Divine Appointments: Embracing God's Unexpected Connections
Acts 10:33b
…Now therefore are we all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God.
God still sends messengers! I like Cornelius’ attitude, don’t you? He knew that God brought them all together so that he and his household could hear a word from God which was to be delivered by His messenger, Peter. And boy did Peter PREACH JESUS! Time would not permit me to give too much detail to the results of this church meeting, suffice it to say, they listened while Peter preached and The Holy Spirit had His way in their lives! It was a MIGHTY move of God! And knowing the context of how this meeting came to be (I encourage you to read all of Acts 10 to get the whole picture), I see a common denominator; both Cornelius AND Peter were very sensitive to the leadership of God’s Spirit in their lives. Had they not been, it is quite possible that this important meeting might have never taken place! Which brings me to this thought; I wonder how many Kingdom connections we miss throughout our lifetimes because of our lack of sensitivity to the voice of God’s Spirit in our lives. I simply want you to meditate upon that thought with me for just a moment. Cornelius, a Gentile, and Peter, a Jew, were beforehand the most unlikely to ever get together and fellowship, as it simply was not their custom. However, God told Cornelius to send specifically for Peter (something he would not have been naturally inclined to do), and God told Peter (to prepare him to be able to receive this invitation from the Gentiles) that he was to have no respecter of persons, and to not call that which God had cleansed “unclean”. In other words, had GOD not spoken to them both, and prepared them both to receive each other, this connection would have never taken place. However, God DID speak to them both, and they BOTH listened and obeyed! And now for the miracle; a Gentile is open-minded to a Jew’s preaching, and the Jew is open minded to preaching to the Gentile, and both are in good spirits about it, wishing no ill, but only the will of God to be done! Application? The Gospel will break every boundary set up by men, their traditions, and their man-made religions. In fact, don’t be surprised if God hooks you up with someone you would have never been naturally inclined to connect with. That’s Him!
~ Pastor Gary Caudill
…Now therefore are we all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God.
God still sends messengers! I like Cornelius’ attitude, don’t you? He knew that God brought them all together so that he and his household could hear a word from God which was to be delivered by His messenger, Peter. And boy did Peter PREACH JESUS! Time would not permit me to give too much detail to the results of this church meeting, suffice it to say, they listened while Peter preached and The Holy Spirit had His way in their lives! It was a MIGHTY move of God! And knowing the context of how this meeting came to be (I encourage you to read all of Acts 10 to get the whole picture), I see a common denominator; both Cornelius AND Peter were very sensitive to the leadership of God’s Spirit in their lives. Had they not been, it is quite possible that this important meeting might have never taken place! Which brings me to this thought; I wonder how many Kingdom connections we miss throughout our lifetimes because of our lack of sensitivity to the voice of God’s Spirit in our lives. I simply want you to meditate upon that thought with me for just a moment. Cornelius, a Gentile, and Peter, a Jew, were beforehand the most unlikely to ever get together and fellowship, as it simply was not their custom. However, God told Cornelius to send specifically for Peter (something he would not have been naturally inclined to do), and God told Peter (to prepare him to be able to receive this invitation from the Gentiles) that he was to have no respecter of persons, and to not call that which God had cleansed “unclean”. In other words, had GOD not spoken to them both, and prepared them both to receive each other, this connection would have never taken place. However, God DID speak to them both, and they BOTH listened and obeyed! And now for the miracle; a Gentile is open-minded to a Jew’s preaching, and the Jew is open minded to preaching to the Gentile, and both are in good spirits about it, wishing no ill, but only the will of God to be done! Application? The Gospel will break every boundary set up by men, their traditions, and their man-made religions. In fact, don’t be surprised if God hooks you up with someone you would have never been naturally inclined to connect with. That’s Him!
~ Pastor Gary Caudill