Episode 119: Acts 10 - Houses of Fire - An Old Wineskin as a New Wineskin?

ACTS 10 – Houses of Fire – A New Wineskin? A New
Strategy?
A.    Introduction


 


·      December 31st, 2019 – “No Disease known to
man” (in a HOUSE)


·      March 2020 – our Church moved back
into our HOUSE


·      May 1st, 2020 – Governor Newsom said
churches will be closed for months


       Holy Spirit spoke - “It’s time
to come home”


       “There’s no place like homes,
there’s no place like homes”


·      June 2020 - House Church? Confusion. For
the Church? For the lost? (evangelistic)


Trip to Oregon – Cornelius – Persian Motors


·      January 2022 – ROCK OC begins in a house


 


B.    ACTS 10 – “Houses of
Fire – A New Wineskin? A New Strategy?


 


1 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of
what was known as the Italian Cohort, 2 a devout man who feared
God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people,
and prayed continually to God. 3 About the ninth hour of the day
(WHILE IN PRAYER – v. 30) he saw clearly in a
vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.”
(HIS NAME) 4 And he stared at him in terror and
said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and
your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. (HIS
PRAYERS) 5 And now send men to Joppa
(PETER’S CITY) and bring one Simon who is called
Peter (PETER’S FULL NAME). 


 


*WHO IS CALLING WHO?* - Lost calling the saved –
Are we expecting this??


 


6 He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the
sea. (PETER’S ADDRESS!)”


7 When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of
his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended
him, 8 and having related everything to them, he sent them to
Joppa. 


 


*FIRST-TIME OBEDIENCE*


 


9 The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the
city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray.
(WHILE IN PRAYER) 10 And he became hungry and
wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he
fell into a trance 11 and saw the heavens opened and something
like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners
upon the earth. 12 In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles
and birds of the air. 13 And there came a voice to him: “Rise,
Peter; kill and eat.” 14 But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for
I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” 15 And
the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made
clean, do not call common.” 16 This happened three times, and the
thing was taken up at once to heaven. 17 Now while Peter was
inwardly perplexed as to what the vision that he had seen might
mean, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made
inquiry for Simon's house, stood at the gate 18 and called out to
ask whether Simon who was called Peter was lodging there. 19 And
while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him,
“Behold, three men are looking for you. 20 Rise and go down and
accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them.” 


 


*ROLE OF SUPERNATURAL* - New Wineskins often
require it. i.e. Muslims


*3 encounters + 1 Holy Spirit “says”* - WE can
be STUCK in our ways, methods, expectations


 


21 And Peter went down to the men and said, “I am the one you are
looking for. What is the reason for your coming?” 22 And they
said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man,
who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by
a holy angel to send for you to come to his house
(VIOLATION!) and to hear what you have to say.”
23 So he invited them in to be his guests. The
next day he rose and *went away with them* (WITHOUT the
“Approval” of the other Apostles!), and some of the
brothers from Joppa accompanied him. 24 And on the following day
they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had
called together his relatives and close friends. 25 When Peter
entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and
worshiped him (CONFUSION). 26 But Peter lifted
him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am a man.” 27 And as he talked
with him, he went in and found many persons
gathered. 28 And he said to them, “You yourselves know
how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to
visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me
that I should not call any person common or unclean. 29 So when I
was sent for, I came without objection (LOL). I
ask then why you sent for me.” 30 And Cornelius said, “Four days
ago, about this hour, I was praying in my house
at the ninth hour,  and behold, a man stood before me in
bright clothing 31 and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been
heard and your alms have been remembered before God. 32 Send
therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon who is called Peter. He is
lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.’
(SHARED THE DETAILED PROPHETIC WORD) 33 So I
sent for you at once (TRUE), and you have been
kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here in the
presence of God to hear ALL that you have been
COMMANDED by the Lord.” 


 


*LOST want to hear ALL* - not watering anything
down, avoiding the difficult (Jesus = ONLY WAY, issue of
sin/repentance, judgment)


 


34 So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that
God shows no partiality,  


35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is
right is acceptable to him. 36 As for the word that he sent to
Israel, preaching good news of peace through
Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), 37 you yourselves know what
happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the
baptism that John proclaimed: 38 how God anointed Jesus of
Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing
good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was
with him. 39 And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the
country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by
hanging him on a tree,  40 but God raised him on the third
day and made him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us
who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with
him after he rose from the dead. 42 And *he commanded us
to preach* to the people and to testify that he is the
one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. 43
To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes
in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
(THE GOSPEL) 


 


*Preaching* - not “listening” – an apostle w/ an
apostolic mandate


*Not just praying for people, prophesying…but also
PREACHING!


 


44 While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit
fell on ALL who heard the word.  45 And THE
BELIEVERS from among the circumcised who had come with
Peter WERE AMAZED, because the gift of the Holy
Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. 46
For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God.
Then Peter declared, 47 “Can anyone withhold water for
baptizing these people, who have received the
Holy Spirit just as we have?” 48 And he commanded them
to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him
to remain for some days.


 


*BELIEVE & BE BAPTIZED – no delays / Spirit
baptism!


 


C.    APPLICATION


 


1.     Meetings in
HOMES 


a. For believers (a church with house groups to
a church OF house groups) – my eschatology.  This was/is a
“wake up call”


 


Pastor in Oregon – “the church needs to stop being a church WITH
house groups and become a church OF house groups.”


 


ROCK Kuwait was back in our house! (March 2020)
ROCK OC begins in California (January 2022)


 


b. For the harvest/lost – Iranians getting
healed in house meeting in California



This new wineskin was a HUGE barrier for Peter – going into THEIR
homes!


 


2.     God pouring out
His Spirit? - Iran – 1 million believers? Evangelism in
the U.S.?


*Both sides needed revelation – Cornelius (lost) & Peter
(Christians)


*The bigger barrier was on the side of the believers – today?


 


3.     New means
NEW – not going back to normal, will we learn what God
has been trying to teach us? New approaches, new lifestyles, new
obedience?  Holding things loosely.


 


4.     Not getting
distracted – turn off the other “voices” / be careful
WHO you listen to / GOSPEL!!! – “run in such a way that you get
the prize” (I Cor 9:24)


 


5.     Prophetic
Direction – only doing what we see/hear the Father
doing/saying
We MUST have a new level of prophetic direction, encounters,
guidance! Undoubtedly!!!


Names? Addresses? Locations?


Expecting MORE dreams and visions??


 


6.     Increased Prayer
(and fasting?)


 


7.     Finding the “God
Fearers” (the Cornelius types!)


 


8.     Traps, Deception,
False Teaching, Division, Betrayals


*expect opposition, criticism
The OLD Wineskin will always criticize (even demonize the new
one!)