Sermon Video: Peter and the Gentiles Part 3 - Acts 11:1-18

After Peter finishes his unexpected but extraordinarily successful outreach to the Gentiles in Caesarea, he returns to Jerusalem only to be confronted by Jewish Christians whose primary objection to his recent efforts is that Peter ate in the home of a Gentile.  There is a huge looming question for the Early Church as to whether or not Gentiles believers need to become Jews, by converting, before they can become Christians, but Peter first has to deal with the teaching of the rabbis that forbid all sorts of interaction with Gentiles.
Peter defends himself by focusing on the choices and directions of God throughout his journey to and stay in Caesarea.  It was God who gave him the vision, the Holy Spirit that told him to go with the messengers, and an angel that told Cornelius that Peter would have a message for him, "through which you and all your household will be saved."  In addition to God's directives throughout this process, there is also the seal of approval from God of the gift of the Holy Spirit.  It was not withheld until the Gentiles had been circumcised or in any other way brought under the Law, instead it came upon them before Peter had even finished speaking.  Peter concludes after relating these events, "Who was I to think that I could oppose God?"
Peter's defense convinces his earlier critics who in the end praise God that "even" the Gentiles will now be saved.  This episode provides an interesting glimpse into the sometimes tumultuous struggle to not only obey the will of God for believers, but also understand it and agree upon it as well.  Only those whose hearts are truly set against God would dare oppose his power or authority, but what of those who, like Saul in the beginning, oppose God out of ignorance?  In the end, we have tools given by God to help us understand his will, chief of which is his written Word, but also the wisdom of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, both now and throughout history.  God's will for you or I is never given in a vacuum, but instead forms part of the great redemption story of God's self-revelation throughout history.  Lastly, what do we do when Christians can't agree upon God's will, even with the evidence of Scripture as a guide?  The choice between peace and conflict is clear, Christ commanded his Church to be one, therefore we must always strive to keep our focus upon the mission of the Gospel and not let our human failings get in the way.

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