God’s mission involves risk. I’m asking you to consider what God might be doing. And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean.” (Acts 10:1–28, ESV). It is a divinely ordered sequence.
Scatter: Go Therefore and Take Your Job With You, The Glorious Privilege (REACH|17) (North Indy), The Irony of Weary Worship & Global Missions, Living For Christ Alone: The Hope of the World, Reach Them Before It’s Too Late: The Role of Hell in our Zeal for Missions (REACH|11), Jonah, the Reluctant Missionary: A Biblical Response to Radical Islam (REACH|10), Expect Great Things from God; Attempt Great Things for God – The Life of William Carey (REACH|11). And Peter protested that he has never eaten anything that would violate his Jewish heritage. On a chilly November, in Manhattan, he was playing at the Starbucks Café on 51st & Broadway. There are doorways all across campus that we merely need to walk through in obedience. 4. Even though he was devout, feared God, gave alms, prayed continually, and was called “acceptable” by Peter, he still needed to hear and respond. 1.
He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.” When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him, and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa. At least it was supposed to change. This week: Pray for God to set divine appointments, do one thing to prepare for that divine appointment, be aware of the people around you in expectation of a divine appointment; and in faith, walk through the door when the Lord opens it for you. In today’s typical estimation of ministry efficiency, Philip would have been best-suited to minister among the Samaritans or evangelize in the Greek-speaking cities. Be wise in the way you act toward those outside your own number; make the most of every opportunity. His seeking need to reach it fulfillment in finding Jesus. Life is not lived by chance, fate, or luck – Life is lived by the providence of God. Peter is a devout Jew who is a follower of Jesus and who has been charged by Jesus, after His death, resurrection, and ascension, to “make disciples of all nations” (Matt. Brian Hendry, one of the pastors of Helix Bible Church, is passionate about proclaiming the glory of God in the Gospel, and faith that practically applies to all of life. There are many reasons why you and I could easily sit through another REACH month and remain unmoved and unchanged. There are reasons why we do not think this way. “So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. We need to learn to see these opportunities, and be … Why has God brought me to College Park Church with all the focus on unreached peoples? This is a good reminder, especially in light of the fact that we live in a family-oriented, Midwestern values, relatively conservative community. And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. I. Naaman—2 Kings 5:11 God’s Ways Are Not Our Ways-Naaman had it all figured out the way God would heal him. Others had said it was the … I keep trusting the Lord & singing His songs.” This was a Divine Appointment where two paths crossed and relief was granted. He was in charge, a slave owner, going to the sale simply to purchase another slave for his household as he had done many times before. A long-time friend and mentor told Carey that “when God is pleased to covert the heathen, He will do it without your aid or mine.” It seems shocking that someone, especially a church leader, would say such a thing. It was built by Herod the Great and named in honor of the Roman Emperor Augustus. “And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. For His eye is on the sparrow & I know He watches me." Copyright 2020 College Park Church. I. They were traveling to Egypt, making another haul of goods and merchandise to sell at a great profit. So what is Peter saying? D.L. We cannot allow the “goodness” of people to lessen our passion to see the gospel brought to them. Prior to the death of Jesus and the book of Acts, a Gentile became part of God’s family by becoming Jewish, embracing the ceremonial requirements, sacrifices, and the Jewish law. Incidentally, this is one reason why I do not believe that speaking in tongues is normative for today. Share. In verses 1-8 we are given some background on Cornelius, and we are told what happened to him. 2 Colossians 4:2-6, Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. SERIES …. Peter says, “…God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.” I’ve already established that “acceptable” does not mean justified or saved. Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce this material in any format provided that you do not alter the content in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. Verses 3-8 tell us that Cornelius had an encountered with an angel who told him that his religious observance had not gone unnoticed by God and that he was to send for Peter (v 4-5). 6 Prayer puts us on God’s page - lines us up with God. That is important for two reasons. Paul is in prison yet he doesn’t ask for their prayers concerning his ‘chains’ but rather prayers concerning opportunities to clearly proclaim Christ. We shouldn’t be so surprised because God has been arranging such encounters since the beginning of time. In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. Yes. There are barriers and challenges that we need to identify. Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: by Mark Vroegop. Introduction.
What is the reason for your coming?” And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say.” So he invited them in to be his guests.
The spiritual needs of moral and religious-sounding people are just as pressing as people in crisis, but it is easy to not see the divine opportunities in front of us because we see people through a moral or behavioral lens. God has other plans for Peter regarding the Law and, by implication, the spread of the gospel. 2. He lived in Caesarea, a city on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea which was the central Roman city for the region of Judea.
Subtlety one can believe (although not usually verbalized) that certain people groups are so backwards that they do not even deserve the gospel. So part of our role during these three weeks is to remind us about the mission of God so that we can look at our lives differently. All rights reserved. And while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you. That was a divine appointment. Prop: 5 In order to experience and discover Divine appointments we must first enter the adventure of prayer. Divine Appointments. As we do, we can have the thrill of being used by God. It is worth noting that in all of Paul’s prison prayers, his concern was not for personal safety or material help, but for spiritual character and blessing. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. do.” Those “good works” are divine appointments – opportunities He has set up for you. No. She died last week of a brain tumor. The food restrictions were part of a greater distinction between Jews and Gentiles, and to this point the gospel had not been taken to the Gentiles. In other words, we need to be careful that we do not miss and that we even look for divine appointments – to realize that if “this is for that” then “it’s time for that.”. But I do believe that God is in the process of reaching people, and we need to consider our role. Cornelius still needed the gospel. This outward display was surprising because it was not the normal way that God had worked in the past; it was meant to validate that the gospel had genuinely come to the Gentiles and to link this moment to what had happened at Pentecost when the Spirit fell on devout Jews. At first Peter might think that the vision was simply about a change in the dietary laws. Moses and the battle prayer in Exodus 17. But we also learn that he was a “devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God” (Acts 10:2). Divine Appointment I; Begin with Prayer-nv 030608am (Col 4:2-6 & Phil 2:13) OS: 1 John Thomas Oaks is musician in NYC [www.oaksengine.com] . So if you wait until the opportunity or the conversation is safe and unequivocal, you will never do it. He noticed a lady in chair swaying & singing along with “If You Don’t Know Me By Now.” Afterwards, she apologized for singing. TS] Scripture combination - God works in us providing opportunity to do His will. He needed to hear the gospel. 1. REACH|13 (Part 2 of 3) Divine Appointments. 1. Some have taken this text out of its context and suggested that speaking in tongues is a requirement for genuine salvation or they see it as a normal expression of being “full of God.” But the point in Acts 10 is the unusual work of God outside of the Jewish context. After Cornelius explained the events in his life and why he had called for him to come, Peter proceeded to preach the gospel to those who were gathered in Cornelius’ house. 2606 W 96th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46268. Affects how you see daily life – like putting on your glasses –. The encounter between Peter and Cornelius is part of a bigger story in the book of Acts regarding reaching non-Jewish people with the gospel.
The contrast between Peter and Cornelius is central to the message of this text.
How often do we pray for impact on this community? Paul understood – Acts 21 – riot, Divine appointment. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. He holds a B.A in Biblical Studies and enjoys reading, good food and coffee, sports, and travel. 2.
A. OS: 1 John Thomas Oaks is musician in NYC [www.oaksengine.com] . Self-centeredness – Having a gospel mindset means that you are going to look beyond yourself, your needs, and your personal fulfillment. III. And without Peter’s message, he would have not heard the message. Always seek God’s leading in your ministry efforts; let Him determine where you’re best-suited to serve Him. With your Divine appointments this year, God will get you out of your comfort zones to receive your blessing.
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