Page 12 - Inside Report - 1st Quarter 2016

Bible Answers

Q.
Does the vision in Acts 10 teach

that all meats are clean to eat?

A.Acts 10 gives a stirring account of how a Gentile named Cornelius prayed for

the truth to be revealed to him. An angel then appeared to tell him to send men

to Joppa to invite the apostle Peter to come teach him (verses 3–6). As the servants of

Cornelius approached, Peter had a dream, seeing a sheet let down from heaven. In it
were all types of “four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and

birdsoftheair.Andavoicecametohim,‘Rise,Peter;killandeat.’ButPetersaid,‘Not

so,Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean’”(vv.12–14).

Some teachers suggest that Christ cleansed all food when He was working
among His disciples. If that were true, Peter knew nothing about it and gathered no

indication that unclean animals could now be eaten. That’s why the vision initially

confused Peter, but as the story unfolds, the true meaning becomes quite clear.
Verse 17 says,“Now while Peter wondered within himself what this vision which

he had seen meant, behold, the men who had been sent from Cornelius . stood

before the gate.” Verse 19 adds, “While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit

said to him, ‘Behold, three men are seeking you.’ ” Even the command in the
vision to “arise” is repeated.“Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting

nothing; for I have sent them” (v. 20).

Apparently, on the way back to Cornelius’ house, the Lord answered Peter’s
ponderings and showed him the meaning of his vision. When he entered the house

full of Gentiles, Peter said,“You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep

company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should

not call any man common or unclean” (verse 28, emphasis added).
Peter’s vision had nothing to do with diet. It was a sign that the gospel was to

be preached to the Gentiles from then on.

Q.

How can I make my faith in God stronger?

A.Faith is sometimes a word we relegate to the ield of theology, but, actually,

faith is the foundation of our daily walk with God. Simply put—it’s trusting

in the Lord. Every time you sit in a chair, you have “faith” that it will hold you up

and not collapse beneath you. Faith is trusting that God will hold us up through the
thick and the thin.

Many people have strong faith when everything is going well in their lives,

but when a storm comes through, they lose their grip on God. It reminds me of a
simple illustration from the ield of aviation. As a pilot, one of the expressions I’ll

sometimes use is “lying blind.” It simply means that when your outside visuals are

obliterated by clouds, bad weather, or darkness, you ly the airplane solely by relying

on the instruments. It’s a bit scary when you irst learn how to trust what’s on the
panel in front of you and not worry about the darkness outside. But without that
Tune in to Bible Answers Live,
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in radio program, and listen to Pastor Exercising trust in God when things are dark and gloomy helps our faith grow
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strong. As we develop a relationship with Jesus through daily Bible study and prayer,
answers to dificult Bible questions. we learn that He truly loves us and has our best interests in mind.“I know the

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give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11). The more we come to know of God’s
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love, the more we’ll trust Him.

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Inside Report 1Q 2016