So What…

…does that mean for my family?

Where in the Word? Acts 9:32-10:8 Peter in Joppa

Cross Reference Verse: I Corinthians 13:12

“Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.

Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”

…can we pray for?

Let’s pray that we will have submissive hearts as God peels our layers of understanding away so that we can come closer and closer to knowing Him fully.

…can we talk about?

Gather your family around you. This week we’re not talking fruits, we’re talking vegetables- onions, in fact. Holding an unpeeled onion in front of your family, have them think about things they already know about God. As each family member mentions a characteristic of God, peel off a thin layer of the onion. Keep going around your family in the same manner. The characteristics mentioned could be as basic as “He loves me” or “He sent Jesus.” After you’ve given everyone a chance, call their attention to the onion. Notice that you haven’t made it down to the core yet. There are still many layers to go. There is still so much God is waiting to teach us about Him, but it happens one layer at a time.

Even Peter, who was the first leader of the early church didn't really "get it" all at once, even after Pentecost. He was a bold and powerful witness for God, but God still had to reveal things to him little by little. It took persecution to have the gospel spread, and then it was Philip who crossed cultural barriers and talked to the Ethiopian. In this passage, Peter is going to Joppa and Lydda where more believers are. When Peter stays with a tanner, one whom Jews would not have been around, it seems to show how God was peeling yet one more layer away to get Peter to understand that His gospel is for everyone. We’ll see how God peels away even more of the onion in next week’s passage.

An interesting thought comes to mind. God peels all of us onions in different ways, at different speeds, and with different experiences. It seems that Saul got a huge chunk of his onion peeled all at once on the road to Damascus. Others have a steady peeling of layers with a few intense peelings every now and then, and still others may feel intense peelings most of the time. No matter how it happens, though, the purpose is the same: to teach us more about Christ. I love the verse in I Corinthians because it reminds us that we only know in part while we are here on this earth. Even as much as we learn, it will only be in part. But we can be assured that a day will come when we will know “fully, just as we are fully known!”

Perhaps you can keep your onion around for a little while. If you or your little ones learn anything new about God, peel away!

…do we need?

An unpeeled onion