It’s Not Just for Us
Acts 11:1-9 and 18 NRSV
This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Let us pray.
When I listen to people read the mission and vision statement at church, I often times wonder…do they really believe in the mission and vision statement that they recite every Sunday. Well, I do, and I’ve done all that I can to live by that mission and vision statement even though many of the times, it wasn’t at this church, but through out the community all over here and all over the state. This is a good mission and vision statement. But if we had to really look at what we’ve done as a church, what has we done to fulfill our role in the Great Commission of Jesus Christ?
Christ mandated that we do this, and we are placing this same mandate on ourselves. But if someone had to grade us on our work, which we do, what would our grades be?
I know this guy really well. His name is Dr. Terry Esper. He’s a Christian economics and professor with tenor at the University of Tennessee. He’s a graduate of Philander Smith College with his degree in Math. He got an MBA from the University of Arkansas and his PhD in economics from the University of Arkansas as well. This cat goes all over the world advising people…companies and governments on how to operate in the black. He’s married to my line sister, and he’s my friend on face book. He's my brother.
One day I was reading his status and I told him that I was gonna have to use that in my next sermon. He said this, “I have a vision and now a platform and a ministry. Even if I don’t want to go… I’ve got to. It’s not a chore… It’s not even a burden… It’s worship. Let’s push beyond our flesh and what we have and do what we have been mandated to do.”
He was talking about having a healthy life, but the same principle applies to us when it comes to our own spiritual health. The best way to get closer to God is through prayer, worship, reading the word, and most importantly doing the word.
Luke 10:27 says to love God and others. We have been commissions to go out in this way of live teaching everyone that we meet about the ways of Christ.
See Peter had a platform, but it wasn’t what God had in mind. Peter said that I’m not gonna touch or eat anything that was considered unclean before the sight of God. God was using that vision as a metaphor. God was showing Peter that his salvation wasn’t just for the Jews, but it’s for all people. Peter didn’t get it the first time, so God had to show him the vision a few more times, just like God gotta do with us, and God finally told Peter, that when these guys from Caesarea come looking for you go with him because I got someone that I want you to talk to.
Now this somebody was Cornelius, he was an officer in the Italian army. He seem to be a man of some wealth because he had servants and officers at the house, and he was always giving money to the Jews. He was a God fearing man. He made sure the members of his house hold were God fearing. He prayed everyday.
An angel came around 3 o’ clock in the evening. And angel told him, that God has heard his prayers and noticed his devotion to him and that Peter was gonna come and minister to him and his family. God and send for him. His name is Simon who is called Peter. He’s staying with Simon the tanner in Joppa.
So Cornelius does this and Peter is having a vision. Let’s go back to his vision for a moment…See when Peter had this vision, it was around lunch time. So of course, when you’re hungry you’re gonna think about food, so of course, God being God… He related His message to Peter in a way that he could understand it. Peter was so hungry that he fell into a trace. He saw every bird, reptile, and animal that you could think of. God told him to go and kill one of those animals and eat it.
Peter was like, “Whoa Lord, wait up. I’m not finna eat that! That’s not kosher!”
God’s reply is, “If I say it’s OK, then it’s OK.”
This puzzled Peter to no end and that’s when he met up with the soldiers that Cornelius sent to get Peter.
How many times have we done that… Looked at people like they don’t deserve to be in our presence? You pass them over to someone else so that we don’t have to deal with them. God basically told Peter that you are gonna have to preach the word, be the word, and minister to all of his children.
And we’ve been commissioned to do the same.
So he gets to Cornelius’ house and when Cornelius sees Peter, he drops down to the floor and start worshiping him. Peter says, “Get up! I’m a man just like you are.”
He gave his testimony about Christ and the Holy Spirit came on them just like it did with them. Then he and his household was baptized.
Now James tells us that faith without works is dead. James tells us in the second chapter to his letter to the church that it’s no good for us to say that we have faith and we don’t do anything. James tells us that we need to show our faith in our actions. The exact words is Faith without works is dead.
I remember one time that I was visiting a church and I was wearing an AKA jacket. Now, at the time I wasn’t active and one of the members of the church that I was visiting was a soror. She was older, and she said to me, “Why you got that jacket on? You’re not an AKA.”
I was like, “What are you talking about. You were at the membership luncheon after I crossed.”
She said, “Come on back to the land of the living. You can’t wear that jacket if you’re not active.”
She was right. But it took her pulling my card ya’ll. I got active that next month and been active every since.
We can’t sit up and say that we are members of a church and we don’t do anything together in the community to increase the kingdom. We guilty of false advertisement when we do that.
James tells us that we need how our faith with our works. James goes on to tell us that with authority “Show me your faith without works and I’ll show you my faith by my works.” James goes on to say if we believe in God that’s well and good, but even the demons believe and tremble and by works faith is made perfect. Our faith is deepened by what we do for others. Coming to church is only a part of it.
Well, if you’re thinking what does that have to do with us? Everything because it’s by faith that we build new relationships with people and offer the love and grace of God to others because just like God had to show Peter that the gift of salvation is not just for the Jews, but for all. It’s our job to make sure that we offer Christ in everything that we do together as a congregation. This is not my hustle. These are God’s words. Read James chapter two for yourself. It’s all up in there.
It’s not about us. It’s always about God. And more importantly it’s not just for us. If there’s no togetherness, we are not on one accord, there is no growth.
Peter told them that God does not play favorites. It makes no difference who you are or where you come from. If you really want God in your life and ready to do what he says, then the door is open. The message that he send to the children of Israel is that through Christ everything is being put together again. And God is doing this everywhere among everybody.
So at this point God has broken through to the other side. The news spread that and in no time it gets back to the people in Jerusalem. The Jews say, “Now wait a minute Peter. What are doing having dinner with these “uncircumcised” people? You rubbing shoulders with these people and ruining our good name. You’re eating with them and rubbing shoulders with them like its all good.”
So Peter tells them what happen. From the vision all the way to how Cornelius and his household received the Holy Spirit the same way that they did. They were speaking in tongues and everything else. And when Peter finished nobody could say anything. Peter told them, “It has really happened! God has broken through to the other nations, and opened them up to life. All they could do was praise God from whom all blessings flow.
It’s not just for us. This wonderful experience of faith and salvation is not just for us. We must remember while we are yet saved, our faith is measured by our works. And because of how much we love God, we should be doing all that we can go and out and train everyone we meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instructing them in the practice of all Christ has commanded of us.
This is not anything new or unusual. In fact it’s what Christ commissioned us to do, and that’s the mission statement of this church. We say that we fulfill our role in the great commission of Jesus Christ. Are we really doing that?
Like Dr. Esper said, we must do what we are mandated to do, even when we don’t want to go we have to. We have a vision, a ministry, and a platform. This wonderful thing called faith is not just for us.
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
