No Longer Common

Acts 11:9 KJV

But the voice answered me again from heaven, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.

The Jews were by

·       History

·       Culture and

·       Nature

a prejudiced people.

Their religious convictions tended toward isolation anyway but then their experiences with the surrounding peoples had tended to confirm in their minds that these Gentiles were dogs. They wanted nothing to do with them. They viewed them as they viewed unclean or common meat.

·       Vile

·       Filthy

·       Repulsive

But here is Peter, a Jew, learning a new thing from God. When God has touched it, cleansed it, that thing, be it a type meat or a person, is no longer common.

We too can be pretty prejudiced can't we? That person:

·       Who doesn't measure up to our standards

·       Who has some quirks in their background

·       Who has offended us in some way

We can look at them as we would some type of meal our own culture deems disgusting.

Here is the point; if that one has been cleansed, saved and sanctified by God, they are no longer common. Peter would not have known that God had cleansed Cornelius just yet. He had to reach out to him and minister to him to see what God might do. That one who is on your "common" list might just be the next one you should strive to reach.

Who knows if God might not "cleanse" them and restore your relationship with them?