Soul Winning by T. L. Osborn

Author:T. L. Osborn
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781680314762
Publisher: Harrison House Publishers

CHAPTER 17

VISIONS TO VANQUISH RACISM

Reaching all nations and every creature was Christ’s mandate to His first followers. But being Jews, it took some supernatural events and visions to convince them that every creature and whosoever included “Gentiles,” “pagans,” or “non-Jews”—as well as Jews.

Their tendency was to restrict their teaching about Christ to Hebraic listeners and not to share it with unclean, unworthy Gentiles.

Mandate to All Nations

God created all races equally. Jesus Christ died for the sins of the whole world. Every creature has equal value in His sight and therefore deserves to hear His Gospel. This is why the church must share Christ with all nations, both genders.

Most of Christ’s original followers were Judeans of Hebraic lineage whose religious traditions forbade association with other races (considered to be unclean Gentiles). Therefore, when Jesus ministered to Gentiles the same as He did to Jews and commissioned His followers to carry His message to every creature, it provoked dissent and confusion. Jewish laws forbade them intermingling with other races.

God Signals Racial Equality

On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came upon all who had been praying in an upper room (Acts 1:12-14; 2:1-4). Overwhelmed by this spiritual phenomenon, Peter arose to explain that it was the fulfillment of what Joel prophesied when he said, I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophecy (Joel 2:28-32).

Speaking under the unction of the Holy Spirit, Peter boldly announced more of Joel’s inspired words: Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved (Acts 2:21). Obviously, it never occurred to him that this included Gentiles. Being a good Jew, he was thinking that any Israelite who called on the Lord could be saved.

Peter announced this prophecy to about sixteen different groups or nationalities or races of people identified in the crowd that had gathered (Acts 2:9-11). The record says that when this outpouring of the Holy Ghost was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and was confounded, because each one heard those believers who had received the Holy Spirit speak in their own languages the wonderful works of God (Acts 2:6,11).

What made it puzzling was that they were all Galileans who were speaking the wonderful works of God. The crowd knew that those Galileans did not speak those languages (Acts 2:7,11). That fact alone should have indicated to the believers that God wanted His Gospel given to all nations. But they were so indoctrinated in rabbinic tradition that they missed the idea.

To show the severity of Hebrew religious contempt for Gentiles, there is a stone in a Turkish museum that used to lie at the entrance of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. The inscription on it reads: Let no Gentile pass this place on pain of death. I imagine Jesus had this stone in mind, along with the merchandise and tables of money changers, when He said: Take these out of here (John 2:16).

Two Special Visions

The tenth chapter of Acts reports more miracles that indicate

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