Acts 11:15-18 - Accepting others

Scripture:

 

Acts 11:15-18

15 "And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning.

16 "And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, "John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'

17 "Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God's way?"

18 When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, "Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life."

NASU

 

 

Thoughts:

 

Peter is sent by God to the house of a gentile, Cornelius (Acts 10::21-24).  Peter then sees as he reports here, that the Holy Spirit has fallen upon the gentiles (verse 15), demonstrating to him God's acceptance of them for salvation (verse 17).

 

This is initially troubling to the Jewish Christians that Peter is addressing here.  These people are described in the first few verses of the chapter

 

Acts 11:1-3

Now the apostles and the brethren who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.

2 And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those who were circumcised took issue with him,

3 saying, "You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them."
NASU

 

These Jewish Christians were holding on to a bias that they would have carried all of their lives.  Gentiles were not Jews ethnically or genetically, and on that basis the Jews were prejudiced against them.  But God's plan for salvation goes beyond any racial or ethnic lines as Peter has found out.  Amen. 

 

Sadly, we too can allow worldly things such as ethnic or racial backgrounds to divide us.  Our ability to divide is not limited to these, but can also be based on things like personality differences and likes and dislikes.  Like these Jewish Christians, however, we need to put these things behind us (verse 18).  Paraphrasing Peter, who are we to reject each other who God has accepted?

 

 

Prayer:

 

Lord, change my heart towards any who I may not naturally "click" with.  Search my heart, and reveal any wrong attitudes.  Make me like You! 

 

You've accepted me with all of my issues and problems.  You've accepted me, though I was at one time at war with You.  How then, can I receive such a great love, and not turn and give it to others around me, especially those also in You?  Let me be an outlet of Your love today. 

 

Amen

 

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.