Scripture Acts 10:1-46 & 11:1-25
Video for 3 sheets to the wind. (instead of the following text)
Three sheets to the wind means someone is very drunk and no longer in control.
Three sheets to the wind comes from sailing ships. The 'sheet' is the rope that controls the trim of a sail. A sail is said to be sheeted to the wind, when it is set to backfill (set to the opposite side of the ship from normal use).
A backfilled sail is normally a bad thing. But in a major storm when a ship is “hove to,” (at a stand still) t the sails are sheeted to the windward side of the ship (sheeted to the wind) causing the ship to sit sideways to the wind and waves to minimize the distance the ship is blown off course during a storm. The crew has no control of the ship.
As the storm gets stronger, more force is required to hold the ship in position and additional jib sails are sheeted to the wind to keep the ship balanced. A ship that has three jibs sheeted to the wind would be sitting sideways to the wind and waves in hurricane conditions, causing it roll wildly from side to side and in constant danger of rolling over with each wave.
Hence, a totally inebriated person is out of control and in danger of crashing, just like a ship three sheets to the wind.
Prayer
CHARACTERS
Cornelius (a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. He gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly)
Cornelius’s family (devout and God-fearing)
Angel of God
2 servants of Cornelius
1 devout soldier of Cornelius
Brothers from Joppa (circumcised believers)
Cornelius’s relatives and close friends (a large gathering of people)
The apostles and the brothers throughout Judea
Jewish Christians (those who had been scattered)
Greeks turning to Christ in Antioch (a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord)
Barnabas (a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith)
Saul (Barnabas took him from Tarsus to Antioch where followers of the way were first called Christians)
LOCATIONS
Caesarea (Cornelius’s house) 33 miles
Joppa (Simon the tanner’s house - the roof of his house)
Heaven opened
Jerusalem 30 miles
Antioch 300 miles
Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch
Tarsus
Acts 10:1-46 & 11:1-25
At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. 2 He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. 3 One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, "Cornelius!"
4 Cornelius stared at him in fear. "What is it, Lord?" he asked.
The angel answered, "Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. He is staying with Simon the tanner; whose house is by the sea."
7 When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants. 8 He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa.
9 About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12 It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air.
13 Then a voice told him, "Get up, Peter. Kill and eat."
14 "Surely not, Lord!" Peter replied. "I have never eaten anything impure or unclean."
15 The voice spoke to him a second time, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean."
16 This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.
17 While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon's house was and stopped at the gate. They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there. While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Simon, three men are looking for you. So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them." Peter went down and said to the men, "I'm the one you're looking for. Why have you come?" The men replied, "We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to have you come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say." Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests.
The next day Peter started out with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa went along. The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. But Peter made him get up. "Stand up," he said, "I am only a man myself."
27 Talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. He said to them: "You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?"
Cornelius answered: "Four days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me and said, 'Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor. Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, who lives by the sea.' So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us."
Acts 10:34-48
Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached—how God anointed Jesus 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 God was with him. We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, but God 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 God had already chosen — by 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 God 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."
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, "Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have." So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.
Acts 11:1-25
The apostles and the brothers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him and said, "You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them." Peter began and explained everything to them precisely as it had happened: 5 "I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was. I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds of the air. Then I heard a voice telling me, 'Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.' "I replied, 'Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.' "The voice spoke from heaven a second time, 'Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.' This happened three times, and then it was all pulled up to heaven again. "Right then three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea stopped at the house where I was staying. The Spirit told me to have no hesitation about going with them. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man's house. He told us how he had seen an angel appear in his house and say, 'Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He will bring you a message through which you and all your household will be saved.' 15 "As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. Then I remembered what the Lord had said: 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God?"
18 When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, "So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life."
Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews. Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. The Lord's hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.
22 News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord. Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.
NOTES:
One of the key mottos that emerged out of the Reformation was the phrase, “Reformed and reforming.” Meaning that the Christian Church was always meant to be undergoing Spirit-led, Scripturally based reformation, listening to the voice of God as we move forward in history.
Peter goes through an amazing reformation. Cornelius goes through and amazing reformation.
God says to Peter, “Do not call unclean that which I have made clean.”
These words are uncomfortable words because they are words of reformation. In this one statement, God tells the Apostle Peter that that which was once considered unclean, based on the word of God, is now clean.
Now, this passage is actually not about kosher food laws at all but about people, the unclean, unholy, unkosher peoples of the non-Jewish world. This vision was God’s call to include a people who were once excluded and considered unclean and unredeemable. Eph 2 - church unique
You see, this passage is one of reformation. It’s a passage that tells us that God is still speaking. That his Spirit is still moving, calling us to move past our outdated religious traditions and narrow beliefs into a greater more expansive vision of what Jesus called the “Kingdom of God.”
He healed the sick on the Sabbath, in direct violation of the word of God. He touched the unclean and unworthy and extended forgiveness to violators of God’s law. He overturned tables and spoke truth to the religious powers of his day, which ultimately cost him his life.
Jesus told us that when he left, he would send the Spirit to lead us forward into all truth. The implication, then, is that there is much truth left to be revealed. More tables to be overturned. More scripture understanding to be expanded. More traditions to be burst open.
We, as followers of Christ, are people of reformation. Always called to be listening for a fresh word from the Spirit, always being willing to break past our comfort zones and move in to the wild, uncharted territories that God is calling us to.
The Church Unique process we have been working on for two years is all about reformation. That is why we have been taking so long, we want to get it as right as we can. Why not completely right? No system, no reformation can be completely right because the world around us is ever changing, the make up of the church is ever changing - people come, people go, people come to faith, people die, teens become young adults, young adults get busy with work and family, older adults grow tired - the church is always changing, the world is always changing and any reformation needs to continually be reformed. Having said that, reformation does last for a season. In many respect we are still living in Luther’s reformation yet many things have changed since the beginning of the reformation 501 years ago.
For instance, the average person in the church never studied the bible on their own. The priests had the knowledge and they imparted it to the parishioners and you only got it during a service of the church. Then for about the past 500 years since the invention of the printing press, Sunday School, Small groups, devotion booklets and on and on we have opportunities to read and study God’s word for ourselves; and look at the changes in the past 30 years - knowing it or not nearly everyone carries a bible with them every minute of the day (phone) you don’t even have to read , you can hit play and listen to it in your car, while you exercise or go for a walk.
Ordained pastors have to go through rigorous education because the person in the pew can now read the bible for themselves and fact check what you say with Google and Wikipedia.
Jesus is calling me to be reformed, Jesus is calling you to be reformed and Jesus is calling us to be reformed. Rom 12:1-2 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Like a drunk, don’t become 3 sheets to the wind, like a sailing vessel caught in a storm don’t become 3 sheets to the wind, but like Peter listening to the Holy Spirit go ahead and become 3 sheets to the wind of God!
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