Acts 10_44-48 A Promise Kept (5)_Reaping the Harvest

Read Acts 10:44-48 – When God by grace alone, called Abe as the first Jewish person, He promised in Gen 12:3 “all families of the earth” would be blessed thru his descendants. Israel failed in that task. But Jesus, the ultimate Israel, fulfilled it in full by His atoning death for sinners. Anyone who comes can have new life in Him. But, 10 years into the church age, that message had failed to get beyond the confines of long-held Jewish prejudice.

So, at exactly the right time, God acted. He chose Cornelius to be the poster child for the gospel going to all people; He chose Peter to deliver the message, and now we see the result of all of that – and that Gentiles were just as saved as Jews. There’s no distinction. When it comes to a saving relationship with God, Gal 3:28 applies: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.” This is that ancient promise kept. Jew, Gentile, anyone may come!

I. he Requirement for Gentile Salvation

Salvation involves a lifetime, lifestyle commitment, but it is initiated in a moment of time, just like joining the army or saying “I do.” The commitment of a moment leads to a lifetime of change. The Bible is clear that God prompts this decision. Jew or Gentile – it doesn’t matter. Yet from a human perspective something causes that decision. And we see it here as we’ve seen it some many other times. The root cause of salvation – 44b) “the HS fell on all who heard the Word.” The cause has 2 elements – hearing the Word.

Eph 4:25b: “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her [objective basis for salvation], 26) that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word [subjective application of salvation].” The Word tells us of Christ; the Word leads us to Christ; the Word promotes faith in Christ. Jn 5:24: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who set me has eternal life.” It all starts with the Word which is why we must learn it, study it, know it, and share it, We’re instructed to “always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (I Pet 3:15). We must know the Word.

But the need goes deeper. We must actually hear the Word. Peter’s audience “heard the word.” In the Bible, “hear” means more than encountering sound. It means to respond to what we’ve encountered. Jesus’ parable of the Sower in Lu 8 contrasting 3 types of people faced with the Word and for one reason or another miss it vs. the one type who hear it and produce fruit – that is, hear, respond in faith and are transformed. All 4 groups heard the same words, but only the last group heard and responded. Jesus challenges: Lu 8:8c: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” He’s not talking about sitting thru a sermon –all did that. He’s talking about making a lifechanging commitment to Him.

Paul summarizes in Rom 10:17: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” The root cause of salvation – hearing the Word. Jesus says in Jn 5: 38 and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. 39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.” It’s not enough to know what it says; Hearing is committing to the message.

II. The Result of Gentile Salvation – There were two!

A. Spirit-baptism – Mid-sermon, Peter was interrupted for the best of all reasons. “The HS fell on all who heard the word.” Peter had preached long enough for the puzzle pieces to fall into place. The rubic’s cube snapped into position. They’d heard that Jesus died for them, that God raised Him from the dead, that He would judge the living and the dead, but “everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name,” and bam – they believed and immediately the HS fell on them.

This negates some who teach the HS comes as a “second blessing”, and only after much prayer and travail. And not everyone gets this gift. Now, it is true the HS came on believers at Pentecost long after they trusted Christ. But that’s because the church age had not yet begun. And at Samaria the coming of the Spirit was delayed only until the apostles, Peter and John, arrived, thus insuring that everyone understood that the Samaritans were experiencing the same salvation as the Jews in Jerusalem. They were part and parcel of the same body of Christ. But with those two exceptions, the HS is God’s gift to those who believe in Jesus at the moment that happens.

The people at Cornelius house didn’t pray and tarry. None were excluded. There was no outward confession, no water baptism, no laying on of hands or other human machination. He came as God’s gift to new believers the moment they received Him. This is the experience of every new believer.

Jesus promised no less. Jn 7:37b-39: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38) Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” Jesus was glorified in His death and resurrection. Then at Pentecost, the HS was unleashed to play a new role in the life of all believers – note all who believe receive Him.

Both John the Baptist and Jesus predicted this baptism of the Spirit, by which all believers are enrolled in the body of Christ and empowered for service. Paul refers to this in I Cor 12:13 when he says, “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body – Jew or Greeks, slaves or free – and all were made to drink of one Spirit.” It’s not some, but all; it’s not delayed but immediate; it’s not earned, but given. There is no such thing as a believer without the HS. There are no second-class citizens of the kingdom. Eph 1:13 “In him [Jesus] you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” You can’t have Christ and not have the HS. Rom 8:9b: “Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him.” The indwelling HS is God’s priceless gift to every believer. His influence is affected only by the the level of our obedience to His promptings.

B. Speaking in Tongues

Normally Spirit-baptism is undetectable physically. He is Spirit. But abnormal happens here specifically to demo the Spirit’s presence. They “were speaking in tongues and extolling God.” Where have we seen that before? In Acts 2 at Pentecost when the promised HS first came on all the disciples. Those tongues were clearly other human languages unknown to the speakers, so the same must be assumed here. These are not ecstatic utterances. The word γλωσσα means languages, as shown in Acts 2 where many languages are identified.

So, is this the expected norm to indicate the Spirit’s presence? There are many places in Acts where people are converted; this is the only place where they speak in unknown languages. It didn’t happen when Paul was converted and received the HS, nor the African Finance minister, nor the Philippian jailer, nor Lydia, nor any others. This is a unique event, not a norm.

So why here? I think the reason is obvious. 45 “And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. 46 For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God.” They were seeing Pentecost all over again – only this time, it’s for the hated Gentiles. That staggers them because it means Gentiles have a standing with God equal to that of the Jews. It’s not based on merit, any more than the Jews standing was based on merit – but all based on the merit of their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

This was a vivid demo of Gal 3:28. In Christ, “There is neither Jew nor Greek . . . for you are all one in Christ.” What better way to show that equality than with the same physical manifestation of the HS the Jews experienced? That has to be a primary reason for this outpouring – to prompt exactly the reaction in Peter and his entourage that it did – “Hey, these guys are just like us!”

But there was even a more expansive reason than that. Speaking in tongues meant everyone was hearing God glorified in their own native language which means what? It means God is saying in the most vivid way possible, “There is no language, and, therefore, there is no culture, that is a more appropriate vehicle for my truth than any other. It’s for everyone.”

Muslims are forbidden translate the Qur’an because Arabic is considered God’s language. Xnty is utterly different. The gift of tongues at Pentecost was God saying every language is equal and every culture is equal. The events at Cornelius house re-enforced that message at the most sensitive level – the relationship between Jew and Gentile. No culture has a leg up. God is equally available to all. What a great message and what good news that is, right?

III. The Reaction to Gentile Salvation

A. Wonderous Amazement – Peter’s companions could hardly believe their eyes. Here was Pentecost all over again, occurring among Gentiles – and a Roman legionnaire to boot. This negated everything they had ever been taught. But the evidence was irrefutable. They could not deny that these Gentiles were converted; that they had the gift of the HS; and that they had equal standing with the Jews before God. The unthinkable had happened.

B. Water Baptism – Peter was amazed, too, but with the benefit of his previous experience with the Lord, and of the vision he’d received prior to this, he sensed God was making the point. When it came to saving faith, God made no distinction between Jew and Gentile, and so he proposed these believers be baptized. Actually, he did more than suggest it; he commanded it (προστάσσω). The same word is used in Mt 1:24 where it is said of Joseph, that he “did as the angel of the Lord commanded him” in marrying Mary when he was on the verge of divorcing her for unfaithfulness.

People often ask of passages like Eph 4:5: “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” is that water baptism or Spirit-baptism. It is both. In the NT, Spirit and water baptism are just two parts of the same whole. Every true believer has been baptized in the HS into the body of Christ (I Cor 12:13). But throughout Acts, as soon as people commit to Christ, they are baptized. Spirit baptism is the reality by which we are made children of God and part of the body of Christ. Water baptism is the ritual by which we give outward expression to that inward reality. They are part of parcel of the same saving transaction. So must one be baptized to be saved? No. The thief on the cross was promised he’d be in Jesus’ presence in paradise that very day without water baptism. But under ordinary circumstances, the two go together, hand in glove.

Virtually Jesus’ last words to his disciples were, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nationals, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the HS.” Peter, seeing the desire of these Gentiles to be disciples, and seeing the evidence of the HS in their live, sees baptism as their next step of faith of obedience. Anyone claiming to be a disciple of Christ needs to give outward of faith in and identification with Jesus in this way. Were Peter here, he would command it. It’s a wonderful privilege we’d love to share with you.

C. Will for More – 48b) “Then they asked him to remain for some days.” Why would they want Peter to stay? Clearly, they wanted to know more about Jesus. They wanted to go deeper in truth. They wanted to know God better. That is the heart of a true believer – an insatiable desire for the Word of God, not to get smarter, but to know God better. After 30 plus years of knowing God and writing 1/3 of the NT, Paul could say in Phil 3:10: Do you know what I want? “That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings.” I want to know Him even better.

French novelist, Tristan Bernard, had a dinner invitation to a home renowned for its excellent cuisine. When he was over an hour late, the hostess called to ask what happened. He replied, “I’m so sorry, but I’m not coming.” She said, “Not coming? But why?” Bernard replied, “Because I’m not hungry.” Dear friends, we must always come to the Word hungry. Come on Sunday having read the passage and expecting God to change your life. Come to devotions and Bible study with the same expectation. Let the Word define who you are. That’s what Cornelius’ house did. Having Jesus led to a desire for more.

Conc – So we’ve seen in Christ there is no discrimination, no diff between Jew and Greek. All are equal in Him. Luke’s been surreptitiously making that point all along. He’s given us three representative conversions. Saul of Tarsus was a son of Shem. The eunuch was a son of Ham. Cornelius rounds out the picture, a son of Japheth. The point? All are welcome. All come the same way, receive the same Spirit and are equal before God.

In 1859, a great revival broke out in prayer meetings all over NYC. The same happened in northern Ireland. Among those saved were many prostitutes. One reporter asked, “Why are all of your girls coming to church and getting converted?” One girl answered: “Two reasons. First, business completely fell off since the revival. But second, for the first time in our lives, people on the street are treating us with kindness and respect.” They understood a great lesson. God is no respecter of persons. We must not be either. Let’s pray.

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