October 7, 2010 - Acts 15:8

"'God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us.'" Acts 15:8.
A conflict arose in the early church over the inclusion of Gentiles into the fellowship of the followers of Jesus. Paul and Barnabas were instructed by the leadership at Antioch to go to Jerusalem to argue in favor of Gentile inclusion. At the Jerusalem council, after some debate, Peter stood to speak. Peter reminded the council of how God had used him to bring the message of Jesus to Cornelius and his family, all of whom were God-fearing Gentiles. He recalled how God was the one who filled the Gentiles with His Holy Spirit, as Peter and some other disciples witnessed the event. There was no doubt in Peter's mind what God intended. God was serving notice that all people now had access to a relationship with Jesus.
There have been times when I have conducted myself in similar ways to this group of Jewish followers of Jesus. I excluded some people for various (silly or stupid!) reasons from whatever group in which I was engaged. I realized that there was something within me that wanted to have an "in" group and an "out" group. When I realized this about myself, I was humbled and ashamed of my attitude. I saw that God accepts and includes all who come to Him in faith, so why should I exclude anyone, no matter what their background might be. To this day, I am challenged to be accepting of people and to view everyone on an equal footing with each other.
Questions to consider: Who are those that you have a hard time accepting or including in your conversation and fellowship with Jesus? Is there any group of people that you have a difficulty in accepting? What do you need to do to be more accepting of those around you?
Prayer: Father, give me eyes to see when I am not accepting of those around me and the heart to change in order to love my neighbor, whoever they might be. Amen.