Acts 11
GOD WITH US ALL
In Acts 11: 20-21 we read “Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.”
As Christians we believe God is with Us, but sometimes we struggle with who “Us” is. The Jewish Christians of the early Church were not eager to include Samaritans or Gentiles in their churches and some even took the position that Gentiles must keep the Jewish law in order to be saved. The Holy Spirit was at work through men like Peter, Barnabas, Saul and others; and many Gentiles were “brought to the Lord” and were accepted by their Jewish brothers and sisters in Christ.
In a world that seems intent on polarizing “Us” by politics, economics, color, nationality, and even religion, we must be ever mindful that God’s “Us” includes everyone, and that his saving grace through the death and resurrection of his son Jesus is freely given to each of us. Through faith we may accept God’s gift of salvation and strive to share the good news that God is with us all.
–Gloria Scarle