Call to Commitment

  

 

             Peter’s defense accepted in the Jerusalem church        

1.      Now the apostles and brethren who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. 

2.      And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision contended with him,

3.      saying, "You went in to uncircumcised men and ate with them!" 

4.      But Peter explained it to them in order from the beginning, saying: 

5.        "I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, an object descending like a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came to me. 

6.      When I observed it intently and considered, I saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. 

7.      And I heard a voice saying to me, 'Rise, Peter; kill and eat.' 

8.      But I said, 'Not so, Lord! For nothing common or unclean has at any time entered my mouth.' 

9.      But the voice answered me again from heaven, 'What God has cleansed you must not call common.' 

10.  Now this was done three times, and all were drawn up again into heaven. 

11.  At that very moment, three men stood before the house where I was, having been sent to me from Caesarea. 

12.  Then the Spirit told me to go with them, doubting nothing. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered the man's house. 

13.  And he told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house, who said to him, 'Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon whose surname is Peter, 

14.  who will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved.' 

15.  And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning. 

16.  Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, 'John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' 

17.  If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?" 

18.  When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, "Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life."  

Peter was a member of the church of Jewish Christians in Jerusalem. When he went back to Jerusalem, after the excellent time passed among the Gentiles in Caesaria, he returned to an unpleasant controversy. He had been rejoicing in the will of God and in the liberty of the Holy Spirit, but now he faced head-on religious zeal and fleshly opinions. In chapter 15, we will see the same spring up for the second time, because of the ministry of Paul and Barnabas.

 The book of Acts is a kind of genesis for the church and we learn of things, which keep repeating throughout its history. Peter, and later Paul and Barnabas, began to walk in a pure and fresh movement, opened to them by the Holy Spirit. There was a certain innocence about it, because it never entered their mind that fellow believers would take offense with what they were experiencing. They thought that all Christians would rejoice with them at the new ground that is gained for the cause of Christ. However, opposition formed in the church, which was not unlike the resistance by Pharisees and Sadducees in the time of Christ. 

 

 

Peter enters Cornelius' - a Gentile - house

 

Peter enters a Gentile House

       24. And the following day they entered                            Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting                          for them,  and had called together his                            relatives and close friends. 

      25. As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him                and fell down at his feet and worshiped him.

      26. But Peter lifted him up, saying, "Stand up; I myself am also a man." 

      27. And as he talked with him, he went in and found many who had come together. 

      28. Then he said to them, "You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep

            company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not   

            call any man common or unclean. 

29. Therefore I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. I ask, then, for what

       reason have you sent for me?" 

30. So Cornelius said, "Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I

       prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing, 

31. and said, 'Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms are remembered in

       the sight of God. 

32. Send therefore to Joppa and call Simon here, whose surname is Peter. He is lodging in

       the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea. When he comes, he will speak to you.' 

33. So I sent to you immediately, and you have done well to come. Now therefore, we are

        all present before God, to hear all the things commanded you by God." 

 In the first part of this chapter, I referred to the return trip to Caesarea and that Jewish brethren from Joppa accompanied Peter (v. 23). People spend thousands of dollars on higher education, but Cornelius is going to receive teaching from a higher source and Peter is the messenger, who will bring it to him. He had been busy gathering his relatives and friends into his house to hear the gospel, the most wonderful news that has ever entered human ears (v. 24).

Cornelius met Peter and fell down to worship him (v. 25). Now, we know that his action must be corrected immediately, but let us not be too harsh with the man. Paul quotes the prophet Isaiah, who saw people going into all the world, and he said this about them, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things” (Ro. 10:15). People are known for handsome figures and faces, but Cornelius saw something more beautiful… beautiful feet that carried the gospel to his home!

 

What God has cleansed is not common

Acts 10, Part 1

 

God works in a Roman centurion  

         1.      There was a certain man in Caesarea called           Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the             Italian Regiment, 

         2.      a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always. 

3.      About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, "Cornelius!" 

4.      And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, "What is it, lord?" So he said to him, "Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God. 

5.      Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter. 

6.      He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He will tell you what you must do." 

7.      And when the angel who spoke to him had departed, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier from among those who waited on him continually. 

8.      So when he had explained all these things to them, he sent them to Joppa.  

A paralytic was healed in Lydda and Dorcas was raised from the dead in Joppa. Many people came to the Lord through these miracles. One would think that Peter’s journey from Jerusalem to these two cities would have been a total success and his mission had been fulfilled. But no, God had something else in mind, as the main purpose, for which the apostle was called out of Jerusalem. There is something to be learned from this: God’s will has not been fully accomplished, because we see obvious miracles and success before our eyes. From the beginning of the journey, God had Caesaria in mind and a Roman centurion. There are workers, who can tell of many years of successful ministry, before realizing the great central purpose, for which the Lord had called them.

 We have reached a crucial point in Luke’s account of the spreading of the gospel. Gradually, it has unfolded, as the initial church formed in Jerusalem. We saw it spread throughout Judea and Samaria. The half-breed and despised Samaritans received the gospel and an Ethiopian proselyte to the Jewish faith, as well. Next, we saw the conversion, the preparation and the beginning of the ministry of Saul of Tarsis. He is to called by God to be the apostle to the Gentiles.