We may have lost something in our circles of faith. To regain what was lost will reinvigorate the Church and expand our influence in a world that no longer wants to believe because there is no expression of God’s power in the message we preach.
When Peter was in Joppa; he saw a large sheet descend from Heaven. On the sheet were various unclean animals that Jews were forbidden to eat. When the sheet descended, Peter heard a voice, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.” After Peter objected, the voice spoke again, “Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.” This back-and-forth conversation took place three times. What was happening was the opening of the Gospel to the Gentile world.
Soon after this event, Peter went to the house of Cornelius, a gentile, and preached the Gospel. Then something powerful took place, “Even as Peter was saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the message. The Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles, too. For they heard them speaking in other tongues and praising God” (Acts 10: 44-46).
After this first group of Gentiles were saved, Peter was called to meet with the apostles in Jerusalem being called on the carpet for entering the home of a gentile and eating with them. Peter recalled the vision of the sheet and the move of God’s Spirit in the home of Cornelius. After the events of that day were shared with the apostles, they changed their minds and realized this was the work of God.
As other believers joined in this widening expression of God’s grace, “The power of the Lord was with them, and a large number of these Gentiles believed and turned to the Lord” (11:21). The Gospel was being presented with the same evidence of power that touched the original disciples. It was a repetition of the Day of Pentecost expressing God’s power and releasing manifestations of the Spirit, including the gift of tongues. in those being saved.
Barnabas went on a fact-finding mission to confirm what was happening with these new Gentile believers. When Barnabas arrived, he saw “evidence of God’s blessing” (vs. 23).
As I read these accounts from 2,000 years ago, I must ask, is that evidence still present in our churches? Even among those who declare a Pentecostal legacy, do we see this kind of miraculous expression happening when we preach the Gospel, either in the streets or in our meeting places?
While we need to pray for the hearts of people to soften to the Gospel, we should also pray for the power of God to confirm the message being preached and make room for it. If we get too tidy and limiting in our expression of faith, we will not expect the power of God to come– a power that confirms God is among us.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Garris Elkins
Featured Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
