The Great Debate (Acts 10)

In today’s reading (Acts 10) God gives Peter a vision, showing him it’s okay to eat all kinds of animals. Peter’s response to God’s vision for him? “Surely not, Lord!” God’s response is to tell Peter again … and again … and again.

Later, Peter seems shocked, while he is talking to Cornelius, that God isn’t against the non-Jews, though Jesus had made this quite obvious to him. And I’m convinced that the reason God has Cornelius and his non-Jewish friends start speaking in unlearned languages is because Peter still wasn’t going to let them get baptized, so He had to do something to convince Peter.

It’s pretty sad that Peter didn’t obey the vision God gave him the first time, but instead forced God into this great debate. And I wonder if there’s anything God is trying to show me, or you, that we should have obeyed the first time, but we’ve turned it into a debate with God? Moving to Vegas to start this church was like that for me. I said, “Surely not, Lord!” to the vision God gave me, and so He had to tell me again … and again … and again.

What about you? Is there a vision God’s given you, but you’re forcing Him to tell you again … and again … and again? Maybe it’s time to stop “Surely not, Lord!” and just obey?