After Pentecost: The Disciples DeployedSample

Tearing Down the Walls

For a while, the apostles took the Gospel only to the Jews. They did not take the Gospel to the Gentiles because they believed the Gentiles, not being Jewish, were unclean. They did take the Gospel to the Samaritans, a people group that had resulted from Jews intermarrying with foreigners with different religious beliefs and practices. That in itself had probably been quite a stretch for them, but inviting the Gentiles to join God’s family would have really stung. The Jews were God’s chosen people, after all, and had spent centuries working to meet the requirements of God’s law passed down to them through Moses, and the Gentiles had never made any effort to please God as far as they could tell.  

Had God not led Peter to take the Gospel to the Gentiles, Peter would never have attempted to do so. Thankfully, God did and Peter obeyed. Trusting God’s wisdom, Peter put aside cultural bias and preached a simple Gospel message to a group of Gentiles, the members of Cornelius’ household. The Holy Spirit, having already prepared the hearts of those present to receive that message, did the rest, moving in a mighty way and advancing the Kingdom through Peter’s obedience just as He had through Jesus’ obedience. 

Over and over again, Jesus shocked both his followers and His enemies during His earthly ministry by spending time with people they either considered unworthy of love and respect or assumed wouldn’t respond to His message. Through His words and actions, Jesus proved that the Gospel was for all people, no matter their background. 

Jesus engaged culture without bias or fear, not forcing His message on anyone, but giving time and attention to anyone and everyone who showed interest in what He had to say. He did not play favorites or let the opinions of others influence Him, but served everyone equally, proving that God’s love is based not on the merit of the receiver, but on the noble intentions of the Giver. 

What about you? Which people group do you find most difficult to engage and love? Why? Is there a limit to the amount of love you are willing to show people who aren’t like you?  Do you let the biases and opinions of others keep you from loving others the way God expects you to?