Worship

“Adoption Song” by Brandon Lake

Scripture

“Then Peter began to speak: ‘I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. … All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.’

“While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.

“Then Peter said, ‘Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.’ So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.” -Acts 10:34-35, 43-48

God’s Heart for All Nations

The gospel was now to go forth from the Jews to the Gentiles, to bring them in, graft them in, and send them forth to the ends of the Earth. God’s heart has always been for every nation, tribe, and tongue. The pioneers of the Church, His followers, had to adopt this same passionate belief. As we examined last week, it was time for all hatred and prejudice to end at the cross

Interestingly enough, the hatred between Jews and Gentiles was mutual. Male Jews thanked God they were not a woman, a slave, or a Gentile. If a Jew married a Gentile, they would have a funeral for the Jew because that person would be considered dead in their eyes. To enter a Gentile home was to deem one unclean. Equally on both sides of the fence, hatred mounted. Gentiles presumed Jews worshiped pigs since they would not eat them. But all of this was now inevitably going to change with the birth of the gospel movement. God’s heart would be released in His people in order for the gospel to go forth. What He entrusted to us, He would shepherd in order to see the fulfillment of His promise that all nations would stand before the throne one day.

“‘As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. Then I remembered what the Lord had said: “John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” So if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?” -Acts 11:15-17

“This entrance of Gentiles into the church was not a new plan, but something promised long before. The Old Testament looked for the day when a light would shine in the darkness of the Gentile world: Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the LORD will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. (Isaiah 60:1-3)” -David Guzik

The Current Reality

Church, there is something so key for us in the application of this passage. God does not show favoritism. He gave His life for the entire world (John 3:16) unto salvation. But here is the grave reality. According to a Barna study, approximately only 17% of the Church in America is actually familiar with the term “Great Commission.” What began with a Gentile Awakening in Acts once spread to America. We took up our mantle, and missionary movements were spawned from our soil to the nations. This was our God-given calling. This was our mandate.

For generations, we were the No. 1 missionary sending nation around the globe. In 2019, John Morgan unearthed that Christianity is undergoing a seismic shift in the West. The Global South (including Brazil, South Korea, and India) and the Two-Thirds World (including South Africa, the Philippines, Mexico, China, Colombia, and Nigeria) are turning to Christianity and sharing the gospel at a much faster pace than the West. In the year 1800, the population in the West (North America and Europe) was 99% Christian. Today, less than 30% of Christians live in these two continents.

Statistics like this make one wonder whether churches in the West are more concerned about filling their buildings than emptying them in order to fulfill the Great Commission.

I saw an Instagram post this week that grieved me deeply. It’s heartbreaking to see what many are learning from one such church in America. In the post, a pastor references Jesus as his favorite stripper and leads the congregation in a worship chant about having “bread in my pocket.” It was eye-opening as to how the church in America has gone astray.

Reflection

Where did we go wrong as a nation? How did we go from a Gentile Awakening in Acts to our current reality? Where is our passion and drive for the gospel to reach the ends of the Earth? Where is our urgency and conviction that the gospel changes everything and we must share it with others?

I want to close with this compelling quote from Robert Mohler’s commentary on Acts 1-12:

“As we reflect on these truths, we should both celebrate the fact that God’s grace has come to all people and remember that we have a responsibility to take the gospel to people groups that are still unreached. First, if you are a Gentile, rejoice that God has included you in his covenant people. God was under no obligation to extend his promises to you or me. Yet in his infinite mercy, God reached out to us and gave us the free offer of the gospel. But, second, we must also remember that there are still places in the world that have no vibrant gospel witness. God makes clear in this passage that he intends to build an international community of Christ-followers who are known by their faith and obedience. Peter’s vision of clean and unclean animals doesn’t just make an abstract point about the character of God’s covenant people; it is a call to take the gospel to the ends of the earth, and invite men and women from every nation to respond to Christ and to the promises of the gospel. We are called to pray for that mission, and give to that mission—and perhaps you are being called to go on that mission. Wherever God calls you to go, be on that mission.” – “Acts 1-12 For You”

A Few Key Notes

• Registration for the Arise Fall Luncheon is open! Join us on November 19 in Plano, Texas. We will hear from author and missiologist David Joannes as he shares your God-given destiny and purpose in the Great Commission. Early bird tickets are $20. Reserve your seat today!
• Take the gospel to the unreached with Arise! We take teams that are armed with the gospel to various countries to share the love of Jesus with a desperate world. View our open teams!