In and Out of God’s Way

During the month of May, we are hanging out in the book of Acts or “The Acts of the Apostles,” exploring the early days and development of the church.  This week’s text is the second part of a larger portion of text that begins in Chapter 10.  (Take a peek, beginning at Acts 10:1 if you want to see the bigger picture!)  In Chapter 10, Peter had a dream and then a mind-boggling, earth-shaking experience with a man named Cornelius, a gentile centurion.  His world was turned upside down when he realized the Holy Spirit was pushing and expanding the boundaries of their faith community in order to include those who had previously been adversaries.  Our text picks up at the point where Peter arrives back home and is confronted by the cross-armed, brow-furrowing critics and questioners.  “What were you doing with THOSE people?”  Join us as Peter offers his defense, recounts his experience and shares a powerful story of conversion.  But whose conversion is it?  Cornelius?  Or Peter?  And how might the Holy Spirit’s work of conversion still be underway?