Acts 10:34-38
Growing up did you ever feel that some of the adults in your life had favorites, and perhaps you were not in that select group? Maybe you felt that the teacher had some students he or she favored, the “teacher’s pet”. Perhaps you came from a family with several siblings, and you felt that your parents favored one over the others, the one with better looks, skills, or grades. When the neighborhood children would gather in the park and pick teams for a game, it would always be painful for the child who was picked last. Favoritism doesn’t end when one becomes an adult, as we can see it in the office place, as well. How about God? Do you ever feel as if God has favorites? Let’s take a look at what Scripture says. Our passage today contains a message from St. Peter in the Book of Acts which should give us an answer to that question.
Just prior to when our passage opens God had directed Peter to go to the house of a gentleman, Cornelius, who was a Gentile, a non-Jewish person. Gentiles were one group who, at that time, could feel as if God had favorites, and they sure weren’t it. The Jewish believers had, for several years after Jesus’ ascension into heaven, been reluctant to share the Gospel message of salvation with any Gentiles, as Jesus had instructed them to. Now God had instructed Peter to go to Cornelius’ home and present them with the Gospel. Peter’s eyes and heart were opened up, and he realized that God’s message is for everyone.
What about today? That was the past, back in the days of the early church. Is it the same today? Does God welcome anyone into His Church? If some one of us were to go into a church service that we don’t typically attend some Sunday morning in our community, or some church in the next village or the next state, or even in some other country, would we feel welcomed? When Jesus was talking to His disciples He told them quite clearly that He had one flock (John 10:16). He didn’t say He had several flocks, one for Jews, one for Gentiles, one for whites, one for blacks, one for Asians. He didn’t say rich sheep over here, poor sheep over there, good looking up front. Jesus said that He had one flock and one Shepherd. Over the years, though, we seem to have forgotten that. Religious division is not His idea. The only requirement to be a part of Jesus’ flock is accepting Him as Savior. It is not what race or nationality we belong to. It is not whether we are rich or poor, or have multiple university degrees. Unfortunately many people today like to think that God’s flock would exclude this or that church denomination. There are no separate areas in heaven, Anglicans over here, Lutherans over there, Roman Catholics to the right, Baptists to the left, etc. As long as any person holds to Biblical truths, God shows no partiality.
Those who really, genuinely seek God will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13). However, it is not enough to just seek God. We must find Him. Believers must be ready to tell those who seek God all about Him (Romans 10:14-15; I Peter 3:15). Are we willing to tell those who are seeking the Good News about Jesus? Do we let prejudicial barriers stand in the way? How can someone find God if we aren’t pointing the way?
The Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is for everyone! We should not allow any barriers - language, cultural differences, geography, economic or educational level keep us from telling others about Jesus.
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