Truth

The news traveled fast and soon reached the apostles and the believers living in Judea that non-Jewish people were also receiving God’s message of new life. When Peter finally arrived in Jerusalem, the Jewish believers called him to task, saying, “Why did you stay in the home of people who aren’t Jewish? You even ate your meals with them!” Peter explained what had happened, saying, “One day when I was in the city of Joppa, while I was praying I fell into an ecstatic trance and I went into another realm. I saw in a vision something like a linen tablecloth descending out of heaven, being let down by its four corners, and it got close to me. As I examined it I saw many four-footed animals, wild animals, reptiles, and wild birds. Then I heard a voice say to me, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat them.’ “I said, ‘I can’t do that, Lord! For I’ve never eaten anything that is forbidden or impure according to our Jewish laws.’ “The voice spoke to me again, saying, ‘Nothing is unclean if God declares it to be clean.’ Acts 11:1-9 TPT

I encourage you to read Acts 11 with prayer and ears opened to it’s teachings, Peter heard God’s voice instructing him..... and God wasn’t telling him to go hunt for food- remember the history of the times, the Old Testament had many rules and laws regarding unclean animals, unclean food sources, clean and unclean rituals- the vision Peter had wasn’t about actual food we ingest but the mental barriers we feed on - think about this section in Acts- 

God was about to send Cornelius an unclean gentile to Peter!

So maybe when God said get up and kill and eat He was instead teaching Peter to kill his categories! Take down his barriers! Remove Labels! 

Acts 11:13-18 TPT He shared with us about the angel who appeared to him and told him to send messengers to Joppa to find Simon, the Rock. The angel had told him, ‘He will tell you and your family the message of how you can be saved!’ “Shortly after I began to speak, Holy Spirit was poured out upon them, just like what happened to us at the beginning. And I remembered the words the Lord had told us: ‘John immersed you in water, but you will be immersed in Holy Spirit.’ So I concluded that if God is pleased to give them the same gift of the Holy Spirit that He gave us after they believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who am I to stand in the way of God?” When they heard this, their objections were put to rest and they all glorified God, saying, “Look what God has done! He’s giving the gift of repentance that leads to life to people who aren’t even Jews.”

We can’t categorize or label people- that is God’s job - compartmentalizing Gods people with eyes on self instead of Gods truth in the verse.... unravels unity in the body of Christ, the church - God uses people we don’t know we don’t like we don’t understand to grow us up and mature us and most importantly to share the Gospel, to share Jesus Christ’s teachings, to share His plan for salvation! 

Let’s redefine revival - bring back the truth of God! 

Ephesians 6:14 TPT Put on truth as a belt to strengthen you to stand in triumph. Put on holiness as the protective armor that covers your heart. 

Truth is anything that agrees with what God has said in the Bible and what God has created. 

God’s truth is cut and dried, black and white, and it does not change. And yet  how can something so static and immovable bring up waves of emotion, both positive and negative?

The truth can bring order to chaos. It can settle long standing arguments and it can set you free from the bonds of deception. The truth can also be viewed as harsh because there is no room for compromise or negotiation. 

And while truth can be painful to accept my friends, remember when facing it that you are loved by Jesus. You were created with a purpose. There is nothing you do or say that can disqualify you from God’s mercy and love unless you choose to remain separated from Him.