When They Heard These Things

If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God? 

Acts 11:18 

Christ must powerfully persuade us to change our thinking.  After Peter returned from preaching to Cornelius and the other gentiles, his Jewish brethren took issue with him saying, ‘You went in to uncircumcised men and ate with them.’ Peter explained to them how it had come to pass, including everything from the vision Christ had given him up to the giving of the Holy Spirit to the new believers. His closing argument was, ‘If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?’ Our text follows that statement. Thus, Christ had used Peter to evangelize the gentiles. It was these remarkable occurrences that convinced the Jewish believers that Christ was expanding the Gospel well beyond their culture. This was a revelation they needed. Christ is still continuing this work of sending the Gospel to the farthest corners of the earth and into cultures very different from ours. He is doing wonderful saving work even in cultures suffering under severe repression of the Gospel. What is impossible to us poses no problem for Him. Christ will build His Church from every culture over the whole earth in every age. He will not finish until He has gathered together all who are His.  

Great God of Wonders, 
we rejoice at Your providential plan. 
We praise You that You will extend the Gospel over the whole earth, 
to draw many unto salvation. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning