Breaking Through by Brett DavisUzorak

Breakthrough Four: Locals Only – Or Room for All?

Read: Acts 10:34–48

It’s a beautiful offshore swell and the point break is great. You’ve never been here before, and you excitedly suit up and paddle out to a lot of unfamiliar faces in the line-up… well, your face is unfamiliar.

Seems like the rest of the surfers do know each other, and they’re banding together to ensure you don’t get any waves or any love. People paddle inside of you, someone blocks you, and another outright tells you that, if you aren’t from here, you can’t surf here. Localism.

It’s easy to reject the “different” or to force them to conform if they’re to belong.

But God is in the business of expanding His tribe – inviting in people who weren’t locals in the beginning.

How will we cope with this?

Acts 10:34–48 gives us a good look at the tensions that arose within the early Church – and how those differences and fights were resolved.

Locals Only – The Jewish People

God has a history with humanity, from Adam and Eve to the nation He established – Israel. However, this led some Jews, even those who believed in Jesus, to consider themselves exclusively the “true locals” – God’s people.

God always planned for an even broader trajectory, a promised Messiah (chosen one) who would gather people from all nations. But you can see these early Christians struggled to get past their localism and weren’t sure how faith would come to “outsiders.”

Locals Challenged – A Roman Soldier

A non-Jewish soldier named Cornelius had a genuine faith, but it was only part way there. God set up an encounter by preparing Cornelius with a dream of making a “local connection,” and Peter with a dream of making a “non-local connection.” The whole “food dream” was not about your preferred local restaurant but actually breaking the barrier between the two groups.

Locals Included – The Spirit Breaks through for All

What originally looked like a barrier, a breaking of the local rules, ended up being a breakthrough to a bigger tribe.

Even as Cornelius heard the Jesus message, his heart was opened and he and his family received the same Spirit as the locals.

It’s hard to deny the “big kahuna,” God Himself, as He opens the way for these newbies to have full local status. We’d better not be blocking them anymore!

So the way is opened, through Jesus, for full local acceptance for all people from every nation.

Reflection

How are you at accepting people into your community who are a bit different, even difficult?

Have you ever thought you also might be challenging to some people?

Do you have an open community where people can belong before they believe? How can you be sure there are no barriers?

God seems to be in the business of creating pathways for people to belong. In what ways can you help open the way for newcomers, wanderers, seekers, and “different” believers?