The missionaries and followers who were in the country of Judea heard that the people who were not Jews also had received the Word of God. When Peter went up to Jerusalem, the Jewish followers argued with him. They said, “Why did you visit those people who are not Jews and eat with them?” Then Peter began to tell all that had happened from the beginning to the end.

Acts 11:1-14 (NLV)

 

Churchgoers are often comfortable with their beliefs and practices, but disciples of Jesus are the first to embrace change and new moves of God. While followers of Jesus attend church, not all churchgoers are followers of Jesus. If we cannot embrace what God is doing right now, how are we supposed to reach our world with the gospel of Jesus in the power of His Spirit?

We are overly relying on our programs, methods, and strategies, while forgetting prayers, discernment, and spiritual alertness to what is happening around us. We are called to live our life in Christ with a “prophetic” cutting edge. Only then will our message and ministry be filled with God’s power and compassion, freeing the broken-hearted and healing the wounded.

The early church had to learn the lesson that the gospel was not just for the Jews, but it was for everyone. They questioned Peter about his meeting with Cornelius because he visited and ate with uncircumcised Gentiles. This demonstrates that we can be Spirit-filled while still have rules about who gets to hear the gospel. Sometimes, Christians can be the hardest people to convince to believe the good news of God's unconditional love.

Too many church gatherings and worship services are just echo chambers of our beliefs and practices. Recently I heard someone quipped, “If Jesus preached what most preachers preached today, He would have never been crucified.” Preaching the gospel that turned the world upside down must become our mission once again. In doing so, we will witness firsthand the transforming of our world by the otherworldly reality of the gospel.