Unstoppable Church: Building an Impartial Community
But the voice answered a second time from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, do not call common.’ This happened three times, and all was drawn up again into heaven. - Acts 11:9-10
We sometimes experience incredible events and want to share them with friends, only to have them focus on minor, irrelevant details. Imagine returning from a Grand Canyon trip, describing the massive night sky, and someone only comments on your ugly jacket.
Peter experienced a very similar reception when he returned to Jerusalem. He enthusiastically shared how God saved a Roman household, but the local believers only cared that he shared a meal with uncircumcised outsiders. They missed the massive work the Holy Spirit was doing. God was completely overhauling their traditions to build an impartial church.
1. Confronting Cultural Barriers
The Holy Spirit builds an impartial church by confronting unbiblical cultural barriers. When Peter arrives in Jerusalem, the main issue for the believers is not the message of the Gospel. Their problem is that Peter ate with Gentiles. They viewed these outsiders as unclean and unacceptable. God gave the original food laws to protect and set His people apart, but the religious leaders turned those laws into a source of exclusion and elitism.
The Holy Spirit had to confront this prejudice in Peter's heart first, and then He used Peter to lead the charge in the church. We must actively look for the barriers we put up in our own lives that make outsiders feel unwelcome.
2. Embracing Diversity
God builds His kingdom by saving people who are completely unlike each other. Peter patiently recounts the entire story to his critics. He explains how the Holy Spirit fell on Cornelius and his household in the exact same way He fell on the Jewish believers at Pentecost. Different people received the exact same Holy Spirit. They came from different backgrounds and struggled with different sins, yet they shared the same Savior.
We must actively welcome those who come from different walks of life. When God brings someone entirely different to our doorstep, our reaction must be hospitality rather than judgment.
3. Submitting to God's Word
The Holy Spirit builds this diverse community on people who humble themselves under the Word of God. Peter reminds the church of what Jesus taught about being baptized with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit brings these teachings to mind and softens hardened hearts.
When the Jerusalem believers heard Peter's defense, they immediately fell silent and glorified God. They quickly realized the danger of standing in God's way. We must submit to God's Word and allow it to silence our own personal protests. Instead of holding onto our prejudices, we need to marvel at the unstoppable mission of God.
Closing Prayer:
Lord, thank You for building a beautifully impartial church. Help us to confront the unbiblical barriers we build in our own hearts. Teach us to embrace the diverse people You bring into our lives with open arms. Give us the humility to submit completely to Your Word so we never stand in the way of Your work. We want to join Your unstoppable mission to save all people. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.
We sometimes experience incredible events and want to share them with friends, only to have them focus on minor, irrelevant details. Imagine returning from a Grand Canyon trip, describing the massive night sky, and someone only comments on your ugly jacket.
Peter experienced a very similar reception when he returned to Jerusalem. He enthusiastically shared how God saved a Roman household, but the local believers only cared that he shared a meal with uncircumcised outsiders. They missed the massive work the Holy Spirit was doing. God was completely overhauling their traditions to build an impartial church.
1. Confronting Cultural Barriers
The Holy Spirit builds an impartial church by confronting unbiblical cultural barriers. When Peter arrives in Jerusalem, the main issue for the believers is not the message of the Gospel. Their problem is that Peter ate with Gentiles. They viewed these outsiders as unclean and unacceptable. God gave the original food laws to protect and set His people apart, but the religious leaders turned those laws into a source of exclusion and elitism.
The Holy Spirit had to confront this prejudice in Peter's heart first, and then He used Peter to lead the charge in the church. We must actively look for the barriers we put up in our own lives that make outsiders feel unwelcome.
2. Embracing Diversity
God builds His kingdom by saving people who are completely unlike each other. Peter patiently recounts the entire story to his critics. He explains how the Holy Spirit fell on Cornelius and his household in the exact same way He fell on the Jewish believers at Pentecost. Different people received the exact same Holy Spirit. They came from different backgrounds and struggled with different sins, yet they shared the same Savior.
We must actively welcome those who come from different walks of life. When God brings someone entirely different to our doorstep, our reaction must be hospitality rather than judgment.
3. Submitting to God's Word
The Holy Spirit builds this diverse community on people who humble themselves under the Word of God. Peter reminds the church of what Jesus taught about being baptized with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit brings these teachings to mind and softens hardened hearts.
When the Jerusalem believers heard Peter's defense, they immediately fell silent and glorified God. They quickly realized the danger of standing in God's way. We must submit to God's Word and allow it to silence our own personal protests. Instead of holding onto our prejudices, we need to marvel at the unstoppable mission of God.
Closing Prayer:
Lord, thank You for building a beautifully impartial church. Help us to confront the unbiblical barriers we build in our own hearts. Teach us to embrace the diverse people You bring into our lives with open arms. Give us the humility to submit completely to Your Word so we never stand in the way of Your work. We want to join Your unstoppable mission to save all people. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.
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