As he traveled, he witnessed the Holy Spirit do incredible things, but when he returned home the critics were waiting.
Yes, it’s true that if you do exactly what the Lord wants you to do, and even if you see wonderful results that confirm you are in the center of God’s will….some people will still complain. But before we berate them, consider this: they may only be complaining because they haven’t seen what you’ve seen. They don’t know what you know. This is the case with the believers in Jerusalem. They have no way of knowing what new direction the Holy Spirit is taking the church, so they protest to Peter. However, after Peter delivers a calm, powerful witness (without becoming defensive, sarcastic or angry…..ahem..)
they are brought to the same conclusion that Peter arrived at. This is how we should view those who initially protest against what we see the Lord doing among us.
I recognize a few new pieces of information as Peter retells the story. First, six men went with Peter. Then, Cornelius was told that Peter would tell him “how to be saved”. That’s interesting. If that’s right, Cornelius wasn’t a Christian, even though he had prayed daily and given gifts to the poor. Acts 10 tells us that he was “devout and god-fearing”, and he was visited by the Holy Spirit…let’s not forget that.
So here’s what I think was happening. The way Cornelius had been worshipping was acceptable. If he had died before Jesus was crucified and resurrected, he would have gone to heaven. His offerings would be acceptable and pleasing to the Lord. (I am implying that Cornelius prayed and gave in order to gain favor with God). But after Christ arose, and the Holy Spirit came, these same sacrifices no longer move God. Now heaven is looking for the confession of Christ, and the blood of Christ on our lives, identifying us as His. So the Holy Spirit comes to this devout man with this message “you’ve done well, and now you will be shown the new, most correct and appropriate way to worship”. In John 4 Jesus says to the Samaritan woman “23 But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. 24 For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” and Cornelius is the first Gentile to be shown this new way in which God is working.
Down in verse 24-25 we see Barnabus at work again. I just saw something that I hadn’t remembered from before. It was Barnabus that went to Antioch, saw the work the Holy Spirit was doing and went and collected Saul. Would Saul have become Paul and ministered in Antioch with great power had Barnabus not been faithful? I doubt it. Most people would choose to be like Paul, given the chance. But I think we have a greater need for Barnabus’s.
Seeking to be an encourager,
PR