PETER'S RESISTANCE TO MISSION IS BROKEN

PETER’S RESISTANCE TO MISSIONS IS BROKEN
KEY VERSE: I now realize how true it is that God does not show favouritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. Acts 10:34-35.

SCRIPTURE LESSON: ACTS 10:1-2, 5,9-20,24-35
ACTS 10:1 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. 2He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.

ACTS10:9 about noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray
10He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance.
11He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners.
12It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air.
13Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter, Kill and eat.”
14 “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”
15The voice spoke to him a second time. “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”
16This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.
17While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon’s house was and stopped at the gate.
18They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there.
19While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him. “Simon, three men are looking for you.
20So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them for I have sent them.

ACTS 10:24The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends.
25As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence.
26But Peter made him get up “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself.”
27Talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people.
28He said to them: “You are –well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean.
29So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me? 30Cornelius answered. “Four days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shinning clothes stood before me
31and said, ‘Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor.
32Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, who lives by the sea.’
33So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to com. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.”
34Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favouritism
35but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.

BACKGROUND
In the early church, converts were coming in from different backgrounds. Both Jews like Saul (Paul) and non-Jews like the Roman centurion, Cornelius responded positively to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Because of frequent outbreaks of violence, Roman soldiers were stationed at vantage points to keep peace throughout Israel since the Romans as conquerors were hated by the Jew. As an army officer in charge of a hundred soldiers. Cornelius represented Rome in his home in Caesarea.

Four significant aspects of Cornelius character are noted in Acts:
He actively sought God
He revered God
He was generous in meeting other people’s needs
He prayed.

These aspects of his character earned him the approval of God. “If you seek him (God), he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.” (1Chron. 28:9b). He and all his family were devout, their godliness being expressed both in generosity to the needy and in regular prayer to God. However, he and the rest of his family needed God’s salvation in Jesus Christ. Peter was chosen as the vessel to transmit the good news of salvation to them, but he had a cultural resistance to ministry. God had to work on Peter’s resistance to missions among Gentiles. As events unfolded Peter became convinced that the Jews as well as the Gentiles needed God’s salvation.

EXPOSITION
THE DOCTRINE OF ELECTION
Israel was elected by God, “Out of all the people’s on the face of the earth, the Lord has chosen you to be his treasured possession” (Deut 14:2) By the doctrine of election, that is, God choosing and blessing one family, Israel, God intended to bless all the families of the earth. “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you… I will bless those who bless you …. And all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (Gen.12:2-3). Scripture taught that when God’s Messiah came, he would inherit the nations, and be their light, land all nations would ‘flow’ to the Lord’s house, I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.” (Isa. 49:6)

The tragedy was that Israel twisted this doctrine of election into one of favouritism, became filled with racial pride, hatred, and despised Gentiles as ‘dogs’ and developed traditions which kept them apart. No orthodox Jew would ever enter the home of a Gentile, even a God-fearer, or invite such into his home. Edelstein states that, ‘all familiar intercourse with Gentiles was forbidden and no pious Jew would of course have sat down at the table of a Gentile.’

This then was the entrenched position which had to be overcome before Cornelius could be admitted into the Christian Community on equal terms with Jews, and before the Church could become a truly multi-racial society. Peter was to be God’s instrument in this development, for Cornelius was instructed to send for him from Joppa.

NEW STAGE IN PETER’S MISSIONARY CAREER
Events in the passage clearly show that God was moving Peter’s missionary career towards a new stage of bringing the Gentiles into the Church. On three occasions, Peter resisted the voice that came in the trance. The vision left Peter confused. He however gave in when the spirit told him about the visit of the three men sent to him by Cornelius. After hearing their message, Peter became convinced that God was opening a new door for the Gentiles to go in. Not only was he convinced but he also went further by hosting them for the night even though they were uncircumcised Gentiles.

When Peter entered the residence of Cornelius, he started his address by saying; “It is against our law…” (Verse 28). Not only was it against their law to host Gentiles but also to enter the house of a Gentiles and to talk with him was prohibited. The obstacle to the mission to the Gentiles was that, it would bring law-abiding Jews like Peter into contact with people who were reckoned unclean. It is this obstacle which was overcome by the vision of Peter. He was overwhelmed and became more convinced when in the course of his message, the Gentiles received the Holy Spirit as the Jewish disciples experienced on the day of Pentecost. Peter realized that, if God accepted the Gentiles in this way, he should be prepared to accept and defend their entry into the church by baptism.

THE WORD IN OUR LIVES
Some years ago, a foreign missionary and an indigenous missionary went to the northern part of Ghana to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and establish churches. The foreign missionary pegged his tent among the people, ate their food, wore their dresses, learnt their language and sometimes went to farm with them. The indigenous missionary lodged at a hotel and spoke through an interpreter. He mounted crusades and tried to present the Gospel to the people in the clearest and simplest method he could. Within two years, the foreign missionary had succeeded in establishing many churches and had got some of the natives to help him run those churches. On the contrary, the indigenous missionary had established only one church with most of the members being southerners who had traveled to the north to work.

For the Church to become universal God had to break the traditional taboo that served as a barrier between the Jews and the Gentiles in the Cornelius-Peter episode. Peter now felt at liberty to enter Cornelius house. God had shown him that no human being is unclean in his sight and that all people every where needed the saving grace of God through Jesus Christ. God did this through Peter because Jesus had given him the keys of the kingdom’ (Matt. 16:19) to open the door for the Gentiles to go in.

Modern day Christians need to learn from today’s lesson. All people everywhere are equal before God and equally need his grace in the salvation of their souls. We should prepared therefore to cast away all cultural prejudices and “become all things to all people “so that we may win some for Christ (1 Cor. 9:19-23).

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

The foreign missionary was able to establish many churches in Northern Ghana (see The Word in Our Lives). What do you think made this possible?
2. a Discuss why (i) the Methodist Church (ii)other churches you can identify by name, are not expanding as fast as they should in certain parts of the country?
(b) How can the trend be reversed?
3. What lessons does the Peter-Cornelius ‘episode teaches us in relation to ethnocentrism (regarding one’s ethnic group as superior over others) in our evangelism?
4. How can Methodist and other African ministers in Europe and America establish churches made up of indigenous Europeans and Americans?

BIBLE LESSON APPLICATION
Make an effort to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to somebody who is not a member of your ethnic group this week. Share your experience with your group members.

DAILY BIBLE READINGS
Monday Acts 10: 1-8 Cornelius is directed to call Peter
Tuesday Acts 10:9-19 Peter’s Vision
Wednesday Acts 10:19-23 Peter is convinced
Thursday Acts 10:24-35 Peter at Cornelius’ house
Friday Acts 10:36-48 Peter’s Message
Saturday Acts 11:1-18 Peter explains his actions
Sunday Acts 15:5-11 the yoke is finally broken