Cornelius Crossing - Acts 10

We have been reading about biblical narrative.  in  Preaching with Variety, by Jeffery Arthurs, is a discussion about the movement in narrative.  He set ito ut in this way:

Conflict – Background – Rising Action– Climax– and Resolution.

The shape would be a graph rising gradually to the climax and falling back at Resolution.

The tension in the story is what drives the drama.

We applied this to Acts 10

Act 1 - from v. 1-16 the parallel stories of Cornelius and Peter and their visions are told

• God reaches out to Cornelius
• God reaches in to Peter

Acts 2 - from v. 17-33 the conflict rises as the delegation arrives in Joppa and as Peter arrives 2 days later in Caesarea.  

• Cornelius to Peter
• Peter to Cornelius
• (both scenes showing them working across cultural and religious awkwardness)

Acts 3 — v. 34-48  Preaching and Including the outsider

• Peter preaches the gospel, slightly tweaked for outsiders
• the Outsiders eagerly receive the word and the Spirit.

The tension is - will the gospel break out of it’s circle around Jerusalem to the world at large?  Will the insiders welcome the outsiders?  Will both groups manage to overcome the awkwardness of this reach?

Fresh Read preaches here -corneliuscrossing061508