Breaking down the walls that divide us

There's something powerful about walls coming down. When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, it wasn't just concrete and barbed wire that crumbled—it was decades of division, hostility, and separation. Ronald Reagan's famous challenge to "tear down this wall" became a rallying cry for freedom and unity. But physical walls aren't the only barriers that separate us from one another.

Throughout history, humanity has erected invisible walls—barriers built from prejudice, anger, bitterness, and misunderstanding. These spiritual walls can be just as formidable as any physical structure, keeping us isolated from the very people God calls us to love and serve.

The Wall Between Jews and Gentiles
In the early church, one of the most significant barriers existed between Jews and Gentiles. This wasn't merely a cultural preference or mild disagreement—it was a wall of hostility that had stood for generations. The Jewish people viewed Gentiles as unclean, people to be avoided rather than embraced. This separation was so ingrained that most Jews believed Gentiles couldn't even be saved unless they first converted to Judaism.

Ephesians 2:13-14 captures the magnitude of this division: "But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us."

Notice that phrase: "the wall of hostility." This wasn't a neutral barrier—it was built from anger, prejudice, and deeply held beliefs about who was worthy and who wasn't.

Peter's Journey of Transformation
The story in Acts 10 reveals how God began dismantling this wall, starting with the apostle Peter. The transformation didn't happen overnight. God had already been preparing Peter's heart in subtle ways. Consider this: Peter was staying in the home of Simon the tanner, a leather worker who dealt with dead animals daily. According to Jewish law, this man would have been considered ceremonially unclean most of the time. Most Jews wouldn't have associated with him, let alone stayed in his home. Yet there was Peter, already beginning to cross boundaries that others wouldn't dare approach.

Then came the vision—a sheet descending from heaven filled with all kinds of animals, both clean and unclean. God's command was simple: "Rise, Peter, kill and eat." Peter's response was immediate and emphatic: "By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean."

Why didn't Peter just select the clean animals from the sheet? Because he understood that when clean things touch unclean things, they become unclean. The entire sheet was contaminated in his eyes.

But this vision wasn't really about food at all. It was about people.

The Moment of Revelation
While Peter puzzled over the vision's meaning, three men arrived at his door—Gentiles sent by a Roman centurion named Cornelius. In an extraordinary move, Peter invited these Gentile men into the house. This simple act of hospitality represented a seismic shift in Peter's worldview.

When Peter finally met Cornelius, the revelation became crystal clear. He declared: "You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean."

The wall was coming down.

Peter then proclaimed something revolutionary: "I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right." What does it mean to "do what is right"? To believe in Jesus Christ for salvation. The gospel wasn't just for one ethnic group or one nation—it was for everyone.

As Peter shared the good news with Cornelius and his household, something remarkable happened: "While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word." The Gentiles were saved, receiving the Holy Spirit just as the Jewish believers had. The Jewish Christians who witnessed this were amazed—they had just seen something they thought impossible.

The Walls We Build Today
This ancient story carries profound implications for us today. We may not struggle with the specific Jewish-Gentile divide, but we build our own walls. Perhaps you've erected barriers between yourself and certain people—walls constructed from:

• Anger and bitterness over past hurts
• Disappointment in someone's choices or behavior
• Disagreement over beliefs or values
• Judgment about someone's lifestyle or background
• Fear of being hurt again

These walls feel protective. They seem justified. After all, didn't that person hurt you? Don't they represent everything you stand against? Aren't you right to keep your distance?

But here's the problem: as long as those walls stand, you cannot minister to those people. You cannot pray effectively for them. You cannot be used by God to reach them with His love and truth. The wall that you think protects you actually imprisons you, preventing you from fulfilling God's purposes in your life.

Steps to Tearing Down Your Walls
How do we begin dismantling the walls we've built? Peter's journey offers us a roadmap:

First, recognize that the walls exist. You cannot tear down a barrier you refuse to acknowledge. Be honest with yourself about the people you've written off, the relationships you've abandoned, the groups you've dismissed as unreachable.

Second, be willing to see people as God sees them. Peter had to accept that God didn't view Gentiles the way he did. When we look at difficult people through God's eyes rather than our own, everything changes. That annoying coworker? God loves them. That family member who hurt you? God desires their redemption. That person living in blatant sin? God sent His Son to die for them.

Third, believe that salvation is possible for anyone. If you've convinced yourself that certain people will never change or never get saved, you've likely stopped praying for them. But remember: people thought the apostle Paul could never be saved. He was murdering Christians! Yet God transformed him into the greatest missionary the church has ever known. Who are you to declare someone beyond God's reach?

Finally, take action. Walls don't crumble through wishful thinking. Peter had to physically go to Cornelius's house. He had to speak words of grace and truth. He had to step out in obedience despite centuries of tradition telling him not to.

The Freedom of No Walls
When walls come down, something beautiful happens. Not only are others blessed, but you are freed. Bitterness loses its grip. Your heart softens. You become available for God to use in ways you never imagined. The energy you spent maintaining those walls can now be redirected toward love, service, and genuine connection.

The gospel is for everyone—not just people who look like you, think like you, or live like you. It's for the person who wounded you deeply. It's for the neighbor whose lifestyle you don't understand. It's for the family member who seems beyond hope. It's for every nation, every tribe, every tongue.

God is in the business of breaking down walls. The question is: will you let Him start with yours?