Jesus’ last command to the disciples also was a commission —
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
The disciples would go to Jerusalem. That seemed a natural and reasonable command, since much of Jesus’ own ministry was centered in Jerusalem. And they would go to Judea, again, a reasonable plan since Jerusalem was in the region of Judea. And Samaria. Really? Samaria? Well, Jesus did go to Samaria (John 4), so perhaps there was logic in that as well. The Samaritans weren’t “fully” Jews, but they were distant relations. But the remotest part of the earth? That would mean Gentiles! Were the Gentiles really to be part of the gospel effort?
There are early hints in Acts that the gospel would indeed include the Gentiles. First, the initial work of the Holy Spirit was evidenced in the communication of the gospel in foreign Gentile languages (the gift of tongues):
“And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born? “Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs — we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.” (Acts 2:8–11)
And then one of the first accounts of an individual conversion was of the Ethiopian who heard the gospel from Philip (8:26ff).
But the participation of Gentiles in the gospel plan was made clear through the ministry of Peter to Cornelius (Acts 10). This chapter not only means that the ceremonial law of the Old Testament has been put aside (enabling a Jew to eat a pork chop or shrimp), but also that Gentiles are to be recipients of the gospel. It really is true that anyone can come to Christ by responding in faith to the gospel, as Peter himself said:
“I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.” (Acts 10:34–35)
With these words we see the third component of the Abrahamic covenant beginning to be fulfilled (the blessing of nations of the world through Israel, Gen. 12:3). And with these words, what Paul would later say is also authenticated:
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal 3:28)
This is the power of the gospel: it transforms the ungodly, it unites the divided, it befriends the enemy, and it gives peace to the embattled (Eph. 2:11-17). The gospel is for every man.
Words of Grace 