A New Lesson Learned

  Today’s topic is in the form of a question. Are you willing to change your theology and your attitude? I will take our lesson from Acts 10 and draw some highlights from that. Peter, a Jewish fisherman, was called by Jesus to be one of His disciples. And you know the story, he had his ups and downs. And finally, Jesus was crucified, He arose from the dead and He told them to meet in the upper room until they were baptized with the Holy Spirit, until the promise of the Father would be fulfilled. So, they did for ten days. They were waiting on God, and after ten days they were sitting, they were not kneeling or laying on the floor, they were sitting, and the Holy Spirit baptized them, and wonderful things happened. Peter preached a marvelous sermon and 3,000 people were saved. After that he had a ministry of healing, he healed people and some would put other people in his shadow to be healed, and he prayed for people to be raised from the dead. So, God was working marvelously with Peter. And we are thankful for that.
  Now, Peter didn’t know it, but God had something else cookin’ on the stove. And one of the reasons he probably didn’t know it was because of his theology or his attitude. He probably forgot that Jesus said somewhere in His ministry that He had other sheep that He was going to bring into the fold. Well, to a Jewish person who had been steeped in theology for hundreds of years that probably didn’t ring a bell because Jesus was speaking about the Gentiles that He was going to bring in. Jesus was working something in the Kingdom that he didn’t know about. Jesus was using Cornelius the soldier, a Gentile, who had been praying and looking to God for help. God told him to call for Peter and he would come and preach to him. Now what God was doing was that he was going to do for the Gentiles the same thing He did for the Jewish people on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was initially poured out in such a way of demonstration that they couldn’t deny it. And so, God was going to do this for the Gentiles. It was going to be like the Jewish Pentecost. It was going to be a Gentile Pentecost, where the baptism of the Spirit was going to come down in such a way that it was going to cause the early disciples to see that God was also bringing in the Gentiles. There was just one hitch, one little hiccup. Peter’s theology wouldn’t permit that. A Jew couldn’t go into the house of a Gentile. He would become unclean. So, Jesus was going to give Peter a refresher course, theology 101.
  We find in Acts 10: 9-14, “The next day around noon as Cornelius’ men were approaching Joppa, Peter went up to the flat roof of the house to pray, he was hungry and wanted to eat, but while lunch was being prepared, he fell into a trance and entered into another realm. As the heavenly realm opened up, he saw something resembling a large linen tablecloth that descended from above being let down by its four corners. As it floated down, he saw that it held many kinds of four-footed animals, reptiles, and wild birds. A voice said to him, ‘Peter, go and prepare them to be eaten.’ Peter replied, ‘there is no way I could do that, Lord, for I have never eaten anything forbidden or impure according to our Jewish laws.’  In verse 17 “Peter was so stunned by the vision that he couldn’t stop wondering about what all it meant. Meanwhile, Cornelius’ men had learned where Peter was staying and at that same moment were standing outside the gate.” Verse 19&20 “...the Spirit said to him, ‘Go downstairs now, for three men are looking for you. Don’t hesitate to go with them because I have sent them.”
  And, you know, Peter was beginning to get the lesson. Jesus was beginning to change his theology and his attitude, so he could fit in with what God was doing at that particular time. He went with the men and got to Cornelius’ house. Verse 28, “Peter said to them, ‘You all know that it is against the Jewish laws for me to associate with or even visit the home of one who is not a Jew. Yet God has shown me that I should never view anyone as inferior or ritually unclean. So, when you sent for me, I came without objection. Now may I ask why you sent for me?’”
And you know the story, as Peter was preaching to the Gentiles, we find in verse 44, “While Peter was speaking, the Holy Spirit cascaded over all those listening to his message. The Jewish brothers who had accompanied Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out on people who weren’t Jews, for they heard them speaking in supernaturally given languages and passionately praising God. Peter said, ‘How could anyone object to these people being baptized? For they have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.’”
  So, we have the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Jews at Pentecost, and because Peter was willing to have his attitude and theology changed, he was being used of God to see that His will was being fulfilled, because He was going to take the Jews and the Gentiles and bring them together into the body of Christ.
  In the year 2023 God has something cookin’. He has something going on and we may not know what it is, but it is going to be something great in the Kingdom. Now the question is, are you going to be willing, am I going to be willing, to have a theological adjustment or a change in our attitude, so that we can get in on the action?