Acts 11:1-18 (NIV) 1 The apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received

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1 Power Hour Lesson Summary for October 25, 2015 Peter Defends His Actions Lesson Text: Acts 11:1-18 Background Scripture: Acts 11:1-18 Devotional Reading: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-7 Acts 11:1-18 (NIV) 1 The apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him 3 and said, You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them. 4 Starting from the beginning, Peter told them the whole story: 5 I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was. 6 I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles and birds. 7 Then I heard a voice telling me, Get up, Peter. Kill and eat. 8 I replied, Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth. 9 The voice spoke from heaven a second time, Do not call anything impure that God has made clean. 10 This happened three times, and then it was all pulled up to heaven again. 11 Right then three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea stopped at the house where I was staying. 12 The Spirit told me to have no hesitation about going with them. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man s house. 13 He told us how he had seen an angel appear in his house and say, Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. 14 He will bring you a message through which you and all your household will be saved. 15 As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. 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? 18 When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God. INTRODUCTION The Welcoming Committee In George Orwell s book titled Animal Farm, the statement is made that all creatures are equal, but some are more equal than others. Tragically, that s the way things sometimes work in congregational gatherings. Some members seem to be more important and valuable than others. When this attitude prevails, it drives people away from Jesus. Peter had to swallow his pride and set aside his religious traditions when he went to visit a Gentile named Cornelius. Likewise, there are times when the adults in your class will have to do the same, especially when new people show up at church activities. Let your students know that God plays no favorites, not even within the church. Because God wants all people to be saved, believers should work hard to make everyone in the church feel accepted, welcomed, and loved. Yes, this is an act of faith on the part of

2 your students. Let them know they can trust the Lord to help them overcome their reservations, if any. LESSON BACKGROUND Time: A.D. 36 Place: Jerusalem As we saw in last week s lesson, the earliest Christians were Jews, who had been taught to remain separate from pagan Gentiles (Acts 10:28). Gentiles might be welcome to observe and learn at synagogue meetings, but they could not be accepted fully until they had rejected their ancestral gods and (for men) received circumcision, the sign of Abraham s covenant (Genesis 17:9-14; compare Exodus 12:48; Ezekiel 44:9). The first followers of Jesus, being Jews, seemed to have assumed that the same would be true in their new religious movement. They expected Jesus, the promised Messiah of the Old Testament, to return one day to judge the world and destroy the powers of evil (that is, the Gentiles). As a result, the earliest Christians did not attempt to evangelize Gentiles at first (Acts 11:19). God, however, had a different idea. As was often the case, He set His plan in motion in an unexpected way. Acts 2:1-6:7 shows the church growing exponentially in Jerusalem and Judea as the gospel was proclaimed, being verified by miraculous signs. All this brought the church into conflict with the Jerusalem authorities, eventually leading to the first Christian martyrdom (6:8-7:60). A widespread persecution, led by Saul of Tarsus, immediately followed. Many Christians fled Jerusalem for safety (8:1-3; 11:19). As they traveled, they continued to spread the good news about Jesus. The result was that Samaritans (Oct. 11 th lesson) and Gentiles (last week s lesson) began to learn about Christ a classic instance of God s bringing good from tragedy. The leaders of the first-century church needed new thinking God s thinking to see the inclusiveness that He intended for the gospel. Objection to Gentiles/An Explanation Demanded: Acts 11: What was the response of the Jewish believers in Jerusalem upon hearing that the Gentiles had also received the word of God (Acts 11:1-3)? It did not take long for the Jewish believers back in Jerusalem, as well as those residing in Judea, to learn that as a result of Peter s preaching, Gentiles (whom the Jews viewed as uncircumcised pagans) had accepted the saving message about Jesus (see v. 1). God was using this event to teach the young church an important lesson. It was not circumcision or any other action that opened the way for the provision of the Spirit. Rather, it was God s grace alone that touched hearts through faith (see Eph. 2:8-9). Also, God s unmerited favor, which was revealed through the cross of Christ (the new covenant established by Jesus), transformed unregenerate sinners into God s holy people.

3 After arriving in Jerusalem, Peter experienced a strong response from his Jewish peers. Acts 11:2, in referring to them as circumcised believers, drew attention to their scrupulous observance of the Mosaic law. The Greek verb translated criticized refers to expressing sharp disapproval concerning what someone has done. Their deeply ingrained assumptions prevented them from comprehending the extraordinary work God had done among the Gentiles. For this reason, the Lord had to intervene in a dramatic way to ensure that the early church fully accepted believing Gentiles and sponsored evangelistic efforts to reach non-jews with the Gospel. Circumcision had been practiced for thousands of years by many peoples around the world, especially those living in the ancient Near East. God chose this practice as a sign to mark those males who were in covenant with Him. Hebrew circumcision began with Abraham and was formalized in the law of Moses (see Gen. 17:10-14; Lev. 12:3). Over time, some Jews began to see circumcision, not as a sign of relationship with God, but as the means to a relationship with Him. The accusation of the circumcision party is consistent with their religious outlook (see Acts 11:3). Devout Jews, especially priests and Pharisees, view pagan Gentiles as unclean people, and therefore Jews can eat nothing at a Gentile s table (compare Acts 10:28). From the Jewish point of view, eating or touching unclean things is a clear violation of the Law of Moses. Peter s act of eating with Cornelius, a Gentile, is considered to be a serious breach of law and a moral failure. Obviously, Peter s critics do not have the whole story! Explanation Offered: Acts 11:4-17 The Vision Peter Experienced (Acts 11:4-10) 2. What did the things Peter was invited to eat represent in his vision? (Acts 11:4-10) The summary in Acts 11:4-10 of the vision Peter experienced mirrors what is recorded in 10:9-16. God used this incident to teach the revolutionary truth that believing Gentiles can become a part of the church. Peter, realizing this, told his Jewish colleagues exactly what occurred, and he was careful to do so point by point (see 11:4). Peter s vision took place on the flat root of Simon s house in Joppa (see 10:9; 11:5). Roofs in that era were used something like suburban decks are used today. Most likely, Peter used an outside stairway to access the rooftop at about noon for prayer. It must have been a pleasant place to pray, with the Mediterranean sparkling in the distance. Eventually, Peter became hungry. While waiting to eat, Peter fell into a trance and saw a vision (see 10:10; 11:5). Like dreams, visions were experiences through which supernatural insight or awareness was bestowed by divine revelation. While dreams occurred only during sleep, visions could happen while a person was awake (see Dan. 10:7). In Peter s case, he was filled with a heightened awareness of God s will regarding Cornelius. The apostle stared at what looked like a huge linen sheet being lowered by its corners from heaven (see Acts 10:11; 11:5). The sheet contained many kinds of tame and

4 wild mammals, reptiles, and birds (see 10:12; 11:6). In this light, the command Get up, Peter. Kill and eat presented a big problem for the apostle since the Law of Moses is specific regarding clean creatures that may serve as food for the Israelites and unclean creatures that may not. Old Testament law made a distinction between clean and unclean animals (see Lev. 11). Jews were permitted to eat clean animals, but not unclean ones. Peter s Jewish audience is undoubtedly puzzled. Why would God tell a Jew to do something that violates the law He had given Moses? 3. What was the point of what Peter saw in the vision? (Acts 11:8-10) The distinction between clean and unclean creatures did not necessarily have anything to do with the actual dirtiness of the animals. The differentiation itself was what was important. It symbolized the distinction between God s covenant people the Jews and all others. As noted earlier, under the new covenant established by Jesus, believing Jews and Gentiles are equals within the church. So the distinction symbolized by uncleanness no longer exists. This was a key emphasis in Peter s vision (see Acts 10:34-35; 11:17). Peter assures his audience of Jewish Christians that he knows the rules. Demonstrating how incredible the content of this vision seems to his fellow Jews, Peter stresses that he had resisted the voice s command. Though he was hungry, the apostle protested that he had never consumed anything unclean (see 10:14; 11:8). Jesus had already taught that the dietary laws were obsolete and discontinued (see Matt. 15: 11-20; Mark 7:14-23), but apparently Peter had not yet learned the lesson. He thought God could not seriously want him to eat unclean meat. For each of us, learning what God expects is a lifelong process. God forgives us when we repent. But He wants us to move along in our understanding of His wishes and our obedience to them as fast as we are able. As Peter s vision continued, the voice sounded again, this time forbidding Peter (and all Christians) from calling anything common or unclean (and thus unacceptable) that God had called clean (and thus acceptable; see Acts 10:15; 11:9). By telling Peter to eat the animals on the sheet, God had declared the animals clean. Symbolically, the Lord had done away with the distinction between clean and unclean animals. But, as previously stated, the vision was not mainly about food. God reinforced the impact of the vision by showing it to Peter three times. Then the vision ended with the linen sheet suddenly being pulled back to heaven (see 10:16; 11:10). What Do You Think? What convictions seem hardest for people to abandon or replace? Why is that? The Spirit s Directive to Peter: Acts 11: What did the Holy Spirit direct Peter to do? (Acts 11:11-14)? Peter s puzzlement regarding the vision s application had been resolved quickly by the concurrent arrival of three men... sent to me from Caesarea by Cornelius (Acts 10:17).

5 The Holy Spirit directed Peter to accompany the visitors without hesitation. Peter had made the connection immediately: the vision had nothing to do with food, but rather was a lesson about associating with people thought to be unclean Gentiles (10:28). God was calling for a change in outlook. Peter noted that six believing Jews also came along with him, and it was the entire group that entered the centurion s house. After doing so, Cornelius explained to the apostle that an angel directed the centurion to request that Peter travel to Caesarea. The angel also told the centurion that the apostle would deliver a word from God concerning how Cornelius and his entire household would be saved. What Do You Think? How can we be sure that it is the Holy Spirit who is calling us to a task? The Spirit s Indwelling Gentile Converts: Acts 11: How did the Holy Spirit come upon the Gentiles? (Acts 11:15-17) There has been a multitude of witnesses to this point: Peter himself, the threefold voice of God within Peter s vision, Cornelius (in absentia), and the six brothers who had accompanied Peter. Now Peter again mentions yet another witness: the Holy Spirit (11:12, 15). As Peter was telling the story of Christ to Cornelius and the other Gentiles gathered at his house, the Spirit of God overcame them, and they began to speak in tongues, or foreign languages (Acts 10:44-46). Peter recalled the statement Jesus made sometime during the 40-day period between His resurrection and ascension (see 11:16; Luke 3:16; Acts 1:1-5). Specifically, Jesus drew a contrast between the baptism performed by John and that provided by the Spirit. The first was physical in nature ( with water ; Acts 11:16) while the second was supernatural in nature ( with the Holy Spirit ). Moreover, it was the same Spirit who came upon the Gentiles while Peter was speaking at the home of Cornelius. The apostle reasoned that the Father graciously bestowed upon them the gift (11:17) of the Spirit, just as God had done for Jesus Jewish followers on the day of Pentecost. Both Jews and Gentiles, having repented of their sin and put their faith Jesus were spiritually regenerated. In light of what Peter witnessed taking place among Cornelius and the members of his household, Peter saw no reason to hinder the work of God. The implication was that neither should the apostle s Jewish peers in Jerusalem stand in the way of God s will. Thankfully, they agreed, for they discontinued raising any further objections to what Peter had done. Instead, they began praising the Father for enabling Gentiles to abandon their sins, turn to Jesus in faith, and receive eternal life (see v. 18). What Do You Think? What will be your role in helping your church welcome those of backgrounds or situations not shared or experienced by its members?

6 POINT TO PONDER Like Peter, we may continue to struggle with prejudices that tend to prevent or weaken our outreach to certain people (see Gal. 2:11-14). We can overcome our irrational attitudes by including all types of people, rather than excluding certain ones, as we tell them the good news about Jesus. CONCLUSION I Will, but I Won t Like It When my children were younger, they would often resist our instructions or try to avoid doing what we had told them to do (sometimes they still do so, incidentally). After realizing that resistance was futile, they would sometimes give in with an angry, I ll do it, but I won t like it! Talking with other parents, we ve learned that our children weren t particularly original here most do the same. And it s been even more interesting to realize, through many experiences at work and at church, that adults often adopt the same kind of attitude: give in only when you have to, but don t change your viewpoint even then. Unfortunately, this attitude can spread to a point where it becomes crippling for an organization. PRAYER Heavenly Father, keep our minds open to the truth and to Your leading. Let us never put our personal preferences and biases before the will of Your Son. It is in His name, Jesus we pray; amen. THOUGHT TO REMEMBER To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing. Elbert Hubbard ( ) ANTICIPATING THE NEXT LESSON Next week's lesson, God Rescues Peter, explains how Peter was miraculously saved from death, and to appreciate the power of prayer in difficult situations. Study Acts 12:1-24.