Why Should I Oppose God?
Acts 11
After the day of Pentecost, the Apostle Peter began to be used mightily by the Lord as he traveled about, leading and doing God’s work. The church was experiencing unprecedented growth, and Peter was at the forefront of it all. God used him to do great miracles, like healing the lame man at the Gate Called Beautiful who was over 40 years old and had been lame all his life, like bringing immediate death to Ananias and Saphiras for lieing to the Holy Ghost concerning their giving, like causing the sick and demon possessed to be delivered by standing in Peter’s shadow, like filling the Samaritans, people considered unclean and filthy, with the Holy Ghost, like healing the man named Aeneas in the city of Lydda, who had been bedridden for eight years, like raising the lady Dorcas from the dead, and so much more.
In Acts 10, God began to use Peter to turn the direction of the gospel message into a whole new dimension. One day, while staying in the city of Joppa at the house of Simon the Tanner, Peter went on the roof to pray about the noon hour. While up there, the Lord began to show him a vision. He saw heaven opened, and a large sheet being let down to the earth by its 4 corners. It contained all kinds of four footed animals, reptiles, and birds. Then he heard a voice saying, “Peter, get up, kill and eat these”. Peter immediately responded, “No! Nothing unclean has ever entered my mouth”, but the voice responded “Do not call anything unclean that God has made clean”. This happened 3 times, then the sheet was taken back to Heaven.
While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the Spirit told him that 3 men were looking for him that had come from Cornelius the Centurion, and he was to go with them for the Lord had sent them. When Peter came back down stairs, he found them there, and agreed to go with them.
The next day, Peter, the 3 men, and some of the brothers from Joppa headed out to Cornelius’ house. They arrived the following day, only to find this Roman Centurion falling down at his feet the minute he walked in the door. Peter told him to get up, because he was just a man that had been sent from the Lord to preach to them. Cornelius was a God-fearing man, whom the Lord spoke to through an angel saying, “Your prayers and your alms giving have come up as a memorial to me. Send men after Simon Peter and have him come share my words with you”. Sure he was a man of authority, as he was the leader of 100 men in the Italian Regiment, but he was somebody that was righteous, and God fearing, one that was respected by all the Jewish people. He had a great desire to know the fullness of God, something very contrary to anyone of his caliber!
Peter explained that the Lord had shown him not call any man unclean/impure, and that he was to come to his house. He asked Cornelius why he sent for him and he replied, “4 days ago I was in my house praying when I saw a man in shinning clothes stand before me, saying ‘God has heard your prayers and remembered your gifts to the poor. Send for Simon Peter who is in Joppa at Simon the Tanner’s house. So I sent for you immediately, and now we are here ready to hear what God has to say to us all”. When Peter heard this, he said, “Now I realize that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through JC, who is lord of all. You know how that throughout Judea God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the HG and with power, and how he went about doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses of all the things he did, and of the fact the people killed him on the cross, but God raised him up on the 3rd day and caused him to be seen by a select few of us. He commanded us to preach the gospel, letting everyone know that all who receive him will be forgiven of their sins”. While Peter was still preaching to them, the HG fell on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who witnessed it were astonished that the gift of the HG was poured out on the Gentiles, for they head them speak in tongues and praising God. After that they baptized them in water, and after a few days of staying with them, Peter left for Jerusalem again.
When he got there, he began to explain to the apostles and brothers what had happened, seeing they were questioning him for fellowshipping in the house of a Gentile. Peter said, “as I began to speak, the HG came on them as he did for us in the beginning at Pentecost. Then I remembered the what the Lord had said “John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Ghost”. So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God?”
I don’t know if you believe it or not, but I am confident that in these last days God is looking to send his message of salvation, revival, renewal, and power to places that have never heard of/experienced it before. I believe God is looking to save the vilest, most wicked, most hideous of sinners, and he’s looking for the spirit filled church to deliver the message. I believe God is looking to take Christians who’ve never experienced the dynamics of Pentecostal power and flood their souls with genuine HG and fire. I’m confident God is listening to the cry of hearts that are desperate for Jesus and all he has offers and is ready to fill them up. The time is now, the place is here! I agree with Peter: who am I to oppose God in what he wants to do in this place!
Someone might ask why we keep having prayer lines and long altar services. Let me tell you, as long as people keep reaching we must keep giving. When people quit seeking and reaching then we’ll do something else. But if folks want the fire and God wants to give it, then let’s offer the fire! **And let me tell you, for the record, these aren’t empty handed, mere emotional experiences were having. People are getting saved, people are getting filled with the HG, people are getting healed of diseases/sicknesses, people are answering the call to ministry, people are being lifted up/encouraged, etc. Let’s keep fanning the flame! Let’s not forbid God from doing what he wants to do in this church!
LET ME SHOW YOU SOME THINGS HERE
(1) You understand Peter was a Jew. When he left the work with the Samaritans, he went to stay in Joppa with Simon the Tanner. There is an interesting note about this. Tanners made animal hides into leather. The significance is, tanning involved contact with dead animals, and Jewish law considered it an “unclean” job. Basically, long before he ever got to Cornelius’ house, God was setting him up/getting him ready by having him stay with a man who had an unclean profession.
Some of you think that you just happened to end up here at Deerwood because you were looking for a home church. Some of you think you showed up here because you wanted to have church with your family and friends. But I gotta tell you, I believe you’re here by divine appointment. What you may not know is, God had you entangled in a HG set up all along. You didn’t have any idea what you were about to get into when you came, but look at you now. (Give Ex. In room)
(2) In 10:28, Peter says “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate or even visit a Gentile”. In other words, he was not comfortable there, because it went against everything he had ever been taught and everything he had ever done. But if he was going to effectively minister to these people, he was going to have to be willing to come out of his comfort zone, do what he’d never done, take a risk, and go against the grain just to see God move.
The same thing applies for us. I want to see revival so bad I can taste it. I want God to pour down so hard on this place I can’t even describe it. But I know that in order for that to happen, we must be willing to do things we have never done before. We may have to minister a bit different, may have to play a different type song, may have to have a different order to service, whatever. You individually must be willing to do something that has never been comfortable to you/take a risk, but I’m telling you it’s a small price to pay to see revival come to this house!
(3) Scripture shows us that Cornelius was ready to receive something. He had been living right for a while now, he’d already received a vision, and was so excited he went out and got his relatives and close friends. V.33 “So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us."
There is an old saying that says this: The atmosphere of expectation is the breeding ground of miracles. I gotta tell you, when you get a house full of expectation the possibilities are endless. If you don’t believe that ask the woman with issue of blood, ask Jairus, ask the Centurion who had the sick servant, ask Mary at the marriage in Cana. They’ll all tell you that when you expect something from God, He will move!
(4) In 11:12 Peter says that he took 6 witnesses with him when he came back to Jerusalem after the experience at Cornelius’ house. They were there to back up what Peter was saying and to testify of the power of the Lord.
How awesome our God has been here in this church. We have all here felt the touch of the Holy Spirit. But my prayer is that everyone around this city, county, state, and nation could come and experience the power of the Lord. You and I, as recipients of this precious anointing have an obligation to go tell as many people as we can that God is performing miracles and changing lives. Tell them backs, knees, cancers, asthma, kidneys, etc. are being healed. Tell them people are getting delivered from sin and set free. Tell them the power of the Lord is present to heal all that are oppressed, and that there is a river of HG power coming through the isle, filling up our souls!
