Good Sunday Afternoon,
Read Acts 11:1-18
Today’s passage is Peter’s retelling of what happened to Cornelius in response to questions posed by the church back in Jerusalem.
If you’re getting tired of the story of Peter and Cornelius, we’re just about done with it. Peter will retell it one more time in very brief format in Acts 15. But today, Peter returns to Jerusalem and is criticized by the Jewish Christians for eating and spending time with Gentiles. What Peter did in confirming Philip’s ministry in Samaria in Acts 8, we now see the Jerusalem church doing to Peter.
Acts 11 also shows us the church wrestling with its Jewish roots, remember that the church very much began as a Jewish movement, the fulfillment of the story of the God of Israel. It was not something completely new.
Peter responds to their criticism by telling the story of what happened, naming what God was doing in his life and in the life of Cornelius. The important part is again when the Spirit falls on the Gentiles while Peter is still speaking (11.15). This time Peter keys us into the words of Jesus, “John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (11.16 cf. Acts 1.5).
God’s gift of the Spirit on the Gentiles was enough to convince Peter then, and it’s enough to convince the church in Jerusalem, for they were silenced at Peter’s report (11.18). Their criticism turns to praise for God’s activity in the world, and repentance that leads to life.
Have you ever had your mind changed by someone’s testimony? Have you ever criticized what is happening in the church elsewhere? Does the context of the church matter? Are there certain truths that hold at all churches, and certain truths that can change from church to church? (This is really the question that the church in Acts, and churches today still wrestle with). What kind of discernment process do you need to humbly hold the truth of the gospel both firmly and its expressions fluidly? How are we called to both challenge and affirm the work of Christians and the Spirit in the world?
May the Spirit continue to empower, amaze, and surprise us by how it is alive and active in the church and world!
Grace and Peace,
Matt
Inductive Questions: (These will be included each day and your work on them will be the foundation we build upon at our Wednesday evening in-person and Zoom Bible Study as we explore the church, mission, and Holy Spirit in Acts.)
Pick at least one of these to be a focus for all of Acts, but answer as many of them as you want.
- What does the church look like in Acts? Who is a part of it? What do they do? How is it formed? How does it relate to mission and the Spirit? In other words (fancy, technical terms) What is the ecclesiology of Acts?
- What does mission look like in Acts? Who does it? What do they do? How does it happen? How does it relate to the church and the Spirit? In other words (fancy, technical terms) What is the missiology of Acts?
- What does the Holy Spirit look like in Acts? What does the Spirit do? How is the Spirit active? How does it relate to church and mission? In other words (fancy, technical terms) What is the pneumatology of Acts?
Answer the question with the language of Acts as much as possible and cite the chapter and verse reference in your notes.