Parallel Visions
Wes Wick
No matter how many times you’ve read through the Bible, isn’t it amazing how certain verses seem to jump off the page for the first time? In our recent reading of Acts, chapters 10 and 11, the story of Cornelius and Peter was one such page-jumper.
First, we love how Luke describes Cornelius in the Message:
“a thoroughly good man. He had led everyone in his house to live worshipfully before God, was always helping people in need, and had the habit of prayer.”
Comparing this description to our mission statement, he sure sounds like a YES! man to us … praying, serving and making disciples.
For those of us in the Gentile camp, these chapters are hugely significant. God is concerned about all races, not just the Jews.
We like to draw parallels, knowing God’s love extends to all races and all generations. In God’s kingdom there are no second-class citizens. What stands out here is how God used both Cornelius, a Gentile, and Peter, a Jew, to bring unity and understanding. And it still got a little dicey along the way.
Applying this same principle to intergenerational unity, let’s look for God to give parallel visions to both the young and old. If unity is our desired destination, we don’t typically get there alone.
This is not an authoritarian “father knows best” exercise, just as it was not a “Jews know best” revelation for Peter and Cornelius. In fact, here the path-to-unity story starts with Cornelius.
As we strive for unity between generations, let’s humbly expect God to plant that unifying vision and desire in both young leaders and older sages.