conversion had been set in Jerusalem in the Pentecost experience: the Gospel truth about Jesus was preached. Many who heard him were convinced it was true and convicted that they were sinners who needed a Savior and only Jesus could save them! Then they repented of their sin, trusted in Jesus and were baptized in water. On that Pentecost day Peter had said “Repent, be baptized and the Holy Spirit will come upon you.” (Acts 2:38) The same pattern happened in Samaria as they believed Philip, repented, trusted in Jesus, and were baptized, and THEN when Peter prayed over them they received the Holy Spirit.

But here in Caesarea Peter preached the truth about Jesus, the Gentiles believed in Jesus and the Holy Spirit came upon them, BEFORE they were baptized! That tells me Peter was dealing with a double crisis of belief. The first crisis was believing that God was actually saving Gentiles and sending His Holy Spirit upon Gentiles! That was mind blowing for Peter. But the second crisis of belief was that these Gentile believers in Jesus had NOT YET been baptized in water, yet the Holy Spirit had come upon them! The pattern wasn’t being followed! And I imagine in heaven Jesus was smiling as He watched Peter scratching his head trying to understand that God was once again working unpredictably!

Now my friends, let’s own this in 2021. Do you and I place expectations on God? Do you expect that God should work in our universe, our world, in your life and mine according to predictable patterns and common sense and even logic? Or, do we realize God is not limitable by anything, much less our expectations! Is your heart and mind ready to celebrate God doing the unexpected, the unpredictable? God said to the prophet Isaiah “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up and you do not perceive it.” (Is. 43:18,19)

Now, it’s important we study history for we learn about the present from understanding the past. But it’s critical my friends, that we not restrict God by insisting He only do things as He has done them in the past. Peter was learning that in Caesarea, in the home of Roman military officer, surrounded by Gentiles who were trusting in Jesus and being anointed by the Holy Spirit of God, right in front of his eyes! The unthinkable was happening and neither Peter nor these people would ever be the same!

Luke concludes his report of this world changing event with this statement: “So Peter ordered that the Gentiles be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days!” What!? Peter didn’t excuse himself and leave Cornelius’ house as fast as possible, and even leave Caesarea looking for some Jewish town where he could stay the night? Peter actually stayed in Caesarea for a few days, maybe even spent the night there in Cornelius’ guest room?

Peter was experiencing a deep work of the Holy Spirit in his life, and he was learning that if you’re going to “Walk with Jesus”, you’d better be ready for the unpredictable! Is that how you are living your life these days my friends? My wife and I have tried to live like this for the past few years and it’s been amazing! Come on… try it with us. Live expecting Jesus to do the unexpected, in you and in others!

I invite you to spend a few moments with your journal in some deep reflection. What limits do you place on God? What new, fresh work do you need the Holy Spirit to do in your life? Let’s pray. . .

Today’s Scripture is Acts 10:44-48.

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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