David Bahn – Reflections

Acts 11:17-18

If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ,who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” 18 When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

When I was a young boy I gave my sister a gift that I really wanted: I gave her a set of giant checkers. One of the rooms at the motel my parents owned and operated had a tile checkerboard on the floor, and I thought it would be great to be able to play checkers on the floor in that room. I didn’t really think about my sister. Whether she would like the gift wasn’t important. I got her what I wanted and used a line that had been used on me: “It’s the thought that counts.” Truth was, however, the only thought I had was for myself. Sorry, Sis! Today, I am truly sorry.

The gift of the Holy Spirit is an entirely different gift altogether. Not only is it spiritual in nature, it is entirely appropriate and truly for the sake of those to whom the Spirit is given. But in this case the gift is more than a gift: it is a sign of God’s favor and grace also toward the gentiles. By giving the Holy Spirit to these new believers God was saying not only that he had accepted them, and that they were legitimately part of God’s newly-forming multi-ethnic family, God was saying it publicly. This truly was a bold-face gift: the gift was a sign to the new believers and to the Church. God was indeed reconciling the whole world to himself in Jesus Christ.

I don’t tend to struggle with people on the basis of their race or ethnicity. But I might struggle with people with piercings and tattoos. I know I should accept them and rejoice whenever the Kingdom of God is manifest in their life. But the message for me is clear: whenever God grants repentance that leads to life to any group of people, it is a cause for joy and celebration. I want to embrace that wholly. How about you?

Acts 11:1-18

Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, saying, 3 “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.” 4 But Peter began and explained it to them in order: 5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, something like a great sheet descending, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to me. 6 Looking at it closely, I observed animals and beasts of prey and reptiles and birds of the air. 7 And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’ 8 But I said, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9 But the voice answered a second time from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, do not call common.’ 10 This happened three times, and all was drawn up again into heaven. 11 And behold, at that very moment three men arrived at the house in which we were, sent to me from Caesarea. 12 And the Spirit told me to go with them, making no distinction. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. 13 And he told us how he had seen the angel stand in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter; 14 he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’ 15 As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning.16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ,who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” 18 When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”