Division

Oooo, I bet you couldn’t wait to open this post. Let’s learn about division, which could be a mathematical problem, but if you know me, the happiest day of my college career was realizing no more math. Nah, I’m thinking about division in our world. As I’m studying through Acts this time, I see this book as almost a manual. A study of the foundations of our faith with Jesus and the Holy Spirit at the very center.

I love watching how the early church, the Holy Spirit and his movement. From Acts 1, we see a huge decision had to be made. They chose two qualified candidates, they prayed, they cast lots. Decision made. It could have been a source of controversy, but they began with prayer. God’s will, not their own.

In Acts 11, we are witnesses, as we read, to a seismic shift in the early church. Gentiles have received the word of God. There were those who criticized Peter, holding to their beliefs, more than the spread of the church. Look, I get it, since God’s covenants with Abraham, their understanding of who are God’s people has been squarely on their shoulders. They may forget Methuselah, or Ruth, or Rahab, I could go on.

Suffice it to say, this is the Holy Spirit working. Peter in verse four of chapter 11, begins to explain step by step how God changed his thoughts. He describes the whole experience of the sheet coming down three times. Being told nothing is unclean. “What God has made clean, you must not call impure.”

Remember the word of the Lord. Remember the Samaritan women. Remember the Gentile woman who came to beg at the feet of Jesus for mercy and for healing for her son. It’s there. Peter is filled with the Spirit and he has a first row seat to the Gentiles introduction to the Spirit.

“How could I possibly hinder God?’

“When they heard this they became silent. And they glorified God, saying, ‘So then, God has given repentance resulting in life even to the Gentiles.’ Acts 11:18 HCSB.

There was a problem, a source of frustration, a misunderstanding. They came together and allowed the Spirit to speak. Holding tightly to their beliefs walking in, the Spirit opened their eyes to his work and movement in the Gentiles. Their beliefs grew in light of the truth before them. God’s will, not their own.

I think I spend quite a bit of time on my rights, what is fair. Rather than how Jesus organized his apostles at the last supper. He washed their feet. He walked to the garden where he was going to be betrayed. He knew it.

“And one of those who were with Jesus reached out and drew his sword, and struck [Malchus] the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear. Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back in its place; for all those who habitually draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will immediately provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? How then will the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen this way?””
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭26‬:‭51‬-‭54‬ ‭AMP‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/1588/mat.26.51-54.AMP

Friend, we have an opportunity to love one another. We have an opportunity to serve one another. Jesus could have been rescued from this death, he chose me. He chose you. And he went to the cross and died. Yet, that’s not the end of the story. He rose.

His story is within us and moving in our midst. And that should change everything. Rather than look at what our neighbor is doing, let us humble ourselves and let the Spirit make us aware of what WE are doing. Are we furthering the cause of Christ or are we hindering it ?

No easy answers today. Yet, I know I have a Savior who loves me and is for me. For you. For our neighbors. Peace.