In Acts 10, Peter went into the home of a Gentile, preached the gospel,
baptized them and spent several days there. As is the case in many of our
churches, after a great victory comes an attack, often from those who ought to
be most joyful. In the very next chapter, as soon as Peter gets home, he is
chastised for entering the home of a Gentile. But here's where the story
differs from so many of our experiences. As soon as the brothers saw that
Peter's actions were from God they stopped attacking him and rejoiced.
"When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised
God, saying, "So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto
life."" (Acts 11:18)
Good for them! For many of us, either because of pride or because
we're more interested in our familiar and comfortable social constructs than we
are God's mission and purpose, we don't back down. To our shame many a church
has been split over an issue far less important than the one being dealt with
in Acts 11. Because they were willing to listen with hearts and ears tuned to
the Spirit and the mission of God, they were able to back down from their
criticism and rejoice.
The cool thing is that the story doesn't end there. The gospel continues
to spread among the Gentiles, and the chapter ends with those new Gentile
believers ministering to the Jewish church in Jerusalem. The gospel unites. The
Spirit of God unites. Choosing comfort or familiarity over the Spirit and the
mission divides and destroys us as well as others.
Father, I've seen this too many times. I have to confess that I've even
been party to it. Forgive us. Don't let us get away with this pettiness.
Tenderize our hearts again to your Spirit. Fill us again with a zeal for your
mission. May we reflect the church in Acts 11, and maybe we'll find that,
although it wasn't initially comfortable, in the long run it was in our own
best interest.
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