Sermons | Peter and Food

You can tell a lot about someone from what they eat. You may be able to see people's heritage in what they eat, or what type of lifestyle they are trying to lead if they are very strict on health diets.

Galatians was written to Christians who have already been baptized, but they had fallen off the path. Today at Large Group, Adam taught. Adam had a good example for this that made it easier to understand. When you are trying to cook and all you had was a history book, it wouldn't work because you are reading something of the wrong context and putting it to the wrong use. Along with this, in all it's about who you have dinner with that can show who you are. 

In Galatians 2:12, it shows how Peter, a Jew, ate food with the Gentiles, but when the other Jews came, Peter quickly separated himself because it was against the religious act of becoming a Jew. Jews divided everyone in two groups: those who are Jews and those who aren't Jews (aka Gentiles). Jews have strict food laws, so eating Gentile food was known to make Jews unclean. But by this time, Jesus, who was also a Jew, had already fulfilled the old laws and proclaimed that we should go out to the world and make disciples of all nations not just Jews (ie. Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:15). They are no longer the only chosen people, but Jesus made it so everyone who believes in him is part of the chosen family. 

Paul proclaims in Galatians that a man is made right with God by putting all his trust in Jesus, not by following strict Laws. In no way should anyone separate themselves with people they may feel is lesser because they may follow different laws. It is now based on believing in Jesus Christ. God wants all His people to be together. It takes the incredible diversity of the world to represent even the slightest of the diversity in the kingdom of God. 

Everything is now secondary to being part of the Jesus' family; the laws we follow, our denomination, our race, culture, language, sexuality. What comes first is putting all our trust in Jesus. There are no "but"s after, "You're a Christian". There is no you're a Christian but you don't follow these rules, You're a Christian but you're not circumcised, etc. No one is lesser than anyone, confessing Jesus trumps all. 

I'll leave this question here today: 

Is there someone or a group of people you've been avoiding that you need to sit down at a table and eat with?