The Village

I was reading in Acts 11 this morning, about the aftermath of Peter’s visit to Cornelius’ house and the subsequent salvation and infilling of his family. The wording of the text struck me: They heard that the Gentiles had received the Word of God. Not just heard it, but embraced it. But their reaction upon the return of Peter was frightening: You went in and ate with Gentiles!

Here is the amazing part: It was about 10 years after the resurrection. Jesus had commanded them to go into all the world, and they had resisted, only doing it slowly and grudgingly. Their first foray into Gentile territory results in a miraculous conversion. Remember this: today, the Church is almost entirely Gentile. There are very few Jewish believers in Jesus. But it almost didn’t happen. They almost let their prejudices, their traditions, their ideas, and their feelings keep them from doing the one thing that opened the Kingdom up to explosive growth.

What is that one thing in my life that I need to get past so that the Kingdom can grow in me? What is that one thing in our church that we haven’t seen yet that keeps us from breaking out in God’s direction? Where am I hung up, blinded, or deceived? God, open our eyes.