Breaking Barriers: God's Radical Call

Acts 11:5–10 NASB 2020

5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, an object coming down like a great sheet lowered by four corners from the sky; and it came to where I was, 6 and I stared at it and was thinking about it, and I saw the four-footed animals of the earth, the wild animals, the crawling creatures, and the birds of the sky. 7 I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’ 8 But I said, ‘By no means, Lord, for nothing unholy or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9 But a voice from heaven answered a second time, ‘ 10 This happened three times, and everything was drawn back up into the sky.

Many times as Christians we have a tendency to try and decide what is and is not Christian actions. This can take many different directions, but given Next week’s yearly meeting I really loved how God worked this out. Sometimes we look at what is going on in churches or lives, and question this. Today’s scripture reminds us of some things that we may not normally consider.

1. Perplexing Vision Unveiled

God’s Message is not always what we think is right

Have you ever just thought this is the way it should be or a christian should look like this

God Challenges our Status Quo

Just because we have always done something one way does not mean it is the only way.

Just because a change is made does not mean that we abandon other ways.

Following his direction will never do you wrong

Jesus has a reason for change, and change is good

2. Profound Command Heard

We must acknowledge what God is telling us

Starting the process will show we are listening

We must be willing to take the actions that God insists

Change can be difficult

We must look for his will first

Looking for his will assures us that we are doing what is right

3. Persistent Message Delivered

God will not stop trying to show us his will

To succeed we must listen to him

Communicating what God tells us will pull us through