This morning I am reading from the Book of Acts, chapters 9 & 10 - (see Acts 10:1-48, I didn't include it here due to the length). It is so encouraging to see how the Lord guided Peter, how He directed actions and situations. He sent an Angel to Cornelius and told him who to look for, and where. He gave Peter a vision and then directed him specifically, all to break him out of a mode he was operating in, namely working only with the Jews. Reaching out to the gentiles had been alluded to, even commanded by Jesus, but the church had not yet either caught on, or felt specifically directed to do so.
I was wondering how it was that they didn't understand Jesus' command in Matthew 28:18-20 NIV:
[18] "Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. [19] Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
As I was thinking about that, I thought about a few things: First, the Gospel of Matthew was written well after these events that Peter experienced, so although they had heard the commands of Jesus at His ascension, they might not have fully understood them until later when, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Peter was commanded to preach to the gentiles. Second, they might have believed that the command was to preach to the Jews in all the nations, for they were a scattered people, and that is exactly what they were doing at the time, spreading out and talking to the Jews. In fact Paul, had focused primarily on the Jews until his visit to Corinth - (see Acts 18:6).
Regardless of the reason, the events of Acts 9 & 10 (I am including Paul's conversion in Acts 9) were a significant turning point for the Church. I a encouraged because these were not the ideas of men, but rather the direct result of the Supernatural interruption of the Lord. He provided visions, visitations, power encounters and perfect timing to change the course of history. I am encouraged, because if He did it before, He can do it again. I am encouraged because God cares about our lives and our direction to do the same for us. We can't forget that the direct result of these events was salvation for Cornelius's whole household, and this situation was partially in response to the prayers of Cornelius. I am encouraged because the Holy Spirit didn't even wait for Peter to stop speaking before He jumped all over Cornelius's household - (see Acts 10:44) indicating His desire to move and to empower.
It was precisely because the Holy Spirit had already been poured out that Peter felt it was right to baptize them. In other words, the Holy Spirit wasn't worried about the preacher, He was already moving before the altar call. The Holy Spirit is alive and active in the church, and we need to recognize and follow His leading!
So my prayer today is that the Church pray for the direct intervention of the Holy Spirit, through Supernatural guidance, visitations and visions for new moves of God. That we make way for the Holy Spirit to interrupt us, and we pay attention to Him when He does. He does so for good reason, and is often bringing new understanding and maybe even a new path to explore. We can be confident the Lord will guide His Church, but we also need to follow His lead. He might have a new direction for us!
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