Absolute Essentials – IX

What I understand of Jesus and what he has revealed to me through his Spirit, his Word and his Church is that he calls me into relationship with him, with his people, and that out of those relationships I am called to serve him in the world. It is not about gimmicks and programs and lists. Faith at its core is all about relationship.

So for me, the question I pose to someone else is not, “Did they follow certain steps in getting to a faith in Jesus”, but do they at this time have a dynamic (which means living and growing) relationship with Jesus. They can’t have that relationship with Jesus unless they trust/believe in him. And if they have that relationship, then Jesus is working in their lives. He may or may not call on me to come alongside them and help them grow in their relationship with him, just as they would surely help me grow. At the minimum I am called to bear witness in word and deed to everyone I encounter that Jesus is the Christ.

I have met many people who had already encountered Jesus, but who could not articulate that encounter in words that are politically correct to other Believers. And yet their faith is more real than some of those who speak with the tongues of angels and yet lack that vibrancy of relationship that cannot merely be intellectualized or processed.

The book of Acts is a funny book, funny because it is used by all of us Restorationists of all stripes who want the Church to get back to its roots, its essentials, as we understand it. But at the same time, as much as it points to those essentials, the book refuses to be trimmed to fit our specific agendas, leaving this or that odd thing to hang out blowing in the wind and making us uncomfortable. (In this, Acts is no different from the Bible as a whole.)

I think of that time when Peter was at the Gentile Cornelius’ house. It was an awkward visit, what with all those forbidden foods and uncircumcised heathen around. And then on top of that, as Peter was explaining the Gospel to those who were gathered, the Holy Spirit came on them. Now Peter’s team knew this for sure because these people started speaking in tongues and that could only happen if it was of the Spirit. So Peter recognized that if they had the power of God, which was demonstrated by the tongues speaking, they were obviously now believers. He didn’t go through some silly exercise to make sure they did believe. He simply ordered that they be baptized in water as it was clear they were now Believers.

More often than not, the Holy Spirit doesn’t follow procedures as we understand them. Because they are not important other than as a guide to us. I ask you, if the Holy Spirit doesn’t think them that important, then why do we? Did the Holy Spirit make a mistake or get ahead of Himself?

The important thing at that moment was that these people had had a revelation of Jesus as the Christ and so the Holy Spirit proceeded to make sure the Circumcised believers understood that uncircumcised, pork-eating Gentiles could believe in Jesus without being circumcised, giving up pork, praying the sinner’s prayer or even being baptized in water. In fact, they didn’t even wait for Peter to finish or give an invitation or for the organ to start playing.

What also strikes me about this story is that Peter was simply bearing witness of who Jesus is. Take a look at what we have of Peter’s speech. It is a very simple, very straightforward declaration of who Jesus is and what he has done. Cornelius, a Roman Centurion, was not totally ignorant of the stories about Jesus and he certainly was somewhat familiar with the Jewish faith, being what the Jews called a God-fearing Gentile. So maybe what Peter said would have been different in another context, as Paul’s message was on the day he spoke in Athens. It helps to understand your audience and where they are coming from.

But the point is that Peter got right to the point. It was about Jesus. Not lifestyle. Not creeds or doctrines. Certainly not procedures. As Peter spoke, the people believed in the One of whom he was speaking and the rest took care of itself. Procedures can be helpful for those who are insecure. But they never dictate to God how He should operate in a given situation.