“Cooperate With God Or Stand In His Way”

Last week in our sermon series on the book of Acts, we saw that the Apostle Peter faced an important decision. This decision would have far-reaching consequences not only for himself but for generations to come. Peter had to make a conscious decision to cooperate with God or to stand in God’s way.

This may seem strange to think about, but from time to time all of us are faced with the choice of either cooperating with God or standing in God’s way. And the choice we make not only affects us, but it also affects people all around us. The people we love and the people we haven’t even met are all affected by whether we chose to cooperate with God or stand in His way.

God called Peter in Acts 10 to go to the home of a Gentile named Cornelius and tell him about Jesus. At that time, the religious leaders of the Jews had made it illegal for a Jew to enter the home of Gentiles and eat with them. But God was about to pour out His Holy Spirit on Gentile followers of Jesus, just as He had done for the Jewish followers of Jesus in Acts chapter 2, on the Day of Pentecost. Peter had to choose between cooperating with God or standing in God’s way.

Peter chose to cooperate with God. However, when the Jewish followers heard what he had done, they criticized him and said:

“You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.” (Acts 11:3)

Peter explained that God had told him in a vision:

“Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” (Acts 11:9) 

Peter then explained:

“As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ So if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?” (Acts 11:15-17)

We all have a choice to make. We can stand in the way of what God is doing or we can cooperate with God. It all begins with seeking out what God is doing and then joining Him in that work.

It’s not always easy to see where God is at work. Peter and the other Jewish followers of Jesus had to look beyond the traditions and stereotypes associated with Jewish-Gentile relations in order to see what God was doing with the Gentiles. Sometimes our own traditions and stereotypes of others can get in the way of seeing what God is doing.

Likewise, Peter and the other Jewish followers of Jesus had to give up their own personal agendas and embrace the new plans that God had for them. This involved telling Gentiles, as well as Jews, about Jesus. Sometimes the plans God has for us will differ from the agendas we have created for ourselves, and we’ll need to make adjustments as well.

Thankfully, we have help with discovering where God is at work. God will help us to see what He is doing whenever we ask Him, because God wants us to join Him in His work. God will always enable us to make the right choice when it comes to standing in His way or cooperating with Him.

In Christ,

Pastor David