Week #28 — TWO VISIONS
On February 21, 1972, Richard Nixon became the first U.S. president to visit communist China. During that trip, he met with Chairman Mao for just over an hour. Before this, and throughout his entire political career, Nixon was a steadfast, hard-line, outspoken anti-communist. Interestingly, this stance and reputation gave him unique credibility to make the trip and establish diplomatic ties. You see, if a leader with a more lenient stance on communism or Chinese interests had made the trip, everyone would assume the U.S. was cozying up to the comrades. But that could never have been said of Nixon, so it must be the right move. In the years afterward, any similar political development has been called a ‘Nixon-to-China’ moment (for a recent example, think Trump with Kim Jung Un).
In Acts 10:1-16, we see the groundwork for a Nixon-to-China moment that took place long before there was ever a Nixon who went to China. The Apostle Peter, the very Jewish leader of the early Christian church, receives a transformative vision from the Lord, prompting him to take the gospel to the Gentiles. And because the sovereign God is at work, this unfolds perfectly in God’s timing.
In Christ,
Pastor Ken
Week #28 — Questions
- Cornelius is described as devout, prayerful, generous, and God-fearing (v1-2), demonstrating that God works in the hearts of unbelievers long before they hear the gospel message. How should this truth encourage you when praying for or sharing the gospel with someone who seems far from Christ?
- Despite Cornelius’s sincerity and reverence for the God of the Jews, God sends the angel because he still needed to hear the gospel (v5-6). What does this teach us about the difference between being spiritually serious and being truly saved?
- Cornelius appears to have things under control, but is not yet a Christian and is actually far from God. Reflect on your own heart:
- Read John 14:6-9. When you think about non-Christians, which truly grieves you: their lack of faith in Christ or their unbelieving behaviors? Would things be better if they just acted more like Christians, and would that be ‘close enough’?
- How might this passage challenge us to examine whether our own faith rests fully on Christ or merely on religious activity?
- Peter’s vision occurs three times (v9-16). Why do you think God repeats this message to Peter, and what does this suggest about how God teaches and reshapes our understanding?
- Where in your life has God needed to repeat lessons or truths before they finally took hold? Why do you think that was the case?
- God prepares Peter to realize that salvation goes beyond the boundaries he believed in. What does this moment reveal about how the gospel can challenge deeply held assumptions, whether personal or cultural, and how does it challenge you?
- God is simultaneously preparing Cornelius, Peter, and the circumstances for this meeting. How does this passage strengthen your confidence that God is working behind the scenes in his perfect timing?
- Peter had to act on what God was showing him, even though he didn’t fully understand it yet. Is God prompting you to obey in a particular way today, even before everything makes complete sense?