Yay! God has not only provided salvation for Jewish people!! In Acts 11 we read as Peter explains to other Jews, listen, God did not only provide salvation for Jews but also for Gentiles!! In fact the entire home of Cornelius from Yesterday accepted Christ and they were not Jewish, they were Gentiles! You too are probably a Gentile! We have very very few jewish people in our church, therefore, without Salvation for Gentiles, we would be in a tough spot!!
Lets read this passage today and rejoice that God has provided salvation for the Jews AND THE GENTILES!! 🙂
Acts 11:1-18
1 Now the apostles and brethren who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God.
2 And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision (THE JEWS) contended with him,
3 saying, “You went in to uncircumcised men and ate with them!”
4 But Peter explained it to them in order from the beginning, saying:
5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, an object descending like a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came to me.
6 When I observed it intently and considered, I saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air.
7 And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’
8 But I said, ‘Not so, Lord! For nothing common or unclean has at any time entered my mouth.’
9 But the voice answered me again from heaven, ‘What God has cleansed you must not call common.’
10 Now this was done three times, and all were drawn up again into heaven.
11At that very moment, three men stood before the house where I was, having been sent to me from Caesarea.
12 Then the Spirit told me to go with them, doubting nothing. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house.
13 And he told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house, who said to him, ‘Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon whose surname is Peter,
14 who will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved.’
15 And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning.
16 Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
17 If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?”
18 When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.”
This is such a neat passage. I will give a quick summary and then I want you to share your thoughts about it. Here is what is going on. Peter preaches to the home of Cornelius and they all accept Jesus Christ as their savior. Cool Huh? Well, not everyone was thrilled, because they were not Jewish and they thought that Jesus only died to save Jews. Talk about Racism huh? Well, God spoke to Peter as we read earlier this week and let him know that Salvation is for all men, not only certain races. Well, the other Jewish people were not so sure about this, so in Acts 11, we see Peter explain to the Jews what happened to Him, and he goes through all the details that we already read. Then we get to verse 17. I love verse 17. Peter explains, I know that We thought salvation was for the Jews, but God told me otherwise, and who am I to fight against God? Who am I to tell God NO? Peter would not tell God no, even when it was very difficult! Answer the questions about the passage below:
1. In your own words, explain what is going on in this passage?
2. Have you ever met someone who you thought, well, I don’t care if they get saved or not? Well, God does care. In fact John 3:16 says who God was planning on saving. Who did Jesus plan on saving?
3. In verse 17, Peter asks a great question: He asks: “who was I that I could withstand God?” in other words… Guys, do you really think that I would tell God NO? I mean seriously? TELL… GOD… NO…????? But we do it all the time. -__- What are some things that you have told God NO about?
4. Is there anything in your life that you are telling God NO about right now? I would ask, who do you think that you are that you can withstand God? If you are telling God NO, why not change that response right now. Take a minute and tell God, something like this: “God I have told you No for too long, I am struggling with this issue, and I do not know how I can overcome it, but I know that you would never tell me to do something that I cannot do, therefore I tell you YES. I do not know how, but I ask you to help me say YES to you from now on!
5. I love that verse 18 says that when they heard this, they rejoiced. They did not respond like Jonah saying: WHAT???? Jesus is saving them too?!?!? No, instead they responded with Grace and they rejoiced that God died for the entire world! How would you respond?
GREAT JOB ON THE DEVOTIONS YESTERDAY! I answered your questions yesterday and I hope you take some time to read them! Thanks!
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