Acts 10:21-29

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

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.” 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.

They arrived in Caesarea the following day. Cornelius was waiting for them and had called together his relatives and close friends. As Peter entered his home, Cornelius fell at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter pulled him up and said, “Stand up! I’m a human being just like you!” So they talked together and went inside, where many others were assembled.

Peter told them, “You know it is against our laws for a Jewish man to enter a Gentile home like this or to associate with you. But God has shown me that I should no longer think of anyone as impure or unclean. So I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. Now tell me why you sent for me.”
Acts 10:21-29

Dear God, I love Peter’s willingness to change his mind here. He has grown so much in his role as a leader. It reminds me of a concept I heard about yesterday for the first time that I hadn’t heard before: “power over” vs. “power with.” Peter was used to a “power over” model (we all are) that authorized the person with power over someone else to use it. All of the way up through Peter’s attack on the servant of the high priest and cutting off his ear in the garden and then denying Jesus, Peter only had a paradigm for exercising power over things.

But Jesus brought a new model: “Power with.” This, as I understand it from listening to the Voxology podcast yesterday is your power exercised in conjunction with and to benefit others. Jesus used the power to heal others, exorcise demons, and forgive sins. He taught a new way of using authority.

Bringing it back to this story, Peter is now a much humbler man even though he has more authority in the church, “The Way,” than he ever has. He is using “power with” to love go with Cornelius’s servants and take your Holy Spirit to them. He is humble. He is learning.

I struggled yesterday with whether or not to write a letter to the editor on a topic that concerned me, but I could not get comfortable with anything I was writing. Then I started to wonder what my motives were. Does the community need to hear my opinion on this issue? Is there a part of me that wants to throw my hat into the ring for my own self-aggrandizement? I still don’t know the answer to these questions, but I did feel like I should abandon it because I was not being called to do it.

Father, thank you for the example of Peter’s character arc. And I know that he isn’t done. He and Paul will have conflict and Paul will call him out for something he disagrees with later. And Peter will admit he’s wrong. So help me today to lead the organization where I work, but to lead with a “power with” and not a “power over.” Help me to lead how Jesus lead. Help me to love how Jesus loved. Teach me like you taught Peter. Use me to bless the world around me with your power so that your kingdom might come and you will might be done on this earth.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 

Acts 10:9-20

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.”

Acts 10:9-20

Dear God, it’s easy to make Cornelius the protagonist of this story, but I think it’s really the journey you have Peter on. But before I get into that, I had another thought about Cornelius yesterday while I continued to ponder this story: He got an angel visit! That’s amazing. This Yahweh-worshipping Gentile got an angel visit. Amazing! Jesus’s blood is truly for us all.

So the next part of the story is for Peter to evolve. Is there another way you could have gotten him to where you wanted him to be in terms of thinking of Gentiles as part of your kingdom? Maybe. But I think this one is the most powerful because it met him where he was and then took him where you wanted him to go. Was he “sinning” before his vision and then words from the Holy Spirit? No. But he was ignorant and blind. He didn’t know everything you know. He was learning. Working out his faith with fear and trembling. And this story starts from his perspective from the time he took to pray. He didn’t get this Holy Spirit communication from walking around and talking to people. He got it from setting aside time to get alone and pray to you.

Father, I am reminded of the movies line from Shadowlands when C.S. Lewis is quoted as saying, “I don’t pray because it changes God. I pray because it changes me.” I’m not trying to change you, Father, Jesus, or Holy Spirit. I’m not trying to align your will to mine. But I am trying to align my thinking to your thinking. I am trying to see the world the way you see the world. I am trying to love the way you love. And I am trying to come along side you and lend my heart and prayers to the work you are doing in the world, both for those I know and love and those I don’t know. So move through me. Love through me. And unleash your will on this earth. Use me however you wish to.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 

Acts 10:1-8

10 In Caesarea there lived a Roman army officer named Cornelius, who was a captain of the Italian Regiment. ² He was a devout, God-fearing man, as was everyone in his household. He gave generously to the poor and prayed regularly to God. ³ One afternoon about three o’clock, he had a vision in which he saw an angel of God coming toward him. “Cornelius!” the angel said.

⁴ Cornelius stared at him in terror. “What is it, sir?” he asked the angel.

And the angel replied, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have been received by God as an offering! ⁵ Now send some men to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter. ⁶ He is staying with Simon, a tanner who lives near the seashore.”

⁷ As soon as the angel was gone, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier, one of his personal attendants. ⁸ He told them what had happened and sent them off to Joppa.

Acts 10:1-8

Dear God, I want more of Cornelius’s backstory. What was his “testimony?” How did he become a combination a captain of the Italian Regiment of the Roman army and a devout, God-fearing man. What motivated him to give generously to the poor and pray to you regularly? How did that happen? Which Jewish people did he know who not only explained who you were to him, but also made it make sense and attractive? What was his life experience like such that it made him willing to accept you, worship you, and then start living out the fruits of the Spirit that come with discipleship? I need to remember to look him up on the other side of death so I can hear his full story.

Next, his “prayers and gifts to the poor have been received by God as an offering!” There is some deep theology here on this. I don’t want to get into spoilers and Peter’s thoughts on this later. I want to just sit in this statement for a while. There was some reality that allowed you to look at Cornelius and see who he was in you. You were able to hear his prayers. You were able to see his gifts to the poor and receive them as an offering.

Next, he sent to household servants, but also a “devout soldier.” I suppose he sent the soldier for the servants’ protection as they went on their journey. I’m sure no one would dare bother the servants with a solider traveling along with them, but this would certainly add some fear to whomever answer the door at the place Peter was staying. I don’t remember this part of the story for later, and I don’t want to read ahead again, but I wonder if there’s any indication that the soldier’s presence scared the person who answered the door.

This reminds me of The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis in the Chronicles of Narnia series. When the main characters get to the “New Narnia,” they find a Calormen soldier who errantly worshipped Tash instead of Aslan. When questioned as to how the soldier ended up in the New Narnia, Aslan explains that his good heart and works were credited to him righteousness. He basically said that Tash is all evil so there is no way someone can do good in Tash’s name. Aslan is all good, and there is no way someone can do evil in Aslan’s name. So when the soldier did all of the good he did, he was actually doing it as unto Aslan.

This isn’t an exact parallel because Cornelius at least knew he was worshipping the Jewish God. He just didn’t know about Jesus. But it feels like there is something to this idea that Jesus’s blood, sacrifice, and resurrection all combined to give us access to you.

Father, this is a reminder that the basics are simple: Love you with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and love our neighbors as ourselves. That’s basically what Cornelius was doing–even in ignorance of Jesus–and it was credited to him as righteousness. Cornelius wasn’t perfect. Cornelius was sinful. I guarantee it. But you loved Cornelius and appreciated his love for you and others. Help me to really love you well today and to love others as well.

I offer this prayer to you in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 

Luke 19:1-10

19 Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. ² There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. ³ He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. ⁴ So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way.

⁵ When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.”

⁶ Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. ⁷ But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled.

⁸ Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!”

⁹ Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. ¹⁰ For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”

Luke 19:1-10

Dear God, I almost deleted verses 6-9 because what I wanted to focus on what the connection between Jesus intentionally seeking Zacchaeus and his line at the end of this story: “For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.” This indicates that at the beginning of the story, Zacchaeus was definitely lost. He had gotten lost in selfishness and self-preservation. He was willing to be despised as long as it meant his life would be as comfortable and secure as possible. He didn’t care about others. In fact, he got his wealth by taking extra from others who needed it.

I had a woman come to my office this week looking for some help. I knew her as a donor, but I hadn’t made a connection in my head as to how large of a donor she is. As she told me her story, she shared with me how trying to help a loved one was draining her finances. And now she needs some expensive repairs done to her house. But still her real concern was how to effectively care for her loved one.

Later, I looked her up in our donor database and was surprised to see that all of her donations had been over $1,000 each year. She has seemingly been giving sacrificially all of this time. It was a reminder that people are trusting our nonprofit to be good stewards of their money.

So back to our story, Jesus noticed Zacchaeus in the tree, seemingly instantly knew who he was and what kind of man he was, and pursued him. He knew that Zacchaeus needed more than to just see him. Zacchaeus needed to know him. It is the knowing of Jesus that changes us.

This kind of feeds into the prayer I did yesterday from the video Fr. Mike Schmitz did on knowing Jesus. The question, “Do you know Jesus well enough to reject him?” is compelling. When Zacchaeus met and then got to know Jesus, it changed everything for him.

Father, help me to know you more and more. More and more, help me to know your entire Triune nature. Help me to then reflect all of you into this world and to those around me.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 

“Do you know Jesus well enough to reject Him?” Father Mike Schmitz

Dear God, I watched this video this morning, and I thought it was excellent. Yes, this is a Catholic priest, Father Mike Schmitz, speaking, and, yes, his messages is originally designed for a Catholic audience, but the foundation of the message is for anyone who has walked away from or intentionally kept themselves from Jesus. “Do you know Jesus well enough to reject Him?”

It reminds me of something I’ve heard Andy Stanley say more than once. When someone tells him that they have left the church, his question back to them is, “Who was it? Who was the person who offended you and drove you away? Because it probably wasn’t Jesus or God. It’s almost always a person who was not a good reflection of Jesus.”

In this case, Father Mike’s encouragement is pretty simple. Spend some time with Jesus for 30 minutes a day for a month. Read the red letters in the gospels. For Catholics who believe in the presence of the host, go to the tabernacle and spend 30 minutes praying to and reading about Jesus. Spend time in your presence. Get to know the real Jesus and not the poor imitations one might see in the people of the church.

I had a long text discussion with a close friend yesterday about our culture and its decline. He shared a Fox News story with me about how the pendulum has swung and two-thirds of the public is now in support of the right for women to have an abortion. I bring this up in this context, because it feels to me like so many on either side of the issue simply don’t know Jesus well enough. In my opinion, those who are pro-life don’t understand that Jesus never persuaded anyone through coercion, and those who are pro-choice don’t realize that Jesus really does care about each and every child throughout their entire life. But the more I personally spend time with you in these settings the more you slowly transform me into being more Jesus-like.

Oh, my Jesus. Oh, my Father. Oh, my Holy Spirit. Oh, my God! Help me to be a better reflection of you today. Help me to love to start by worshipping you well. Help me to then love everyone around me well, starting with my wife and children, but then moving to those around me who need help, those who are my friends, and those few who consider themselves my enemy. Help me to be a lover and generous to all of them. Do this for your glory. Do this so that your kingdom might come and your will might be done on earth as it is in heaven.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 

Colossians 1:24-29

²⁴ I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, the church. ²⁵ God has given me the responsibility of serving his church by proclaiming his entire message to you. ²⁶ This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to God’s people. ²⁷ For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.

²⁸ So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ. ²⁹ That’s why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s mighty power that works within me.

Colossians 1:24-29

Dear God, Christ lives in me. That’s the secret according to Paul in verse 27. Christ lives in me. Well, there are some days when I give him more space than others.

I lost a little bit of sleep last night. As I was in bed and had different things running around my head–the mother I talked with yesterday about her son and his addiction issues, issues at work, issues in the community, etc.–I found myself sometimes praying for people, sometimes complaining about them in my head, and sometimes just wishing I could go back to sleep. I was trying to make room for Jesus, but there was probably a lot of me in those thoughts and not as much Jesus. More judgment in me for others and the way they act, and not as much grace and trying to look behind the facade to see the pain.

Jesus, if you are to live in me then I am going to have to do better. Yes, you live there already. Your Holy Spirit is in me. The God of the universe is in there with me. But I am still more likely to judge others, get frustrated and lash out, or simply try to resolve issues myself instead of leaning into you. So help me Jesus. Help me, Holy Spirit. Help me, Father. Help me to completely submit to you and bring my being just a little closer to you. Oh, how I would love to be a little more Christlike today. I give myself over to you and ask that you help get me there.

I pray all of this in my savior Jesus, and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 

1 Peter 1:17-20

¹⁷ And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time here as “temporary residents.” ¹⁸ For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. ¹⁹ It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. ²⁰ God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days he has been revealed for your sake.

1 Peter 1:17-20

Dear God, verse 17 kind of reminds me of my prayer yesterday about hypocrisy. “[You] will judge or reward [us] according to what [we] do. So [we] must live in fear of [you] during [our] time here as ‘temporary residents.’” So I can’t just take this admonition by Peter to do good while I am here as a temporary resident, but I need to layer it with selfless earnestness.

But that’s not really what’s on my heart this morning. I had a long, sometimes hard conversation with a family member yesterday. I tried to show love, but I’m not sure I did. I tried to help them see the perspective of others, including myself, but I’m not sure I did. I tried to do some good, but I’m not sure I did. I can say without reservation I was honest and transparent. But I don’t know if any good will come of it or not.

Father, I guess my prayer this morning is that I will be as genuine as I can be in my love for you and the things that I do. Help me to be the man you need me to be in all situations. I pray that you will take any good that was done yesterday and use it to grow into something beautiful. And anything that was not good, I pray that you will throw it on the fire and let it burn like chaff. And as I go into four different important meetings today, help me to glorify you in all of it. Help me to decrease as you increase. Help me to be part of your will being done and your kingdom coming into earth as it is in heaven.

I pray this through Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 

“Hypocrite” Part 2

Dear God, I had a weird kind of thing happen yesterday that I think was orchestrated by you. First, someone “liked” one of my prayer journals from last summer called “Hypocrite.” I went back and read it because I had forgotten about it. It was a good reminder.

THEN, the Bible Project Podcast did an episode this week called “What did Hypocrite Mean to Jesus?” It blew my mind, and it made my prayer journal from last summer appear to be so ignorant and uneducated. It humbled me, but in a good way (maybe being humbled is always good). So what did they say that changed my mind? Well, they redefined hypocrite for me, and it changed my perspective on Jesus’s use of the word.

I looked up the definition of hypocrite on Merriam-Webster and found this:

1: a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion

2: a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings

Typically, we use the second definition, but the guys on Bible Project said the first one is what Jesus meant when he used it. It is not the “do as I say, not as I do” definition, but the definition where they hypocrite intentionally displays righteous acts for the honor that people will give them. They made several points, but a couple that stuck were:

• The person who does good deeds for the praise of people will get that reward, but not the reward from you, while the person who does the good deeds purely out of love and obedience for you will get the reward from you.
• Only you are able to judge the level of hypocrisy in me.

I said “level” there because there is always some level of wanting recognition from others in me. When I sit down and do these prayers on a public blog, I am here with you and not thinking about others. These are part of my worship. At the same time, I check the stats from time to time to see how many people view the site. I like affirmations when someone likes what I’ve written. I set this up to inspire people to spend their own time with you, journaling and praying. That motive is pure. But it does feed the hypocrite in me as well. But I would imagine this is a struggle that any author, preacher, singer, etc. has. And only you can judge my heart.

Father, help me to be completely here with you. Help me to point to you for all of the glory exhibited through my life. Help me to do more privately to worship you than I do publicly. And forgive me for my hypocrisy. I am sorry for my vanity and how it claims and craves glory for myself. Oh, and thank you for overlooking my ignorance. My prayer about Jesus and hypocrisy from last summer was seemingly fundamentally flawed. I am sorry for that as well. But I thank you for understanding my limitedness, my foolishness, and my true desire to just learn more and worship you.

I pray all of this through Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 

Romans 1:18-23

¹⁸ But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. ¹⁹ They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. ²⁰ For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

²¹ Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. ²² Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. ²³ And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.

Romans 1:18-23

Dear God, when I first read the Bible Gateway verse of the day today (Romans 1:20), I started singing “How Great Thou Art” in my head. “Oh, Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder consider all the worlds thy hands have made. I see the stars. I hear the rolling thunder. Thy power throughout the universe displayed. Then sings my soul, my savior, God, to thee, ‘How great thou art. How great thou art.'”

Here’s what scares me to death: verse 21. “And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused.” Yeah, that terrifies me. Do I do that? Do I remake you in my own image? Do I justify my own actions or the actions of others to fit my own desires or sense of justice, and denigrate how you see everything? To I claim to be wise and yet allow myself to evolve into a fool?

I talked with a man a couple of nights ago at a party about the idols we all set up to put our certainty in besides you. I do it too. My bank account. My marriage. My children. My job. The government. The economy. The church. Whatever it might be, it can be easy to let any one of those things slowly take over my heart and attention. I am sorry for that.

Father, I am here this morning to do my best to worship you and you alone. To strive for the purity you have for me that you know is best for me. To repent for the things I do that fail you and myself (and others). Oh, Father, forgive me. Forgive me for any part of me that tries to fit you into the box that is most comfortable for me. I am your servant. Guide me today.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 

Acts 4:1-4

4 While Peter and John were speaking to the people, they were confronted by the priests, the captain of the Temple guard, and some of the Sadducees. ² These leaders were very disturbed that Peter and John were teaching the people that through Jesus there is a resurrection of the dead. ³ They arrested them and, since it was already evening, put them in jail until morning. ⁴ But many of the people who heard their message believed it, so the number of men who believed now totaled about 5,000.

Acts 4:1-4

Dear God, this goes back to the winning and losing thing again. The Sadducees and priests felt like they were losing to “The Way,” so they imprisoned Peter and John. They needed to feel like they were getting control of this. Like they were winning. But what happened? More and more people believed. Maybe they made Peter and John more sympathetic figures and softened people’s hearts towards them. Either way, in the moment, Peter and John might have felt like they were losing and they weren’t. The leaders of the temple might have felt like they were taking back the momentum and power and starting to win, but they were only digging themselves a deeper hole.

Father, as I go into this day, help me to let go of the idea of winning and losing. Help me to simply not care. If it seems like I’m decreasing, my influence is waning, or things are going badly for me, help me to just sink into worshipping you more. On the other side, if I find myself getting praise, having influence, or things are going well for me, help me to deflect all glory to you and sink into the joy of worshipping you and loving you with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen