Complete conversion
by Pastor Stephen Abraham
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‘I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him’ (Acts 10:34,35).
What would it take for you to completely, wholeheartedly stop barracking for your favourite sporting team? I mean ‘complete conversion’, dropping your team for the one that is your team’s arch-nemesis? Imagine dropping support for Australia and barracking for the USA in Olympic swimming, swapping from Ford to Holden, or the Wallabies to the All Blacks.
I’m what’s called an ‘Apple fanboy’. I’ve used Apple computer technology for 30 years. I know I’m biased, but it would take a miracle for me to switch to another brand!
It was the same for the early church. It took a miracle for Peter to switch from accepting ‘Jews only’ as Christians to ‘Jews and Gentiles’. Simon Peter, a Jew from birth, had been taught his whole life that only the Jews had access to the one true God.
From Acts 10:9, Peter had a God-given vision, where God allowed the eating of unclean animals. And after he woke up, he had an encounter with an unclean enemy, a Roman officer (and you know how the Jews felt about their unclean national captors, Rome!).
Acts 10 is about two conversions: the Roman officer Cornelius’ conversion to Christianity and Peter’s (and the early church’s) conversion to accepting non-Jews as followers of Christ.
The Greek word katalambanomai (Acts 10:34) normally translates as ‘I understand’, but it literally means ‘I am gaining the understanding’.
It’s a word of change, of ‘the lights coming on’ to a new way of thinking. I think this stands not only as a witness to this historical change of acceptance in the early church, but it highlights that God’s community of faith is dynamic. It changes – even if those changes are challenging and confronting. You keep your theology intact, of course. But as the Lutheran Church of Australia and New Zealand, we have been led to make many changes, from presidents to bishops, from hymns only to hymns and songs, from communing at confirmation to a younger-aged first communion (and I could go on – answer the rest for yourself!).
It begs the question: where is God taking us next?
Change can be confronting and painful. But there are times where God shatters our preconceived notions and opens his church up to new possibilities of growth, new ways of being a light to the world and a new acceptance of others.
Almighty God, as a Gentile, I wouldn’t be one of your people if you hadn’t worked an amazing change in the early church. Open my mind to your possibilities in my life and in the life of your church. Lead the way, Lord Jesus. I am your servant. Amen.
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