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.
