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Acts 11Acts 11:1-30(1) And the apostles and brethren that were in Judaea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God.(2) And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him,(3) Saying, Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them.(4) But Peter rehearsed the matter from the beginning, and expounded it by order unto them, saying,(5) I was in the city of Joppa praying: and in a trance I saw a vision, A certain vessel descend, as it had been a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came even to me:

I. Peter repeats the vision:

(6) Upon the which when I had fastened mine eyes, I considered, and saw fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.(7) And I heard a voice saying unto me, Arise, Peter; slay and eat.(8) But I said, Not so, Lord: for nothing common or unclean hath at any time entered into my mouth.(9) But the voice answered me again from heaven, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.(10) And this was done three times: and all were drawn up again into heaven.(11) And, behold, immediately there were three men already come unto the house where I was, sent from Caesarea unto me.(12) And the Spirit bade me go with them, nothing doubting. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered into the man's house:

II. The Lord made me do it: I’ve always read this section with a bit of a chuckle because Peter did not take responsibility about what happened with Cornelius. He definitely did not take the blame, but told the Jews, “. . . the Spirit [of the Lord] bade me go with them. . . .”

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a. Six brothers: Peter took witnesses with him probably because he didn’t know what was going to be happening when he got there, and he at least wanted witnesses to corroborate his story when he got back to Jerusalem and got called on the carpet.

(13) And he shewed us how he had seen an angel in his house, which stood and said unto him, Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose surname is Peter;(14) Who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved.

Once again, Peter said that the Spirit bade him to go and to bring the Gospel and the word of salvation to the gentiles.

(15) And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning.

III. It wasn’t me, man; I didn’t do it:

(16) Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.(17) Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God?

IV. Who am I?: Peter asked a very simple question: “. . . [who] was I, that I could withstand God?” It might seem like a crazy notion, but many have tried, and many still do.

(18) When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.

V. Acceptance at a distance: When the boys back in Jerusalem heard what the Lord had done among the Gentiles, they were accepting of the work that God was doing. Albeit, they weren’t really ready to enter into full fellowship with the Gentiles.

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As we move farther along in the book of Acts, we will find that Peter went down to Antioch, and, while he was there, he engaged in eating with the Gentiles. However, when certain brethren came from Jerusalem, he withdrew himself from the Gentiles because he feared the ridicule of his fellow Jews, who still looked down on the fraternization with Gentiles. This caused a division for which Paul eventually rebuked him, which we can read about in Galatians.

Galatians 2:11-21(11) But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.(12) For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision.(13) And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation.(14) But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?(15) We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles,(16) Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.(17) But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.(18) For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.(19) For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.(20) I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.(21) I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

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You see, what Paul saw in Peter’s action was a hidden reliance on the law or on performance. Even though Peter had received the revelation that God is no respecter of persons and had witnessed the house of Cornelius, who was a Gentile, not only come into salvation but also witnessed he and the whole house being filled with the Holy Spirit. When Peter had to walk what he talked, and when he had to stand for the conviction that he said he held—the conviction that faith is enough; thus, all are one in Christ and to sit and eat with a Gentile was no different than eating with a fellow Jew—he baulked. His separation from the Gentiles was an indicator that somewhere in his heart, Peter was not fully walking by faith but was clinging, to some level, of his being accepted by keeping the law. For this, Paul rebuked him.

a. Religiosity is contagious: Another point that needs to be driven home is Peter’s hypocrisy was not just Peter’s hypocrisy. His actions caused doubt in the mind of Barnabas, whose very name means “reconciliation.” We need to be careful as believers who walk in the faith of Jesus Christ that we do not secretly harbor an evil misconception that somehow, even in the most minute of ways, we can be found justified by the keeping of the law, no matter how small. Thus, Paul reminds us in Galatians that we are saved by grace through faith and that by the works of the law shall no one be justified. The scary part about Paul’s statement is that while we seek to be justified by Christ and yet find ourselves leaning toward legalism, God counts us as sinners. At that point, such a person is in danger of a fall from grace.

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1. Grace is also contagious: I just want to remind you that even though hypocrisy and religiosity are contagious, the grace of God is much more contagious because where sin abounds, grace abounds much more (Romans 5:20).

As I pointed out earlier, the walls of division are beginning to crumble, but they have a long way to go. As we get into Chapter 15, we will see that issues arise over this very thing.

(19) Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only.

VI. Antioch, a metropolis of idolatry: I want you to keep it in mind that the city of Antioch was the third largest city in the Roman empire. The largest cities were Rome, Alexandria, and then Antioch.

There was a large contingency of people in Antioch who worshipped Daphne. There was a temple built there to Daphne that was situated in a laurel grove five miles from Antioch. According to Greek mythology, Apollo fell in love with Daphne. They built the temple in the laurel grove because He had pursued her there, and in order to keep from being raped by Apollo, she turned into a laurel tree. All the priestesses who were involved in the worship of Daphne were actually temple prostitutes. This grove is where they would reenact in their worship the seduction of Daphne by Apollo. The city of Antioch was given over to nothing but licentiousness. Even the name “Antioch” had become synonymous with people of very loose morals. In fact, almost any vice that could be thought of was rampant. People who lived in Antioch were considered to have very lustful lifestyles.

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Amid all of this sin, it is interesting that this pagan city began to accept the Gospel of Christ and gained a very strong following among the people to the extent that Antioch became the center for missions to the Gentiles. It was from this very church in Antioch that the Gospel was spread throughout the Gentile world. So, when missionaries would return, this was the place to which they would return. It became the center of the early church, especially the Gentile early church. We are told that they had gone to Phenice, Cyprus, and Antioch . . .

(20) And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus.(21) And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord.(22) Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch.(23) Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.

VII. Barnabas—the right man for the job: Because Barnabas’ ministry was that of reconciliation within the Body of Christ, he was the perfect man to send to Antioch when the Gospel broke out among the Gentiles. Because he was a man of great grace and understanding of the Word, he was readily able to accept what God was doing among the Gentiles there in Antioch.

a. His exhortation: Barnabas exhorted the Gentiles that they should cleave to the Lord, or, as some would put it, purpose in their hearts, continue in Christ, abide in Jesus. This is what Barnabas was exhorting them to do: Make a total commitment; don’t let it be just head knowledge. Let it migrate to your heart so that you can say with the Apostle

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Paul, “I am convinced of the Gospel of Christ” (adapted from Romans 8:38-39). Barnabas was exhorting them to make a full commitment. Whether Barnabas knew whether persecution was coming or not, we don’t know. He very well may have known. Either way, I believe that his exhortation would have been the same not only to these Gentile believers but also to you and me. Cleave unto the Lord; make a full heart commitment. There are too many out there today who are $3.00 Christians. They only want enough of Jesus to claim the name, but they have no taste for His Word or His purposes. Don’t be like that, my friends. Cleave unto the Lord!

(24) For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord.(25) Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul:

VIII. Barnabas gets an idea: Barnabas recognizes that there is a great work of the Holy Spirit among the Gentiles here in this Roman city that was steeped in Grecian culture. Barnabas must have realized that the ministry here would take a special kind of man—one who understood not only the Gospel but the Grecian culture and one who was strong in the Word. So, Barnabas headed for Tarsus to seek Saul. It is important to note that this is some eight years after Saul had visited Jerusalem and had gone back to Tarsus. I have no doubt that Saul had spent the majority of those eight years making tents in Tarsus, sharing his faith, and being patient as the Lord was preparing him for the actual work that God wanted him to do.

a. Take your time: So often we see people come to the Lord and, within a very short space of time, they seek to jump into ministry. Our lives need to be prepared by the Holy Spirit, and that preparation is not an overnight thing.

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Much damage has been done to the Body of Christy by ministers who are ill prepared, such as one local Methodist pastor who had found himself pastoring a church of hundreds and yet had only been a Christian for six years, four of which he spent in seminary. He fell into sin within the first year and a half of his pastorate and wound up ending his own life in the basement of the parsonage. Paul had been a long time preparing, so we read on . . .

(26) And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.

IX. The superiority of teaching: This is a great place to lay out the format for Christian maturity. Earlier, we saw Peter preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. In verse 23, we saw that Barnabas exhorted all those who had come to Christ, and then he went to Tarsus. After he found Saul, he brought him back to Antioch where, for an entire year, they taught much people. Thus, they were first called Christians at Antioch.

a. Too much preaching: It is my firm belief that there is way too much preaching in the church of Christ today. As we have seen over and over in the scriptures, preaching is mainly and foremost for unbelievers. Too many preachers today are preaching to the choir. They devote little time to the scriptures but, instead, rely on pre-formulated sermons that are mainly directed at unbelievers. So, the church congregation stays in a perpetual state of infancy—babes in the Lord.

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b. Exhortation: I want to draw your attention to the point that Barnabas exhorted the brethren to cleave to the Lord—not the Law—but to the Lord. That is, he was exhorting them to cleave to everything that Jesus had done for us. The reason why sin is so rampant in the church today is because of a lack of ability to exhort. Yet, the Apostle Paul would encourage Pastor Timothy to give place to exhortation.

2 Timothy 4:2-4(2) Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.(3) For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;(4) And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

Where Barnabas exhorted the Christians to cleave to Christ, Paul told Timothy to add exhortation to his preaching and teaching of doctrine.

c. Teaching is superior: I want you to notice that the preaching of Peter only took a short time to bring the entire house of Cornelius to the Lord. Through that ministry, a great church was started. Even Barnabas understood that exhorting the brethren to cleave to Jesus was not enough. So, he brought Saul from Tarsus, and he teaches the people for the space of a year. Teaching is superior to preaching and exhortation because it is only through teaching that a babe in Christ can grow to maturity.

The lack of teaching through the scriptures has been around for centuries, my friends. In reality, once you get past the first century church, the

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factions within the Body of Christ had become innumerable and the Gospel convoluted. If you doubt this, I would draw your attention to the fact that there are some 33,000 Christian denominations of one sort or another around the world. It is hard to find any of them that agree with anything. Why is this? The answer to this is actually very multi-faceted, but to break it down in its simplest explanation, once you get past the first century church, sectarianism had already begun to rule the day right down to our present time.

The Gentiles in Antioch did not see themselves as a new church. They didn’t slap a sign over the door saying, “The First Christian Church of Antioch.” It was quite the contrary. They saw themselves as the beneficiary of the mission work done by Jewish believers from the church in Jerusalem so much so, as we will see, that when the church in Jerusalem gets into financial trouble, it is the Gentile believers who come to their rescue. I don’t want this to sound bleak. I simply point it out because it is the truth. It was never meant to be this way, and the reason it stays this way is because of a lack of teaching. In fact, I read a study years ago that said that most seminary students and Bible college students had never read through the Bible before they started college. Many of them don’t by the time they finish. Thus, by the time they hit a pulpit, they are woefully inept in the ability to take their congregation through the entire Word of God because they, themselves, have never been through the entire Word of God. This is, indeed, a sad state of affairs and has led a great portion of the Body of Christ to be relegated to a perpetual existence of infancy. Thus, it is obvious to me that we have not heeded the prophetic word that the Apostle Paul gave to Timothy, “For the time

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will come when they will not endure sound doctrine.”

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My friends, these days have not only come, but they have been here for centuries. I exhort you to cleave to the Lord and to His Word, which He has exalted even above His name. So, let me sum it up for you. The preaching of the Gospel produces infants; exhortation produces the disciplined; but teaching produces disciples.

(27) And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch.

X. Itinerate prophets: It is important to note that during this time in church history, there were “roving prophets,” if you will, who kind of lived like nomads. They would roam from church to church. Because it had become so rampant, the apostles found it necessary to write what they called the “Didache.” This was kind of a rule book, which the church circulated about 100 AD. It was a rule book to identify who was a true prophet and who was a false prophet. In the Didache, it declared that if a man came to your church and declared himself a prophet of God, you were to listen to him for one day. If he stayed a second day and did not work, he was considered a false prophet. He was simply living off the benevolence of the church. If a man came declaring himself to be a prophet and said, “Thus sayeth the Lord,” the congregation was to fix a large dinner—kill the fatted calf with all the fixin’s. They were to do it, but if the prophet ate of that dinner, he was to be considered a false prophet. So, the Didache was simply a mechanism by which the early church was able to discern who was and who was not a true prophet of God. Now we come to Agabus . . .

(28) And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar.

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Obviously, this was a true prophet because the drought that he predicted did come to pass.

(29) Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judaea:

XI. Relief for Jerusalem: By this time, the church in Jerusalem had suffered persecution, which had been very extensive. They also, misguidingly, allowed themselves to get involved in commune-type living, which, as all communism does, wound up being financially disastrous. When Agabas came predicting a drought, these men decided to take up an offering and sent it back to the saints in Judaea to help. So, the issue of benevolence was there even in the first church. The Gentile believers sent a helping hand to the church in Jerusalem.

Galatians 6:10(10) As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

(30) Which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.

XII. Slow return to Jerusalem: It’s been well over nine years since Paul had been in Jerusalem, and now, he is headed back. This time, he has Barnabas in tow, and he has an offering from the brothers in Antioch. We begin to see the last bricks fall from the wall that God has been breaking down between the Jew and Gentile believers. This extremely generous offer—this benevolent act by the Gentile believers toward the Jewish believers—is somethings that should be emulated, even today.