Unfortunately the Christian church throughout history has been one of the main proponents of prejudice, racism, and ethnocentrism. This is not a new problem in the church; instead, it was even propagated by the great Apostle Peter. In this message, I teach through Acts 10:1-48 and we see how Peter’s prejudice & ethnocentrism is challenged and transformed by the Gospel (and how all of it applies to the church today as well).
The sermon discussion guide can be found below the message. We will be meeting on Wednesday evening at 8pm to discuss these questions and all are invited to join us. The connection info is here: Online Service Information
Book of Acts – Week 27 – Acts 10:1-48
Discussion Guide
Before working on this discussion guide, please do the following:
1. Watch the message from this past Sunday if you were unable to attend the online service. You can find the message on our Facebook Page and on our website (renovationchurchsd.com).
2. Spend 5 minutes or so in prayer. You can either pray through the “Lord’s Prayer” or simply share what is on your heart. It is also good to spend at least 1 full minute in silence so that God can quiet your heart and mind as you prepare to study the Scriptures.
Discussion Questions
1. Read slowly and prayerfully through Acts 10:1-48. What stands out to you? What questions do you still have after reading through the text?
2. One of the tensions we need to understand to fully appreciate this text is the tension between Jew and Gentile. Can you think of any Old Testament Scriptures or stories that would have led to this tension in the early church?
3. Prejudice and even racism can still be found in the church today. We may not be prejudice towards Gentiles (since we are all Gentiles) but there is no shortage of other groups we are prejudice towards. What are some groups of people that tend to be rejected or mistreated by the Church? What are some practical steps we can take to offer them the love of God?
4. In this passage, we see God go through a lot of effort to get Peter in front of Cornelius. It would have been way easier to just have the angel that appeared to Cornelius share the Gospel with him. Why didn’t this happen? Why was it so important for Peter to show up?
5. After God shows Peter the vision about the different animals and God commands Peter to eat them, Peter responds by saying, “No, Lord!” which is an oxymoron – if you say no then Jesus clearly isn’t Lord. What are some ways that Christians today say, “No, Lord!” to clear teaching in Scripture?
6. Although God taught Peter in this passage that he must not call any person impure or unclean, he falls into this same trap again and is rebuke by the Apostle Paul. Read through Galatians 2:11-21 – what stands out to you?
7. Finally, what is at least one way you are seeking to apply this text to your life?
Tyler Ramsbey 