Doing Things God’s Way
(Grace Under Fire)
Acts 11:1-18
Intro: Why is it so difficult for men to follow directions? Have you ever bought something that said, “Some assembly required?” What did we do, men? We tear open the package and lay out all the parts and start slapping things together. I don’t know if it’s because we’re so excited to see the finished product, or if we just want to be able to say, “We don’t need no stinking directions!” Maybe we think directions are for sissies who don’t know how to do things the manly way. So maybe it’s pride or ego that drives us to ignore the little booklet or slip of paper that might save us hours of time and a fistful of hair. Sometimes we are successful and we pat ourselves on the back for being so smart or handy. Other times, we may create a disaster, which requires disaster relief in the form of a skilled professional. There are times, however, when we follow the directions the best way we know how for fixing something, but we come to realize that the task is too difficult for us. We find ourselves in over our heads.
-As followers of Jesus, we can often find ourselves in life situations that seem too difficult for us to handle. We try doing things on our own and it just doesn’t work out the way it should. Or maybe we get somebody else’s advice on what to do, but we really don’t consult and try to understand the directions. See, God has given us directions on how to live and most of us have a copy. When we are willing to read the instructions and pattern our lives after them, things go well, because we are doing things God’s way. Most of us are fairly practical people, and we want results that work in our lives. Listen to how simple and practical the main thought of the message is today:
Prop: Those who want God’s results in their lives, will persist in doing things His way.
Interrogative: How can a Christian stay true to God’s way of living? How can we guard against doing things our own way or using somebody else’s way to try to get results?
TS: Well, let me share a few helpful hints from Acts 11 that will help us stay on track with the way God wants things done.
I. Those Who Do Things God’s Way Can Expect Criticism
-When you are doing what God has put in your heart to do, you can expect some opposition- even from other believers you know and trust. This is especially true when God asks you to do something that goes against the accepted social, cultural or religious standards, as He told Peter to do.
-1The apostles and the brothers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him 3 and said, "You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them."
-Author Mark Mittelberg tells about a man named Jim who wanted to do things God’s way. Jim had a passion for God, a love for people, and a burden to share the message of God’s forgiveness with people who had not heard. The big question for Jim was, “How can I get unchurched people who are so different from me to see how much God loves them?” Well, he decided to take some risks and really try. So, he went all out! First, he shaved his head right down to the skin- all except for one little patch of hair which he grew out long. He started wearing it in a pigtail and even dyed it a different color, trying to fit in with the customs of the crowd he was trying to reach. Jim changed the way he dressed, what he ate, and even the way he talked so he could communicate God’s love to this group of people. He read the books and literature they read and did everything he could do to establish common ground with them. In fact, he even moved into the same neighborhood and tried making friends with them. Unfortunately, Jim faced outright rejection from the very people he cared so much about; not only from them, but also from his own church family. Instead of getting behind him and encouraging him, they actually started saying bad things about him. Only a few close friends stuck with him and supported his efforts.
-Jim wanted to do things God’s way. Just as Jesus came into this world and became one of us in order to show us God’s love, so Jim tried to do. He faced loneliness, weariness, and discouragement, but he remained faithful to do what God had called him to do. If you’ve ever read about James Hudson Taylor, who ministered in China over a century ago, then you know what kind of criticism and opposition Jim faced. Yet, as a result of Hudson Taylor’s ministry (China Inland Mission), thousands of beautiful Chinese people came to know Jesus.
-People matter to God, and when we are willing to do things God’s way to help them find the Lord, there is a very good chance we will face criticism. In fact, let me say that as we begin to reach out to our community and do everything we can to help people connect with God, there are going to be people (both Christian and nonChristian) who will criticize us. Some might get offended by the way we go about it. Others might get offended by the message itself. Some will question our motives and say that we are just think we’re better than everyone else, or are trying to steal sheep from other churches.
-Regardless of the opposition, we need to be bold enough to step out and do what we believe God is saying. However, along the same lines, we must also be humble enough to be accountable to other believers. Peter was. God had just used him to bring salvation to an important Roman official, Cornelius. Peter could have gotten real defensive when the Jews criticized him for going into a Gentile’s house, but we don’t find that tone when Peter answers them.
-Now let me suggest that the apostles and brothers were not out of line to ask Peter to account for his actions. It is easy to think that the Jewish leadership in Jerusalem was on the wrong side of the fence and that they were missing God. I don’t think so. God would use Peter and others to change the perspective of the rest of the Jewish church, but the important thing is the relationship that Peter had with these faithful Jews. This is not the main point of our message today, but it is very important. The Bible says that love covers a multitude of sins. Now love is not just an idea or concept. Love is something that can only exist in the context of relationships. Why is fellowship so important to us? Why is connecting with one another and building a close relationship with each other one of the main purposes of the church? Because it is only through consistent fellowship and relationship with one another that we can overcome the criticisms and tensions that tend to build up between us. We all tend to see things a little bit differently, and that makes us want to criticize someone else when they don’t think or act the way we do. Love helps cover the sin of judgmental criticism and helps us appreciate the variety that God displays through His people.
-TS: So, I hope that helps us in dealing with our own tendency to criticize those who are different from us. Nevertheless, we need to know how to respond when people criticize us. That leads us to the 2nd point.
II. Those Who Do Things God’s Way Must Respond Appropriately to Criticism
A. Be willing to explain yourself
-At first glance, we might think, “I shouldn’t have to explain myself when I’m only doing what God wants me to do! However, when you live in community with others, it may be necessary to help them understand why you do what you do.
-Again, Peter could have thrown up his hands and said, “I give up! You guys are hopeless! You don’t even care about the lost people God wants us to reach!” However, it was important to Peter to maintain a loving relationship with the rest of the body of Christ; so, he was willing to explain himself.
4Peter began and explained everything to them precisely as it had happened.
B. Determine whether you have really understood God’s will. (5-12)
-It is sometimes easy to assume that we are right and everybody else is wrong. It is tempting to assume that whatever we are doing must be God’s will. However, that is never a given. We must learn to listen carefully to what the Lord is speaking to our hearts through prayer and weigh it out based on the Bible.
-If I think I am the only one who hears from God, then I am in danger of missing God. So when we hear from God, we need to ask Him to confirm what He is saying to us. God did this for Peter by repeating the vision of the clean and unclean animals 3 times. When God speaks to you, He will confirm what He is saying through 2 or 3 witnesses. Both the OT and the NT affirm the principle of 2 or 3 witnesses establishing truth. He may use His word, other believers, circumstances, or other things to confirm His specific message to you. Here is how Peter related that God had truly spoken to him:
5"I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was. 6I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds of the air. 7 Then I heard a voice telling me, ’Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’ 8 "I replied, ’Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9 "The voice spoke from heaven a second time, ’Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’ 10 This happened three times, and then it was all pulled up to heaven again. 11"Right then three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea stopped at the house where I was staying. 12 The Spirit told me to have no hesitation about going with them.
-Peter made certain that God had confirmed His will, and then he humbly related it to his Jewish brothers. Next, Peter shows that he did not go about this by himself.
C. Don’t go it alone!
12These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man’s house.
-Surround yourself with other strong believers who will keep you walking straight. We’ve already talked about the need for close relationships and living in community with one another, but we can’t really say enough about it.
-Peter made himself accountable to other godly Jews before launching out and recklessly violating what he had been taught to believe about Gentiles.
-Even when we are sure God is speaking to us about something, it is wise to invite other believers to give us prayer support and counsel. There is safety and wisdom in godly counsel. The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel. We really need one another to help cover our weaknesses. Along with that…
D. Acknowledge what God is saying to others.
13 He [Cornelius] told us how he had seen an angel appear in his house and say, ’Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. 14 He will bring you a message through which you and all your household will be saved.’
-God had been speaking to Cornelius and that was in agreement with what God was saying to Peter. Peter had clearly heard from God, and had invited other believers along to keep him accountable. But he also compared what he had heard from God with what Cornelius had heard from God. Here is Peter’s response to Cornelius after hearing him speak what God had told him: Back in Acts 10:34-35 34 Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.
-Peter now knew beyond any doubt that God was doing something new, and he was able to welcome it and cooperate fully with God. How was it finally confirmed to Peter? By listening to what God was saying to Cornelius.
E. Make sure your actions line up with what God is doing!
-This almost sounds like a repetition of what we’ve been saying, but listen: it is one thing to know God’s will and another thing to step out and fully do it.
15 "As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. 16 Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ’John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 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?"
-We need to ask ourselves, “What is God doing right now?” and “What has He said about it in the past?” Then we need to look at what we are doing. Are we doing what God is doing? Are we thinking the way He thinks. He said that His thoughts are higher than our thoughts and His ways are above our ways. However, Paul also indicates that we can have the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16). We can learn to live and move in tandem with the heart of God. We can align our actions with what God is doing.
-If it is God’s heart to reach the children and youth of Elgin, who are we to think that we could oppose God? Who would want to oppose God? None of us, right? Well, not so fast. What’s it going to take to reach the children and youth of Elgin? Let me list a few basic commodities that will be essential to fulfilling this task: 1. Time: Are you willing to give up some of your time to provide activities, snacks, teaching, encouragement, games, recreational opportunities, cleaning up after, praying for, and supporting kids and the ministries that reach them? 2. Money: Ministering to kids typically requires money, but kids are not able to provide it. What kinds of things might we need to spend money on to help us connect with today’s kids? Play equipment- inflatables, jungle gym, good nursery toys, and other playground equipment. We do not look like we are ready for kids. Our facility does not say, “Kids really matter to us!” We also may need to start using more technology to minister to kids. Most kids today are almost born with gadgets in their hands: Ipods, cell phones, video games, computers, etc. If we cannot connect with their electronic culture, we are going to be limited in our connection with them. That is one reason we want to start saving for a video projector so we can use more multimedia, which is the language they speak and understand. We live in an image-based culture, where a picture is worth 100,000 words. Our effectiveness will be limited if we try to get God’s message of love to them using only words. We could go on and on with specific needs that will require money to help us reach kids and teens in Elgin. The important thing to remember is that when we see what God is doing, we need to put our money where God’s heart is and start doing what He is doing. Our actions need to line up with what God is wanting to do in Elgin!
-To summarize, doing things God’s way requires that we endure criticism and respond to it appropriately. The appropriate response involves being willing to explain our actions, making sure we have understood God’s will, not going it alone, hearing what God is saying to others, and aligning our actions with what God is doing.
-TS: Our final point flows out of a heart that loves to see God’s will being done on earth as it is in heaven.
III. Those Who Do Things God’s Way Rejoice When They See Him at Work
18 When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, "So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life."
-These Jewish believers were willing to lay aside centuries of prejudice against the Gentiles and accept that God’s plan included them. Now, we know in one sense that it wasn’t quite that simple. We will see that many Jews who had received Yeshua as their Messiah still struggled with accepting Gentiles into the family of God.
-Nevertheless, those we read about in our text praised God when they began to understand that God was offering forgiveness to Gentiles as well as Jews. The Greek word for praise or glorify in v.18 is doxazo, meaning to influence one’s opinion about another so as to enhance the latter’s reputation, praise, honor, extol.
-Have you ever thought about praise in that light? Your praise and worship are not simply vertical – between you and God. Praise is also horizontal. Praise seeks to influence people’s opinions about God so as to enhance His reputation. When we honor Him to others, they will see how wonderful He is, and they too will begin to praise Him.
-These Jews were so impressed by the vastness of God’s love for all of mankind (including the unclean Gentiles), that they began to influence one another to recognize God’s greatness. Sometimes we use our influence in negative ways. We try to influence people to think and behave the way we do. If we yielded our influence to God and used it to draw others closer to Him, it would be so much more rewarding!
-God is always at work, drawing all people to Himself. When we are able to recognize God at work, our response should be praise and cooperation. Remember, praise is influencing someone’s opinion about God in order to enhance His reputation. Its all about Him! The cooperation comes in when we are willing to say, “God, I want to be a part of what you’re doing! I want to do things your way!”
Conclusion: As we close, let me restate these truths: Those who do things God’s way can expect criticism and must learn to respond to it in the proper manner. Peter showed us that we may need to explain ourselves, make sure we’ve heard God correctly, not go it alone, listen to what God is saying to others, and align our actions with His will, putting our money where God’s heart is. Lastly, when we see God working we can praise Him, join Him, and influence others to do the same.
-Today, perhaps you sense that you need to start doing things God’s way. Maybe you used to do things His way, but something distracted you or totally stopped you from living your life for Him. Maybe you’ve never done things God’s way- only your way. God wants to help you find the right way. He will forgive your failure and help you start over. You can overcome anything with God’s help. If you need to talk or pray about this….
