Acts 10:1-48 - Corps Notes - April 29, 1976
Publication Date: 4-29-1976
On Ephesians 4:25 where I want to begin tonight, or where we will begin tonight , the first part of what the Research Team gave me is the work that Walter Cummins published in our wonderful Way Magazine on "The Spoken Word." Also, as we cover Ephesians 4:28 tonight, I had all the information in front of me from another article that Walter Cummins has in the... has had in the Magazine. The first article on Ephesians 4:25 is entitled "The Spoken Word." The one on Ephesians 4:28 is "Workers for God." Both of these pieces of work by Walter are absolutely superb. And I believe that they should appear and will appear in our research journal GMIR whenever we begin publishing that. {GMIR Aramaic word meaning ' to perfect, accomplish , mature, complete, arithmetically to be divisible without any remainder.}
And I noticed again that some of the things that were stated are just so beautifully and logically presented, I'm truly thankful for, not only Walter, but the whole Research Department. I think our Biblical Research Department is just second to none. And it' s even going to be better by God' s mercy and grace next year and in years to come than it is at this time. And right now I do not believe that our Biblical Research Department needs to take a back seat for any academic institution or work in the world.
And I thought today, I have never... I've never thought of Walter Cummins in any other capacity than to be my assistant. I know Vince Finnegan, you know, on the books is my assistant. And that' s great. But I've never thought of Walter Cummins in any other capacity for so many years as always being my assistant. And I think he' s just the most wonderful person that any president could have as his assistant. And also to be chairmen of the Department of Greek, and then the coordinator of the Biblical research of The Way International. For any one man to have that position and that responsibility is an awesome reality and I'm real proud of Walter and real thankful for him. But I am also thankful for the rest of our wonderful men and women in the Research Department.
I would like for the Corps all over the country to go to the Magazine and find "The Spoken_Word," that's the title of it, dealing with Ephesians 4:25 and other scriptures, and before the next Corps meeting next week, you endeavor to master that great piece of work by Walter Cummins. It's just, you know, the spoken Word. Over fifty Greek words are used in the New Testament in connection with the faculties of utterance. Over fifty. And then he takes the most important ones and he lists them and it' s just. .. it' s just a piece of research work that you should really as a Corps master in your heart and in your life.
Ephesians 4:25 in the King James reads, Wherefore put away lyin g, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another.
The ' putting away' was interesting to me again because of the Greek word aniko, a-n-i-k-o.
And this word is ' the putting away,' this word ' put away,' aniko, is the same root word as in 4:22, where we use the word ' rest,' meaning ' to rest.' Is that right? Yep, that is right. I taught you that,
didn't I? Did I or didn't I? Doesn't look right to me. It is the same root. What chapter am I missing? Am I missing anything? I don't know. Right now I'm screwed up, ha ha. First time today. You check the word again and I'll do that, too and see what I'm missing here.
But a-n-i-k-o is the word for ' putting away from you. ' To put away. And it' s the same root as the word ' rest.' I don't know where the word appears, but it's got to be in there.
Now, that word ' speak,' every man speak. That word ' speak ' is from the Greek word
laleo, l-a-l-e-long-o. And that' s where Walter' s article on "The Spoken Word"_c omes in because that is.. .he uses that word laleo in here, which I teach in Corinthians when I teach the Foundational Class. And he says the word is employed 24 times in I Corinthians chapter 14. I had forgotten that.
This word is truly significant. I couldn' t quite understand it Research Department, what you said on page 26B 16, where you defined it ' to make vocal utterance,' ' to babble,' 'to talk,' 'to exercise the faculty of speech without reference to the words spoken.' I just wondered if there might not be another word that could be substituted or utilized at this point. I know that Zachariah 8:16 is the quotation that is used here, or spoken of. And that Zachariah 8:16 adds force to what is said by using a quote, a quotation. That' s why my question to the Research Department is, How can it be without reference to what is spoken if it is truth plus the quotation of the Word of God that's given. It doesn't quite fit for me.
'With his neighbor' has to be a believing neighbor. This 'speak truth with his neighbor' is a figure of speech gnome, g-n-o-m-e, which simply is a citation. And that' s a citation from Zachariah 8:16.
There are a series of figures of speech, Corps, in chapter four which just put the 00mph, the highlight, to the particular things that are set whereby you put off the old man. This phrase here 'speak every man truth with his neighbor' is one of them. The other one appears in verse 26, 'be angry and sin not.' ' Steal no more' is another one. 'Corrupt communication' is the fourth one. 'Grieve not the holy spirit' is the fifth one. ' All bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, evil speaking' is the sixth. And then ' be kind' and so forth, is the seventh.
You see, the last phrase in that verse, in King James, For we' re members one of what? [Another] And it' s relative to the neighbor. Now you just look at that. Wherefore put away lying, speak every man truth with his what? [Neighbor] For we are members one of another. That doesn't mean just a neighbor who lives next door, but it has to be a believing neighbor because we are members one of what? [Another]. You could not be a member ' one of another' ifhe was an unbeliever. That's how I know this is going to work. This tells me that the neighbor is a believer. And this ' we' re members one of another' continues the imagery of the Body of Christ.
The literal according to usage of this verse is as follows: Wherefore put away the lie... and I believe in my heart, before I go on with the literal that until man is born again, it's all a lie anyways. And that' s why I believe that this translation will fit in the light of that knowledge. Because when a man is not born again, his whole life is just a lie. Now you're born again, and that ' s why I think the text states it ' wherefore put away the lie,' the life you' ve been living , the screwed up life you have lived outside of God. It' s been just a life of a lie. It' s not truth. It' s just the opposite of truth and that's my reason for translating it this way... Wherefore put away the lie.
You've got to go with that translation. You have no other text to go by both from Aramaic and Greek it's 'lie.' Not 'lying.' If the Research Department has anything to share in the light of that, I'd be blessed to hear, but you' ve heard my reasons for translating it, Research Department, this way.
Now since they're born again, their whole life is changed, so the life of lying, and living a lie, and being a lie, and being false, is to be put away.
And every man... this is the translation ... and everyone, everyone. The word ' man' you could use because it's an inclusive noun, but I prefer to use the word ' one.'
Wherefore put away the lie and everyone speak the truth with his neighbor for we are members one of another. That is literal according to usage.
Now for the expanded according to understanding. It's not bad. Because of this... What we coughing for? Everybody sick?...Because of this... and the reason I went in the expanded along this line is because verse 24 last week told us that we are created by God in righteousness and in true purity, through holiness. Twenty four.
That's why 25, Wherefore ... 'wherefore' can be translated 'because of this.' Because of this what? Being created in righteousness and truly pure. See it's an inside job.
Because of this being created in righteousness and truly pure by the grace and the love of
God.. .Because of this being created in righteousness and truly pure, you put away, completely lay to rest the lie that you have been and were living and each one of you speak the truth using a quotation from the Word with his believing neighbor for we are members one of another in the Body of the Church.
Robinson {Edward} said, he translated, 'speak every man truth with his neighbor' and he said it's from Zachariah 8:16 which adds force to what is said by using a quote. That's why I translated that. I think that' s great. It adds force to what is said. If you're speaking to someone, it adds force to what you say by using a quote, a quotation from God's Word. In other words, ' you share the Word with them.' That' s why I went with that translation. I want to give it to you again in this sense.
Speak the truth using a quotation from the Word, which means 'share the Word.' Quote the Word to them. Tell them what the Word says, with his believing neighbor. Why? For we are members one of another in the Body of the Church. This verse is just mind blowing.
Here, you have a born-again believer neighbor who needs to grow up a little more. So what do you do? Each one speak the truth to that neighbor, that believer, using the Word, quoting the Word because we' re members one of another in the Body of the Church. It's a real positive thing to do.
Verse 26 in King James reads, Be angry.. .ha ha... we like that one, don't we. Be ye angry and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath.
Here is a verse of Scripture that' s very, very difficult for most people. And it' s not too easy for us either. But I think we are able to share the truth of the greatness of this and it's been burning in my heart for a long time to do this with our people.
Everybody has problems with ' how can you be angry and not sin?' You know, how can raise hell with something and not be sinful in doing it? Teed off and not be sinful. And how can you go... and what does it mean 'don't let the sun go down upon your wrath?' See.
In the context, here, verses 26 and 27 deal with your believing neighbor, specifically. Then the Greek word for ' anger' which is from the root orge, o-r-g-long-e means 'anger together with the desire of revenge .' That' s bad. That' s a heavy. The Hebrew word means ' to kill, and all the tumults of passion that terminate in killing.' So it's a real heavy word when it said ' be angry.'
And the way I believe it's used in God' s Word, ' be ye angry' means ' it's a long time anger with your believing neighbor until a change has ensued.' The desire to... of revenge is a change. And I, knowing the Word in the light of the new birth, it's where a change finally comes about. Until that time, you just, long-term, you just stay put witnessing the Word, sharing the Word. You do not dislike the believing neighbor; you simply dislike that he is not fully accepting the Word and walking on it. So it' s a long-term anger until a change has ensued. You just stay faithful.
I don't know what else to do with those words. It is a righteous anger. Yet it is a righteous anger without sin.
Among the scholars, there is a disagreement on these words. Well, I don't know about my being a scholar; that I don' t anything about being about. But it's simple to me because righteous anger is commanded by God's Word when it says ' be ye angry.' Well, the scholars can fight about it. I don' t care. It' s a command. Not just permitted to get teed once in a while when somebody' s off of God' s Word, a believer is off of God's Word. You' re always teed off righteously at any believer, born-again believer, who is off of God' s Word. And for those of us in the Way Ministry, it' s been a lifetime.
Get into it with them on... Oh what subject do you want to talk about? Baptism? Food? One God? See. All that stuff.
The Aramaic is accurate in the words ' and sin not.' It literally translates ' and you will not sin.' Again, this ' be angry and sin not' is that figure gnome. Quotation. A citation from the Old Testament. It' s from Psalm 4:4. But in King James, Psalm 4:4, it's translated 'stand in awe.' The real sense of the Hebrew is ' one of admonition;' sin not. Where we' re admonished to not sin. Sin not.
' Let not the sun go down on your wrath. ' Ha ha. That again is beautiful. People went to bed when the sun went down, when it got dark. That's when they went to bed. So what that simply is saying, ha ha, ' don't go to bed teed off.' Don' t let the sun go down on your wrath. In other words, go to bed; don' t go to bed mad. ' When you go to bed' is what it means. Let not the sun go down when you go to bed. And they went to bed when the sun went down. When it got dark, they went to bed, see.
' Upon your wrath.' And the word ' wrath' here is basically ' irritation.' Ha ha. Previously when I taught Ephesians, I made mention of this fact, ' don' t let righteous anger shake you, wondering if it was right on. When you go to bed, go to sleep.'
Now, this is what we have done with it in the literal, ha ha, according to usage. I got more papers up here than Carter has liver pills, or something. Then, I can' t find my... whatever it is I take off of it.
Okay, verse 26. You be righteously angry.. .this is literal according to usage.. .and you will not be sinning. Don't go to bed even with a momentary irritation, ha ha.
I don't think you get nearly as much fun out of this as I do. It's neat. It's absolutely scrumptious, see. At the opening, is that heavy word, remember? Anger. So it's a real heavy time. So what he is saying, in the heavy time, when your standing on God' s Word and sharing that with the believing neighbor, you' re righteously angry... you're not sinning. And you don't even go to bed with a momentary irritation. In other Words, when you go to bed, thank God the day is over. Say your last prayer and start snoring.
Boy, that would save a lot of sleeping pills, wouldn' t it? Practicing that principle. Boy, oh boy, what a tremendous Word. And hardly anybody understands verse 26. They argue about it, but they don' t get the understanding.
Now this is the expanded one according to understanding, I hope. And again, I would like to just lay some things before the Corps, and especially before the Research Department. I translated the first part of verse 26, You always stay angry with an all-out desire to have them to change which anger will not be sin on your part.
Then I have another translation of that first part of it: You be righteously angry, 'teed off' with sin... 'Teed off' I put in quotes. But don't you sin by acting ' holier than thou' vaunting yourself by acting so righteously like you never sin.
I do not know which one of those two the Research Department feels would be the better. The last part of the phrase that I translated which would go with both of these that I have given you here on the expanded one for understanding. This, the last part, goes with that first one and with the second ... also.. .even if it is only a momentary irritation. When you go to bed, go to sleep. That's what I did with it.
Now, verse 27. King James says, Neither (or neither) give place to the Devil. The word 'place' is simply a portion, a part. No believer will give full place to the Devil, but he may be giving a part, a portion. He' ll mark off a spot, ' this is Devil' s permission over here, over here, no permission, you know. And you really give the Devil a portion or a spot if you stew about it after you go to bed and you toss and you tum and can' t sleep.
This word 'the Devil,' ' the Devil' in the Aramaic is a very interesting and exciting Word to me and it blesses my heart. It' s a compound word where the first part means ' to eat' or ' to devour.' The latter
' to slander' or ' to accuse. ' So when I got to translating this, literally according to usage, verse 27 reads: Do not give any portion or space or an opportunity to the Devil. So I used those three words synonymously: portion, space, opportunity. Do not give any portion or space or an opportunity to the Devil.
The expanded according to understanding: And you will not give a toehold, an opportunity or an occasion for the Devil to eat you. Ha ha. I get more fun than you ever will out of working this stuff, huh.
You see, and to me, that communicates to my understanding. John 10:10. The thief cometh not but for to what? [Steal, kill, and destroy] Right. To eat you out. To beat you. And that's why that Aramaic word, on the word ' Devil' really thrilled me.
And that ' s why I put it into the expanded translation: And you will not give a ' toehold.' Now, at L.E.A.D., you know how important it is to get a what? [Toehold] Ha ha. And when you' re really climbing in, you' re blessed for a toehold. How thankful you are when you get a foothold. Now the adversary can never get a foothold in a believer' s life until he first has a toehold. That's why I translated it that way.
Do not give... and you will not give a toehold ... shave all the rocks off... an opportunity or an occasion for the Devil to eat you. And that' s exactly what he likes to do to believers.
Now we go to verse 28. King James says, Let him that stole steal not more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. And here again, is another great work that I believe should be in our research journal GMIR, Walter' s work on " Workers for God."
It' s just tremendous where he... you know... he just goes into God' s men are called many things in the Word. They' re called: fellow workers, ministers, or servants, slaves, fellow slaves, partners, messengers, soldiers, fellow soldiers, athletes, fellow athletes, stewards, ambassadors, witnesses, all of those. And he covers them so beautifully. And I love very much how he covered the word ' slave,' because it' s a much stronger word than to be a minister, or to be a servant. It is to be one who is branded, marked out, sold out. And baby, from that day on, there are no ifs, and' s, or but' s. You never budge on it. You are branded. Most believers are never branded. They may be servants, they may be ministers, but they are not branded. When you' re branded, you stay faithful. You do not budge. You do not change. You stay put. If all hell breaks loose, you still live the believing Word.
I think the prophet once said, If I was in the midst of hell, God I know you' d be there. (Psalm 139:8) He' d be there. That' s the doulos. That, of course, is just a tremendous piece of work.
And the other great part that I think... and this is a second piece that I want the Corps to master before next Wednesday night, " Workers for God," the work on ' witness.' You see, it's the same word basically that's translated ' martyr,' see. And we got a lot of those canonized. That's not at all what a witness is. A witness is a living example, not a dead one. The word 'martyr' simply means that you lay down your life in witnessing. And boy, when you put the doulos together with ' witness,' then you' ve got power for abundant living. It's just a fantastic work by Walter and I' m real grateful that it was published. Because once it' s in print, people can take a look at it if they want to.
I'd like a cup of coffee, please.
Now, we are in verse 28. The Aramaic translation is ' and he who was stealing.' I understand it from the English, ' let him that stole,' past tense. The Aramaic is real simple, real strong. ' And he, the one who is born again, who was, past tense, stealing.'
Thank you.
His whole life was one of those before he was born again.
Whenever you bring a cup of coffee to a right-hand man, you put the handle to the right. When you serve a cup of coffee to a left-hand man, you put it on the left-hand side and put the handle to the left. Corps principle number seven or something, ha ha. Mrs. Wierwille would say, Well, be thankful you even get a cup of coffee. [Laughter] Ah, you're wonderful.
See, ' let him who stole, steal no more.' 'Stole and steal,' that' s a figure of speech and is polyptoton p-o-l-y-p-t-o-t-o-n. It' s a repetition of the same root word in different parts of speech or reflections. But, that's not earth shaking right now in my heart.
You see, in some Eastern culture, it was not considered a sin or a shame to steal because that's the way they lived, the only way they lived. Somebody told me... or not only told me, one of our people, but it was in a national magazine, that the basic culture of Russia today is to steal. And in some respects I can understand this. If you don't have anything and you're starving to death and there' s a loaf of bread you can get a hold of... steal the dam thing. I understand that.
So this verse is really sharp, really sharp. Let him who stole, even though that man previously considered it the way to live and there was no shame in it, no sin in it. He said, Well, let that fellow who stole, steal no more. Something has happened on the inside of that man. Something that happened, where He is able to meet all of our need according to His riches in glory. Christ in you, the hope of glory. More than conquerors.
A record in the Old Testament, I forget where it is, but it's in there, that it' s never, you never need to borrow or steal bread or... what is that in the Old Testament? Begging bread. One person stand and tell me. {Psalm 37:25, I have been young and now am old; yet have I seen the righteous forsaken, nor His seed begging bread.} Psalm 27:25 who? {Psalm 37:25} 37:25. All the years, he's never seen the righteous to have to do what? {Beg bread} Beg bread.
First of all, I wish the Christian world could hear this. Secondly, I wish our government in the United States could understand it. The Word says, If you don't work, you don' t eat. A lot of that stuff. Well, what we've been doing is stealing from the people who are willing to work to give to the people who don' t want to work. That's a bunch of crap. That's stealing. That's why this verse is so hot in my soul tonight. Let him who stole, quit stealing, dang it. See.
Many years ago I was really knocked for a loop along some of this line in India, from Dr. Williams. I think he loved India maybe like I love the United States, I don' t know. Because only a man knows how much he loves his own country, I guess.
But... as we were traveling together, he said to me, Dr. Wierwille, I hear you have whores in the United States.
You know, I never had given it a thought. I just took it for granted. [Laughter] And I said, yeah. He said, Why does a rich country like the United States have whores?
And I said, I don't know.
And he said, I can't understand it. Cannot your women make enough money to live? Yeah, but they figure that' s cheaper and more pleasurable or something, I don' t know. And he said, Well, I think it's sinful that the United States has whores.
And I said, What do you mean?
And he said to me, why, I can understand India. He said we don' t enough food, we don' t have enough of anything hardly for a lot of people. And we have whores because that' s the only way they can continue to live physically.
And I thought to myself, well boy, that' s slapping me in the face good. And I took it as a wonderful lesson. There is no excuse in the United States for any women being a whore because she doesn' t need to get screwed and paid for it in order to get money so she can live. There's plenty of work available and if there isn' t she ought to get born again, then there' s a guarantee of work. ..other work, available. I tell you, when you' re honest, some of these men in other countries have some real logic behind their thinking. How would you have liked to have handled that? I just simply admitted, Well, I think we' re wrong in the United States. But I said, I think you' re wrong in India, too, because no reason to have whores here if you get them born again.
So I don' t know. But this verse today as I worked the final working on this verse 28 is when my heart really went back and burned with that truth that Dr. Williams had stated. Because in many Eastern cultures, it was not considered as sin or as shame to steal, if it was a matter of livelihood. You sometimes wonder who will live in the greatest condemnation before God and justice and judgment when the time comes.
For in most of what are called poor countries even, there is sufficient money, food, and other things for the people to live if those in positions of authority were not so selfish and egotistical, and want it for themselves , and let the rest of the world die... or a country die.
The word ' labor' in verse 28 is the word which literally means ' hard work resulting in fatigue.' That's how I felt coming from the woods last night. And I didn' t do anything. It was just hard work being there with the rest of you. Today I got so tired of being with some, I came home. Ah, you' re wonderful.
' Working with his hands' is an Eastern cultural type of thing. Today in our culture, you could have it, you know, the truth is working with your mind or working with your hand, whatever you' re working at. But in Eastern culture, every son was to be trained to work with his hands, even if he was the son of a king. Had to learn a trade, a profession of business.
Jesus Christ was a saddle maker. He made them to ride, I guess, what do you want? Tennessee Walkers , or? See. I think not only did he do that, Paul did it, too, you know. Someday I'm going to find a...or Walter, or some of those, are going to find me a manuscript to prove it. .. and a wonderful carpenter by trade. Many times doing carpentry work and being a saddle maker were sort of in the same household, because building carpentry and having saddles to use for their business and carrying on, were very, very closely aligned. Well, I won' t argue the point, but I wish we' d keep looking.
II Thessalonians.. .Do your hands ever get so dry you can hardly hold anything? Golly, mine are so dry tonight, I wonder why? II Thessalonians, chapter 3:10... this we commanded you that if any would not work, neither should he what? [Eat] Right. Even unemployment is no excuse for stealing. He just doesn' t eat. Goes and gets work. Boy, when I first saw the greatness of these principles many years ago, and then of course, I uniquely by God' s grace, inculcated that into our W.O.W. program and very dynamically in the Corps leadership.
Acts 10:1-48
April 29, 1976
God sort of softens people up. Do you know that? He did it for you, I think. For instance, had you
been in on a real heavy session the first time, you most likely would have not come back for a while.
But God just sort of prepares people. He keeps moving and moving. When you begin to see that in
the Word, it builds a lot of patience in your life, and a lot of grace and a lot of understanding, a lot of
forgiveness of others. Because all through the Word God just kept working away with people. Well,
that’s all He’s got; those who believe Him. If they believe that far, He’s thankful and that’s all He’s
got. Somebody else believes that far and then He has that individual. He keeps working, building,
and here He’s building Peter. Peter was a real human individual like most of you are--all of us I
guess. You know, I learned long, long ago that you have to have a lot of patience with people and
you have to have a lot of love. Nobody gets too much of love. Nobody is ever too patient. Sometimes
I too get impatient. Whenever I get impatient that’s sin. So then I’ve got to tell God “I’m sorry I’m so
stupid and so impatient,” because He’s been patient with me. So if He can be patient with me, I’ve
got to afford to be patient with others. Love you never get too much of. You know, possessive love
and that kind of junk is counterfeit. But the real, genuine love of God in the renewed mind in
manifestation, that tenderness, you never get too much of that. You can always take an extra ounce.
So the Word of God is like that. I do not believe that you can ever get too much of the Word of God.
Every time you come back to that Word and work that Word you get excitingly alive on the inside
and just so dynamically effervescing that sometimes you wonder if it can get any better. The next
time you’re in something it’s better again. I was thinking yesterday how the fellows were saying that
that experience in the Holy Land was the greatest thing that ever happened to their lives. Well, that’s
true everyday. The reason it was the greatest thing that happened in their lives is because that’s what
happened at that time. Had they dropped out of an airplane that would have been the greatest thing
that happened to them at that time. Had they walked over three inches of water without sinking, it
would have been the greatest thing that happened in their lives. That’s the way it is. In other words,
at that immediate moment, that’s always the greatest moment of your life. You can either make it
positive or you can make it negative by your reaction, by your believing, by your concern for it.
Well, God had been softening Peter up, but it takes a little more softening. That we see in the great
tenth chapter of Acts. Don’t you love Peter for going to Simon the Tanner’s place? Boy, I do. You
know that just shows me his heart. It shows me the tenderness that old boy really had in his soul
Simon the Tanner! I imagine Peter could have gone to almost any house of any believer in the whole
area and they would have been tickled to death to have him. But he went to Simon’s place. That’s
just absolutely gorgeous! Now, I believe, as I’ve said, perhaps three years. It would have been great
to have old Peter in your house and around for three years, wouldn’t it? It must have been something:
Now, during that period of time Peter had to be doing something. He just couldn’t sit and fish all the
time or tan. So he just had to somehow or other witness the Word. You see, there are whole bulks of
scripture like in this last section of chapter 9. Things must have happened like crazy in the city of
Joppa. But there’s no record; no record in any place in the world; none in the Word. But you just
know that something must have happened. You know, just like, you couldn’t be someplace for three
years and have nothing happen. You know, if you know a little bit about the Word and the Lord Jesus
Christ, something had to happen, right? So here you have right before chapter 10 almost two and a
half years or three; quite a long period of time when there’s no record of anything happening. But I
believe that God was just softening Peter up; getting him ready to do something that the 10th chapter
talks about.
178
Acts 10:1
Now, do you remember what you read in Acts 8:40? Who preached up to Caesarea? Philip. Before
Peter ever got there, Philip had gotten up to Caesarea. Now, I’ve often wondered whether that wasn’t
already the foundational work for the opening of the record of the 10th chapter because, throughout
the entire chapter, if you watch carefully it never speaks of Cornelius as being a proselyte. But he had
his heart softened. He wanted to turn from idolatry and from paganism to the true God. I wonder how
much influence the preaching of Philip could have had in that area to get to Cornelius. I don’t know.
We’ll have to wait someday and talk all these things over in the gathering together. But it’s
interesting, because it does say Philip preached all the way up to Caesarea.
“centurion” - a leader of a hundred
Acts 10:2
“a devout man” - not freaky, but somebody who was committed, who was devout. You would
sometimes hear people say “religious” - really concerned.
“feared” - respected, reverenced
“with all his house” - that is a tremendous orientalism. In the oriental culture, whenever the head of
the house accepted the Lord Jesus Christ, everybody else did. In other words, if the father of your
family made a decision, the whole family fell in line with it. If the father got converted, everybody
got converted. That’s why this record in here says he reverenced God with all his house.
“gave much alms to the people” - shared abundantly
“prayed to God alway”- see, he wasn’t just a bad man. If there was any one man who didn’t need
salvation it’s this fellow. He’s a good fellow. He would have made a nice, tremendous church
member, wouldn’t he? He had all the qualifications. If you look at him sense knowledge wise, why
should he get born again? He’s already doing all these things? Loves God with all his house, shared
abundantly, prayed.
Acts 10:3
“evidently - clearly, openly
This is revelation. Not being born again of God’s spirit, not having Christ in him, this revelation had
to be on the ‘outside.’ It’s a real nice miracle God’s doing. Well, He’s still in business, isn’t He? If
He wants to make a jackass talk smarter than a prophet, He can do ‘er!
“vision” – picture, real clearly; nothing snowy about it
You see, I believe we think it’s sort of strange today if God would do this for you. I wonder if you’d
freak. Here we’re reading after the day of Pentecost, the day of the Church to which you and I
belong. It didn’t freak Cornelius and he wasn’t even a Christian! But he was a God-fearing man. You
see, people in those days, sometimes I think they knew more than we know today. They didn’t freak.
Today they try to discredit me because I said what God said to me. What should be so freaky about
that? It has to only be because of unbelief. My earthly father could talk to me. If there is a God, and if
He is what the Word of God says He is, do you think maybe He could? Does that make you freaky?
Because your earthly father talks to you, does that make you freaky? Boy, you see we’ve so belittled
the Word of God and God and the greatness of God. It’s been so belittled in the Christian circles that
if God ever spoke to a church member, you’d have a funeral! It would just scare them to death! If
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they ever saw handwriting on the wall their knees would not only bounce, but their brain cells would
fall out of their ears. You see, we’re so acclimatized to the abnormality of unbelief. It’s absolutely
astounding. Here was a man who wasn’t even a Christian. God gave him revelation, and boy, it
didn’t freak him!
Acts 10:4
“afraid” – does not mean he was full of fear. It means flabbergasted; not a fear, a negative type thing.
He was just amazed as if to say “Oh, my goodness. Is God’s doing this for me?! God for me?!” -
Yes, God for you.
“What is it, Lord?” - These are all little keys taught in the Advanced Class. If you don’t understand
something and you’re amazed at the revelation, ask God. If you don’t know the meaning of the
revelation, ask Him. He gave it. He ought to know it! He recognized that angel of God as speaking
for God, the Lord.
“a memorial” – in memory of; in recognition of what he had done. Not that this is going to buy him
salvation, but the prayers and the good things that he had done were in the memory of God as a
memorial, standing for what he had done.
How long Cornelius prayed before Peter came down from Joppa, I don’t know. Prayer is not so much
getting anything from God, as to get yourself in tune with reality; God. This is why he says “Your
prayers and your alms are come up for a memorial.” I can just see Cornelius thanking God for
sending someone who would open to him the scriptures more fully. The reason God didn’t send him
the first day Cornelius prayed that is because Cornelius could not have stood the answer to his
prayer. That’s why sometimes in the Word you will see years between a prayer being made and the
answer of the fulfillment of it; or a promise of God being made and the fulfillment of it, you’ll see
years. How old was Abraham when God said He would give him a son? I don’t know. If somebody
really knows, tell me. I know how old Abraham was when he was born - 99. How old was he when
he got the promise - 75-85; 20 years plus; twenty-four years before that promise could come into
concretion. Would God have done it at 75? Yes. Why did God not do it at 75? Abraham could not
believe to receive. Isn’t that beautiful?
If you’ll just remember some of these things and then sometime you pray for something and then it
doesn’t happen tomorrow, you get mad at God. No trip: The Bible says he is more anxious to answer
our prayers than we are to ask Him. Therefore it can’t be with God. It has to be with V.P. Wierwille.
God cannot put five gallons into a gallon jug (unless he empties it four times). If God’s going to put
five gallons into a five gallon container, He’s got to have a five gallon container. If God’s going to
answer His Word to us, we have to be big enough to receive that Word; else He cannot give it to us.
Do you understand that principle and why? Example: the gate of the temple, the lame man healed by
Peter and John. How come Jesus did not heal him? You see how simple this all becomes now? At
that time, when Jesus was there, the man could not have received it. That’s why the Word says “Be it
unto you according to your believing.” When we really believe, then we receive. Now don’t ever get
critical of Abraham. Suppose it took him 24 years. He finally got there, didn’t he? I’m not going to
criticize Abraham for waiting 24 years to have that Word fulfilled; no more so than I’d criticize you
or criticize myself. We have just never seen the greatness of the love and the patience and the
endurance and the tenderness of our God.
Here we’ve got Cornelius. The reason somebody didn’t hot-foot it over to Caesarea the day after
Cornelius first prayed about it, was because Cornelius could not have accepted it. That’s why you
never turn off on people when they walk out on you if you’ve held forth the Word. Because you
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never know how many years later that’s going to produce fruit. We’re in the business of planting and
watering. Quit stewing about the increase. If it happens 30 years from now, praise God. It’s got to
come back because the Word of God says it does not return void. Now don’t ask me to explain it. I
don’t know much more about it, except the Word says it doesn’t return void, and that’s good enough
for me. Sometimes I’ve seen and I’ve been knowledgeable of observing, after 10 or 15 years the
return of it. Other times I couldn’t lay my hand or my mind on anything that they could have done
would have been a blessing in response to that Word. But the Word says it doesn’t return void, and
that settles it.
Acts 10:5
Look at the specific information; Joppa, Simon, surname Peter.
Acts 10:6
“lodgeth” - is living
Joppa is about, I think, 35 miles southeast of Caesarea. I’ve often wondered why this centurion had
never heard of Peter to the end that he knew that he was in Joppa and lived there, if Peter served
there, as the Word seems to indicate (3 years), and being this hungry for God, as the Word indicates,
(thy prayers, thine alms). But God did get him informed. Revelation is always specific if we can just
sit it out; if we can just receive it; just take it easy on it. I believe sometimes the reason so many Way
people miss revelation is because if they get a little bit, they get so excited that they jump out of their
skin before it’s all over with. So then they miss it.
But look at the beauty: Simon, surname Peter, living with Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea
side. I asked the Bishop (Bishop K.C. Pillai) once why it said “Simon a tanner, whose house is by the
sea side” because of the location of Joppa. His house couldn’t have been any other place. It is
axiomatic that his house would have to be by the sea side. He gave this answer that has always stuck
in my little “IBM”: He said, “He could have been retired and grandpas train up the kids. When they
get older, they no longer do the work of tanning as the older father of the family, they move inside of
the city. He’d still be called Simon the tanner; like Judas Iscariot, like Henry the carpenter, John the
mason.” That’s what the Bishop said. I don’t know. I thought it was interesting. He told me this
happened in India. It was interesting that in India the tanning places we went to were all just like the
Word is here. They were all outside of the city limits, always just the opposite direction of the
prevailing winds. I doubt very much if they saw this in the Holy Land. I don’t know what’s holy
about the place, but they call it that (always fighting – sound like church members). One of the
reasons I don’t get as excited about the Holy Land; I’ve been there a couple of times of course, that’s
a good reason for not getting excited, I guess. If you’ve once been there, then you don’t get so
excited. So much of it is counterfeit. But the land is still there. If you know your historical geography
and you know the Word, you can get pretty near to the great places where Jesus physically walked
and taught and talked to people. That, of course, is electrifying. No question about it. If you still want
to see some of these same orientalisms, you’ve got to get into the interior part of India. It’s still there.
How many years it’ll be there yet, I don’t know. Up until the first World War, pretty much about 20
years before the first World War, (that would bring it back to nineteen hundred and some), the
Palestine area was still quite intact where you could see these things going on. But today it’s not
there. They no longer have Simon the tanner by the sea side. They’ve got big factories and American
money.
Acts 10:7-8
“he had declared all these things unto them” - Why did he do this? I think the revelation told him to.
There would be no reason for Cornelius telling them anything, except to say, “Go fetch Peter.” Then
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why did he explain it to them? It can only be revelation because he was a centurion; he was like a
captain in the army. He didn’t have to explain to the buck private why he went to the mess hall. So
the only thing I can see in here is revelation.
“sent them to Joppa” - Literally again carrying out the Word of God, and literally carrying it out
immediately after the revelation. He didn’t wait two weeks and say, “Well, I’ll think about it.”
Acts 10:9
“went” - continued.
How far can you walk in one day? Well, they could have walked it twice then, because it’s only 35
miles.
“drew nigh” – were coming close
“sixth hour” - 12 noon
Acts 10:10
“became very hungry” - Peter’s just like some of you guys. He became very hungry. Isn’t the Word
of God cute? Things like that in the Word of God. I love that Word because God is so tender. He’s so
beautiful. You know He’s just so neat. He tells a little thing like, Peter got hungry. “Very hungry” He
says! He most likely smelled what was frying downstairs and his saliva began to increase. If I were
writing the Word, I wouldn’t put silly things like that in it. I’d just put “great truth” in it. But God
and holy men of God as they spake just put these things in because that’s God relating to His people.
“Became very hungry and would’ve eaten, but, you know, Mrs. Tanner didn’t have the food ready
yet!”
“trance” - vision (verse 17). The spiritualists never read 17, they just read verse 10, because then
they can talk about their “trance.” But that’s not at all in here. Revelation can come to you (and it
does so many times) in what I refer to as a dormant state of mental activity- -where you are not
working on anything and yet your mind is real agile, real sharp, real alive, keen. That’s what we have
many times in revelation. That’s what happened here.
Another thing that intrigues me about the greatness of the Word is that it did not stop the revelation
just because he was hungry and smelled the food. The big thing I see in here is how he got his mind
into a dormant state, being so hungry. He must have had a renewed mind or something. Just hungry
and he just turned it off and sat there and thought about the greatness of God and boy, there it was,
the vision.
Acts 10:11
“as it had been a great sheet” - as if it had been; it wasn’t literally a great sheet
“to” – all the way to
Acts 10:12-13
“there came a voice” - he not only saw it, but he heard it
Acts 10:14
“common” - defiled
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I told you that God had been preparing Peter all along. Now look at this continued preparation. He
had Peter all the way through Samaria, all that experience at Joppa, all the time with the other
references (records in Acts 8 and 9). But now he’s got to bring him to the place where he puts the
cream on the top of it. He does that by giving him a vision of a sheet let down in which there are all
kinds of animals that you’re not supposed to eat. The Lord said, “Kill and eat.”
Acts 10:15
“common” - defiled
Acts 10:16
“This was done thrice” - I wonder if they get the Trinity out of that.
Acts 10:17
“doubted” - questioned deeply within himself
Look back up here, what did Peter say in verse 14? He never ate anything defiled or unclean. The
voice spake unto him again a second time and then it did it once more. He never answered Peter’s
question. Why? Because God already knew that the men would be standing at the gate. He was going
to get it answered that way. Do you see that? Earlier in revelation, God talks directly back to the
man--gives him the answer. Over here God doesn’t give him the answer. Because he’s going to get
his answer from the men standing at the gate. So, you see how revelation can work; information can
come? You know, the Lord might be showing you something sometime and the next person you run
into says, “You know, I think we ought to go to McDonalds.” That would be the answer to the
revelation. While Peter said, “Well, how’s come he didn’t tell me? I told him I’ve never eaten
anything defiled or unclean. How’s come he didn’t answer it?”
Acts 10:18
“called” - What did they call? They said “Peter! Simon Peter!” Because they didn’t have a door to
knock on, so they stood outside the gate and called the name.
Acts 10:19
“While Peter thought” - How come Peter didn’t hear that calling? He had renewed mind, disciplined
stayed mind. He was so excited about the revelation coming, the greatness of it. That’s why it said he
was still thinking about it. They’d already yelled “Peter!” He didn’t hear anything, because he was
still thinking what the vision meant. It had to be God who shook him. The Spirit said unto him “Man!
Wake up! Three men seek thee!” And then he heard them.
Act s 10:20
Boy, oh boy! You talk about specific instruction; laying something on the line. How’s that? Is the
Word of God revelation? How about the specific instruction and laying it on the line? If people won’t
accept the specific instruction and laying on the line in the written Word, no wonder they freak if
God ever audibly talked to them. They won’t even believe what’s written right in front of them. You
see why people get so shook today? God just said, “Look! Get up and go Peter! And don’t you doubt
anything.” Because he’d just three times shown him “that which I have cleansed, don’t you call
unclean or defiled.”
Acts 10:21
“what is the cause wherefore ye are come?” - God had not told him what he wanted him to do. God
had only told him “Get going! and doubt nothing.” So he gets the balance of what he needs to know
from the individuals who have come to see him.
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Acts 10:22-23
“called he them in, and lodged them” - That’s sure nice that Peter had the privilege in the house of
Simon the Tanner to invite all the guests that came and said “Come on in and make yourself at home
in Simon’s house.” I think that’s nice. It reminds me of last week when I was in Maine. I stayed with
Senator Gahagan and his wife Linda. The first afternoon, we had dinner and the Senator and Linda
and I were talking for a minute. She just said “Well, any meetings you want to hold, anything you
want to do, the house is yours.” I thought of this when I read about Peter in the house of Simon the
Tanner. Simon must have said “Look, Peter, anything you want to do, the house is yours.” So, Peter
just invites everybody in, keeps them overnight and most likely had hamburgers and 7up before they
went to bed.
“certain brethren” - in Acts 11:12 it tells you there were six of them. I wonder why he took them
along. Revelation. He was not going to get his neck in the noose for going to the house of Cornelius.
For when those Jews who are still zealous for the law, back in Jerusalem, even thought they were
Christian, they were still zealous for keeping the law. And when he gets “called on the carpet,” God
has so prepared Peter and given him this revelation, that he’s got his witnesses right with him. Isn’t
that beautiful? They’re not going to hang old Peter when he gets back to Jerusalem. He’s going to
have six witnesses that are going to tell it the same as he’s going to tell it. They’re going to be of one
mind and of one spirit in the declaration of it. I love that.
Acts 9:24
“waited” - was waiting. Look at the believing of that man. He had sent them over after Peter, and he
didn’t have one iota of a doubt but that Peter would be coming with his men. So he got the house all
set for the twig meeting. He had his chairs all arranged, his songbooks out, had the ventilation set
properly, the lights set properly, everything in order for the Twig meeting.
“near friends” - It said earlier that he was a centurion of the band called the Italian. He was head of
that, but he had a lot of other influence. And so he brought these people together and they were
waiting.
Acts 10:25
That’s another great orientalism. To fall down at a man’s feet in that day would approximate your
today standing when a man of God or a teacher of God walks into your presence. What we in our
culture do by standing, they did by falling flat on their faces. That does not mean that Cornelius
thought Peter was God; that he worshipped him. He didn’t worship him as God. The word worship is
respect. You know, that’s what the word “worship” means--adoration, thankfulness, love and
tenderness. The Pentecostals use this “fell down at his feet, and worshipped him” in the context of
slain in the spirit. That’s a bunch of baloney.
Acts 10:26
“took him up” - simply means Peter reached down and he took him up, saying “Stand up. I myself
also am a man.” I love that. Not that Peter objected to the recognition, but he simply said “Come on,
get up. I’m just a man. Let’s get into it.” I said to you tonight “Look, we can’t clap all night. Let’s sit
down and go to work.” In our culture that’s the same. I don’t know why people get so strung out on
the simplicity of God’s Word. All you have to do is understand culture a little bit. You see, today in
the occidental world we shake hands but in the eastern world they always hug. Maybe that’s why in
The Way Ministry we hug. We got sort of Eastern customs and we like it. Cold hand shake. That’s
Western, because while you’re shaking hands with a fellow they used to watch that he didn’t draw a
knife on him. That’s why they started shaking hands. They couldn’t afford to get close enough in the
West for fear the guy’d reach around, hug you and run a knife in your back. That’s why they started
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shaking hands in the West. In the East they always hug. And then in some cultures they kiss on both
cheeks. They kiss you on one cheek and then they kiss you on the other. I think the Russians still do
that, and the Swedish – and what? The French, I like the French. Well, in Bible days they just fall
down and worship. When I went to that Jain convention in India and the leader of the group was
there, when he would walk out of his dwelling place and then he’d walk through the tent toward the
front of the auditorium as we would call it or the tent, they had a place built for him on a tent pole.
On the tent pole they had built him sort of like a four by eight and then they would lift him up on
that. They had a blanket or quilt like on top of it; a real fancy trip--gold embroidery, real neat. Then
he’d sit up on there cross-legged with his arms folded, typical Eastern, and when he would walk in,
everybody that was standing within, like all of you kids here, the first three or four of you would just
quickly swing around and you just fall flat on your face and reach your hands out as far as you could
go. And they were just believing that they could touch the hem of his garment or that he’d step on
their fingers because he was considered to be an Indian holy man and that was just to worship him.
That was respect, admiration. And the same when he crawled off of that seat; when the lectures or
the sessions would be over with, the moment he’d start walking out, the people would just start
falling, you know like maybe the first six rows would drop right now and then the next six, just like
waves all the way through it. The distance he walked was about three times the distance from where
I’m seated from here to the back door, and the people were all just flat on their faces. That’s why this
thing is an orientalism. It’s beautiful. It was just for respect, for admiration.
Acts 10:27
“as he talked with him” - I wonder what they talked about. I’m sure they didn’t talk about the
revelation because that comes up later. I wonder what they talked about. I really don’t know but it
must have been exciting. I have an idea they could have talked about what God said to Peter on the
housetop, “And go with them nothing doubting” and a few other things.
“many that were come together” - You see Peter didn’t have to get there and put on an advertising
campaign to get people to come; get the Emporia Gazette to publish it; get the local TV stations to
say, “Peter’s coming to town, we gonna have a ‘reeevival’.” No! That’s what we have to do today
you know. ‘Ol Billy’s got to get all the local cooperation. Then we buy the newspaper time or they
donate it. Then we buy TV time; everything to get a revival. That’s all a bunch of baloney. When
people walk and the revelation’s there and they walk according to the revelation, things begin to
happen. And old Cornelius walked. So here he was getting all his people together. When Peter gets
there he doesn’t have to wait. The ‘Corps’ is intact, ready to roll. The ‘Twig’ is all there.
Acts 10:28
“to keep company” - to fraternize
“one of another nation” - referring to Gentiles
“God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean.” - Earlier he didn’t show
him a man. He showed him food and via the process of food God taught him to think the same way
about a man. Not to call any man defiled or unclean.
Acts 10:29
“without gainsaying” - without arguing about it or anything else. Peter came pronto, right away,
boom’s-quick, now.
“I ask therefore for what intent you have sent for me”- Cornelius had told those two servants and the
soldier everything but they never communicated that to Peter. Because Peter comes all the way down
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to the household of Cornelius and he says, “Hey, just why have you sent for me? Where can I really
help you?” Those two men and that soldier had told Peter enough but they didn’t tell him everything.
And things that Peter needed to know and wanted to know he asks of Cornelius when he gets there.
You know, sometimes when you’re working with people and you’ re ministering to them and
believing with them, the revelation is to ask them what’s wrong with them. I just say the opposite in
the Foundational Class of what I’ve just told you. There I laugh about writing names out, and they
got liver trouble and they write it out but I don’t tell them everything I know. I just know that
sometimes revelation is “ask the fellow, ‘what’s the matter?’” God would know you had a diseased
kidney and He could tell you but if you know and you’re right on and if God doesn’t tell me then if I
ask you, you could say, “I got flat feet.” Then God wouldn’t have had to tell me because you’re
telling me, right? That’s what occurred. It’s so beautiful to me, so simple, so easy. Then Cornelius
tells him about what happened.
Acts 10:30
a man” - earlier it told us it was an angel that looked like a man
“stood before me” - he didn’t sit down, he stood. That’s something; ready for action.
“in bright clothing” - reminds me of the transfiguration record. (Matthew 17:2, Mark 9:3 & Luke
9:29)
Acts 10:31
“are had in remembrance” - earlier it said memorial. (verse 4) I told you God just thought about it, it
came to His remembrance; in the sight of God.
Acts 10:32-33
immediately” - look at his action on the Word.
“before God” - isn’t that something? His Twig meeting, the people were present before God. He had
to be a devout, God-fearing, loving person. You ever think of your Twig being present before God?
“To hear all things that are commanded thee of God.” - Boy, what a fantastic thing. If people would
demand this today in their churches, it would sure be interesting, wouldn’t it? He didn’t say, “Tell us
about the social problems, and ecology. Give us a lecture on science.” He said, “I want to hear only
one thing - all things that are commanded thee of God. What does God have to say? What is God’s
Word for us?” Imagine, gathering a group like that and they saying that to a man. The Corps is much
like this. I imagine you get so at times you can hardly wait for the Corps meeting to start. Because all
you want to hear is the Word. You want to hear, what does God have to say to me. What is God’s
Word to me? That’s what’s great about the Corps, among a million other things. Golly. Really,
you’re not here in the Corps to hear what I know about science. We could spell that one out in three
seconds. Or ecology, no. You’re in the Corps because of the Word, the Word; you want to know the
Word. You want to know what God has to say from His Word. It must have inspired Peter, because
he opened his mouth.
Acts 10:34
“God is no respecter of persons” - God is a respecter of conditions, but He’s never a respecter of
persons.
Acts 10:35
“accepted” - open, available. God had already wanted this, as far as God is concerned, on the day of
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Pentecost. Because He had said to them (Acts 1:8), “Ye shall receive power when that pneuma
hagion is come upon you and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, Judaea, Samaria, and
the uttermost part of the earth.” Then Peter said (Acts 2:38), “Repent and be baptized every one of
you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of sins and ye shall lambano the gift of pneuma
hagion for the promise is unto you and to your children and to all who are afar off even as many as
the Lord our God shall call.” He said all this but Peter’s head couldn’t receive it. Isn’t that
something? In John 14:26 (Dr. says John 14:27) - same type of thing. It was already available on the
day of Pentecost, then why did it not occur until so many years later? Fifteen, eighteen, twenty years
maybe, after the outpouring on the day of Pentecost, that finally the Gentiles get involved. Because
man did not believe; he didn’t get around to believing it until this time. So God had to wait all those
years for things to come to pass that He already made available on the day of Pentecost. And in order
to bring it to pass He had to just patiently put up with Peter all through those years, get him down to
Samaria to minister the holy spirit and a few other things, get him to visit the churches, get him
headed toward Joppa and these other places, and just soften him up. Finally get him up on a housetop
and put the final touches on it. Then over here, first thing Peter says, “By golly, God’s no respecter of
persons.” You know, most people in Christian churches still don’t know this, because most of them
are still respecters of persons. I suppose a lot of things have changed too. We were someplace, three
or four years ago. We went in to eat someplace and Claudette (African-American girl) was not
welcome. So I just jumped up and down, raised hell, shouted loud and walked out, and I told them I
wish the damn place would burn. I was so mad. I wouldn’t eat in that place if I was starving to death.
“Respecter of persons.” Isn’t it a crazy world we live in? Then when I was in India, Indian people
had “respecter of persons.” If you happen to be the offspring of a British soldier and an Indian lady,
you could not get a job in India. We’re going to have a girl in the Corps next year from Malaysia.
She can’t get a job in Malaysia because her father is Indian and her mother is Malaysian. Isn’t it
funny, people? “Respecter of persons.” It’s a great day when you learn that God is no respecter of
persons, and you aren’t either. But you are a respecter of conditions as God is.
Acts 10:36-38
“the Holy Ghost” – pneuma hagion
“God anointed Jesus” - Had Jesus been God would God have needed to anoint him? Why is it they
can’t see this stuff? It must be because Satan has blinded their eyes and they refuse to see it; become
so acclimatized to error that your eyes are so blind, you can read this stuff and never see it. If God
anointed Jesus, then Jesus could not have been God. The anointing is the giving of the holy spirit; put
it on him when he was baptized by John.
“healing all” - without distinction
“oppressed of the Devil” - so oppression comes from who? The Devil, that’s right.
“God was with him” - that couldn’t say that if he was God. It says God was with him.
Acts 10:39
“Jews” - Judeans
Acts 10:40
“shewed him openly” - that means people saw him
Acts 10:41
“eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead” – Isn’t it nice to know that?
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Acts 10:42
“the Judge of quick and dead” – the living and the dead - not now, but at the resurrection
Acts 10:43
“his name” - Jesus of Nazareth whom God raised
“whosoever”- without exception
“receive remission of sins” – lambanō - that’s a real interesting usage of the word lambanō. It is the
witnessing of what God has done for you in the remission of sins that’s the lambanō-ing. To tell that
God saved you; God redeemed you; God made you whole; He took you out of your cesspool of sin
and iniquity; set you on your high places. That’s the lambanō-ing, plus the manifestations that we’re
going to see.
Here he is teaching his heart out and I’m sure he taught a great deal more than is written, but this is
written that you may know. He taught a great deal more but the greatness that he taught was the
resurrection. That’s why Christianity is built upon the resurrection. I gave the cross away today.
(The cross that had been on the top of the Chapel at The Way College of Emporia) I gave it to the
First Christian Church in Emporia. They need a cross; that’s what they believe in, we’ve got one to
give, so we gave it to them. They were going to buy one anyway. They need one because that’s what
they believe in. It doesn’t hurt my spirituality. I got sort of a thrill out of doing it. That’s where their
believing is and you can’t go beyond people’s believing. I got real blessed, because in my heart I
believe God’s going to bless us back for doing it because that’s where their believing is. And if we
never get blessed back, I got blessed for the privilege of giving it to them. I gave it to them in the
behalf of the board of trustees of the Way International and The Way College of Emporia. Isn’t that
wonderful; that you have this love for people and no hang-up along this line? To have it in your heart
to give it away without any resentment or bitterness and you know that we know that the cross is not
central. The resurrection is at the center of Christianity and the only way you’ll ever know
Christianity is with the open Word. I don’t know how to put a tomb on top of the steeple. If I could
put the tomb up there and roll the stone away 50 feet and hang it out there, that I would appreciate.
The only other thing I could ever appreciate, really, up on top would either be the symbol of the holy
spirit which is the dove or the open book. That is Christianity. To know God’s will you have to know
His Word and the power of the holy spirit of course (the administration, the one we live in, the
Church). It’s not in the cross, which is the symbol of death. The open tomb is the resurrection and the
Word is the light to everything God wrought in Christ for us.
Acts 10:44
“While Peter yet spake” - he got his sermon interrupted; never got to pronounce the benediction and
shake hands at the door.
“heard” - heard to the end of believing it. While he was preaching they believed it, so he must have
taught some things about receiving that are not written in the Word.
Acts 10:45
“they of the circumcision which believed” - the six (Acts 11:12)
“were astonished” - I can understand why they were astonished because Peter had perhaps not
communicated everything to them and they were not as far along in their understanding as Peter was.
“also” - the key is also
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“poured out” - not poured in but poured out, and the poured out means the overflowing; the
manifestation. That’s what shook them. And it’s off of this verse here that the Pentecostals have
taken the idea that anytime you’re inspired, if anything happened in a meeting, you can stand up and
speak in tongues anytime you want to. If I’d be teaching you could all stand up and speak in tongues
any time you want to. That’s what they take from these verses.
Acts 10:46
“they heard them speak with tongues” - Peter and those six brethren, and especially those six
brethren, you could have told them that they were born again of God’s spirit and they would have
laughed at you. They would have said, “Oh you ain’t kidding me, man; them, born again of God’s
spirit? They’re Gentiles! Sure they can serve God but let them become proselytes.” Oh, but he’s done
good works, given alms. They would have said, “Oh I don’t give a hoot about that. He can’t be born
again; Gentiles; can’t be.” There had to be a proof which is absolutely inviolate, you cannot
counterfeit the truth of it. It has to be so solid that there is absolutely nothing that could touch it. And
the Bible says “For they heard them speak with tongues.” There it is. Speaking in tongues is the
external manifestation in the senses world of the internal reality and presence of Christ in you, the
hope of glory; born again. That’s what convinced them. As you’ve heard me say, you could have
taken those Gentiles down to the creek and drowned them in water. That would have never
convinced those six brethren that they were born again. You could have baptized them in the name of
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, whoever goes down the fastest gets the most, anything else!
That would never have convinced them. What was it that convinced them? “For they heard them
speak with tongues.” Boy, you see how below par the Church has lived again? As a matter of fact, a
lot of the denominations thought that speaking in tongues was of the Devil. As a matter of fact, they
even investigate people who speak in tongues. Seems to me the investigation should have been the
other way. These six men and Peter really got blessed. They heard them speak with tongues and
magnify God.
Acts 10:47
That’s so beautiful. Old Peter got so hepped on this thing, so tremendously excited he said, “I think
that’s fantastic! Maybe we ought to water baptize them too.” Great logic; just to be sure.
“received” – lambanō-ed
“as well as we” – as well as we also. In verse 45, poured out and lambanō-ing in verse 47; identical
manifestations of what they had had years and years before in Jerusalem and then on down through
the years, even here were the Gentiles doing the same thing.
And Peter for one moment flipped back to the old man days, his denominational attachment, but he
caught himself before he went too far, because when he reports this in Acts 11:15-17, he says that he
remembered the Word of the Lord and couldn’t withstand God. So he never water treated them.
Acts 10:48
“commanded them” - what does that mean? He simply said, “Fellows, sorry I mentioned the water
trip, we don’t need it. Just what you’ve got, that’s it; “For they heard them speaking in tongues,
magnifying God.”
“tarry certain days” - he hung around a while. They must have had a lot of little twig meetings; talked
about the Word, the greatness of the power of God. Imagine Peter living there, having learned that