Acts 11:1-18
The Gentiles Receive the Word
Read the passage
1The apostles and brothers throughout Judea soon heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.
2So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers took issue with him
3and said, “You visited uncircumcised men and ate with them.”
4But Peter began and explained to them the whole sequence of events:
5“I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision of something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came right down to me.
6I looked at it closely and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds of the air.
7Then I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter, kill and eat.’
8‘No, Lord,’ I said, ‘for nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’
9But the voice spoke from heaven a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’
10This happened three times, and everything was drawn back up into heaven.
11Just then three men sent to me from Caesarea stopped at the house where I was staying.
12The Spirit told me to accompany them without hesitation. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man’s home.
13He told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter.
14He will convey to you a message by which you and all your household will be saved.’
15As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, just as He had fallen upon us at the beginning.
16Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
17So if God gave them the same gift He gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to hinder the work of God?”
18When they heard this, they had no further objections, and they glorified God, saying, “So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.”
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
When Peter returns to Jerusalem, believers challenge him for visiting uncircumcised men and eating with them. News that Gentiles received God's word has reached them, but their question concerns the boundary Peter crossed.
Peter explains the events in order. He describes his vision, the command not to call impure what God has made clean, and the arrival of the messengers. The Spirit told him to go. Six brothers went with him, and they heard Cornelius describe the angel's promise of a saving message.
As Peter began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on the household just as He had on the first believers. Peter remembered Jesus' promise that they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit. He asks how he could hinder God if God had given these people the same gift.
His hearers stop objecting and glorify God. They recognize that God has granted Gentiles repentance leading to life. Their concern gives way to worship as they attend to what God has done.
Peter does not ask them to accept an unexplained personal preference. He gives an account supported by fellow witnesses and the Lord's promise. The church learns to welcome those God has brought to life through Jesus.
Questions
1 What did the Jerusalem believers question Peter about?
AnswerThey questioned him because he had entered the home of uncircumcised men and eaten with them, treating table fellowship as a boundary violation.
2 What did Peter recount?
AnswerHe recounted the vision, the Spirit’s direction, the angel’s instruction, and the Spirit’s descent on Cornelius’s household.
3 Who told Peter to go with the men?
AnswerThe Spirit told him to go without distinguishing the men as unclean or hesitating over their invitation.
4 How did the believers respond at the end?
AnswerThey stopped objecting and glorified God, recognizing that He had granted repentance leading to life even to the Gentiles.
What This Means for Us
A patient explanation can help people see something they first resisted. Peter tells the story in order and points to God's action and Jesus' words. He gives his hearers reasons to reconsider.
When a disagreement concerns faith, begin with the relevant Scripture and the facts you know. Be willing to hear evidence that corrects your own view as well as evidence that supports it.
The believers' final response is worth practicing. They stop defending their objection and praise God for His grace. When you realize you have been wrong, let gratitude take the place of finding a new way to win.
Prayer
Lord, make us willing to listen when you correct us. Help us recognize your work and glorify you when grace reaches people we did not expect. Amen.