Key
Scripture:
Acts
10.44-48 –
“While Peter yet
spake these words,
the Holy Ghost fell
on all them which
heard the word.
And they of the
circumcision which
believed were
astonished, as many
as came with Peter,
because that on the
Gentiles also was
poured out the gift
of the Holy Ghost.
For they heard speak
with tongues, and
magnify God.
Then answered Peter,
‘Can any man forbid
water, that these
should not be
baptized, which have
received the Holy
Ghost as well as
we?’ And he
commanded them to be
baptized in the name
of the Lord.
Then prayed they him
to tarry certain
days.”
Acts
11.17-18 –
“’Forasmuch then
as God gave them the
like gift as he did
unto us, who
believed on the Lord
Jesus Christ; what
was I, that I could
withstand God?’
When they heard
these things, they
held their peace,
and glorified God,
saying, ‘Then hath
God also to the
Gentiles granted
repentance unto
life.’”
James 2.1 –
“My brethren, have
not the faith of our
Lord Jesus Christ,
the Lord of glory,
with respect of
persons.”
James 2.9 –
“But if ye have
respect to persons,
ye commit sin, and
are convinced of the
law as
transgressors.”
Hebrews
13.1-2 –
“Let
brotherly love
continue. Be
not forgetful to
entertain strangers:
for thereby some
have entertained
angels unawares.”
Who are
THOSE people?
Where are THEY from?
Look at them!!!
Aren’t they….?
Have you ever heard
someone say things
like this before?
A better question
would be, “How often
have you heard
someone say things
like this?”
In
just about every
place one can go,
there will be people
who think themselves
better than others
for one reason or
another. In
the USA and other
English–speaking
countries, we call
this “bigotry” or
being a “bigot”.
Whether the people
are foreigners,
strangers, come from
a different state or
city, speak a
different language,
have a different
skin color, eat
strange foods or
wear strange
clothes, or just
happen to have hair
color that is
different, it seems
that there will
always be people who
think that they are
better, more
deserving, and just
plain in a better
state than others.
This even happened
in the Bible, and
was especially a
problem in the times
of Jesus and the Early
Church.
What does the Bible
have to say about
how to treat people?
What does it say
about bigotry?
Relations
between Jews and
Gentiles
Early on in
the Bible, God
commanded the
Children of Israel
in ways on how to
deal with
foreigners, or, as
the Bible calls
them, strangers:
“One law
shall be to him that
is homeborn, and
unto the stranger
that sojourneth
among you.”
– Exodus
12.49
“Thou
shalt neither vex a
stranger, nor
oppress him: for ye
were strangers in
the
land
of
Egypt.”
– Exodus
22.21
The reason for
this was not only
because God cares
for and loves all
people, but also
because…
“Also
thou shalt not
oppress a stranger:
for ye know the
heart of a stranger,
seeing ye were
strangers in the land of Egypt.”
– Exodus
23.9
Very early on,
the children of Israel were
commanded by these
and other verses, to
be kind towards
foreigners, and to
treat them well.
Despite the command
by God to destroy
the Canaanites, the
Children of Israel
were not forbidden
to totally cut
themselves off from
the rest of the
world and be
xenophobic; they
were, however, to
remember who they
were and to Whom
they belonged.
They, further, were
not forbidden to
marry foreigners, so
long as those who
the Israelites in
question were
marrying were ready
to accept the faith
of the Israelites –
faith and trust in
God. The
reason for the
verses in the Old
Testament forbidding
marriage between
Jews and foreigners
dealt with the
foreigners not
giving up their
faith, and the
Israelites giving up
theirs in God.
Men or women of
foreign birth,
however, who wished
to receive God, and
follow him as the
Old Testament Jews
followed him were
accepted, and were
acceptable for
marriage. The
Problem that came
about, as with any
law than man is
given some control
over and adopts for
himself or herself,
was that by the time
of Jesus, the
Children of Israel
were basically
religiously and
racially arrogant.
Such was the case
that Jews were not
even to enter the
houses of Gentiles
and eat and drink
with them.
This was the problem
that the Early
Church Leadership
had with Peter at
first, as, because
of the racial
bigotry of the Jews,
they considered it a
serious offense to
eat with them.
It’s Just
Business
This did not
mean that there
weren’t business
dealings between
Jews and Gentiles.
As far back as the
times of the judges,
the Children of
Israel had business
dealings, trade, and
even cooperation
with foreigners.
One of the first
kings to recognize
the legitimacy of
King David’s reign
was King Hiram of
the
Phoenician
City of Tyre (II Samuel 5.11-12). Throughout the
ancient Israelite
world, trade,
military
cooperation,
economic
partnership,
exploration, naval
and maritime
operations, and even
alliances were made
between Israel and
foreigners.
However, that is
basically where
things ended, so
long as foreigners
held to their
religions, idols,
and gods.
Unless they
converted and became
proselyte Jews or
submitted to the
Israelites (as
Gibeon
and four other
cities did in Judges
9) as servants, the
only interaction
that could exist,
and was allowed to
exist on the basis
of Scripture was
that of business.
The reason is
because of God’s
warnings to his
people, the
Israelites, about
adopting and
accepting other
religious practices
and foreign gods.
King Solomon – much
to the disaster to
himself and Israel later –
married many foreign
wives, and thus fell
under his wives’
sway to worship
their idols.
Governor Nehemiah,
Ezra the Scribe, the
Prophet Malachi, and
many other of the
Bible’s writers
later spoke of the
dangers of marrying
foreigners without
those foreigners
accepting God.
Anything other than
business
relationships and
somewhat distant
friendships, by the
First Century AD,
were basically
forbidden by Jews,
thanks in large part
to the disasters
that befell the
Israelites due in
part to their
interrelationships
with their ancient
foreign neighbors.
THOSE
People are
Just…Well, You Know…
There was an
unwritten rule among
the Jews of the
First Century that
there were just
certain people with
whom upstanding and
“good” Jews were not
to associate.
While these “certain
people” were
racially categorized
(such as Greeks,
Samaritans, and
other racially
foreign peoples),
they were also
categorized by
occupation.
While most of the
tax collectors in
Israel
at the time of Jesus
Christ were Jews,
they were despised
because they worked
hand-in-hand with
hated
Rome.
Prostitutes were
also on this list
for obvious reasons,
even though the
majority of them in
Judea
in the first century
were, of course,
Jewish. What
made Peter’s
entrance at
Cornelius’ house so
much worse was the
fact that not only
was Cornelius a
Gentile (Roman), but
he was a member of
the Roman army…and a
high-ranking officer
to boot! Roman
Legionnaires in
Judea in
the first century AD
were known to be
cruel. A Roman
Soldier of any rank
could force a Jew to
carry anything he
wished for as far as
a mile or two, and
this was a
particular sore spot
for Jews in
Israel.
All of this, when we
think about it, was
good reason for the
Early Church Leaders
to question Peter
about going to
Cornelius’ House for
any reason, let
alone for spreading
the Gospel.
What Would
Jesus Do?
We have
probably all seen a
bracelet, a ring, or
a necklace worn by a
Christian which had
the letters “WWJD?”
These letters remind
Christians to think
as Jesus Christ
thought, and to do
what Jesus Christ
would do in certain
situations.
The Apostle Peter
had been a good
student of Jesus
Christ.
Despite his needing
to be reminded that
Jesus accepted all
who came to him (see
Acts 10.9-23) –
including Gentiles –
Peter, in going to
Cornelius’ house,
did exactly what
Jesus did when he
encountered
Gentiles: he
went to them when he
was called.
Many times today, we
forget that Jesus,
while he walked
bodily on Earth,
touched the
untouchables, was
friends with
sinners, ate and
drank with tax
collectors and
publicans, held
company with
prostitutes, and
healed the sick and
diseased, all of
whom the Pharisees
and Sadducees would
not come within
shouting distance if
they didn’t have to.
Peter and his
companions, when
they went to
Cornelius’ house to
spread the Word of
God to them, were
following in Jesus’
footsteps.
Just as Jesus was
criticized for his
interactions with
the lowest of the
low, and the
untouchable s of his
day, so, too, was
Peter called into
question by the
Early Church
Leadership.
However, just as
Jesus was right to
spread the love and
the Gospel to the
lowest of the low
and to Gentiles, so
Peter was also right
to go to Cornelius’
house to preach the
Gospel. The
Early Church
Leadership, on
seeing that this
work was from God,
and not just from
headstrong,
impetuous, impulsive
Peter, praised the
LORD that the
Gentiles were able
to be saved!
And we need to be
thankful to God for
Peter, too!!!!
For had Peter not
bothered to go to
Cornelius’ house, we
very likely would
not have the Gospel
in our hands, and
Christianity would
just be seen as a
sect of the Jews (as
it was in the days
of the Early
Church).
Send Out
Those Missionaries!
How is the
Church of Jesus
Christ doing today?
How are we doing
when it comes to
spreading the Gospel
of Jesus Christ to
those who are
different from us?
Denominationally,
regionally, and
nationally, the
Church of Jesus
Christ is doing
pretty well!
In the last three
Centuries, since the
preeminence of the
British Navy, the
Victorian Age, and
the Rise of the USA as a world
power, the Word of
God has been sent
and preached to
every corner of the
globe. Great
Missionaries such as
David Livingstone,
J. Hudson Taylor,
William Carey, David
Brainerd, C.T.
Studd, John Moffatt,
and Jonathan
Edwards, have
literally impacted
the world for Jesus
Christ. Many
great missionary
societies have been
established, and
continue to reach
the lost for Jesus
Christ today.
Since the great
commission was
spoken by Jesus
Christ, the Church,
at large, has done a
magnificent job of
spreading the Gospel
to every creature.
THOSE
People? In OUR
Church?!?!?
However, on a
local or city-wide
level, how is the
church doing?
When someone new or
strange or different
enters the church,
how is he or she
greeted? Are
people who are
different accepted
into our churches,
and greeted warmly,
or do we look at
them with anything
but a welcome smile?
Do we – as Peter did
– go out of our way
to share with
strangers in our
midst, when they
come to the churches
we happen to worship
in, or do we give
them the coldest of
shoulders, ignoring
them as we leave
church to go on our
way? The
problem with many
churches in the
world today is that
many have become
more like social
clubs than really
soul-saving
stations. We
have let ourselves
make our churches
into a place that is
not much really
different than a
spiritual filling
station: get filled
up with fuel, check
the hood, wipe the
windows and
windshield, maybe
check the air in the
tires, and then
we’re on our way,
with little to no
regard for anyone
new ho may need even
just a word of
encouragement.
Many people in such
churches either
don’t invite others
to services, and if
they do, the people
or families that
come are usually
scrutinized to the
Nth degree (if the
other members
notice) or are
ignored
altogether…and God
forbid anyone ever
invite a total
stranger or
***GASP*** foreigner
into our midst!
Whatever shall we do
if that were to
happen? This
writer – being the
son of a Pastor –
has always been
surprised to the
point of being
shocked at how many
churches preach and
teach strong
missions, calling
for money, supplies,
and goods to be
collected and sent
to the field, but
the instant a
foreigner decides to
visit the church,
attend regularly, or
even join the
congregation, that
church’s
congregation went
out of their way to
either make the
person feel
unwelcome, or, in
nicer cases, acted
indifferently to him
or her. We
need to understand
that what we do and
say and preach and
teach needs to be
the same way we act
and interact with
any stranger or
visitor to our
churches. The
reason for the
Church of Jesus
Christ is not for
the comforting of
the Saints even
primarily: the
church exists to
spread the Gospel of
Jesus Christ to a
dying world, and if
we, as members of
one or more local
congregations do not
make strangers in
our own localities
feel welcome, and
feel loved by Jesus
Christ, we will lose
the mission field.
Jesus, when he gave
his disciples their
instructions, told
them to reach
Jerusalem
and Judea first. Why? The reason is, if the base
of operations isn’t
secured, then
operations outside
will never even
materialize, let
alone succeed.
We, as the church,
must succeed in
receiving and
welcoming any and
all strangers who
come to us and to
our churches.
Accept the
Person; Reject the
Sin
Please
understand the
meaning here.
While the insistence
here is to accept
anyone that walks in
the door, it is not
meant that the
lifestyle or the sin
should be accepted.
Yes, we, as the
Church of Jesus
Christ need to
accept every person
who comes through
our doors, and we
need to love every
person we encounter.
However, anything
that comes to our
ears, anything that
someone brings that
contradicts what the
Bible teaches must
not be accepted.
This is the other
extreme of
acceptance that is
poisoning the Church
of Jesus Christ in
this day and age.
He so-called
“mega-churches” and
the TV Churches of
this day and age
have seemingly more
and more lessened
their preaching
against sin, and
preached more on
self-esteem and the
Gospel of “self
help”. In many
mainstream churches
today, a visitor is
more likely to hear
how God can help him
or her become rich,
happy, fulfilled, or
satisfied in this
world, and less
likely to hear how
sin is destructive,
hell a real place,
and the devil the
ultimate enemy of
everyone on the face
of the Earth.
This is the other
extreme, and we need
to remember that
though each and
every person who
enters in is totally
and completely
welcome, accepting
the ideology of
anyone or anything
that contradicts or
conflicts the Gospel
needs to be
rejected.
Jesus Christ came
into the world to
save sinners
(Matthew 9.12-13,
Mark 2.17, 1st
Timothy 1.16), and
that is the reason
for the being of the
Church of Jesus
Christ. If we,
as the church, water
down the message of
the Gospel so that
we will become more
“acceptable”, then
not only will the
world cast us out,
but we will become
like the church of Laodicea,
of which Jesus said
this:
“I
know thy works, that
thou art neither
cold nor hot: I
would thou wert cold
or hot. So then
because thou art
lukewarm, and
neither cold nor
hot, I will spue
thee out of my
mouth.”
–
Revelation 3.15-16
We need to be
accepting of
everyone that comes
to us, but we must
reject anything that
degrades Jesus
Christ and his
written Word in any
way, shape, or form.
We must love the
sinner, but reject
the sin.
Conclusion
– Remember to
Entertain Strangers
Throughout the
Bible, we are
commanded and
instructed to
entertain strangers,
to treat people
different from us
well, and to be open
to people who come
to us and to our
churches. It
is said that Mahatma
Gandhi rejected
Jesus Christ because
of how he was
treated when he went
to a Church in South Africa
during the days of
Apartheid. As
his skin color was
different, the white
church he visited
rejected him, and
Gandhi, in turn,
rejected Jesus
Christ.
Friends and
Brethren, when
strangers come into
our church and to
our churches at
service time, there
is always a reason,
and the person is
very likely a seeker
to some degree or
another. In
many cases, visitors
come after the
person who invited
them had done so for
a long period of
time, and had prayed
for such a
visitation nto take
place. Even if
the visitor comes
alone without
invitation, there is
always a reason,
usually being of a
need for Jesus
Christ. We
need to entertain
strangers, because
in doing so, the
Bible states this:
“Let
brotherly love
continue. Be
not forgetful to
entertain strangers:
for thereby some
have entertained
angels unawares.”
– Hebrews
13.1-2
We never know
who will come into
our churches, and we
never know how they
will be impacted.
Let us be welcoming,
and when called to
do so, let us not
refrain from
inviting them to our
homes, and going to
theirs. Even
if the stranger and
visitor is not an
angel, the impact
will still be
eternal.
Prayer –
Heavenly Father, we
thank thee for this
day. Help us,
Lord, to be as
Peter, and as your
Son, Jesus, when he
walked this earth.
Help us to accept
people from any walk
of life that comes
unto us, and to
treat them with the
love that you
treated everyone
with. Give us
all a great day, and
we ask you, Lord, to
be with us in the
days and months
ahead. We
bless thy name
today, and we thank
thee. Help us
to spread the Gospel
as Jesus Commanded,
and to live in such
a way that visitors
will want to come to
where we worship.
When they come Lord,
help us to go out of
our ways to make
them welcome.
We pray all of this,
and we thank you, in
Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Verse to
Remember:
“Let
brotherly love
continue. Be
not forgetful to
entertain strangers:
for thereby some
have entertained
angels unawares.”
– Hebrews
13.1-2