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Sermon Notes
May 15, 2022
I. A Surprising Witness Acts 11: 1-18
A. This is not your father’s Oldsmobile!
- This incident receives the same kind of attention in Luke’s narrative as Paul’s conversion.
- With the martyrdom of Stephen, the church faces an outbreak of persecution and its people are forced to scatter, fearing for the church’s survival.
- This is not what they had in mind when they wrote their mission study!
- God continues to do this today in our lives and in our churches.
B. Two visions and a gospel (vv. 4-14, the detailed account is in chapter 10).
- Cornelius – a God-fearing Gentile who was without the gift of the good news of Jesus. God sends an angel to him, commanding him to go fetch Peter.
- Peter – He has the gift of the gospel. God speaks to him and lets him know that the gift is for all who would receive it. He and six Jewish believers go with the messengers to Caesarea.
- It’s a perfect match! Made in heaven! (vv. 15-17)
a. Could it be that there are perfect matches out there waiting for the Concord Liberty Presbyterian Church?
b. As we begin to act and speak, could the Holy Spirit be out ahead of us?
C. The church, which was fighting for its survival, is about to explode.
- The obstacle – These are not our kind of people. “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them” (v. 3).
- The response – “So if God gave them the same gift … who was I to think I could stand in God’s way?” (v. 17) … “So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life” (v. 18).
D. I don’t like surprise parties!
- Too much extra work.
- Too unpredictable.
- Too many uncomfortable moments.
- Real ministry most often leads us to difficult, messy, awkward, even frightening places. SURPRISE!