Word gets around. I am often amazed at how quickly news spreads. And for some reason, bad news seems to travel even more quickly! Chapter 11 of Acts opens with the apostles hearing of permission to share God with the Gentiles. This was good news for the Gentiles, of course.....but the Jews may have been a little unsettled over the matter. Before we go criticizing the early Jewish Christian church though, let's take a good look at ourselves. What is that feeling of elitism that often invades our thinking? Why is it that we divide ourselves over what day we are to worship, how many times we meet for worship, who can come, what to wear, and what the worship should look like? We read that the church "took issue" with Peter because he "ate with the uncircumcised." They frowned upon him because he shared the message with undeserving people. Well if that's not the pot calling the kettle black......Like Israel, we have been given a special commission to go and tell the gospel to everyone. But also like Israel, we sometimes decide that some people don't deserve the good news. This sin of pride destroyed the nation of Israel, and threatens to do the same for us. The fact that the Gentiles were invited to join in the fellowship with Christ should have been great news!!! ...but instead, Peter was attacked. We often attack others, don't we? We even attack our sister denominations for differences in worship....granted, sometimes there is reason to take offense, but often we are hurting our own brothers and sisters in Christ over trivial matters. Let us be very careful we are following God's lead when we confront others in their sin.
"The Holy Spirit fell on them, as it fell on me." God doesn't show partiality. He loves us all and it is His will that none perish, but all have everlasting life. The same Spirit of God who worked in and through the apostles is the same Spirit who longs to work in and through you today! The victory over sin is yours. The inheritance promised to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David and more is yours. It's for Cornelius and for Saul. It's for me and for you. Sometimes we Christians get so caught up in being "correct" that we forget the command. Go and tell. Share.
"If God gives to them, the same as me believing in Christ, who am I to stand in His way?" I love that verse! It demands that I re-think my motives and choices in sharing the Truth. We should embrace those who are different from us. First Thessalonians says that there is no better way to quench the Spirit than to refuse others who are in Christ. Now, some who beg for unity are not of our Lord and we certainly don't promote becoming unified with false teaching. But, we should receive encouragement from fellowship with all different types of church bodies who are in Christ. God leads us in these by His unfailing Word. I'm sure we will disagree on some points, but if we are in Christ, this will not divide us. Disagreements often cause us to dig deeper for the truth, and we may even grow from it!
We are called to be unified.....there is power in the unified body! I love to read about the church being "united in prayer for Peter" while he was in prison. James was killed so quickly, that they may not have even had the chance to gather in intercession for him. And Stephen, being the first, may have been a reality-check for the church. Just because you are close to Jesus, doesn't exempt you from trials. If anything, being close to Jesus guarantees you will have trouble. The early church gathered and prayed for the release of Peter. Now Peter, who also fell asleep at Gethsemane, obviously wasn't much for losing sleep over things. He had a conversation with Jesus, fairly recently about following him until his old age. So, I wonder if Peter laid his young head down that night in prison without hesitation, knowing all would work out? I don't know. But, I do know that the church was shocked when their prayers were interrupted by Peter himself! What power comes down when we unite our efforts!
It seems to me that we're all in the same boat. We are all undeserving, and we all need the Savior. What better time of year than now to share the good news with the world around you. Before you decide who "deserves" to hear the gospel, ask yourself if you wanna be the pot or the kettle.
"Sometimes we Christians get so caught up in being "correct" that we forget the command.Go and tell. Share." Isn't this the truth! It is easy to look at these verses and see the fault in the Jewish people but as with anything, we need to examine ourselves.
ReplyDeleteThis sums it up nicely, "It seems to me that we're all in the same boat. We are all undeserving, and we all need the Savior."
Thank you Jaybrena for your insight today I needed it!
I needed it too :) Great insights Jaybrena!
ReplyDeleteSome of the sweetest worship experiences I've had have been in a huge room (think Philips Arena or Oak Hill) with many believers from many denominations all worshiping God.
Peter's repetitive telling of the story of God's work in through the Jewish people and now the Gentiles is a good reminder to me that I have a story to tell. Peter knew the facts, had experienced God personally, had a story to tell and did not grow tired of telling it.
What a great perspective today! I love that God crosses boundaries- basically because we set them up, not because He did. The Holy Spirit guided them and even helped them know what to say- I pray for the same outpouring for myself. Lord, give me your Spirit.
ReplyDeleteAt the end I find it interesting that they incited the women...who drove the apostles out of town. As ladies, we certainly know how to wage war on our own terms don't we? I pray we wouldn't be "incitable"!
Loved your post today, Jaybrena because it hit so close to home. I am blessed that all my children are Christians but we all go to different churches. The biggest problem in that is that they all have their opinions and they all think they are right. I have told them of course they would think their church is right or they wouldn't be there. I have tried to tell them the important thing is they are all saved not how they choose to worship. We as Christians should be united not divided. Won't we be in one accord when we go to heaven and see our Savior face to face. You all know that I am in AZ with my daughter. Her husband pastors a different denomination than us but when I go to their church we worship the same God. I have never felt out of place there and I trust that when my children go to my church they feel the same welcome.
ReplyDeleteMay I add something here. My daughter and members of her church got news yesterday of the death of 13 of their Pastors and wives and 5 more in the hospital. They was traveling in a van in the Phillipines when they hit a truck that was stopped in the middle of the road. Their families and friends need our prayers and I would ask that each of you who read this will pray for them. Thanks.
Ms. Boots, I'll be praying!
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry to hear that, Boots. I promise to pray for these families.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all let me just tell you Ms. Boots that I will be praying as well. What a horrible, horrible tragedy!!! I just do not know how people get through that kind of thing without knowing Jesus! Jaybrena - I absolutely love the whole pot and kettle thing...how creative and what a great analogy! We do NOT see any creation of denominations in the book of Acts do we? As a matter of fact, we do not see them anywhere in the Bible, so we need to NOT let this type of thinking divide us. This is what the devil wants because if he can keep us divided then we are less effective for God's Kingdom. Just loved your post Jaybrena!!!
ReplyDelete