Breaking Church Walls

This is the same message that God gave to the people of Israel, when he sent Jesus Christ, the Lord of all, to offer peace to them.

Acts 10:36 (CEV)

Are you at peace with God? Or do you feel like you are on the outside looking in, never quite sure if you can be accepted?

After Jesus’s lifetime, a man named Cornelius wanted peace with God. He prayed the best he could and gave to the poor, but he couldn’t worship God in a Jewish synagogue because he was a Roman. At that time, Romans were living in Israel. Even worse, Cornelius was a centurion—a soldier sent to enforce Roman rule If ever there was someone on the outside looking in, it was him.

When Cornelius couldn’t figure out how to get closer to God, God made a way to him. God sent Peter, one of Jesus’s followers, to tell Cornelius about Jesus dying and rising from death to forgive sins so we can all have peace with God. As Cornelius and his household believed Jesus is God’s Son, God forgave their sins and gave them the Holy Spirit.

Peter, the messenger, had been hesitant to associate with Cornelius, but when he believed, Peter finally began to understand that this was God’s plan for the whole world to gain access to peace—to a relationship—with God. Anyone who has faith in Jesus will have their sins forgiven.

Where are you? Are you looking for God, or are you a reluctant messenger? Let God work through you to break down walls.

SPIRITUAL FITNESS TRAINING

Think about it: if you attend a church, who can you invite to join you? If you do not attend a church right now, is there one nearby you can visit? Create an action plan and ask the Lord to lead you to how you should do it. Talk to your parents about it, too!

INSPIRATION

“The church is the one institution that exists for those outside it.”

—William Tyndall, English pastor in the 1500s who translated the Bible into English and was martyred for his faith

KEEP IT GOING

Related passages: These additional verses will help you expand Scriptural knowledge and place on the armor of God’s Word to tackle each day. Swipe to read the passages today.

Deuteronomy 10:17

Job 34:19

John 3:16

Acts 10:34-35