Title: Let's get rid of prejudice
Contents
Let's get rid of prejudice
(Week of August 20, 2006) (Acts 11:01~10) (Chapter 431 - My Lord, As You Will)
There is a saying in our language (Seonmudang catches people). There is a saying that (dolphins catch people).
It means to mess things up by pretending to know while knowing poorly.
After all, it is not only the Seonmudang and Tollali that are ruining things.
No matter where you go, you will see many things that are ruined by wrong ideas or misinformation.
If you don't know very much, you'd rather be careful because you don't know, but people who know better than others make more mistakes.
It's not just the world.
Even in our religious life, we often do things wrong because of wrong knowledge of the Bible, wrong zeal, and wrong conscience.
That's why we shouldn't be too proud of what we know.
Do I really know what I know? You have to humbly check it.
If you look at what is written in today's text, you can find out that even those who others acknowledged as staunch believers and outstanding believers did not even know about their faith right away and had prejudices.
Because of their prejudice, the path of evangelism was almost blocked - After they cast off their prejudice, we can see that the path of world evangelism and evangelization of the world is opened.
We too must cast aside prejudice and always learn the Bible and faith with a humble heart and like a new believer.
1. Prejudice of the legalists.
Apostle Peter, who is a Jew, went to the house of a non-Jew, Cornelius, a Gentile, taught the Bible to Cornelius, ate food with the people, and even baptized the people of that house.
It was incomprehensible to the common sense of the Jews.
(11:2-3)- “When Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised people rebuked him, saying, “You went into the uncircumcised’s house and ate together.” It was absolutely unacceptable.
As a Jew, it is unclean to enter a Gentile's house - I couldn't stand it because I went into a Gentile's house, ate food together, and even baptized a Gentile.
So even the apostles are criticized. In today's terms - revolt and impeachment.
Like their preconceived notion - should we not preach the gospel to Gentiles? Should I not even date strangers?
There was a prejudice among the Jews that they should only have fellowship with the Jews who already believed, and that they should not evangelize with the Gentiles. It is a mistake to think that it is ungodly for a believer to associate with an unbeliever.
What good is a doctor who doesn't care for his patients? What is the difference between a believer who turns away from unbelievers - a doctor who turns away from his patients? I hope that you will be the evangelists who will give up prejudice and be close to unbelievers and save them.
2. The Apostles' Prejudice.
Legalism and circumcision were not the only prejudices. Almost everyone in the early church had such a prejudice. The apostles were no exception.
So, up to Acts 7, all Christians were gathered only in the land of Judea, centered in Jerusalem.
When the persecution broke out in the Jerusalem church, the apostles did not leave Jerusalem even when the saints fled from Jerusalem to live (Acts 8:1).
Even the apostles could not abandon the laws and oral traditions they had in the past.
Even if God told them to eat, there was a prejudice that they could not eat such things.
If you say that you live a religious life, know a little bit of the Bible - have a self-centered interpretation - fall into your own preconceived notions - rather than follow God's will - Please check yourself for the foolishness of trying to achieve your own stubbornness.
3. Lessons from Jesus.
*The disciples who received grace from Mt. Transfiguration said that they wanted to build a hut and live in this place because it is good to receive grace.
*At a time when people turned away from Samaria as the land of sinners, Jesus entered Samaria and preached the gospel to a woman who was branded as a sinner among them.
*Jesus entered the house of Zacchaeus, who was branded a sinner and rejected by all the Jews, and promised him salvation and ate together in the house. - What did Jesus say when the people who saw it were chattering?- (Luke 19: 10)- “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” - Amen.
Even if people think they are dirty, if God says they are clean, they are clean.
It is only a Jewish thought that Gentiles are unclean - Jews and Gentiles are common in the sight of God.
Some Jews will be destroyed, and some Gentiles will be saved.
Judas Iscariot, a Jew, went to hell - but Cornelius, a Gentile, became a great believer.
The preconceived notion that the righteous will go to heaven and sinners will go to hell is wrong. - All of them are sinners - Unbelieving sinners go to Hell, and believing sinners go to Heaven - So anyone who believes will be saved.
*Not only in Jerusalem and Judea - We must remember the words of Jesus, who told us to testify to the ends of the earth, in Samaria and in Gentile countries. - Let go of prejudice. Please let go of your preconceived notions.
Who said that alcoholics cannot be saved? Who said that ex-convicts cannot be saved? Who said that gangsters and murderers cannot be saved? - It's just a prejudice that doesn't even fit the Bible.
The Bible makes it clear - “Whoever believes in the Lord Jesus will be saved” and “Jesus came to save sinners”.
*If you are convinced of your own thoughts that are not based on the Bible, you must change your thoughts.
*Are there any wrong interpretations of thinking according to the Bible? You have to humbly check it.
*Don't do my will, but do your will - this is true faith.
*Peter who obeyed without prejudice saved Cornelius - Cornelius the Gentile became a great believer.
<I have decided to live according to the will of the Lord> <Act as your will, my lord, please (chapter 431)> - Throw away all prejudices - Do the will of the Lord - With obedient faith - I pray that you will become precious believers who show the glory of the Lord.