David Bahn – Reflections

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Acts 2:37-47

Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” ³⁸ And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” ⁴⁰ And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” ⁴¹ So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

⁴² And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. ⁴³ And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. ⁴⁴ And all who believed were together and had all things in common. ⁴⁵ And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. ⁴⁶ And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

“The promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself,” says Peter to the gathered people. That’s a broad sweep of God’s far-reaching love and precious promises. That is good news for us all, but it also presents a challenge. That was true for the early Christians. It is true, also, for us.

When Peter proclaimed the breadth of God’s love and his promises to everyone the Lord would call to himself, he likely had no idea of how those words would play out for him as the leader of the Apostles. There would come a time (recorded in Acts 15) when the spread of the gospel message would penetrate into the gentile world. And people very far from God would be brought to faith. They would have no Jewish background, nor even an appreciation for the rich Jewish heritage Peter and the others possessed. Some of the new converts may have been pagan in every sense of the word. They would be baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. But they would not bring an appreciation for Jewish traditions or practices.

Paul and Barnabas along with Titus would go to Jerusalem and lay before Peter and the other Apostles the case for accepting these new gentile believers into the fellowship of the church (cf. Galatians 2:1). Peter would preside, so to speak, over this discussion that would open the doors of the church to people like you and me. Even before that Peter encountered a vision at the house of Cornelius in which he was commanded by God to eat unclean food. He was told not to call anything unclean that God had declared clean. God’s declaration went far wider and broader than he had anticipated (Acts 10:1-11:18).

How does this apply today? Who might God call to himself that would challenge your spiritual and religious sensibilities? Is it an ethnic group? Is it someone who smells, thinks, acts, and talks differently? Or is it someone you’ve just written off? You’ve determined that John or Jane is just too far gone. Yet God calls them to himself. The abstract becomes real.

Here’s one more: Maybe you’re someone else’s Jane or John. You might be one who is thought to be too far gone, too different, too lost. In that case, rejoice and be glad. God’s grace, love and promises are for you – for all those God will call to himself. Joy or challenge? In either case it is a great blessing to be called to God and promised his gifts. His reach is far and wide. His grace and love deep. His mercy is everlasting.