Dear COA Family,
I wish to focus on an account in Acts which related God’s new revelation to the church:
The next day as Cornelius’ messengers were nearing the town, Peter went up on the flat roof to pray. It was about noon, and he was hungry. But while a meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw the sky open, and something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners. In the sheet were all sorts of animals, reptiles, and birds. Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.”
“No, Lord,” Peter declared. “I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure and unclean.”
But the voice spoke again, “Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.” The same vision was repeated three times. Then the sheet was suddenly pulled up to heaven (Acts 10:9-16).
The background was that the gospel had thus far been shared and applied to the Jewish people, who were God’s chosen people from the time of Abraham. The apostles, who were of Jewish ancestry themselves, could not conceive that the gospel could also be meant for the Gentiles even though the Scriptures had spoken of it. As such, they confined the sharing of the good news within their own people.
However, God had other ideas.
The Holy Spirit gave Peter, the leading apostle, a vision that was repeated three times to show that God’s will was firm and would not change. The voice that declared the unclean animals as clean signified that God had sanctified the Gentiles for the gospel of Christ. A brand-new movement of world evangelisation is on its way.
What has the account of this vision to do with us today? Much in every way!
It continually signifies to us that God is doing a new work in our midst and we need to be ready for a mindset change as well as have openness of heart to embrace his new work.
Time and space will fail me to relate how the Lord is blessing us abundantly this year with growth in our evangelism and outreach efforts. Many visitors from different backgrounds and walks of life have joined our church through Alpha, Children Ministry, worship services or even the Marriage Preparation Course. God is honouring his promise of causing us to grow in fruitfulness by bringing the lost and needy into our midst to hear and experience Christ’s love.
What’s more, many of these people will not fall within the sphere of our expectations of well-to-do and problem-free people. (That’s the reason why they have come to our church – to seek help!). The challenge for us is this:
Are we willing to accept and embrace people who will be different from us into our church, people whom God has prepared and called? (Just like Peter whose mindset was changed to kill and eat the animals that God had called clean?)
As we willingly and by faith and trust in Christ receive and love God’s people, we will not only grow in terms of church ministry and influence but also within our own hearts. God will give to us a greater capacity to receive and give his love, and we will also find access to a greater measure of God’s grace in our lives!
God Bless,
Revd Ian