Getting Out of God’s Way

Reality Church: Messages from= the Book of Acts

Part 7

“Getting Out of God’s Way”

Acts 10.

POWERPOINT ONE: T= hen Peter began to speak to them: I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right= is acceptable to him. Acts 10: 34-35&= nbsp;

Have you ever said something and then just couldn’t believe it came out of your = own mouth?

“Where did that come from?” It didn’t sound so bad in your head but then when it c= ame out?

That’s how Peter felt. He just couldn’t have been more surprised.=

At the time he is standing in the living room of Cornelius the centurion…offic= er in the Roman army occupying Judea.

According to Luke, Cornelius is one of the good guys…well thought of—he even believed= in Israel’s God…though he was a Gentile…so it was kind of like doing an indepe= ndent study. Pretty much on your own…not circumcised and didn’t keep dietary laws…couldn’t eat with Jews.=

Now Jews held various opinions of Gentiles—it ran the full spectrum from seeing them as hopelessly immoral and filthy, to “some are really okay once you ge= t to know them.”

They pretty much lived in harmony—just didn’t ever have them over for supper. “I mean what if they might just slip so= me pork into the beans.” Taylor

You see it is hard for us to understand how important this was to Jews—the food= thing, the dietary laws. Most of us eaten= bacon all our lives..no big deal..not think twice about combining milk and meat.<= o:p>

Was very big deal…Jewish person would just get nauseous just thinking about it.= I was just reading about the Chinese ba= by milk scandal. Did you know that ju= st until the last 15 years or so milk and milk products where not really much = of a traditional Chinese diet. Most Chi= nese people drink little or no milk and not cheese, yogurt….gag reflex…these thi= ngs stank. They spoke of foreigners as smelling like off-cheese.

Then a more market conscious/profit conscious system…gov. provided cows…such a c= heap form of protein—things are changing---now yogurt is sheik.

For a Jewish person this food thing was a deeply serious matter

We tend to read this text from our broadminded, majority religion point of vie= w. But try to hear the story as it was fir= st recounted—from the minority…

POWERPOINT TWO “Here is a people for whom a bit of po= rk or a pinch of incense or a little intermarriage is a matter of life and death = for the community.” William Willimon<= o:p>

Look dietary laws not a Miss Manners kind of thing…or a peculiar culinary habit:= No it was a matter of survival and iden= tity. This is who we are—how we live directed= by God’s own hand.

And now things will be changed? See why Peter was confused? Baffled?

What’s the difference? Food is food, right?! But God told us to do it another way….been doing it this way for as = long as anybody can remember –it IS IN THE TORAH!

It the first Sunday of the month. You= come in and table is set..the white clothes. Oh, the Lord’s Supper---you can almost taste already the cake-like bread, the dark, thick sweetness of the juice of the grapes. You take your place in the line. People seem to be acting odd…some commo= tion ahead of you. You catch one man ju= st shaking his head..you catch a look of disgust on his face. A women backs way from the server as if= the man was pointing a gun at her.

“This is my body broken for you, the cup poured out for you,” the pastor solemnly proclaims. But it isn’t bread and = it isn’t new wine. They’re serving ma= shed potatoes and bourbon whiskey!

It is just food? Right?

We would not be who we are if we ate mashed potatoes and drank bourbon in chur= ch. Do you get it?

If not, imagine anything that is for you is the dividing line between Christia= ns and other people—the one thing that makes you who you are and is not negotiable…let this slide and whole thing falls apart…whole identity as peo= ple of God is lost. Get rid of the cross? Not a positive marketing im= age in our culture anyway.

Whatever that is for you..get ready to let it go…because that is what Peter did.&nbs= p; He had to.

POWERPOINT THREE:= “God gave him a vision that changed everything he had ever believed about who he= was and how he was supposed to live.” Taylor

Peter is in Joppa, sea port…now a suburb of Tel Aviv. Cornelius is 40= miles up the coast at Caesarea and God is in between arranging visions that would bring them together.

Cornelius gets his dream first. Told him first that he was a good guy and his life wa= s pleasing to God and to send some of his men to Joppa to a house by the sea…guy named Simon Peter lives there. How’s tha= t for clear!

About noon next day …Corny’s men approaching the city and Peter has gone up on the roof of his house to pray. Gets the munchies…while dinner’s cooking, = he has his own vision: Large sheet lo= wered down with all forbidden creatures…camels, badgers, buzzards, bats, crocodil= es, lizards..not going further—nobody will feel like lunch—you can see Leviticu= s 11 for more detail.

Voice: “Get up Peter and eat.” Devil right? Recognizes voice of God.&n= bsp; “No way. Yahweh!”

“What God has made clean you shall no call profane.”…3 times…knows Peter doesn’t = get things said just once. Hope for us in prayer..

Cornelius’ men arrive…Peter puts two and two together and goes back with them to Caesa= rea. Meets Cornelius and comes into his house—surrounded by Gentiles.

First thing Peter says: “You know that it is unlawful for a Jew to associate with a Gentile. Same old same old…imagine they thought. Hoping for th= is great man Cornelius had told them about and they get the same old Jim Crow! Same old racist bull.

“But…” he said. Great word! But!

“But,” Peter said, “God has shown me that I should not call anyone unclean or unworthy. So when I was sent for I came. Why did you bring me here?”

“Well, we are here to listen to all God has commanded you to say.” So Peter told them what he had just learned.

I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation, everyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.

Could of heard a pin drop!

Nobody on earth had given Peter permission to say such a thing.<= /p>

· Just opened the church to everyone who had previously been shut out.

· Just opened the church to people he wasn’t even supposed to give a hello to.

Didn’t check with anyone back in Jerusalem.

Didn’t even quote a passage of scripture to back it up.

Acted on an intuitive sense of the Spirit—took a huge risk in following God’s lea= d.

Just gave the fresh vision God had given him: this belief that Jesus was L= ord of all.

Not some. All. Everybody.

Just then the Holy Spirit got busy in the room…people speaking in tongues…singin= g.

“Can anyone withhold baptism from folks that received the Holy Spirit just like = we have?” Then he answered his own question: “ I don’t think so.” And baptized them all right there.

In that moment, a new window on the whole world opened.

If anyone asks you what is one of your most favorite stories in the Bible—quic= kly say Acts 10. Acts 10? Yes, Acts 10 for in Acts 10 we who have= been born wrong go set right. Acts 10 i= s the story of nobodies becoming somebodies…of no people like us, becoming God’s people. On that night every gentil= e got their birthright. Doors sealed shu= t by heritage, genetics, race, creed, fear, doors sealed shut by Holy Scripture itself got blown wide open by the love of God, by the gigantic, thunderous grace of God.

Next and final week in Acts: New Windows on the World—template for our own community…

Hell to pay for Peter: 11^th chap. Of Acts~ An inquisition: Whatever possessed you = to eat unclean food? Go to be with unclean people?

You crossed over man! Just too much. Sold out man! Disobeyed = the law…dishonored the one thing that is not negotiable, that makes us who we are!

And as gently as he could he told them= what God had shown him…this vision that included all creatures, all people.=

Hadn’t sold out. Had traded up, and when he went to Cornelius’ house and what happened there, he knew it was right.

POWERPOINT FOUR: = “If then God gave them the same gift that God gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ,” Peter said, ‘who was I to think I could oppose God? ( = i.e. Get in God’s way) Acts 11: 17=

Everyone got very quiet, and then they all praised God.

It was an amazing moment. Peter, the Rock, the one on whom Jesus said he= ’d build the church, the one with the Kingdom keys, admitted that he didn’t kn= ow what doors God would ask him to open next.

Since that day, Acts 10 moments have been happening…again and again people have t= ried to live with truly open and welcoming hearts and often paid the price.=

POWERPOINT FIVE:<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Picture of Chris Buice.

This man’s name is Rev. Chris Buice. He= is pastor of a church in Knoxville, Tennnessee. Don’t need to know his denomination—not important to this –just need= to know his congregation has been trying to live Acts 10. They became known in their community for welcoming everyone. ..really meant everyone and sought ties with Jews and Catholics, Hindus and Buddhists. T= heir Sunday school children learned early this vision: “Ours is a church of the loving heart, = open mind and helping hands.” Just tryi= ng to live out Acts 10 best way they knew how. Got themselves a reputation as a “liberal” church—godless, unpatriot= ic and treasonous—the same claims made against Peter. And the price they paid? Last July a man walked into their sanct= uary on a Sunday morning and took a shot gun out of a guitar case and opened fir= e on an unarmed congregation---many wounded—two adults died. After a year of grieving here is what P= astor Chris says:

ADD TO FIVE: “Members of my congregation have been hurt. But we have also been healed= by the feelings that there is a love greater than our theological differences,= a compassion that is not limited by the boundaries of any creed. I firmly believe, now more than ever, t= hat love is stronger than death. Love = is more powerful than hate.” <= /b>Newsweek, Jan 19, 2009

I close this morning with this Acts 10 moment caught on film last week.<= /o:p>

POWERPOINT SIX: Photo of Obama at Lincoln Memorial.

Our president elect…tried to slip quietly out with his family last week for a n= ight visit to the Lincoln memorial. Just wanted a few moments with Mr. Lincoln…trying to get in touch with—get his m= ind his heart around the gratitude for one who bore such responsibility for setting him free. Someone said that Rose Parks sat down so Martin King could stand and Barack Obama could fly. True enough and wondrous! But if you want to know where such a fr= eedom fire first touched the earth, a great place to look is Acts 10.<= /span>

Because there, a fisherman named Peter heard God’s welcome and spent the rest of his life just trying to keep up and carry what he could of God’s compassion and grace and hope.

To trust and obey and get out of the way! A good, holy rule!
To trust, to obey….to let God love the whole world and to allow yourself to be a part of this Great Welcoming Heart.

Here comes unconditional love, compassion, hope, grace. Help carry what you can…and whatever of= the welcome you don’t get or can’t yet understand, well for God’s sake, for the sake of the world Jesus so loves, for the sakes of your very souls, get out= of the way!