We are almost there. After this Memo, there is only one more week in our "Go and . . ." series (although yesterday in church, I thought of another entry, but I am going to let it pass by without picking it up). I have already compiled the past entries into one document and will edit and publish them. Here are possible titles for the book: 1) Coming and Going: God's Call to Action or a Biblical Call to Action or 2) What Part of Go Don't You Understand? God's Bias for Action. What do you think? Perhaps you have one to suggest?
This week's focus is on the story of Peter's call to go to the Gentiles in Acts 10. Peter was praying on the roof as he waited for his meal and had a vision of a sheet being lowered with all kinds of unclean animals in it. He was commanded to eat, which he refused to do because he kept a kosher diet, and this is what the Spirit said to him:
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" (Acts 10:17-20).
Let's unpack these verses to see what we can add to our growing understanding that God wants us to be going and doing.
STOP PRAYING AND MEDITATING
Peter went up on the roof to have a quiet time with the Lord. The Lord interrupted his devotions to impart the next phase of his ministry purpose Jesus had introduced in Matthew 16:
“Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, 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; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (Matthew 16:17-19).
Peter had the keys to the Kingdom and he had to go to the Gentiles to open their door. The problem was that Peter didn't want to go! He was a good Jew and even though Jesus had personally told him and his comrades to go, they were still hanging around Jerusalem and its environs as good Jews who did not like the Gentiles. The Gentiles were unclean, had strange customs, ate foods forbidden by the Law, and were idolaters -- not to mention Judah's military overlords.
God told Peter to leave his comfortable rooftop perch and without hesitation accompany the men who had come to lead him to Cornelius' home. God was not interested in Peter's prayers or his solitude. God was interested in the gospel reaching the Gentiles and it was to start with Cornelius, and Peter had to be the one to go.
THE LESSONS
All my life, I have watched believers retreat into the comfort and safety of their "prayer closets." As a Catholic, I had a relative who was a Franciscan priest. I had regular contact with monks, some who were priests and others only brothers. Then when I found the Lord, I ran into many people who defined their ministries as "intercessors," some praying alone while others conducting prayer walks with others or solo. And why wouldn't they?
The prayer closet is quiet and secure. The environment in the prayer closet can be controlled by the one praying. It is a place of study and solitude, meditation and reflection. The problem is that many of these intercessors never came out of their closet, except to refresh and retool to go back in again. There was no messiness of interaction with others and no danger of the prayer agenda being interrupted--except by the Lord. It is all too easy to block out the Lord in the very place we have gone to meet Him, however, as Peter did in this story. God was telling him to do something and Peter said no three times. There are two words that never go together and those words are Lord and no. If the Lord is beckoning, the response is always yes.
Are you on the rooftop praying? Is God interrupting your alone time and asking you to go? Go write a book, go take a missions trip, go back to school, go volunteer to help the homeless or youth or the elderly? When you sense any of those, do you run down the stairs from your rooftop perch or do you return the next day and the next and the next, waiting for confirmation or for the Lord to reveal more than He already has? I encourage you to go to your closet but when you sense the Lord speaking, say what Eli taught Samuel to say in a similar situation: "Speak, for your servant is listening" (1 Samuel 3:10b). Then when He speaks, and God is always ready to reveal His will if you are listening, get up, go downstairs, and allow others to lead you to the purpose God has for you. Have a blessed week and don't forget to let me know what you think about the title for this series book.
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THANKSGIVING OFFERING: My heart is burdened for the 100 plus orphans we have a relationship with in Kenya. This week in America, we will consume more food than many of those children will see all month. What's more, the Stanko family welcomed a new addition this week, a brand new baby boy named Benjamin. I want to give an offering of thanks to the Lord in honor of my grandson, and I invite you to join me. Every penny you give will be forwarded to our partners in Kenya, who desperately need our help to feed the children. You can give your Thanksgiving offering through my website or by sending a check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 8882, Pittsburgh, PA 15221-0882. Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends!
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