JULY 2 CRITICAL PARADIGMS Bible in a year: Job 22, 23, 24 Acts 11 Scripture: Acts 11: 23: When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord. God had made his first move among the gentiles but of course the apostles and brethren in Judea had been left out! So when Peter came up to Jerusalem he was confronted by a whole heap of questions. How could he have got himself involved with uncircumcised men and even eaten with them? This was horrific in terms of their culture and beliefs! Is that not typical of humans? A flash report immediately is submitted to our own critical paradigms and of course inevitable condemnation. Maybe their noses had also been put out of joint because how dare God move anywhere else but where they were involved! Sadly that type of response is rife in the modern church and this negative attitude is always rationalized on the basis that you can never be too careful in these days of deception! But nothing can beat testimony. Peter tells them the whole story, not leaving out a single thing! He relates about Cornelius and how God had explained to him that Peter would be able to share words with him that would lead to his salvation and his family as well. This again confirms that it is the preaching of the gospel that is power unto salvation! As Peter was preaching, the Holy Spirit reminded him of the scripture that said that John baptized with water but that it was the Lord who would baptize in the Holy Spirit! Then followed another key element of any gospel, that “ God had granted to the Gentiles repentance unto life”. Repentance means accepting you are a sinner and turning! All this rung true with the apostles and they accepted that indeed God had given the gentiles the same gift of grace. The way God worked with Cornelius and Peter happens over and over again yet we do not recognize it. Cornelius knew that he need “something” and having acknowledged that, he sought God. Many are like that and while they may not see visions or hear voices, they are nevertheless traveling that same path. Cornelius was not a “believer” at this stage but in fact a “searcher”. So God set up the right meeting and circumstances so that lives could be changed forever. That too happens in the modern, as God works through our normal, mundane everyday lives to present us with the truth. The “Peters” are scattered all over the place! Believe it!
Posted on: Thu, 03 Jul 2014 06:54:35 +0000
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