Peter as Pastor - Living Well - 1 Peter 4:1-11 (P 26)

How do we live well in this chaotic, messy, frightening world?  How do we live well when faced with crises and loss and crime and wars and violence and economic collapse?  How do we live well when insults and ridicule mark nearly every aspect of life in our culture?  Peter has a message about just that - living well as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Read 1 Peter 4: 1 - 11

Let's notice a few of Peter's instructions. As we identify them, remember to examine your own life place right now and do a personal inventory.  Are you "living well"?

 First, he writes that we no longer live a life of "dissipation".  Eugene Peterson states is this way:

"... you are weaning from that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way.  Then you'll be able to live out your days free to pursue what God wants instead of being tyrannized by what you want."  (The Message Translation)

"Self" can indeed be a tyrannical master.  The "me", "my", "I" can take such a hold on us that we are unable to seek God, to pursue His life in us, to be still and quiet to hear His voice and to know His will.  I also appreciate the image Peterson employs when he compares it to a "weaning".  That indicates process - movement - steadiness - gradual.  So my question ... Am I less enslaved to "me" than I was a year ago?  Do I invest more time seeking God than I did a year ago?  

The second instruction I notice is that we are to be sober minded and self-controlled.  Being clear minded has to do with sanity.  It has to do with seeing things in proper perspective.  It has to do with knowing what matters and what really does not.   It has nothing to do with joyless, morose, somber attitudes.  Self-control.  Well, you know that one.  It says that NOTHING masters me except the Lord.  Not alcohol, not food, not chocolate, not caffeine, not laziness, not busy-ness, not excess of any kind.  Did you notice that there is a reason for this?  It is so that you can pray!  It helps keep our minds clear so that we can focus.  That is a worthy goal.  So my question ... Have I been sober minded today?  Am I refusing to allow anything today take me captive?  

Third, living well means loving well.  We are to love each other - carefully, deeply, always.  Peter is not writing about sentimentality.  He is writing about the decision we make to practice love - in attitude and behavior.  If that language is not specific enough for you, remember how Paul described "love" in 1 Corinthians 13.  He told us that to practice love means being patient with people and kind. It means dealing with my tendency toward jealousy and envy so that I don't let those things spill out over others.  It means I don't boast and brag.  Love is not rude.  It does not focus on "self".  Love doesn't easily get mad.  And it absolutely keeps no record book of every hurt and slight that comes my way.  So the question ... Am I a more loving person today than I was a year ago?  Do I pay attention to practicing love with my biological family?  with my church family?

A fourth instruction about living well as a believer is to practice hospitality and service.  That's just the kind of people we are to be.  Hospitable means welcoming.  Into your home ... into your life.  We serve other people because Christ gave us the model, the example.  Then Peter throws down a gauntlet ... he said we are to be this kind of people without grumbling about it!  Without complaining.  Paul said the same thing in Philippians 2:14 "Do everything without complaining or arguing."  Why does grumbling and complaining feel so good?  Are we afraid no one will notice us? Are we so consumed with "self" that we can't bear to put ourselves out in the least?   It is destructive to our spirit.  It shows a disrespect for God and His activity in our lives.  In his Bible Study, "Lord, Change My Attitude", James MacDonald writes:  "In the short term complaining separates us from God; in the long term it becomes a lifestyle that sends us to the wilderness."  Here is the question: What have I complained about today?  When was the last time I actually had someone in my home other than my family?  Has "grumbling" become a sort of lifestyle habit for me?

To close this section, our Pastor, Peter, reminds us what it means to live well.  He wrote that a life "well lived" is important so that "in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ."  That's the goal.  That's the purpose.  That's the vision.

So ... today ...

LIVE WELL!!!

Peter as Pastor - Marks of a Believer (Post 25)

Being a native Texan and growing up saturated in the state lore and mythology, I know about ranching.  Well, not really.  I'm a city girl - Ft. Worth, Dallas and Houston.  I have absolutely no first hand experience with cattle or sheep or hogs or any other ranch animal.  My uncle and cousins do have some cows on their property.  And I have observed them - from a distance.  One thing I do know ... each animal carries the brand of its owner. We had dogs and guinea pigs and hamsters - didn't brand them. But on a ranch, each animal is marked so that ownership cannot be disputed.  The animal wears the mark of the ranch.

As believers in Christ ... as 'Christians' ... we belong to a particular owner.  And we are to carry His 'mark'.  Today, I want you to consider what that mark look likes through Peter's eyes.  Are you branded?  Would someone know to whom you belong?  Let's see what Peter says ...

1 Peter 3: 8 - 22

The first thing I would have you notice is to whom this information is written.  Peter has been writing to specific groups of people - slaves, citizens, wives, husbands - as he wrote about submission.
(1 Peter 2:13 - 3:7)   He now turns to the readers in general.  He addresses these words to "all of you". All believers.  What follows is a description of the marks that we are to wear if we belong to Christ - our brand!  Notice a few with me:

          We are to live in harmony with each other.  Harmony in an orchestra or a chorus means that the sounds blend together.  They are not all the same sounds.  Each instrument is playing its own part - but when all of these individual parts are played together, the result is beautiful and full and melodious and so much grander than any one part played alone.  That is harmony.  Believers, we are to live in harmony with one another.  That is one of our marks.  And it definitely sets us apart from our world.  There is so little harmony among peoples in our world. It's a mark that shows to whom we belong.  We live in harmony.  Forgive us, Lord, when we fight to be 'first chair' or when we intentionally screech a strident sound to disrupt the piece.

          We extend sympathy to each other.  Paul explained it in Romans 12:15 "Rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn."  Sympathy and selfishness cannot coexist.  One of the marks of a believer is the way he/she walks with others.

          We love "as brothers".  That's familial.  Even when your siblings irritate you ... they are still your siblings.  They are still your family ... and that raises the stakes.  Believers, we love as brothers.  Even when we disagree.  Jesus communicated just how important this 'mark' is when He said:

"I give you a new commandment, that you love one another ... By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."  John 13: 14 - 15

"By this everyone will know ..."  Do you see it?  The "brand"?  The "mark"?

          We are compassionate people.  The Greek word Peter used is also used for 'tender-hearted'. This is not sentimentalism.  It means we never loose our sensitivity toward broken people. We pray to never become cynical and calloused to the pain, the hardships of others.   It's easier to ignore.  It's easier to pass judgment.  It's easier to think 'they must be getting what they deserve'.

          We are humble people.  There is absolutely no place in a believer's life for arrogance and "better than" thinking.  After all, we are fully aware of our "creature" status.  We are fully aware of our complete dependence on God.  On top of that, we are fully aware that our standard is Christ Himself.  Compare yourself there and check your "better than" status!  We don't compare ourselves to other people - but to Christ.  So humility is the 'normal' state of mind.

          We do good - wherever and whenever we can.  We do good in the way we talk and the way we behave.  Sometimes that "doing good" is appreciated - and sometimes it is not.   In fact, Peter lets us know that sometimes it will result in pain and persecution.  But we do good anyway.

          All these characteristics - these identifiers.  What if I like some of them and disagree with others?  What if some are easier and more natural for me than others?   We must remember, it is the owner that decides the brand.  It is the owner that puts together the mark that identifies things as belonging to His ranch.  Peter reminds his readers that it was Jesus who died "in order to bring them to God".  Therefore when we come ... we wear the mark of God ... it's non-negotiable.

          As we close our thoughts on this passage today, go back and look at the identifiers.  Put your name in the blank.  Is it true of you?  The reality can lead us directly into prayer ...

______ lives in harmony with other believers.  _______ extends sympathy to others - not just sentimentality, but care and concern and help when appropriate and possible.  ______ loves.  _____ loves even those who can be 'unlovely' ... even those who don't love him/her back ... he/she loves as if her fellow-believers were her family, her siblings - which, indeed, they are.  _____ is full of compassion.  He/she refuses to grow cynical and calloused to pain in another life.  ______ is humble.  He/she realizes that at the foot of the cross, all ground is level.  ______ knows that without her owner, she is and has nothing.  ______ does good.  His/her behaviors reflect the owner.  

God ... help us!

Peter as Pastor - Submission Matters - 1 Peter 2 - 3 (Post 24)

Before we read our text for the day, I want to remind you of something Peter said in 2:12

Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that, though they malign you as evildoers, they may see your honorable deeds and glorify God when He comes to judge.

That phrase always gives me pause ... "Conduct yourselves honorably ..."

There are many areas where Peter could take the principle - many arenas in each of our human lives where honorable behavior is important.  But he takes it into an attitude that chaffs against our spirits. He takes it into the arena of "submission".  Listen ...

Read 1 Peter 2:13 - 3:7

Submit yourselves, therefore ... Why?  For the Lord's sake.  Oh.  Not for my sake?  Not because I just love the whole idea?  Not only when I agree with the circumstances?  You mean this isn't all about me?  Huh.  Novel idea - not being all about me.

Peter specifically mentioned 3 areas pertinent to his readers.  He addressed government - he addressed slaves - he addressed marriage.  And in each of the three, his instruction as Pastor/teacher is the same. Submit yourselves.  So often our first response is ... "But" ... And then we begin to explain away what Peter has said ... or why it doesn't make sense ... or why it is unfair.

Lest we think we get a pass because our times are harder than Peter's readers' times - remember that the government at the time of this writing was Rome and Nero was the emperor.   Slavery was a perfectly acceptable social system at the time of this writing.  People as property.  Wives were also property of the husband.  He was free to go out and about - to divorce when he wanted.  She was not. Yet Peter still writes of honorable behavior ... of submission.  And he write to three specific groups of people that, at the time of the writing, held no power.  Submission was forced upon them.  So obviously Peter is writing about attitude ... not merely observable behaviors, but attitudes of heart.

The first thing we realize as we read Peter's words is that submission is not a "female issue".  It is a believer's issue.  Male and female.

It not only matters 'for the Lord's sake', it also matters for the sake of the lost.  In 1 Peter 2: 12, Peter writes:

Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

When the "pagans", the unbelievers, see the way you live, they just may turn and choose to glorify God.  They just may turn ...  Is that worth it?  Remember, it's not all about you.

The second thing I notice is that submission is a choice.  It is an attitude of respect.  It is choosing to place oneself 'under' rather than on top.

Submission is NOT taking abuse from a spouse when he/she physically or emotionally abuses the other.  It is NOT disobeying God because of any government.  It is NOT instigating rebellion at work.

It is a chosen attitude by believers because they follow the example of their Lord.  Peter told us that Jesus "committed no sin and no deceit was found in his mouth".  Peter told us that Jesus, instead of retaliation, entrusted Himself to God.

The third thing that stands out to me is that for us, women who are married, submission is ornamental.  It is like an accessory that makes us beautiful.  Listen to the words of Casandra Martin in her Bible study, "Immeasurably More":

God connects our submission to beauty.  Women long to be beautiful.  Our definition of beauty may vary by culture, but our desire for beauty is God-born.  Our world has taken that desire and made it entirely about physical appearance.  Here God realigns our focus, ...  Beauty begins with being dependent on God.  ...  Submission boldly proclaims that God is in control.  It calls us to bend our hearts to Him, allowing Him to shape the circumstances, people, and situations around us. ... The purpose of submission is to allow God to shape the image of Jesus deep within us. ...   Possessing a gentle and quiet spirit is at the heart of submission.  A gentle spirit leans completely on God.  Humility, kindness, and surrender define gentleness.  Its opposites are pushy, hard, demanding, and self-focused.  A gentle heart has learned that God will supply every need.  God's sufficient grace becomes her greatest resource.  A quiet spirit has learned to rest in the presence and purpose of God. There is no need for the spotlight, no clamoring for attention, and no demand that it all be about me.  A quiet spirit blunts the whining, worry, and moodiness in which we too often indulge.  It knows how to be still before God and is committed to listening. to Him.

It's important to remember that we each must work this out in our individual relationships - no two of which look the same.  Your exercise of submission in your marriage, in your work place,  will not look exactly like anyone else.  That's why we will not judge another woman's "working it out in her life,"  While it won't look just like someone else ... it will always look like our Lord.

Submission ... honorable living as a believer ... mutual submission to one another.  Our Pastor/teacher Peter tells us that is the way believers live.  How about you?

Remember ... "Conduct yourselves honorably ..."  

Yes, Lord.  

Peter as Pastor - 1 Peter 2 (Post 23)

Church.  What comes to mind when you read or hear that word?  Your images, whether positive or negative, come from your own experiences, or from what you have read, or from what you have seen portrayed through media.  Your images also are effected by what country you live in, or, if you are in the United States, what part of this country you live in.  Church.  Rather than take our information from our messed up, fallen world and cultures, why not glean information from Peter, the apostle appointed by Jesus Himself to begin her building?  Peter explains to his readers what the reality of "church" is.  Let's listen.

Read 1 Peter 2: 4 - 12

What can we learn about the church?  

1.  The church is community.  Peter calls it a spiritual house whose foundation and corner stone is Jesus Himself.  It really is not any physical building - not the grand cathedrals or the quaint country houses that have provided meeting places for the people of God.  It is a spiritual house.  And the building blocks are not stones or bricks or wood, but individual believers.  Cranfield writes:

"The free-lance Christian, who would be a Christian but is too superior to belong to the visible church upon earth in one of its forms, is simply a contradiction in terms."

None of us are naive about 'church'.  I know well that our churches made up of humans are messy at best.  I know they fail often.  I know they disappoint.  I know they fall short of the ideal.  I know her members sin and bring reproach on her name.  I know some have been judgmental and practiced exclusivity and exclusion. Yet they are to be the visible form of what is a spiritual reality.  And I also know Christ left this earth physically and left the church to live out His life in their unique places.  I know they matter.  And I know that each of us, as believers, need her. And she needs us.  After all, a brick by itself is pretty useless.  One cannot build a building with a solo brick.  

Church is community.  Are you part of one?

2.  The church is a community of priests.  All of her people are to be priests.  Peter said we are to be a holy priesthood.  Remember that Peter was a Jewish man and as such, would have been schooled in the Mosaic law and history.  His language here echoes back to God's words to Moses about the Israelites.  The Israelites had a purpose ... God-given ... and God described it to Moses atop Mount Sinai with these words:

"Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation."   (Exodus 19: 5 - 6)

So what is a priest?  Centuries of church history and denominational differences have created a false sense of the word.  We see it more as a special rank than a universal position.  We see it more as a seminary appointed task than the privileged place of service for all believers.  Our eyesight is skewed.  What is a priest?  

 

          a.  A priest is one with access to God.  And every believer has access to the throne of God.  The Hebrews writer said:

"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence ..."  (Hebrews 4:16)

You can do that ... yourself ... because Jesus is your High Priest and has given you, as a priest, access.  He is your mediator.  He opened the door ...

          b.  Not only may we go before God on our own behalf, we can bring others before that very throne as well.  In Latin, the word 'priest' is 'pontifex' - which means bridge-builder.  You can bring all the ones you love and care about before God ... and talk with Him about them ... and trust Him with them.  Do you?  Are you a priest for them?

          c.  A priest presents the offerings before God.  That was his work.  So what are our 'offerings'? Our work - all for God.  Our worship - all about God.  Our self - a living sacrifice to God. (Romans 12:1).  Have you presented offering to God today?

Church is made up of priests.  If you are a believer, you are one.  

Do you do the work of a priest?

3.  The church has a purpose.  Peter said it was "to declare the praises of Him who called you ..." Yes, there will be teaching and caring for the poor.  There will be evangelizing and supporting one another.  There will be training children and caring for her elderly.  But ALL is to the praise of God. ALL is because of His work in each of our lives.  ALL.  

Are you, as a living stone in the church, fulfilling your purpose?  If not, why not?

In spite of the portrayal that most movies give of "Christians", it is the most beautiful way to live a life.  Peter uses picturesque language in these verses to describe exactly what being a Christian means.  He said, 

Being Christian means you have been removed from the place of darkness and placed securely in the place of light.  Living in the light ... 

Being Christian means you have been removed from meaningless, insignificant existence and placed securely in the place of significance.  My life matters ...

Being Christian means you have been removed from having to live without mercy and placed securely in the place of mercy.  Mercy from God ... toward you.  

Church.  The following excerpt came from a blog post from the Woodmont Hills Church of Christ during the Lenten season, 2014:

The greatest buildings on earth will one day crumble to the ground.  Nothing built by man lasts forever.  Because the temple God is building is made of living stones, it will never be destroyed.  It will never crumble and it will never need renovation.  And we who believe are part of it.  Every Christian is part of God's temple.

You can always tell when a new building is being constructed by the massive scaffolding that encircles the new building as it rises from the ground.  As long as you see the scaffolding, you know the building isn't finished.  The scaffolding is the last thing to go.  But when it is removed, you know the building is finished.  Every local church is part of the visible scaffolding around the invisible temple God has been building.  When the final living stone has been placed in the temple, the scaffolding will come tumbling down, the trumpet will sound, the archangel will shout, and we will get the see the grand work God has been doing for the last twenty centuries.

Church ... it is indeed a beautiful word!

Peter as Pastor - 1 Peter 1

We don't have the privilege of knowing anything about Peter's day by day activities once the Biblical narrative turned to Paul and the Gentiles.  We don't know exactly when Peter left Jerusalem, but we know that he did.  Did he ever cross paths with Paul outside of Jerusalem?  We don't know.  Did he spend time in the cities where Paul established churches?  We don't know.  According to early Christian sources, both Peter and Paul were executed within a few years of the Roman fire under Emperor Nero which was in 64 A.D.  People suspected Nero himself as the arsonist, but a scapegoat was found in the unpopular religious sect - the Christians - who were social outcasts and already suspected of wicked practices.  Horrible executions and persecution began to take place.  

So Peter writes.  He writes to believers ... he writes out of the love of a pastor's heart to help people who were experiencing troubled times and for whom worse things lay ahead.  He writes, not to correct theological heresy, but to strengthen men and women who were in danger of losing their lives because of their faith.  Let's listen in ... he offers wisdom for you and I in our lives and for our time as well.

Read 1 Peter 1  

Reflect on these precious things that this pastor wants you to know:

1.  Peter wants you to know that God, Himself, birthed you!  And He birthed you into a hope that is alive - living - never to die.  He also birthed you into an inheritance that is perfect and pure.  

2.  Peter wants you to know that trials and trouble refine you - they test your faith and prove it to be strong and stable.  

3.  Peter gives 5 declarative command statements in verses 13 - 16.  Watch the progression -

          a.  prepare your minds

          b.  discipline yourselves

          c.  set ALL your hope on the grace revealed in Jesus

          d.  don't conform to previous desires

          e.  be holy in all your conduct

          See the way they link together?  Mental preparation leads to personal discipline which effects behaviors.  

4.  Peter wants you to know that holiness in life matters.  Why?  Because God is holy and we have been birthed by Him.  What does that look like, according to Peter?  Consider 3 things:

           First:  A holy life is a life of obedience.  When God speaks, His children obey.  

Jeannette Clift George wrote:  "Our will and God's sovereignty meet at the option of obedience."  

She also wrote:  "I expect from God a far reaching assignment and He says, 'First clean out your desk!'  Sometimes the nearest obedience is the the hardest thing to do."

Obedience is so closely linked to faithfulness.  

            Second:  A holy life is a life of reverence toward God.  It recognizes the presence of God in every moment.  It is an attitude of the mind.  It is the mind that is always in the presence of God.  

            Third:  A holy life is a life of love.  It is visible.  It is active.  It is fervent.  

So, believer, face what is in front of you today.  You can.  Because you are secure in the presence of God.  He walks with you.  His Spirit is in you.  

The Final Snapshot (Post 21)

The final glimpse we get of Peter's life is found in Acts 12.  Let's settle in there for a bit today:

Read Acts 12: 1 - 17

What a story!  There are so many remarkable things in this encounter.  Let's consider a few.  You may see others as well.  Let me know!  

First, Peter is again in prison, in chains - and the promise of harsh persecution loomed right on the horizon.  John's brother, James, had already been killed.  The plan was to put Peter on "trial" right after the Passover Feast.  Does that sound familiar?  His Lord had walked that path before him.  I wonder if that is why he could be asleep while chained between two soldiers.  What kind of peace of heart allows one to sleep in those conditions?  He was so sound asleep that the angel had to thump him to wake him up!  That thought challenges me.  My tendency is to have a hard time sleeping when circumstances are not good.  I can't get my mind to "turn off".  I mentally rehearse all the possibilities and 'what ifs' and details over and over and over again.  

Peter KNEW his LORD ... and could sleep in tough places.

LORD, I want to know you ...

Second, God's sovereign will is far above my limited ability to understand or explain ... and that is OK.  Why was Peter rescued and James killed?  What was the purpose of that?  I don't know.  We can't know.  

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.  "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways."    Isaiah 55: 8 - 9 

Peter TRUSTED his LORD ... and could handle whatever came his way.

LORD, I want to trust You ... help me in the struggle.

Third, Peter was willing to obey ... to move ... to do.  Surely the angel who caused Peter's chains to just drop off could have gotten the shoes on his feet and the cloak around him.  But, even in the midst of the miraculous, God's people are participants, not bystanders.  Remember when Jesus brought Lazarus from the grave?  People had to roll the stone from the tomb.  Remember when Jesus healed the lame man who had been let down through a roof?  He was told to roll up his own mat.  Warren Wiersbe writes:  "God alone can do the extraordinary, but His people must do the ordinary."  

Peter OBEYED his LORD ... he has learned.

LORD, I want to be a person of obedience ... today ... I choose it.

One final thought, even while the church was earnestly in prayer for Peter, they were still totally surprised when he appeared at their door.  Was it lack of faith?  I don't think so.  I was in an interesting conversation some years ago with a group of students and we were discussing why believers were so surprised by God's answering some prayers like we asked.  The discussion swirled around our little faith, etc.  Then one woman quietly said, "I don't see it as little faith.  I see it as living on the edge of awe."  That phrase has stuck with me and I love it.  God keeps us on the edge of awe if we will keep our eyes open to Him.  

LORD, You are truly ... AWE-SOME!

This is the last scene that scripture gives us of the man, Peter.  Scripture now turns its attention to the Gentile world.  The man, Paul, is chosen by God to take the lead on that front.  Peter had opened the door.  He gave legitimacy to the entire endeavor.  And now Paul steps up.  We hear no more detail about the life of Peter.  We know he traveled for the sake of the believers and the church.  No doubt, he remained at the helm.

Peter ... such passion.  In him, Jesus saw such promise.  And Peter's love for and commitment to his LORD matured him into a great hero of faith for you and me.  We have observed the transformation of Peter.  No longer full of self-confidence and swagger, he has become God-confident and strong.  He fulfilled the mission laid on him by Jesus - no longer a fisher of fish, but a fisher of men - no longer a self-appointed spokesman for his group, but a pastor for the people of God, Jew and Gentile alike.

And so he writes ... to God's people ... to believers then and now.  We will turn our attention to the two letters that Peter wrote.  

We have watched Peter ... now let's listen to him.

Peter - and the Paradigm Shift: Part 3 (Post 20)

The Spirit of God prepared Cornelius and instructed him to send for a man named Peter.

Cornelius responded and did what the Spirit told him.

The Spirit of God prepared Peter and instructed him to go see Cornelius.

Peter responded and did what the Spirit told him.

And the two men ... the devout Peter - Jewish Christian and leader in the Jerusalem church

                                 the Italian centurion - Gentile soldier and God lover

meet.

Read the story in Acts 10:23 - 11:18

Allow me to remind us of an encounter between Jesus and Peter.  It is recorded in Matthew 16:15 - 19:

"Who do you say that I am?"   Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."     Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.  And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.  I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; ..."

The "keys of the kingdom of heaven" ... given to our man Peter.  In today's reading, we observe the final of 3 'unlockings' when Peter used those keys to open doors.

First, Peter unlocked the kingdom of heaven for the Jews.  We read about it in Acts 2.  He preached Jesus. He preached salvation to all Jews who believe and accept.

Second, Peter unlocked the kingdom of heaven for the Samaritans - those peoples of mixed blood - some Jewish blood, some Gentile blood.  We read about it in Acts 8.  "Peter and John preached the gospel in many Samaritan villages." (Acts 8:25)

And now ... number 3 ... Peter unlocked the kingdom of heaven for the Gentiles.  Through Cornelius and his household.

Can we "get it"?  Can we understand?  Or do we still long to keep barrier walls between peoples?  As believers, do we want to keep walls up until a person thinks, looks, behaves, etc. just like "me"?

We need to allow Peter, through God's Spirit, to unlock some of our hearts.  To help us remember ...

All peoples have the same Creator -

From one man He made very nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.   (Acts 17:26)

All peoples have the same Savior -

Salvation is found in no one else, [Jesus Christ] for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.   (Acts 4:12)

Why does humanity love walls so much?  What is it about us that relishes exclusivity?   Jesus came to tear the walls down.  Peter responded - not without struggle - not without soul searching and prayer.  But he responded.  I am convinced that we can too!  Don't you want to?

If I learn anything from the story of Peter and Cornelius it is that God is no respecter of persons.  He invites ALL who search for Him to find Him.  When God called Abraham into that special covenant relationship with Himself, He said:

"I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."  (Genesis 12: 2 - 3)

It is time ... past time ... for some of us to stand up and say, "As far as me and my house ... I will tear the barriers down."

There is a wonderful song, written by Jon Mohr and recorded by Steve Green that expresses better than I can these sentiments.  Hear his lyrics as we close today.

All throughout the spirit realm a fearsome battle rages

The fates of men and nations hang suspended in the fray

Walls designed by satan in the twilight of the ages

Now stand as great divisions all across the world today.

Walls not born of government nor strife amid the nations

But walls within our churches and between denominations

Stones of dry tradition carved in fear and laid in pride

Become a dismal prison to those withering inside.

The body weak and powerless, crippled by division

The victim of a tragic and most cruel civil war

Brother fighting brother over culture and tradition

While countless lost and dying lie as casualties of war

It's time to end the foolishness of warring with each other

And kneel in true repentance that our union be restored

May we then as brothers rally round the cross of Jesus

And carry on with diligence the mission of our Lord.

Oh children of God

Oh soon to be bride

Let us humble ourselves

and crucify pride

Throw off the flesh

and its pious facade

and unite in the name of God

Let the walls come down

Let the walls come down

Let the walls that divide us

and hide us come down

If in Christ we agree

Let us seek unity

Let the walls come down.

It will require a transformation of our minds ... impossible?  Not for those in whom God's Spirit dwells!  The Spirit of God transformed Peter's mind ... and He can transform yours and mine.