Ephesians 2:13 NIVUK
[13] But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
For someone who has spent much of my life in cross-cultural situations, the first such situation I found myself in was actually in my own country, among my own people.
I was a teenager, out on the streets, spending time with some friends, when a girl we knew, Adrienne, came up to me and said to me, ‘My Dad wants to meet you. You need to come to my house.’
I was a little confused. We weren’t at all dating at the time. Parents didn’t usually want to meet me – their daughters usually didn’t want to meet me. They were a Catholic family. I was Evangelical. It was Scotland in the 1990s. Sectarian hatred was rife.
But I hated all that nonsense, so I was up for it.
She led me through the neighbourhood to her house and took me in to meet her dad. As I was heading with her towards the living room, her dad called to her from the kitchen. ‘Adrienne, you need to come here. I need to show you how to do this. You don’t get it right.’
I was curious, so I peeked into the kitchen.
He was showing his teenage daughter how to roll a cannabis joint (cannabis was completely illegal then in the UK).
A few minutes later, I was seated in the living room on a white leather sofa, answering his questions while he smoked his joint and drank from a can of beer, while thanking me for being a Christian influence in his daughter’s life because ‘she really needs it’.
When I left the house, I was laughing to myself. I don’t think it was a contact high. I just couldn’t quite process what I had experienced.
I had crossed several cultural barriers. And I don’t mind telling you, I was confused.
Since its very inception, Christianity has always been about breaking down barriers and walls, reaching out across the barricades, welcoming in the unwelcome. However, since the noisy, un-Christian right or the protectionist left have stolen the platform in various countries, Christianity’s radical, revolutionary past has been forgotten.
Equally as disappointing, in countries where politics has not become High Priest, we have seen a comfortable, middling middle-class become the norm, full of NIMBY-isms that have ‘othered’ people who are not of their community purely to maintain their own easy status quo.
Neither speak for the God of the Bible.
We are going to look at one of the most radical, revolutionary encounters in the Bible – one that took so much engineering from God that it took two supernatural visions and two visitations from the Holy Spirit for it to take place. It was so controversial that it also triggered two church meetings to fully absorb, and yet there are still repercussions that reverberate throughout the New Testament in the Pastoral Letters.
So this is huge. Really, really huge.
It shook the church.
It’s actually quite hard for us to comprehend just how massive this is, separated as we are by two thousand years of history and at least the same in miles from the host culture where it took place. But trust me: Peter’s meeting with Cornelius in Acts 10 and the subsequent church meetings in Acts 11 and 15 are of such major importance that we would not have the opportunity to become followers of Jesus Christ without them.
Historical events like the Founding of the US or the Yalta Conference that ended the Second World War or the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland are very important and should never be downplayed.
But this historical event, for its impact on the salvation of billions of souls throughout history, is arguably more important than they were.
So let’s start studying this momentous event by looking at the two parties involved, the Two Men.
Two Men
Acts 10:3-6 NIVUK
[3] One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, ‘Cornelius!’ [4] Cornelius stared at him in fear. ‘What is it, Lord?’ he asked. The angel answered, ‘Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. [5] Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. [6] He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.’
The two main players in this drama were very different men.
Cornelius, whose name means ‘horn’, which in those days was associated with strength, was a Roman centurion in the Italian regiment meaning – you guessed it – he was Italian. He likely had eighty to a hundred men serving under him. He was based in the Mediterranean coastal town of Caesarea, likely named after, you guessed it, Caesar. He was serving with the Roman colonial army which had annexed Israel. Their presence was not wanted. Their purpose was to keep the peace after decades of struggle so that trade could continue on a very important route.
He was a Gentile. He had no claim on grace.
But there is something very unusual about this man:
Acts 10:2 NIVUK
[2] He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.
There is only one other Roman centurion in the Gospels who has a similar attitude, whom Jesus commended for his faith (Luke 7:1-10).
But apart from him, the Romans were more renowned for their complete lack of respect for Jewish faith. So this centurion is something of an outlier.
However, if he had gone up to the Temple to worship, he would have got no further than the chaotic and noisy Court of the Gentiles, despite his lofty position. Even then, I sincerely doubt if it would be the ‘done thing’ for a Roman centurion to be seen worshipping there.
On the other hand, Peter had free access to the Temple, with the exception of the Holy and Most Holy Places, as he was a Jew.
However, given Cornelius’ occupation, a sense of tact and diplomacy was required. I don’t think Peter would have been the man for a job like that before Pentecost. He was a rough and ready Galilean fisherman (Luke 12:1-11), known for speaking first and thinking later (Matthew 26:31-35, 69-75). He was forthright, impetuous, and, I’m some situations, as we saw earlier, quite prone to being rash.
He had also badly let Jesus down and denied knowing Him (Matthew 26:69-75), as we saw in an earlier post.
But now, after the Holy Spirit had fallen on him during Pentecost, he had become a leader in the Early Church and one of its main spokesmen (Acts 2:14-41).
Now he was in Joppa: a town of some significance due to it being the place from where the prophet Jonah left to run away from God's call on his life (Jonah 1:3).
Peter was thirty miles from Cornelius, but it might as well have been a lifetime away. They moved in different worlds. Normally, if they had met, it wouldn’t have been such a good thing because it would likely have meant that Peter would have been in trouble with the Roman army.
Yet God brought these two men together.
And it wasn’t easy. It took a major, miraculous, supernatural act. Or rather, two of them, as we move from two men to Two Visions.
Two Visions
Acts 10:3 NIVUK
[3] One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, ‘Cornelius!’
Acts 10:9-14 NIVUK
[9] About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. [10] He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. [11] He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. [12] It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. [13] Then a voice told him, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’ [14] ‘Surely not, Lord!’ Peter replied. ‘I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.’
You can usually tell how important a task is to someone by the effort they put into it.
You agree with that, don’t you?
It’s obvious, right?
Well, consider this: God was so determined to bring together two men who were thirty miles apart physically and a world apart theologically and philosophically that He intervened with two visions to close the gulf between them.
And that should speak to us most profoundly.
We live in a world where people love to create an ‘us and them’; where they adore creating enemies.
The reason behind it is plain, profound, but also shocking: they do it to increase other people’s loyalty towards themselves. They have little or no care for the effects their actions would have on their community. They only care about themselves.
Pay close attention here: in this passage we have two men who, in their day, could hardly have been further apart, yet God brought them near.
This should not be a surprise:
Ephesians 2:14-18 NIVUK
[14] For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, [15] by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, [16] and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. [17] He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. [18] For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
Understand this: Jesus even prayed for the unity of His people:
John 17:20-23 NIVUK
[20] ‘My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, [21] that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. [22] I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one – [23] I in them and you in me – so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
The Gospel always reaches across the divides. It bridged the divide between earth and heaven. We will see in this passage how it bridged the divide between Jew and Gentile.
How dare we seek to widen the divisions in our nation!
That is not what God wants.
So now let’s look at the visions that brought these men together.
Cornelius’ vision was quite straightforward and simple:
Acts 10:3-6 NIVUK
[3] One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, ‘Cornelius!’ [4] Cornelius stared at him in fear. ‘What is it, Lord?’ he asked. The angel answered, ‘Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. [5] Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. [6] He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.’
However, there are two striking aspects of this vision.
Firstly, there is the reward for his God-fearing nature. This tells us much about the nature of salvation, in that the reward for his good character was not salvation, but to hear the message of salvation. In other words, even his goodness was not enough: he still had to hear the message, believe the message, repent of his sins and accept Jesus as his Saviour.
We also see the location where Peter was staying. This often-overlooked phrase is very interesting indeed. He was staying at the house of Simon the Tanner. Tanners took raw animal skins and turned them into leather goods. This meant that they would be exposed to animal carcasses.
This is what Old Testament law says about that exposure:
Leviticus 11:39-40 NIVUK
[39] ‘ “If an animal that you are allowed to eat dies, anyone who touches its carcass will be unclean till evening. [40] Anyone who eats some of its carcass must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening. Anyone who picks up the carcass must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening.
The same was also true of unclean animals – if anyone came into contact with their carcass, they were unclean until evening.
All that means that, by the simple act of accepting accommodation, Peter risks becoming ritually unclean.
That is very striking, given what he is about to do.
But then there’s Peter’s vision, which is completely different, and more of a blockbuster compared to Cornelius’ stage play:
Acts 10:9-16 NIVUK
[9] About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. [10] He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. [11] He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. [12] It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. [13] Then a voice told him, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’ [14] ‘Surely not, Lord!’ Peter replied. ‘I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.’ [15] The voice spoke to him a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’ [16] This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.
Why is Peter’s vision so dramatic and strange?
Because, it had to be in order to move Peter to obey.
Comparing the visions shows us that Cornelius was easy to persuade, but Peter was hard: like pushing a boulder uphill compared to pushing a pebble.
Isn’t it interesting that a man who had, at best, only heard of Jesus is quick to respond and obey, but a man who had been with Him for three years required a vision with some pretty major special effects? It’s often true that Christians who are more ‘theologically orthodox’ are much slower to move out of their comfort zones because they fear their orthodoxy is at risk.
But should it be this way?
I don’t think so.
Anyway, the content of Peter’s vision is also quite striking. God is referring to the Jewish cleanliness rules in Leviticus 11 – and not just here, as God reiterates the importance of a clean diet in Leviticus 20:25-26. It was clearly important.
But not so important that Jesus could not remove the need for it:
Mark 7:14-15, 17-23 NIVUK
[14] Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, ‘Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. [15] Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.’
[17] After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. [18] ‘Are you so dull?’ he asked. ‘Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? [19] For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.’ (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.) [20] He went on: ‘What comes out of a person is what defiles them. [21] For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come – sexual immorality, theft, murder, [22] adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. [23] All these evils come from inside and defile a person.’
So God was challenging Peter’s perception of the animals he saw in front of him by killing and eating. This would have involved touching the animal, touching its carcass and eating the animal – all three of which were banned under Jewish cleanliness rules.
That is why Peter objects:
Acts 10:14 NIVUK
[14] ‘Surely not, Lord!’ Peter replied. ‘I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.’
As an Orthodox Jew, Peter could not partake of these things.
But Jesus had already declared them to be clean, hence God’s reply:
Acts 10:15 NIVUK
[15] The voice spoke to him a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’
This verse also has another meaning.
It’s a bit like in your home, where you might have a set of cutlery and plates that you use for special occasions, another set that you use for common, everyday use. As an Orthodox Jew, it was as if Peter had been told that he should not use the common, everyday cutlery and plates – he was too good for that. Instead, he should only use the special ones.
Here, what God is saying is that he should not see his life in this way. God had declared everyone to be special – Peter should not treat anyone with contempt.
But this vision troubled Peter. And I am not surprised.
Firstly, because it would have seemed like God was tempting Peter to break laws that God Himself had set in place, which is, of course, not possible (James 1:13).
Secondly, because, as it took a second vision for Peter to realise, God wanted him to set aside the old ways, embrace the new ones, throw away his Jewish exceptionalism (something which was an intrinsic part of Jewish culture and mindset) and see Gentiles as equal before God (Acts 10:19-23).
No wonder Peter had to receive the vision three times (Acts 10:16).
What we see here is often at the root of a lack of missionary vision. It's not that some Christians deliberately choose to be disobedient, it's more that if they take the Gospel to the ungodly, then the ungodly might become more godly than them! It’s a sense of pride in who they are that will never accept change or progress, even if it's a good thing.
I wonder: how many times would we have to receive Peter’s vision before we accepted change and had the desire to reach out to other people?
So we have seen two men and two visions. Let’s move on to see Three Blessings.
Three Blessings
Acts 10:44-48 NIVUK
[44] While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. [45] The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. [46] For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, [47] ‘Surely no-one can stand in the way of their being baptised with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.’ [48] So he ordered that they be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.
And these are wonderful blessings. We should never devalue them or despise them.
The first blessing was to hear the Word being preached by Peter. Preaching these days is often devalued by those who don’t see why they should come to church and be told what to think, but are more than happy to attend a political rally or a protest or a stand-up comedy open mic night.
That just doesn’t make sense to me.
There are many places in this world where simply hearing the Word preached will either attract the attention of the secret police or get you arrested or imprisoned. Enemies of the Gospel readily attest to the power of the truth and try to silence it. Those who are ‘friends’ of the Gospel often devalue it as boring or not applicable to them, or throw it off as unimportant or argue the message they heard when they leave the meeting.
That also makes no sense to me.
Hearing the Word preached is an immense blessing in itself that millions of people in this world would love to have but cannot. Yes, I admit that some preachers are a little boring and some sermons are a little dry. But water can be found in most deserts if we seek for it.
So seek for it and see what you will find.
For Cornelius and his family, this was a privilege out of the ordinary. Jews would be afraid to enter into his home as if it was unclean. John even includes this insight during the drama of Jesus’ trial:
John 18:28 NIVUK
[28] Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover.
So for Peter to be in his house and delivering this message was a huge thing.
I wonder, is that how we approach hearing the Word preached?
As well as hearing the Word preached, we see the privilege of receiving the Holy Spirit.
This was a truly unique, landmark occasion, as Peter’s companions noted:
Acts 10:45 NIVUK
[45] The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles.
This unique event – almost like a second Pentecost (see Acts 2:1-11) – was needed as a clear and unambiguous sign by God that Gentile faith and conversion had equal weight as Jewish faith and conversion. It was a sign of their acceptance by God.
But, as I’m sure my Pentecostal brethren will want me to answer – what tongues were being spoken of here: those of people or angels (1 Corinthians 13:1)?
The Greek word used here – glossa – is the same word as in Acts 2:4. The tongues used in Acts 2 were clearly of people because of their purpose (Acts 2:5-11). So if God is repeating the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost, only this time on Gentiles, then these tongues will have to be human languages, not ecstatic, angelic ones.
The point, though, of this second Pentecostal outpouring, cannot be missed against the background of any minor league theological differences. The Gentiles were being accepted into the Kingdom of God as well as the Jews.
That is huge!
As well as the privilege of hearing the Word and receiving the Holy Spirit, we also see the privilege of being baptised.
And this is an enormous privilege.
It was normally extended to Gentile converts to Judaism. John the Baptist broke the mould when he offered it to Jews who needed to repent (Matthew 3:1-6; Mark 1:4-5; Luke 3:1-3; Acts 19:4). Jesus’ disciples also baptised, also with a message of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (John 4:1-2).
But the people they baptised were Jews.
Now Peter, himself a Jew, recognises that of God has admitted these Gentiles as believers in Him, then the right course of action – the only course of action – was to be baptised. After all, hadn’t Peter not previously instructed the Jews:
Acts 2:38-39 NIVUK
[38] Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. [39] The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call.’
Now God was calling the Gentiles, Peter has no cause to say ‘No’.
So Cornelius, a centurion in the occupying Roman army, and his whole household, were baptised as believers by Peter and his companions.
That must have been an incredible day.
The invitation to be baptised extends to you too. If you believe in Jesus Christ, if you have repented of your sins and you want to follow Him, why not publicly declare this by being baptised, just as Cornelius and his family did? Baptism will not save you. It only takes place in water. It is just a ritual washing. What saves you is the blood of Jesus Christ, shed on the cross.
But baptism symbolises your new life: that you have been saved by Jesus and you want to live for Him now.
Maybe it's something you should consider.
This really was an amazing event. I don’t doubt for a second that great joy was in that household.
But not everyone was happy.
We move in now from two men, two visions and three blessings to One Issue.
One Issue
Acts 11:1-3 NIVUK
[1] The apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. [2] So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticised him [3] and said, ‘You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.’
And this is quite the issue!
There are cultural issues that are sometimes hard to understand. For example, in Thailand it’s considered very impolite to show the soles of your feet. In Philippines it’s considered improper to point at someone. In the country of Georgia it’s considered impolite to sneeze loudly, especially in a restaurant.
This seems like another incomprehensible cultural issue. It is hard to understand, but we must try, because I have come across Christian groups who seem to behave like they have the same issue.
The Jews were God’s chosen people (Deuteronomy 14:1-2). That much is clear in the Bible. But they had largely forgotten what caused them to be chosen:
Deuteronomy 7:7-8 NIVUK
[7] The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. [8] But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
They had also forgotten what they had been chosen to do:
Isaiah 42:6-7 NIVUK
[6] ‘I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, [7] to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.
Instead, they took pride in their status as chosen people, discarding their responsibilities, and swallowed the exceptionalist lie that they were superior to everyone else and everyone else was inferior to them.
It was they had a first class seat in humanity and everyone else was stuck in coach. Or preferably in another airplane. That was crashing.
But God did not agree.
Not one bit.
And bringing in the Gentiles through the self same entrance as them, making them equal to them before God?
That was utterly unthinkable!
Yet that is precisely what God did.
All this exclusivism, this exceptionalism, this feeling that ‘we are right and the whole world is wrong’ might seem like a completely negative thing, because had God permitted it to remain, we would not have been able to believe, but, in my wide experience in churches, it is still alive and kicking today.
It could be the Catholic teaching that if you leave the church, you lose your salvation.
Or the Orthodox teaching that, as the Orthodox church in the beautiful city of Sighișoara states, ‘This is the gate of heaven’.
But we Evangelical protestants don’t escape from this either. Sometimes it seems to me that protesting against Catholics has become old fashioned, so we’d rather protest against each other. I have seen incredibly divisive behaviour from church leaders and pastors.
I was in one church where the pastor actually proclaimed from the pulpit that his church preached the truth and all other churches were liars.
My sister was in one that obsessed to an incredible degree over a miniscule, and largely irrelevant theological detail. When she realised how cultic they were in their behaviour, she attended one last service and then told the pastor she was leaving. As she walked away from the church, the pastor’s wife ran from the church, her long skirt and headscarf fluttering in the breeze, and shouted after her in the middle of a busy street, ‘But Evie, you’ll lose your one-ness! You’ll lose your one-ness!’
Behaviour that I’m sure did not persuade gawping onlookers of the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
I have honestly seen church leaders and members react with distaste when one of their young people chooses to serve with a mission organisation from another denomination.
Seriously!
It’s time we get real and behave like grown-ups.
The theological differences between most of our Evangelical denominations are paper thin. And I know, because I have served in at least four of them (Baptist, Evangelical, Pentecostal and Salvation Army).
And let me tell you the core truth I have learned:
Every denomination is led, managed and staffed by sinners. Everyone participating in the church are sinners. Because we all are sinners. And sinners make mistakes. Sinners get things wrong.
That is a fact.
We were not perfect.
None of us.
So all this exclusivism, this exceptionalism, this misplaced theological pride (which is what it is) is completely out of place and must be discarded for the good of the Body of Christ and the good of the Kingdom of God.
But notice what it is that really alarmed these believers. Instead of confronting their own exceptionalism, they argued that Peter had breached their culture and customs just by being in the home of an uncircumcised man!
There is, of course, no prohibition against this in the Torah. None at all.
However, since Israel at the time was occupied by a pagan people, the Jewish leaders were very firm that a Jew could not enter a Gentile home in case the presence of pagan idols, or images of people or animals, or even the possibility of unclean food, caused them to become unclean themselves.
It was an act of pure, unadulterated self-preservation.
And every extra-Biblical prohibition since them has been exactly the same.
Look at these tough words from Paul:
Colossians 2:20-23 NIVUK
[20] Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: [21] ‘Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!’? [22] These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. [23] Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.
So while banning entry into an uncircumcised man’s home might protect people from being ritually unclean, it did nothing to prevent them from the sins that would cause them to be unclean on the inside.
And that is where the real problems arise.
The ban on entering Cornelius’ home was wrong.
Very wrong.
But after two men, two visions, three blessings and one issue, note, lastly, One Outcome.
One Outcome
Acts 11:18 NIVUK
[18] When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, ‘So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.’
And this should have been the only possible outcome. As Peter stated during his explanation:
Acts 11:17 NIVUK
[17] So if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?’
This reminds me of Gamaliel’s verdict on the birth of the church and the miracles that followed:
Acts 5:38-39 NIVUK
[38] Therefore, in the present case I advise you: leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. [39] But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.’
Although this is the only verdict that could have been reached, it is nonetheless remarkable.
Centuries of Jewish exceptionalism have been swept aside with the realisation that God wanted to allow the Gentiles into the Kingdom of Heaven too.
And yet this is something that had been revealed to the prophets many, many years before:
Isaiah 42:1 NIVUK
[1] ‘Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations.’
Isaiah 42:5-7 NIVUK
[5] This is what God the Lord says – the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out, who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it: [6] ‘I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, [7] to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.
Isaiah 49:5-6 NIVUK
[5] And now the Lord says – he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honoured in the eyes of the Lord and my God has been my strength – [6] he says: ‘It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.’
Isaiah 60:3 NIVUK
[3] Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
Malachi 1:11 NIVUK
[11] My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to me, because my name will be great among the nations,’ says the Lord Almighty.
But just because it was God’s intention does not mean that His people agree with it. After all, it has always been God’s will that everyone should have the opportunity to hear the Gospel, believe it and repent (1 Timothy 2:3-4).
However, it has not always been the will of the church.
William Carey, for example, one of the greatest and most well-known missionaries of any generation was once told ‘Young man, if God wants to save the heathen, he’ll do it without your help or mine’.
This is plainly nonsensical and without merit. The Gospel clearly reaches out to those who do not yet believe. Archbishop William Temple once stated that ‘The church is the only society on earth that exists for the benefit of non-members’.
But does it?
Or have we retreated into our Christianised ghettos?
What happened to the pioneer spirit that brought the Gospel to our door?
Do we have it?
Or are we too busy fighting against God to prevent Him from disturbing our comfort?
Conclusion
Isaiah 49:5-6 NIVUK
[5] And now the Lord says – he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honoured in the eyes of the Lord and my God has been my strength – [6] he says: ‘It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.’
I have stopped counting the number of flights we have been on. I’m sure my wife will have a count somewhere, but I don’t.
No matter the airline you fly with, there is always something all of them have in common:
The safety demonstration.
You might be watching it being demonstrated by an unenthusiastic air steward, or on a small screen that pops down from the luggage rack or on a seatback screen, but for all they say that the details of the presentation might change depending on the model of the plane, to be honest, it very rarely does.
There is always one part where they talk about the oxygen masks that will drop down from the ceiling if the cabin will depressurise – something no-one ever wants to experience.
And what is the advice they always give you? ‘Secure your own mask before assisting others.’
Those are wise words, because you could be so busy trying to help someone else with their mask that you black out from lack of oxygen.
So yes, I get it. I understand it. And if that dreaded event ever happens to me, I will do it.
There is also a good spiritual application here.
If you view repentance for the forgiveness of sins and faith in Jesus as your oxygen mask, and your salvation the oxygen, then, yes, you should obtain it for yourself before sharing it with others.
But I have met Christians who seem to have a different view.
They secure their salvation. They meet with others who have also secured their salvation.
But they will not help others secure theirs. Because they are the wrong kind of people. They are not their kind of people. Why should they be saved?
They are like people who secure their oxygen mask, see other people struggling, but point blank refuse to help them with theirs.
Even if their life depends on it.
I have met others who seem to actively want to deny others the opportunity to gain the salvation they themselves have already gained. They set insane barriers in the way of others to stop them from obtaining salvation. They make life difficult for others.
They are those who would secure their oxygen masks, and then reach out to yank them from the mouths and noses from others.
That is what happened later on in Acts 15, when a group of Jews demanded that if the Gentiles were to become Christians, they should become Jews first.
That is what happens when so-called Christians demand that to be saved you must first dress like them, sing like them, pray like them, speak like them, read their translation of the Bible, perform their rites and rituals.
It is wrong. All completely and entirely wrong.
And this is all designed to keep the outsiders outside.
The Gospel is aimed at all people. God wants all people to be saved (2 Timothy 2:3-4). Yes, we should be honest about what being a Christian is and means. But under no circumstances should we erect barriers and put them in people’s way.
Our aim is to make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20), not clones. They should become like Jesus, not us.
That brings us to this wonderful, paradigm-shifting couple of chapters in the Bible, where we journeyed through two men, two visions, three blessings, one issue and one response.
What should strike us most of all is that this was God’s will, it was His initiative, it was His work and it should not be opposed. It is because of this moment in Christian history that we were permitted to receive the Gospel and follow Jesus without first becoming Jews.
That makes it very special.
There are still missionaries today who break boundaries, demolish walls, tear down barriers and bring the ‘undesirables’ into church. They ought to be applauded, not at all criticised.
Because they are doing the self same work that brought us to the cross.
We too were far. But in Christ we have been brought near.
So when we come across those who are far from the Gospel, it would be good for us to remember that.
And not judge.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank You for this humbling truth that I am a recipient of Your grace, and without pioneering, ground-breaking, paradigm-shifting missionaries, I would not have received the Gospel. Open my mind, I pray. Make me one of those radicals who take the Gospel where You want it to go. Amen.
Questions
What are the five stages in this event? Which is the most significant for you and why?
Who do you most identify with in this event: Cornelius, Peter or the Christians who criticised Peter? Why?
Who are the outsiders in your culture? What can you do to bring them near?
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