Peter and Cornelius
MEMORY VERSE
"We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. (Acts 10: 39-40)
INTRODUCTION
It's hard for me to believe that people once thought the earth was flat or that it was the center of the universe. Imagine you'd believed the earth was flat all of your life. How much would it have changed your reality if someone told you the world was actually a big ball circling a gigantic star and that all those tiny pinpricks in the night sky were stars hundreds of times bigger than the earth?
I imagine the Jews in Acts felt the same type of reality check when they found out that Go wasn't interested in them only, but wanted to save the whole world They saw themselves as "the chosen people," but now God was calling them to open the doors to allow non-Jews to receive salvation in Jesus Christ.
In Acts 10 we read that God gave Peter a specific vision to make him realize that salvation was for all people, not just the Jews. The result of this revelation was an explosion of evangelism that quickly moved beyond Israel's borders and began to echo around the world. That shockwave is still expanding as the gospel is shared with people who've never heard it.
Some people say the gospel is too exclusive since it requires belief in Jesus. On the contrary, the gospel is one of the most inclusive of all faiths because it's open to anyone who believes.
this week we'll look at the heart of God and his message of love and peace. We'll also see where we fit into God's plan as he sends his gospel to all the nations.
MEMORY VERSE
"We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. (Acts 10: 39-40)
INTRODUCTION
It's hard for me to believe that people once thought the earth was flat or that it was the center of the universe. Imagine you'd believed the earth was flat all of your life. How much would it have changed your reality if someone told you the world was actually a big ball circling a gigantic star and that all those tiny pinpricks in the night sky were stars hundreds of times bigger than the earth?
I imagine the Jews in Acts felt the same type of reality check when they found out that Go wasn't interested in them only, but wanted to save the whole world They saw themselves as "the chosen people," but now God was calling them to open the doors to allow non-Jews to receive salvation in Jesus Christ.
In Acts 10 we read that God gave Peter a specific vision to make him realize that salvation was for all people, not just the Jews. The result of this revelation was an explosion of evangelism that quickly moved beyond Israel's borders and began to echo around the world. That shockwave is still expanding as the gospel is shared with people who've never heard it.
Some people say the gospel is too exclusive since it requires belief in Jesus. On the contrary, the gospel is one of the most inclusive of all faiths because it's open to anyone who believes.
this week we'll look at the heart of God and his message of love and peace. We'll also see where we fit into God's plan as he sends his gospel to all the nations.
No comments:
Post a Comment