1. Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our
Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The message from God’s Word this 5th
Sunday of Easter comes to us from Acts 11:1-18 and is entitled, “The Gospel of Christ for All,” dear
brothers and sisters in Christ.
2. Mahatma Gandhi shares in his
autobiography that in his student days in England he was deeply touched by
reading the Gospels and considered becoming a Christian, which seemed to offer
a real solution to the caste system that divided the people of India. One
Sunday he attended church services and decided to ask the minster for an
understanding on salvation and other Christian doctrines. But when Gandhi
entered the sanctuary, the ushers refused to give him a seat and suggested that
he go elsewhere to worship with his own people. He left and never came back. “If Christians have caste differences also,”
he said to himself, “I might as well
remain a Hindu!” Edwin Markham has
said, “Some draw a circle that shuts men
out; Race and position are what they
flout; But Christ in love seeks them all
to win, He draws a circle that takes them in!
3.
Bad
news travels fast, and soon the Christians in Jerusalem called Peter on the
carpet for fraternizing with the Gentiles.
Acts 11:1-4, 16-18 says, “1Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea
heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2So when Peter went
up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, saying, 3“You went to
uncircumcised men and ate with them.” 4But Peter began and explained it to them
in order: 16 [near the end of his sermon
Peter] remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water,
but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17If then God gave the same gift
to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I
that I could stand in God’s way?” 18When
they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then
to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”
4.
These
Jewish Christians were not unhappy because the Gentiles received grace but
because Peter had associated with them! Peter
had his hands full, but he answered admirably.
Acts 11:4–18 record his defense, which was so good that in the end,
according to verse 18, “When they heard this, they had no further
objections and praised God, saying, “So then, God has granted even the Gentiles
repentance unto life.” The story of
Peter’s preaching to the Gentiles was of great importance to Luke. He tells it
three times, twice in Acts 10 and again in chapter 11. Luke was composing under
the guidance of the Holy Spirit. This story was not only important to him but
to God also. If God tells us something once, we should listen. If he tells us
something twice, we should pay strict attention. How then if he tells us
something three times over? In that case, we must give God’s words the most
intent and obedient notice possible.
5.
Here
in Acts 11 we see that the Gospel of Christ is for All who believe in Jesus as
their Savior regardless of race or social class. Just like the circumcision party here in Acts
11 we too may be skeptical of God bringing to faith others outside our own
circle. The Jewish Christians in
Jerusalem called into question Peter’s actions of going to Gentiles. In the Old Testament, God himself had
established a distinction of Israel from the Gentiles (Deut 7:1–6). Jews felt
even eating with Gentiles would make them ceremonially unclean. Likewise, God had forbidden Israel to eat
many foods the Gentiles ate (Deut 14:2–19). But note that Jesus ate with tax collectors
and sinners.
6.
We
may be unsure we can reach beyond our comfort zones. This might include traditions in our
congregation that could be stumbling blocks to those on the “outside” being
welcomed. It certainly does include any
hesitancy about welcoming people into the Church because their backgrounds
might be suspicious to us. For example, we may wonder whether Muslims can
become Christian. This reminds me of a
moment in American history: after the Civil War the question rose whether free
blacks and whites of the same denomination would make up congregations. Oh yes,
said most white congregations: you can keep coming with us to the Lord’s house,
as you did in slave days. Yes, we’ll reserve choice seats for you in the
balcony. But commune with us at the Lord’s Table? And stay to eat with us at
the tables in the church meeting room or on the church lawn, for a picnic?
Never. Historians report that some of the segregation of Christian
congregations in America resulted from African Americans’ “self-exclusion.” They
knew where they weren’t wanted; it was at the communion table, where believers
are intimate with their Lord, close to each other; or at the festive table,
where they share their secrets and bare their souls as they feed their bodies.
7.
Thanks
be to God that He leaves us no doubt about his purpose to include everyone into
His heavenly kingdom through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and His cross and
empty tomb. God made it very clear to
Peter. He gave Peter a miraculous vision
(vv 4–10). Others helped affirm the
message (vv 11–14). Finally, God left no
doubt (vv 15–17).
8.
Today,
God affirms his promises to include all people by the testimony of his Word. Scripture had always hinted at it. Ps 148:11–13 says, “11Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers | of the earth! 12Young
men and maidens together, old men and children! 13Let them praise the name of the LORD, for
his name alone is exalted; his majesty is above earth and heaven.” Now we understand clearly. Jesus tells us in John 16:13, 13When the Spirit of truth comes,
he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own
authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the
things that are to come.” For this is
one of God’s new things as Jesus also says from His throne in heaven in
Revelation 21:5, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write
this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
9.
This
is the new covenant instituted with the shedding of Jesus’ blood. Jesus’ death on the cross has paid for the sins
of the whole world, that is, all people!
1 John 2:2 says, “2He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only
but also for the sins of the whole world.” By Jesus’ cross, the gifts of forgiveness and
eternal life have been given to all who believe (v 17).
10. In the end, God calls all to
faith through the same Word and Spirit. Whether
it’s infant Baptism or adults coming to faith, all are by God’s Spirit through
his Word. The Gospel message itself is
beyond our reason. We think those who
are “in” must somehow “rate” based on something in them (our)selves. But we know better; every one of us is “in”
because Jesus paid for our membership by dying for us—and only because he did. We sometimes need to make sure not to stand
in the Spirit’s way. Our final response
is praise for what God does in bringing others to faith (v 18).
11. Our reading from Acts 11 today
reminds us that our attitude toward the world—those who do not know God—is very
important. That’s the whole point of the Old Testament book of Jonah. It was
Jonah’s bad attitude toward the world that landed him in the belly of the great
fish. God was saying to him, “Jonah, this
is what I think of your self-will, your prejudice, your elitism. Take a good
look.”
12. In our Lord Jesus there is no
basis for discrimination of any kind. Prejudice or elitism on the lips of a
believer is an obscenity—whether it be racial, national, cultural, or social.
James says, “My brothers, as believers in
our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism” (2:1). If only there
had been more love and less bias in that usher’s heart when he met Gandhi. The
future world leader had read the New Testament and had even seriously
considered Christianity, but his conclusion was, “I like the New Testament, I like your Christianity, but I do not like
your Christians.”
13. What a difference it makes when
we look at others with attitudes that are inclusive, optimistic, and loving. Peter’s
story reminds us that God wants to instill in us his attitude toward the world. The gospel never changes. But we can become
unchangeable, inflexible, and thus unusable. What are our attitudes toward
others? Exclusive, pessimistic, passive? Or concerned, hopeful and loving? We
need to regularly consider Peter’s vision and its meaning and implications for
us today.
14.
Prayer: Our
gracious Lord, we want to have hearts that are inclusive and optimistic. We
desire a blessed, merciful aggressiveness like Jesus’. Enlarge the circle of
our lives, we pray, whatever the cost. Help us to be open to your leading and
to not see ourselves as above those you want us to reach. May your love for
everyone overflow from our hearts and draw others to the Savior who died for
them as much as he died for us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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