Accept Those That Are Different

Today's devotional by bro Samuel Lantion

The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad. Acts 15:3 NASB

Some church members become upset when people who are "different" join their Church. And let's be honest some see them as a threat to the status quo. Hey there's nothing new under the sun, this is not a new problem. Some things never change. See Paul and Barnabas had started churches among the Gentiles on a recent mission trip, but they didn't require the new Gentile believers to follow Jewish law and one law most noticeable, circumcision. There were some men from Judea that said Paul and Barnabas were wrong for doing this. After debating with these men, Paul and Barnabas went up to Jerusalem to settle the issue once and for all. As they traveled to Jerusalem, they came across other Christians who were glad to hear what God was doing among the Gentiles. As you can imagine their response was very different from how the men from Judea responded to Paul and Barnabas. Ask yourself are you more like the Jewish converts from Judea or more like those Paul and Barnabas encounter on their way to Jerusalem? We should accept all those who are different, because in God's eyes we are all the same.