阅读经文 

在去阿巴拉契亚山道的大草原的路上，我和戴夫一起走了一段路，戴夫是一个澳大利亚的“小伙子”。我们聊了聊，互相分享这一路上的见闻，发发牢骚。虽然与同行的徒步旅行者交谈很愉快，但要时刻观察路况，还要跟上戴夫的步伐，却显得很有挑战。

《使徒行传》十章告诉我们，使徒彼得走了一天多的路程，并与一些外邦人交谈。作为一个虔诚的犹太人，他会避免与非犹太人接触，这对彼得来说是一次新的经历。但神在一个生动的梦中向他解释，祂要万国的人都得救，来敬拜祂。所以，当彼得得知一个罗马百夫长是敬拜神的，需要听到耶稣的福音时，他就和一些罗马士兵从约帕出发去见他们的指挥官。那一天，彼得将耶稣的福音传给百夫长和许多愿意相信的人，在那里给他们施洗，使他们归入神的家。

感谢神，耶稣拆毁了将我们与其他国家和文化背景的人隔断的墙。所有信的人“在基督耶稣里成为一”。（参加 3:28）尽管如此，我们常常想要重建那隔断的墙。我们也像当日跟随耶稣的使徒一样，需要学会拥抱与我们自己不同的人——当我们这样做时，我们就会经验到神宽广的爱。

On my way to Big Meadows on the Appalachian Trail, I walked for some distance with Dave, an Australian “bloke.” We chatted and shared notes and complaints about the trail. Though it was pleasant to talk with a fellow hiker, it was challenging to keep an eye on the trail and to keep up with Dave.

Acts 10 tells us the apostle Peter walked more than a day’s journey conversing with some Gentiles. As a devout Jew who would have shunned contact with non-Jews, this was a new experience for Peter. But God had explained to him in a vivid dream that he wanted people of all nations to be saved and to worship him. So when Peter learned that a Roman centurion, who worshiped God, needed to hear the good news about Jesus, Peter went with some Roman soldiers to Joppa to meet their commanding ­officer. That day Peter shared the good news of Jesus and baptized the centurion and many others there who believed and were welcomed into the family of God.

Thank God that Jesus has destroyed the walls separating us from people of other nations and cultural backgrounds. All who believe “are one in Christ Jesus”. (see Galatians 3:29) Still, we often tend to rebuild walls that keep us apart. Like Jesus’ apostles, we need to learn to embrace others who are different from us and when we do, we experience the breadth of God’s love.