Acts 10

This week we move into the book of Acts. This book tells the story of the early church, the spread of the gospel, the movement of the Spirit,  the travels of Paul, and the challenge of what to do with non-Jews who were believers.

 

Peter was one of the twelve who had travelled with Jesus. The twelve are known as the disciples when they were travelling with Jesus - disciples means learner or follower. But after the ascension, they are apostles – which means a messenger, one who is sent on a mission. So they moved from being fellow travellers to being messengers.

Peter was one of the people who travelled with Jesus, and one who was commissioned to go and spread the gospel or good news.

 

From this passage we could think about what are the things or people we consider to be unclean?

If , in creation, God declared it good, is anyone or anything ‘unclean’ or outside of God’s grace and love?

We could think about when we have been challenged to do something outside our comfort zone.

We could think about a time we changed our mind on a significant issue.

 

And you are welcome to reflect on those issues, but for the next few minutes I want to look at the pattern in this reading.

The passage starts with Cornelius, an Italian, so not a Jew but a gentile, an outsider. Even though he was an outsider, he was a person who worshipped and prayed and did good deeds.

And he has a spiritual experience – an experience so profound he immediately acted on the message he was given.

 

Peter was a Jew as well as a follower of Jesus, an insider. Peter also had a spiritual experience. Peter wasn’t sure about the experience and the sheet was lowered three times, and the message repeated three times.  Even then Peter was still trying to work out what this meant, he couldn’t eat those creatures, Jews were not allowed to eat those foods – why would God tell him to do something forbidden?

But the messenger then tells him to meet the three men. That bit he acts on.

 

In both cases there was a spiritual experience,

which led to an action.

In both cases that action included hospitality,

making space in their home for the other.

And then an excited , passionate proclamation from Peter.

 

And in the telling, Peter recognises the message that being given to him in the vision of the cloth and the animals. It wasn’t about food and what could or couldn’t be eaten, it was about God breaking down the barriers.

One of the big issues for the church at the time was what to do with people who were not Jewish, but who believed the message of Jesus, and wanted to be part of the Christian community. Did they need to be Jews?  

And in this moment, Peter gets it – you don’t need to be a Jew, before you can be a Christian. You don’t need to be a certain race, or colour, or age, or school background, or family or anything else. Because God is in the reconciliation business, the breaking down of barriers, barriers between people and  between people and God. But reconciliation so more than breaking down barriers, it is also building relationship, and the church is about relationship.  

 

A recap of the pattern.

Spiritual experience

Response

        And sometimes that may take some time

Some kind of action – welcoming, sharing, being present

Telling the story

 

And from telling the story, who knows what might happen – in the story we heard, the Holy Spirit came and people were blessed and baptised.  

 

Sometimes it seems evangelism is a ‘dirty’ word. But evangelism is simply telling the good news.

In the Uniting Church there are concerns at time about our lack of evangelism, I think this is partly because of the experiences some of us have had with people who try and guilt us or scare us into believing, people who don’t seem to be able to have a conversation without badgering.

But notice, Peter does not do this, Peter asks Cornelius, why did you send for me, then Peter tells the story of Jesus. The story of what he saw and experienced of Jesus.

 

Now none of us was there on the road to Jerusalem, or  there when the storm hit the Lake of Galilee, or the when the crowds were fed or the tomb was empty.

And we can only tell the story out of our experience.

What is your experience of God,

what is your experience of God that leads you to response,

to action,

to sharing the story of your life transformed.

 

Notice the order – telling the story is at the end of the list J

Evangelism is

Living out our faith,

and when appropriate telling our story,

the story of the way knowing God’s presence in our lives has changed us,

motivates us to love,

and challenges us to be more gracious, forgiving and welcoming.