Cultural Diversity and the Book of Acts

Following on from my previous post I just want to show a biblical case for cultural diversity from the book of Acts. Prior to the New Testament Age, God revealed Himself almost exclusively to the people of Israel. There are exceptions such as Melchizedek who worshipped El Elyon, God most High, and Jethro priest of Midian who worshipped YHWH, the name that was revealed to Moses at the burning bush. There are also examples of Gentiles being brought into Jewishness such as Ruth and Naaman, yet the exceptions prove the rule, to be in God's kingdom you needed to be Jewish. Even during Jesus earthly ministry the church is confined to Israel, yet as Jesus is set to return to heaven he commands the disciples to go into Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth. Acts chapter 2 On the day of Pentecost, the eschaton (the last days) arrives and the Gospel is preached to the gathered diaspora. All these Jews from different cultures hear God's word in their own language (they experience a hearing miracle), Babel is reversed. While Peter and the others spoke all these Jews from around the Roman world hear in their own language. The God of Israel accommodates Himself to speak in other languages, the exclusivity of Israel is gone and is replaced with the exclusive message of Jesus, the only name given under heaven by which we can be saved. This continues, Stephen and Philip are appointed as deacons to serve the Hellenistic Jews. Although they are Jews, they are from the nations and therefore have a different culture to the Judean Jews. As the Gospel spreads throughout the book of Acts, we find Samaritans are accepted without having to become Jews. Later Cornelius is converted and experiences something similar to what Peter and the others experienced at Pentecost. Peter realises that the church just went global in spite of his initial resistance. The Ethiopian eunuch experiences conversion when Philip witnesses to him through the book of Isaiah. The eunuch has only the Torah and the gospel message, and baptism to go on. Yet Philip leaves him because the Eunuch has the gospel, according to legend he went back to Ethiopia and planted the church, an essentially Ethiopian church not a Jewish church. Paul in every city he goes to goes to the synagogue but then turns his attention to the gentiles (nations), in each culture the message is the same yet Paul uses local language and poets to speak to them (Acts 17).

At the start of Acts we find a new Church in Israel with a very Jewish understand, by the time we come to the end of Acts we find Paul in Rome, the gospel having spread throughout the Roman World and ready to be taken further. Thankful the message stays the same but the context we do mission or church in varies from culture to culture and from age to age.
God Bless
Stephen