Acts, Chapter 11

Please, in your Bible, read this chapter.

Verse 1, 2, 3 “The apostles and the brothers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the Word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers (Jews) criticized him and said: ’You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.’ “

For ages Jews had been taught and practised never to do such a thing. With all their hearts Jews despised Gentiles. And now, the news had travelled fast; Peter, one of the Apostles had over stepped the mark. How could he do such a thing. So he must cop the accusation. But Jerusalem and all Judea had to learn the lesson, it was not Perter, but . . . GOD! The God Who cannot make mistakes!

Verse 4: “Peter began and explained everything to them precisely as it had happened”.

Verse 18: “When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God saying: ‘So then God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life’ “.

God! Yes GOD! From those days onward, right into 2010 God is granting everybody ‘repentance unto life’. Eternal LIFE. The life of God Himself! The sinner must repent, God will grant His life.

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Verse 19: “Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen travelled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews”.

These persecuted Christians were far away from home, many days and many kilometres. They still had not heard about Peter’s experiences, about the conversions of Gentiles or the God-praising apostles. Because they did not know they still were sharing the Good News ‘only with Jews’

Verse 20, 21 “Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the Good News about the Lord Jesus “. The Lord’s hand was with them and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord”.

Verses 22, 23 “News of this reached the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord, with all their hearts.

Verse 24: “He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.

Verse 25: “Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch”.

Barnabas. Do you remember him? When it became too dangerous for him, the brothers at Damascus had taken Saul to Caesaria and from there they sent him off to Tarsus (9:30). Barnabas, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, had taken care of him when Saul first came to Jerusalem (9:26). Barnabas never forgot Saul’s ministry at Damascus and in Jerusalem. Now he was anxious to know what had become of Saul. So Barnabas was off to Tarsus and after he found Saul, he brought him to Antioch.

Verse 26: “ . . . . . . So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch”

Verse 27, 28 “During this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.)

In our days we do not need prophecies or predictions. Some are keen to announce their so called ‘prophetic ministry’. If their ministry is ‘through the Spirit’ it will be nothing more or less than true Bible-teaching. When there is no Bible, The Lord’s people are being deprived, and the Spirit may well use other means.

Verse 29: “The disciples (at Antioch), each according to his ability, decided to provide help for the brothers living in Judea”.

It was ‘Each according to his ability’. Who decided on ‘ their ability’? Did they make up their own mind or did they agree and submit to the Lord’s decision? Could anyone else dictate ‘their ability’?

Verse 30: “This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul”