1 00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:14,280 Happy Monday, Pastor Matt, Pastor Chris here with you, 2 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:20,160 fresh off of Acts Chapter 10 yesterday. 3 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:23,840 So making our way through this account of the multiplying 4 00:00:23,840 --> 00:00:27,600 church in our Sunday sermon series, you're talking about 5 00:00:28,720 --> 00:00:32,600 Peter and Cornelius. Yesterday I really wanted you 6 00:00:32,600 --> 00:00:36,320 said it the first time and I really wanted that moment from 7 00:00:37,080 --> 00:00:39,520 from the Christmas movie Cornelius. 8 00:00:41,200 --> 00:00:45,400 OK, now wait a minute. Wait, what is that reference? 9 00:00:45,400 --> 00:00:47,440 Again, isn't that from Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer? 10 00:00:47,480 --> 00:00:49,880 Or am I? It's just like I actually I 11 00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:51,120 don't know if I know that reference. 12 00:00:51,720 --> 00:00:55,280 What? Oh man, now I have to look it 13 00:00:55,280 --> 00:00:56,560 up. Really. 14 00:00:56,560 --> 00:00:59,720 OK, I I I don't love. Yeah. 15 00:00:59,720 --> 00:01:03,680 So Cornelius from is Yukon Cornelius. 16 00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:04,959 Yes. From 1964. 17 00:01:04,959 --> 00:01:07,480 Stop motion. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. 18 00:01:07,520 --> 00:01:09,960 You've never. Seen I love I love that stop 19 00:01:09,960 --> 00:01:13,200 motion Rudolph movie because I think those things are just 20 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:16,280 great, but I don't I don't recall that moment. 21 00:01:17,360 --> 00:01:19,880 Oh man, I might be OK. I might be dreaming and 22 00:01:19,880 --> 00:01:24,280 imagining and I don't OK, I it could be ruined. 23 00:01:24,280 --> 00:01:25,800 Everything isn't. You could be. 24 00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:28,240 Now I need to find. Now you just need to look on 25 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:31,480 YouTube. And so anyway, yeah, as far as 26 00:01:31,640 --> 00:01:35,160 Peter and Cornelius, you know, it's a it's a fun odd couple 27 00:01:35,160 --> 00:01:37,560 kind of kind of story and kind of moment. 28 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:41,760 And so there's a lot of things that we didn't get a talk about 29 00:01:41,760 --> 00:01:44,880 yesterday during Sunday service that we're going to bring out 30 00:01:44,880 --> 00:01:47,480 today. So as like a quick preview, you 31 00:01:47,480 --> 00:01:51,120 know, I didn't talk about any of the first several. 32 00:01:51,280 --> 00:01:54,840 You know, I think we started on verse 30 and then we didn't 33 00:01:54,840 --> 00:01:57,440 cover any of Chapter 11, which is kind of the fallout and the 34 00:01:57,440 --> 00:02:02,400 natural thing that happens after, you know, after what we 35 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:04,880 heard yesterday. So there's a lot to cover today, 36 00:02:04,880 --> 00:02:09,840 but have you found anything on this moment that you think 37 00:02:09,840 --> 00:02:13,760 exists with like Screaming I? Thought he just. 38 00:02:14,280 --> 00:02:17,600 Like. Galloped off into the forest or 39 00:02:17,600 --> 00:02:19,440 something and just yelled Cornelius. 40 00:02:20,160 --> 00:02:23,280 I could. I could be really, awfully, 41 00:02:23,280 --> 00:02:27,160 terribly wrong here. I yeah, I maybe shouldn't have 42 00:02:27,160 --> 00:02:29,400 jumped into that without fully knowing what I was getting into. 43 00:02:29,400 --> 00:02:31,800 And I can't really find a clip of it. 44 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:34,840 If anyone knows. I feel like I wasn't a crazy 45 00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:36,560 person, but maybe I am a crazy person. 46 00:02:36,600 --> 00:02:41,080 So yeah, if anyone knows what I'm talking about, they already 47 00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:44,320 that or I just imagined that and some absurd thing about you 48 00:02:44,320 --> 00:02:48,080 yelling Cornelius on stage for this. 49 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:52,040 So anyway, sorry that was wow, that was Monday Fog brain Matt 50 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:54,640 starting us off here on the pod this morning. 51 00:02:55,320 --> 00:02:59,840 Speaking of that, we're already nearly we had staff meeting this 52 00:02:59,840 --> 00:03:02,680 morning and feeling like we're already there's a week left in 53 00:03:02,680 --> 00:03:07,240 June, but we're already at the end of June talking about like 54 00:03:07,240 --> 00:03:10,520 kick off Sundays, like 10 Sundays away that we're already 55 00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:12,520 talking about for falls now. Yeah, it's. 56 00:03:13,280 --> 00:03:17,760 So we just wanted to chat. And in lieu of the regular would 57 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:21,680 you rather segment we were just talking about things of summer 58 00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:26,000 that we still have time for that we still want to do or make time 59 00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:30,320 for in summer or things that 3-4 weeks into summer we're just 60 00:03:30,320 --> 00:03:31,880 done with. It's OK. 61 00:03:31,960 --> 00:03:34,880 This season is is here and it happened and we experienced it, 62 00:03:34,880 --> 00:03:37,680 but bring on fall. So are there any things you're 63 00:03:37,680 --> 00:03:40,200 you're sick of with summer so far? 64 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:44,440 Here's, I mean, I don't, it's so weird. 65 00:03:44,720 --> 00:03:48,520 I was just telling my wife about this earlier, like a couple days 66 00:03:48,520 --> 00:03:50,920 ago and she like she looked at me funny. 67 00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:54,920 And then I tested out the same idea, I think, on my brother. 68 00:03:55,240 --> 00:03:57,560 And yeah, his response was like, what? 69 00:03:57,560 --> 00:04:01,680 That's ridiculous. And so here's here's the thing. 70 00:04:01,960 --> 00:04:07,000 The older I get, the more I want to wear jeans all of the time. 71 00:04:07,600 --> 00:04:10,000 Like pants, I want to wear pants all the time. 72 00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:13,720 So like even wearing shorts today, it is out of like some 73 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:16,760 level of spite because I'm like, I don't really want to wear 74 00:04:16,760 --> 00:04:20,360 shorts, but I also don't want to sweat my face off every time I 75 00:04:20,360 --> 00:04:23,280 go outside. So like, yeah, for whatever 76 00:04:23,280 --> 00:04:26,920 reason, the older I get, like the less likely I am to want to 77 00:04:26,920 --> 00:04:31,040 be in anything really above like 75°. 78 00:04:31,520 --> 00:04:34,760 And so, yeah, by the time like summer's in full swing, man, 79 00:04:34,760 --> 00:04:38,760 like it's, it's hot. And you know, all you all, all 80 00:04:38,760 --> 00:04:41,920 you've friendly pool people who are like, yeah, let's go to the 81 00:04:41,920 --> 00:04:44,400 pool. And like, yeah, I'm, I'm happy 82 00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:48,600 for you. But like no man like I I would 83 00:04:48,600 --> 00:04:51,760 love to wear pants year round and never have to wear shorts. 84 00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:56,200 I gave into the shorts thing recently. 85 00:04:56,200 --> 00:04:58,600 I feel that, I feel that and there just comes a point I'm a 86 00:04:58,600 --> 00:05:01,960 hot bodied person and I just can't do the pants anymore. 87 00:05:02,400 --> 00:05:06,000 So I felt fine about it today. I was, I was rocking the shorts 88 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:08,560 and I was just, it was very hot out this morning. 89 00:05:08,560 --> 00:05:11,160 It was hot and stuffy and humid all weekend. 90 00:05:11,160 --> 00:05:14,200 It still was this morning and I, it felt appropriate. 91 00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:17,640 I just felt I should be wearing shorts right now so. 92 00:05:18,200 --> 00:05:21,080 I think the other thing, if I can add on, I think the other 93 00:05:21,080 --> 00:05:24,480 thing that makes summer like, hey, this we can be done with 94 00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:27,120 this is like, you know, you close up your house and you turn 95 00:05:27,120 --> 00:05:31,280 on the AC and I, I love having like windows open and like fresh 96 00:05:31,280 --> 00:05:33,120 air coming through the house and stuff like that. 97 00:05:33,400 --> 00:05:36,720 And so after a while it just feels very stuffy in the house 98 00:05:36,720 --> 00:05:39,920 when you only have the AC kicked on and there's no windows open. 99 00:05:40,200 --> 00:05:43,440 So those would be like two things where I'm like, OK, I'm, 100 00:05:43,440 --> 00:05:46,360 I'm good with summer, like being done quickly. 101 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:48,880 Yeah, those, those would be like two things. 102 00:05:48,880 --> 00:05:51,320 Done with those things. Yeah, I mean the house. 103 00:05:51,640 --> 00:05:53,800 You know what? I don't know, It just feels 104 00:05:53,800 --> 00:05:55,360 stale when you can't open the windows. 105 00:05:56,200 --> 00:06:00,560 I saw a meme going around Facebook or the interwebs or 106 00:06:00,760 --> 00:06:04,560 somewhere yesterday that was at least it wasn't. 107 00:06:04,840 --> 00:06:08,840 At least it isn't snowing. It'd be really tough to shovel 108 00:06:08,840 --> 00:06:13,800 snow in this heat. That's OK. 109 00:06:13,920 --> 00:06:16,360 Yeah, I see what they did. There couple different ways of 110 00:06:16,360 --> 00:06:18,840 humor there, but I like that. I like that. 111 00:06:18,840 --> 00:06:22,480 I was of course, there's that thought with the hot, the hot 112 00:06:22,480 --> 00:06:23,480 weather. Well, it's it. 113 00:06:23,920 --> 00:06:26,680 Would you rather have this or would you rather have snow? 114 00:06:26,800 --> 00:06:29,400 And yeah, I think I'd still rather have this than. 115 00:06:29,920 --> 00:06:31,680 Oh, than snow. Yeah, of course. 116 00:06:31,880 --> 00:06:34,240 Yeah, of course. So no, I don't know that I'm 117 00:06:35,040 --> 00:06:38,560 fully ready. I don't know that I'm sick of 118 00:06:38,560 --> 00:06:39,960 anything in summer yet. I am. 119 00:06:39,960 --> 00:06:45,400 I am sick of maybe other people's kids have have done 120 00:06:45,400 --> 00:06:49,760 this too, but their favorite phrase is I'm bored and that 121 00:06:49,760 --> 00:06:52,680 doesn't usually happen until it has. 122 00:06:52,920 --> 00:06:57,760 This summer though, and I don't know, after being off of school 123 00:06:57,760 --> 00:07:00,480 for just a couple weeks, really only this is only their third 124 00:07:00,480 --> 00:07:04,280 week off of school really for for them to be bored and out of 125 00:07:04,280 --> 00:07:06,920 things to do. We got a, we got a lot of summer 126 00:07:06,920 --> 00:07:09,480 left if you're already bored with things. 127 00:07:09,480 --> 00:07:12,320 So no. Other than that we're pretty 128 00:07:12,560 --> 00:07:14,360 routine. Like they're at the pool a lot, 129 00:07:15,760 --> 00:07:17,480 bikes and scooters a lot outside. 130 00:07:17,480 --> 00:07:20,200 So maybe I don't, maybe they are bored. 131 00:07:20,200 --> 00:07:21,800 They shouldn't be bored. There's no way they shouldn't be 132 00:07:21,800 --> 00:07:23,760 bored. And I'm not really sick of 133 00:07:23,760 --> 00:07:29,080 anything so far in summer. So we have a couple things I 134 00:07:29,080 --> 00:07:30,920 guess. We just got back from Eau Claire 135 00:07:30,920 --> 00:07:33,240 this weekend. We were up at the at the Eau 136 00:07:33,240 --> 00:07:36,080 Claire River over the weekend and it was pretty much the same 137 00:07:36,080 --> 00:07:38,640 weather as here. It was just also oppressively 138 00:07:38,640 --> 00:07:43,800 hot on the river. Don't have a whole lot of other 139 00:07:43,840 --> 00:07:47,400 huge things or to do's. I'm I'm just, I'm enjoying the 140 00:07:47,440 --> 00:07:50,760 little bit slower pace, the little less craziness of summer 141 00:07:50,760 --> 00:07:51,720 so far. So I don't know if I have 142 00:07:51,720 --> 00:07:54,480 anything. I feel like this is left out at 143 00:07:54,480 --> 00:07:56,800 this point. We got fair season stuff coming 144 00:07:56,800 --> 00:07:59,080 up too and. You know what I do love? 145 00:07:59,080 --> 00:08:03,520 I love the fact that like people, well, we just got 146 00:08:03,520 --> 00:08:06,920 invited to a cookout on like Saturday night and it was 147 00:08:06,920 --> 00:08:09,360 fantastic. And it was like a pretty much a 148 00:08:09,360 --> 00:08:11,600 pop up thing. And people are willing to do 149 00:08:11,600 --> 00:08:15,040 that so much more often. And so I, I, I love that part of 150 00:08:15,040 --> 00:08:18,720 summer, like the pretty constant social gatherings that you can 151 00:08:18,720 --> 00:08:21,680 find yourself in. But I don't think it's, you 152 00:08:21,680 --> 00:08:24,160 know, unless you're just kind of an introvert, I don't think it's 153 00:08:24,160 --> 00:08:26,120 hard to find those things because somebody's cooking out 154 00:08:26,120 --> 00:08:28,080 somewhere and you're like if. You want to find those things, 155 00:08:28,080 --> 00:08:29,480 you can. If you don't want to find them, 156 00:08:29,640 --> 00:08:32,280 no, it's fine. But it's like, dude, I'll, I'll 157 00:08:32,280 --> 00:08:34,960 bring aside or whatever and let's, let's do something 158 00:08:34,960 --> 00:08:36,840 together. And I and I love that part of 159 00:08:36,840 --> 00:08:39,000 summer. Everybody feels like it seems 160 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:40,880 like they have more freedom to do those things. 161 00:08:41,360 --> 00:08:44,280 Yep, and I've been tunes in town on Tuesdays. 162 00:08:44,360 --> 00:08:47,600 Oh yeah, the farmers market, it's become its own thing on 163 00:08:47,600 --> 00:08:50,440 Thursdays. There's plenty of stuff to go to 164 00:08:50,560 --> 00:08:52,960 and and do and be out and about for SO. 165 00:08:53,120 --> 00:08:56,120 I actually think, you know, and I've told other people this I 166 00:08:56,120 --> 00:08:59,960 give a lot of credit to to the city of DeWitt and the people 167 00:08:59,960 --> 00:09:02,760 who organize this stuff. Like for a town of a little over 168 00:09:02,760 --> 00:09:06,920 like 5000 people, this is one of the busier, like, you've got 169 00:09:06,920 --> 00:09:11,160 things to do kind of towns that I've ever seen because, you 170 00:09:11,160 --> 00:09:13,800 know, having lived in a town that's almost three times this 171 00:09:13,800 --> 00:09:17,080 size and as an adult, like, I'm bored. 172 00:09:17,480 --> 00:09:19,920 You guys don't there's nothing to do in this city. 173 00:09:20,720 --> 00:09:23,400 Now, DeWitt, like it doesn't seem to really have that 174 00:09:23,400 --> 00:09:25,880 problem. So, you know, a lot of props to 175 00:09:25,920 --> 00:09:29,040 those who organize events around our city. 176 00:09:29,960 --> 00:09:32,160 This Cornelius clip doesn't exist. 177 00:09:32,160 --> 00:09:36,400 I don't know if it was some some spoof or I'm just a crazy 178 00:09:36,400 --> 00:09:38,240 person. I must have imagined Yukon 179 00:09:38,240 --> 00:09:41,800 Cornelius just it was almost like a high host silver sort of 180 00:09:41,800 --> 00:09:45,000 thing that I feel like he just like runs off into the 181 00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:49,640 wilderness Cornelius. But that could have just been a 182 00:09:49,640 --> 00:09:54,080 figment of my consciousness. If anyone knows what I'm talking 183 00:09:54,080 --> 00:09:59,160 about or or maybe can disprove my craziness, feel free to drop 184 00:09:59,160 --> 00:10:01,800 that in the comments or the on the Facebook post. 185 00:10:01,800 --> 00:10:04,520 But yeah, sorry, total. Segment of your imagination. 186 00:10:04,520 --> 00:10:07,240 I was in the sound booth yesterday and you and you said 187 00:10:07,240 --> 00:10:09,920 that, Peter and Cornelius, and that is what came to my 188 00:10:09,920 --> 00:10:11,600 consciousness. Maybe there is something? 189 00:10:11,760 --> 00:10:13,920 There. Either that or I just had a 190 00:10:13,920 --> 00:10:15,600 hyperactive imagination in the moment. 191 00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:18,560 I'm not, which would be uncommon for me, but wow. 192 00:10:18,920 --> 00:10:21,720 Anyway, that was sorry, that was weird. 193 00:10:23,360 --> 00:10:25,800 I may have spotted off on something completely untrue. 194 00:10:25,800 --> 00:10:28,120 So Yep. Anyway, yeah. 195 00:10:28,120 --> 00:10:30,600 Anyway, here we are. We're on the show today. 196 00:10:31,440 --> 00:10:36,080 Chris kind of took the middle ending of chapter 10 yesterday 197 00:10:36,080 --> 00:10:40,160 with Cornelius and Peter, and there are some things kind of 198 00:10:40,480 --> 00:10:43,520 prefacing their interaction at the beginning part of chapter 199 00:10:43,520 --> 00:10:45,440 10. And there's also another bookend 200 00:10:45,920 --> 00:10:49,640 at the in the beginning and middle of Chapter 11 that's kind 201 00:10:49,640 --> 00:10:52,800 of Peter's fallout or explanation, kind of 202 00:10:52,880 --> 00:10:56,040 justification of explanation really is a better word maybe 203 00:10:56,040 --> 00:10:59,280 than justification of his actions and, and of his 204 00:10:59,280 --> 00:11:02,840 interaction with Cornelius. So we're going to jump into 205 00:11:02,840 --> 00:11:06,160 those, just provide a little more depth and context for what 206 00:11:06,160 --> 00:11:09,040 was really happening here in Acts chapter 10. 207 00:11:09,040 --> 00:11:12,480 So start us off. I can read the first couple of 208 00:11:12,480 --> 00:11:16,160 verses in Acts chapter 10 and you can kind of give us your 209 00:11:16,560 --> 00:11:19,040 reflection of what's happening and we'll, we'll go back and 210 00:11:19,040 --> 00:11:21,720 forth here. So Acts chapter 10, Cornelius 211 00:11:21,720 --> 00:11:25,640 calls for Peter is the editors heading here at Caesarea. 212 00:11:26,200 --> 00:11:28,760 There's a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as 213 00:11:28,760 --> 00:11:31,280 the Italian regiment. He and all his family were 214 00:11:31,280 --> 00:11:34,120 devout and God fearing. He gave generously to those in 215 00:11:34,120 --> 00:11:35,880 need and prayed to God regularly. 216 00:11:36,760 --> 00:11:39,080 One day at about 3:00 in the afternoon, he had a vision. 217 00:11:39,080 --> 00:11:41,600 He distinctly saw an Angel of God came to him and said 218 00:11:41,600 --> 00:11:44,440 Cornelius. Cornelius stared at him in fear. 219 00:11:44,440 --> 00:11:45,880 What is it, Lord? He asked. 220 00:11:46,440 --> 00:11:48,120 The Angel answered. Your prayers and gifts to the 221 00:11:48,120 --> 00:11:51,000 poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. 222 00:11:51,280 --> 00:11:54,000 Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is 223 00:11:54,000 --> 00:11:56,040 called Peter. He is staying with Simon the 224 00:11:56,040 --> 00:11:58,040 Tanner, whose house is by the sea. 225 00:11:58,720 --> 00:12:01,200 When the Angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two 226 00:12:01,200 --> 00:12:03,640 of his servants and a devout soldier who is one of his 227 00:12:03,640 --> 00:12:05,280 attendants. He told them everything that had 228 00:12:05,280 --> 00:12:11,320 happened and sent them to Joppa. So we have this vision Cornelius 229 00:12:11,600 --> 00:12:14,360 gets and he's kind of he's given the game plan. 230 00:12:14,440 --> 00:12:19,040 He's given the step by step here, go and do this another 231 00:12:19,040 --> 00:12:21,400 dude with two names. Go, go find this man. 232 00:12:21,400 --> 00:12:23,720 He's he's this name, but he's also called that. 233 00:12:23,840 --> 00:12:26,560 I don't know, I don't know. It's like all of these, all of 234 00:12:26,560 --> 00:12:28,440 these characters have two names that sound nothing. 235 00:12:28,800 --> 00:12:31,560 I shouldn't say characters, actual people, actual people, 236 00:12:31,560 --> 00:12:35,200 but they also had two names that weren't they didn't sound 237 00:12:35,200 --> 00:12:37,440 anything like each other. But anyway, and he's also 238 00:12:37,440 --> 00:12:39,800 staying with this other Simon. So look for the House of the two 239 00:12:39,800 --> 00:12:45,520 Simons by the sea. What what happened here for 240 00:12:45,520 --> 00:12:47,760 Cornelius? That God broke into his life. 241 00:12:48,200 --> 00:12:50,840 Well, and here's the thing, Cornelius himself is such a 242 00:12:50,840 --> 00:12:55,360 unique individual of his time. We, we maybe briefly touched on 243 00:12:55,360 --> 00:12:59,280 it yesterday, but like quite honestly, for a guy of his 244 00:12:59,280 --> 00:13:03,120 standing in stature within society, he's a centurion over 245 00:13:03,120 --> 00:13:07,080 100 soldiers. This is not an easy point in 246 00:13:07,080 --> 00:13:10,600 life to get to in your career. So like he's pretty advanced in 247 00:13:10,600 --> 00:13:16,680 his career, but for some reason, for some reason, he believes in 248 00:13:16,680 --> 00:13:19,120 the God that the Jewish people believe in. 249 00:13:19,320 --> 00:13:22,920 And it makes no sense coming out of Italy, you know, that he 250 00:13:22,920 --> 00:13:25,360 would do that. And so like I, I, I actually 251 00:13:25,360 --> 00:13:28,120 have a lot of questions that I can't have answered for me. 252 00:13:28,120 --> 00:13:33,320 Like, you know, how would how would he even come upon this 253 00:13:33,320 --> 00:13:36,360 faith having been from like where he was from? 254 00:13:36,360 --> 00:13:39,040 And then like, you know, I don't know if those things can be 255 00:13:39,040 --> 00:13:42,040 answered easily. But, and here's the other thing 256 00:13:42,040 --> 00:13:45,680 that we know about him, He's not what we would call a proselyte. 257 00:13:46,400 --> 00:13:52,240 So in other words, like he came into faith, but he didn't go 258 00:13:52,240 --> 00:13:55,200 through the Jewish ceremonial circumcision. 259 00:13:55,400 --> 00:13:59,400 So he is not like a full on adapted Jewish person. 260 00:13:59,520 --> 00:14:03,240 He just believes in the Jewish God of the of the Bible. 261 00:14:03,280 --> 00:14:07,120 Not a cultural Jew, doesn't follow rights and practices or 262 00:14:07,120 --> 00:14:08,840 traditions or things, but beliefs. 263 00:14:09,200 --> 00:14:11,760 Definitely believes. And so The thing is like what we 264 00:14:11,760 --> 00:14:16,320 do know is that although like he's a quote UN quote good guy 265 00:14:16,320 --> 00:14:20,120 and the Jewish people around him see that like there's still this 266 00:14:20,120 --> 00:14:23,120 sense that like he can't really be trusted. 267 00:14:23,760 --> 00:14:26,080 He can't. So I don't I don't know. 268 00:14:26,080 --> 00:14:29,720 It's a really strange dynamic and for the fact that like God 269 00:14:30,480 --> 00:14:34,760 of the Bible comes, you know, and and gives him this vision, 270 00:14:35,200 --> 00:14:36,760 that's a really remarkable thing. 271 00:14:36,960 --> 00:14:40,240 Do we, I mean, do we even see that elsewhere in the Bible 272 00:14:40,240 --> 00:14:44,200 where God is just like breaking in on somebody who isn't really 273 00:14:44,280 --> 00:14:46,360 of this kind of faith background? 274 00:14:47,360 --> 00:14:50,840 Let me think I don't. Sometimes, I mean Rahab, it was 275 00:14:50,840 --> 00:14:54,040 revealed that OK, these guys are going to come and they're going 276 00:14:54,040 --> 00:14:57,600 to need safe passage. So I think we do have example 277 00:14:57,600 --> 00:15:01,760 and instance of that even last week with Paul, I guess was 278 00:15:01,760 --> 00:15:05,240 aware it's not exactly the same as him breaking into Paul's life 279 00:15:05,240 --> 00:15:08,400 because Paul was aware at least of the enemy that he was 280 00:15:09,880 --> 00:15:11,920 fighting against and and persecuting. 281 00:15:11,920 --> 00:15:15,000 So Paul was maybe acknowledging God in that way. 282 00:15:15,000 --> 00:15:17,480 Rahab, it would have been maybe a little random. 283 00:15:17,840 --> 00:15:22,680 Even Moses though wasn't like looking for, he knew about God, 284 00:15:23,680 --> 00:15:28,160 but he wasn't looking for God. He wouldn't have had this innate 285 00:15:29,920 --> 00:15:33,240 No, he wasn't seeking God for sure, for sure, right you've. 286 00:15:33,240 --> 00:15:36,400 Been hanging out for the last 40 years, just kind of like, yeah, 287 00:15:36,400 --> 00:15:37,880 well I guess this is my life now. 288 00:15:38,440 --> 00:15:39,840 Yeah. So I think, I don't, I don't 289 00:15:39,840 --> 00:15:45,120 think the encounter is at all. I don't know out of bounds or 290 00:15:45,160 --> 00:15:47,680 surprising. What I think is interesting is, 291 00:15:47,680 --> 00:15:49,600 is more what you're talking about. 292 00:15:49,600 --> 00:15:54,000 We don't have this pretext history of how Cornelius knows 293 00:15:54,000 --> 00:15:55,960 these things. It's certainly an argument that 294 00:15:55,960 --> 00:15:58,200 would support natural revelation. 295 00:15:58,200 --> 00:16:01,520 There's there's been something that has been revealed either 296 00:16:01,880 --> 00:16:06,080 either in nature or just the power he, he heard about God 297 00:16:06,080 --> 00:16:10,520 somehow, whether it was orally, whether it was by someone 298 00:16:10,520 --> 00:16:14,680 speaking the word or maybe it was Old Testament scrolls, 299 00:16:14,680 --> 00:16:18,240 scripts that he had read or even, or even just teachings of 300 00:16:18,320 --> 00:16:19,920 Jesus that he had heard by word of mouth. 301 00:16:19,920 --> 00:16:22,440 Because you again, you, you talked about that too, how this 302 00:16:22,440 --> 00:16:24,480 was, that's how this was and spreading. 303 00:16:24,840 --> 00:16:28,160 We don't know for sure. But it does speak to the fact 304 00:16:28,160 --> 00:16:30,720 that whatever it was, whether it was the spoken word of God or 305 00:16:30,720 --> 00:16:35,800 the written word of God, or just the revealed power of God in 306 00:16:35,800 --> 00:16:39,680 creation that worked and changed Cornelius's life to the point 307 00:16:39,680 --> 00:16:43,720 where he doesn't kind of do this about face. 308 00:16:43,840 --> 00:16:48,640 He distinctly saw an Angel of God, verse 3 says, who addressed 309 00:16:48,640 --> 00:16:51,200 him by name. And Cornelius staring at him in 310 00:16:51,200 --> 00:16:55,680 fear said, what is it Lord? So he not only had enough 311 00:16:55,680 --> 00:17:00,760 knowledge to be devout and giving generously and praying to 312 00:17:00,760 --> 00:17:03,600 God regularly, but he also didn't have any doubt that it 313 00:17:03,600 --> 00:17:07,960 was God speaking to him either. So that's that testimony that we 314 00:17:07,960 --> 00:17:12,160 don't have a background for I think is also just wildly 315 00:17:12,160 --> 00:17:18,440 encouraging to as much as we like to hear, I think everyone's 316 00:17:18,440 --> 00:17:20,839 everyone's story, at least it could be a conversation that 317 00:17:20,920 --> 00:17:22,800 happens within those that go to the same church. 318 00:17:22,800 --> 00:17:24,960 Like how did how did you come to Christ? 319 00:17:24,960 --> 00:17:27,800 How did, how did you come to faith like that? 320 00:17:28,200 --> 00:17:29,920 We don't have that story for Cornelius. 321 00:17:29,920 --> 00:17:33,720 Not not indefinite terms, right? Which is too. 322 00:17:33,720 --> 00:17:34,600 Bad. I mean it. 323 00:17:34,680 --> 00:17:37,840 It had to have been an interesting scenario that caused 324 00:17:37,840 --> 00:17:42,720 this man to meet the God of the Jews and to, and to, you know, 325 00:17:42,720 --> 00:17:46,360 essentially kind of fall into like, Oh my gosh, this, this is 326 00:17:46,360 --> 00:17:49,200 the real deal. Like I've, I've, I've seen all 327 00:17:49,200 --> 00:17:50,920 these other gods. You know, we've got the God of 328 00:17:50,920 --> 00:17:54,000 this and this and this and this and all these things across my 329 00:17:54,000 --> 00:17:56,200 culture. But here's a culture that 330 00:17:56,200 --> 00:17:59,440 worships the one true God of all of creation. 331 00:17:59,720 --> 00:18:02,480 There was clearly something appealing to him about that 332 00:18:02,480 --> 00:18:04,400 message. And, and you know, of course, 333 00:18:04,400 --> 00:18:07,520 like we can't limit the fact that God through the Holy Spirit 334 00:18:07,520 --> 00:18:09,920 is probably already stirring in this man's heart. 335 00:18:10,360 --> 00:18:13,120 I think I've heard this way before and it makes a lot of 336 00:18:13,120 --> 00:18:16,240 sense to me. We have never sought after God 337 00:18:16,640 --> 00:18:18,680 before. He was already seeking us, 338 00:18:19,120 --> 00:18:22,000 right? And so like, if, if Cornelius 339 00:18:22,120 --> 00:18:26,240 is, you know, looking for God and trying to find some clarity 340 00:18:26,240 --> 00:18:30,080 in who the God of the universe is, that means God was already, 341 00:18:30,200 --> 00:18:33,640 you know, knocking at his door in the 1st place, right? 342 00:18:33,640 --> 00:18:36,760 It's. Not God isn't just holding on 343 00:18:36,760 --> 00:18:39,560 holding on to this thing and funny this comes up and God's 344 00:18:39,560 --> 00:18:42,640 like oh you want you want a piece OK all right yeah come on 345 00:18:42,680 --> 00:18:48,160 No, the the invitation is has already been given and that's 346 00:18:48,480 --> 00:18:52,000 that's the example that we have got God initiates and and we 347 00:18:52,400 --> 00:18:55,360 respond right that's that's in creation that's in sending his 348 00:18:55,360 --> 00:18:57,360 son. That's that's how this 349 00:18:57,360 --> 00:19:00,920 relationship with God where he's not waiting for us to and him 350 00:19:01,080 --> 00:19:06,280 and him acting in surprise. You, you want this or or you 351 00:19:06,280 --> 00:19:08,440 want this to be a part of it. No, it's already been it's 352 00:19:08,440 --> 00:19:10,160 already been graced. It's already been offered. 353 00:19:10,160 --> 00:19:13,960 It's already been given. And Cornelius at some point 354 00:19:14,320 --> 00:19:16,320 responded in kind. Responded. 355 00:19:16,560 --> 00:19:18,960 In the. Affirmative that yes, this, this 356 00:19:18,960 --> 00:19:21,720 is what makes sense. This, this God, this practice. 357 00:19:22,440 --> 00:19:27,080 And we also see the freedom that he has to to have this 358 00:19:27,080 --> 00:19:32,840 relationship, but not necessarily all the like 359 00:19:32,840 --> 00:19:38,840 cultural tradition of that he's not bound by these laws or or 360 00:19:38,840 --> 00:19:41,880 rights or practices that some of the Jews were still practicing. 361 00:19:41,880 --> 00:19:45,240 We get into the writings of Paul and he calls out some more of 362 00:19:45,240 --> 00:19:48,240 those that about their their habits and regular practices 363 00:19:48,240 --> 00:19:52,040 that aren't really necessary for for them to have in faith. 364 00:19:52,040 --> 00:19:56,440 And he somehow it's good that he was apart from that culture, but 365 00:19:57,120 --> 00:20:00,520 can still have this saving faith without those things we see. 366 00:20:00,520 --> 00:20:03,040 We see that drawn out in his relationship, too. 367 00:20:03,240 --> 00:20:04,040 Yeah. And then? 368 00:20:04,040 --> 00:20:06,800 That's actually one of the one of the problems that the early 369 00:20:06,800 --> 00:20:12,360 church is going to wrestle with is do I need to be Jewish in 370 00:20:12,360 --> 00:20:15,960 order to believe in Jesus? And by by being Jewish, what I 371 00:20:15,960 --> 00:20:19,400 mean by that and what they were struggling with is like, do we 372 00:20:19,400 --> 00:20:23,960 need to continue to practice these things that are our people 373 00:20:23,960 --> 00:20:28,000 have been practicing as cultural norms and religious norms for 374 00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:32,360 the last couple thousand years? You know, do I have to do that 375 00:20:32,360 --> 00:20:34,600 in order to fully embrace Jesus Christ? 376 00:20:34,600 --> 00:20:39,880 Or does Jesus Christ in some unique way stand alone from all 377 00:20:39,880 --> 00:20:43,280 of these rituals and from all these sacrificial days and all 378 00:20:43,280 --> 00:20:46,320 this kind of stuff? And you know that that question 379 00:20:46,320 --> 00:20:48,360 does get answered throughout the New Testament. 380 00:20:48,360 --> 00:20:52,040 But you can imagine that for those who are, like, living in 381 00:20:52,040 --> 00:20:56,120 this time, especially the early church leaders, that this must 382 00:20:56,120 --> 00:20:58,800 have been pretty stressful for them. 383 00:20:59,040 --> 00:21:03,080 Like, what do we hold on to religiously and what can we let 384 00:21:03,080 --> 00:21:05,880 go of? And yeah, throughout the book of 385 00:21:05,880 --> 00:21:08,800 Acts and then the letters of Paul and in other places, like 386 00:21:08,800 --> 00:21:10,360 you're going to see how that plays out. 387 00:21:11,280 --> 00:21:14,120 That brought a thought to mind for me. 388 00:21:14,120 --> 00:21:19,240 I was reading through some prep for this week and just thinking 389 00:21:19,240 --> 00:21:22,440 about people not needing, necessarily needing to be 390 00:21:22,680 --> 00:21:25,440 Jewish. I was thinking about the the 391 00:21:25,440 --> 00:21:30,040 encompassing nature of the not the nation of Israel, but the 392 00:21:30,160 --> 00:21:36,240 people of Israel as as it relates to us, even as it 393 00:21:36,240 --> 00:21:40,120 relates to a big sea church Christians this week. 394 00:21:40,120 --> 00:21:44,520 There's there's a definition of Israel that can be translated or 395 00:21:44,520 --> 00:21:49,280 understood as one who wrestles with God or one who struggles 396 00:21:49,280 --> 00:21:51,640 with God. That's kind of the idea given 397 00:21:51,640 --> 00:21:54,720 when when Jacob was in the wrestling match there. 398 00:21:54,720 --> 00:21:57,280 And I think that just kind of struck me this week. 399 00:21:57,280 --> 00:22:01,760 The the more literal understanding of it is, is one 400 00:22:01,760 --> 00:22:05,400 who allows God to prevail, one who lets God prevail or relies 401 00:22:05,400 --> 00:22:09,720 on God to prevail. But within that we have our own 402 00:22:10,280 --> 00:22:13,840 wrestling, our our own struggling of letting go. 403 00:22:13,920 --> 00:22:17,560 And you, you brought that up to the, the dying to self and, and, 404 00:22:18,120 --> 00:22:21,120 and letting that, letting that go, letting our cares, our 405 00:22:21,120 --> 00:22:25,160 justifications go. But in thinking about that one 406 00:22:25,160 --> 00:22:30,000 who wrestles with God or one who struggles with God, that's all 407 00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:32,560 of us to some degree, right? If, if we're talking about 408 00:22:32,840 --> 00:22:38,400 Israel, the label of Israel and the people of Israel being God's 409 00:22:38,400 --> 00:22:40,440 chosen people. So, so get out of the 410 00:22:40,440 --> 00:22:45,040 nationalistic yes, there is a sovereign nation of Israel and 411 00:22:45,040 --> 00:22:48,000 Jewish people are most closely associated with that. 412 00:22:48,760 --> 00:22:51,880 We see that here, though those those walls already being broken 413 00:22:51,880 --> 00:22:56,480 down in the early church in the in the 1st century church. 414 00:22:56,480 --> 00:23:00,640 It's not one who affiliates with with Jewish culture anymore. 415 00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:04,400 It's it's neither Jew nor Greek nor slave nor free. 416 00:23:04,400 --> 00:23:08,800 This is this is all that that I don't know, maybe maybe that's 417 00:23:08,800 --> 00:23:11,640 too much to say that the umbrella of Israel, of God's 418 00:23:11,640 --> 00:23:14,520 chosen people. But I think that idea of one who 419 00:23:14,520 --> 00:23:17,320 wrestles with God, one who struggles with God applies to 420 00:23:17,320 --> 00:23:19,000 all of us. Yeah, absolutely. 421 00:23:19,000 --> 00:23:20,600 I, I think you're right about that. 422 00:23:21,000 --> 00:23:24,040 And the, the other interesting thing too, that I, that I'm 423 00:23:24,080 --> 00:23:29,040 thinking through as we're talking this out is that when 424 00:23:29,040 --> 00:23:32,200 Jesus arrives and then when he dies and is resurrected in a 425 00:23:32,200 --> 00:23:38,000 sense, there, there are so many major cultural shifts and 426 00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:41,920 issues. So I mean, like, OK, so like now 427 00:23:42,080 --> 00:23:47,600 am I included in Israel if I'm Cornelius, even though I never 428 00:23:47,640 --> 00:23:51,280 was a proselyte who who turned Jewish, am I included in this 429 00:23:51,280 --> 00:23:54,200 world and in this faith? The other, the other major 430 00:23:54,200 --> 00:23:55,480 shift. And there's so many of them 431 00:23:55,720 --> 00:23:58,000 like, oh, now I don't need to go to the temple anymore. 432 00:23:58,400 --> 00:24:00,160 Now I don't need to sacrifice anymore. 433 00:24:00,360 --> 00:24:02,560 Now I don't need to worry about this day or that day. 434 00:24:02,560 --> 00:24:05,600 And like, I don't even know, like if you're in the if you're 435 00:24:05,600 --> 00:24:07,800 a part of the early church and when you're one of the church 436 00:24:07,800 --> 00:24:13,280 leaders and you're like, OK, so Cornelius is in Israel, but 437 00:24:13,280 --> 00:24:15,080 Cornelius is never coming to the temple. 438 00:24:15,080 --> 00:24:18,400 And he's like, I don't even know how you kind of wrestle through 439 00:24:18,400 --> 00:24:21,160 some of that stuff early on. It would it had to have been so 440 00:24:21,160 --> 00:24:26,280 difficult for them to figure out what does life look like now in 441 00:24:26,280 --> 00:24:30,400 Christ? How free am I really, you know, 442 00:24:30,440 --> 00:24:33,360 and these questions must have been incredibly difficult for 443 00:24:33,360 --> 00:24:35,240 them. And so as we read the New 444 00:24:35,240 --> 00:24:38,240 Testament, I think one of the things that we need to do is 445 00:24:38,240 --> 00:24:43,920 like, really like take it easy on people who are experiencing 446 00:24:43,920 --> 00:24:47,520 things that quite frankly, they had no idea we're coming. 447 00:24:47,840 --> 00:24:51,240 And there's no playbook for this, quote UN quote, right. 448 00:24:51,240 --> 00:24:54,080 They're, they're figuring this out in real time through the 449 00:24:54,080 --> 00:24:58,200 Holy Spirit and through the way that God is challenging them in 450 00:24:58,200 --> 00:25:01,400 a lot of ways and moving them into a new, into a new kind of 451 00:25:01,400 --> 00:25:02,600 faith. Yeah. 452 00:25:02,880 --> 00:25:04,280 And. We saw that even a couple weeks 453 00:25:04,280 --> 00:25:06,760 ago we talked about the the baptism thing. 454 00:25:07,240 --> 00:25:12,280 Maybe there was a redo of sorts of of baptism that maybe wasn't 455 00:25:12,800 --> 00:25:16,480 done in the in the name of all the Trinity, in the name of the 456 00:25:16,480 --> 00:25:20,080 Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. So we we see that there's a 457 00:25:20,080 --> 00:25:23,840 little bit of this figuring out because there wasn't a blueprint 458 00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:29,200 exactly that it was go and make disciples and baptize them and 459 00:25:29,320 --> 00:25:33,960 going to send a helper with you. But other than that, it sounds 460 00:25:33,960 --> 00:25:37,840 so simple and yet there's not markers, there's not, there's 461 00:25:37,840 --> 00:25:41,440 not boundaries or a guidebook like you said, or, or things 462 00:25:41,440 --> 00:25:44,160 like that. So we see we have instances like 463 00:25:44,160 --> 00:25:48,040 this with Cornelius where it's far outside maybe the mold that 464 00:25:48,040 --> 00:25:51,480 we feel like should be because even within some of those 465 00:25:51,480 --> 00:25:56,760 practices, the the temple is there, there's still 466 00:25:56,760 --> 00:26:00,640 encouragement to gather. I think there's probably even 467 00:26:00,640 --> 00:26:08,040 still room for those sacrifices to either change what it looks 468 00:26:08,040 --> 00:26:11,360 like to sacrifice or even for those sacrifices to still be God 469 00:26:11,360 --> 00:26:12,880 honoring. Does that make sense? 470 00:26:13,120 --> 00:26:18,960 For it to still be not given, not done, not acted on the way 471 00:26:18,960 --> 00:26:22,840 that still I need to do this to maintain or earn my salvation, 472 00:26:23,120 --> 00:26:26,880 But as an act of worship, as an act of sacrifice, an act of 473 00:26:27,240 --> 00:26:31,800 trust in God that no, this is, I'm still committing this to 474 00:26:31,800 --> 00:26:34,720 you, God, this is yours. It was given to me. 475 00:26:34,720 --> 00:26:37,840 It was, it was blessed with. And I'm engaging in this act of 476 00:26:37,840 --> 00:26:41,040 trust with you. So I think I don't. 477 00:26:41,040 --> 00:26:42,600 Yeah, I guess that that's the best position. 478 00:26:42,600 --> 00:26:43,840 Not a blueprint for it. I don't. 479 00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:47,920 I don't know for sure what it looks like, but apparently what 480 00:26:47,920 --> 00:26:51,200 it looks like in Cornelius is good, right? 481 00:26:51,480 --> 00:26:55,040 Yeah, absolutely. Well, we shouldn't stay there 482 00:26:55,040 --> 00:26:56,320 too long. We've already been there for a 483 00:26:56,320 --> 00:26:58,720 while, but you know, Peter then has a vision. 484 00:26:58,720 --> 00:27:01,640 So what we didn't get a real chance to lay out yesterday. 485 00:27:01,920 --> 00:27:03,760 And I almost felt bad. I was like, because if you've 486 00:27:03,760 --> 00:27:08,080 never heard this story and I and I start you off at verse like 487 00:27:08,080 --> 00:27:11,200 30, do you have any idea what's going on? 488 00:27:11,200 --> 00:27:13,440 So I actually felt a little bit bad about that. 489 00:27:13,760 --> 00:27:17,680 So no, we have. A vision from Peter for Peter as 490 00:27:17,680 --> 00:27:20,960 well. Acts 10, verse 9 About noon the 491 00:27:20,960 --> 00:27:23,480 following day, as they were on their journey and approaching 492 00:27:23,480 --> 00:27:25,560 the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 493 00:27:25,760 --> 00:27:27,320 He became hungry and wanted something to eat. 494 00:27:27,320 --> 00:27:30,160 And while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 495 00:27:30,680 --> 00:27:32,680 He saw heaven opened in something like a large sheet 496 00:27:32,680 --> 00:27:35,800 being let down to earth by its four corners that contained all 497 00:27:35,800 --> 00:27:38,280 kinds of four footed animals as well as reptiles and birds. 498 00:27:38,600 --> 00:27:41,560 And then a voice told him, Get up Peter, kill and eat. 499 00:27:42,200 --> 00:27:45,160 Surely not, Lord, Peter replied. I've never eaten anything impure 500 00:27:45,160 --> 00:27:48,120 or unclean. The voice spoke to him a second 501 00:27:48,120 --> 00:27:49,640 time. Do not call anything impure that 502 00:27:49,640 --> 00:27:52,760 God has made clean. This happened three times, and 503 00:27:52,760 --> 00:27:54,520 immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven. 504 00:27:55,000 --> 00:27:56,840 While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the 505 00:27:56,840 --> 00:27:59,520 men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon's house was and 506 00:27:59,520 --> 00:28:02,400 stopped at the gate. They called out asking of Simon, 507 00:28:02,960 --> 00:28:05,200 who is known as Peter was staying there. 508 00:28:05,560 --> 00:28:07,240 While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the spirit 509 00:28:07,240 --> 00:28:09,960 said to him, Simon, three men are looking for you, so get up 510 00:28:10,040 --> 00:28:12,120 and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go to them 511 00:28:12,360 --> 00:28:14,800 for I have sent them. Yeah. 512 00:28:15,280 --> 00:28:18,680 OK, first and foremost, I if this doesn't catch your 513 00:28:18,680 --> 00:28:21,680 attention, I, I don't know what what will. 514 00:28:21,880 --> 00:28:28,000 But like Peter just straight up is like no like God. 515 00:28:28,200 --> 00:28:32,440 God is like giving him a command like Peter, get up rice, kill 516 00:28:32,440 --> 00:28:35,480 and eat. And he's like, no, no, I'm not 517 00:28:35,480 --> 00:28:39,680 doing that. Like man, bold move again. 518 00:28:39,680 --> 00:28:43,960 Like this, this man, like he, he is built different. 519 00:28:44,320 --> 00:28:48,000 Because you know, if I had AI would like to think that if God 520 00:28:48,000 --> 00:28:51,720 gave me a vision and inside that vision, he's like, hey, by the 521 00:28:51,720 --> 00:28:54,680 way, I'm going to ask you to participate in something that 522 00:28:54,680 --> 00:28:56,640 you maybe previously wouldn't have done. 523 00:28:56,920 --> 00:28:59,480 I'd be like, no, it's fine. Whatever you want is fine. 524 00:28:59,720 --> 00:29:03,360 You just tell me what to do. But being Peter just as 525 00:29:03,360 --> 00:29:05,080 outright, like, no, I'm not doing that. 526 00:29:05,080 --> 00:29:07,040 I've never done that. Would never do that. 527 00:29:07,040 --> 00:29:09,560 Forget it. That's remarkable to me. 528 00:29:09,680 --> 00:29:11,400 And that's the. Part of this because he still 529 00:29:11,400 --> 00:29:15,640 responds with Lord. That's the part that confuses me 530 00:29:15,640 --> 00:29:17,120 about this. And I like you. 531 00:29:17,920 --> 00:29:22,520 I'd like to say that if a vision from God broke into my psyche, I 532 00:29:22,520 --> 00:29:25,320 would be sure about what he was saying. 533 00:29:25,320 --> 00:29:28,600 But somehow within this, Peter seems to acknowledge that this 534 00:29:28,600 --> 00:29:35,040 message is from God and still has the cocones to say, Nah, 535 00:29:35,040 --> 00:29:39,800 man, not following, not following your plan. 536 00:29:40,080 --> 00:29:43,440 That's what's that's what's weird to me. 537 00:29:43,440 --> 00:29:48,120 Could what I I I understand the wrestling with is this actually 538 00:29:48,120 --> 00:29:49,800 from God? Like is, is this voice from God 539 00:29:49,800 --> 00:29:53,320 And we've talked about that and how to know how to hear. 540 00:29:53,320 --> 00:29:56,240 It's it's by the written word that we are familiar with the 541 00:29:56,240 --> 00:30:00,240 voice of God and and what his commands sound like, what his 542 00:30:00,240 --> 00:30:02,240 voice and inflection sounds like. 543 00:30:03,720 --> 00:30:08,920 I don't get the being convinced that it is God and being Nope, 544 00:30:09,480 --> 00:30:12,040 that's not for me. I'm I'm not going to do that. 545 00:30:12,040 --> 00:30:15,600 I want no part of this. I would hope at the being 546 00:30:15,600 --> 00:30:20,200 convinced that it is God part I'd be yes, sign me up here we 547 00:30:20,200 --> 00:30:21,600 go well and the. Thing. 548 00:30:21,920 --> 00:30:24,160 Maybe The thing is too, and this is. 549 00:30:24,160 --> 00:30:26,400 This is really an odd thing about this whole moment. 550 00:30:27,000 --> 00:30:31,240 But we know from scholars that this wouldn't even, this 551 00:30:31,240 --> 00:30:35,120 wouldn't have even been a normal time for Peter to eat. 552 00:30:35,360 --> 00:30:37,480 It would have been a normal time for him to be praying. 553 00:30:37,480 --> 00:30:41,320 So think about this. OK, so this is this is actually 554 00:30:41,320 --> 00:30:43,720 kind of a normal prayer time for Jewish people. 555 00:30:43,720 --> 00:30:48,600 And so he goes into kind of the the roof area, which also would 556 00:30:48,600 --> 00:30:51,600 have been an area that's probably enclosed and shaded 557 00:30:51,600 --> 00:30:55,360 just a little bit. So that way during the heat of 558 00:30:55,360 --> 00:30:59,040 the day, you could go up there, catch a breeze, but not melt, 559 00:30:59,600 --> 00:31:01,600 right. So he's up there doing all all 560 00:31:01,600 --> 00:31:04,040 this kind of stuff. And it says that somebody's 561 00:31:04,040 --> 00:31:05,640 going to prepare a little bit of food for him. 562 00:31:05,880 --> 00:31:09,000 So scholars are like, you know, it's, it's funny that he's 563 00:31:09,000 --> 00:31:13,120 having this vision while he's hungry and this, you know, this 564 00:31:13,120 --> 00:31:16,040 thing kind of over him probably resembles a sheet. 565 00:31:16,520 --> 00:31:21,600 And so in a lot of ways, like God sets him up to have this 566 00:31:21,600 --> 00:31:25,480 vision because even the, the set up around him is like, I'm 567 00:31:25,480 --> 00:31:27,040 hungry. Here's this sheet that's going 568 00:31:27,040 --> 00:31:30,160 to come down. And so anyway, that's just kind 569 00:31:30,160 --> 00:31:31,800 of fun, interesting background stuff. 570 00:31:32,520 --> 00:31:37,120 But for Peter's sake and for, you know, to kind of support 571 00:31:37,120 --> 00:31:40,800 him, you know what, dude? If you've, if you've never eaten 572 00:31:40,800 --> 00:31:46,080 pork your whole life and then all of a sudden, you know, it's 573 00:31:46,080 --> 00:31:48,000 just fair game. All of a sudden. 574 00:31:48,000 --> 00:31:49,840 It's fair game. Yeah. 575 00:31:49,840 --> 00:31:52,600 I don't know, I don't think I could make the 180 turn that 576 00:31:52,600 --> 00:31:56,280 fast either, you know, because, gosh, I'm trying to think of a 577 00:31:56,280 --> 00:32:01,640 food that, you know, might taste good, but I would have like, 578 00:32:01,640 --> 00:32:04,160 some moral issue eating. OK. 579 00:32:04,600 --> 00:32:06,080 Oh, no. Oh, no. 580 00:32:06,400 --> 00:32:08,600 I don't know if I'm going to go there. 581 00:32:09,680 --> 00:32:11,880 Let's let's say you probably know. 582 00:32:11,880 --> 00:32:14,920 What did you do? No, let's say in a weird 583 00:32:14,920 --> 00:32:18,560 scenario and this is really bad, but let's say in a weird 584 00:32:18,560 --> 00:32:22,640 scenario, it's like, hey, all of a sudden God said God comes down 585 00:32:22,640 --> 00:32:25,120 to me and vision says, Hey, you should, you should start eating 586 00:32:25,120 --> 00:32:28,600 dogs now. I'd be like, I'd be like, Lord, 587 00:32:28,600 --> 00:32:30,840 come on, man, we shouldn't do that. 588 00:32:31,280 --> 00:32:33,520 But you know, but I don't think that's the. 589 00:32:33,600 --> 00:32:35,440 Same thing that's happening. You don't think so? 590 00:32:36,120 --> 00:32:38,720 Because I, I think, I think we're looking at Peter and 591 00:32:38,720 --> 00:32:41,440 Peter's like this is disgusting. There's no way I'm going to do 592 00:32:41,440 --> 00:32:43,200 that. My whole life I've been raised 593 00:32:43,200 --> 00:32:46,720 to be like, no, you don't eat that thing, right? 594 00:32:46,720 --> 00:32:48,840 But there's. Other people that do eat pork, 595 00:32:48,840 --> 00:32:52,200 there's not there's not a large statement in the population that 596 00:32:52,360 --> 00:32:56,280 is saying you should. That's that's why I don't think 597 00:32:56,280 --> 00:32:58,640 you are doing it's not like a cultural. 598 00:32:58,840 --> 00:33:02,160 It was there was a different culture that did regularly eat 599 00:33:02,160 --> 00:33:05,440 pork and they were sizeable. Oh, OK. 600 00:33:05,440 --> 00:33:08,240 But the dog thing is, Dang it. Maybe in other? 601 00:33:08,320 --> 00:33:11,720 Maybe in other countries, but I'm just like I'm saying in his 602 00:33:11,720 --> 00:33:18,200 cultural society, right there were non Jews who ate pork all 603 00:33:18,200 --> 00:33:19,920 the time. I don't think one of these 604 00:33:19,920 --> 00:33:22,160 summer cookouts that you're going to it's just like a 605 00:33:22,160 --> 00:33:24,240 different group of people and they're like, hey, guess what? 606 00:33:24,520 --> 00:33:27,720 Guess what we're having like, I don't think. 607 00:33:29,440 --> 00:33:31,840 The pork was still. In relatively close proximity to 608 00:33:31,840 --> 00:33:34,720 his life, yes. Dang. 609 00:33:34,720 --> 00:33:37,160 It well see, it's a good thing I didn't come out with that 610 00:33:37,160 --> 00:33:41,720 yesterday as like, hey, let's compare these things because you 611 00:33:41,840 --> 00:33:44,040 know, apparently that does not work so. 612 00:33:45,320 --> 00:33:46,480 I don't think that was the same thing. 613 00:33:46,480 --> 00:33:49,160 All right, We've both shot ourselves in the foot so far on 614 00:33:49,160 --> 00:33:51,320 this episode. So that's that's going really 615 00:33:51,320 --> 00:33:54,080 well. To your greater point though, I 616 00:33:54,080 --> 00:33:57,840 do understand, because even if it was, even if it was, have you 617 00:33:57,880 --> 00:33:59,480 ever met someone who's never eaten bacon? 618 00:34:00,800 --> 00:34:03,520 I oh, I don't know if I have but. 619 00:34:04,520 --> 00:34:06,800 No. I mean, I, I I've known like, 620 00:34:06,840 --> 00:34:10,040 you know, Muslim people, so I guess we never talked about it, 621 00:34:10,040 --> 00:34:12,480 but I'm, but I'm sure they haven't, but I can I. 622 00:34:12,480 --> 00:34:15,600 Can kind of understand they're coming this point of yes, this 623 00:34:15,600 --> 00:34:20,000 thing is delicious and mostly socially acceptable by others at 624 00:34:20,000 --> 00:34:22,679 least to eat and it is delicious, but you've never 625 00:34:22,679 --> 00:34:24,800 eaten it. You don't you don't know what 626 00:34:24,800 --> 00:34:26,920 you're missing out at. You don't know why it would be 627 00:34:26,920 --> 00:34:29,120 good to eat. I can understand that from 628 00:34:29,120 --> 00:34:33,320 Peter's perspective of I've never had this stuff before and 629 00:34:33,320 --> 00:34:37,040 I've lived my life just fine Why why do I need to have it? 630 00:34:37,040 --> 00:34:37,639 Why? Why? 631 00:34:38,080 --> 00:34:39,040 Oh, that's. True, right? 632 00:34:39,040 --> 00:34:39,840 Like. That's true. 633 00:34:39,840 --> 00:34:43,320 It's more just I've been OK. I don't need to all of a sudden 634 00:34:43,320 --> 00:34:46,560 just like throw this all away and and jump into this. 635 00:34:48,360 --> 00:34:50,639 But that's. That's really that's not the 636 00:34:50,639 --> 00:34:52,719 point, right? That's that's neither here nor 637 00:34:52,719 --> 00:34:55,880 there. The the greater lesson that you 638 00:34:55,880 --> 00:35:00,280 drew out yesterday is how this sets up Peter to act and 639 00:35:00,280 --> 00:35:02,720 interact with Cornelius, right? Yep. 640 00:35:02,880 --> 00:35:04,640 Absolutely. So the next. 641 00:35:04,640 --> 00:35:07,800 Day verse 23. Peter started out with them, the 642 00:35:07,800 --> 00:35:13,480 men that that Cornelius sent. The following day he arrived in 643 00:35:13,480 --> 00:35:15,720 Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and 644 00:35:15,720 --> 00:35:17,440 had called together his relatives and close friends. 645 00:35:17,440 --> 00:35:19,720 As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at 646 00:35:19,720 --> 00:35:23,040 his feet in reverence, but Peter made him get up. 647 00:35:23,040 --> 00:35:25,160 Stand up. I am only a man myself. 648 00:35:25,840 --> 00:35:27,800 While talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large 649 00:35:27,800 --> 00:35:29,560 gathering of people. He said to them, you're well 650 00:35:29,560 --> 00:35:31,640 aware. Is it against our law for a Jew 651 00:35:31,640 --> 00:35:33,880 to associate with or visit a Gentile? 652 00:35:33,880 --> 00:35:36,640 But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or 653 00:35:36,640 --> 00:35:38,960 unclean. So when I was sent for, I came 654 00:35:38,960 --> 00:35:41,840 without raising any objection. Why have you sent for me? 655 00:35:42,200 --> 00:35:45,520 So right that's that's the bigger part of the vision. 656 00:35:45,520 --> 00:35:49,640 It started with a smaller lesson, learning that Peter, 657 00:35:49,680 --> 00:35:57,400 you've cast out this now arcane dietary restriction and command. 658 00:35:57,400 --> 00:36:00,200 You've you've raised objection with it. 659 00:36:00,480 --> 00:36:04,200 Now I'm going to go send you to a person that I that I'm 660 00:36:04,720 --> 00:36:07,960 planning to that I already I've already worked in their life. 661 00:36:07,960 --> 00:36:09,480 I've already made them clean, right. 662 00:36:09,480 --> 00:36:13,000 That's that's the phrases here that are not impure or unclean. 663 00:36:13,400 --> 00:36:16,160 You're going to judge them because they're not like you, 664 00:36:16,360 --> 00:36:17,960 because they're not Jewish like you. 665 00:36:17,960 --> 00:36:21,160 They're of gentile descent. So that's, that's the greater 666 00:36:21,880 --> 00:36:24,680 object lesson here, right. That's worth in and through 667 00:36:24,680 --> 00:36:25,960 Peter's psyche. Yep. 668 00:36:26,360 --> 00:36:28,280 Yeah, of course. Because I mean the, the, the 669 00:36:28,280 --> 00:36:30,040 food laws. And here's the thing, if you 670 00:36:30,040 --> 00:36:32,520 want to find those food laws, by the way, you can go back to the 671 00:36:32,520 --> 00:36:36,480 Leviticus 11 and one of the riveting. 672 00:36:36,920 --> 00:36:39,360 Riveting stuff. But actually one of the things 673 00:36:39,360 --> 00:36:46,040 that you know, is asked here of this text is did God just change 674 00:36:46,040 --> 00:36:48,560 his mind? Think about it. 675 00:36:48,920 --> 00:36:53,720 So if God establishes these food laws and then, you know, we Fast 676 00:36:53,720 --> 00:36:57,400 forward to the New Testament and Jesus speaks to this because you 677 00:36:57,400 --> 00:37:01,520 hear and Jesus, and thus Jesus declared all foods clean. 678 00:37:01,720 --> 00:37:04,520 And then we get this moment in the book of Acts, you know, 679 00:37:04,520 --> 00:37:08,760 where God says no Peter, like get up and rise and kill and 680 00:37:08,760 --> 00:37:10,920 eat. So, you know, one of the 681 00:37:10,920 --> 00:37:13,320 questions that comes out of this is does God change? 682 00:37:13,880 --> 00:37:17,040 Here's how I've probably heard it best explained. 683 00:37:17,040 --> 00:37:19,320 And actually there were two different pastors who use the 684 00:37:19,320 --> 00:37:23,840 same illustration and, and, and it makes sense in my head and 685 00:37:23,840 --> 00:37:25,800 how they kind of worked through this idea. 686 00:37:25,800 --> 00:37:27,520 Does God change or what's going on here? 687 00:37:28,360 --> 00:37:31,760 They give the illustration of, OK, so you're on one side of the 688 00:37:31,760 --> 00:37:33,120 street and your child is on the other. 689 00:37:33,120 --> 00:37:35,520 It's an incredibly busy intersection. 690 00:37:36,000 --> 00:37:39,960 And they start to walk out and you say, no, stop, stop. 691 00:37:39,960 --> 00:37:44,480 Don't, don't come here yet. And then you know, you knowing 692 00:37:44,480 --> 00:37:46,840 better, the light turns a different color. 693 00:37:46,840 --> 00:37:49,200 And so then traffic is it's safe for them to cross. 694 00:37:49,200 --> 00:37:51,800 And now you're, you're saying, no, it's time for you to come, 695 00:37:51,920 --> 00:37:54,360 come with me now. And so they kind of took the, 696 00:37:54,360 --> 00:37:58,640 the angle of like, no, God doesn't change, but there is a 697 00:37:58,640 --> 00:38:00,920 time in a season for all of these things. 698 00:38:01,280 --> 00:38:06,440 And it is now a safe time from God's perspective to open up the 699 00:38:06,440 --> 00:38:08,800 door to this wider world of things. 700 00:38:09,440 --> 00:38:12,560 Prior to that, like, no, you are set apart. 701 00:38:12,680 --> 00:38:15,880 I'm making you intentionally different than the people around 702 00:38:15,880 --> 00:38:20,080 you so that you can show who I am through the law. 703 00:38:20,720 --> 00:38:24,600 But now as, as the world opens up through the person of Jesus 704 00:38:24,600 --> 00:38:28,320 Christ, now God is saying, OK, it's it's time for you to, to 705 00:38:28,320 --> 00:38:32,240 walk forward and, and start to open up to some of these things 706 00:38:32,240 --> 00:38:35,840 that my son has, you know, because he's Jesus fulfilled all 707 00:38:35,840 --> 00:38:38,280 of the ceremonial law. We still have the 10 708 00:38:38,280 --> 00:38:42,440 commandments after Jesus, but he has thus fulfilled all 709 00:38:42,440 --> 00:38:44,920 ceremonial law. And so those things aren't a 710 00:38:44,920 --> 00:38:47,160 part of that faith anymore, right? 711 00:38:47,160 --> 00:38:49,440 And. That's the bigger part of what 712 00:38:49,440 --> 00:38:52,360 has changed too. They no longer have to go 713 00:38:52,360 --> 00:38:56,800 through these sacrificial offerings or things. 714 00:38:56,800 --> 00:39:00,480 Jesus has done that and that has changed how the people of God 715 00:39:00,480 --> 00:39:05,360 interact with God in that moment was changed once and for all by 716 00:39:05,360 --> 00:39:09,080 Jesus. So I like that though, and it 717 00:39:09,120 --> 00:39:13,280 it's not God changing his mind or moving the goal posts as it 718 00:39:13,280 --> 00:39:19,560 were just now. This is what makes up the life 719 00:39:19,560 --> 00:39:21,920 of a Christian. This is this is what makes up 720 00:39:21,920 --> 00:39:24,760 salvation and obedience and faithfulness. 721 00:39:24,920 --> 00:39:29,120 And actually it doesn't. It doesn't look like calling 722 00:39:29,240 --> 00:39:32,680 things provided from God and that's that's the bigger 723 00:39:32,680 --> 00:39:35,200 offense. I feel like here God provided it 724 00:39:35,200 --> 00:39:39,160 for him, gave it to him and he almost Peter almost reacts like 725 00:39:39,840 --> 00:39:42,680 Jesus did with the devil in the desert of get get away from me. 726 00:39:42,680 --> 00:39:44,600 I'm not I'm not going to do this. 727 00:39:44,600 --> 00:39:47,840 Do not put the Lord your God to the test or do not like man 728 00:39:47,840 --> 00:39:49,880 shall not live on bread alone. But everywhere it seems, it 729 00:39:49,880 --> 00:39:52,400 seems like he could almost respond with those things. 730 00:39:52,400 --> 00:39:56,600 It feels like he's being tempted by God somehow, but apparently 731 00:39:56,600 --> 00:39:59,800 he needed that interaction to get the message again. 732 00:39:59,800 --> 00:40:02,360 You, you brought up yesterday. His theology was still kind of 733 00:40:02,480 --> 00:40:06,720 shaky, and it took a moment like this for God to show him you're 734 00:40:06,720 --> 00:40:08,880 going to go meet this guy that you're going to. 735 00:40:08,880 --> 00:40:11,520 You judge him on appearance. You judge him on standing. 736 00:40:11,520 --> 00:40:14,240 You would consider him unclean and not a believer. 737 00:40:14,800 --> 00:40:17,240 But I've already, I've already marked him. 738 00:40:17,320 --> 00:40:20,280 I've already changed him. I've made him clean and pure. 739 00:40:20,560 --> 00:40:24,080 And you've got to get this through your head, Peter. 740 00:40:25,120 --> 00:40:28,960 And how and how difficult again, must that have been to embrace, 741 00:40:29,160 --> 00:40:31,800 you know, this, this man as a brother? 742 00:40:32,120 --> 00:40:36,280 Because that's what Christianity calls us to do when we are in 743 00:40:36,480 --> 00:40:40,880 the same faith under the umbrella of the grace of Jesus 744 00:40:40,880 --> 00:40:43,480 Christ. Man, we are, we, we are called 745 00:40:43,480 --> 00:40:46,360 to look at these people of different cultures, different 746 00:40:47,240 --> 00:40:50,000 realities really socio economically or otherwise. 747 00:40:50,280 --> 00:40:53,120 We're called to look at them and say, yeah, you're, you are my 748 00:40:53,120 --> 00:40:57,760 brother or my sister in Christ. In fact, because we have this, 749 00:40:58,240 --> 00:41:04,000 this family in common through our faith, that bond is, is 750 00:41:04,000 --> 00:41:06,320 something that I mean, think about it this way. 751 00:41:06,520 --> 00:41:11,560 Have you ever thought about the fact that you have people on the 752 00:41:11,600 --> 00:41:14,160 other side of the planet who don't speak the same language as 753 00:41:14,160 --> 00:41:16,760 you, who don't have the same cultural norms as you, who look 754 00:41:16,760 --> 00:41:19,440 vastly different from you and they dress differently? 755 00:41:19,840 --> 00:41:22,640 And man, God says you guys are related. 756 00:41:22,760 --> 00:41:26,840 You guys are family and even if you can't communicate that 757 00:41:26,880 --> 00:41:30,640 easily, I have bonded you together in your faith. 758 00:41:30,880 --> 00:41:32,360 I think that's a really remarkable thing. 759 00:41:32,360 --> 00:41:35,440 And that must have been very difficult for Peter to walk into 760 00:41:35,440 --> 00:41:40,600 that house and after an entire lifetime of prejudice, basically 761 00:41:41,000 --> 00:41:43,960 saying, OK, I, I, I need to do a 180 right now. 762 00:41:45,000 --> 00:41:47,720 That's not easy to do. But that's what God called him 763 00:41:47,720 --> 00:41:49,600 to do in that moment. He did and. 764 00:41:49,600 --> 00:41:53,960 It wasn't only him we see at the beginning of Chapter 11 after 765 00:41:53,960 --> 00:41:57,160 he's had this interaction with Cornelius, the 11 verse one, the 766 00:41:57,160 --> 00:41:59,800 apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that the 767 00:41:59,800 --> 00:42:02,320 Gentiles also had received the word of God. 768 00:42:02,320 --> 00:42:05,000 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised 769 00:42:05,000 --> 00:42:07,760 believers criticized him and said you went to the House of 770 00:42:07,760 --> 00:42:10,880 uncircumcised men and ate with them their. 771 00:42:10,880 --> 00:42:13,160 Reaction is not great, no, and this isn't. 772 00:42:13,160 --> 00:42:15,280 Just Peter's problem, apparently. 773 00:42:15,280 --> 00:42:19,480 There there is the large core of believers who did not understand 774 00:42:20,240 --> 00:42:24,240 that the gates were down, the bounds were down it it was to 775 00:42:24,320 --> 00:42:28,000 the ends of the earth and the opportunity for God's grace and 776 00:42:28,000 --> 00:42:31,680 salvation was opened to every tribe and tongue, right. 777 00:42:32,680 --> 00:42:38,480 So Peter, after he recounts he basically it's just a rehash of 778 00:42:39,040 --> 00:42:42,040 the vision in chapter 10. Basically, he tells him exactly 779 00:42:42,040 --> 00:42:45,440 what happened and his interaction with Cornelius and 780 00:42:46,200 --> 00:42:49,040 he gives them kind of the conclusion though in verse 15, 781 00:42:49,040 --> 00:42:52,800 as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as had as he 782 00:42:52,800 --> 00:42:55,280 had come on us at the beginning. And then I remember what the 783 00:42:55,280 --> 00:42:57,120 Lord had said. John baptized with water, but 784 00:42:57,120 --> 00:42:58,880 you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. 785 00:42:59,080 --> 00:43:03,760 So if God gave them the same gift he gave us, who believed in 786 00:43:03,760 --> 00:43:07,920 the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in 787 00:43:07,920 --> 00:43:11,440 God's way? Man full Sir, he gets it. 788 00:43:11,720 --> 00:43:15,040 He gets it now, right? And he's needing to bring them 789 00:43:15,360 --> 00:43:18,440 on board and their response verse 18, when they heard this, 790 00:43:18,440 --> 00:43:21,600 they had no further objections and praise God saying so then 791 00:43:21,840 --> 00:43:26,240 even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life. 792 00:43:27,520 --> 00:43:31,240 So. We have this through through 793 00:43:31,240 --> 00:43:35,200 this one outlier and there were there had to be more outliers. 794 00:43:35,240 --> 00:43:39,360 This is the one that Luke records and that we have that we 795 00:43:39,360 --> 00:43:42,800 have this story of this interaction with Peter, but 796 00:43:42,800 --> 00:43:47,440 through this one instance, it's made clear to the early church 797 00:43:47,440 --> 00:43:52,320 and the multiplying church. This is far reaching beyond your 798 00:43:52,320 --> 00:43:55,240 expectations. It's still not an exclusive 799 00:43:55,560 --> 00:43:58,360 club. This is for every nation, 800 00:43:58,360 --> 00:44:02,960 culture, people that this is happening and baptized with the 801 00:44:02,960 --> 00:44:05,480 Holy Spirit. God gave them the same gift. 802 00:44:05,520 --> 00:44:08,760 You can't get in the way of this happening one way or another. 803 00:44:08,760 --> 00:44:13,840 So you can either get on board or God's going to work without 804 00:44:13,840 --> 00:44:18,880 you, right. So we have this awesome example 805 00:44:18,880 --> 00:44:23,720 from, from Peter with Cornelius and, and it not only changes his 806 00:44:23,720 --> 00:44:27,280 thing, I think it much more informs his own theology too. 807 00:44:27,280 --> 00:44:31,200 But it also sets the table for these households, this early 808 00:44:31,200 --> 00:44:34,720 Church of everyone, literally everyone. 809 00:44:34,760 --> 00:44:38,760 You go back to Jesus, the parable of, of who is my 810 00:44:38,760 --> 00:44:42,440 neighbor and, and the Good Samaritan and, and those things. 811 00:44:42,440 --> 00:44:47,040 It comes full circle back to this, this guy that you maybe at 812 00:44:47,040 --> 00:44:49,160 one point would have thought was your enemy. 813 00:44:49,520 --> 00:44:51,120 He's culturally different from you. 814 00:44:51,120 --> 00:44:54,560 And you're kind of judging and unsure from where he's at. 815 00:44:55,400 --> 00:44:58,120 I've worked in his life just the same as I've worked in yours. 816 00:44:58,120 --> 00:45:01,360 And it's not your place to tell me that I can't change this 817 00:45:01,360 --> 00:45:02,840 life. Oh man. 818 00:45:03,000 --> 00:45:07,160 Amen to that. It is not our place to speak for 819 00:45:07,160 --> 00:45:11,000 God in terms of like keeping people out, you know, like we're 820 00:45:11,120 --> 00:45:13,520 we're kind of checking people at the door and we're like, well, 821 00:45:13,520 --> 00:45:16,400 actually, you haven't done enough or you haven't shifted 822 00:45:16,400 --> 00:45:18,640 enough. God says that's all baloney. 823 00:45:19,120 --> 00:45:22,600 I will, I will be in the life of the of whoever I want to be. 824 00:45:22,920 --> 00:45:26,480 And you can't really stop that. And I need, in fact, I need you 825 00:45:26,480 --> 00:45:29,920 to embrace it because you know, what God is doing here is he's 826 00:45:29,920 --> 00:45:33,160 pushing a world level movement, right? 827 00:45:33,440 --> 00:45:38,600 Because if you, gosh, if you're the creator of all the universe 828 00:45:38,960 --> 00:45:41,600 there, there's nothing that you've created that you don't 829 00:45:41,600 --> 00:45:44,240 want for your own, otherwise you wouldn't have created it. 830 00:45:44,600 --> 00:45:48,880 And so like, regardless of the fact that we don't worship the 831 00:45:48,880 --> 00:45:51,680 same way and you know, we, we look different and speak 832 00:45:51,680 --> 00:45:56,800 different, that does not matter. Like no one culture. 833 00:45:57,000 --> 00:46:00,520 And that's why Christianity is really unique because no one 834 00:46:00,520 --> 00:46:04,480 Cultural Center holds Christianity as like this is 835 00:46:04,480 --> 00:46:08,480 ours and everybody else needs to bend to meet us where we are. 836 00:46:08,720 --> 00:46:11,720 No, there isn't a single singular Cultural Center of 837 00:46:11,720 --> 00:46:13,400 Christianity. Not in the same. 838 00:46:13,440 --> 00:46:15,240 Way as other world religions? No way. 839 00:46:15,480 --> 00:46:21,760 Christianity is you. It's it's played out uniquely in 840 00:46:21,760 --> 00:46:26,200 each different culture, with the same heart and value and 841 00:46:26,200 --> 00:46:29,880 theology at the center of it, but it can look vastly 842 00:46:29,880 --> 00:46:33,840 different. And yet it's still the same God. 843 00:46:34,400 --> 00:46:36,480 I don't think you can. I don't think you see that in 844 00:46:36,480 --> 00:46:39,280 other religions necessarily. Like, it has to look like this 845 00:46:39,280 --> 00:46:41,680 and this and this and this, and these are the boxes you need to 846 00:46:41,680 --> 00:46:45,160 check if you're going to be, you know, this kind of person. 847 00:46:45,560 --> 00:46:48,640 And Christianity just does not have those strings wrapped 848 00:46:48,640 --> 00:46:49,880 around it. Not at all. 849 00:46:50,160 --> 00:46:54,200 And that's a beautiful picture. I also think it's a little bit 850 00:46:54,520 --> 00:46:58,480 of a danger for us as Christians too, because who do we associate 851 00:46:58,480 --> 00:46:59,720 with? Who do we gravitate to? 852 00:47:00,360 --> 00:47:03,280 People that are like us, right? We, we like people that have 853 00:47:03,280 --> 00:47:07,400 similar interests or we, we might even at times kind of pre 854 00:47:07,400 --> 00:47:11,640 decide, well, they're not going to want to hear about Jesus. 855 00:47:11,760 --> 00:47:14,120 They're not, they're not like me, they're not like me in this 856 00:47:14,120 --> 00:47:17,640 way, or they don't like these things And and I do like those 857 00:47:17,640 --> 00:47:19,720 things. So why would why would they like 858 00:47:19,800 --> 00:47:22,120 Jesus? Why would I bring this to them 859 00:47:22,120 --> 00:47:25,880 there and we and we kind of self select them that we answer for 860 00:47:25,880 --> 00:47:28,400 them. And that's what Cornelius was on 861 00:47:28,400 --> 00:47:31,680 the surface. I don't think he was someone 862 00:47:31,680 --> 00:47:34,680 they would have been excited to bring the message of Jesus, or 863 00:47:34,680 --> 00:47:38,120 at least not hopeful for. Oh yeah, this guy, he'll love 864 00:47:38,120 --> 00:47:40,000 this. He'll love this pitch, right. 865 00:47:41,080 --> 00:47:46,680 I think we all have people in our lives that we prejudge and 866 00:47:46,680 --> 00:47:49,000 may and that might sound extreme. 867 00:47:49,000 --> 00:47:52,160 I don't I don't know that it's necessarily in the we're damning 868 00:47:52,160 --> 00:47:55,160 them to hell sort of way, but we're prejudging their 869 00:47:55,160 --> 00:48:00,240 receptiveness to the gospel. And that's not part of the Great 870 00:48:00,320 --> 00:48:05,800 Commission, right? It's not go and preach and 871 00:48:06,000 --> 00:48:11,600 convince them that you're right that there's not that subtext. 872 00:48:11,960 --> 00:48:19,600 It's just go teach and it's kind of on them to respond right 873 00:48:19,600 --> 00:48:21,720 there. There isn't, there isn't that 874 00:48:21,720 --> 00:48:24,840 human pursuit. It's just it's just faithfulness 875 00:48:25,280 --> 00:48:29,360 to that calling. So that's that's something I 876 00:48:29,360 --> 00:48:33,480 think for us to think about too. Because I've also, I hope 877 00:48:33,480 --> 00:48:35,800 there's not those of you in this church that are that are 878 00:48:35,800 --> 00:48:38,720 struggling with that and kind of pre selecting, pre opting out 879 00:48:39,320 --> 00:48:42,200 people in your lives to the message of the gospel. 880 00:48:42,200 --> 00:48:46,120 Because I also have heard from others of you that have kind of 881 00:48:46,760 --> 00:48:50,960 no holds barred sort of with even close family and friends 882 00:48:50,960 --> 00:48:53,440 that throughout your whole life they've never wanted anything to 883 00:48:53,440 --> 00:48:56,440 do. And you're just speaking Jesus 884 00:48:56,440 --> 00:48:59,720 into their lives. And they're responding. 885 00:48:59,760 --> 00:49:02,680 And, and some of them and some of them are now listen now 886 00:49:02,680 --> 00:49:06,040 listening to Christian radio or tuning into messages on Sunday. 887 00:49:06,040 --> 00:49:09,320 And yeah, maybe they don't fully understand it or they need a 888 00:49:09,320 --> 00:49:12,640 little helping hand along the way, like with the Ethiopian 889 00:49:12,640 --> 00:49:15,160 last couple weeks ago. How, how am I supposed to 890 00:49:15,160 --> 00:49:17,560 understand this if there's no one here to explain to me? 891 00:49:17,640 --> 00:49:21,240 You might be in those phases with them, but the first part is 892 00:49:21,240 --> 00:49:26,280 sharing if if we let ourselves be at a point where we've 893 00:49:26,280 --> 00:49:29,080 prejudged and that's the people that Peter's coming back here to 894 00:49:29,200 --> 00:49:31,680 like why, why we're even spending time with this guy. 895 00:49:31,680 --> 00:49:35,720 He can't he can't have the same salvation that we had. 896 00:49:35,720 --> 00:49:39,480 These people are those people. These people aren't included in 897 00:49:39,480 --> 00:49:44,640 the people of God. We we got to be on guard for 898 00:49:44,640 --> 00:49:46,800 that. It, it, it's less than even 899 00:49:47,480 --> 00:49:50,760 condemning them to hell, but it's, it's that fact that if 900 00:49:50,760 --> 00:49:54,160 there's anyone in your life that you are pretty convinced is 901 00:49:54,160 --> 00:49:56,560 condemned to hell right now, like those should be the ones 902 00:49:56,560 --> 00:50:00,000 we're sharing with, right? You know what? 903 00:50:00,000 --> 00:50:04,440 Honestly, like you, you bring up a fantastic point off of, you 904 00:50:04,440 --> 00:50:09,520 know, this moment in Chapter 11 and you know, it's, it does in 905 00:50:09,520 --> 00:50:12,880 some ways come down to asking ourselves an honest question. 906 00:50:13,120 --> 00:50:18,600 Is the God in my own head too small to do such a thing with so 907 00:50:18,600 --> 00:50:21,760 and so or that kind of person? If the God in your head is too 908 00:50:21,760 --> 00:50:25,320 small to, you know, change that person, then you're not 909 00:50:25,320 --> 00:50:28,160 worshiping the God of the Bible because the God of the Bible can 910 00:50:28,160 --> 00:50:30,880 do whatever he pleases and he will. 911 00:50:31,480 --> 00:50:35,360 But he's calling us to be faithful ambassadors in in those 912 00:50:35,360 --> 00:50:37,240 moments. And that's what Peter did. 913 00:50:37,560 --> 00:50:40,400 He was a faithful ambassador to the gospel, even though it 914 00:50:40,400 --> 00:50:42,640 probably made him wildly uncomfortable. 915 00:50:43,080 --> 00:50:45,280 He went anyway. And you're right. 916 00:50:45,280 --> 00:50:49,040 I man, I hadn't thought about it that way, but that was spot on. 917 00:50:49,240 --> 00:50:52,880 Like, have I prejudged this person out of the gospel? 918 00:50:53,200 --> 00:50:56,560 Like I'm not even going to try, you know, and I guess I'd never 919 00:50:56,560 --> 00:50:57,840 thought about it that way before. 920 00:50:57,840 --> 00:51:01,600 So like, I love that. Like that makes a lot of sense 921 00:51:01,600 --> 00:51:03,000 in my head. You can't. 922 00:51:04,080 --> 00:51:08,400 When you're sharing the gospel with someone or whatever you, 923 00:51:08,440 --> 00:51:13,160 you can call it preaching, evangelizing, testimony, you 924 00:51:13,160 --> 00:51:17,640 whatever, you can't make them say yes that there's no manner 925 00:51:17,640 --> 00:51:22,600 of conviction or convincing or whatever. 926 00:51:22,600 --> 00:51:24,720 You you can't convince them to say yes. 927 00:51:25,000 --> 00:51:29,160 But also, please don't pre answer no for them right? 928 00:51:29,280 --> 00:51:32,200 We we also can't put ourselves in that position. 929 00:51:33,080 --> 00:51:33,600 Amen. That's. 930 00:51:33,720 --> 00:51:36,000 That's amazing. I thank you for bringing it up. 931 00:51:36,080 --> 00:51:38,200 Like I said, I I don't think I've ever thought about it that 932 00:51:38,200 --> 00:51:41,040 way, but that's that's eye opening. 933 00:51:41,040 --> 00:51:45,080 And you're right, that's exactly what we need to not do. 934 00:51:45,320 --> 00:51:50,240 Yeah. Anything else from Cornelius? 935 00:51:50,240 --> 00:51:53,120 I got to find the thing. Now you're going to make it's 936 00:51:53,120 --> 00:51:54,760 got. To be from it's probably some 937 00:51:54,760 --> 00:51:59,360 spoof that someone did that was just like, I don't know the that 938 00:51:59,360 --> 00:52:02,760 apple banana, apple banana. I don't know. 939 00:52:02,760 --> 00:52:04,840 Now I'm oh man. See, I need to get off. 940 00:52:04,840 --> 00:52:07,720 Here we go. Here we go you and well get off 941 00:52:07,720 --> 00:52:09,320 of social. Media for a while apparently I 942 00:52:09,320 --> 00:52:11,680 just now it's AI is just populating things in my 943 00:52:11,680 --> 00:52:17,520 consciousness right I don't even have an error link that's. 944 00:52:17,880 --> 00:52:21,360 See, now, now soon we need to have an AI conversation. 945 00:52:21,720 --> 00:52:24,720 Oh man. Because anyway, all right. 946 00:52:24,840 --> 00:52:29,200 Thanks for hanging with us for a little leftovers on Acts 10 and 947 00:52:29,200 --> 00:52:31,600 11. Hope you have a blessed week 948 00:52:31,600 --> 00:52:33,400 Church. Enjoy the heat. 949 00:52:34,280 --> 00:52:37,560 Thanks for hanging with us. Stay frosty.