Passage of the Day - January 29, 2011

Acts 22:17-24

¹⁷"It happened when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I fell into a trance,

 ¹⁸and I saw Him saying to me, 'Make haste, and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about Me.'

 ¹⁹"And I said, 'Lord, they themselves understand that in one synagogue after another I used to imprison and beat those who believed in You.

 ²⁰'And when the blood of Your witness Stephen was being shed, I also was standing by approving, and watching out for the coats of those who were slaying him.'

 ²¹"And He said to me, 'Go! For I will send you far away to the Gentiles.'"

 ²²They listened to him up to this statement, and then they raised their voices and said, "Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he should not be allowed to live!"

 ²³And as they were crying out and throwing off their cloaks and tossing dust into the air,

 ²⁴the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, stating that he should be examined by scourging so that he might find out the reason why they were shouting against him that way.

It was all fun and games until Paul put Gentiles on even spiritual footing as the Jews.  We can have the same attitudes in a way.  We can view our ministries as helping the less fortunate, sharing the gospel with the people of different nations, or nurturing children.  But do we view these people as our equals?  Would we treat them as friends?  Invite them into our homes?  Have a meal with them and not merely provide them a meal?  How much better than the Jews of that day are we really?

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)