Scripture
11But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong. 12When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile believers, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision. 13As a result, other Jewish believers followed Peter’s hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.
Galatians 2:11-13
Observation
In Jewish tradition who you ate with was who you loved. They weren’t just a guest at your table they were considered family. So, when Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners he rocked the world of the religious leaders who wouldn’t be caught dead doing such a thing. Jesus Eats With Everyone. There’s always room at His table. With Jesus you belong before you believe and He proved this by dying for us while we were still sinners. Imagine Paul’s surprise and disgust when Peter, who was welcomed back to the table in John 21 after denying Jesus at the Cross, gave the Gentiles the cold shoulder. He was saving face with his Jewish friends and thereby diminishing the message of saving grace that makes room for everyone. Paul, who was also given an unearned seat at the table of grace after persecuting Christians, was not going to let this go unaddressed and neither should we. Peter wanted to have his cake and eat it too and Paul had to remind him “that cake wasn’t made for you.”
Application
This week marks an ominous anniversary. This is the week the Church was kicked out the building by COVID. We are seeking to redeem this date with Stay At Home Sunday. Instead of The Father’s House gathering at the building we are gathering in our homes this Sunday and encouraging everyone to invite people to watch the Live Stream of the service at 9 & 11. More importantly we want everyone to welcome people around the table who wouldn’t feel welcome or comfortable at the church building. The Church Is a people not a place. The Church is not just one place but every place where we wake, work and worship. Instead of worrying about saving face by inviting only those who already know Jesus we become signs of saving grace by inviting everyone around the table. We want people to know they belong before they believe. The Lord knows none of us deserve or have earned the right to eat with Jesus, but He made room for us anyway when he said from the cross, “Father forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing.” I’m praying that the old way of thinking died the day The Church left the building on March 15, 2020. May we never forget God opened the door for us and calls us to put the welcome mat out for others. So, even when The Church goes back inside the building on March 21st, may we never forget who we are- a people saved by grace. “20My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20
Prayer
Lord, I pray for divine appointments, crucial conversations, breakthroughs over breakfast and life giving lunches for this Stay At Home Sunday. Your Church was birthed in a home around a table and I pray for a rebirth this weekend. That rather than playing it safe we would go all out for grace. That rather than our tables being exclusive to Christians they would be inclusive of every person You died for. They are in our lives by Divine Design and I pray that would become so clear as we say no to fear and issue an invitation of grace.
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