Saturday Sacrifice: I don't care who you are, where you're from, what you did, As long as you love me(God)

Acts 11:1-18

In this reading we see Peter is accused of eating with uncircumcised men or Gentiles. Basically, people who are not of Jewish heritage. In his defense, Peter explains to his fellow believers that he received a vision from God where God himself instructs Peter to do so.

⁵ “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was. ⁶ I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles and birds. ⁷ Then I heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’⁸ “I replied, ‘Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’⁹ “The voice spoke from heaven a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’ ¹⁰ This happened three times, and then it was all pulled up to heaven again.

Right after the vision, Peter is invited to come to a Gentile house. Now back in those day Jewish and Gentiles never mixed. I believe it was against the Jewish law (you can look it up if you like). Never the less, the Gentiles invited Peter because they too heard from the Lord.

¹¹ “Right then three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea stopped at the house where I was staying. ¹² The Spirit told me to have no hesitation about going with them. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man’s house. ¹³ He told us how he had seen an angel appear in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. ¹⁴ He will bring you a message through which you and all your household will be saved.

So, just  to wrap up Peter goes to this house, and all that were there were filled with the Holy Ghost. Peter had an epiphany moment right then and there! It says then Peter “remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with^[a] water, but you will be baptized with^[b] the Holy Spirit.’ ¹⁷ So if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?”

No one can stand in God’s way. God loves everyone. He is not a respecter of persons. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you been or what you have done. God gives freely to those who believe in Him and seek Him diligently.

 

Remember in Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

 &

Romans 8:32 it says, “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

So when Peter’s accusers “… heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

Stay in God’s Peace, not in pieces=)

Saturday Sacrifice: Hannah