How Shall We Then Live?
Francis Shaffer wrote a book entitled “How Shall We then Live?” This is an appropriate question for such a time as this.
Dave Hess has a unique perspective as a missionary in a Muslim country where he himself is a minority. According to Revelation 5,
From every people and tribe
Every nation and tongue
He has made us a kingdom and priests to God
To reign with the Son
Is He worthy?Is He worthy?
Of all blessing and honor and glory
Is He worthy? Is He worthy?
Is He worthy of this?
He is!
From Dave’s last message on June 5, the theme was that the solution to the problems of this world is the gospel message of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
The worldwide media thinks that the United States has been overrun with rioting, looting, and active violation of human rights by the police. They think that the US is the global center of chaos and confusion and the epicenter of the global pandemic.
The current crises in America has been precipitated by the passage in 2 Timothy 3. God will shake that which can be shaken. As the song says, “there’s a whole lot of shaking going on.” However, the world is not focused on the root cause of the shaking. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against rulers of the darkness in high places, against spiritual wickedness from on high.
Either people will voluntarily kneel in prayer or God will bring the world to its knees. Because of the trials and tribulation of this world, the world is open to a message of deliverance. Jesus said in the great commission: Go ye therefore and make disciples of all nations…..teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and lo I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.
In Acts 10, God has given us a key to reach out with his message of deliverance. This is the record of “houses of fire” and of “Putting new wine into new wine skins.” In this record, God called Peter to minister unto the gentiles. This was unheard of before in the Bible since the Word of God was originally given only to Israel.
Cornelius was an unbeliever who had a vision from God in answer to his prayer. He feared God with his household. He had an awe, reverence, and respect for God along with everyone in his own house. Similarly, in this time of social distancing God is interacting with his church in the homes. The question in Acts 10:1-5 is “who’s calling whom?” It’s actually the lost who are calling the Christian believers to minister to them.
In Acts 10, The “unbeliever” Cornelius who had not been saved had a one time encounter with God. He responded to God’s vision with immediate obedience. He followed God’s instruction and sent his servant to go get Peter.
Meanwhile, Peter went up on his housetop to pray. He also had a vision and in verse 16, Peter saw the vision three times. God had to remind him over and over, but Peter was inwardly perplexed about the meaning of God’s visual revelation. Then spirit said explicitly, “three men are looking for you and I have sent them.”
In the Muslim world, many who come to Christ have had a dream or an encounter with Jesus Christ via a personal revelation. The role of the supernatural is huge in the Muslim world. It’s common for Persians to have a divine vision from God. They see miraculous healings such as the encounter Dave and his wife had with a Muslim woman in Orange County this past Saturday. Even though they had just met this woman Dave’s wife prayed for her. She was miraculously delivered from chronic abdominal pain.
Peter was one of Jesus’s three personal best friends. However, he needed to see the vision from God three times and he still didn’t understand the meaning of the vision.
The Bible says, don’t put new wine into old wine skins. You have to put new wine into new wine skins otherwise the the old wine skins will burst.
The record in Acts 10:23 says that “Then (Peter) called them (Cornelius’ servants) in, and lodged them. And on the morrow Peter went away with them, and certain brethren from Joppa accompanied him.”
This was unheard of for someone brought up in the Jewish religion. Jews did not associate with “heathen unbelievers.” Peter was starting a new process and a new norm, i.e., a new wine skin. The new process was ministering to non-Jews and meeting in the home instead of the temple or the synagogue.
Dave and his wife were recently invited into the house of a young Jewish woman from Yemen. One of her relatives was radically healed and had a spiritual encounter with the Lord as Dave prayed for her healing. His friend Craig mentioned that Dave should tell her about the story in Acts 10 about the house of Cornelius.
Cornelius invited Peter into his home. When you’re around people who think that you’re special because you have done things on behalf of God, Peter had to correct their theology and said, “I’m just a man like you.”
Jews did not interact with non-Jews. This old wine skin kept Peter from wanting to minister to a “heathen.” However, Peter said, “when I was called I came without objection. Verse 31 tells about how God revealed to him that he should go see Cornelius.. Actually Cornelius the unbeliever was more willing to act on God’s revelation than many Christians. Christians often think they should pray about God’s instructions rather than simply acting by believing faith on God’s revelation.
Cornelius said, “we (our whole household) have gathered together in the presence of God to hear everything that the Lord has commanded you to tell us.” They wanted to know the truth of the word of God. They weren’t afraid to understand God’s righteousness, judgement, and holiness. They wanted to be set free from everything that was imprisoning them. They did not want a watered down message of “easy believism.”
Jesus had said to his disciples, “Go into all the world….teaching them to observe all things I have commanded you.” According to Corinthians, we are not as those who water down (corrupt) the word of God.
In Acts 10: 34-43, Peter preached to Cornelius and his household the gospel message of deliverance from the bondage of this world and salvation through Jesus Christ.
According to Romans 12, the Bible says, recompense to no man evil for evil, provide all things honest in the sight of all men. Be not overcome of evil but overcome evil with good.
While Peter was preaching, the spirit fell upon Cornelius and his household and the Jews who were with Peter were all amazed. The gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out on Cornelius and his Gentile household just as it had fallen Peter and the Jews who where with him.
The emphasis is to meet with people during this time of social distancing. We need to become a church of house groups. We’re living connected together despite the storms of life so that there is a healthy connection of believers within our own households. The church in the home was one of the hall marks of the first century church in the book of Acts.
The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. One of the harvest fields is in the homes of people who need to have an encounter with the risen Lord.
New means new. The new is completely different from the old normal. This is a time of renewal to change what was wrong with our lives pre-Covid19.
The devil works through distraction. Now is the time to set our affections on things above and not on the things of this world. The time is ripe for the harvest. As Christian believers, God is opening the minds of those he’s calling to receive the seed of the word of truth. We’ve been called to plant, to water, and to bring in the harvest in the mission field of the hearts he’s prepared for us.
That He alone may be glorified and that we may be to the praise of the glory of His grace.
Your brother in Christ,
Michael
