From Ben Fronczek.... Nurture Your Relationship With God

Nurture Your Relationship With God

Cornelius Acts 10 (Part 2)

He was A Roman Warrior, a leader of men, a man raised in a pagan world believing in many gods. His swore his allegiance to them as well as to a man who claimed to be a divine leader, the Caesar of all Rome. But something happened along the way. He was now a mature centurion, in a nice home, in the capitol city of Caesarea, probably there to oversee a squadron of men that was responsible for the security of the Roman governor, Marcelous who now ruled over all Palestine and Judea.

Somehow and somewhere he learned about our Lord and apparently fell in love with Him. I don’t know if it happened before he moved to Caesarea, or after, but we do know that by the time Luke wrote Acts chapter 10, Cornelius and his whole family apparently turned their backs on those pagan gods and were described as being ‘devoted to the Lord’.

In the last lesson I mentioned the fact that I thought that Cornelius was worth taking a closer look at.    I believe that the Lord had his story preserved in scripture because there are some things we can learn from this man. Last week look at how one’s love for God can literally change one’s life, how it can empower us to do things we never thought that we’d ever do on our own. And I talked a little bit about how I believe it changed him. Cornelius seemingly not only put racial prejudice aside. As I mentioned last week, this man who was trained to kill, and conquer, and protect the concerns of the Roman Empire in the name of it’s so called deified Caesar, and in the name of the Roman Gods was now acting more like a Christian than a Roman soldier.

In Chapter 10, verse 2, it says that Cornelius was a “devout” man. The word in Greek means that he acted with piety or with holy awe and reverence. It also indicates that this awe demonstrated itself in activity. This tells me that Cornelius’ faith was not just confined to just words or feeling in his heart, it was seen in his actions and life style.

In other words, Cornelius was not like those Paul described in Titus 1:16, “They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.” Cornelius understood the teaching found in James 2:20, that “faith without deeds are useless.”

So what deeds did Cornelius perform that showed his faith and reverence?

Well, it wasn’t attending a worship service. You see, Cornelius was not invited to attend Jewish worship services because he was an uncircumcised Gentile (Acts 11:3). An uncircumcised man could not enter a synagogue or the Temple in Jerusalem. He was simply not welcome.

Nevertheless, even though he was denied the opportunity to worship in the synagogue and Temple, Cornelius worshipped in all the ways he knew he was able. The Jews may now have allowed him to worship with them but they could not be prevented from praising God in his heart and praying. And so, we read that he did so “regularly or as many translate it, “continually.”  In the context we see that he was praying in the middle of the day.. which was a Jewish custom in itself.

For a believer in God, praying should be as natural as breathing. Yet, if the truth be told, not many of us have a prayer life like Cornelius. Some Christians don’t pray outside the worship service. Many Christians make an effort to ’offer thanks’ or ’ask the blessing’ at meal times and during times of trouble. And still fewer yet are those who might actually pray at the start of day and before going to bed. But, how many of us fulfill the command in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, where Paul said, “Pray without ceasing”?   Cornelius did!

All too often some Christian don’t feel like they have a close relationship with God. They do not feel the presence of God in their lives. When you ask these people about their prayer life, if they are honest, most will admit that they know that they should pray more but just don’t.

How can we expect God to be near to us if we are far from Him and don’t talk to Him?
In James 4:8 it promises us that if we “draw near to God… He will draw near to us.”

Prayer is the most intimate way in which we can draw near to our God. I do not know of a better and swifter way to be close to God and tap into His love and His power and His joy and His peace than through close and intimate prayer. Not only speaking to God, but also listening to Him.

As I said it last week and I’ll say it again, I don’t think that Christianity is all about being religious, or just about going to church and singing songs, and eating the communion bread and following a bunch of do’ and don’t. Rather I truly believe it’s more about drawing closer to our Lord, and building and nurturing a real relationship with Him. And real prayer, talking to God can help us do that.

And Prayer – is – worship! God is worthy of our praise. God is worthy of our thanksgiving. In Hebrews 13:15 it says, “Let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His Name.”

Prayer provides an opportunity to express our needs and have them met. In Hebrews 4:14-16 it says, “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses,… Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need.”   You see, He wants to have a relationship with us as well. But we put up walls. Just like we do with our spouse. We get so focused on ourselves and what we are concerned about, we don’t let anyone in.

Philippians 4:6-7, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

But such a devoted life as Cornelius’ not only entail believing and feeling good about God, nurturing a relationship with Him in prayer. This kind of love and devotion could not help but overflow onto other things which are important to God, including helping His people.  

I recently came across a poem that made me think of how this should apply to my life:

Live the Way You Pray

I knelt to pray when day was done,    And prayed: “Oh, Lord, bless everyone;

Lift from each saddened heart the pain  -  And let the sick be well again.”

And then I awoke another day  -   And carelessly went on my way.

The whole day long I did not try   -   To wipe a tear from any eye;

I did not try to share the load   -    Of any brother on the road;

I did not even go to see   -   The sick man just next door to me.

Yet once again when day was done,    I prayed: “O, Lord, bless everyone.”

But as I prayed, into my ear    -    There came a voice that whispered clear,

“Pause, hypocrite, before you pray;    Whom have you tried to bless today?

“God’s sweetest blessings always go  -   By hands that serve him here below.”

And then I hid my face and cried,   ”Forgive me, God, for I have lied;

Let me but live another day,    And I will live the way I pray.” 

We find that Cornelius was one who ’lived the way he prayed’; for, the Scripture says that he “gave generously to those in need.” He not only gave to help those around him in need, we also can read between the lines when it says that, ‘he was respected and well spoken of by all the Jews.’   His religion and devotion to God was more than just lip service.

If there was ever an Age in which we need more deeds of kindness, it would be today. Paul told the brethren in Ephesus (Acts 20:35) that Jesus taught that “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Jesus taught that true happiness comes, not when you concentrate on yourself and on what you might personally acquire or obtain, but when you meet the needs and help others. That’s when and where you find a blessed happiness.

We are also taught that being generous and sharing or giving to others who are in need,  brings glory to our Lord and God. Jesus taught, in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in Heaven.”

In John 15:8, Jesus is quoted saying  “By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.”

All too often, many in the church seem to think that when Jesus told us to bear fruit He was talking about evangelizing and making more Christians. I personally believe that there was more to that teaching than that. I believe the fruit that we should be bearing as a Christians are the acts of Loving kindness that we actually we saw Jesus, the early disciples, and what Cornelius was doing.

Those acts of love in turn glorify or Lord and Father in Heaven. That’s the kind of fruit that Father wants to see. The angel told Cornelius that those acts of love came up as a memorial offering before the Father. And those alms and kind deeds were definitely noticed.

The question can be asked, What kind of reputation do you have. Would they give a report about you as the Jews gave about Cornelius?

There’s a old saying that goes like this, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” The saying appears to have started in the medical profession, emphasizing that caring for patients is just as important to them as a medical professional’s book knowledge. And I think the same is true for us who know the way to heaven and want to share it with others. A lot of people don’t care about what you know, and they won’t until we show how much we care.

Our acts of love open eyes and open hearts.

Sometimes people won’t thank you for your gifts, your help, and sometimes sacrifices.

But Don’t think that your good deeds go unnoticed by God. God took note of everything that this man was doing. Hebrews 6:10, the wrote,  “God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His Name.”

1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”

My encouragement today: Continue to nurture your relationship with God. Talk to Him. Listen to Him. If you have to set specific time aside to do it.  He wants to have the relationship with you. He wants to bless you with His peace.

And I think the closer you get to Him the more you will find yourself helping those around you. His love will flow through you like water through a sponge.