No Distinction

In one paragraph

This message walked through Acts 10, the story of the Roman centurion Cornelius and the apostle Peter, and what it cost both of them to cross the cultural and religious boundaries between them. Pastor Mark used the text to show how God moved on both ends of that meeting before either man had taken a step, and he closed with a contemporary account of God working the same way among refugees near...

Read together

1. Acts 10 primary text of the sermon, the story of Cornelius and Peter
2. Acts 9 (end) Peter staying in Joppa with Simon the tanner after healing Tabitha, referenced as last week's passage
3. John 4 the Samaritan woman at the well, recalled as parallel to Peter's crossing of cultural boundaries
4. Acts 1 Jesus promises the disciples will be his witnesses to the ends of the earth
5. Acts 1:22 the requirement that Judas's replacement be a witness of Jesus's resurrection
6. Acts 2 after Pentecost, Peter declares we are all witnesses of the resurrection
7. Acts 3 Peter before the Sanhedrin declaring we are witnesses of the resurrection
8. Acts 5 we are witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Spirit
9. Acts 10:39 we apostles are witnesses of all Jesus did throughout Judea and Jerusalem
10. Joel God will pour out his spirit on all flesh, sons and daughters will prophesy, referenced in connection with Pentecost and the Gentiles receiving the Spirit
11. James do not hold faith in Jesus with an attitude of personal favoritism

Talk about it

1. Peter had built his whole life around dietary laws and religious boundaries, and when the voice from heaven told him to eat what he considered unclean, his first response was 'No, Lord.' What does it look like in your own life when you find yourself saying no to something God is asking you to do, and how do you work through that tension?
2. Pastor Mark pointed out that Cornelius was already responding to whatever light he had, fearing God, giving to the poor, praying regularly, before he ever heard the gospel. Have you ever seen someone in your own life who seemed to be leaning toward the light before they knew Jesus? What did that look like?
3. The story of Youssef and Miriam showed that the vision itself did not tell Miriam she was saved. It sent her to a person who could tell her about Jesus face to face. What does that say about the role ordinary believers are meant to play, and what has kept you from playing that role with someone you know?
4. Peter told the crowd gathered at Cornelius's house that God shows no favoritism, and then the text from James was brought in alongside that. Where do you think Christians today, or maybe you personally, are still making distinctions that God is not making?
5. Both Cornelius and the widow Miriam responded immediately when they received direction, gathering family and friends before the messenger even arrived. What is one thing you have sensed God nudging you toward where you have been slow to move, and what would immediate obedience look like this week?