We Are One

The last two Sundays we heard from Acts 9 how God kept pushing the first believers to step out in faith. Saul and Ananias, Tabitha and Peter – all were pushed by the Spirit of God to do things and pray with people in ways that stretched their faith and enlarged their understanding of who God was and what God was doing. Much of the violence, hatred, and bloodshed that we’re seeing all around the world in so many places is caused by people who believe they are right and everyone else is wrong, misguided, or mistaken – enemies to be feared, demonized, and defeated. Part of what we see in the Book of Acts is how God challenges those kinds of attitudes.


July 6, 2014
Acts 10:25-43, We Are One
Doug Scalise, Brewster Baptist Church


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When we left Peter last week he was staying at the home of Simon the tanner. He lived by the seaside but he was a tanner who worked with animal carcasses and skins and not someone who spent a lot of time lying on the beach. A good Jewish man wouldn’t ordinarily stay in such a house, but Peter did.

Then in the beginning of Acts chapter 10, we meet Cornelius, a Gentile soldier, a centurion of the Italian Cohort, the equivalent of a Captain in the US Army. Cornelius was a devout man who feared God, gave alms generously to the people and prayed constantly to God. One day he had a vision of an angel who told him to send for the Peter including detailed instructions as to Peter’s exact location. At the same time, Peter had a vision in which he was told to go to the home of Cornelius, a Roman soldier. This, of course, would have been unheard of because it was unlawful for a Jewish man like Peter to associate with or visit a Gentile, but Peter was obedient and went.

doug-feature-thumbThe section of Acts describing the conversion of Cornelius is the longest single narrative in the book of Acts, covering 66 verses from Acts 10:1-11:18. The repetition within the story of what happened to Cornelius and what happened with Peter and how the Spirit of God directed it all is crucial. The issue at the time, which was hugely important, was whether or not Gentiles who wished to follow Jesus had to become Jews first. If they did, then they’d have to follow all the laws of Moses in the first five books of the Bible and this would clearly hinder the expansion of the church. Cornelius invited all his family and friends to his home to hear what the Lord commanded Peter to say. That brings us to the scripture from Acts 10:25-43:

25 On Peter’s arrival Cornelius met him, and falling at his feet, worshiped him. 26 But Peter made him get up, saying, “Stand up; I am only a mortal.” 27 And as he talked with him, he went in and found that many had assembled; 28 and he said to them, “You yourselves know that it is unlawful for a Jew to associate with or to visit a Gentile; but God has shown me that I should not call anyone profane or unclean. 29 So when I was sent for, I came without objection. Now may I ask why you sent for me?”

30 Cornelius replied, “Four days ago at this very hour, at three o’clock, I was praying in my house when suddenly a man in dazzling clothes stood before me. 31 He said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. 32 Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon, who is called Peter; he is staying in the home of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.’ 33 Therefore I sent for you immediately, and you have been kind enough to come. So now all of us are here in the presence of God to listen to all that the Lord has commanded you to say.”

34 Then Peter began to speak to them: I truly understand that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36 You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. 37 That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39 We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; 40 but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Think about what Peter was asked to do. He was told to go to Caesarea. Caesarea, of course, is named after Caesar. It’s like saying “Caesar-ville.” Caesarea is the capital for the Roman government in that area. It represents everything that isn’t Jewish. So Peter and his companions had to go into an area that represented everything they couldn’t stand. Who mocked, beat, and crucified Jesus? Roman soldiers. And now Peter had to go to the home of a Roman centurion. It was an extraordinary risk and an extraordinary message. What would we do if we were faced with such a challenge? Peter was willing to obey the Spirit even though it meant climbing over a wall of fear, bias, partiality, and prejudice. We each have a choice. When the Spirit calls us into situations that challenge our understanding, our traditional beliefs, our biases, we have to make a decision. Are we going to follow the Spirit?

Peter’s going to the house of Cornelius was a bold act. When Peter and his crew arrive Cornelius falls at Peter’s feet and begins to worship him. He doesn’t know the right thing to do. It’s like somebody walking into our service not sure what we do here. When do we stand? When do we sit? Peter says, “Don’t worship me, I’m only a man.” And then as Peter walks into the room, and sees all these Gentiles gathered, and smells food that he’s not supposed to eat, he says, “You know I’m Jewish, and I’m not supposed to be here. I’m not supposed to associate with any of you. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone profane or unclean” (Acts 10:28). That is a radical statement.God has shown me that I should not call anyone profane or unclean.” Throughout history people have looked at various groups, and said, “You are unclean. You are not part of God’s people.” This is a huge revelation from Peter, that God has shown me that I should not call anyone profane or unclean.”

Peter goes on to say, “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.” Peter says, God shows no partiality, God’s grace is expansive. Peter’s narrow nationalism, thinking God blessed his nation more than any other, that Israel was more favored than any other country; that his people were more favored in the eyes of God than Gentiles – this is shattered by his meeting a devout Italian soldier who feared God, gave generously to help others, and prayed constantly to God and whose prayers were answered (Acts 10:1-4). The God of the Universe is concerned for all people, no matter where they live or who they are. Peter’s surprised to learn that someone who he thought was not acceptable to God, someone who Peter’s tradition told him not to even associate with, was in fact acceptable to God. Peter had to get over his own prejudice. Sometimes so do we. Our prejudices and biases, (and the list for each of us is different), blind us to the reality of who God is and what God is doing in the lives of people who may be different than we are.

The second thing to notice is the message about Jesus. “You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all.” Peter shares two key things about Jesus – that in Jesus we have peace with God, ourselves, and others and that Jesus is Lord of all. This may not sound like it to you, but this is also a radical statement for Peter to make. Remember who Peter is talking to – a centurion, a soldier in the Roman army and all his family and friends. Peter is telling that audience, Jesus is Lord, he is the Leader, not the emperor who claimed that title and demanded allegiance. That is holy boldness on Peter’s part. As witnesses our message is about Jesus and how through him we can have peace with God as well as the fact that he demands our allegiance above all others who assert a claim upon us.

A core part of the message of Christianity is that Jesus gives us peace and demands allegiance as the ultimate leader of every aspect of our life. Peter describes how the message spread from its origin in Galilee and what Jesus did. (That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.” ) In Acts 1 Jesus tells Peter and the other disciples that they will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them. When this happens in Acts 2 then the disciples begin doing what Jesus did – doing good and healing the sick because God was with them. This is how the message about Jesus spread through the sharing of the first disciples.

The message about Jesus would not be complete, of course, without mentioning Jesus’ death on a tree or a cross and God raising him from the dead (so Peter continues: “We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, & who ate & drank with him after he rose from the dead.”) This is the part of Peter’s message that may be most challenging for us – Peter could talk of the crucifixion and resurrection from personal experience. We didn’t get to eat and drink with Jesus after he rose from the dead. The resurrection of Jesus and the coming of the Holy Spirit are what inspired and empowered the first Christians to share the remarkable news everywhere they went. New Testament theologian and author Howard Clark Kee wrote, “No one observing the itinerant fishermen and craftsmen trying to launch an apocalyptic movement in Palestine in the name of an executed Galilean troublemaker would ever have supposed that by the end of the first century there would be flourishing communities of Gentile adherents in the major Mediterranean cities and in Rome itself.”[1] The disciples couldn’t keep their experience of Jesus to themselves. Everywhere they went – crossing barriers of race, culture, class, and gender, they bore witness to the good news that there was life transforming power, forgiveness of sins, and a new sense of identity and purpose, available through Jesus Christ. They realized that in following Jesus we are one. As Paul states in Galatians 3:28, “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.”

The end of Peter’s testimony is the command of Jesus to preach the good news as well as a reminder that there will be a time of judgment and accountability for all people. Peter concludes with the invitation that everyone who believes in Jesus receives the forgiveness of sins through his name which takes us back to the message of peace with which he began. I’m thankful for people like Peter and Cornelius who were courageous and bold enough to witness to others about their faith in Jesus. All of us who believe today, have been fortunate enough to come to faith because others in previous generations have been faithful witnesses. Hopefully all of us, if we were to take a few moments to think about it, could identify members of our family, Sunday School teachers, Pastors, Youth Group leaders, camp counselors, or friends who “walked across a room” and shared about Jesus and helped us along the road of faith. Those people are very special to us and we’re grateful for them. At the same time, we need to remember, that the Lord calls us to be loving, faithful witnesses for other people as well.

Following the Spirit’s leading may mean being willing to leave our own comfort zone and putting aside our prejudice as Peter did in being willing to go to Cornelius’ home, even though it made him a little nervous and uncomfortable. Sometimes like Peter we have to listen to the spirit in Joppa, and do the work of God in Caesarea knowing full well that there will be fallout from the church in Jerusalem. Peter had to face criticism with Jewish Christians who were upset that he even went to the house of a Gentile much less shared the message of the good news about Jesus. Sometimes the greatest Jerusalem we contend with is the voices of Jerusalem within ourselves; our own fears, biases, prejudice and partialities; our own negative outlook; our own idolatry of tradition when God is doing a new thing. Don’t allow yourself to miss the blessing at Caesarea because you are so frightened of Jerusalem. Be strong and remember the revelation you received in Joppa.

Jesus didn’t save us just to get us into heaven, but to change us into the kind of people who make a difference in the world. We’re told that while Peter was still speaking to Cornelius and all in his household that the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. The believers who had accompanied Peter were astounded that the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles who were too busy praising God to notice. And they were all baptized in the name of Jesus.

Like Peter and Cornelius, may we all be open to the people God wishes us to meet and share conversations and hospitality and Jesus with– whoever they are and wherever they may be.

Blessing: May we be the kind of Christians who tear down walls of prejudice and partiality and let us use those stones and bricks to build bridges of relationship with others in Jesus’ name.

 

We Are One Acts 10:25-43

Questions for Reflection or Discussion

  1. What role does the Holy Spirit play in the story of Cornelius and Peter? Why is it important for us to remain open to the leading of the Spirit?

 

  1. What previously held beliefs, preconceptions and traditions did Peter and Cornelius have to get over in order for them to meet and truly listen to each other and respond to what God was doing?

 

  1. Think about or discuss your response to this statement by H. A. Dorfman: “We are hindered not so much by what we don’t know, but by what we believe to be true that is actually not true. So original ideas are sometimes less important than the re-examination of long-held ideas.”

 

  1. What are the implications of Peter’s statement in 10:34-35, “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.

 

  1. Why is it important for us to share our experience of what God is doing with others?

 

 

 

  1. How can we as individuals and as a congregation be instruments of the Spirit in reaching out to others and sharing with them God’s salvation, grace, peace, and comfort?

 

[1] Howard Clark Kee, Understanding the New Testament, page 174.

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