The conservatives would quote the words of Jesus in Matt. "Those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word to no one but the Jews only" (Acts 11:19 below); until now, they We back off, choosing peace rather than war, and we leave the matter to God, who is just. guide the Holy Spirit falling on Cornelius' household? b. The case of Cornelius is so manifestly one of grace reigning in every stage of his religious history, that we can hardly. in Jerusalem? In any trip requiring overnight stops, carriage travel was far more costly, because animals had to be cared for. The experience was not only for Cornelius, but for. When he met them and received their invitation to Caesarea, he went without hesitation, because the Spirit had already commanded him to go. But the Christians took the word seriously, and generously prepared to meet the coming need. You must not relinquish this to a commentator. They therefore began to seek out non-Jews and to tell them of salvation in Christ. The meaning is that they accepted them as colaborers for Christ and certified their outreach to gentiles as a work of God. Are faith and repentance (cf. Maybe you have not attended Sunday School regularly. 3:16) then one must compare all texts related to any theological issue and not succumb to a proof-text or denominational method. But on the "salvation" of Cornelius, On that of his "house,", 16, 17. There are texts which strongly imply that they are a gift from God (cf. 21. a great number believed--Thus the accession of Cornelius and his party was not the first admission of uncircumcised Gentiles into the the accession of Cornelius and his house had on the further progress of the Gospel among the Gentiles; whereas there here open upon us operations upon the Gentiles from quite a different quarter, and attended with ever growing success. Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea. Chapter 11 In this chapter we have, I. Peter’s necessary vindication of what he did in receiving Cornelius and his friends into the church, from the censure he lay under for it among the brethren, and their acquiescence in it (v. 1-18). ▣ "speaking the word to no one except to Jews alone" This shows that the early church was not certain whether preaching to the Gentiles was appropriate. Stephen's understanding of the radical implication of the gospel forced all the Jewish believers in Palestine to reassess their faith and the purpose of the gospel. 4:19; Eph. ▣ "he brought him to Antioch. Click to enable/disable _gid - Google Analytics Cookie. How, then, can we suppose that the historian would note, as something new and singular ( Acts 11:22 ), that some of the dispersed Christians preached to them? Not only did he go into an gentile’s home to speak with gentiles, probably all of them uncircumcised, but he also ate with them. They were assuming salvation would be proclaimed to the world as part of and through a true, spiritual Judaism; that Judaism would reign and all people would become Jews as part of finding life in Christ; that Israel's culture would gloriously become world culture.". When the Sun Sets: Jacob Meets God (Gen. 27:41-28:22), Jacob: When God Turns Darkness into Dawn (Expository Sermons On O.T. Boice thinks the idea was that they were called “Christ-ones.”. Then remembered I the word . It will become a major center of Christianity! BY OCCASION OF A FAMINE BARNABAS AND SAUL RETURN TO JERUSALEM WITH A CONTRIBUTION FOR THE RELIEF OF THEIR SUFFERING BRETHREN. 11:18 "they quieted down and glorified God" Peter's testimony not only stopped the negative atmosphere, but it engendered praise! Font Size. Rather, he spoke to them with gracious words from a patient heart in an effort to help them exercise better judgment. Salvation, like the Spirit, is also a gift from God (cf. Acts 11:11-14 "And, behold, immediately there were three men already come unto the house where I was, sent from Caesarea unto me." Barnabas had spent at least several years with them, and Saul had briefly visited them after his conversion. “Antioch was famous for its readiness to jeer and call names; it was known by its witty epigrams.” (Gaebelein) But as the people of Antioch called the followers of Jesus the “Jesus People,” the believers appreciated the title so much that it stuck. uncircumcised men and ate with them!”. For further information on how Jews viewed gentiles, see the commentary on Acts 10:9–16. God wants a people who reflect His character to a lost world. Usually the personal, volitional aspect is emphasized (except for hoti, which means the content of the gospel or doctrines). 13. seen an angel--literally, "the angel," for the rumor took that definite shape. We will see later in the Book of Acts that in many cities where Paul took the gospel, the Jews started riots. This clearly shows the need for diligence on the part of God's people for purposeful perseverance (see Special Topic at 14:22). He especially urged them to remain devoted to Christ, whatever trials might come into their lives. Acts 20:17,28 and Titus 1:5,7). The Apostle John was still in Jerusalem (Gal. God spent days preparing Peter, having him lodge with someone who works with unclean, dead animals, Including Peter, the delegation numbered seven. i. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website. 2:25). Acts 5:31, 8:22; II Tim. These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. word" (Acts 8:4) but they had gone "preaching the Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus for to seek Saul--Of course, this was after the hasty despatch of Saul to Tarsus, no doubt by Barnabas himself among others, to escape the fury of the Jews at Jerusalem. It shows the necessity of a personal reception of the gospel message (cf. Showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar: We don’t know exactly how Agabus showed by the Spirit this famine was on the way.