Acts 11; Gospel For All

[Act 11:1 ESV] Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.

[Act 11:2 ESV] So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, saying,

[Act 11:3 ESV] "You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them."

God made me do it.

[Act 11:4 ESV] But Peter began and explained it to them in order:

[Act 11:5 ESV] "I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, something like a great sheet descending, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to me.

[Act 11:6 ESV] Looking at it closely, I observed animals and beasts of prey and reptiles and birds of the air.

[Act 11:7 ESV] And I heard a voice saying to me, 'Rise, Peter; kill and eat.'

[Act 11:8 ESV] But I said, 'By no means, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.'

[Act 11:9 ESV] But the voice answered a second time from heaven, 'What God has made clean, do not call common.'

[Act 11:10 ESV] This happened three times, and all was drawn up again into heaven.

[Act 11:11 ESV] And behold, at that very moment three men arrived at the house in which we were, sent to me from Caesarea.

Peter understood exactly what God meant. 

[Act 11:12 ESV] And the Spirit told me to go with them, making no distinction. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man's house.

[Act 11:13 ESV] And he told us how he had seen the angel stand in his house and say, 'Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter;

[Act 11:14 ESV] he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.'

Peter wasn’t even finished talking yet. 

[Act 11:15 ESV] As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning.

[Act 11:16 ESV] And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'

[Act 11:17 ESV] If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God's way?"

Oh, OK

[Act 11:18 ESV] When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, "Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life."

Let’s look again at what Peter told non-Jewish people.

[Act 10:38 ESV] how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

[Act 10:39 ESV] And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree,

[Act 10:40 ESV] but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear,

[Act 10:41 ESV] not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.

[Act 10:42 ESV] And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.

[Act 10:43 ESV] To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."

[Act 10:44 ESV] While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word.

A little test

What information can save someone from hell?

“Come visit our church”

“You’ll like our pastor”

“May we pray for you”

“Have a tract”

“Have a Bible”

These are two are great for a 1-2 Punch.   

1. Gospel, 

2. A Leave Behind.

So how little can you share?  Trick question.

How much can you share?

I used to say give them your story. 

Now I encourage,  Gospel First,  Your story second, Leave behind third. 

When you share the Gospel, Do your best to explain 

1. All people are bad.

2. A Good God is obligated to punish you “and me”. 

3. But,  God sent Jesus and punished Him in your place.

4. God satisfied His Justice and can declare you forgiven and justified. 

5. Ask God to grant you repentance. 

6. God does the rest. 

If God grants that person repentance, they will respond. 

More Gentiles 

[Act 11:19 ESV] Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews.

[Act 11:20 ESV] But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus.

 [Act 11:21 ESV] And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.

Send Barnabas.  

Barnabas = "son of rest"

A. the surname of Joses or Joseph, a Levite, a native of Cyprus He was a distinguished Christian teacher and companion and colleague of Paul.

Son of Rest

Son of Encouragment

Paraklēsis To come along side.

The Root:   parakaleō

This Root word, Jesus uses to describe The Holy Spirit. 

KJV says Comforter, NIV: Advocate, ESV: Helper

This is what Jesus does for His own. 

[Jhn 14:16 ESV] And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,

[Jhn 14:17 ESV] even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

Back in Acts. . . 

[Act 11:22 ESV] The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.

[Act 11:23 ESV] When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose,

[Act 11:24 ESV] for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord.

 [Act 11:25 ESV] So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul,

[Act 11:26 ESV] and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.

Trials on the Way!   Famine & Government Persecution. 

[Act 11:27 ESV] Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.

[Act 11:28 ESV] And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius).

[Act 11:29 ESV] So the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea.

[Act 11:30 ESV] And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.

Let’s look back at Jesus again. 

[Jhn 14:26 ESV] But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

[Jhn 14:27 ESV] Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

See The Slides Here!