Saturday 24 November, 2012

34 Then Peter began to speak. “I now realize how true it is that God treats everyone the same,” he said. 35 “He accepts people from every nation. He accepts all who have respect for him and do what is right. 36 “You know the message God sent to the people of Israel. It is the good news of peace through Jesus Christ. He is Lord of all. 37 You know what has happened all through Judea. It started in Galilee after John preached about baptism. 38 You know how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Jesus went around doing good. He healed all who were under the devil’s power. God was with him. 39 “We are witnesses of everything he did in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by nailing him to a cross. 40 But on the third day God raised him from the dead. God allowed Jesus to be seen. 41 But he wasn’t seen by all the people. He was seen only by us. We are witnesses whom God had already chosen. We ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 “He commanded us to preach to the people. He told us to give witness that he is the one appointed by God to judge the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets give witness about him. They say that all who believe in him have their sins forgiven through his name.” 44 While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45 Some Jewish believers had come with Peter. They were amazed because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on those who weren’t Jews. 46 They heard them speaking in languages they had not known before. They also heard them praising God. Then Peter said, 47 “Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” 48 So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.

Peter and other Jews with him were amazed that salvation was for Gentiles as well as Jews. They had felt secure in their “favoured nation” status, and despite prophecies to the contrary still didn’t expect Jesus to have died for all – it was a very radical concept for them then. God was bigger than they had thought.

This prompts me to think “What biases do I have which are ungodly? Have I put God in a box and made him smaller than he really is?”

Lord, just as King David asked you to show him any wicked ways in him, I ask you to reveal to me any sinful biases or expectations I may have. Please help me to be

transformed by the renewing of my mind.

Written by Megan Cornell