City Life Starter

Written by Aisha Darwesh

The Word

Read Acts 10 (the entire chapter) – the story of Peter and Cornelius

²⁸ Peter told them, “You know it is against our laws for a Jewish man to enter a Gentile home like this or to associate with you. But God has shown me that I should no longer think of anyone as impure or unclean. ²⁹ So I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. Now tell me why you sent for me.”

Acts 10:28-29 (NLT)

¹¹ Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts. ¹² In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. ¹³ But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ..

¹⁴ For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. ¹⁵ He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. ¹⁶ Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.

¹⁷ He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. ¹⁸ Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.

Ephesians 2:11-18 (NLT)

Aisha’s Analysis

It is clear from the above scriptures that the gospel caused a paradigm shift for the Jewish believers of the early church and the way they viewed people of other cultures and backgrounds. The gospel changed everything they knew (or thought they knew) about who to associate with.

That’s what life in Christ does. It changes us from the inside out. In the story of Peter and Cornelius in Acts 10, both Peter and Cornelius had a heart for God, and both needed the other to experience the amazing outpouring of the Holy Spirit that ensued.

This shows us that God does not operate in a vacuum. He wants us to experience His Glory and build His Kingdom with other people from different walks of life. We are all connected in Christ, and that should supersede everything else. Our allegiance to Christ takes precedence over our affiliation with any particular group or organization or subset of culture. 

Another interesting point from Acts 10 is both Peter and Cornelius had separate experiences with the Lord individually that prepared them for their meeting. This powerfully demonstrates that diversity emerges organically as a result of following Christ and the prompting of the Holy Spirit. 

Had Peter and Cornelius been stuck in their own plans and preconceptions, they might never have met. There was intentionality in their meeting, and God clearly played a part behind the scenes. Inclining your ear to God and being willing to follow where He leads even if it takes you out of your comfort zone is what life in Christ is all about. 

The fact is we need each other to experience the bright and colorful future God has planned for us. 

Application

The Lord’s willingness to humble Himself and enter our world as a helpless baby gives us an example to follow. Is the Lord calling you into someone else’s “world” so to speak? If so, and He most likely is, try to do so with humility and curiosity. Don’t act like you already know what that person is going through. Don’t assume or presume. Just be open, compassionate, and curious. 

Give yourself time to grow and learn, and allow the other person to do the same. Keep listening to and following the Lord. Allow Him to lead you where He is calling. 

Prayer

Father God, thank You that life with You is an adventure! Help me to be open to the people You are calling me to connect with. I want to share the truth of the Gospel with others. Please open doors for me to share the love of Jesus with those You place along my path. In Jesus’ name, amen.