We're All God's Children-Remembering Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Acts 15:8-9 NLT
"God knows people's hearts, and he confirmed that he accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he cleansed their hearts through faith."
When I was in middle school, I dreaded lunch time. I couldn't bear the thought of getting to the cafeteria and finding nowhere to sit. Every day, scenarios would play out in my mind where I was rejected from every table in the room. Can you imagine how you would feel in that situation? Or even worse... can you imagine how you would feel if people rejected you from taking a seat at the Lord's table? In the book of Acts, we get to see the beauty of the growing church. However, it was in those days that some believers would reject new believers from faith. In other words, if you weren't a Jew, you weren't welcome at the Lord's table.... or at least that's what the Pharisees tried to say (v.5).
It is in verses 8-9 that Peter presents to us that this isn't the case. He tells us that God sees our hearts. If God sees our hearts, then we do not have to fit a certain criteria to follow him. We must repent and believe in him, then he will purify us by giving us the gift of the Holy Spirit. He continues by saying that God made no distinction between the Gentiles and the Jews, and through faith, cleanses our hearts. Just because someone may look or act a little different than you or me, we are all still children of God. It is our job to welcome everyone to the table of God. Black, White, Hispanic, Asian, male, female, Baby Boomer, Millennial, etc... If God has cleansed them and blessed them with the Holy Spirit, we must welcome them with open arms and receive them as brothers and sisters through Christ.
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