Today, I am reading and commenting on  Acts 11-13.

Today I was struck by what Peter said when he was explaining why he baptized the members of Cornelius’ household.  Actually, the whole story of Peter explaining his visit with Cornelius is striking.  We often forget that because we are so familiar with the story.  Luke tells us that when Peter returned to Jerusalem after visiting with Cornelius, the “circumcised believers” criticized him for entering the house of uncircumcised men and eating with them.  It is worth noting that at this point, that would have been all of the believers other than Cornelius and his household.  After explaining his vision, the fact that men sent by Cornelius arrived as soon as it ended, and Cornelius’ account of the angel, Peter said, “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?”  Then throughout the rest of today’s passage we have accounts of what happens when people attempt to stand in God’s way.  Herod imprisoned Peter and God sent an angel to free him.  A short time later Herod was struck down by a terrible disease.  During Saul’s and Barnabas’ first mission trip when Elymas tried to turn the proconsul away from Christ, he was struck blind.  I do not wish to suffer the fate of those who try to stand in God’s way.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Acts 11-13.

I have always assumed that the Believers who went to Antioch and began converting Gentiles did so after Peter had baptized Cornelius because it comes after that in Luke’s account.  However, as I was reading today it occurred to me that the way Luke writes this it could have happened before Peter went to Cornelius’ house.  In any case, it is probable that news of these conversions reached Jerusalem after Peter spoke with the other Believers about what had happened at Cornelius’ house.  I am not sure that there is any significance to that timing, just something I noticed.

Of greater note is what happened in Pisidian Antioch.  When Paul and Barnabas visited the synagogue there they were invited to speak.  From Paul’s introduction his remarks it becomes clear that the Jews there were receptive to Gentile converts.  In addition, those leading the synagogue were initially very receptive to the message preached by Paul and Barnabas.  However, when word spread more widely among the Gentiles than any proselytizing they themselves had previously done, they became jealous.  When they saw how excited the people of the city were to hear what Paul and Barnabas had to say they went from being receptive to their message to trying to counter it.  It reminds me of something which happens all too often in the Church today.  When an energetic, enthusiastic speaker from out of town generates excitement for the Gospel message in ways which the local Church has worked for years to produce, rather than embrace the new enthusiasm all too often we highlight what the new comers get wrong…even if we have to stretch the point to do so.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Acts 11-13.

After baptizing Cornelius’ household, Peter went up to Jerusalem to explain what he had done, and why.  Initially, there were objections to Peter socializing with Gentiles who had not converted to Judaism.  However, once Peter gave a full explanation of what happened those objections were silenced (we will see later that at least some of the objectors still had reservations regarding Gentiles joining the Church).  Shortly after this some Jewish Believers arrived in Antioch and began preaching the Gospel to Gentiles there who became Believers.  When the Church in Jerusalem received this news, they sent Barnabas (note that some of those who had preached to the Gentiles in Antioch were from Cyprus, as was Barnabas).  Barnabas spent some time in Antioch and more people came to the Lord.  After witnessing the outpouring of the Spirit on Gentiles in Antioch, Barnabas left to go find Saul.  Luke does not tell us why Barnabas went to get Saul, but I believe Barnabas did so because he thought that the Gentile Believers in Antioch needed to be taught the understanding of God which can be obtained from the Jewish Scripture (what we call the Old Testament) and that Saul was the correct person to teach that to them.  In each of these cases, the Church accepted the moving of the Spirit and then evaluated what needed to be done to solidify the new Believers in their faith.  In the case of Cornelius, the Church knew of Cornelius as a God fearing man, familiar with the Scripture.  In the case of the new Gentile Believers in Antioch, the Church had concern about their knowledge of God, so they sent Barnabas, who upon investigating the situation brought in Saul to teach the new Believers what they needed to know.  In both cases the Church welcomed the new Believers and acted to strengthen their faith.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Acts 11-13

Years ago I heard that a sermon should always have three points.  Since I started this blog this has bothered me because I tend to find myself with two points to make when I write these, not three.  Today, I actually do have three points, although I am not sure how in depth I will be on all of them.

The first point has to do with what Barnabas did after he had a chance to evaluate what was happening in Antioch of Syria.  He went and brought Saul back to Antioch.  Why?  Well, Antioch of Syria was the first place where believers preached the Gospel to those not already familiar with Judaism.  Saul was highly educated in Jewish law and tradition.  In fact, Saul was probably the most highly educated believer, at least by Jewish standards of education, at this time.  As I read what Luke wrote about Saul, before he became a believer Saul was being groomed to become a member of the Sanhedrin. So, Barnabas went to fetch Saul because he considered him to be the most qualified to teach these new believers the parts of Jewish law and tradition which formed the basis of Jesus’ teachings.

From there I want to go into the roots of opposition to the Gospel message which Paul and Barnabas faced on their missionary journey.  The first instance of opposition which they faced occurred in Paphos.  Perhaps I am reading something which is not there, but it seems to me that Elymas the sorcerer was taking advantage of the governor’s curiosity about Judaism to manipulate him.  When Paul and Barnabas arrived and began teaching the governor the actual word of God, he felt threatened.  Elymas likely did not have more than a very rudimentary understanding of Jewish law and tradition, despite being Jewish.  He attempted to get the governor to stop listening to Paul and Barnabas because he realized that what they were saying would quickly reveal how much of a fraud he was.

The next time Paul and Barnabas faced opposition was from Jews who were upset at the attention they received from Gentiles.  In this case Luke tells us that those who opposed Paul and Barnabas were jealous of the large crowds they attracted.  This jealousy led them to oppose everything Paul and Barnabas had to say.  Again, I am reading between the lines a little bit, but it seems to me that Paul’s opponents here started out with some disagreement with his preaching.  I think their jealousy was twofold.  First, they were jealous that Paul and Barnabas were able to attract such large crowds to their preaching.  But the second was probably just as important.  They were jealous that Paul and Barnabas did not put all of their effort into trying to convince them.  Perhaps the most important part of what Luke tells about this incident is that these opponents went from arguing about the points on which they disagreed to opposing everything which Paul and Barnabas said.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.  

Today, I am reading and commenting on Acts 11-13

When Peter returned to Jerusalem, we have the first controversy in Church history.  Rumors of what Peter had done had preceded him, or perhaps just spread around.  In any case, some of the believers thought Peter had done something wrong.  Now, the first thing I want to note is that the Church did NOT respond with, “He’s one of the Twelve, who are you to question him?”  No, the Church said, “Let’s ask Peter what happened and why.”  Then, they all listened as Peter explained what had happened and why.  Peter told them about his vision, and Cornelius’ vision.  Then, he told them how the Holy Spirit came upon the Gentiles, just as he had upon the Jewish disciples.  Peter also pointed out that there were six witnesses to what had happened, who all saw it the same way he did (the fact that it was not just Peter’s word for what happened is important).  When those who objected to what Peter had done heard how God had worked, they stopped objecting and praised God.  So, charges of misconduct against Peter were not dismissed out of hand because he was Peter.  However, when people heard his explanation they accepted that he had behaved as God had directed.  

Interestingly, at about the same time the Holy Spirit was directing Peter to Cornelius, other believers were reaching out to Gentiles in Antioch of Syria.  When the Church in Jerusalem heard what was happening there, they sent Barnabas to look into it.  When Barnabas got there and saw what was going on, he was happy about it.  Then he went to Tarsus and brought Saul back with him.  Which raises the question, why did Barnabas get Saul?  I believe Barnabas wanted Saul to pass on his understanding of following Christ from the perspective of someone thoroughly trained in Jewish religious traditions.  Christianity is not a brand new religion.  It is a fulfillment of Jewish prophecies.