31-May-2026 - Dr. Peter van Breda- A Whack On the Side of the Head

Jun 01, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: The Cross as Power, Not a Symbol of Failure

The cross stands defiantly against cultural expectations of success, a scandal to those who crave comfort but a beacon for the desperate. It represents God’s upside-down logic: victory through sacrifice, strength through weakness. Just as the architect rejected crosses to avoid “failure,” many still dilute the gospel to fit worldly ideals. Yet salvation hinges on this brutal instrument, where Jesus bore humanity’s brokenness. To remove the cross is to erase the heart of redemption. Its offense is its power. [01:03:15]

“But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”
(Galatians 6:14, ESV)

Reflection: When have you been tempted to downplay the cross’s “foolishness” to make faith more palatable? What barriers might your church unknowingly erect that obscure its scandalous power?

Day 2: Stepping Into Unclean Spaces Like Peter

God shattered Peter’s religious assumptions with a vision of unclean animals and a Gentile’s invitation. Crossing cultural lines felt like betrayal to his identity, yet obedience birthed revival. The church today still wrestles with traditions that elevate comfort over mission—whether dress codes, racial biases, or rituals. Salvation’s spread demands stepping into uncomfortable spaces, trusting God’s agenda over our preferences. [01:10:55]

“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.’”
(Acts 10:28, ESV)

Reflection: What “unclean” spaces or people do you avoid? How might God be calling you to dismantle a man-made rule to prioritize someone’s salvation?

Day 3: God’s Two-by-Four to Jar Complacent Thinking

A “whack on the head” disrupts stagnant faith, like Peter’s vision or Paul’s Damascus Road encounter. God often uses jarring moments—loss, conflict, conviction—to realign us with His mission. Resistance keeps us circling the same mountains; surrender opens new frontiers. The church’s survival depends on letting Scripture and Spirit challenge our ethnocentrism, materialism, and fear. [01:07:31]

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
(Romans 12:2, ESV)

Reflection: Where is God’s two-by-four convicting you? Are you clinging to a “we’ve never done it that way” mindset that hinders His work?

Day 4: Writing “Perishable” on Earthly Pursuits

A missionary’s story of labeling possessions “perishable” echoes Ecclesiastes: all worldly striving is vapor. Cars, homes, and status symbols burn away, while souls last eternally. The church’s compromise with consumerism—prioritizing budgets over baptisms, comfort over courage—betrays a perishable focus. Revival begins when we trade accumulation for abandonment to Christ’s mission. [01:19:05]

“And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”
(1 John 2:17, ESV)

Reflection: What “perishable” thing have you chased recently? How would your choices shift if you saw your life through eternity’s lens?

Day 5: Diversity as God’s Revolutionary Endgame

Heaven’s balcony reveals every tribe and tongue worshiping together—a reality the early church resisted. Peter’s critics prioritized circumcision over Cornelius’ salvation, just as modern churches often value homogeneity over harvest. Racial reconciliation isn’t political correctness; it’s gospel obedience. A monochromatic church contradicts the cross’s unifying power. [01:22:34]

“This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.”
(Ephesians 3:6, ESV)

Reflection: Does your circle of relationships reflect heaven’s diversity? What step can you take this week to bridge a cultural divide in Jesus’ name?

Sermon Summary

Peter lets Acts 10–11 speak like a two by four to the head. The cross refuses the culture’s demand for optics and polish. The cross announces power in what looks like weakness, the only power that saves. When success gurus in California hide the cross, the cross outside and inside still stands and says, Christ crucified or nothing. Without that, the church is just amateur psychology dressed up as faith.

Luke sets an adult story before the church. Adult does not mean noise and spectacle. Adult means costly, tangled choices where vows and callings collide and somebody bleeds. God meets Peter there. First, on the water when testing Jesus sinks a man, not saves him. Then, on a rooftop where God lowers a sheet and punctures years of inherited scruples. The Lord is not asking for applause; he is changing a mind.

Acts 11 repeats Acts 10 because repetition is mercy. God grants repentance. God orchestrates visions, angels, arrivals. God tells Peter to go without misgivings. Yet God uses people, not angels, to preach Christ. Sovereign grace does not erase human obedience. It creates it. If salvation is of the Lord, then the church had better be on her feet, in step with the Lord’s purpose, not parked in Jerusalem while Antioch takes the field.

Genesis promised all families. Revelation sings of every tribe and tongue. Christ purchased with his blood a kingdom of priests. That purchase rewrites identity and peels off anything stamped perishable. Jobs, houses, cars, even ministry methods, all of it fades. Only Christ lasts. So methods cannot sit in the Savior’s chair. Altar calls are not the gospel. The Word and the Spirit save, sometimes before any invitation lands.

Wrong thinking dies hard. Tradition loves to outrank salvation. Kosher scruples can upstage a household receiving the Spirit. Dress codes can push a prodigal back out the door. Ethnocentrism can call God’s family “them.” But the gospel knocks walls down and builds a church that looks like its city. If God’s heart beats for the nations, apathy toward missions and indifference toward neighbors are not quirks; they are disobedience.

God will jar, repeat, and press until the lesson sinks in. Not my will, but yours. If a church sidesteps the moment, God will hand the ball to another. Pressure is mounting in every age. Politics swirl. Cultures rage. But the purpose stands: God glorified as his people reach those from every people group with the good news of his saving grace.

Key Takeaways

1. The cross redefines success and power. The cross does not flatter human strength; it exposes it and replaces it with Christ’s. Where the world edits out weakness, the gospel holds up a crucified Savior and calls that victory. If the cross moves, the center moves, and salvation talk turns into self-help talk. Hold the cross fast, because that is where God’s power lives. [63:44]
2. God whacks wrong thinking for mission. Acts repeats Peter’s story so the church will feel the jolt and change its mind. Grace runs ahead of habits, and the Spirit refuses to be fenced by man-made rules. When God says “go without misgivings,” the right response is not to polish old scruples but to follow. Mission stalls when minds won’t be renewed. [73:06]
3. Repentance is granted, not earned. Life does not start with human resolve; it starts with God giving the turn. That gift humbles pride and fuels worship, because mercy picked the moment and opened the heart. The same grace that grants repentance also sends believers to speak, since God’s gift arrives through faithful witness. [76:58]
4. World missions is a nonnegotiable mandate. If God’s purpose is all nations, then missions is not a side hobby for the adventurous. Whether by going, sending, giving, or praying, every believer gets a share of the load. Apathy is not neutral; it is resistance to God’s agenda. Hearts aligned with his purpose learn the names of peoples and take their place. [85:45]
5. Traditions must serve salvation’s advance. Customs can be good servants but cruel masters. When style, method, or dress gets in front of sinners hearing Christ, something sacred has been swapped for something small. Better to lose a preference than lose a person at the door. Let the beam of tradition fall before the gospel is muffled to a whisper. [88:18]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[60:02] - Buckle up: two-by-four wake-up
[62:01] - Cross vs success culture
[65:06] - What adult really means
[67:31] - Stop testing Jesus; trust first
[70:55] - Peter and Cornelius breakthrough
[73:45] - Faith alone for every nation
[76:09] - Purchased to be priests
[77:40] - Only Christ is not perishable
[83:21] - God initiates; obedience carries mission
[85:45] - Missions mandate over apathy
[86:46] - Diverse church mirrors the city
[89:30] - Tradition bows to salvation
[95:41] - Methods aren’t sacred
[97:28] - Sovereign God changes minds

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Acts 11:1-18 (ESV)
Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.” But Peter began and explained it to them in order...

Observation questions

Why did the Jewish believers criticize Peter in Acts 11:3, and what specific action of his troubled them?
How does Acts 11:15-17 connect Peter’s experience with Cornelius to the earlier events of Pentecost?
What example from the sermon illustrates how traditions can hinder people from encountering the gospel? [01:28:18]
According to the sermon, why does Scripture repeat Peter’s story in both Acts 10 and 11? [01:13:06]

Interpretation questions

Why might God have orchestrated both Peter’s vision and Cornelius’ angelic encounter instead of just one? What does this reveal about His methods?
The Jewish believers accused Peter of violating kosher laws but ignored the Gentiles’ salvation. What does this say about human tendencies to prioritize rituals over mission?
The sermon states, “Repentance is granted, not earned.” How does this truth reshape our understanding of evangelism and personal responsibility? [01:16:58]
Acts 11:18 concludes with the believers glorifying God. Why might their initial resistance turn to praise, and what does this teach about overcoming biases?

Application questions

What “tradition” or personal preference (e.g., worship style, dress codes, cultural norms) might you unintentionally prioritize over welcoming someone different into your faith community? How could you adjust this? [01:28:18]
The sermon warns against apathy toward missions. What specific step—praying, giving, going, or learning about an unreached people group—could you take this month to align with God’s heart for the nations? [01:25:45]
When have you tested God’s faithfulness by delaying obedience (like Peter initially resisting Gentiles)? What practical habit could help you trust Him first in future decisions? [01:07:31]
The cross redefines power as “weakness.” Where in your life (work, relationships, struggles) do you need to stop relying on human strength and embrace Christ’s “foolish” victory? [01:03:44]
The sermon shares a story of a woman welcomed into church despite her appearance. Who in your circles feels “unlikely” to receive grace? How will you intentionally engage them this week? [01:33:16]
Acts 11 shows God breaking barriers between Jews and Gentiles. What relational, cultural, or generational barrier is God asking you to cross to share His love?

Sermon Clips

48s

#StandByTheCross

“That's the mindset in today's world. But I tell you what, we are proud of the cross outside. In fact, there's a person who came to this church as a result of that cross. And then we're proud of the cross right over here. And as long as Gabby and I are here, that cross ain't gonna move nowhere. And in fact, if the next ones come on staff and we will have them sign a covenant that we will not move that cross ever. Because that cross is the power of salvation for all those who believe. Otherwise, we're just speaking nonsense. We're speaking just amateur psychology junk.”

40s

#RepentanceIsGift

“God grants repentance as his gift to sinners, to you and I, who do not deserve it. I must tell you, I never deserved God's grace. I never deserved God's salvation. I never deserved God reaching down to me one day and putting his finger on my chest and saying, I want you. The same time he uses us fallible humans to further the gospel. As I said, the angel didn't preach the gospel to Cornelius but rather instructed Peter how to do it and what to do.”

40s

#ChurchDiversity

“God is most glorified when a local church is made up of culturally and racially diverse people who would never get together apart from the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. We learn from each other. The church is God's adopted family made up of children from every conceivable background to his glory. Wrong thinking is when we think God has to do things my way. Or we might say we've never done it that way before. Heavens, be an adult and grow up.”

41s

#GodSavesUnexpectedly

“Sometimes God surprises us as he surprised Peter by saving people even before we finish our sermon and give the invitation. We need to allow God's word to confront our wrong thinking. Give us a whack on the side of the head so that we may grow up in the full stature of Christ. You see, Peter, he could have stuck to his guns and said, I'm an apostle. You gotta listen to me. Or he could have said, by no means, Lord, I'm not going to that Gentile house. I'm a Jew. I'm one of the original 12. So I'm not going to do that.”

48s

#MissionsAreMandate

“World missions is not an option. It's the mandate. Missions is what god is doing. We've we've couched this thing missions in oh there's some people who are called to go overseas. And the rest of us are going to say stay at home and we'll sing Kumbaya and we'll have a nice little lives. Why do you think I give you things to to pray over? Countries to pray over every week. Because there's nations around the world that face a hostile climate. And we as believers we might not be able to go. But we can certainly stand and pray for those Christians. And so, if world missions are at the heart of God's purpose, then apathy about missions is inexcusable.”

52s

#AllNationsEqualInChrist

“So that folks, Israel is not only God's chosen people. But all the nations on equal standing before God through the cross at Calvary. Let me say that again. So Israel is not only God's chosen people, but all the nations are on equal standing before God through the cross of Jesus Christ. Everyone who comes in faith and repentance to Christ becomes a part of God's kingdom of priests made up of Jews and Gentiles. And that concept is nothing short of revolutionary.”

41s

#OnlyChristLasts

“And he says, I gotta tell you something. Everything on this earth is perishable. There's only one thing at last, and that's Jesus Christ. And I don't know why I did it but I know why I did it. I came home and I had this big Mercedes and I put the sun visor down. And I wrote perishable on it. And we had two factories at that time. Massive buildings with 300 people in them. I went that first morning I got back from Marari and I wrote perishable on the side of each of those factories.”

42s

#SalvationNotRitual

“The holy spirit inspired Luke to include the story twice so that the Jewish believers would see that salvation is not a matter of adopting Jewish rituals, but rather God saving all of every race, color, and creed through the faith in Christ alone. These Jewish Christians needed to change their thinking. Story shows how god began the process and how he works to change our thinking as well. To accomplish his sovereign purpose in salvation, God has to change the wrong thinking of his people.”

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31-May-2026 - Dr. Peter van Breda- A Whack On the Side of the Head

Devotional

Day 1: The Cross as Power, Not a Symbol of Failure

Day 2: Stepping Into Unclean Spaces Like Peter

Day 3: God’s Two-by-Four to Jar Complacent Thinking

Day 4: Writing “Perishable” on Earthly Pursuits

Day 5: Diversity as God’s Revolutionary Endgame

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

31-May-2026 - Dr. Peter van Breda- A Whack On the Side of the Head

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