Acts 11:1-22
Sunday Morning Bible Study
January 25 1998
Introduction
We’ve just seen the most amazing thing happen. God has actually saved some heathen Gentiles. Up until Acts 10, any person who had come to believe in Jesus and receive salvation, was a Jew. But God wasn’t content that salvation stop just with His precious chosen people, the Jews.
:1-18 The Church accepts the Gentiles
:2 they that were of the circumcision contended with him
Though all the other believers up to this point were technically of the "circumcision", this is probably referring to the group that later still continued to cling to the idea that a person needed to be circumcised and follow the Law of Moses to be saved.
contended – diakrino – to separate, make a distinction, discriminate; to oppose, contend
It might not just be that these guys were being argumentative, but that they were being discriminating against Peter and the Gentiles. Discrimination is nothing new in the church.
:3 Saying, Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised ...
These guys just couldn’t get over that Peter actually sat down and ate at the same table as yucky, unclean, Gentiles!
Lesson #1:
Eating with sinners.
Jesus had run into a similar problem. Even though His ministry was mostly to Jews, He did at times hang around with some pretty disliked Jews. It's interesting to see that now His church is having a problem with this.
(Luke 5:27-32 KJV) And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me. {28} And he left all, rose up, and followed him. {29} And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them. {30} But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners? {31} And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. {32} I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
There’s a world full of people who need to hear about Jesus.
Are we going to stay "comfortable" by only spending time with our Christian friends, or are we willing to be a little "uncomfortable" and spend some time with those who need the Great Physician?
Lesson #2:
Blessed are the flexible, they shall not be broken.
In the same passage, Jesus taught about flexibility.
Luke 5:36-39
And he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old. {37} And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. {38} But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved. {39} No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.Sometimes if God wants to do a new kind of work, if the work happens in an environment where people like the old ways, things can break.
In a way, that’s one of the advantages of having a brand new baby church.
For some people, once they’ve gotten used to doing things a certain way, once they’ve gotten used to an "old" church, it’s hard for them to adjust.
I think Jesus is definitely suggesting to the Pharisees that they learn to be a little more flexible. We should learn to stay flexible as well.
:4 But Peter rehearsed the matter from the beginning
Peter is now going to tell just what happened, the things we’ve spent the last three weeks studying ...
:12 we entered into the man's house
It seems odd to me, but it hit me that Peter never refers to Cornelius by name. He’s just "the man" or simply "he".
Perhaps he too still has a little bit of the old wineskins clinging to him.
In fact, a little later on, in the city of Antioch, Peter himself is going to stumble a little when it comes to relating to Gentiles –
(Gal 2:11-13 NLT) But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him publicly, speaking strongly against what he was doing, for it was very wrong. {12} When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile Christians, who don't bother with circumcision. But afterward, when some Jewish friends of James came, Peter wouldn't eat with the Gentiles anymore because he was afraid of what these legalists would say. {13} Then the other Jewish Christians followed Peter's hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was influenced to join them in their hypocrisy.
Lesson:
We all need to guard ourselves from hypocrisy.
If Peter and Barnabas can get caught up in it, we all can.
Illustration
Speaking of hypocrisy, that reminds me of ... A woman wanting to impress the pastor when he came to visit, said to her little girl, "Honey, go get the book that Mommy loves so much." The little girl soon returned carrying the new Sears catalog.
:15 as I began to speak
Note that Peter doesn’t even give an account of what he spoke about.
"He rests his defense, not on what he said, but on what God did" (Furneaux).
:17 God gave them the like gift
the like gift – isos – "The equal gift", equal in quality, rank, or measure.
Peter realized that the Gentiles had received just as much of an outpouring of the Holy Spirit as the Jews had.
:17 what was I, that I could withstand God?
withstand – koluo – to hinder, prevent, forbid
Lesson:
Don’t withstand, yield.
Yet isn’t it funny that at times we don’t seem to have a problem dragging our feet when God begins to lead us.
If God had terrible plans, I could see why we would withstand Him, but that’s not the case –
(Jer 29:11 KJV) For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
Isaiah wrote,
(Isa 45:9 NLT) "Destruction is certain for those who argue with their Creator. Does a clay pot ever argue with its maker? Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying, 'Stop, you are doing it wrong!' Does the pot exclaim, 'How clumsy can you be!'
As the Master Potter He has plans and designs as He begins to mold and shape your life. That plan can only be discovered by yielding to His touch. The minute you seek to withstand Him, the vessel He is seeking to make is marred in the hands of the Potter.
Tonight with Mike Rozell, we’re going to see an incredible demonstration of what it means for the clay to yield itself to the potter.
:18 they held their peace, and glorified God
held their peace – hesuchazo – comes from the word meaning "quiet, tranquil" (hesuchios); to keep quiet; to rest, to be silent
They haven’t just "put a cork in it" but are still boiling on the inside, there’s a real sense of peace and tranquility here.
Lesson:
Work towards real peace in relationships.
Don’t just be quiet about things, but seek to have things resolved, as much as you can.
(Rom 12:18 KJV) If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
I’m glad that Paul realized that you can’t always be at peace with all people, but we are to do it as much as we can.
Illustration
The friars were behind on their belfry payments, so they opened a small florist shop to raise the funds. Since everyone liked to buy flowers from the men of God, the rival florist nearby thought the competition was unfair. He asked the good brothers to close down, but they would not. He went back and begged the friars to close. They ignored him. He had his mother go and plead with the friars to get out of business. They ignored her too. So, the rival florist hired Hugh MacTaggart, the roughest and most vicious thug in town to "persuade" them to close. Hugh beat up the friars and trashed their store, saying he'd be back if they didn't close shop permanently. Terrified, they did so -- thereby proving that Hugh, and only Hugh, can prevent florist friars.
:18 Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.
They realized that God had actually allowed heathen Gentiles to repent and be saved.
:19-21 The Church Spreads
:19 Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen
Luke is going to back track just a little and follow another line of history as the church moves up to Antioch.
persecution – thlipsis – a pressing, pressing together, pressure; affliction, distress
This was the persecution led by Saul, that started under the ministry of Stephen in Acts 6-7.
Lesson:
Sometimes the pressure moves us to where we need to be.
We’ve mentioned before that though Jesus had told the church to move the gospel from Jerusalem to Judea, to Samaria, to the uttermost parts of the earth, it wasn’t until the persecution came that they left Jerusalem.
It’s not that we need to be changing jobs every time something negative happens at work.
These people didn’t go to these cities because people made jokes about them at the water cooler at break time. They left Jerusalem because their lives were at stake.
Sometimes when you absolutely have to move on, rather than focusing on how terrible the pressure is, we need to look forward to what God has for us in the future.
Illustration
I remember being on staff at a denominational church, and going through a change in senior pastors, and when the new pastor came in, I realized that I was not going to be able to stay.
And as a result, my wife and I decided that if we were going to switch, we might as well switch to our very dream of dreams. And so I’m a Calvary Chapel pastor. And loving it.
:19 travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch
Phenice – the area around the twin cities of Tyre and Sidon.
Cyprus – the island in the Mediterranean.
Antioch – a city 300 miles to the north of Jerusalem. It was the third largest city (after Rome and Alexandria) in the entire Roman Empire, with a population of about 500,000. It was the capital of the Roman province of Syria (just as Caesarea was the capitol of Judea). Its magnificent buildings helped give it the name "Antioch the Golden, Queen of the East." The main street was more than four miles long, paved with marble, and lined on both sides by marble colonnades. It was the only city in the ancient world at that time that had its streets lighted at night. It will in a way surpass the city of Jerusalem as far as effectiveness as it becomes the center for missionary activity around the world, and the home church of Paul and Barnabas.
:19 preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only.
At first, this is probably taking place a little before Acts 10.
:20 spake unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus.
I believe that this isn’t just talking about Jews who speak the Greek language, but that Luke is talking about actual, pure Gentile Greeks.
:21 And the hand of the Lord was with them
The phrase "the hand of the Lord" is a mostly Old Testament kind of phrase, appearing 38 times in the Bible, but 34 of those times in the Old Testament (the other four times by Luke). In looking at the usage in the Old Testament, it seems to be a reference to how God displays His power. It’s interesting to see how Luke is pairing this Old Testament, Jewish phrase, with the work of God upon a Gentile church.
:21 and a great number believed,
A revival began to break out in Antioch.
:21 and turned unto the Lord
Referring to pagan Gentiles turning from their pagan gods to worship the true God, Jesus Christ.
:22f The Church at Antioch
:22 they sent forth Barnabas
I wonder if Barnabas is chosen because of his background. Look back to the first time we meet him –
Acts 4:36
And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus,He was a native of the island of Cyprus (Acts 4:36), and some of the missionaries that had gone to Antioch were also from Cyprus (Acts 11:19-20)
Perhaps the people from Cyprus that helped plant these churches were even people that Barnabas had led to the Lord. There might have not been any other leader that the people in Antioch would have responded more to than Barnabas.
Lesson:
There are special ministries that are just perfect for you.
To me there are two kinds of ministries to be involved in.
1) Obedient Servant Ministries.
It’s not that we’re uniquely designed for these ministries, but there’s a need, and we’re willing to step in and help out.
It’s all about being a servant.
Jesus set an example on the night He was betrayed when He stopped the supper to perform what was the lowliest of jobs, washing the disciples’ feet (kind of like cleaning the toilets before the guests come over).
Then He said,
(John 13:13-17 NLT) You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and you are right, because it is true. {14} And since I, the Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other's feet. {15} I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. {16} How true it is that a servant is not greater than the master. Nor are messengers more important than the one who sends them. {17} You know these things--now do them! That is the path of blessing.
There may be other people more qualified to do some of these things than you, but because there’s a need, you step in and do it. There’s nothing wrong with that.
2) Specially Designed Ministries.
These are those special kinds of ministries that are specially designed by God, just for us, designed just for our hearts and our gifts.
Often people can have a heart for a special ministry, but if they don’t have the appropriate gifts as well, there’s going to be a lot of frustration.
Perhaps there are certain things in the church in which you are absolutely the best qualified, best suited person for the job.
Maybe you find people coming to you for advice, and for some strange reason, you give good advice, maybe helping them to see what their problem is and what they need to do about it. You ought to be in some kind of counseling ministry.
Maybe you aren’t much good at words, but you can sure work with your hands, and you absolutely love helping people out with your skills. It might be cooking, it might be carpentry, it might be typing, it might be fixing cars, it might be cleaning. You ought to be in some kind of helps ministry.
Maybe you’re a person who likes to step back and get the big picture. You love the challenge of putting a messy jigsaw puzzle together, organizing the pieces, and putting each one in it’s own special place. You ought to be in some kind of administrative ministry, perhaps overseeing and organizing one of the ministries in the church.
Maybe you have a desire for people to come to the Lord, but more than just a desire, you find that people actually DO come to the Lord when you witness to them. You ought to be in some kind of evangelistic ministry.