All Are Welcome

More than two thousand years have gone by since Jesus walked the earth.  Things have changed.  Today’s culture here in the United States is vastly different to that of the early Christian church in Jerusalem.  It is also critically important to consider the fact that the devil has had all this time to develop his methods of deception.  While the Bible is the solid foundation of our faith and the history reported therein is profoundly instructive, how we apply those lessons in today’s modern world needs to be carefully considered.  The devil is using new schemes to turn people away from the church and we as Christian believers need to use new methods to share the light of Jesus.

“You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.”  Acts 10:36 (NIV)

The tenth chapter of the Book of Acts is a pivotal story in the formation of the Christian church.  The apostles originally believed that salvation through Jesus Christ was something only available to Jewish people.  In this story, we learn God has told the apostle Peter that non-Jewish Gentiles also need to hear the gospel and are equally available to the salvation of Jesus Christ. God sends Peter to visit a Gentile named Cornelius where he and his whole family are saved after hearing the gospel message delivered by Peter.

Today it’s widely accepted that Jews and Gentiles are open to the saving grace of God, but there are other groups in today’s world that some Christians might have a hard time accepting.  I’m not going to name names because we each may have a different list.  What’s important to note here is there is no exclusion list.  All are welcome.  God does not discriminate.  Salvation through Jesus Christ is available to everyone.  The devil wants to divide us and put up walls that keep some from even considering the possibility of a relationship with God.  Our mission as true believers is to make certain all feel welcome.

“All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”  Acts 10:43 (NIV)

All scripture references are linked to Bible Gateway so that you can read each verse in context.  Bible Gateway allows you to change the verse to your favorite translation and compare it side-by-side with multiple translations.  In addition, you can select to hear an audio version of any verse by clicking on the speaker icon.  Keep the Bible Gateway App on your phone so that you can visit the Word of God at any time during your day.

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