God Welcomes All

Acts 10:34-38

Have any of us ever felt like we just didn’t belong or didn’t fit in with the others, whether at school or at work?  Maybe our clothes weren’t right, or we weren’t as smart or gifted as the others.  Perhaps we spoke with an accent that was different than the others.  For whatever reason - our looks, our income level, or education or lack of one - we might have been rejected or looked down on by others who felt superior.  This might have even happened to us in church, and then we felt that God, too, was excluding us.

There is good news for all those who fear this.  Our Scriptures for today assure us that God shows no partiality.  There isn’t just one type of person that is accepted by Him.  When our passage opens, the Apostle Peter has been summoned to come to the home of Cornelius, Gentile and Roman centurion. Prior to this, since the day of Jesus’s ascension into heaven, basically only Jews had heard the Gospel of salvation.  That was not God’s wish, nor following Jesus’s command in Matthew 28:19 and Acts 1:8.  God wanted the whole world to hear the Gospel message and be given the opportunity to accept His Son, Jesus, as their Savior.  Just before our passage started, Peter had been given a vision from God to show that no one, no race or ethnicity, is unclean or less than any other (Acts 10:9-20).

Peter accepted this vision from the Lord and went promptly to the home of Cornelius, and the first words out of his mouth were that he knew that God shows no partiality.  There are several passages in the Old Testament that back this up, and show that this was God’s view from the start - Deuteronomy 10:17 and II Chronicles 19:7.  Later, the Apostle Paul also made a similar statement in his letter to the Romans 2:11.

God has shown us through His Word that the Gospel of salvation through faith in Jesus is for everyone.  There should be no barrier for those seeking to come to Him.  We can praise the Lord that in the last number of years the Scriptures are being translated into many languages and dialects that had not previously had a Bible.

How can this relate to us today?  How do we treat others who come into our churches today?  We might not like to admit this, but there is often partiality shown by some Christians to others.  What other types of barriers do we, either knowingly or inadvertently, put up that keep people from feeling comfortable coming to our church to hear from God?  Are we welcoming to people of different nationalities or backgrounds?  And how about the barrier some churches put up against people of different economic levels?  Do poor people feel welcomed to come into a church where most of the people are wealthier? The Apostle James made a point of mentioning just this issue in James 2:1-9. How would we feel if a homeless man or woman came into our church next Sunday and sat down right next to us in the pew?  Would we cringe and mentally criticize his dirty clothes and hair, and possible odor?

Another one that isn’t often looked at, but can easily be a barrier keeping people away from seeking the Lord is one of educational level.  Do people who may have dropped out of school, or perhaps only have a high school education feel welcomed by those with their many college degrees?  Or are they scorned as being ignorant, backward, or illiterate?  Does a person without a college degree at a Bible study or Sunday school class feel welcomed to speak up and contribute, or are they looked down on by others who feel they know more?

Remember, God shows no partiality for any reason, and neither should we. Let’s make sure that we aren’t putting up any type of barrier, whether of race, nationality, economic, or educational level to keep others away from Jesus.