Obeying the Holy Spirit
Judi Barrett
This week’s study is in
Acts chapter 10, verses 9-23.
About
He became hungry
and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell
into a trance. He saw heaven opened and
something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It
contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth
and birds of the air. Then a voice told him, "Get up, Peter. Kill and
eat."
"Surely not, Lord!" Peter replied. "I have
never eaten anything impure or unclean."
The voice spoke
to him a second time, "Do not call anything impure that God has made
clean."
This happened
three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.
While Peter was
wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out
where Simon's house was and stopped at the gate. They called out, asking if
Simon who was known as Peter was staying there.
While Peter
was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Simon, three
men are looking for you. So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go
with them, for I have sent them."
Peter went down
and said to the men, "I'm the one you're looking for. Why have you
come?"
The men
replied, "We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and
God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told
him to have you come to his house so that he could hear what you have to
say." Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests.
The LORD had already
dealt with Cornelius and Cornelius had already put his household servants and
under-soldier on the road to get Peter before the LORD prepared Peter to
deliver the gospel to Cornelius and his friends and family. The angel had spoken with Cornelius and told
him to send for Peter, and Cornelius had
put his men on the road to get Peter the day before Peter had the vision and
was commanded to not call anything impure that GOD has made clean.
GOD’S timing is
perfect. Cornelius’ men are about to
arrive at Peter’s lodging place when Peter has the vision. While Peter is wondering about the vision, the
men arrive at the gate of the house where Peter is. The Holy Spirit speaks to Peter while he is
wondering about the meaning of the vision and tells him that three men are
downstairs asking for him. He is not to
hesitate to go with them because He has sent them.
GOD sent an angel to
Cornelius and spoke to Peter through the Holy Spirit, but both are from GOD.
The Holy Spirit tells Peter that He has sent the men.
Peter goes downstairs
and tells the men that he is the one that they are looking for and asks them
why they have come. Peter knew what GOD
had revealed to him, now he knows what these men expect of him. Are the two things the same? Can he do what
they ask? The Holy Spirit told him to not hesitate to go with them. So he knew that they were expecting him to go
somewhere with them and it involved not calling what GOD has made pure,
unclean. These are gentiles yet Peter
invites them into the home of Simon the tanner, an indication that he has
accepted them as clean. They have told
him that Cornelius is righteous, GOD-fearing, and that all of the Jews respect
him.
V
Peter
could have clung to the legality of clean and unclean, ignoring what the Holy
Spirit was telling him
V
Or…..what
if Peter was not in tune with the Holy Spirit of GOD and had not heard what He
told him, or had just written the vision off as a bad dream?
V
What GOD
wanted Peter to do went against the teachings of the
established church (Jewish). Yet, praise
the LORD, Peter obeyed.