Today's passage is Acts 10:34-48. Peter understands that God's message to him and the others is that God extends his grace to all those who fear him and do what is right. He preaches the gospel to the Cornelius group and is astounded that they receive the Holy Spirit in exactly the same way as the apostles did. He orders them to be baptized with water in the name of Jesus.
Peter received the vision of clean and unclean animals, he received the message to go to Cornelius, and he bravely broke with Jewish law by not only associating with Cornelius and his family and friends, but he understood that God was extending his grace to everyone not just the Jews.
It wasn't until he saw them receive the Holy Spirit directly from God that he finally and truly accepted them as brothers in the Lord and baptized them with water.
It's hard accepting anyone outside your group.
I remember how I was tolerated at Wooridle at first, then accepted by some, then by more, but still not by all because I am not Korean.
I may be a Christian but I am not a Korean Christian.
Because I have so many Christian brothers and sisters in Wooridle, I don't worry about those who don't accept me because I'm like that too.
I don't accept some people as members of my spiritual family either.
As I participated in more and more activities at Wooridle and attended all the training courses, more people accepted me because they saw I had the same values as they did. I pray, I confess my sins, I repent, I change a little bit by God's grace.
As God changes me, more Wooridle members recognize me as Christian brother.
Not being accepted for who you are is a big hurt.
Healing that hurt through loving acceptance is why Jesus lived and died.
All we have to do is accept him first.
Once we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior then it's our duty to do the impossible, which is to accept others who accept him too.
And we can do that impossible thing because God gives us grace to do it.
Shared experience is an important part of accepting others.
It's because I go to mokjang and share my story and listent to others' stories that I learn to accept others as my Christian family.
Mokjang sharing is vital for me to accept and be accepted.
I hear how others are sinners just like me.
I hear how much they love Jesus because he's given them salvation for no other reason than that he loves us and wants us to be free of our burden of sin.
I realize that by sharing my sins and opening to others I am showing them that I accept them and mean them no harm or hurt.
I expose myself and my shame because Jesus accepted me by exposing himself to shame and ridicule on the cross of my sin.
I have no business in not accepting fellow believers.
I have no business in not accepting anyone who needs the chance to hear the gospel.
I accept others in order to share my story, my history of redemption in the Lord Jesus Christ.
That's how I have been accepted at Wooridle Church by so many people, and I am deeply grateful to be part of the family of God here.
Lord, let me not reject others because I don't know them or they look different or sound different. Give me the same grace you gave Peter to overcome my learned prejudices so that I can love more, accept more, and welcome more.
