Jesus Creed

Jesus Creed

Acts and Mission 40

posted by Scot McKnight | 11:57am Thursday October 8, 2009

ApPeter.jpgPeter’s gospel, inspired as it was by God’s revelation that all humans are on the same plane, results in a Spirit-inspired response:

10:44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all those who heard the message. 10:45 The circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter were greatly astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, 10:46 for they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said,10:47 ”No one can withhold the water for these people to be baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?” 10:48 So he gave orders to have them baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay for several days.

The encounter with the work of God in the lives of those whom we have previously shunned or excluded is one of the most potent accusations of our own theologies. That’s what the Jewish believers experienced.
Cornelius and crowd got the Holy Spirit; they spoke in tongues. 
The Jewish believer said as a result of what they saw: “if they’ve got the Spirit, they should be baptized.”
Notice the order: Gentile believers receive Spirit; Jewish believers astonined; Peter speaks for the Jewish believers in urging baptism. 
Let us not minimize the significance of leaders in breaking boundaries.
I love how the text ends: OK Peter, if you think we’ve got the Spirit and are now part of God’s people, stay with a few days, eat with us and show to the world that Gentiles are part of the Church!


Leave a Comment ยป
Related Topics: Acts of the Apostles
beliefnet
  list archives most recent most popular  
beliefnet
Previous Posts

This blog is no longer active
This blog is no longer being actively updated. Please feel free to browse the archives or: Read our most popular inspiration blog See our most popular inspirational video Take our most popular quiz

posted 3:10:39pm Aug. 31, 2010 | read full post »

Our Common Prayerbook 30 - 3
Psalm 30 thanks God (vv. 1-3, 11-12) and exhorts others to thank God (vv. 4-5). Both emerge from the concrete reality of David's own experience. Here is what that experience looks like:Step one: David was set on high and was flourishing at the hand of God's bounty (v. 7a).Step two: David became too

posted 12:15:30pm Aug. 31, 2010 | read full post »

Theology After Darwin 1 (RJS)
One of the more important and more difficult pieces of the puzzle as we feel our way forward at the interface of science and faith is the theological implications of discoveries in modern science. A comment on my post Evolution in the Key of D: Deity or Deism noted: ...this reminds me of why I get a

posted 6:01:52am Aug. 31, 2010 | read full post »

Almost Christian 4
Who does well when it comes to passing on the faith to the youth? Studies show two groups do really well: conservative Protestants and Mormons; two groups that don't do well are mainline Protestants and Roman Catholics. Kenda Dean's new book is called Almost Christian: What the Faith of Ou

posted 12:01:53am Aug. 31, 2010 | read full post »

Let's Get Neanderthal!
The Cave Man Diet, or Paleo Diet, is getting attention. (Nothing is said about Culver's at all.) The big omission, I have to admit, is that those folks were hunters -- using spears or smacking some rabbit upside the conk or grabbing a fish or two with their hands ... but that's what makes this diet

posted 2:05:48pm Aug. 30, 2010 | read full post »

Advertisement
Comments read comments(2)
post a comment
Andrew Kenny

posted October 8, 2009 at 12:40 pm


In the 1970′s when the Charismatic movement was at its height in Northern Ireland, the act of Catholic Priests and Nuns being ‘baptized in the Spirit’ as well as speaking of tongues proved to be very significant for many mainline Protestant Christians (Presbyterian, Anglican and Methodist) to recognise that God was working within the Roman Catholic Church.
There were some however some who rejected this as being of the devil. Strangely, these included many Pentecostal churches and hard line evangelicals and fundamentalists who totally rejected Roman Catholic teaching.
This could be likened (from the Protestant perspective) to the Gentiles (Catholics) receiving the Spirit which was a hard thing for the Jews ( Prods ) to swallow.



report abuse
 

Elizabeth

posted October 9, 2009 at 10:57 am


You know, before I became a Christian everyone spoke in English to me of God’s word, but it was all tongues. I didn’t understand the plain words they used, they were talking to someone who didn’t understand the language. It wasn’t until I sought out the truth with faith that the Holy Spirit revealed the words so that I could understand. That is what this scripture means to me. Someone speaking plain English and I couldn’t understand their “tongue” until the Holy Spirit opened my eyes, ears, heart and mind.
There are people now in my church that speak words as if they are chanting and making strange sounds and I do not understand what they say, but what I see is joy for the Lord and good intentions, what I don’t understand coming from their mouth I see displayed in their excitement and happiness and I don’t see how that can be wrong or of the devil. :o )



report abuse
 

Post a Comment

By submitting these comments, I agree to the beliefnet.com terms of service, rules of conduct and privacy policy (the "agreements"). I understand and agree that any content I post is licensed to beliefnet.com and may be used by beliefnet.com in accordance with the agreements.

Share this story

Related Topics: Acts of the Apostles
beliefnet
  list archives most recent most popular  
beliefnet

About Beliefnet

Our mission is to help people like you find, and walk, a spiritual path that will bring comfort, hope, clarity, strength, and happiness. More about Beliefnet.

Help

Media Kit

Subscribe

Legal

Copyright © Beliefnet, Inc. and/or its licensors. All rights reserved. Use of this site is subject to Terms of Service and to our Privacy Policy. Constructed by Beliefnet.

Advertisement

Report as Inappropriate

You are reporting this content because it violates the Terms of Service.

All reported content is logged for investigation.