Key Verse: Acts 15:8-9, "God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith."
From a football rival to y9our nation's sworn enemy, it;s hard to love anyone who isn't on your side-for whatever reason. The tension between two groups can grow from a minor rivalry to anger, hatred, and even violence that's sustained for centuries. This was the case for the Jews and Gentiles. The Jews were called by God to be his chosen people, and everyone else wasn't. Therefore, Gentiles, the name given to any non-Jew, were typically excluded from most Jewish ceremonies and were considered unclean.
So imagine the surprise of the Jewish Christians when Gentiles began receiving the same Holy Spirit they'd received. "You mean, God loves them, too?" Paul and Peter had begun ministries to bring Gentiles into the new Church. But with the inclusion of Gentiles came a huge problem for the Jews: "How do we get along with the same people we've always excluded?" In Acts 15 we read about a heated discussion among Paul, Barnabas, Peter, James, and other apostles and elders of the church concerning this very problem.
This week we're going to look at how the early Church responded to God's call to love all people, not just the ones they were comfortable with. The challenge for the Jewish Christians is also our challenge today as God calls us to love and include everyone-even the ones we see as being on the "other side."
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