Struggling with God’s plan
by Pastor Glenn Crouch
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, ‘So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life’ (Acts 11:18).
Read Acts 11:1–18
It seems what happened at Cornelius’ house (as we read earlier this week) spread like wildfire and consequently, when Peter and his colleagues returned to Jerusalem, they were not greeted with enthusiastic inquiries. No, they received criticism – it almost appears that they were put on trial. As we may struggle with change, it seems it wasn’t any easier for the very first church.
As Peter had stood up several times already in this book, so now he stands up and gives an account of the work of the Holy Spirit to his fellow members of the Jerusalem church. While it is perfectly reasonable that those in Jerusalem wanted Peter to give an account of all that had happened in Caesarea (and Joppa), it is disappointing that things started out with criticisms and accusations. This is a good reminder that the church today is still a family of sinners – yes, we are forgiven, justified, redeemed and reconciled – but we still mess up.
Not only do we as individuals need to use the Scriptures as a mirror to see how well we are loving God and loving our neighbour but our congregations and our church organisations need to do this as well. Peter and Paul will later have a conflict over eating with Gentiles (Galatians 2) and the first recorded church council (Acts 15) will look at this issue again. So, if we see that the first Christians – many of whom knew Christ and who all had direct access to the apostles – struggle to determine God’s will, it’s not that surprising that we still struggle.
It is worth noting that our text today ends with the church praising God.
Lord of our salvation, grant me your patience and wisdom as I deal with fellow believers with whom I have disagreements. Help me to keep my focus on my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and all that he has achieved for all of us. In his mighty name, I pray. Amen.
Glenn is the Pastor of St John’s Lutheran Church in Esperance and also looks after St Paul’s Lutheran Church in Kalgoorlie-Boulder. Karen and he have been married since 1985 and have two grown sons – and have recently become grandparents.
- Click here to read previous devotions.
- We are also posting them on LCA Facebook, making it easy for you to share them with family and friends.
- Sign up to receive Daily Devotion in your inbox every morning. If you’re already doing that, please encourage others to sign up. Click here for the link.
