Friday, November 25, 2016, 8:00 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Near the Cross.” Speak, Lord, your
words to my heart. I read Acts 10
(Select vv. NIV).
Surely Not!
(Summary vv. 1-33)
Cornelius and his family were
devout and God-fearing, but they were Gentiles, with whom Jews did not
associate. One day, God gave Cornelius a vision of an angel of God who then
spoke to him. God had honored Cornelius’ prayers and his gifts to the poor, so
God had him send men to Simon Peter, so that they would bring Peter back with
them. So, Cornelius obeyed, and he did what the angel of God told him to do.
While the men were on their
way to Peter, God gave Peter a vision, which was to prepare him for these men and
for his journey to meet Cornelius and his family, friends and neighbors. In the
vision the Lord presented Peter with something like a sheet, coming down from
heaven, containing all kinds of animals, reptiles and birds. A voice from
heaven told Peter to eat, but he refused, because Jewish law did not allow for
him to eat what was considered to be impure or unclean. “Do not call anything impure
that God has made clean,” responded the voice from heaven. This happened three
times, and then the sheet was taken back to heaven.
While Peter pondered the
meaning of the vision, the men sent from Cornelius showed up at the door to the
house where Peter was staying. The Spirit of God told Peter not to hesitate
going with the men, for God (Jesus, the Spirit) had sent them. So, Peter
invited them into the home where he was staying, and the next day he went with
the men to Cornelius.
When he arrived at Cornelius’
house, he found a large gathering of people, comprised of Cornelius’ relatives
and close friends. Peter cut to the chase. He reminded the people that it was
against Jewish law to associate with Gentiles. But, then he told them that God
had shown him that he should not call anyone impure or unclean. Then, Peter
inquired as to why he was sent for, and Cornelius responded by telling Peter
about his visit from the angel from God. Then, he said, “Now we are all here in
the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell
us.”
No Favoritism
(vv. 34-35)
Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it
is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who
fears him and does what is right.
The law of the Jews forbade
them from associating with Gentiles, but was that what God intended? I don’t
believe so. The intention of the law of Moses was that the Jews, who were God’s
chosen people at that time, would live lives separate (unlike, different) from
the world, so that they would not take on the pattern of the world and become
idolatrous. So, they were not to intermarry between faiths, nor were they to
enter into unholy alliances with unbelievers. So, what about us, God’s people
today, i.e. Christians? We have the same instructions given to us to not be
unequally yoked together with unbelievers and to not love the world or to take
on the pattern of the world (See: 2 Co. 6:14-18; Ro. 12:1-2; Jn. 15:19). And,
yet we are told not to associate with those who profess Christ as Savior but
who are living sinful lifestyles, and who are unwilling to repent of their sins
(1 Co. 5:9-11).
We are instructed, though,
that we are to go into all the world to preach the gospel, and to make
disciples (of Christ) of people of all nations (Matt. 28:18-20; Mk. 16:15). We
are the light of the world (Matt. 5:14). God so loved the world that he gave
his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, that WHOEVER believes (present tense) in
him has eternal life (Jn. 3:16). Jesus is the Savior of the world (Jn. 4:42). We
are not to entirely remove ourselves from unbelievers or to cease to associate
with them (1 Co. 5:9-11). And, yet this must be combined together with the
teaching on not being unequally yoked together with unbelievers in close,
intimate associations.
In other words, there is a
balance in between not associating at all with the people of the world, and
thus not having any opportunity to share Christ with them, and fully
associating ourselves with unbelievers in close, intimate associations
(friendships, marriage, business) to where we end up taking on the values, philosophies,
thoughts, attitudes and behaviors of the world. These associations are not just
in person, but via TV, the internet, movies, music, games, et al. In other
words, we are not to go live in a monastery and totally disconnect ourselves
from the world, for we are called to be lights in the world, but we are not to join
in with the world, face-to-face, or virtually, in close association to where we
take on the pattern of the world.
So, the only biblical basis
for not associating with people at all is that of not associating (mixing,
hanging out) with professing Christians who are living in sin, and who are
unwilling to repent. And, limited associations are only on the basis of not
having close, intimate (bonding) relations with unbelievers so that we don’t
unite with them in their ungodly ways, and become idolaters with them.
Basically, any associations which would or could have the potential to lead us
to sin against God are bad for us. And, associations with people of the world
should always have a goal in mind of leading them to faith in Jesus Christ,
i.e. to be a light to them of the gospel of Christ.
The Good News
(vv. 36-43)
You know the message God sent to the people of Israel,
announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. You
know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee
after the baptism that John preached— how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with
the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all
who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.
“We are witnesses of everything he did in the country
of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, but
God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. He was
not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us
who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to
preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as
judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that
everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
Because Peter listened to the
Lord, and he overcame his (learned) prejudice, God was able to use him in the
lives of those not like him. And, this is where we need to be, too. So many of
us have ingrained prejudices which we learned from our parents, or which we picked
up over the years from life’s experiences, some of them bad, and these have
helped to shape our thinking and our outlook and our views of others who are
not like us. And, this has led some of us to not associate at all with certain
types or groups of people, and this is wrong! We are not to accept sin, mind
you, but we should not be afraid to reach out to people who are different from
us and to show them the love of Jesus, as well as to share with them his gospel
of salvation from sin. Not one of us is any better than another, save for the
blood of Jesus given on a cross for our sins so that we might be delivered from
slavery to sin and have the hope of eternal life with God in heaven – all by
God’s grace alone!
The Result (vv.
44-48)
While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy
Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had
come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been
poured out even on Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and
praising God.
Then Peter said, “Surely no one can stand in the way
of their 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. Then
they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.
The result of Peter’s
obedience was that the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. This
means that those who heard the gospel believed in Jesus Christ to be Lord and
Savior of their lives. Thus, they were crucified with Christ in death to sin,
and they were resurrected with Christ to newness of life, “created to be like
God in true righteousness and holiness,” which is the working of the Holy
Spirit in the life of the believer. When we believe in Jesus Christ, the Holy
Spirit comes within us to dwell, to empower, and to counsel, lead, guide, direct,
inspire, convict, urge, encourage and to teach us what Jesus taught when he
walked the face of this earth.
Yet, if Peter had ignored the
Spirit’s voice, and if he had held fast to his prejudices, and if he had not
gone with the men to Cornelius’ house, he would not have had the blessing of
seeing this family come to faith in Jesus Christ. The same is true with us. When
the Spirit speaks, thus, we must heed what he says, we must go where he sends,
and say what he wants us to say, and trust the Lord with the results. This
means dying to our own flesh, and learning to love others with the love of
Christ in the way that Jesus loves us so that he can use us to demonstrate his
love to others.
Near the Cross / Fanny
J. Crosby / William H. Doane
Jesus, keep me near the cross;
There a precious fountain,
Free to all, a healing stream,
Flows from Calvary's mountain.
Near the cross! O Lamb of God,
Bring its scenes before me;
Help me walk from day to day
With its shadow o'er me.
Near the cross I'll watch and wait,
Hoping, trusting ever,
Till I reach the golden strand
Just beyond the river.
In the cross, in the cross,
Be my glory ever,
Till my raptured soul shall find
Rest beyond the river.
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