Bryan Craddock - Genuine Church Change

I was thinking the other day about how much the Internet has changed the way we live. Our recent family vacation was almost entirely planned on the internet. We found and reserved hotels. We mapped out our trip. We purchased different items for our trip. We even printed out a listing of all the McDonald’s along our route that had playgrounds for our kids. After we got back, of course, we posted pictures of our trip online for our friends and family.

One of the things I like about shopping online is the ability to read reviews that other customers have written. Normally there are three or four reviews for a product or service, but a while back I came across a book on the Amazon.com website that had over 1,500 reviews. Half of the people gave the book a high rating, four or five stars. The other half gave the book a low one star rating. People either loved it or hated it. Apparently, a lot of corporations have had their employees read this book in preparation for some major change. The book is by Spencer Johnson and Kenneth Blanchard and it’s titled Who Moved My Cheese?

Who Moved My Cheese? is a parable. Two little people and two mice have to navigate a maze everyday to find their way to “the cheese”. They get used to it being in the same place, but one day the cheese is gone. What do they do?  The mice just go sniff out more cheese. For them, it’s simple. The little people deny the problem. Then they complain. Then they get angry. Then they’re sad. All the while they’re missing out on finding more cheese.

Some people find the story profound. Others think it’s insulting. Whether or not you’ve ever read the book, I think we can all agree that dealing with change is hard. We are all creatures of habit.

There is probably no place where change is more difficult than in the church and for good reason. We look at the church as our connection to the unchanging God, so Christians have always found it hard to know what should change and what shouldn’t. Up until about forty years ago priests in the Roman Catholic Church still spoke Latin in most parts of their worship services. This was a carryover from the days of the Roman Empire. Among Protestants it was only about thirty years ago that churches began to use modern English Bible translations. Prior to that most people used the King James Version translated back in 1610. Of course there are a lot more insignificant items that churches have struggled to change too—everything from paint and carpet, to music styles, to meeting times.

Today our study of the book of Acts takes us to a time when God brought the church through a time of radical change, far beyond anything you or I will encounter in our Christian lives. Nevertheless, there are powerful lessons for us to learn here. We gain a sense of what we should hold lightly and what must never change. But before we get to those lessons, we need to immerse ourselves in the story found in Acts 10 and 11.

THE STORY

Follow along with me as we read beginning in Acts 10:1.

1Now there was a man at Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian cohort, 2a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and gave many alms to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually.

Even though Cornelius was from Italy, a member of the Roman army keeping the Jewish people in line, he had somehow come to believe and follow the Old Testament. He hadn’t taken all the steps required to become a proselyte of Judaism, but he genuinely worshiped the God of the Bible.

3About the ninth hour of the day he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God who had just come in and said to him, "Cornelius!" 4And fixing his gaze on him and being much alarmed, he said, "What is it, Lord?" And he said to him, "Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God. 5"Now dispatch some men to Joppa and send for a man named Simon, who is also called Peter; 6he is staying with a tanner named Simon, whose house is by the sea." 7When the angel who was speaking to him had left, he summoned two of his servants and a devout soldier of those who were his personal attendants, 8and after he had explained everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.

The angel could have just spoken the message Cornelius needed to hear, but that wasn’t what God wanted. God specifically wanted Simon Peter to come interact with Cornelius.

9On the next day, as they were on their way and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. 10But he became hungry and was desiring to eat; but while they were making preparations, he fell into a trance; 11and he saw the sky opened up, and an object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground, 12and there were in it all kinds of four-footed animals and crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the air. 13A voice came to him, "Get up, Peter, kill and eat!" 14But Peter said, "By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean." 15Again a voice came to him a second time, "What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy." 16This happened three times, and immediately the object was taken up into the sky.

The Old Testament Law has much to say about what the Israelites could and couldn’t eat. Leviticus 11 contains a long list of unclean animals. We may tend to think that God gave them these rules for health reasons, but no one has been able to prove this. The real point behind these restrictions seemed to be that God wanted to distinguish the Israelites from the nations that lived in the land they were going to conquer.

This vision God gave to Peter revealed a radical change. God was saying that part of His Law no longer applied. It had expired. The challenge was that this part of the Law had become a major focus for Jews around this time. To understand why the Jews placed so much emphasis on these dietary laws, we need to understand some background. 

The Bible tells us that all of us are descended from Adam and then from Noah. At one point in history there were no national or ethnic divisions among people. But in Genesis 11, when the people alive at the time began to build the tower of Babel in an effort to show their independence from God, God chose to intervene. He didn’t destroy the human race as he had done during the flood, but he confused people’s languages and scattered them around the world creating different nations.

At that point God chose to work through one man and his descendants. That man was Abram, or later Abraham. God chose to bless Abraham with the ultimate goal that his blessing would spill over into the other nations of the world. Part of that blessing was that God gave Abraham’s descendants His Law. He grew them into a great nation while they were enslaved in Egypt, but then He rescued them and prepared them to go into Canaan, the land that God had promised to Abraham.

The Canaanites lived were wicked people and as part of God’s judgment upon them, the He commanded the Israelites to destroy them. The Israelites failed to do this, however. They compromised. They not only allowed the Canaanites to live, they repeatedly participated in their sinful practices. Finally, God judged the Israelites by taking them into exile away from the land.

When the Israelites came back to the land after the exile, they came back with a greater determination to avoid being entangled with Gentile nations. The people still struggled and failed, but during the time between the close of the Old Testament and the birth of Jesus, the Jews came under the rule of the Greeks and then the Romans. Most Jews developed a great hatred of the Gentiles, and these dietary rules became a symbol of that hatred. So when Peter was told to kill and eat, it went completely against the standards that were both a part of the Law and also a major part of his culture.

17Now while Peter was greatly perplexed in mind as to what the vision which he had seen might be, behold, the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having asked directions for Simon's house, appeared at the gate; 18and calling out, they were asking whether Simon, who was also called Peter, was staying there. 19While Peter was reflecting on the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Behold, three men are looking for you. 20"But get up, go downstairs and accompany them without misgivings, for I have sent them Myself." 21Peter went down to the men and said, "Behold, I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for which you have come?" 22They said, "Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and God-fearing man well spoken of by the entire nation of the Jews, was divinely directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and hear a message from you." 23So he invited them in and gave them lodging.

And on the next day he got up and went away with them, and some of the brethren from Joppa accompanied him.24On the following day he entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet and worshiped him. 26But Peter raised him up, saying, "Stand up; I too am just a man." 27As he talked with him, he entered and found many people assembled. 28And he said to them, "You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; and yet God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean. 29"That is why I came without even raising any objection when I was sent for. So I ask for what reason you have sent for me.”

Thankfully, Peter began to understand the point of his vision. It wasn’t just about food. It was about all of the animosity that Jews felt toward Gentiles. Most Jews wouldn’t have even entered the house of a Gentile like Cornelius.

30Cornelius said, "Four days ago to this hour, I was praying in my house during the ninth hour; and behold, a man stood before me in shining garments, 31and he said, 'Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. 32'Therefore send to Joppa and invite Simon, who is also called Peter, to come to you; he is staying at the house of Simon the tanner by the sea.' 33So I sent for you immediately, and you have been kind enough to come. Now then, we are all here present before God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.”

You really sense here the reverence of Cornelius. He genuinely desired to obey God.

34Opening his mouth, Peter said: "I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, 35but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him. 36The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all)--37you yourselves know the thing which took place throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed. 38You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. 39We are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross. 40God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He become visible, 41not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. 42And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead. 43Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”

Peter shares with Cornelius the same gospel he preached to the Jews. He speaks of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. He speaks of judgment and offers forgiveness of sin to everyone who believes in Jesus. Apparently, Cornelius and the other Gentiles believed Peter’s message.

44While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message. 45All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 46For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter answered, 47"Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?" 48And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days.

We have seen that everyone who believes in Jesus Christ receives the Holy Spirit. However, that event isn’t always accompanied by speaking in tongues. Speaking in tongues was a sign that symbolized God’s judgment upon Israel. Here it shows God’s grace to Gentiles that they would be incorporated into the church just like Jews without any distinction. Finally, after thousands of years the blessing of God spread beyond the Jewish nation. This was a major shift in how God was at work in the world, but not everyone understood what was happening as we find in Acts 11.

1Now the apostles and the brethren who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those who were circumcised took issue with him, 3saying, "You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them."

Here it is again. Their concern was that Peter ate with them. So Peter describes what happened in verses 4-14. Then Peter concludes,

15"And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning. 16And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' 17Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God's way?" 18When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, "Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life."

This was just the beginning. Thus far, Christianity had been centered in Jerusalem. It had really been in some ways a sect of Judaism. But that changes.

 19So then those who were scattered because of the persecution that occurred in connection with Stephen made their way to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews alone. 20But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks also, preaching the Lord Jesus. 21And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord. 22The news about them reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas off to Antioch. 23Then when he arrived and witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord; 24for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And considerable numbers were brought to the Lord. 25And he left for Tarsus to look for Saul; 26and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch And for an entire year they met with the church and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

Barnabas had been greatly used of God in Jerusalem. Now God moves him to Antioch up in what we now call Turkey. Antioch becomes the launch pad for the spread of Christianity around the world. In some ways Christianity as we know it is more tied to Antioch than it is to Jerusalem. It almost seems symbolic then, that the believers in Antioch begin to minister to those back in Judea and Jerusalem.

27Now at this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28One of them named Agabus stood up and began to indicate by the Spirit that there would certainly be a great famine all over the world. And this took place in the reign of Claudius. 29And in the proportion that any of the disciples had means, each of them determined to send a contribution for the relief of the brethren living in Judea. 30And this they did, sending it in charge of Barnabas and Saul to the elders.

APPLYING THE STORY TODAY

That is a long passage of Scripture, but I think it’s important to see the whole story together. The church experienced dramatic change, but it wasn’t easy. They continued to struggle with the implications of this change. Later on in Acts 15, we find out that some Jewish Christians still expected the Gentile Christians to follow the Old Testament Law. The church had to wrestle with that question to see that those stipulations no longer applied. Even though Peter led the way in this change, we find out in Galatians 2 that he later kept away from Gentiles and had to be rebuked by Paul for his hypocritical behavior.

What are the lasting principles from this story? As I said, there are some areas that we have to hold lightly. We need to be flexible, ready to change. There are three that I see in this story.

The first is our culture. There are all kinds of traditions and ideas that we associate with Christianity that aren’t commanded in Scripture. Like what?  I’m speaking of things like what we wear to church, when and how often the church meets, where the church meets, even what happens when the church gathers. So much of what we do is based upon tradition, and we cling to those traditions. Many Christians even fight over them.

But this goes beyond church. In our effort to resist the ungodly influences in our society, many Christians have essentially created a completely separate culture. We have our own schools, our own books, our own music and movies. When you add on top of that political views, you end up with a culture that isolates us from the people God has called us to reach.

We need to be flexible when it comes to these cultural traditions. Paul put it this way in 1 Corinthians 9:20-22, “To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some.”

Second, we should be willing to change in our relationships. We should be open to relating to people that we wouldn’t normally spend time with. Here’s Peter, a Jew, interacting with a Roman Centurion. They should have been enemies, but Peter set that history and prejudice aside. How open are you to people who aren’t like you – people who dress differently, talk differently, smell differently?  We should pursue people who are different than us.

Third, we should be willing to change our ministry. Barnabas is our example here. He was a central part of the Jerusalem church, but he was willing to leave it to go serve in Antioch. God used Barnabas to accomplish incredible things in Antioch. In many ways, Barnabas is the link between the Jerusalem church and the Gentile church. In the same way, God wants to stretch you to minister in greater ways than you ever have before, but that won’t happen if you are not willing to change and try new things.

On the other hand, we also see in this story three commitments that should never change. The first is in having an obedient attitude toward God. God challenged Peter’s culture and Peter submitted. I’m sure he felt strange being in a Gentile home, but he did it any way. Is there something that you don’t feel comfortable doing, but you know that according to the Scripture you should? God has to be more important to us than our traditions.

Second, our commitment to gospel truth should never change. There is constant pressure to water down the gospel and to leave out concepts like sin and judgment and repentance. We can’t give in to that. Even though our society takes offense at these ideas, we must still speak them boldly. In 1 Corinthians 1:22-23 Paul said, “For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness.”

Finally, our commitment to God’s mission should never change. We are called to have an outward focus, to always be looking for those who are open to becoming disciples of Jesus Christ.  If we isolate ourselves from the world around us and fail to pursue people, we are abandoning our God given mission.
Last weekend our family was driving down to Hillsdale, Michigan to attend my wife’s cousin’s college graduation. At one point driving through the countryside we came upon an Amish community. Men were plowing their fields with horses. We saw a family in their horse drawn buggy in their distinctive clothing. When most of us look at the Amish, that is all we see—the external expressions of a different culture. The original heart behind that was a desire to honor God by maintaining personal holiness, but most people are completely unaware of that motive. I wonder if our unchurched neighbors look at some of us in the same way.

Our commitment to obedience, the truth of the gospel, and the mission of proclaiming that gospel must never change, but to fulfill that mission other things must change.