When they heard these things they fell silent.

Acts 11:1-4, 15-18, Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.” But Peter began and explained it to them in order: ... “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

We are easily bound by tradition and pride; even in the early church there were serious factions. Only the power and grace of God could break through and show them that His grace is available freely to all. Are we ready to allow His power to move today, even when it challenges tradition and our own pride?

Lead us into Your grace and freedom when we are in bondage to our own traditions and pride, O Lord!

ESV Lectionary