Acts 10:34-43 Thinking Outside the Box

Acts 10:34-43 Thinking Outside the Box is a sermon about how Christians and the church can think differently in order to fulfill Christ’s mission.

Perhaps you have heard the expression: “think outside the box.” As a church, we need to start thinking outside the box. The reason is clear: in order to reach a new generation,  we need to think like them, and not like ourselves.

As I continue, I want to warn you that thinking outside the box will feel uncomfortable. You will want to resist this idea, and you will want to go back into the box. So get ready, God is going to use you this morning as we all start to think outside the box. First, let me illustrate how we think in the box.

THINKING INSIDE THE BOX ILLUSTRATION:

I will take this box here and start to throw things in it. These are things which we all think about when we think about church. Here I am going to throw in a hymnal. So we sing songs out of the hymnbook. Let’s throw in there the KJV Bible. Nothing wrong with this translation. It is just thinking inside the box. Let’s throw in a piano. Let’s throw in this brochure about the WMU. Let’s through in this brochure about an evangelist. Let’s through in these brochures about conferences from the Missouri Baptist Convention. Let’s through in the offering envelopes. Let’s throw in this Sunday School record. Let’s throw in this tote board showing all of our numbers. Do you see where I am going with this? Let’s throw in God’s Little Toy Box. Let’s throw in Safe House brochure. These last two things were “outside of the box” kind of thinking a decade ago. I am not saying we shouldn’t do them. I am just saying that for us, they are “inside the box.”

The problem is that we can’t reach new people if we keep doing the same thing we have always done. So what is it going to take to reach new people?

Say it together: THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX

What are the ingredients to thinking outside the box?

The first ingredient is VISION. 

Let’s look at the first verse:

“Then Peter began to speak: “Now I really understand that God doesn’t show favoritism,” (Acts 10:34, HCSB)

Peter starts by saying that he really understands that God doesn’t show favoritism. Where did he get this idea? God revealed it to him in a vision. God showed him a vision three times. If you read about it, God shows him a bunch of animals which were forbidden for Peter to eat. God says to kill and eat these animals. Peter declined three times. God said to Peter “Don’t call unclean what God has made clean” and then the vision ended. Peter didn’t get the vision at first.

“While Peter was deeply perplexed about what the vision he had seen might mean, the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having asked directions to Simon’s house, stood at the gate.” (Acts 10:17, HCSB)

So God brought the answer to him. The Holy Spirit tells Peter to go and meet Cornelius. After they meet, Peter gets it.

“Peter said to them, “You know it’s forbidden for a Jewish man to associate with or visit a foreigner. But God has shown me that I must not call any person common or unclean. That’s why I came without any objection when I was sent for. So I ask: Why did you send for me?”” (Acts 10:28–29, HCSB)

The vision drove the thinking. Peter learned that God doesn’t show favoritism. What does that mean?

“Then Peter began to speak: “Now I really understand that God doesn’t show favoritism,” (Acts 10:34, HCSB)

To show favoritism means to favor or keep with the same people, practices, customs, and ideas. In Peter’s context, he had to learn that sharing the good news was not just for Jews. Sharing the good news was for Gentiles as well.

Our problem is a local, cultural, and generational problem. We think that to “do church” we need to do it a certain way. We learned that we can change what that certain way is. We can adapt and do new things. But soon, those new things became traditional things and these traditional things aren’t enough to reach people.

Sometimes you need a new vision to reach a new group of people. A new vision drives the thinking. A new vision helps you to start thinking outside the box.

What is the vision? I have to reach new people. The vision is seeing what God sees. It is a picture of the end result. The end result is to reach new people. In our case, to reach the next two generations.

The second ingredient is THE MESSAGE. 

Peter takes time to repeat the message. The message is a message of peace, and has historical significance. God raised Jesus from the dead and He delivers people from the devil. The message delivers the people.

The vision drives the thinking. But the message delivers the people. You can have a great vision with great new ideas, but if you don’t have the right message, it won’t do any good. So you need a new vision that drives the thinking. You need the same message that delivers the people.

Notice the message and its contents:

“but in every nation the person who fears Him and does righteousness is acceptable to Him.” (Acts 10:35, HCSB)

So everyplace has people who “fear Him” and “does righteousness”. This is another way of saying FAITH and WORKS. You have to “fear Him” first, that means have faith. Then you “do righteousness.” or good works. Notice the order is that we have faith and then works. Even in this presentation of the Gospel message, Peter clearly shows the order.1

Once you have the vision and the message, then you have to start asking HOW? Asking HOW is part of the next two ingredients to thinking outside the box. We do two things to reach people. We preach and we testify.

The third ingredient is to PREACH. 

“He commanded us to preach to the people and to solemnly testify that He is the One appointed by God to be the Judge of the living and the dead.” (Acts 10:42, HCSB)

The question here is HOW DO WE PREACH TO REACH? The question is not whether to preach or not. We are commanded to preach. The question is how to preach to reach the people. Let me give you a couple of examples. In much earlier time, you have what I call “fire and brimstone” preaching. This was a type of preaching which appealed to folks because they were interested in what the preacher wanted to say. As time went one, the method had to change because people were not interested as much in that style. So starting in the 1970s, preachers were trying to reach the Baby Boomers, and life application was a big deal. Five different ways to do this. Ten different tips to help my marriage. It was and is a style of preaching that was a different way of preaching than before. Preferences change. Each new generation needs to hear the message in its own voice. By that I mean that you have to speak to people in a way which they can understand.

To preach the message (from kerysso in the Greek) means to announce or proclaim. How do you announce something today? Today you use technology to help you. The medium is the message as one philosopher stated. The problem is that we are still using a medium that has been used for centuries. I stand up here and I proclaim to you something you need to hear. The problem with that method is that today’s culture desires participation. They have problems with authority. They want to participate in a conversation. Don’t preach at me, but preach with me. Get me involved. So I have learned that in any case I can, I will insert some kind of participation. It can be testimony, Lord’s Supper, prayer activity, sharing time, or a question and answer session.

But here on Sunday morning is not the only time we preach. We preach the good news of Jesus all the time. We do it when we post on Facebook. We do it when we talk to other people. We do it at our jobs. How am I going to preach to reach? Think of it this way? How are going to reach your children and grandchildren? One way is for you to send a text message. How many of you have a cell phone which you can send a text message? Raise your hands. Show me your phones. Why don’t you take it out right now and post a message. Let’s do that now.

ILLUSTRATION: TEXT YOUR WAY TO REACH

Here is the question: How do you preach to reach? Text it to ***-****. Go ahead and text it right now. Give me your ideas. What can we do during the worship service to reach people? I will share with you how others here think we can reach other people.

SHARE THE IDEAS FROM THE TEXT MESSAGES

So in order to think outside the box, we need vision, the message, and to preach.

The fourth ingredient is to TESTIFY. 

“He commanded us to preach to the people and to solemnly testify that He is the One appointed by God to be the Judge of the living and the dead.” (Acts 10:42, HCSB)

The question here is HOW DO WE TESTIFY TO GET A HEARING? The word used here (diamartyromai) means to “make a declaration based upon personal knowledge. So we see here that this is different than preaching. Preaching is sharing the message as absolute truth. Testifying is sharing the message as personal truth. There is a big difference. There is a forum in which to share absolute truth. It is the worship service as we read God’s Word. However, there is a time in which we share personal truth.

I would argue that sharing absolute truth won’t get people in the door anymore. I have nothing against evangelists. However, if the only thing we schedule to reach people are evangelists, it gets church people, but not unbelievers anymore. Just preaching absolute truth as the doorway to Christianity in this way is thinking inside the box. When you look here at this passage, Peter is sharing the absolute truth (what Christ did for us). However, he is couching it in personal truth language:

“We ourselves are witnesses of everything He did in both the Judean country and in Jerusalem, yet they killed Him by hanging Him on a tree. God raised up this man on the third day and permitted Him to be seen, not by all the people, but by us, witnesses appointed beforehand by God, who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead.” (Acts 10:39–41, HCSB)

Peter is testifying about what he saw. The “outside the box” thinking for him was the audience. Instead of sharing what he saw with people who were like him – Jews, Peter starts to testify with people who are not like him – Gentiles.

If we are going to reach a new group of people, we need to quit testifying around the people we know all the time. We are going to have to start testifying with new people. You know, there are many churches in this area which just have transition growth. That means church hoppers. If we are going to reach the next generation, we may need to start testifying differently to different groups of people.

When my dad came to pastor this church, this church started sharing testimonies in the newspaper. I would suggest that we sharing testimonies online. The newspaper is easier because you can post a photo and a quote. Posting online means you are going to have to talk.

ILLUSTRATION: GIVE YOUR VIDEO TESTIMONY

So here is another challenge to you. How many of you have video capability on your phone? The most spoken new word last year was “selfie.” Why don’t we take that and make a “selfie” testimony. Take a video of yourself and give a brief (less than 3 minutes) testimony. Send it to me and we can post it on the church’s website as well as the Facebook page. Burn it on a CD and we will share it next week.

ILLUSTRATION: BRAINSTORMING IDEAS

Is this the only way of thinking “outside the box?” No. So lastly, I want you to take the card which I have given you and I want you to write any idea you have. When you write it, quit thinking about the way you have done things before. Think like your kids or grandkids. Start with this question: “What is something I think we can do as a church to reach people which we would never done, but I thought we should do?” Put it another way: “Something I wanted to do but I knew the church would say no.” Put that idea down. That is thinking outside the box.

Let me give you three examples:

Example #1 – Mozark Fellowship Missions Bingo

Someone at Mozark suggested that we have Bingo Night and use that to raise money for missions. I thought it was a great idea. The older ladies would probably enjoy bingo night. Have a dinner and play bingo. Collect the winnings and give it to missions. We didn’t do it because here at the sponsoring church, I thought people would have had serious problems with the idea. In hindsight, I think it would have worked. I know it would work now.

I know what you are thinking. “We can’t do that. That’s gambling.” If you just thought that, then you were thinking in the box. Bingo is not gambling if you give the winnings to missions. Bingo is just a game. If you have a problem with this idea, then you are going to have a problem thinking outside the box. Now, not every idea that is “outside the box” is feasible. In this case, too many people may not be able to think “outside the box” enough to let this happen. There may be too many barriers. But I want you to know something about this. The stumbling block in this case is us, not the people we are trying to reach. We get too hung up on tradition that we can’t see the possibilities which God can do. This was Peter’s problem. Notice what happens after this encounter with Peter and the house of Cornelius. God shows up:

“While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came down on all those who heard the message.” (Acts 10:44, HCSB)

Sometimes, we can prevent the Holy Spirit from working in the lives of unbelievers because we can’t think “outside the box.” So let me end with two more examples.

Example #2 – Extreme Weekend

A couple of weeks ago we had Extreme Weekend here at Washburn. The original plan was to raise $100 per person and send them off to Branson. The problem with that is first, it was thinking in the box, and second, it cost too much. Only a few people would be able to go. So someone here got some people together and started thinking outside the box. Let’s get some t-shirts, and let’s have our own Extreme Weekend. It was a success. It was an example of taking the resources which God has given us, and thinking outside the box.

Example #3 – Sportsman Banquet

I have printed 400 tickets. They have a value on them. I am asking you to take one for yourself and give one out. On February 22nd, a special guest will come to speak to the men and women using sportsman language. This is reaching a different group of people (Gentiles) with a personal testimony and then the message. It is thinking outside the box for us. It may not be thinking outside the box enough. However, we have to keep working at this.

Are you ready to think “outside the box” to reach the next generation. Join me and we will make this year the year we did whatever it took to reach people.

1. This distinction between “fear Him” and “does righteousness” came from this podcast: “Pulpit Fiction: Episode 45 – Baptismarrific or Baptism of Christ A” http://www.pulpitfiction.us/2/post/2014/01/ep-45baptismarrific-or-baptism-of-christ-a.html Accessed on 11 January 2014.