Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. (Mark 16:15). The gospel is to reach EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE! Many may not accept it, but ALL deserve to hear it. For some of us, this might mean treading in unfamiliar territory, and like Peter (Jew, well-committed to the Mosaic Law), who was led to preach to Cornelius (Gentile), he had to be prepared and transformed for that encounter; an encounter that was a pivotal moment in the spreading of the gospel. We read in Acts 10:10-17, how Peter’s heart and mind was challenged to the core, leaving him seriously perplexed by what God was asking him to do and totally pushing him outside of his “familiar” zone.
God was transforming Peter
– from a position of exclusion to inclusion
– from a position of arrogance to humility
– from a position of pious superiority to grace
– from a position of pride to submission
– from a position of rejecting God’s call to obedience
– from a position of limitation to no boundaries
Peter understood (applied meaning to what God was instructing earlier in the story) that “God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean” (Acts 10:28b), also, that “God is no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34).
God seeks those who are convinced and convicted by the power of the gospel to reach EVERYONE.
What is going to be the next pivotal moment in your life of sharing the gospel?
Prayer: Dear God, break my heart for what breaks yours. Reveal and dislodge anything in my life that limits or prevents me from sharing your gospel.
P. Lorraine