"Even the Gentiles"
And since God gave these Gentiles the same gift he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to stand in God’s way?” When the others heard this, they stopped objecting and began praising God. They said, “We can see that God has also given the Gentiles the privilege of repenting of their sins and receiving eternal life.” (Acts 11:17, 18 NLT)
When the early church first got going, they thought that salvation was only a Jewish thing. They didn't have a framework for what was ahead. God even has brought salvation to the Gentiles. And God has always been a global God with a specific people that he calls out to extend his glory.
This passage gives me hope for a couple of reasons. One, I'm a Gentile. Salvation is available to me. Two, God has a heart for all nations. And as the early disciples of Jesus were on mission with God, it has led to us hearing the gospel & coming to know Jesus. How can we then not go to those that haven't heard?
Also, we have things in our lives that are blind spots. Things we don't see that are contrary to God's Word, just like the early church with the Gentiles. But God revealed to them what his work was really about, the gathering of all the nations to himself. Similarly, we have to be open to God showing us our blind spots (like he did Peter in a dream) so that we can more fully participate in his mission in the world.
What blind spots have you had in the past? Think about what might be some you currently struggle with.
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