Salvation Even for THEM??

Posted in , , , , By Patty Kennedy 0 comments

When the believers heard this, they stopped arguing. They praised God and said, “So God is allowing even other nations to turn to him and live” (Acts 11:18).

Remember this story? In Acts 10, Peter had a vision in which a large sheet was lowered before him. It contained all kinds of animals, and a voice told Peter to "rise and eat." Peter was indignant and protested, "But I have never eaten anything impure or unclean!" The voice spoke to him again and said, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean."

At first read, you may think this passage is about Jews eating stuff that's not kosher. But in fact, God was impressing upon Peter to not consider PEOPLE impure whom God has made clean. In this case, it was Cornelius. While in prayer, God told Cornelius to send for Peter, and he did so promptly. There was just one problem with this, according to the mores of the day: Cornelius was a Gentile and Peter was a Jew. Peter tells Cornelius in Acts 10:28: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean."

 In chapter 11, when Peter returned to Jerusalem, the circumcised (Jewish) believers criticized him and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.” When Peter explained, the believers responded with the verse quoted at the beginning of this blog.

 How often have we responded with criticism when a brother or sister ministered to someone whom we deemed unworthy? One of my friends is devoting her life to ministering to women who work as exotic dancers. She blogged recently about the interesting responses she gets -- yes, even from Christians -- when they ask her what she does for a living. Some people nervously clear their throats, others simply walk away. It's as if they don't believe she would actually waste her time on these women.

 I have encountered some very similar responses over the years about ministering to women who have had abortions. Unfortunately, some of those responses have been from pastors. It is distasteful to them, so they bury their heads in the sand and deny that there are women sitting in their church services who have had abortions. Women who need help and healing, not judgment.

This week, think about your "pet sins." We all have them. You know, those nasty little infractions that make us believe someone is out of the reach of God. Homosexuality. Abortion. Addiction to sex or pornography. Alcohol or drug addiction. 

 Now think about the passage from Acts. Peter protested at first to the command to "Rise and eat," clinging to his religiosity and tradition. God had to open his eyes to the truth that salvation is for all who call on the Name of the Lord.

May we allow the Holy Spirit to search our hearts and blast us out of our tradition and our prejudices and our prideful "holier than thou" attitudes. All have sinned, and that includes us. We who know the truth need to be about our Father's business, bringing hope and light and salvation to others.