YOU are NOT common
Some mistakes are common. Basketball has always been a big part of my life and there are definitely some common mistakes when it comes to shooting a basketball!
Some of the foundational common mistakes are shooting with your elbow out, not following through or incorrect feet placement. Some other common mistakes are squeezing the basketball, using your thumb on your off hand or not finishing high enough. These common mistakes have uncommon outcomes. These small, common mistakes make a huge impact on effectiveness and consistency when it comes to shooting a basketball.
There are also common spiritual mistakes that have uncommon outcomes. We are kicking off Propel Church by looking at some of these common mistakes with uncommon outcomes.
To give a little context to our scripture today, God sent an Angel to a man named Cornelius to tell him that he needed to talk to Peter. Cornelius sends 3 men to go find Peter. The men are on their journey to get Peter when we read Acts chapter 10, verse 9:
Acts 10:9 ESV
9 The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray.
Peter was one of Jesus' 12 disciples. Essentially, Peter was one of the 12 guys who literally followed Jesus day and night for roughly 3 years. Peter was not just one of the 12, he was one of the 3 that were seemingly closer to Jesus than the rest.
Peter is "Christian famous" for things like: walking on water, denying Jesus three times and then being restored by Jesus and writing 2 books of the Bible. Peter wasn't perfect though. We are about to read about one of his shortcomings but he was also caught being fake when he was hanging out with Gentiles until some Jewish people came around and then Peter separated himself from the Gentiles and acted like he wasn't with them. This caused a major confrontation with Paul (see Galatians 3) and had an effect on others, such as Barnabas.
Here Peter is going to pray. He goes up on a housetop around noon to pray. Going onto a housetop was more common in those days than it is now.
It is important for us to pray but we also must remember that location and frequency can impact prayer. Making the best time and finding the best location can really add depth to your prayer time.
Acts 10:10-13 ESV
10 And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance 11 and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. 12 In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. 13 And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”
Peter is hungry...so hungry it likely helped cause him to fall into a trance! God shows him a vision that includes all kinds of animals, reptiles and birds then God tells him to rise, kill and eat.
In the Old Testament, there were laws that made a distinction between clean and unclean animals. Some animals were clean, and therefore acceptable to eat but others were unclean and unacceptable to eat. This helped separate the Jewish people from the Gentile people because the Gentile people ate the animals that were considered unclean but the Jewish people did not.
God is removing the distinction that helped create the separation. God is showing Peter that it is a new time. God is breaking down a major barrier to unity and freedom.
God is giving Peter clear instructions that are contrary to his religion and his tradition to not eat meats that are deemed unclean. God never goes against His Word, but he will contradict your religion and your tradition!
Acts 10:14 ESV
14 But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.”
Peter tells God no! Remember, Peter is hungry...very hungry! He still tells God no. Peter is bold. He has a reputation for being bold. He is the guy who speaks up first, pulls his sword first and takes the first swing.
It is not often as clear to us when God speaks to us, but Peter is hearing an audible voice that he recognizes as God and he says no. Could you imagine KNOWING that you KNOW God is speaking to you and your response is no? Even if you are not a Jesus follower, you can understand the boldness and foolishness in telling God you are not going to do something He is telling you to do.
Peter's initial response is to hold tighter to the rules than the ruler of heaven and earth. His initial response is to stick with what he thinks makes him right, more than the one who sticks closer than a brother. His response reveals that his trust is in religion, not a relationship.
If we are honest, we all have moments like this. We hold a little too tightly to the rules. We stick with what we think makes us right or good. We place our trust in religion...or our lack of religion.
Peter ends verse 14 getting defensive. He begins to give God his resume about how "good" he is. Again, if we are honest....
Acts 10:15 ESV
15 And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.”
God is now changing the game! He is taking the restraints off of the law and giving freedom to Peter and all who come after him. The bible speaks to this new found freedom repeatedly in the New Testament:
Jesus said that he did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. (Matthew 5:17) Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians chapter 3, verse 17, that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. Jesus also said that if we abide in His word, we will know the truth and the truth will set us free. John 8:31-32
Galatians chapter 5, verse 13 reads, "For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
Finally, Peter later instructed us to live as people who are free, not using our freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.
Following Jesus is not about rules and traditions, it is about forgiveness, redemption and freedom!
In context, this verse is talking about the eating of animals, but we can clearly see how Peter applies this instruction just a few verses later. Peter goes with the men to meet Cornelius and we then we get to verse 24:
Acts 10:24-28 ESV
24 And on the following day they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. 26 But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am a man.” 27 And as he talked with him, he went in and found many persons gathered. 28 And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean.
Peter acknowledges not only God's law that kept him from eating unclean meats, but he acknowledges the separation of Jewish people from the Gentile people. Peter immediately applies God's instructions, not just to eating meat, but to people. What God has cleansed do not call common. WHO God has cleansed do not call common!
We should not call any person common or unclean. Do you know who this starts with? It starts with you, it starts with me, it starts with us.
This is a common mistake. Many of us are not only our own worst critic, we are our own worst enemy because we call ourself common. Maybe we show the public that we think of ourself as common. Maybe we show the public a strong confident self. Deep down we all know where we fall short. Deep down we all know where we do not measure up. Deep down we all know the areas where we are weak. Because of this, we call ourself common. We call ourself unclean. We call ourself not good enough. We call ourself not worthy.
This is a common mistake that has an uncommon outcome. When we call ourself common, we never go all in. We play it safe because we don't really believe God will use us to be great. We live with a weight that pulls us down, drags us backwards or holds us in place. We aren't able to truly love others because we haven't allowed ourself to truly love ourself.
We are not common! Jesus paid the highest price for us! He left the throne of Heaven to come live here on Earth to pay a price for us that we were not able to pay. We were the motivation that kept Him going after He had been unjustly mocked, spit on, beaten and carrying His own cross. He died for us. He not only died for us, but God sent the Holy Spirit into the earth to live IN US! God loves us so much that He did all of this so that He would never have to be away from us.
God knew what we would do and what we wouldn't do. God knew what we would think and what we wouldn't think. God knew what we would want to do and what we would not want to do. Knowing all of this, God still chose us! WE ARE NOT COMMON. WE ARE CHOSEN. WE ARE CLEANSED.
What would be different if we stopped calling common what God has cleansed? We wouldn't be able to live without problems, but we could live with a confidence that no matter what comes our way God is with us, God is for us, and with Him we will conquer it! We wouldn't be able to do everything, but we would be able to do anything God asks us to do. We could live knowing and trusting that God will empower us to do what we are supposed to do. We wouldn't be able to rid ourself of every thought of self doubt, but we could live knowing that we are forgiven.
Acts 10:16 ESV
16 This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.
This happened three times to Peter. Like Peter, we don't always get it at first. God will keep reminding us that we are not common until we get it! Until we believe it! Until we live like it is true!
So what do we do if we are making common mistakes when shooting a basketball? We decide we are going to change. We make a decision that we are going to start shooting the right way. We decide to no longer do what we have been doing, and we decide to do something new.
So what do we do if we have been calling ourself common? First of all, we make a decision to stop and make a change. This is what following Jesus is all about. If you have never made a decision to follow Jesus, you have an opportunity right now to stop and make a change. If you are willing to confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord, then God says He will come in to your heart and make you brand new!
If you have followed Jesus in the past, but have gotten away from Him, and you are ready to come back to Him, He is ready for you! He says that if we will confess our sins and turn back to Him that He will forgive us and make us right again.
If you are right with God, consistently remind yourself that you are not common! You are a child of the King. You are bought with a price. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. You have the King of all Kings in your DNA!
Common mistakes can have uncommon outcomes but simple adjustments can also have enormous effects! What God has cleansed, do not call common.