When God speaks, it is often loud and clear!
In Acts 10, God spoke clearly and without equivocation about the nature of the church. He had not sent his Son to die to redeem a group of inwardly focused Jewish believers. Acts makes it clear that the Apostles and believers in Jerusalem never really got that. They lacked a sense of God's love for the world and his heart to see the nations come to Christ. They were content to keep the gospel contained among the Jewish people.
God would not let that happen. He sent persecution that forced the people out of Jerusalem and into the world. He sent Philip to the Samaritans and then to the Ethiopian Eunuch, who took the message of Jesus back to his homeland. Finally, God spoke to Peter and told him to go to Cornelius and proclaim the story of Christ's death and resurrection to the Gentiles. They were not unclean!
And that is when God spoke loudly.
In Acts 2, the Holy Spirit fell on the disciples of Jesus Christ and were radically and permanently changed. God did a mighty work in them, birthing the church and empowering them to proclaim the saving message of Christ. Now, in an unmistakable way, God poured out the Holy Spirit on the Gentiles. Yes, that is right. The Gentiles!
While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. 45 And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. 46 For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, 47 “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” Acts 10:44-47
God sent his Son to die for our sins and to establish Jesus Christ as Lord. But he also sent Jesus to break down the human walls that separate us from one another - race, socio-economic status, nationality, background - and to create One Body based solely on our common experience in Christ.
Those with Peter were amazed. The gift of the Spirit was not given just to the Jews. It is not just for Americans, or white people or black, or rich or poor, or men or women. Jesus came to redeem people from every tribe and tongue on earth and to unite us in one color - the red of his blood!
Father, I thank you that my identity is not in my heritage, my gender, my race, or even my nationality, but it is in my Savior and the future he has given me through his death on the cross!
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