New Brighton Christian Assembly

Today we worshiped at New Brighton Christian Assembly, 1810 Valley Avenue, New Brighton, PA 15066, www.nbcafamily.com, Sam DeMarco, Senior Pastor.

Scripture – Acts 10

In Caesarea there lived a Roman army officer named Cornelius, who was a captain of the Italian Regiment. He was a devout, God-fearing man, as was everyone in his household. He gave generously to the poor and prayed regularly to God. One afternoon about three o’clock, he had a vision in which he saw an angel of God coming toward him. “Cornelius!” the angel said.

Cornelius stared at him in terror. “What is it, sir?” he asked the angel.

And the angel replied, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have been received by God as an offering! Now send some men to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter. He is staying with Simon, a tanner who lives near the seashore.”

As soon as the angel was gone, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier, one of his personal attendants. He told them what had happened and sent them off to Joppa.

The next day as Cornelius’s messengers were nearing the town, Peter went up on the flat roof to pray. It was about noon, and he was hungry. But while a meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw the sky open, and something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners. In the sheet were all sorts of animals, reptiles, and birds. Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.”

“No, Lord,” Peter declared. “I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure and unclean.”

But the voice spoke again: “Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.” The same vision was repeated three times. Then the sheet was suddenly pulled up to heaven.

Peter was very perplexed. What could the vision mean? Just then the men sent by Cornelius found Simon’s house. Standing outside the gate, they asked if a man named Simon Peter was staying there.

Meanwhile, as Peter was puzzling over the vision, the Holy Spirit said to him, “Three men have come looking for you. Get up, go downstairs, and go with them without hesitation. Don’t worry, for I have sent them.”

So Peter went down and said, “I’m the man you are looking for. Why have you come?”

They said, “We were sent by Cornelius, a Roman officer. He is a devout and God-fearing man, well respected by all the Jews. A holy angel instructed him to summon you to his house so that he can hear your message.” So Peter invited the men to stay for the night. The next day he went with them, accompanied by some of the brothers from Joppa.

They arrived in Caesarea the following day. Cornelius was waiting for them and had called together his relatives and close friends. As Peter entered his home, Cornelius fell at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter pulled him up and said, “Stand up! I’m a human being just like you!” So they talked together and went inside, where many others were assembled.

Peter told them, “You know it is against our laws for a Jewish man to enter a Gentile home like this or to associate with you. But God has shown me that I should no longer think of anyone as impure or unclean. So I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. Now tell me why you sent for me.”

Cornelius replied, “Four days ago I was praying in my house about this same time, three o’clock in the afternoon. Suddenly, a man in dazzling clothes was standing in front of me. He told me, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your gifts to the poor have been noticed by God! Now send messengers to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter. He is staying in the home of Simon, a tanner who lives near the seashore.’ So I sent for you at once, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here, waiting before God to hear the message the Lord has given you.”

Then Peter replied, “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right. This is the message of Good News for the people of Israel—that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. You know what happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee, after John began preaching his message of baptism. And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

“And we apostles are witnesses of all he did throughout Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a cross, but God raised him to life on the third day. Then God allowed him to appear, not to the general public, but to us whom God had chosen in advance to be his witnesses. We were those who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he ordered us to preach everywhere and to testify that Jesus is the one appointed by God to be the judge of all—the living and the dead. He is the one all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name.”

Even as Peter was saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the message. The Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles, too. For they heard them speaking in other tongues and praising God.

Then Peter asked, “Can anyone object to their being baptized, now that they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?” So he gave orders for them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Afterward Cornelius asked him to stay with them for several days.

Bob’s thoughts:

We revisited New Brighton Christian Assembly to experience worship at the Life Center. It was pouring rain when we got to the parking lot and there was a man with two large umbrellas escorting people in.

We were warmly welcomed at the door and engaged in conversation by a few people.

I did not see a cross but noted one projected on the screen, and when the words to the songs were projected there was a small cross in the corner of the screens.

This was the last Sunday the church was meeting at the Life Center while their Sanctuary was being remodeled. I don’t know what all is done at the Life Center besides youth ministry.

The sermon was on transition, most importantly Christ from heaven to earth to hell and back again. We all are guilty of resisting God, and we should not be giving God our left-overs in time or money.

The volume for the singing nearly overpowered my earplugs; at times we could have used some of that volume for the sermon. The pastor had an insightful message with passionate delivery; most importantly he was in sync with the congregation.

Jan’s thoughts:

We learned through a newspaper ad that this church was meeting in a different location so we attended for our second visit.

To experience this degree of friendliness at a two-service church was impressive. Many folks simply smiled and said good morning while others took the time for some conversation.

I am unclear on exactly what this building is/was, but it seemed to work well as a temporary home for this congregation while their church building was being renovated. There was a definite air of excitement in anticipation of returning to their home location next Sunday.

The voice of the lead singer was quite powerful and I’m sure she would have done just fine even without a microphone.

My only real issues had to do with things that will change next week: trying to see the words on the screens and the too-cold AC which was loud enough that hearing the message was at times a problem for me.

The message had to do with “Transitions” which ironically could be the theme of my life right now. The Scripture outlined Peter’s belief transition which, though he resisted, God persisted in getting Peter to understand the broad scope of the change Christ had accomplished through His death: He had not only removed dietary restrictions but also the boundaries regarding with whom the Jews could associate.

Another interesting point had to do with God’s sending Peter to Cornelius because He saw the latter’s generosity. Cornelius gave unstintingly and God blessed him for it, so how we give reflects our heart which cannot be hidden from God.

The pastor stressed that we should not give God leftovers, i.e., money left over after we have taken care of everything else, time left over purely because we had nothing better going on right then. God deserves the first fruits; the best we have to offer should always go to Him.

I am anxious to visit this church again in their new location. Part of their goal is to create an inviting experience for visitors…I think they already have the atmosphere and attitude, all they need now is the facility. I’m betting it will have been worth the wait.

Our prayer for this church:

Lord, we pray this church will always be in transition to what You want them to be. Amen.