“ So Peter opened his* mouth and* said, “In truth I understand that God is not one who shows partiality, but in every nation the one who fears him and who does what is right is acceptable to him. ......
...... While* Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all those who were listening to the message. And those believers from the circumcision who had accompanied Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, for they heard them speaking in tongues and glorifying God.
Then Peter said, “Surely no one can withhold the water for these people to be baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit as we also did!” So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay for several days. .......
..... Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had accepted the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision took issue with him, saying, “You went to men ⌊who were uncircumcised⌋ and ate with them!” But Peter began and* explained it* to them in an -orderly- sequence....
... “ And the Spirit told me to accompany them, not hesitating at all. So these six brothers also went with me, and we entered into the man’s house. And he reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and summon Simon, who is also called Peter, who will -speak words to you by which you will be saved, you and all your household.-’
And as I was beginning to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them, just as also on us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ Therefore if God gave them the same gift as also to us when we* believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to be able to hinder God?”
And when they* heard these things, they became silent* and praised God, saying, “Then God has granted the repentance leading to life to the Gentiles also!”
- Acts 10:34 - 11:18 ( LEB )
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Biblical Living 101 - The Holy Spirit -Part 3
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Last week, our post gave us a front row spiritual seat to the happenings on the Day of Pentecost, right in the commentators box.. where we could actually understand the larger strategy behind the events of the day. If you haven’t read it, please do to get the full benefit of this weeks study!
Pentecost was the kicking off of the Gospel initiative against the wrath and opposition of a dethroned, and now - exiled to earth - adversary. God the Spirit, having incarnated, inspired and anointed , spoken through - Christ, worked miracles and exorcized demons as the finger of God, resurrected Christ from the dead - now being poured out on, working through, and armoring mankind with the knowledge of God!
The implacable opposition and hate of the enemy against God & Man is evidenced by the carnage of spiritual death and destruction in human lives - broken homes, child abuse, corruption, power hungriness, immorality, suicides, fanaticism. The root of all these evils is ultimately pride. Think about it - man has the capacity TODAY to eradicate hunger completely from this planet. Why don’t we ?
Because we can’t get along. Everyone wants things done “their” way - follow my idea/ology, policy, religion, govt/financial system, because mine is different, and better - and I will fight and kill you if necessary to prove it! It’s the same issue, ego, played out in the halls of Congress or the office water-cooler or Thanksgiving dinner... even Christians are divided over interpretations of the same Book! Divide and conquer is a very effective strategy - separate man from man and man from God ! That’s why we need help.....
Pride leads and drives us to say, I don’t need a God, I’m my own God and follow my own rules, which I can break at my convenience. Pride leads to the lack of fear- respect, awe, reverence, obedience - of God!!!!!! In today’s text, Cornelius, though a pagan, was “god-fearing” ( regardless of label ) which manifested in a righteous ministry of almsgiving and care for the poor!
This pride filled, and now, gospel-rejecting world incurs the judgment of God ( 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse - seals 1-4 in Revelation). False doctrines, wars, famine, death via disease, animals, disasters (“natural causes” ). Seal 5 has also been opened - showed us martyrs protesting, and God still allowing persecution (but holding back his unmitigated Wrath about it till the Bowl judgments). That’s the Seal team 5 world we are living in today... a time of GREAT TRIBULATION ... but NOT...’THE’ GREAT TRIBULATION ( post 7th Trumpet ) or the time of Gods WRATH ( 7 Bowls ) !!!.. A very important distinction for all eschatologists!
Pride is nowhere evident in the Spirit of God - 2 Timothy 2:24–26 (NKJV): “And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, - in humility - correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.”
There is only ONE set of ways/ideas/rules for all humans. He wrote it down, and the truth the Bible sets forth - a literary, scientific, philosophical, moral, worldview tour-de-force of Love that - [[objectively now]] - has withstood scrutiny, attack, “scholarship” , haters, imitators, from multiple fronts for literally millennia ! - NO other religious text can claim that - so we are not being fanatical - we are TELLING YOU THE SIMPLE TRUTH! Don’t believe us, check it out for yourself ... does your religions truth claims and worldview stand the test of time and truth?
Jesus is the One! We declare THE Righteousness of God/ the Way, the Truth and the Life, who transcends and obliterates human boundaries, labels, -isms or -ists. “God is not one who shows partiality, but in every nation the one who -fears- him and who does what is -right- is acceptable to him. ......” ( our text ) It’s why the Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Truth!
This means coming to grips with the fact that every Word in the Bible, all they mean and imply, Satan, War, Suffering, Spiritual beings, Gods commands and the presence of the Holy Spirit (!) are literally Real and True!! ... we don’t get to say ... “Oh you really ... meant ...that ....” ... it’s a comfort to know He’s a promise keeper... but Hell is a reality that sends chills down our spines.
Now do you feel like Neo ( Keanu Reeves ) in the movie “The Matrix” opening your eyes for the first time and being shocked by what you realize is “actually” around you ?The bleakness and starkness of a scorched earth and sky, a holographic universe, a war amongst cosmic beings and spirits, a war against Man, against God, and an enemy bent on destroying all hope?
Do you long to go back to the simplicity of a prosperity gospel where ugliness only affects the wicked and not the righteous, and it’s all angels, harps and rainbows? Is it scary to suddenly realize that we (but for divine assistance) are HELPLESS to fight an enemy that lives INSIDE our will ( Sin in the flesh ), can possess our body ( can’t possess redeemed Christians ), oppress our spirit, pervert our understanding and addict our flesh to hedonism?
Well, too bad , but cheer up, —— both wars have already been WON and the victory parade even videotaped for us....! ——— it’s all downhill from here on in....
THE FIRST GENTILE
Our text this week ( Conversion of the Cornelius - the FIRST gentile believer ! ) shows us many things, including the granting of redemption by God, but let’s hone in on a few ......
1. Peter is learning ( just like us! ) how to come to grips with what he is experiencing now.
The Spirit baptizing his fellow disciples and Israelites, this new power to heal, speak, lead, testify... it all must have been new and confusing. In the midst of all this, the Spirit instructs him with a vision telling him to eat (ritually) clean and unclean animals and is told about people coming to see him.
No sooner done, than there is a knock on the door from men (despatched quite some time ago by events occurring even earlier!), to tell him to go to the house of an “uncircumcised” but God-fearing (!) man.
2. He goes, and is amazed to see the Spirit baptize them while he is yet speaking!!! This is new.... —-and the reverse—- of the process we showed you last week ( water, then Spirit baptism by laying on of hands). God is breaking out of the Box! and we must be careful not to ever try to put him back in one!
3. Very casually, we are told that it was 7 people who went ( Peter + 6 others ). No this was not a coincidence! The Spirits Nature is 7 fold... He used Peters mouth to preach, others witnessed the event ( important for later) and certainly would have assisted with the baptism....
4. Peter’s ( and the nascent Jerusalem church’s ) world is rocked when he sees ( and they hear about ) the Holy Spirit descending on unbaptized, uncircumcised sinners. This is HUGE even for us! The Holy Spirit is not some prize you get after a lifetime of self-denial and holiness, or 36 chambers of Shaolin or Yoga ! He comes upon sinners, DAY ONE to HELP THEM get Holy and Right with God! Christ hung out with sinners....
5. The giving of the Spirit is REAL & NECESSARY. God hauled Peter and the six ( our new Magnificent 7 ? ) down from Joppa for the EXPRESS purpose of redeeming Cornelius and his household. He wouldn’t do it ( and write it down ) unless He was interested in making a point - which He clearly did - Also note - this ministry of the gospel is PERSONAL ( specific to Cornelius ), in-person,and God is interested in ALL persons getting to know Him! New church... please take notice!
6. Peters daytime, wide awake, lucid vision ( strange as it may seem to us ) was -confirmed - in the “real” world, by very real people that showed up asking for an audience. This is another HUGE takeaway! Deuteronomy 19:15 (NKJV): “ One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; -by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established.-”
Now this text is related to witnessing in the context of accusing of wrongdoing, but there is a bigger principle here. When evaluating “ Holy Spirit “ encounters always look for CONFIRMATION FROM ANOTHER SOURCE.
It could simply be a passage of scripture ( correctly or divinely suggested & interpreted in context ), another person - e.g. one speaking in tongues, one interpreting - or physical events confirming visions/ dreams/ pizza and horror movie induced nightmares!
The Bereans patiently listened to Paul, but went back and did their own due diligence of the scriptures. Don’t believe everything you hear regardless of where it’s coming from ... Pope included. Check it out for yourself... in today’s age, when you can just ask Siri or Alexa , you have no excuse! We can’t stress this enough, if more people did this,( or we executed false prophets ! ) there would be a lot less craziness!
7. Lastly, #7! ... You are personally accountable for your own spiritual growth. Last week all we told you about working with Him was (a) you had to Ask (b) the encounter would be unmistakable- changing your heart ( character , emotion), mind ( will, desire, intention ) and spirit ( making alive again ! ) and opening your eyes to the truth! That’s great, but we can help you even more ....especially if all of this ( like Peter ) is new and confusing to you....
HOW DO I WORK WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT
A. Grasshopper - You already know How!
You were born with a conscience, remember that ? ... a knower in you already... you ARE familiar with how that worked right? It’s an excellent starting point to ground.. our understanding - this is not some new and scary, out of control thing - He works WITH you. This is familiar territory. You -can- ignore your conscience, but, consequently, you are responsible for your free will choices. Just like everything else, it’s a process of calibrating your radio to the frequency He is broadcasting on, and working with a freshly born, sin sensitive conscience is a first indication of your spiritual rebirth!
B. Word = Milk.
When He seals you, He frees your mind to think clearly again, He gives your heart a sensitivity to the Word of God and His heart for man, and He gives you tools to do life. If you want to hear from God directly, there are over 700,000 words in the Bible that you can read anytime. It’s those Words, principles, values and ideas that will transform you internally, and change your walk.
The Word CAN be a lamp to your feet, but not if it’s never lighted, and there is no oil!!
Your conscience is made stronger by seeing, experiential faith that in turn comes from hearing, meditating on, and obeying (doing/keeping) the Word of God! Singing songs and being yelled at once a week ( ? ) isn’t going to help that process too much.... You need to get to know God to walk with Him, and the Word is where He is to be found! That’s why Bible Study people...!
C. You have to do it/experience Him for yourself.
Walking with The Holy Spirit is like learning to ride a bike.
We can teach you, there are books on the physics of it, and why it all works, but ultimately- YOU are the only one that can and must do it ( scrapes and all )... be of good cheer... like bike riding everybody -can- do it!
Like a student pilot on his first solo, it can be frightening to know that you, and only you, can do what is necessary to ensure your on going growth - land and ride safely/begin to seek after Him with all your heart.
YOU have to work at making your calling and election sure, track your spiritual progress ( see if fruits are increasing ) and work to stir up the gift of God in you by the laying on of hands.
See what trails open up then .... you will be AMAZED! HALLELUJAH! Always ride safely, and NEVER be without your Helmet ! ( Of Salvation! ... who says the apostle Paul has to have a monopoly on metaphors ?
D. You have to be baptized in water.
Whether before you believed, when you believed, or after it - this is a requirement.John 3:5 (NKJV): “Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of -water -and- the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. “ This is a HARD requirement and may explain why some of us are not experiencing everything we ought to be.... if not sure... no harm in being baptized again....
E. The gifts will reveal themselves over time. Regardless of what they might be, there will be a period of trial and error, joy and disappointment in their exercise, and time and labor spent to develop them fully. We pray all who read this commit to active discipleship and have successful, personal, impactful ministry in the lives of the people that surround them.
F. Do you leave your tap running 100% of the time on the off chance that you might feel thirsty ? Of course not... that’s dumb. You use it as necessary. Same with the flow of the Spirit... there are seasons and situations where He will move in mighty ways on people and situations, but it would be exhausting to keep up with Him if that was constant! Manna is given daily, and just enough... so there will be periods when there is intense energy, and quieter more reflective times. It’s a rainbow!!!
G. Sensationalism is out!
Believe on Christ, be Baptized, Study and meditate on the Bible, listen to your conscience, love your fellow man. Pray for all things. Commit your ways to Him.
None of what we have talked about is sensational, attention grabbing, freaky or weird. It is simple. It is clear. It is effective. It is aligned with Gods plan, will and purpose. We will discuss the “sensational” gifts when we come to them...
All Cornelius knew was that God was sending Him someone who could speak Words of Life to his house... and thats what God uses. His Love, through His Word!
Never forget, Love, is something simple, we all understand and relate to. When He who IS Love comes to live inside of you, you and the world will know it!
Romans 5:5 - “And hope maketh not ashamed; because ——the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.———-“
Hallelujah!!!