Gleaning from the Past (4)

“I will build my church,” this was what the Master said before He was crucified, buried, resurrected, and ascended to the Father’s side in victory. How the Master intended to achieve this feat was not clear to the disciples although they had heard glimpses about it. For the Master, He knew how it was going to be done. When He said “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth,” the disciples might have been confused. First, they were only 11 people. Second, none of them had a jet to fly them from Jerusalem to the US or Nigeria, or any part of the world. How could they “send the message to the ends of the earth with this scarce number and resources?” They might have quizzed! However, the One who died for the church and shed His blood for her knew the how.

 The Holy Spirit was/is the agent whom the Master tasked to see to it that His message gets to the ends of the world. He was all that the church needed. The Holy Spirit is superior to multitudes of people. If you have Him, you have all the money in the world. The Lord did not tell His disciples to wait until they receive enough money. Neither did He say to them that they should wait until their number increase to about a thousand. The eleven people were enough because the Holy Spirit knows how to multiply such a few numbers. On Pentecost alone, He added about three thousand to the 11. After the gospel had penetrated the walls of Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria through the agency of the Holy Spirit, the gospel was carried to the Gentiles at the ends of the earth. God sent Peter the apostle to a Gentile’s house. This was a dramatic but also, memorable one for the Apostle.

From infancy, Peter was taught that Gentiles were unclean. Gentiles were uncircumcised, due to that, they were not fit in God’s sight. He had kept his distance from Gentiles, and if he had a contact with a Gentile, the person might be a proselyte or Godfearer. All of a sudden, Peter was sent into a Gentile’s house. The surprising thing is the vision Peter had when he was on his way to Cornelius’ house. Although Peter did not understand the vision at first, after his encounter with Cornelius, I believe he might have understood it. This is the vision. “He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat” (Acts 10:11-13NIV).

When Peter heard this, he refused to eat. He was a Jew and doctrines about food had been taught to him even from his infancy. It was inculcated in Him. He knew the laws, but he did not know why they were given. So, even when the Law Giver had told him to eat from what had been presented to him, Peter refused. “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean” (Acts 10:14NIV). What the Lord has reconciled, Peter was trying to separate again. One of the reasons for these food restrictions was to show how Gentiles were considered unclean and will defile the Israelites. The Israelites should therefore not mingle with them. When Christ died and rose again, the dividing wall of partition was torn asunder. There is therefore no Jew nor Gentile. All are now acceptable before the Holy One.

When Peter refused to eat, the Lord said to him “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean” (Acts 10:15NIV). Peter was trying to tear asunder what the Lord has weaved together. The death and blood have removed barriers. Unknowingly, Peter was trying to hold unto the dividing wall about clean and unclean. God has made everything clean because of the shed blood, but Peter did not know the extent and the full price of Christ’s blood. The dividing wall or the wall of partition had already fallen, but Peter was trying to rebuild it unknowingly. This was why the Lord told him not to call anything impure which He has made clean. It was a picture of the Gentile’s life. God has made the unclean clean. He wanted this to be inculcated into Peter’s conscience. Peter’s encounter with Cornelius opened his mind to these things clearly. This was how the gospel reached the gentile world.

Even in our world today, sometimes, that is how we behave. We talk and walk sanctimoniously. We have become judges. Many are “holier than thou” people. To them, they are the only people who are clean and deserving of God’s mercy, grace, and salvation. Most often, they do not even know that that is how they behave and talk. They easily condemn those who are weak and vulnerable. They talk about grace, but they have little of it in their lives. We should never forget that God has removed the wall of partition, brothers, and sisters. We live in a dangerous time where many people with their strange doctrines are holding on to the wall that has been broken. Let us be careful therefore how we live. We should not put any hindrances in people’s way. Let’s know that whether male, female, child, old man or an infant, all have been accepted in God’s sight. Language should not be a barrier. Tribe should not be a barrier. Gender should not be a barrier. The wall of partition has fallen. Next time, when we meet, we will consider how God used an unexpected man in reaching the Gentiles. Soli Deo Gloria

Michael Yaw Tano

tanomichael65@gmail.com

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