Carolyn thought that Peter must have remembered what Jesus said in John 10:16:
"I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock {with} one shepherd.
The church at Jerusalem (Jews who became Christians) thought that Gentiles and Samaritans had to convert to Judaism first and be circumcised before they could be Christians.
What are some of the hurdles people find today that should be removed before they come to Christ?
- They often feel they must get their life in order first--get sober, leave that relationship, drop that habit.
- Some think they should wait and sow their wild oats...they'll convert when they're older or worse yet, on their deathbed.
- Some believe they have gone to far with sin and God could never forgive them.
- Others feel they are not welcome in a church, they have been asked to leave because of their dress, race or way that they worship.
- Some church doctrines stand in the way of people coming freely to Christ.
In verse 3 the church accuses Peter of breaking a Jewish orthodox rule, "You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them."
So Peter makes his case, reporting exactly how it happened. This also helped to reinforce what he learned.
Often when a witness is found to be lying, they mess up the facts...a time is wrong or they forget a key fact. Once tripped up, their story can unravel quickly. Peter stays the course and is found truthful.
v 18: When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, "Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance {that leads} to life."
The scene changes to "those who were scattered because of the persecution that occurred in connection with Stephen". These were the Grecian Jews who spoke to the Gentiles without knowing of Peter's experience. They made their way to Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch.
Phoenicia is a fertile plain between the Lebanon mountains and the sea--Tyre and Sidon are located there. Cyprus is an island in the Mediterranean. Antioch is the capital of the province of Syria, which included Palestine. Antioch was known as the "Asian Rome". It was cultured and corrupt. Cyrene is the Grecian city of North Africa.
Once word of their work reached Jerusalem, they sent Barnabas to confirm the reports. Barnabas is a Grecian Jew, his name means encourager. He approved of their work.
Antioch becomes the first church named outside of Palestine. It became a great missionary center for the conversion of the Gentile world.
Barnabas travels on to Tarsus to pick Saul up. This is the first time the term "Christians" is used, and not by disciples but by the people of Antioch. It was customary to call a group of followers after their "Lord". Plato had his Platonists, Epicurus had his Epicureans. This term is used again again in Acts 26:28 and 1 Peter 4:16.
Would the people of Antioch recognize you as a follower of Christ? What other labels do people acquire these days?
Agbus comes and has a prophesy of a famine for the Jewish world. Josephus confirms a great famine in the days of Claudius Ceasar, AD 44. This famine lasted 3-4 years. Food had to be imported from Egypt and Cyprus. Do you think the rest of the church believed him? Do you think they remembered the story of Joseph and the famine?
See Acts 2:17, it refers to the passage in Joel that says, "It will come about after this That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions." Joel 2:28
The Christians of Antioch were moved to send relief through Barnabas and Saul to the church in Jerusalem. Because being Christians, they would not be able to get support through the temple. They had to survive on their own.
God orchestrated an amazing thing...
- ...If God had not spoken to Peter
- ...If Peter had not spoken to the church
- ...If the Church had not believed Peter
...hundreds could have died of starvation.
So my question for you is, are you listening to God? Are you making yourself available to hear His voice? What is He speaking to you today?
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