FEATURE ARTICLE

Sam AwedaTuesday, October 25, 2016
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Lagos, Nigeria

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PRIDE OF RELIGION

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oday I want us to examine a story we find in the book of the Acts of Apostles. It is about an army officer by the name Cornelius, working in the Roman Colonial government, which was overseeing Israel at a point in time.

The Jews saw Cornelius as a gentile, who they could not associate with, who they could not enter his house nor allow him to enter their house too, talk less of eating with him but God saw him as a devout man.

So today I want to speak on "Spiritual Arrogance, Spiritual pride"

May God help you today as you listen, to forgo your un-necessary religious arrogance and embrace the truth about God.

Let us pray.

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In the book of the Acts of Apostles chapter 10, there is a story of an army General. He was a Roman citizen, working in the Roman government, which colonized Israel at that point in time. He lived in a city called Caesarea. Being a Roman, he was a gentile as far as the Jews were concerned and did not belong to the household of God.

But God described him as "A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always"

Do you also see those who do not belong to your religion as gentiles and you will not associate with them or step into their house? You had better learn lesson from God and stop your unnecessary religious arrogant; you yourself, a peculiar sinner.

God confirmed Cornelius as a righteous man by sending an angel to him in a vision. The Bible recorded that Cornelius saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day (300pm) an angel of God coming in to him. The angel 4 said unto him "Thy prayers and your alms are come up for a memorial before God" Now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter, he will tell you what you need to do.

But Peter is a Jew and the law of his religion would not permit him to visit someone who is not a descendant of Abraham, otherwise known as Ibrahim.

So the vision contradicts tradition.

God knew that Peter was not going to answer the request of Cornelius, so He had to prepare his (Peter).

Again, the law of the religion of Peter did not allow him to eat certain animals, which were described as unclean.

So before the messengers of Cornelius reached Peter, God made him (Peter) to fall in a trance (vision).

Peter was hungry and in the vision, he saw heaven open, and a certain vessel descending upon him, as it had been a great sheet, knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth, having many of the animals, which his religion did not permit him to touch talk less of eat. Yet a voice said to him "Rise, Peter; kill, and eat"

14 Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean. But the voice spoke unto him, What God hath cleansed, do not call it unclean.

15 And the voice spoke unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.

16 This was done thrice: yet Peter refused and the vessel was received up again into heaven.

As Peter pondered over what could be the interpretation of the vision, the messengers from Cornelius arrived. Promptly, the interpretation of the vision became clear to him (Peter) and the following morning, he left for Caesarea to meet with Cornelius, the one he previously knew as a gentile.

Reaching the home of Cornelius, he (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. 29 So I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. Now tell me why you sent for me."

30 Cornelius replied, "Four days ago I was praying in my house about this same time, three o'clock in the afternoon. Suddenly, a man in dazzling clothes was standing in front of me. 31 He told me, 'Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your gifts to the poor have been noticed by God! 32 Now send messengers to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter. He is staying in the home of Simon, a tanner who lives near the seashore.' 33 So I sent for you at once, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here, waiting before God to hear the message the Lord has given you."

34 Then Peter replied, "I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. 35 In every nation, He accepts those who fear him and do what is right. 36 This is the message of Good News ----that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.

You may ask why the Jewish religion did not permit the Jews to associate with other tribes. It is because God did not want the minds of His chosen ones, the children of Abraham otherwise known as Ibrahim to be corrupted by idol worshippers. God did not want His chosen to be led astray by those who had allegiance to some lesser gods.

But this law in my own judgment should not forbid Christians and Moslems to associate because both the Christians and Moslems are descendants of Prophet Abraham by faith, we are both the people of the book; the people of the law. So it is a mistake for the Christians not to want to associate with the Moslems and it is equally a mistake for the Moslems to reject associating with Christians. We have the same father. Abraham is his name.

But the story even took a new turn with what happened in the house of Cornelius. Cornelius did not belong to the house hold of Abraham, yet God asked Peter to meet with him, indicating that everyone in every nation that fears God is a child of God.

Hear again the declaration of Peter "I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. 35 In every nation, he accepts those who fear him and do what is right. 36 This is the message of Good News that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.

Jesus said He had not come to destroy the Laws and the Prophets but to fulfill them (Matt. 5: 17). He said on many occasions that His blood had taken care of all, which the laws and the prophets stood to achieve. He had therefore bridged the gap between the children of Abraham and other races of the world. He had reconciled all people of the world to God with His blood and salvation is now by faith in Him who paid the penalty for our sins (2Cor.5:19-20).

Let us Pray.

Signing Out

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