God’s Orchestration

Acts 11:12a (ESV) – And the Spirit told me to go

Sometimes God speaks to more than one person in more than one way to coordinate and confirm what he wants his people to do. Acts Chapters 10 and 11 describe one of those occasions twice. It leads to the salvation and Holy Spirit-filling of a Roman Centurion and his friends and becomes the evidence that God accepts Gentiles (non-Jewish people) without first obeying the outer works of the Old Testament Law.

1. An angel visited and spoke to Cornelius with specific instructions to send for Peter (Acts 10:3-6; 11:13-14). 
2. Peter became entranced, saw a vision, and heard an unnamed voice. The vision and initial instructions gave freedom to eat previously banned food but seemed to not directly address the issue of Gentiles. However, the final command, “What God has cleansed no longer consider unholy,” encompassed the food and the people and verified that God accepts all (Acts 10:10-16; 11:5-10).  
3. The Holy Spirit spoke to Peter and gave specific instructions to go with the men Cornelius sent (10:19-20; 11:12). 
4. The Gentiles present believed the message and were filled with the Holy Spirit with the physical evidence of speaking in languages they had not learned (10:44-46; 11:15).

Many of us who make Jesus our Lord are eager to do what he wants us to do and relish when we have such clear guidance from God but note how this incident is portrayed as exceptional rather than common. Yet, the message was critical to the early church and was initially misinterpreted by those not present. Each piece on its own might have been cause to question if God was really speaking, but the confirmation by all four incidents made it clear that God was in this. In fact, not only did this convince Peter and his friends in chapter 10 and the first group of skeptical Christian Jews in chapter 11, it was again key evidence several years later at the critical Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15.

Even today, God often confirms his direction for us both through other people and in otherwise explicable circumstances. (I Corinthians 14:29) This has happened many times in my own life. I share some of these in Making Big Decisions Wisely. Sometimes we can confuse our selfish personal desires with what we want to be God’s voice. Other times those claiming to speak for God to us may have ulterior motives. Yet, when several sources and incidents align in inexplicable ways, God’s confirmation brings clarity and confidence this is his message.

Let’s be open to God’s direction and let’s look for his confirmation that it is truly his direction.