#18 | Take Time to Think
Read: Acts 11:1-18
Meditate on your own:
- What do you notice about the Jewish Christians’ reactions throughout this section? How do they change after Peter’s story?
- What verse/phrase in this text stands out to you?
- What truth about God or mankind can you draw from that verse/phrase?
- Where else is this truth seen in Scripture?
- What are the implications of your response to question a)? What would be the implications if this weren’t true?
- How is this truth good news for you and others? Who needs to hear it?
- What does this truth reveal about your own heart?
- What are some ways you can respond to the truth of this passage? Is there something you need to repent of? What do you need to ask God for? What can you thank/praise God for?
Consider
Have you ever thought about who’s in charge of your life and the lives of the people around you? Is it your boss, the government, your spouse, or someone else? Is it you? Over the course of events in Acts 10, Peter is brought to understand the only right answer to that question—Jesus is Lord of all. In one sense, Peter knew that already. He knew that Jesus is the one who sets the agenda and calls the shots for God’s people the Jews. However, throughout Acts 10, Peter learned how Jesus’ authority related to people who weren’t like him, i.e., Gentiles (non-Jewish people) including Cornelius.
Over the course of their history, Jews had become vigilant in their association with the surrounding nations. They created man-made laws that essentially forbid them from even associating with Gentiles and, in the process, had forgotten their original purpose to invite the nations to worship God and bring them under his rule. So, in Acts 10, Peter understood that he could not “associate with or visit a Gentile” according to the law of the land (10:28). However, he also knew that Jesus had the authority to command him to do anything, and he had no authority to say otherwise. So, he submitted to Jesus as Lord of the Jews and trusted that Jesus knew best. As he did, he witnessed God himself do what seemed impossible in tearing down the dividing wall of hostility that separated Jews and Gentiles, and he came to realize that Jesus was so much more than the Lord of the Jews—he was Lord of all.
When you read the Bible, do you read it considering the reality that Jesus is Lord of all? If you are a Christian, he is your Lord and has the authority to declare what is good, and can command you to do whatever he wants, and you have no authority to say or do otherwise. Consider how this fact effects the way you live your life as a Christian. Consider also that Jesus is not just the Lord of every Christian; he is the Lord of all. He is the Lord of your unbelieving neighbors, friends, boss, spouse, co-workers, etc., and he has the right to tell them what is right and demand that they obey.
What would it look like for you to live in light of that truth? There may be significant man-made barriers that tempt you to not obey Jesus as Lord or recognize that he is Lord of all and invite those around you to worship and submit to him, but if you do, you will get a front row seat like Peter in watching God do the impossible for his glory and your good.
Pray:
Use the acronym IOUS, turning the prayers of the Psalmist into your own.
Incline my heart to you and not to prideful gain or any false motive!
Psalm 119:36
Open my eyes to behold wonderous things out of your Word.
Psalm 119:18
Unite my heart to fear your name.
Psalm 86:11
Satisfy me with your steadfast love.
Psalm 90:14
