Hope In Him, The Strength of Difference

Pastor Mark
Oct 3
10 min read

Good Erev Shabbat to all! Welcome to this Week's Message as we delve into Transformational Relationships:

Let us imagine stepping back in time as we find ourselves in the dusty town of Caesareain in which there lived a man named Cornelius; he, a Roman centurion in the Italian Regiment who was the first among many Romans to find his heart and footing in the new faith. Cornelius is devout and love Elohim (G-d) greatly. He was a kind friend of those in need he and prayed to Elohim regularly. On this particular day midafternoon, at about three in the afternoon Cornelius had a vision.

Cornelius had distinctly seen an angel of Elohim before him and he inquired of the messenger; “… What is it, L-rd? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before G-d. And now send men to Joppa, and call or one Simon, whose surname is Peter: He lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side: he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do. And when the angel which spake unto Cornelius was departed, he called two of his household servants, and a devout soldier of them that waited on him continually; And when he had declared all these things unto them, he sent them to Joppa.” - {Book of Ma'asey/Acts 10:4-8}

Long about nooon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching Joppa, Peter ascended to the roof top to pray.“And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance, And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.

And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What G-d hath cleansed, that call not thou common. This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven. Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius had made enquiry for Simon's house, and stood before the gate, And called, and asked whether Simon, which was surnamed Peter, were lodged there. While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee.”…. – {Book of Ma'asey/Acts 1:10-19}

Shimon/Petros (Simon Peter) began to speak {paraphrasing}: 'I now realize how true it is that Elohim does not show favoritism, but rather He accepts from every nation, the one who fears to disobey Him and does all in righteousness. You know well the message Hashem (our L-rd) sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Yehoshua, Ha ‘ Moshiach (Joshua, The Anointed One), who is L-rd of all. You know well what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the preaching of Yochanan (John) in Baptism. you know well how Hashem has anointed Yehoshua of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how He went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because Hashem was with him.

“And we are witnesses of all things he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree. Him G-d raised up the third day, and shewed him openly; Not to all the people, but unto witnesses choose before G-d, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained by G-d to be the Judge of the quick and the dead. To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.” He preached before those in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, but G-d raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom G-d had already chosen.... us who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that He is the one whom G-d appointed as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about Him that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.” - {Book of Ma'asey/Acts 10:20-43)

As Shimon/Petros was yet voicing these words, Rauch Ha Chodesh (Holy Spirit) came upon all who were present in hearing the message. The circumcised (physically, not metaphorically) Faithful who had come with Shimon were astonished that the gift of Rqauch Ha Chodesh (Holy Spirit) had overcome and over whelmed even the Non-Believers. Shimon then commented; “Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.” {Acts 10:47-48}

Shimon then directed that they be baptized in the name of Yehoshua, Ha Moshiach. In the deep acceptance of our redemption dictates a clearer and deeper relationship Elohei Tzur Yishi (G-d, the rock of my salvation), and our reborn personage in Yehoshua positively impacts our relationship with Believers and to the Non-Believers alike.

One day in August (28) 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. had delivered one of the most inspiring speeches ever given on American soil. From the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., King preached about freedom for all men and denounced the chains of segregation and discrimination that crippled so many of our nation's citizens. His closing exhortation " … for all of G-d's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentile, Protestants and Catholics to join hands and sing the old Negro spiritual, Free at last! Free at last! Thank G-d almighty, we are free at Last," remains an ongoing struggle in the United States. As followers of Ha' Moshiach, we must accept and bring forth this challenge of Martin Luther King Jr. to the next level.

As Dr. King dreamed of a society where "children would not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character," we the faithful have been drawn to a higher calling which provides direction and improves our relationships with others. We are called to go beyond the content of character and to relate to individuals on the basis of Elohim's grace. within the great lessons to be learned from Peter's transformation from race relations to grace relations we discover several important principles that guide us in developing an abiding and mature faith.

This story illustrates the need for ongoing growth as faithful followers of Ha’ Moshiach. Shimon/Petros was blessed to spend three incredible years in Hashem's direct presence. Shimon received direct and pointed tutelage from the world's greatest teacher. He witnessed great miracles and even performed miracles under Hashem's loving and grace filled supervision. Shimon had walked on water, he held a "front row seat" during the glorious transfiguration of Yehoshua.

Even given that Shimon had the great gift of privilege, he had failed at times to grasp the significance of sharing in the gospel with the gentiles. Elohim in grace, brings to Shimon a series of visions and sends a special group of visitors to fuel Shimon'ss faith in the area of race relations. Much more than just a condemnation of prejudice, this message (sermon) highlights that sin is the end result of spiritual weakness and immaturity.

Shimon was prejudiced due to his lacking in spiritual understanding and discipline. Ill-taught doctrine and ungodly tradition, the foundations of deceit. Though we may struggle or perhaps ourselves in the area of people who differ greatly from ourselves, though we all have areas of challenge and struggle in our daily lives. As like Shimon, we shall find that our struggle too can be traced to a spiritual weakness. No matter if the struggle is financial, relational, or emotional, the root cause will almost always be a struggling spiritual issue.

Shimon would come to write in his final letter to the saints of Elohim (G-d) to crave the Word of Elohim as a newborn so that we would grow in the faith. The apostle Saul exhorted the saints to combat weak faith and, "Be strong in the L-rd." Through spiritual growth we develop the strength to confront and to destroy the strongholds that threaten our lives as individuals and as the church. Do we yet still grow spiritually? Elohim invites us to grow beyond the mortal shackles which limit your ability to experience His intended abundant life, adventurous calling, and most merciful grace. As we grow spiritually, Hashem will send us to go out faithfully. Take note verse 20 of chapter 10 says, "Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them.."

Elohim Avinu (Our Heavenly Father) has sent salvation and growth through Ben Elohim (the Son of G-d). Yehoshua dispatches the Faithful out of their comfort zones to places and circumstances that require us to express faith to accomplish Elohim sized tasks. As like Shimon, we face several obstacles which threaten to keep us in our secluded in our shell. Fear of failure, judgment or the unknown often keeps us in our shell. Apathy and coldness toward those who need the love of Yehoshua keeps us confined. The business of day to day life often blinds us to see that we are living in that shell. We may be moving around a lot, yet it is still within a shell and we are carrying that shell with us wherever we go.

The habits of self interest and what the Bible calls "vain tradition,"often prevents individuals in the bondage of fear from trying to new things to reach out to the lost for Ha’ Moshiach. Ill-taugh doctrine has also crippled the church in a great many respects. Of particular interest in this week's message is ill-doctrine of the gospel which the Gentiles. Yehoshua taught and demonstrated throughout His ministry, His kingdom included all people regardless of race, age, nationality, creed or gender. In our places of worwship, Clergy (myself included once upon a time) have often presented evangelistic priorities to the "average saint in the pew" in a manner which may create unfair and even unbiblical expectations, due to lack of clarity and common language.

A good example is teaching that the "soul-winner" must sow seed, water the seed, and harvest the seed by leading the lost in the "sinners' prayer." This is easily achieved in a brief, 10-15 minute meaningful encounter.

This kind of spontaneous "soul-winning" may happen, but it is not likely to be the norm or the illustration of sharing the New Testament paints for followers of Yehoshua. Yehoshua used the phrase "fishing for men," which indicates a disciplined process with appropriate training and resources; it also encompasses patience and an openly willing attitude of great humility. Could you imagine cleaning the nets, charting the tides and movement of fish, trimming the sails, preparing the boat, and catching fish in 15 minutes?

When the Saul (Paul) described his evangelistic ministry and his partners in the ministry, he said, "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but G-d gave the increase" - (Book of Qorinti'im I/1 Corinthians 3:6). Fear, apathy, busyness, and false teaching are just some of the chains which bind us from escaping our shells to advance the gospel and the ministry of Yehoshua. Where and to whom is Elohim calling you to go? We need to grow spiritually, go faithfully, and show mercy.

Without a clear understanding of the context in which this history occurs, it is difficult to appreciate why Shimon was reluctant to take the gospel to the gentiles. We see examples of the racial divide even in the contemporary conflict in the Middle East where Jews and the Palestinians live with ongoing hostility. Think of the hatred that exists in Bosnia between the Serbs, Muslims, and Croats. We find Shimon receiving a divine revelation to take the gospel to someone who is not only a different race, but someone (Cornelius) who represents the enemy of Israel.

Scripture tells us Shimon "entered the house" (v. 27) and declared that "G-d does not show favoritism"(v.34). In our sharing of the Holy Scriptures, we must undxcerstand it is far more than merely telling people how to live a life of faith; it also includes showing them where to go to find Ha’ Moshiach.

Shimon's willingness to enter the house was a major factor in the walls of prejudice being torn down to provide an opportunity of receptivity and openness for the gleeful receiving of the gospel. Shimon entered their world and boldly proclaimed the gospel. As Shimon stepped through Cornelius's door, he had to step over hundreds of years of hatred, false teaching, and cultural differences. He had to be willing to experience the criticism of the traditionalists, legalists, and racists.

Shimon had to walk away from the applause of men and in humility, he sought the approval of Elohim. This is a message of obedience more than a message of amazing compassion. As Shimon obeyed Elohim, mercy began to flow from his soul. We mistakenly think we must feel merciful before we obey, but the Bible reveals that obedience precedes emotional peace.

As we remain faithful, Elohim pours mercy and grace in and though our souls, enough so we may share. Do you know who needs mercy? Whites, blacks, Hispanics, Asians, the rich, the poor, chubby and skinny, young and old….the straight and gay, republican and democrat. For ALL men fall short of the grace of Elohim, and as such, Elohim's graceful mercy belongs to us all. Yehoshua said, "G-d so loved the world …" Are you willing to escape your shell to grow, to meet the the task set before you and to share Lamp of Hope? We never know who will respond or whose life may greatly change for the better in our sharing of the Gospels. It might change our life through the change of others as well. I know it can change someone else's heart, life and soul forever!