God's Approval
God, who knows everyone’s thoughts, showed that he approved of people who aren’t Jewish by giving them the Holy Spirit as he gave the Holy Spirit to us. (GWT)
A few thoughts jumped out at me when I read this verse. First, we all want God's approval. Every child seeks their father's approval, it's natural. This portion of Scripture is a discussion about adding anything to the work of Jesus in order to be saved or accepted. Peter in recalling the adventure at the house of Cornelius said that God's approval was shown to those who were not circumcised and didn't follow the teachings of Moses. Rather, this approval came as a result of their faith in the work of Jesus on their behalf. Secondly, this action on the part of the people (faith) resulted in God demonstrating his approval by giving them the outpouring of the Holy Spirit just as he did to the Jewish followers of Christ on the day of Pentecost.
It's Scriptures like this that can make you scratch your head and say, "Hum, I wonder if we have God's approval in our church and in our lives today.” Most of us aren't reporting any modern day Pentecost. Could it be that our focus may have shifted from, "there is only Christ and he is everything" to a more pharisaical style of faith? My desire would be that we seek God, who knows everyone's thoughts, and allow him to lead us in his chosen way. Then maybe we too might once again witness the approval of God in our countries in a modern day Pentecost and Jesus would find FAITH on earth at his return.
Created over 2 years ago
