Soon the news reached the apostles and other believers in Judea that the Gentiles had received the word of God. But when Peter arrived back in Jerusalem, the Jewish believers criticized him. “You entered the home of Gentiles and even ate with them!” they said. Then Peter told them exactly what had happened. “I was in the town of Joppa,” he said, “and while I was praying, I went into a trance and saw a vision. Something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners from the sky. And it came right down to me. When I looked inside the sheet, I saw all sorts of tame and wild animals, reptiles, and birds. And I heard a voice say, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.’ “‘No, Lord,’ I replied. ‘I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure or unclean.’ “But the voice from heaven spoke again: ‘Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.’ This happened three times before the sheet and all it contained was pulled back up to heaven. “Just then three men who had been sent from Caesarea arrived at the house where we were staying. The Holy Spirit told me to go with them and not to worry that they were Gentiles. These six brothers here accompanied me, and we soon entered the home of the man who had sent for us. He told us how an angel had appeared to him in his home and had told him, ‘Send messengers to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter. He will tell you how you and everyone in your household can be saved!’ “As I began to speak,” Peter continued, “the Holy Spirit fell on them, just as he fell on us at the beginning. Then I thought of the Lord’s words when he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ And since God gave these Gentiles the same gift he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to stand in God’s way?” When the others heard this, they stopped objecting and began praising God. They said, “We can see that God has also given the Gentiles the privilege of repenting of their sins and receiving eternal life.”
Acts of the Apostles 11:1-18 NLT
These verses are a great reminder to stop and listen when we are hurt or confused at someone else’s actions. The Jewish believers had a real concern. Peter was one of their leaders, and he had just broken a Jewish rule (Jews must not eat with Gentiles, who were unclean). But they obeyed Jesus (Matt 18) in dealing with conflict and came to Peter to share their concerns. Peter was also wise in taking six others with him, so the experience and story could be verified. They were willing to listen to Peter and hear how God worked. The Holy Spirit had made these Gentiles clean, and this fulfilled the very words of Jesus, and so these believing Gentiles were to be welcomed into full fellowship. The cross of Christ fulfills all requirements of purity for those who repent and follow Him. Peter’s fellow Jewish Christians accepted this and praised God!
Conflict is normal and natural in relationships. If done well, it can strengthen the relationship, grow understanding, and deepen the bond between people. If we are honest, we can admit that we were not trained how to deal with conflict well, using the principles of Jesus. Most of us avoid conflict or blow up when it comes. Conflict is a part of life, learn from the Bible how to do it well. Today’s story shows that it is important to go directly to the person you are upset with, listen well, and to hold judgment until you have heard their story. As you follow the teaching of Jesus on conflict, you can deal with conflict in healthy ways.
Are you willing to handle conflict well – not avoiding it nor overreacting? What is a way you can handle conflict better?
