Acts 11:1-18

This account from Peter here has huge consequenses to the church. Traditionally, only those who were part of God's chosen people (the Jews) could have a relationship with God. That had carried over to the early church too - they thought that the salvation of Jesus was only for Jews. This made sharing and having fellowship with Gentiles (non-jews) quite a big problem.

A clear message

God was very clear that Gentiles were to be included in the kingdom of God. At pentecost, many Gentiles received the gospel and the Spirit just the same as Jews. Now, God came to Peter in with a vision, a voice, instruction, and manifestation. These things together could not be mistaken. Gentiles now belong to the family of God, all that is now required is faith and repentance.

The purity laws that the Jews held dearly to were only in place to point to Jesus as a temporary measure. They kept the Jews set apart from the rest of the world, as holy people. But now Jesus has come and we have the Holy Spirit which sets us apart. We don't need to follow customs and rituals to be different from the world around us.