Cleansed by the Spirit

Acts 11:1-18

1 The apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him 3 and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.”  4 Starting from the beginning, Peter told them the whole story: 5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was. 6 I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles and birds. 7 Then I heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’ 8 “I replied, ‘Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9 “The voice spoke from heaven a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’ 10 This happened three times, and then it was all pulled up to heaven again. 11 “Right then three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea stopped at the house where I was staying. 12 The Spirit told me to have no hesitation about going with them. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man’s house. 13 He told us how he had seen an angel appear in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. 14 He will bring you a message through which you and all your household will be saved.’ 15 “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. 16 Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with[a] water, but you will be baptized with[b] the Holy Spirit.’ 17 So if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?” 18 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.”

​Have you ever had to explain yourself after doing something people didn't understand? Maybe you decided based on conviction, but instead of encouragement, you met resistance. You saw the good, but others only saw the disruption. That's where we meet Peter in Acts 11. News had traveled fast: Peter had not only entered a Gentile's home-he had eaten with them, in first-century Jewish culture, but that also wasn't just socially awkward, it was scandalous. The early believers were confused, even upset. They confronted Peter. The word used in Greek for their "criticism" is diakrino, which doesn't just mean to question, but to divide, to draw a line in the sand. But Peter wasn't trying to defend a reckless decision. He was bearing witness to a move of God.
 
Peter began his explanation by recounting a vision-one that would change everything. He had seen something like a giant sheet descending from heaven, full of animals considered unclean by the Law of Moses. A voice told him, "Get up, Peter, Kill and eat. But Peter, still bound by old convictions, refused. "By no means, Lord! I have never eaten anything unclean." Then came God's reply-three times over: "What God has made clean (katharizo), you must not call unclean." The word katharizo doesn't just mean to wash off dirt-it means to render acceptable, to declare something pure in the sight of God. This vision wasn't about food. It was about people. The Spirit was preparing Peter's heart to see that God's grace would no longer be contained by national, religious, or cultural lines. This was a paradigm shift-and it would take courage to embrace it
 
God's Spirit cleanses and includes whom we might be tempted to exclude. Wesleyan Echoes: Crossing Boundaries with Conviction, John Wesley knew something about crossing boundaries. In 1739, when he was shut out of churches for preaching to coal miners, he stepped outside and preached in the open fields. He was ridiculed and called a radical. But he said something we still echo today: "The world is my parish." Like Peter, Wesley saw the Spirit at work beyond the walls of tradition. He followed, even when it meant losing approval
 
Peter then tells them what happened next. Right after the vision, visitors came from the house of Cornelius, a Roman, a Gentile. Peter went with them, and as he preached about Jesus, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, just as He had fallen at Pentecost. The Greek word for this moment is epipipto-to fall upon suddenly and powerfully. It's a word that captures divine invasion. Peter realized something earth-shattering: God was pouring His Spirit on Gentiles without asking for permission from tradition. Peter remembered Jesus' words: "You will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." This baptisma en Pneumati Hagio-baptism in the Holy Spirit was God's signature, sealing these outsiders as His own.
 
It is not we who determine who belongs in God's family. It is the Spirit who draws, fills, and seals. The early Methodist movement was born in this same fire. It was Spirit-led and boundary-breaking:
 

• It empowered lay preachers when only ordained clergy were permitted.
• It invited women to teach and lead when culture said otherwise.
• It stood with the poor and enslaved, and Free Methodists later became known for their abolitionist stance.

 

• Today, our Free Methodist Church continues to affirm:
• Freedom for all races and classes to worship together.
• Dignity for the poor and forgotten.
• Equality for women and men in every area of ministry.

 
These are not just principles-they are responses to the Spirit's movement, just as Peter responded in Acts 11. When Peter finished speaking, something holy happened. The room fell silent. Not because they were unsure, but because they were in awe. Scripture says, "When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God." They realized this wasn't Peter's agenda. It was God's
 
The church chases unity over fear. They didn't fight change; they worshipped through it. Jesus: The Original Boundary-Breaker. Peter had seen this before in Jesus:
 

• He touched lepers when others turned away.
• He welcomed women in a male-dominated society.
• He dined with Zacchaeus, the despised tax collector.
• He forgave the adulterous woman when others held stones.

 
Jesus didn't break the Law. He fulfilled it with merciful love. And now, Peter understood: the Spirit of Jesus was still at work, still including, still healing. Friends, what about us? Who are the Corneliuses in Bracebridge today?
 

• The immigrant or refugee family?
• The senior who hasn't spoken to anyone in days?
• Is the teen wrestling with mental health or identity?
• The addict? The forgotten?

 
Will we have eyes to see? Will we go when the Spirit nudges? Will we be willing to say, "Yes, Lord, even them?
 
Peter didn't rewrite the rules. He simply recognized the Spirit's handwriting. And so must we. Let us be a church that doesn't just talk about inclusion, but lives it. A church that doesn't resist the Spirit, but welcomes His surprises. A church that sees people the way God does-cleansed, beloved, and chosen.