Moving Beyond Our Comfort Zone: Understanding God’s Call to Reach All People
The story of Peter and Cornelius in Acts 10 teaches us powerful lessons about breaking down barriers and reaching beyond our comfort zones to share God’s love with all people.
What Was Peter’s Challenge?
Peter, though passionate about serving God, had some rigid ideas about who he should minister to. As a Jewish believer, he strictly followed dietary laws and wouldn’t associate with Gentiles, considering them “unclean.” God had to dramatically challenge Peter’s mindset through a vision of unclean animals and the directive to “kill and eat.”
How Did God Challenge Peter’s Perspective?
Through this vision, God made it clear to Peter: “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” This was about much more than food – it was about breaking down cultural and religious barriers that prevented the gospel from reaching the Gentiles.
What Can We Learn from Cornelius?
Cornelius, though a Roman centurion, was described as “devout and God-fearing.” Despite not being Jewish, he and his household worshipped God. His prayers and gifts to the poor had “come up as a memorial offering before God.” This shows that God looks at the heart, not external religious markers.
The Danger of External Religion
Just as wearing a sports jersey doesn’t make someone a professional athlete, simply maintaining the appearance of Christianity doesn’t make us true followers of Christ. What matters is how we live out our faith and follow God’s direction to reach all people.
What Does This Mean for Churches Today?
Many churches, while welcoming to visitors, still struggle with actively reaching beyond their walls to invite in those who might be considered “different” or “unclean” by society’s standards. We must examine our own prejudices and barriers that prevent us from fully embracing God’s call to reach all people.
Life Application
This week, consider:
What barriers or prejudices might be preventing you from sharing God’s love with certain people or groups?
How can you move beyond just maintaining the appearance of faith to actively living it out?
Where is God calling you to step out of your comfort zone to reach others?
Challenge yourself to:
Identify one group or type of person you tend to avoid or judge
Pray for God to change your heart and perspective
Take one concrete step to reach out to someone different from yourself
Remember: Who are we to call unclean what God has made clean?