Inclusive

Manuscript Template

Title:  Inclusive

Focus Statement:  The Gospel breaks down barriers and calls us to build relationships with people God already loves and is already pursuing.

Function Statement:  

Healthy Churches move from:

suspicion → celebration

fear → faith

protection → participation

Who has God placed in your life that you’ve quietly written off?

Neighbor

Coworker

Friend

Family member

Someone unlike you

Tweetable Phrase:  The church does not decide who is welcome—God already has.

Main Text:  Acts 10:1-11:18

Supporting Text:  

Redemptive Closure (point to Jesus):  Matthew 11:28 / Matthew 28:19 / Mark 7:1-23 / 1 Samuel 16:7

Benediction:  Romans 15:7

WELCOME

Good morning!!! My name is Ryan Hanson, and I have the honor of serving here at The Light KC as the lead pastor. I’m so glad you’re here with us.

‌Welcome to those joining us online. We hope you're doing well and hope to see you in person in the coming weeks.

And a special welcome to those joining us for the first time. We’re so glad you chose to be here.

ME/INTRO - Tension

Have you ever felt like you don’t belong?

I know I have.

When I was in college, my friend introduced me to the Big Brother’s / Big Sister’s organization.

He told me that this organization matches adults with kids who typically don’t have a positive role model in their lives.

He told me that I would meet with the kid weekly and it was up to me to choose what we would do; but typically people just hang out.

I thought that it sounded like a good thing, so I signed up.

They matched me with an 8 year old boy who had no father, no siblings, and lived with his mother.

I was excited to start this mentoring relationship.

BUT...I started to question the whole situation when the Big Brother / Big Sister representative called me to setup the first meeting.

They told me that they would meet me at the child’s house to make introductions; which didn’t seem necessary, but not all that odd either.

They then gave me a whole bunch of "additional information”.

they told me the address and warned me about the area of town saying it was in the heart of gang territory

they told me that the neighborhood has been warned that I would be coming, what vehicle I drive, where I would be going, and what I looked like

Now imagine being told that your information was given to a neighborhood full of gang members

I was then told that I needed to park only in front of the little brother’s house; on his house’s side of the street

I was told to always bring the same vehicle so the people in the neighborhood knew it was me

I was told to never talk to the neighbors; but know that they will most likely be on their porches and watching me

I was told that if I didn’t do everything correctly my vehicle will get broken into and/or I would get hurt

They then summed up the conversation by saying that the neighborhood doesn’t like outsiders, that the residents don’t want me there, and that I need to be very careful not to give them any reasons to mess with my car and/or to hurt me

Needless to say I was a little nervous driving to that first meeting.

My nerves increased dramatically when I got off the expressway, and immediately started seeing gang signs painted on every stop signs all the way to the house

It was clear that I was in a place where I did not belong and was not welcome.

WE - Tension

Maybe you didn’t have an experience as drastic as that, but when was the last time you felt like you didn’t belong?

Maybe you have felt the Imposter Syndrome, where you find yourself surrounded by people who seem far more qualified for whatever the group is doing than you do

Maybe you missed the dress code for an event and drastically over / or under dressed; I know I have done that before

Maybe you were invited to a gathering by a friend where everyone knew each other and you spent the entire evening listening to them reminisce about past stories and tell inside jokes that didn’t make any sense to you, only to be asked at the end of the evening why you were so quiet

Or maybe you were invited to a church and it was super clicky, where

you knew nobody

nobody made any attempt to get to know you

you don’t understand any of the stories told from stage during the sermon

and everything felt like it was written for the people on the “inside” who have been there for a long time

Feeling like you don’t belong is terrible, but making someone else feel like they don’t belong in church can have eternal consequences.

When you think about the church and community within the church; who belongs?

Who doesn’t belong?

It sounds ridiculous to even ask these questions...we’d obviously say “everyone belongs”

But our real answer to the question of who belongs in the church comes when:

we avoid building a relationship with someone new that walks through the doors

we don’t invite someone to church because they’re different and we have already decided they’ll say no

Are we pre-deciding how people will respond to the church, the gospel, or way Jesus teaches us to live and consequently not giving God or them the opportunity to hear the truth of God’s love, mercy, forgiveness, and grace?

Are we excluding people from the church because they...

Are from a different culture

Have a questionable past

Still struggle with sins

Or because they are currently making lifestyle choices that don’t perfectly align with the teachings of the bible

How many people do I, do you, do we send the message to that they don’t belong at church because they don’t already fit within our definition of what a Christian should be?

We are in a series on the book of Acts, where we’ve been walking through the attributes that God placed within the early church that I believe He is still calling us to live by today.

We started by talking about the need to WAIT FOR GOD’S TIMING before we act

We discussed how the early church didn’t act on their own but only acted after being FILLED WITH THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

We saw how the early church DEVOTED themselves to WORSHIPPING GOD, MINISTERING TO OTHER BELIEVERS, and EVANGELIZING THE WORLD

We were challenged with how BOLD the early church was with their faith and what that means for us today

Hopefully we were inspired by the bar of HOLINESS that God has set for the church and convicted to seek that level of HOLINESS in our lives

Last week, we were shown how trying to SERVE in areas we are not gifted in limits the work of the church and we were challenged to find our unique GIFTING and find ways to use those GIFTS to SERVE where God calls us.

Today as we continue our series we’re going to look at a story in Acts 10-11 where Peter was confronted by a vision from God that challenged his long held views on who belongs and who doesn’t belong within the church.

If you missed the previous messages, please feel free go to our website, TheLightKC.org, to catch up.

As we begin, please turn with me to [Acts 10:1: Sanctuary Bible Page # 891]

We’ll have the scripture on the screen, but if you have a Bible with you, or Bible app on your phone, I’d encourage you to turn to the passage and follow along. There is nothing that replaces having God’s word in your hand.

AND... if you don’t have a Bible, we have Bibles under the seats. If you don’t have a bible and would like one, please come see me after the service and I’ll get you one you can keep.

Let's dive in.

GOD - Text - HEAD

Acts 10:1–2 “1 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. 2 He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.

I think it is important to start with some background on Cornelius.

If you’re not aware a centurion was like a captain in the Roman military.

Centurions were responsible for commanding 100 soldiers.

They were responsible for assigning duties, enforcing discipline, and carrying out administrative tasks for their soldiers.

Centurions were Roman citizens.

They were paid on average 15 times more than a soldier’s pay and as a result centurions were well respected members within the Roman society.

But Cornelius wasn’t just a centurion, he was also a devout God-fearing Gentile.

The term “God-fearing” Gentile means that Cornelius believed in the Jewish faith and believed in the Jewish God.

He worshipped at and attended the synagogue.

He followed certain aspects of the Jewish ceremonial law, but not all of them, so he would not have been considered a full Jewish person.

For context, Gentiles could become fully Jewish. That term is called a Proselyte Jew, but to do that the Gentile would have to

undergo a rigorous multi-year long process of intensive study

be active within the Jewish community

undergo a series of formal rituals culminating in a rabbinical court appearance (Beit Din), immersion in a ritual bath (Mikveh), and, for males, circumcision

Cornelius and his family believed in the Jewish God, obeyed most of the laws within the Torah, was generous with his finances, and was active within the Synagogue.

And one day, Cornelius had an encounter with the God that he worshipped.

Acts 10:3–5 “3 One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!” 4 Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked. The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. 5 Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter.”

Within the Wesleyan church, this is a picture of Prevenient Grace

That is the concept that we can do nothing to earn God’s favor.

And that we don’t even initiate our relationship with God...

Prevenient Grace is the Grace that God gives us before we do anything.

It reminds us that God acts first

It reminds us that even when we’re not seeking God, God is already seeking us out

As Christians, it is not our job to judge who is IN or who is OUT of the Christian faith.

God calls us in 1 Peter 3:15 to “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks us to give a reason for the hope that we have”

God calls us in Mark 16:15 to “preach the gospel to all creation”

God calls us in Acts 1:8 to “be His witness”

But all those efforts will fall short if God does not act first.

God softens the hearts of people who do not yet believe

God prepares them with open ears to hear the truth of the gospel that we have the honor of sharing with them

God reached out to Cornelius before any Christian knew who he was.

God is still reaching out to people today

The truth is...

The church does not decide who is welcome — because God already has.

Everyone earnestly seeking God is welcome within the church.

But just like us sometimes, Peter wasn’t ready to welcome the person that God was sending his way

Acts 10:9–16 “9 About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12 It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. 13 Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” 14 “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” 15 The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” 16 This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.”

Peter needed a paradigm shift

Peter grew up as a Torah observant Jew. Torah means “law, teaching, and instruction”

The Torah was the first 5 books of the bible where God gives the Jewish people the Mitzvot or the 613 divine instructions that guide Jewish life.

Some of those laws had to do with what God considered ritually pure and could be eaten, and what was ritually impure and should not be eaten.

When God gave Peter the vision of the sheet full of unclean animals, He was symbolically tearing down the bridge that divided the Jews and Gentiles.

Opening the door to Jews sharing meals with Gentiles, and building relationships between the two peoples

The purity laws of the Old Testament were a “Preparatory Period” for the Jews, where they were intentionally commanded to live in a way that was visually separate from the other nations, to inspire and serve as a witness to the God the Jewish people served.

Deuteronomy 4:5-8 show this, it reads.

Deuteronomy 4:5–8 “5 See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the Lord my God commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it. 6 Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.” 7 What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him? 8 And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today?”

Now that Jesus came and fulfilled the law of the Old Testament, the purity laws that once divided needed to be removed so that the Jews and Gentile could come together, united as Christians.

The truth is, that just as God had to give Peter a Paradigm Shift related to purity laws...

God Often Has to Change Us Before He Can Use Us

Our prejudices and conservative thinking can lock the gates of the Kingdom to the very people that Christ died to save

Like Peter, how often do we write people off for their past?

We look, and judge people by their pasts, when we’re called to instead of see people for the future that God is calling them to

It is said that prejudice is often one of the last sins healed through the process of sanctification

Yet, God calls each and every one of us to build relationships with, minister to, and share the good news of the Gospel with everyone...

...even those people that we don’t agree with.

God’s mission always reaches farther than our comfort.

Immediately after Peter’s trance was over, the men Cornelius sent to invite Peter, arrived at his house

Let’s pickup the story in Acts 10:23 which reads.

Acts 10:23–26 “23 Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests. The next day Peter started out with them, and some of the believers from Joppa went along. 24 The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. 26 But Peter made him get up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself.””

Peter was a changed man, no longer seeing the Gentiles as people to be excluded.

We see this when Peter arrived and Cornelius fell to the ground. Peter immediately told him to get up.

Peter saw himself as an equal to Cornelius - to a Gentile - to a Roman Centurion

And this is an example we are all called to follow

Christians are called to be humble

Who are the people that you think you are better than?

Who would you refuse an invitation from, if they invited you over?

What part of town do you refuse to drive through?

The reality is that

Evangelism begins with proximity

And when Peter humbled himself and went to Cornelius’ house, Cornelius had his family, servants, and close friends all gathered to hear what Peter had to say.

In Acts 10:34–43 Peter shares the gospel of Jesus Christ with this Gentile group of people.

Peter told them about...

1. The Peace that Jesus brings to all those that believe (v. 36). 

2. The Universal Lordship of Jesus Christ: that there is only one God, and that God is the Lord of all (v. 36b). 

3. The call to Repent of their Sins and live by the teaching of Jesus (v. 37b). 

4. The Humanity of Jesus: that Jesus was raised in Nazareth and was fully human (v. 38a). 

5. The Deity of Jesus: That Jesus was also fully God, and anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power (v. 38). 

6. The Crucifixion of Jesus: that Jesus was killed by the Jews, but that His death was a willing sacrifice, prophesied and necessary for the forgiveness of sins (v. 39b). 

7. The Resurrection of Jesus: That God raised Jesus up on the third day giving us all hope for an eternal life with God in Heaven (v. 40a). 

8. The Appearances of Jesus, that for 40 days after the resurrection Jesus was seen by many, ate, drank, and commanded the disciples to be His witnesses throughout the world (v. 40b). 

9. The Universal Judgeship of Jesus: That He was ordained by God the Father to be the Judge of the living and the dead (v. 42b). 

10. The Impartial Remission of Sins through Jesus: That through His name every one that believes in Him shall be forgiven of their sins; Jew or Gentile (v. 43b).

Peter preached the entire gospel to a family of Gentiles, and God did something that had never been done to this point.

God gave these Gentiles the gift of the Holy Spirit

Acts 10:44–48 “44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, 47 “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” 48 So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.”

This is the only time in the Bible that the Holy Spirit came upon believers before they were baptized

This case was unique because the Jews had such long held beliefs that Gentiles were excluded from their community.

By giving the Holy Spirit to Cornelius and his family, God validated the Gentile’s genuine belief to Peter and the rest of the Jewish people

Peter got the message that the Gentiles were not to be exclude, but that Christianity was to be inclusive to all who believed.

And Peter immediately ordered that Cornelius and his family be baptized

Because Baptism is the first step in discipleship for a believer

But not everyone was as quick to accept Gentiles into the community as Peter. Acts 11:1–3 “1 The apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him 3 and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.””

The Torah-observant Christians were still zealous for the Old Testament law and upholding its requirements for all who believe in Jesus.

Peter explained what had happened, what Jesus showed him through the trance, and how God had confirmed their genuine faith by giving the Holy Spirit to them before they were baptized, and after hearing Peter’s explanation they stopped doubting and started praising God.

I want to ask...

How often do we do the same thing as these Torah Observant Christians?

How often do we judge people for they way they live before they believe?

How often do we just people who have never agreed to live by Christian teachings?

Or how often do we put unnecessary hurdles in the way of people who are genuinely seeking a relationship with Jesus that Jesus never intended to be there?

Sometimes...

God’s greatest obstacle to reaching people who do not yet believe in Jesus is Christians

That’s you and that’s me

It is far to easy for us to be like Peter and the early Jewish Christians

Sometimes we all need our Paradigms Shifted

What Paradigms is God working to Shift in your life right now?

YOU - Takeaway - HEART

To finish the story I started about my experience with the Big Brother / Big Sister program in the heart of gang territory...

...it turned out, the people of that neighborhood weren’t entirely like the representative described to me

There absolutely was a huge gang presence

They absolutely were watching everything I did

But, after a few months of me consistently picking my little brother up, taking him out to dinner, to the park, to activities, and spending time getting to know him, the neighborhood changed

They neighbors started walking up and talking to me, kindly

The other kids on the block asked if they could join us, so I brough hockey sticks and balls and we’d play street hockey

My car was never vandalized

They were a people with a lot of struggles, with a messy past, and involved in a lot of questionable activities

But when you got to know them, they were just people

They were doing their best with the cards they were dealt

And they were the tightest community of people that I have ever experienced, everyone knew everyone, and everyone supported everyone - something that could never be said about any middle-class neighborhood I’ve ever lived in

The more I step into these uncomfortable situations, the more God shows me that:

We can’t judge people based on generalizations

We are called to build relationships, 1 on 1, with people, all people

The more we get to know someone, even someone who has a vastly different background than us, the more we find out that we have all kinds of things in common

To live our the mission Jesus gave us, to go and make disciples, we need to practice proximity

What generalizations do you have that the Holy Spirit is challenging right now?

Who has God put in your life that you’re avoiding because talking to them is uncomfortable?

So who is God calling you to take a step toward this week?

To stop excluding, but intentionally include.

WE / JESUS - Redemptive Close - Call to Action - HANDS

Jesus warned us directly about this in Mark 7:8-23

Mark 7:8–23 NIV

8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” 9 And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ 11 But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God)—12 then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. 13 Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.” 14 Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 15 Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” 16 17 After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. 18 “Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? 19 For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.) 20 He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. 21 For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23 All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”

And we can only know what comes from a person’s heart by getting to know them, by spending time with them, and building enough trust with them that they are willing to share their hearts with us.

We need to stop judging actions from a distance, and get to know people, building relationships with people that on the surface we don’t have much in common with.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 28:19 to go and make disciples of all nations

In Matthew 11:28 Jesus invites all who are weary and burdened to come to Him, and that He will give them rest

When God chose David to succeed Saul as king, He reminded Samuel not to look at outer appearance, but in 1 Samuel 16:7 God reminded Samuel that God look at a person’s heart.

The church should be a place where questionable pasts are not held against people, but a place where everyone is loved, supported, and encouraged to become the person that God created them to be.

The church should be a place where everyone is welcome and feels included.

PRAYER 

Will you join me in prayer...

“Lord, forgive us for the ways we limit who You can reach. Open our eyes to see people as You see them. Make us courageous enough to cross boundaries, humble enough to listen, and faithful enough to share Jesus with everyone You place in our lives. Amen.”

SONG 

As we enter into our final song, I want to open the steps up front as an altar to anyone who needs God this week. The steps are open for you to pray to the God who is with you, who loves you, you wants to give you His peace.

‌

You may feel a hand on your shoulder as I or one of the elders join you in prayer.

BENEDICTION 

Romans 15:7 “7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.”

This week...

This week, let’s stop judging people by their past choices

Let’s stop holding people accountable to the teachings of Jesus before they agreed to follow them

Instead...

Let’s praise God for being a God who seeks us out, for being a God that before we do anything, He is already at work

Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to search our hearts and challenge the paradigms that we have established that keep us ministering to the people God places in our lives

Let’s build relationships with the people in our lives that we naturally would avoid, showing genuine interest in who they are, what’s on their hearts, and discover areas of commonality

Let’s boldly share the gospel with everyone God prompts us to

Let’s together be a church that is known for being INCLUSIVE, not condoning sin, but welcoming, loving, and serving everyone

Quick reminder...

Digging Deeper Bible Study - Wednesday at 6:30 PM - Programming for all ages

This is the last week - We will postpone Kids / Digging Deeper for the summer per the congregation’s vote

Westbrooke Dumpster Day - if you can, come out next Saturday and help unload cars

5th Sunday Potluck - next week at Strang Park immediately following service

Student “Break Out” Escape Room Night - Next Sunday at 6 PM

If you’re new, please fill out the card in the seat back and stop by our info desk, or see me. We’d love to say “hi” and get you know you a bit better.

If you’d like to get more information about taking your next step of faith, fill out the card in the seat back and give it to me or turn it in to the info desk.

I hope you have a great week.

Go in peace.

You are dismissed.

DISCIPLESHIP QUESTIONS (download into APP)

How can you personally engage with individuals you might typically overlook or write off in your life?

What steps can you take to actively welcome those who are different from you in your church community?

Reflect on a time when you felt excluded. How can that experience inform your approach to inclusivity today?

What does it mean to you that God is actively pursuing everyone, even those you might see as unworthy?

How can your understanding of Prevenient Grace change the way you share the gospel with others?

Who in your school or community do you think might feel excluded, and how can you reach out to them?

What do you think it means to truly welcome someone who is different from you?

How can you challenge the stereotypes or prejudices that you see in your peer group?

Think of a time when you felt like you didn't belong. How did that experience influence your view of others?

In what ways can you demonstrate kindness or acceptance to someone who might be struggling with feelings of isolation?