Believers are sometimes criticized sharply not because of the malice of others, but instead because others don’t have the whole picture.
The Apostle Peter was criticized by Jewish Christians in Acts 11 because he shared the gospel with Gentiles.
Peter had been, in fact, among those who thought Gentiles shouldn’t hear the gospel, despite Jesus’ clear teaching in Matthew that all the world should hear the saving message of Jesus Christ.
But God changed Peter’s mind and heart in a very dramatic way. Click here to read about it.
In the face of criticism for evangelizing Gentiles, Peter explained that his change of heart was a matter of obedience to the voice of God.
As Peter explained what God did and said via an angel, the critics saw the sincerity in his eyes and knew that Peter wasn’t lying.
After all, there were six other men with Peter who wouldn’t also ALL be lying.
It was this calm conviction by the apostle that not only silenced the criticism of those who didn’t understand God’s will but led to change of their hearts as well.
Let’s learn from Peter. Let’s remain calm when criticism comes our way, particularly when it comes from those who share aspects of our faith.
Let’s clearly and transparently share the news of what we’ve seen and heard from God’s Word or from a Spirit-led experience that profoundly impacted our understanding of God and our mission.
Calmness saved the day when Peter was criticized.
I pray that you and I do the same when we’re criticized.
As always, I love you
Martin
