How Did We Get Here?

Even as Peter was saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the message. The Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles, too. For they heard them speaking in other tongues and praising God. Then Peter asked, “Can anyone object to their being baptized, now that they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?” So he gave orders for them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Afterward Cornelius asked him to stay with them for several days. [Acts 10.44-48]

In the first sentence of the passage above, what were "these things" Peter was saying when the Holy Spirit fell upon those listening (the household of Cornelius)?

Then Peter replied, “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right. This is the message of Good News for the people of Israel—that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. You know what happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee, after John began preaching his message of baptism. And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. “And we apostles are witnesses of all he did throughout Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a cross, but God raised him to life on the third day. Then God allowed him to appear, not to the general public, but to us whom God had chosen in advance to be his witnesses. We were those who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he ordered us to preach everywhere and to testify that Jesus is the one appointed by God to be the judge of all—the living and the dead. He is the one all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name.” [Acts 10.34-43]

If we look objectively (without religious predisposition) at what Peter was saying, we can see him making a distinction between himself (along with the others who walked with Jesus) and Cornelius's household. While Peter acknowledged that God shows no favoritism, he went on to point out that he and the apostles (not ...the general public) were ordered to preach everywhere and to testify that Jesus is the one appointed by God to be the judge of all—the living and the dead. Peter was undoubtedly basing this exclusivity upon the baptism of the Holy Spirit that he and the apostles had experienced along with those closest to Jesus earlier in Jerusalem.

We must remember that the Holy Spirit was witnessed resting (falling, descending) upon Jesus when John baptized Him. It was this empowerment of the Holy Spirit that enabled Jesus to teach, preach and perform miracles (Luke 4.18-19). It was this same Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost Who likewise empowered the apostles and those closest to Jesus then to teach, preach, and perform miracles. 

No doubt, as was seen in Acts chapter 6, the apostles were experiencing at least some sense of exclusivity (pride at its core) that they were the "authority" regarding all things "Jesus." Instead of feeding the Greek widows in the same Spirit of Jesus Who modeled servant leadership by washing their feet, they appointed servants (deacons) to do that work. Among those were Stephen and Philip, who both proved to be anomalies to their intended "feeding widows" and instead preached mightily with manifestations of the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit.

In the subject passage above, as much as Peter was holding onto his "authority" as an apostle while still preaching "Jesus," the Holy Spirit completely surprised Peter and filled the Gentile household of Cornelius without Peter even willing it! This does not make Peter's life and ministry ineffective, but simply shows the human nature of pride holding on. Exclusivity was seen even before Jesus went to the Cross when the disciples were all arguing over who would be the greatest in the Kingdom (Mark 9.33-34). In spite of Peter's and the other apostles' subtle albeit fallen disposition to seek "position," God just continued to use the message they preached to advance His Kingdom - Even as Peter was saying these things...! In fact, very much to Peter's credit, he embraced the Gentiles being filled with the Holy Spirit as the subject passage above reveals.

As a sidebar, it should be remembered that when Jesus died on the Cross and the veil of the Temple was torn top to bottom, it was a Roman soldier (not a Jew) who confessed, "surely this was the Son of God!" That veil not only represented separation of God's people (Israel) from entering God's presence, but all humanity as well. How God-like was it them for the Bible to record it was a Gentile Roman soldier who first confessed Jesus as Lord after that veil was torn!

It wasn't just Peter and the disciples who wrestled with exclusivity, but it was all Jews. BUT! In Jesus' own words:

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. [John 3.16]

Having said all this, there indeed remains an element of "exclusivity" about God's Kingdom. That exclusivity is defined clearly in the preceding statement by Jesus Christ. The distinction between those who benefit from God's love and those who do not is FAITH. Jesus did not say "everyone will not perish but have eternal life," but He said "everyone WHO BELIEVES will not perish but have eternal life."

John 3.16 puts every human: male or female, red, yellow, black or white, rich or poor, educated or uneducated, Jew or Gentile on a level playing field. Just like computers are based purely on a binary system of "0's" and "1's," God's Kingdom is based purely on people's condition of "not believing" or "believing."

Those who believe are given the Holy Spirit. This is the same Holy Spirit Jesus was given. The Holy Spirit's Modus Operandi is invariant among all in whom He dwells: 

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” [Luke 4.18-19]

Based on the teachings of Jesus and the early Church's record, it would seem Christianity today should re-focus on what is important: Each and every believer faithfully preaching Jesus and measuring their effectiveness of doing so by the manifest power and demonstration of the Holy Spirit. 

Suddenly, Jesus' haunting words become reality today before our very eyes:

“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it. [Matthew 7.13-14]

The pride Peter and the other disciples wrestled with is the same pride we wrestle with today: It lies to us. The hierarchy the apostles tried to hold to is no different than the hierarchy the modern Church holds onto. The difference however between the early Church and what "church" today has become is that Peter and the apostles realized the non-exclusive miraculous work of the Holy Spirit upon any and every believer (and promoted it) while today we are content to have "believers" among us with no manifestation of the Holy Spirit whatsoever (whether in "gifts" or "fruit") as long as they faithfully attend "church" under the authority of leaders who claim such authority but with only sporadic manifestations of miraculous and Biblical Holy Spirit power.

Christianity today glaringly ignores the powerfully miraculous standard established by the Holy Spirit in the early Church while contending that our repeated patterns of few or no converts, few or no indisputable miracles (without the aid of science), and little, if any, widespread repentance in the midst of the most blatant time of sin the earth has ever seen, makes us okay. What the early Church was then and what the modern Church is today have virtually nothing in common. And yet we think because we have a functioning hierarchy complete with all levels of those who lead and those who don't, that we are okay. Meanwhile, the Acts record of the Holy Spirit's work among the early Church is just a fantastic story the modern Church obliviously marvels at.

"How did we get here?"

It would seem our condition today is one the early Church indeed encountered, but at least initially, overcame. Peter and the apostles came to the point they had to acknowledge the Holy Spirit's undeniable work "outside" the realm of what they originally imagined (Gentiles being saved and filled with the powerful Holy Spirit). They came to this realization based on their knowledge of God's Word and their recognition of Its fulfillment before their very eyes - not only in Jesus Christ, but in the Holy Spirit. Even though we have the Bible record of these things, the modern Church insists that its own model and standards must be adhered to, even though they are woefully insufficient in comparison to the early Church.

The "elephant in the room" then is, how do we control what might result? And, therein lies the lie of Satan: we think the Holy Spirit is something we can and will control. To be fair however, we have good reason to want to control some of what goes on! People today have, under the alleged "influence of the Holy Spirit," barked like dogs, laughed like mindless madmen, claimed God told them to leave their spouse, and the list goes on and on and on of ideas the Bible never once mentioned or promoted.

So, more appropriate to understanding how we got here, perhaps we should more specifically ask, "How do we get out of here?" To be certain, this question can be answered with a simple answer: Do what the Bible says: repent and believe. We cannot control the Holy Spirit, but we can control our repentance and faith. The Holy Spirit however WILL NOT manifest in and through us until and unless we repent and believe. The damning and deceitful nature of pride prevents us from accurately concluding that the lack of the Holy Spirit (in all His power) is due to the lack of repentance and faith. In self-defense, pride goes immediately to work justifying the absence of the Holy Spirit and His miraculous power with all manner of explanations, excuses and spiritualization's that have no connection to genuine and therefore humble repentance and faith.

If the Church today is to see widespread outpouring of the Holy Spirit, it will ONLY be the result of widespread repentance and faith. Otherwise, we might see little outbursts here and there (like we have indeed seen), but the pride associated with the current individualized church structure will ultimately disallow what it deems outside of its control. Unlike Peter and the apostles, who ultimately concluded (by the Word of God) that the Holy Spirit's work was indeed the way to go, the modern Church is compelled (by its construct) to first establish control through hierarchal structure. The justification is always, "Someone has to be in charge."

Yes, there is need for someone to point out what the Bible says, however, the Bible is and should always be the final authority. The problem today lies in the psycho-socio-political approach too many religious organizations follow that only serves to "manage the crowd" with a buffet of options instead of "setting the standard" (that only few will find) of God's Word, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit as clearly depicted in the Bible.

I hope this inspires repentance and faith in all who read it. Time as we know it is soon to give way to eternity with the imminent return of Christ. We must be found repentant and faithful - not proud and noncompliant!

Father, we need You, I need You. Forgive me for all my pride and arrogance especially as it manifests in spiritual matters. May my only goal be to climb on my cross every day. May any leadership in me be found in humble service to others. May my written and spoken words be only those inspired by Your Holy Spirit and strictly Bible-based. May You find me a servant in repentance and faith. So be it.