Together in Christ: 'No Favoritism; Jesus Is Lord of All' — Acts 10:34-36

One of the repeated themes in the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts is God's love and desire to bring all people into His family. Jesus had given His disciples a mission to reach people "everywhere - in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth," ^[1] reaching people in "all the nations" ^[2] with the Good News. Jesus came because God loves all people in the world and wants them to come to Him in repentance. ^[3] God had sent His Son to win the hearts and to be Lord of all people. God determined that true peace between Himself and humanity would be found in Jesus. God does not show favoritism based on race, language, nationality, or any other characteristic, so all people are invited to believe in Jesus and find peace with God. In His earthly ministry, Jesus demonstrated God's love for all people. The early church grew into this understanding as the Holy Spirit ^[4] led them to include all people in the church. God's work in human history has as its goal this glorious hope:

After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a great roar,

"Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!" ^[5]

Our goal as Jesus' disciples is to make the reality of heaven our reality in Jesus' church on earth. We should love, welcome, and fellowship all who call on the name of the Lord for salvation! We must include all people in our spiritual family of grace. This is Jesus' mission for us. ^[6]