Incredible things happen when people step OUT of their comfort zone. We ask a future spouse out on a first date. We enter a career because of a class that stretched us in college. We start a business based on a crazy idea. Churches get planted and people get changed!
The book of Acts is the amazing story about how God was doing just that in the early church.
Yesterday I preached the second part of Called Out Of Our Comfort Zone. HERE‘s the link to part one. And if you subscribe to our YouTube page you’ll get the sermons as soon as they’re up.
Below are the sermon notes:
Let’s pick up the story in Acts 10, and listen to what God has to say to us about getting out of our comfort zones…
Acts 10:23-33 Peter Arrives To Visit Cornelius
Uncomfortable way to start the visit! But Peter was firm, not allowing himself to be praised, but just an equal man.
It was an uncomfortable visit for Peter. Everything he had grown up believing about Gentiles was being questioned.
Of this passage one commentator said, “There is nothing more binding on the average person than social custom.” Social customs are actions, behaviors, and standards that are shared and expected of a particular culture.
Think about how strong social customs are…
- The way we dress, view love, dating and success
- Happy hour after work, bar scene for young professionals
- Ultra-sexualized culture
- Image for young people… and adults
- On and on and on
It was the social, or religious custom of food that was the problem for Peter. Gentiles ate food that was unclean to the Jews and didn’t clean their utensils as the Jews did, therefore, to the Jews the Gentiles were themselves unclean.
But God appeared to Peter in that strange vision with the sheet (10:9ff)… telling him that all food is clean! It’s not food that makes a person unclean. it’s not the social or religious customs that really matter to God… it’s the heart of people! And our willingness or unwillingness to get outsize our comfort zone for the sake of others says a lot about our hearts!
When Peter took that first step he had no idea what was going to happen. But seeing miracles happen and people restored takes a first step!
This happens all the time… ever hear or read just what you needed when you needed it… from a book (Ex. “don’t need to be perfect parent, just a good parents to raise a great kid”)… sermon, or even something random on Facebook or IG. God uses all kinds of channels to speak to people, we just need to be willing to step out of our comfort zone and let God use us.
Peter and Cornelius did just that, and the impact has rippled throughout the last 2000 years. Check out what Peter had to say…
Acts 10:34-43 Peter To Cornelius
Since God deals with ALL PEOPLE equally, we also ought to treat ALL PEOPLE equally… there is no room in God’s Kingdom for prejudice or discrimination based on ethnicity or any other reason for that matter.
Peter kept the message simple and Jesus-centered, something we can all do…
“We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem.They killed him by hanging him on a cross, 40 but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41 He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
This is Good News! There might be someone here this morning that needed to hear this, especially the part about forgiveness! Yes, ALL your sin can be forgiven through the name of Jesus!!!
Acts 10:44-48 The Holy Spirit & The Next Step
This was important validation that the wall between Jews and Gentiles was torn down! God was accepting the Gentiles as equal children in His family with all the rights and privileges that his other children have.
God was not done calling Peter out of his comfort zone. This story spread quickly…
Acts 11:1-3 Peter’s Explanation
When we do things outside our comfort zone it usually makes other people uncomfortable too. Start talking about Jesus in places people don’t talk about Him… make changes in your life that don’t make sense, cause others to feel convicted… CRITICISM may come!
Acts 11:4-17 Peter Told The Whole Story
Peter told them the whole story about his comfortable call to Cornelius’ house.
God uses people who are willing to step outside their comfort zone… willing to be a witness and share the Good News of Jesus in word and deed. Only God knows the impact, and at times we won’t see the fruit, we’ll be mocked for following Jesus. But when we speak and act with GRACE and TRUTH the impact is often significant! Notice how this story ends…
11:18 The Verdict
When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.”
God is calling us out of our comfort zone…
- Not to make our lives harder… although it’s easier to stay comfortable
- Not to frustrate and keep us from enjoying the “good life!”
- He calls us OUT for the sake of others… Ed’s paraphrase of Romans 10… “How can they hear if someone doesn’t GO OUT!”
- God is not calling us all OUT to the same people… we have different SHAPE’s… we have different and unique neighborhoods and networks
- But we are ALL SENT OUT
Peter was willing to take a step… each time he stepped OUT, God used him and then called him to take another step… and the world was turned upside down!
We might not turn the world upside down, but God is calling us OUT, to join Him and the RESTORATION He is bringing to Gaithersburg, MoCo, and all the neighborhoods and networks we represent.
I love all kinds of music… (with 1 or 2 acceptions), but there is something about the ability of Hip Hop to tell stories with great detail in a short amount of time. One of my current favorite artists is Andy Mineo, and there’s a song that literally gets me teared up every time I hear it. It might make you a bit uncomfortable, but that’s OK, God is calling us OUT of our COMFORT ZONES! Listen/Read to the lyrics of Andy’s song “Wild Things” on his Heroes for Sale album…
CONCLUSION
What step OUTside your Comfort Zone is God calling you to take?
It’s going to be different for all of us, but remember,
Let’s live FOR our community and world, doing what we do as means to and end… so that others can be RESTORED for the glory of God!
Take a moment right now and ask God to give you COURAGE and willingness to step outside your comfort zone for the sake of others THIS WEEK …
I gave THREE steps for our church to take… apply this as it fits to your context…
1. PRAY
- Begin with prayer: ask God to open doors to personally invite 3 people our Easter Brunch and service THIS WEEK! [or to your Easter Service]
2. INVITE
- As God gives you opportunities, simply INVITE people.
- I’m praying for every person here to personally invite 3 people to join us for Easter, and for 25+ first time guests to be here for Easter!
- For those on FB the RC page has the Easter event, invite others & share the event on your page if possible
3. REPEAT
God is at work bringing RESTORATION to and through us! He’s simply calling us to be His witnesses, willing to TAKE A STEP outside our comfort zones for the sake of others who need RESTORATION!