Just When I - Acts 10: 9-23

Welcome to the Eat This Bread Drink This Cup podcast. The communion meditation today is based on a passage of Scripture from the New Testament, Acts 10: 9-23. In this passage of Scripture, God reveals to the Apostle Peter that the good news of the gospel is intended for both Jews and Gentiles. As a consequence, the Apostle Peter's life was forever changed by this revelation from God. We, too, were unexpectedly uprooted from our status quo and our lives forever changed by our encounter with Jesus. In the breaking of bread and drinking from the cup, we pause to remember Jesus and His love for us. All Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation (NLT) and are used with permission

As you listen to the episode today, my hope is that you will be encouraged from the time spent meditating on what Jesus has done for you. You are a special person; the one Jesus died to save!

Transcript

Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup. The title of my communion meditation today is "Just When I…" I read from Acts 10: 9-23. All quotations are from the New Living Translation (NLT) and are used with permission.

9 The next day as Cornelius’s messengers were nearing the town, Peter went up on the flat roof to pray. It was about noon, 10 and he was hungry. But while a meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw the sky open, and something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners. 12 In the sheet were all sorts of animals, reptiles, and birds. 13 Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.”

14 “No, Lord,” Peter declared. “I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure and unclean.”

15 But the voice spoke again: “Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.” 16 The same vision was repeated three times. Then the sheet was suddenly pulled up to heaven.

17 Peter was very perplexed. What could the vision mean? Just then the men sent by Cornelius found Simon’s house. Standing outside the gate, 18 they asked if a man named Simon Peter was staying there.

19 Meanwhile, as Peter was puzzling over the vision, the Holy Spirit said to him, “Three men have come looking for you. 20 Get up, go downstairs, and go with them without hesitation. Don’t worry, for I have sent them.”

21 So Peter went down and said, “I’m the man you are looking for. Why have you come?”

22 They said, “We were sent by Cornelius, a Roman officer. He is a devout and God-fearing man, well respected by all the Jews. A holy angel instructed him to summon you to his house so that he can hear your message.” 23 So Peter invited the men to stay for the night. The next day he went with them, accompanied by some of the brothers from Joppa.

Beginning with Acts 9:32, we read that the Apostle Peter is on a walkabout; he is traveling from place to place, performing miracles and preaching the gospel, and eventually ends up in Joppa with Simon the tanner. It is there he experiences a trance that rocks his core beliefs. In Peter's own words (Acts 10:28), "You know it is against our laws for a Jewish man to enter a Gentile home like this or to associate with you. But [my italics] God has shown me that I should no longer think of anyone as impure or unclean." I can hear the Apostle Peter say, "Just when I thought I understood God's plans, then He instructs me to use the "keys of the kingdom" to unlock the good news to the Gentiles, meaning everyone else on Earth! In the moment, I doubt Cornelius and his household recognized the profound significance of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Afterwards, he might have said to friends one day, "Just when I thought I was living my best life, I was baptized by the Holy Spirit, and everything changed for me." This event was not only life-changing for him but for we fellow Gentiles as well. I can hear us telling our story, "We were just living our lives, chasing our hopes and dreams, until one day we met Jesus, then everything changed! In this changed life in which we now live, not every moment is a spiritual high; nevertheless, this moment should be! Now is the time we remember that the Son of God suffered and died on the cross for us. Despite the challenges posed by this life, we remember that Jesus loves us; we are the ones that Jesus died to save! Blessed be our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Savior of the world. Let us pray.

Abba, Father. Today we bless and set aside this bread and the fruit of the vine in this cup to remember Your Son, Jesus. We know that the bread represents His body that was nailed to the cross, and the fruit of the vine represents His blood that He shed for us. As we pour out the wine from the cup, we are reminded of how Jesus poured out His own blood that our sins might be forgiven. Abba, Father, as we assemble today, we experience anew the profound love of Your Son, Jesus Christ, as we remember His suffering and death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead. What a difference He has made in our lives today as well as our future! We love You, and thank-you for everything. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Today, Jesus invites you to partake of His supper. I read from Matthew 26: 26-28 (NLT).

26 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” Let us partake of the bread.

27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many." Let us partake of the cup.

And the assembly of believers said, "Amen!"

Until next time, from Numbers 6: 24-26, "May the LORD bless you and protect you. May the LORD smile on you and be gracious to you. May the LORD show you his favor and give you his peace."

Artist's Note: If you have questions about the Lord's Supper, I invite you to visit my website, https://eatthisbreaddrinkthiscup.com, for a brief overview. The Eat This Bread Drink This Cup podcast is listed in most podcast directories, and I invite you to add my podcast to your favorites and be notified of new posts. There is a written transcript that accompanies each podcast, and you are free to use the transcript in accordance with US copyright law. My prayer is that you will benefit personally from this time with Jesus and encourage others to observe the Lord's Supper. In these trying times, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus!