The Value of Publicly Sharing Our Experience
Having been born in Boston and growing up in Brookline less than three miles from the Boston Marathon finish line, the events of last week were very difficult for me. My connection to Boston is very strong. In the wake of the tragedy that happened at the conclusion of the Marathon and in the days that followed, what role did sharing your feelings about the experience with others play for you? Jill and I found ourselves following what happened and talking about it frequently. I also checked in with friends in the Boston area who have run the marathon. Did you find yourself talking with other people about what happened and how you felt?
April 28, 2013
Acts 11:1-18, The Value of Publicly Sharing Our Experience
Doug Scalise, Brewster Baptist Church
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Most of us tend to share with others about powerful experiences we have, or witness, and that’s what Peter does in Acts 11. Peter was instrumental in the gift of salvation, repentance, and the Holy Spirit being given to non-Jews. This is a hugely significant event that was crucial for the Way of Jesus expanding beyond the Jewish people in Judea and Palestine to Gentiles (non-Jews) in the wider world. When Peter returns to Jerusalem he shares with others the amazing, wonderful news that Gentiles had accepted God’s word and what happened and what he witnessed. Some folks were not happy with Peter going to the house of a Roman centurion like Cornelius, who was, at the least unclean, and at the worst their enemy. Listen to Acts 11:1-18,
“Now the apostles and the believers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him, 3 saying, “Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?” 4 Then Peter began to explain it to them, step by step, saying, 5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. There was something like a large sheet coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four corners; and it came close to me. 6 As I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air. 7 I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’ 8 But I replied, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9 But a second time the voice answered from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call profane.’ 10 This happened three times; then everything was pulled up again to heaven. 11 At that very moment three men, sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were. 12 The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. 13 He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon, who is called Peter; 14 he will give you a message by which you and your entire household will be saved.’ 15 And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning. 16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?” 18 When they heard this, they were silenced. And they praised God, saying, “Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.”
On Easter Sunday I spoke about the importance of remembering and believing the word of the Lord. This is reflected in Peter’s experience in Acts 11. Remembering the word of the Lord (verse 16) enabled him to get over his previously held beliefs and beyond his preconceptions to see and participate in the new thing God was doing. Having had to be dragged into God’s future by the Holy Spirit, Peter was patient with those who were critical of his eating and talking with people who weren’t Jewish so he shared his experience with the Holy Spirit and Cornelius “step by step.”
In the Book of Acts, the Cornelius episode and its effects are the focus for all of chapter 10 and most of chapter 11. The important point is that God is accepting Gentiles without the requirement that they participate in Judaism. Each time the acceptance of Gentiles is told a different aspect shines through, depending on the audience and particular situation. The one constant in each telling is the focus on God’s initiative through the Spirit. We can see in the telling of Gentile acceptance that the newness that results from the work of the Spirit has several sides and it comes slowly in stages. In Acts 10, Peter first experiences a vision from God that overturns the categories of clean and unclean that he had been taught from the scriptures and had shaped his existence since he was a child (Acts 10:1-23). The idea that things that are in the scriptures can be rendered moot by the Spirit of God is jarring to Peter and to us, yet even the most cherished traditions are not immune from the newness that results from the resurrection of Jesus and the coming of the Holy Spirit. So Peter does what the Spirit tells him to do and goes to the home of Cornelius and tells the household about Jesus. Not only is Peter’s perspective changed and he sees things differently, but the Gentiles’ relationship to God is changed as they believe and receive salvation because Peter spoke with them.
Today’s scripture from Acts 11 is the third time the story of Peter and Cornelius is told. The situation centers around those in Jerusalem, the perceived seat of authority of the early church. When Peter comes to Jerusalem, they don’t ask about what God is doing. They question Peter’s actions: “So you ate a meal with Gentiles, hmmm?” The indictment is clear. They were concerned with making sure that Peter was acting as a proper Jew, maintaining his identity as one of God’s holy people.
The situation is almost as humorous as it is tragic. As we hear the story, the concern of those in Jerusalem seems to wildly miss the point. The Holy Spirit had just broken down long-held, unchallenged ethnically and socially based evaluations of humanity (Jews and Gentiles have nothing to do with each other), and the “leaders” in Jerusalem are worried that Peter ate in the home of a Gentile. This story puts us in a position to recognize that the change does not always begin from the perceived top; in fact, more often it doesn’t because those at the top usually have more to gain from things remaining the same. The perceived authorities have to play catch-up with the work of God’s Spirit. H.A. Dorfman wrote, “We are hindered not so much by what we don’t know, but by what we believe to be true that is actually not true. So original ideas are sometimes less important than the re-examination of long-held ideas.” When we fail to learn, we’ve learned to fail this is true in sports, in life, and in our faith. Peter and all the believers need to re-examine some of their long-held ideas.
Peter’s response is more pastoral than argumentative. There are no fancy theologically-loaded words. He doesn’t argue Scripture with them. He doesn’t argue with their underlying beliefs. Verse four says that Peter “explained…step by step” his experience of God’s work among the Gentiles. Peter appeals to his experience of God and of the Gentiles’ reception of the Spirit. He basically says, “Let me tell you a story…”
In Acts the public sharing of personal experiences of God is a vital part of the ongoing sharing of the good news. Peter’s experience would be of limited value unless he shared it with other people. God’s work advances and more lives are touched when we, like Peter, witness to what God is doing in our lives. The church of Jesus Christ exists because believers tell others what we are experiencing in our lives as followers of Jesus living in the power of the Spirit. Both the previous scene in Acts 10 and Peter’s present speech mention “acceptance.” In Acts 10 God “accepts” all who fear God and do what is right”; in Acts 11 the Gentiles’ “accept” the word of God. The same Greek root is used in both instances. The point of today’s passage is to show the leaders’ acceptance of God’s new work as well. Both the Gentiles’ acceptance and the Jerusalem leaders’ acceptance of God’s initiative lie at the center of this scripture. But the acceptance means something slightly different for both groups. The Gentiles accept God’s Word which results in their participation in the community of salvation. The leaders also accept this message, but their acceptance comes through accepting the Gentiles as fellow believers.
It is a Gift.
Peter emphasizes that what both the Gentiles and the Jewish believers receive and have in common is a gift from God. We’re also to remember that we’ve been the beneficiaries of a gift. Jews, Gentiles, we ourselves have all received the gift of the Holy Spirit; the gift of repentance that leads to life; the gift of salvation. We haven’t done anything to merit, earn, or deserve any of them. We need to humbly remember this fact. The emphasis is always on God’s initiative as the gift-giver.
Peter publicly shares his personal experience and his experience of others’ faith also. Sharing experience in this case transforms still more people and results in everyone glorifying God (11:18). Sharing our stories and experiences can be very powerful and life changing. Part of why we grieve when a life is lost or someone dies is because a unique story has ended. We grieve more when that life was ended too soon or unexpectedly.
It was incredible to see in the news a few days ago that a piece of landing gear perhaps belonging to one of the airplanes that was flown into the Twin Towers was discovered in a tiny alley just this week about a quarter of a mile away, almost 12 years after the attack. Perhaps you saw on 60 Minutes last Sunday night the story about the 9/11 museum in New York City and how it will share about each person who died and tell their story. It is a way of publicly sharing their lives so they’re not forgotten. Sharing our experience and our story is critically important to who we are, for remembering, and for sharing our faith.
ABC International Ministries Global Consultant Dan Buttry shared the following reflections after the recent attack at the marathon. “All of us are grieved by the bombing in Boston, and we are praying for the victims, family and friends, and the entire city. I felt a special connection having lived in Boston for 9 years. The neighborhood of slain 8-year old Martin Richard is the neighborhood where I used to pastor and walked the streets with my own children. Some of my dearest friends are in the thick of this, and my heart is achingly with them.
As the reports come out about the bombers being from Chechnya, a part of Russia, and coming from a Muslim extremist ideology, what should we do as Christians? One of our mission partners at International Ministries has been the Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia—the Georgia that used to be part of the Soviet Union until 1991 when it became independent. Chechnya also wanted independence, and a terrible war raged between Chechen separatists and Russia, sending many Chechen refugees over the border into Georgia. Historically Chechens and Georgians have been bitter enemies, an enmity heightened by their religious difference as Muslims and Orthodox Christians respectively. When the refugees fled Russia during the brutal cold of winter, the Georgian Baptists responded specifically in response to the teaching of Jesus to love our enemies. They carried emergency supplies to the refugees and cared for them over a long period of time. Instead of enmity and fear, friendship and love grew between the Georgian Baptists and the Chechens. Baptist Bishop Malkhaz Songulashvili has told that remarkable story. Their actions can be a testimony and guide to us.
At a time of violence it is so easy for fear, suspicion, and even hatred to grow. As Christians called to be Christ’s ambassadors of reconciliation we must resist these rising spirits within us and ask God to fill us afresh with the Holy Spirit. The Bible tells us “do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12.21). If part of the shock wave of the Boston bombing is to stir up hatred in our hearts, then we have been overcome by the evil perpetrated on Patriot’s Day. But if we respond with courage, love, and compassion, especially to those who might be targeted in misguided fear and displaced anger, then we can be part of overcoming this evil with the good of Christ. We will also speed the healing from this awful assault.”
Change is seldom easy for us to accept or implement. God gave the Apostle Peter a vision that was aimed at bringing together Jewish and Gentile believers. Between them was a divide that seemed too great to bridge from a human point of view. However, the Holy Spirit can do what we cannot do in our own strength. Peter’s job was to communicate what he had seen with Cornelius in a manner that would rally the rest of the church behind this change. Verse 18 reflects he accomplished his mission. “And they praised God, saying, “Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.”
In every generation, God is still calling the church to be open to the Spirit, to go to others, even those we may perceive to be quite different from ourselves or even our enemies and to show the love of Christ and to share our stories of faith. We know what God did through Peter. Who knows what the Lord may do through you and me.
For Reflection or Discussion
The Value of Publicly Sharing our Experience Acts 11:1-18
In wake of the tragedy that happened in Boston at the conclusion of the Marathon and in the week that followed, what role did sharing your feelings about the experience with others play for you?
Did you find yourself talking with other people about what happened and how you felt?
We tend to share with others about powerful experiences we have and that is what Peter does in Acts 11. Peter has been instrumental in the gift of salvation, repentance, and the Holy Spirit being given to non-Jews.
Peter has the task of sharing his amazing experience with Cornelius, a Gentile, with the Jewish leaders from Jerusalem. For Peter and for those leaders, what has taken place requires remembering the word of the Lord (verse 16) in order to get over his previously held beliefs and beyond his preconceptions to see the new thing God was doing.
“We are hindered not so much by what we don’t know, but by what we believe to be true that is actually not true. So original ideas are sometimes less important than the re-examination of long-held ideas.”
H A Dorfman
The newness that results from the work of the Spirit has several sides and it comes slowly in stages.
In Acts the public sharing of personal experiences of God is a vital part of the ongoing proclamation of the good news.
In Acts 11, the advancement of God’s work comes through Peter’s witness to his experience. His experience would be of limited value unless he shared it with the rest of the community of faith.
Why is it important for us to share our experience of what God is doing with others?
How can we as individuals and as a congregation be instruments of the Spirit in reaching out to others and sharing with them God’s salvation, grace, peace, and comfort?