Let God Choose

Today’s Scripture Readings:
OT: Isaiah 27-28
NT: Acts 15
W&W: Proverbs 23

Today’s Reflection:
In the early days of The Church, there arose a disagreement as to how Christians ought to live. There were some Jewish Christians who were teaching that Gentile Christians had to observe the Law in order to be saved. The early church met to decide the issue. The “minutes” of that meeting are found in Acts 15, and embedded in that story is the testimony of the Apostle Peter: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe” (Acts 15.7b).

As I read that I thought why we might have chosen Paul to be the first to take the gospel to the Gentiles. After all, Paul was:

• Known as the apostle to the Gentiles
• Clearly called of God to go to the Gentiles

But, how wise is our God in choosing Peter to open the door of the gospel to the Gentiles. Peter was:

• Recognized as the apostle to the Jews
• Zealous for the heritage of Judaism
• Respected by the Jerusalem church
• Validated as an eye-witness of Jesus’ ministry
• Accepted as a natural leader of the fledgling movement

Looking again at Paul, at the time the first Gentiles came to faith, he was:

• Probably viewed with skepticism or even suspicion
• Not “ready” to preach to the Gentiles when Cornelius sent for Peter (see Acts 10).
• Not yet recognized as the apostle to the Gentiles.
• Would need the “weight” of Peter’s apostleship to sway later Jewish Christians. (“Yes,” they might say, “that is what Paul thinks about how Christians ought to live, but he didn’t spend three years with Jesus!”)

There are at least three lessons to Christian workers in this story of God choosing Peter rather than Paul to open the door to the Gentiles:

1. Do not be dismayed or discouraged when the work proceeds along a different route from what makes immediate sense to you. (We would have chosen Paul).
2. Look for the threads of God’s wisdom and sovereignty and grace when things go differently from what you planned.
3. Celebrate and give glory to God for the mysteries of his grace!

This Week’s Scripture to Memorize:
1 John 1.5-6: This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.