Beware of Personal Favoritsm

"You went in to uncircumcised men and ate with them!"(Acts 11:3)

This is how those of the circumcision reacted when they found out that Peter had gone to the gentiles to preach to them.

My husband and I are members of the Presbyterian Church in America. (PCA) We travel to developing countries to train pastors and their wives. Most of the groups we go to are Pentecostal. We do some Anglicans and a few Presbyterians but mostly Pentecostals. I am sure you are aware that some of the doctrines are different. Many don't understand why we are teaching Pentecostals. While they don't say so, it is as if they think we should only be teaching those who are Presbyterians and if not at least try to make Presbyterians out of them.
We tell people "When teach the word of God through the scriptures the doctrines will be in our teaching without using all the "buzz" words like predestination." We thoroughly enjoy the worship with our Pentecostal brothers and sisters in Africa. The music and joy of their worship to the Lord is such a blessing. It is very hard for some of us who are the "frozen chosen" to be "thawed and awed".

Whether we want to admit it or not the same attitude the Jewish believers had in the early church remain today across denominations. I don't know why God has allowed us to have different denominations but He has. I do know that the line shouldn't be drawn between Christians of different denominations but between believers and unbelievers.

Many Baptists will not tolerate Presbyterians because they believe in that horrible word "predestination". Many Presbyterians will not tolerate Baptists because they say they have a choice as to whether to receive Christ as savior and certainly there is a different understanding of Baptism on both sides.

I may be stretching the point because I understand that the Jews were God's chosen people.
I am sure it was difficult for them to understand the Lord now taking the gospel to the Gentiles.
However, even after they heard the Gentiles had received the Word they were upset with Peter.
They were more concerned about favoritism then they were rejoicing over the fact that others had come to know the Lord.

Peter explained the dream he had on the rooftop (Acts 10) and the instruction that had been given to him by the Lord in detail. He said in Acts 11:17 "If therefore God gave them the gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?" The Jews finally became silent after they heard this report and glorified God.

Let us glorify God and rejoice when we hear of those coming to faith in Christ as long as they are in a denomination that believes the God of the scriptures. Think about it. There will come a day when there will be no Gentiles, Presbyterians, Baptists or Pentecostals. It will be a day when we as believers will all be together in heaven eating and worshiping the Lord together.