Interesting concept huh? But a formula for spiritual maturity and growth. An opportunity to decrease and allow Him to increase. The benefits outweigh the risks for self promotion and grandeur. It may even lead to ostracism or death, but if it is for obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ, it is worth it. Let’s begin with a familiar scripture.
“In Caesarea there lived a Roman army officer named Cornelius, who was a captain of the Italian Regiment. He was a devout, God-fearing man, as was everyone in his household. He gave generously to the poor and prayed regularly to God. 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. 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! Now send some men to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter. He is staying with Simon, a tanner who lives near the seashore.” As soon as the angel was gone, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier, one of his personal attendants. He told them what had happened and sent them off to Joppa. The next day as Cornelius’s messengers were nearing the town, Peter went up on the flat roof to pray. It was about noon, and he was hungry. But while a meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw the sky open, and something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners. In the sheet were all sorts of animals, reptiles, and birds. Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.” “No, Lord,” Peter declared. “I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure and unclean.” But the voice spoke again: “Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.” The same vision was repeated three times. Then the sheet was suddenly pulled up to heaven. Peter was very perplexed. What could the vision mean? Just then the men sent by Cornelius found Simon’s house. Standing outside the gate, they asked if a man named Simon Peter was staying there. Meanwhile, as Peter was puzzled over the vision, the Holy Spirit said to him, “Three men have come looking for you. Get up, go downstairs, and go with them without hesitation. Don’t worry, for I have sent them.” 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. 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.” 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. He told me, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your gifts to the poor have been noticed by God! 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.’”
Acts of the Apostles 10:1-23, 28-32 NLT
Peter had stepped into uncharted territory here. No Jew had ever associated with Gentiles. They were considered unclean according to Jewish customs. His reputation was on the line as we will soon learn. But when Jesus gives us an order our reputation takes a backseat to His. Peter was not about to have a repeat of his past. He was not about to deny Jesus’ request to represent Him. He had no idea what he was walking into, the only thing he knew was that he had a vision about being told to eat foods that weren't kosher. He had never met or heard of Cornelius. But his obedience was about to transform an entire Gentile family.
Peter risked his reputation to establish God’s. When God gives us an opportunity to do something great for Him at the expense of sometimes even losing family relationships and friendships, we have a choice to make. We can remain in our normal lives or do something amazing for the Kingdom of God. Jesus used that one act of obedience to make room for all us Gentiles who would come after Cornelius. Two visions collided to make two hostile opposing nations one. Peter said he came without hesitation. He didn’t stop to consider the consequences, he knew it wasn’t allowed but the urgency of the Holy Spirit in lowering the sheet three times, must’ve raised Peter’s curiosity to want to know why these men had been sent to get him.
By risking his reputation as the pillar of the church to be obedient to the vision, God did something supernatural that day. Let’s read.
“Then Peter replied, “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. In every nation He accepts those who fear Him and do what is right. This is the message of Good News for the people of Israel—that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. And He ordered us to preach everywhere and to testify that Jesus is the one appointed by God to be the judge of all—the living and the dead. He is the one all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in Him will have their sins forgiven through His Name.” Even as Peter was saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the message. The Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles, too. For they heard them speaking in other tongues and praising God. Then Peter asked, “Can anyone object to their being baptized, now that they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?”
Acts of the Apostles 10:34-36, 42-47 NLT
From the text we see that Peter wasn’t the only one facing expulsion, but God never does anything without witnesses. When he was questioned by the Jews he had multiple eyewitnesses to what the Lord had done among the Gentiles.
“Soon the news reached the apostles and other believers in Judea that the Gentiles had received the word of God. But when Peter arrived back in Jerusalem, the Jewish believers criticized him. “You entered the home of Gentiles and even ate with them!” they said. Then Peter told them exactly what had happened. And since God gave these Gentiles the same gift He gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to stand in God’s way?” When the others heard this, they stopped objecting and began praising God. They said, “We can see that God has also given the Gentiles the privilege of repenting of their sins and receiving eternal life.”
Acts of the Apostles 11:1-4, 17-18 NLT
The Lord protected Peter’s reputation because he was willing to risk it for His. We too must be willing to give our all away to walk in obedience to Him. The apostle Paul was chased out of town, and almost murdered at another time, because he stood for the Lord’s reputation at the risk of his own. Very few christians know this story that I’m about to share, but it is one of the most compelling stories written to show the relationship between the prophet and his obedience to God no matter the costs. I won’t be able to write the entire account but it’s worth the read.
“When the Lord first began speaking to Israel through Hosea, He said to him, “Go and marry a prostitute, so that some of her children will be conceived in prostitution. This will illustrate how Israel has acted like a prostitute by turning against the Lord and worshiping other gods.” So Hosea married Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she became pregnant and gave Hosea a son. Soon Gomer became pregnant again and gave birth to a daughter. And the Lord said to Hosea, “Name your daughter Lo-ruhamah—‘Not loved’—for I will no longer show love to the people of Israel or forgive them. After Gomer had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she again became pregnant and gave birth to a second son. And the Lord said, “Name him Lo-ammi—‘Not my people’—for Israel is not my people, and I am not their God.”Hosea 1:2-3, 6, 8-9 NLT
Please read the entirety of the chapters I will be referencing.
Hosea was a well respected prophet in Israel. He had been told by God to go marry a prostitute, as a sign to the Jews of how low they had fallen in their walk with the Lord. Not only was he to marry her, he was supposed to have children with her. One thing was certain, Hosea knew the voice of God, because if he didn’t, there was no going back from this one. How many of us would’ve believed this was the voice of God and obeyed? Can you imagine the whispers and stares the prophet got when he went to buy this prostitute and marry her?
After she had borne him two children she went back to prostitution and became pregnant by one of her pimps. Oh boy! Can it get any worse? But it does.
““But now bring charges against Israel—your mother— for she is no longer My wife, and I Am no longer her Husband. Tell her to remove the prostitute’s makeup from her face and the clothing that exposes her breasts. Otherwise, I will strip her as naked as she was on the day she was born. I will leave her to die of thirst, as in a dry and barren wilderness. And I will not love her children, for they were conceived in prostitution. Their mother is a shameless prostitute and became pregnant in a shameful way. She said, ‘I’ll run after other lovers and sell myself to them for food and water, for clothing of wool and linen, and for olive oil and drinks.’”Hosea 2:2-5 NLT
Hosea had to live through all the shameless actions of his wife. All to protect the integrity of the God he served. Everything Gomer did was being used to demonstrate the betrayal of Israel towards their God. They had forsaken Jehovah and had run after other lovers (gods). Hosea represented Jehovah and the prostitute wife represented Israel. God used Hosea in a most unusual way. But not once did Hosea worry about his reputation. He was more concerned about his obedience to what the Lord had asked him to do, to protect the integrity of God.
Let’s look at another prophet who risked his reputation to protect God’s. As you read these accounts consider how little God has requested of us in our service to Him. Different times demanded different actions. We now have a mediator in Jesus Christ. All our sin debt has been fully paid. There was no mediator in those times, God used word pictures or visuals to show His displeasure with disobedience. The people knew the reputation of these prophets. They knew that these were warning signs from God. If they repented they were restored, if not they were judged harshly. With Jesus as our High Priest, mercy and grace has been extended to us. The scripture says mercy triumphs over judgment. This in no way implies that we’ve gotten over on God or that He’s gone soft on sin. It means we’re given more than enough time and grace to get it right. We will ultimately be judged for every disobedient act. 2 Corinthians 5:10. Now to the conclusion of this message.
“In the year when King Sargon of Assyria sent his commander in chief to capture the Philistine city of Ashdod, the Lord told Isaiah son of Amoz, “Take off the burlap you have been wearing, and remove your sandals.” Isaiah did as he was told and walked around naked and barefoot. Then the Lord said, “My servant Isaiah has been walking around naked and barefoot for the last three years. This is a sign—a symbol of the terrible troubles I will bring upon Egypt and Ethiopia. For the king of Assyria will take away the Egyptians and Ethiopians as prisoners. He will make them walk naked and barefoot, both young and old, their buttocks bared, to the shame of Egypt. ” Isaiah 20:1-4 NLT
Aren’t you breathing a sigh of relief right now? Lol Isaiah risked his reputation to protect God’s. Walking around naked and barefoot wouldn’t make the headline news in a good way today. They’d miss the point entirely and try to create a scandal for Isaiah. The headlines would probably read something like this. “ Isaiah prophet of God has gone mad” he’s supposed to be a pillar of the evangelical movement. But consider this, he didn’t do it for a few hours or even one day, he had to do it consistently for three years. After three years, the Lord gave an explanation. Blows my mind to think about it. We can’t obey for one second. Why? Too focused on us. What is it going to cost us? How long is it going to take? What will people think? What will they say? How will I ever live this down? Sorry God, find someone else. I can’t be seen going there, wearing that, saying that, it’s too embarrassing. Really?! Consider this.
The Son of God gave up His reputation to come to earth and suffer for things too gross to mention. He hung naked on a roadside in Jerusalem. Body and face beaten beyond recognition. Spat upon, ridiculed and rejected by those He came to serve. He cared only about protecting the reputation of His Father and completing the plan of redemption. Talk about a huge risk. We still spit in His face, we still crucify Him afresh by our actions, taking for granted that He sacrificed Himself for wrongs He never committed. No, we weren’t at the cross, but we’re certainly acting like the mob. Every time we walk in disobedience with no sense of remorse we’re denying His cross. Reputation! We had none before Jesus saved us. So whatever risks He asks us to take, I think we owe Him the honor of saying yes. We may not have to marry a prostitute or walk naked and barefoot. We may not even have to break statutory laws. But we are called to submission, we are called to saying, nevertheless, not my will but Yours.
Go deeper: Isaiah 52, 53; Philippians 2; Matthew 27; Acts 13,14; Galatians 2
Written by permission of the Holy Spirit
W. Tennant
August 19, 2021