Confidence in Jesus’ Unstoppable Kingdom: 7 Days in ActsIsampula

Unstoppable despite racial and cultural barriers

Read Acts 10:23-48

In Acts 1:8, Jesus tells His apostles that they will be His witnesses “to the ends of the earth”. By Acts 10, the good news about Jesus has been from Jerusalem to the surrounding areas of Judea and Samaria. But so far, the people becoming Christians have been from a Jewish background (or Jewish-ish, like the Samaritans). Will it stay that way? No! Acts 10 tells us of a huge moment: when the gospel goes to people with no Jewish connection at all (called Gentiles in Acts). The first Gentiles are a Roman soldier, Cornelius, and his friends. In fact, it’s so important that Acts tell us what happens more than once (see Acts 11:1-18).

We see what a big deal this is at several points. For a start, if you go back to the start of the chapter, it takes two visions from God. Cornelius is visited by an angel and is told to send men to find Peter (10:3-6). As the men get close to where Peter lives, Peter also has a vision: he sees unclean animals that he would never normally even touch and is told to eat them. He needs the command to be repeated three times to get it! (10:16)

But this isn’t about Peter’s lunch. When the Gentile visitors knock on his door, Peter invites them in, something a devout Jew could never do (10:28). This is all about Jesus bringing Gentiles into His kingdom. As Peter says in 10:34, “I now realise how true it is that God does not show favouritism…”. 10:43 shows us that this isn’t a new idea. The Old Testament prophets “testify about Jesus that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” To show how true that is, the Holy Spirit comes on everyone who has been listening. This is revolutionary! Just look at the amazement of the Jewish-background Christians that the Spirit would come “even on Gentiles” (10:46).

Many movements, leaders, and organisations try to break down the things that divide people (though how many truly succeed?) There’s no doubt, however, about the gospel. Whatever the cultural and racial barriers, the same gospel is for everyone. How wonderful! Nothing that divides us can stop the good news about Jesus from uniting us.