Christ Church Daily Devotion June 5 2024

Peter realizes that God does not show favoritism and accepts those who fear Him. He shares the message of peace through Jesus Christ and how Jesus was anointed by God and did good, healing people. Peter testifies that Jesus was killed but raised from the dead and seen by witnesses. The Holy Spirit comes upon those who hear Peter's message, including Gentiles. Peter orders them to be baptized in the name of Jesus. Later, Peter faces criticism for eating with Gentiles. This is part of a bigger story involving Peter's vision and invitation from Cornelius. Peter retells the story to the uncircumcised believers, who declare that God has granted Gentiles repentance unto life. The personal worship option is to pray for guidance in following the Holy Spirit throughout the day. Welcome to Christchurch's Daily Devotion for June 5th, 2024. Today we will be reading from Acts chapter 10 verses 34 to 48. Then Peter began to speak. I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism, but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. 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. You now know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached. How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil because God was with him. We are witness of everything he did in the country, of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen, by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles, for they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have, so he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days. This week we are focusing on allowing the Holy Spirit, who is God, to guide us when we have differences among us. In today's scripture, Peter discovers God at work in people he thought that couldn't possibly know God. A popular fast food restaurant has a video titled, Every Life Has a Story. As part of its training for new employees, this brief, almost three-minute video helps the trainees see that every customer has a story beyond what is visible, worthy of compassion, kind hospitality, and second-mile service. It also ties the stories of each customer together to help the trainees see that in many ways, we are all connected. In today's scripture, beginning in verse 44, the Holy Spirit continues to surprise and teach Peter that salvation through Christ is for all people. And the Holy Spirit opened the eyes and the ears of the circumcised believers who had come with Peter. They were all astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. So Peter ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then later in Acts 11, we read that Peter was criticized back in Jerusalem by the circumcised believers for eating with the Gentiles. All of this is woven within a greater story of Peter's God-given vision in his invitation from Cornelius, a centurion from Caesarea, to come to his house where there was a great gathering of relatives and close friends. Cornelius in verse 33 tells Peter, now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us. So Peter retells the story, the whole story, in Acts 11. And after telling his story, the uncircumcised believers from Jerusalem declare, so then God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life. Your personal worship option today. Lord Jesus, I pray that each step I take today be in your spirit. Amen.