Acts 11 (Wednesday Evening Bible Study)

Acts 11

• Does doing what is right and good exempt us from criticism?
• Context:
  • We read about the first Gentile conversion last time. The words of Jesus are being fulfilled from Acts 1:8. “8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” The last barrier is being overcome by the gospel and it is a big one, the gospel going to the non-Jewish people of the world.
• Acts 11:1-3
  • The apostles and the brothers and sisters who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. 2 When Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, 3 saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.
    • Who hears about Gentiles receiving the “Word of God?”
      • The apostles and other believers.  So the news or rumor got to these people faster than Peter did. How did that happen? Remember Peter had stayed with Cornelius and his family for a few days.
    • What was the criticism against Peter, look at verse 2?
      • “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.”    What were these Jewish Christians really upset about?   It was not so much that he shared the gospel with Gentiles but that he ate with them…which mean the food would have been unclean,  but it is more than that.    You see, Peter has blurred the line between the Jew and the non-Jew, the Chosen, versus the outsiders. 
    • In doing this Peter has set aside the superiority and privilege is critics understood they had as Jews.
    • Now we may think the other Jewish Christians critical of Peter are really wrong, that their attitude is terrible. But they haven’t had the vision, and Holy Spirit speak to them specifically about this.. Where would have Peter been without all this help of the vision and the help from the Holy Spirit?   Right where these other believers are at now. 
    • Why is this such a big deal?
      • How did Jews see their relationship with God? They understood that it was special. They had the Law and a code of ethics that separated them from the pagans.  So what Peter did is crossed a line in staying in the home of Cornelius, his behavior implied that the Jewish rules which differentiated from the pagans were no longer necessary. Including the Gentiles into the church will not just be added to it but rather a transformation of it.  The Jews will no longer have their status of Chosen because all are chosen in Christ
• Acts 11:4-14
• 4 Peter began to explain to them step by step, 5 “I was in the town of Joppa praying, and I saw, in a trance, an object that resembled a large sheet coming down, being lowered by its four corners from heaven, and it came to me. 6 When I looked closely and considered it, I saw the four-footed animals of the earth, the wild beasts, the reptiles, and the birds of the sky. 7 I also heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’ 8 “‘No, Lord!’ I said. ‘For nothing impure or ritually unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9 But a voice answered from heaven a second time, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call impure.’ 10 “Now this happened three times, and everything was drawn up again into heaven. 11 At that very moment, three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea arrived at the house where we were. 12 The Spirit told me to accompany them with no doubts at all. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we went into the man’s house. 13 He reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa, and call for Simon, who is also named Peter. 14 He will speak a message to you by which you and all your household will be saved.’
  • Do you think Peter knew he was going to have to explain his actions of taking the gospel to Cornelius?
    • See verse 12. Is there anything in the text to indicate the this… look at verse 12 These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man’s house.   Why would Peter have these 6 from Joppa with him in Jerusalem unless if left he needed their witness.  
• Acts 11:15-18
• 15 “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came down on them, just as on us at the beginning. 16 I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 If, then, God gave them the same gift that he also gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, how could I possibly hinder God?” 18 When they heard this they became silent. And they glorified God, saying, “So then, God has given repentance resulting in life even to the Gentiles.”
  • When Peter recounts what happened did he make it about him?  Who did he put the focus on?
    • God, Holy Spirit and Jesus.
  • Peter reveals his thinking at the time of these events look at verse 16 and following… what comes to Peter’s mind?
    • See verse 16 16 Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 So if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?”
  • What was the reaction to Peter’s defense of his actions?
    • Praise to God… they agree with Peter that this God calling the Gentiles.
  • Is this the end of this controversy?
    • No it continues for years.  Peter speaks of the validation of the Holy Spirit trumps circumcision as a mark of the inclusion in the Kingdom of God.  But this lesson is not learned by many
• Acts 11:19-24
• 19 Now those who had been scattered as a result of the persecution that started because of Stephen made their way as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. 20 But there were some of them, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks also, proclaiming the good news about the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord’s hand was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord. 22 News about them reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to travel as far as Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged all of them to remain true to the Lord with devoted hearts, 24 for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And large numbers of people were added to the Lord.
  • Does the church immediately launch an all-out effort to preach the gospel to all the non-Jewish people?
    • Not really what we see is it? 
  • What does verse 19 remind the read of and who?
    • Persecution… and Saul.
  • Those who had been scattered by the persecution shared the gospel with who?
    • See verse 19 Jews only
  • Who did the men from Cyprus and Cyrene begin to reach out too?
    • Verse 20 Greek Gentiles.
  • How do we know God approved of this?
    • Verse 21 21 The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. 
  • Do we know who these men were?
    • No they were not apostles God is working thru other not just the apostles.   Evidently God thought it was important to have the 1st predominantly gentile church planted in Antioch.
  • Why this city?
    • 3rd largest in the Roman Empire 500K people 70K Jews in it… 300 miles north of Jerusalem. It was a very immoral city because of pagan worship. Other than Jerusalem this is the most important city to the early church.
  • What did the church of Jerusalem do when they learned of this Gentile church?
    • Sent people to check it out… Who did they send?  Do you like their choice?
  • What impact did Barnabas have on the growth of the church?
    • See verse 24 24 He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.
• Acts 11:25-30
• 25 Then he went to Tarsus to search for Saul, 26 and when he found him he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught large numbers. The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch. 27 In those days some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 One of them, named Agabus, stood up and predicted by the Spirit that there would be a severe famine throughout the Roman world. This took place during the reign of Claudius. 29 Each of the disciples, according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brothers and sisters who lived in Judea. 30 They did this, sending it to the elders by means of Barnabas and Saul.
  • What did Barnabas see there in Antioch and what did it cause him to do?
    • The door of evangelism was open there was need for more teaching and preaching and so he goes and finds Saul/ Paul  and  man who can  speak to Jews and Gentiles and be effective…maybe he knew of what God had said about Paul that he would be sent to the Gentiles.
  • What event shows the unity of the church?
    • The gifts that were sent to the church in Jerusalem.
• TAKE AWAY
  • When should we as believers defend ourselves or someone else before criticism?  When should we just walk away from criticism?
  • How should we handle controversies in the church where we don’t have a thus saith the Lord?
  • If you could choose anywhere to plant a new congregation what strategic city or place would you pick?  Does it make a difference where church is planted?
  • When churches are having a hard time in other places in the world and we learn about how should we respond?
  • The name you wear was coined in Antioch in the 1st century- Christian