Evangelism to the Gentiles
Acts 11:1-18; 9/10/2023; BCBC/IOUC; Rev. Paul Wang
Introduction
Thank God! The church has finally reached a historical juncture in evangelism to the Gentiles. This decision will directly affect the steps of the Great Commission, the direction of the church, and the destiny of all God’s children. Let’s look at the first point:
The traditional concept struggle
In human history, there is no shortage of battles between traditional concepts and the renewal of minds, in which the distinction between good and evil, gains and losses, is difficult to distinguish between authenticity and falsehood. The church is not immune to this, and has also experienced many struggles. First of all, from hearing to meeting. When the brothers and sisters in the church in Jerusalem heard that even the Gentiles had received God’s truth, they immediately exploded. How can this be? We are the chosen people of God! Otherwise, Jesus Christ would not have chosen to be born in Bethlehem, grew up in Nazareth, and died in Jerusalem! Right? Who are the Gentiles? They deserve it too? In the tradition of our chosen ancestors, Gentiles have no possibility of receiving God’s grace! How could Philip, Peter, etc. be so confused? When Peter comes back, ask him in detail what is going on! As soon as Peter came back, there was a quarrel before he had time to say a few words. What the apostles and others were most concerned about was: ”You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them? (Acts 11:3)”
Second, from ignorance to vision. God is concerned with the salvation of all and not with the perdition of any. However, the Jews who are bound and controlled by traditional concepts are concerned about their so-called holiness. As long as he has no contact with Gentiles throughout his life, the requirements of the law are met. Peter’s life at this time was mature and did not fluctuate with the emotions of the Jews. It is to explain patiently, and explain this matter to them in chronological order to make it clear. He said: “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was. I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles and birds. (Acts 11:5-6)” Everyone was stunned when they heard it, not knowing what this meant?
Finally, from moving to experience. Peter continued: “Then I heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’ (Acts 11:7)” Jews familiar with the law could understand this vision. It means that what is considered clean by God should not be defiled by man. Of course, they will inevitably struggle like Peter, and the same way as Peter: “I replied, ‘Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ (Acts 11:8)” Human nature is rebellious, unwilling to submit to God’s will, unwilling to obey God’s words. Then God reiterated again, saying: “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean. (Acts 11:9)” This way, after God spoke three times in a row, he took back the vision given to him. It means that I have already said it three times, how long will you continue to struggle? Let’s look at the second point:
Veritable testimony
This passage is a typical example of New Testament believers seeking God’s will, and it serves as a model for believers in later generations, and it is also our basis today. First, the testimony that echoes each other. Thank God! The word of God not only came to Peter, but also to Cornelius. The angel said to Cornelius, “Go to Joppa and invite Peter, who lives at the house of Simon the tanner.” Cornelius may have wondered, what is the purpose of Peter coming to me? The Holy Spirit continued: “ He will bring you a message through which you and all your household will be saved. (Acts 11:14)” Not only did the Holy Spirit tell Peter the same, but soon, three people appeared at the door and asked, “Is Peter there?” My master, Centurion Cornelius, is a good man. He not only fears God, but also does many good deeds. This has a good reputation throughout Judah, you may wish to inquire about it, what I said is true. That’s it, back and forth, God’s words echoed and testified among them.
Second, the testimony of the coming of the Holy Spirit. At this time, the church had already experienced the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost and had the experience of being filled with the Holy Spirit. So, they understand Peter’s testimony: “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. (Acts 11:15)” When the Peters shared their testimonies, they did not just recall the past, but continued to be moved by the Holy Spirit. Peter said: “ Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ (Acts 11:16)” This is what Jesus Christ said to his disciples after he was resurrected and witnessed on earth for forty days before he ascended into heaven. Not only did he say it, but now the Holy Spirit has inspired Peter to remember and testify in the church.
Finally, testimony of objective confirmation. Objective confirmation usually depends on what happened objectively related to the matter. The angel touched Peter with vision, and Peter didn’t understand it fully when he received it. He seems to understand God’s will, which is not to rely on the law or traditional concepts. But what happened? He was just waiting for God to show him what was going to happen? Meanwhile, the angel spoke to Cornelius, telling him to fetch Peter, which he did. When the three men he sent arrived at the door of the tanner Simon’s house, Peter suddenly understood after listening to their explanation of their purpose. When Peter arrived at the Caesarea military camp, Cornelius suddenly understood everything. It turns out that God’s heart is to save the Gentiles! Let’s look at the third point:
Obedience of glory to God
When the scriptures come to this point, we can see that the power of God has been manifested in the church. The choice of the church is nothing more than submitting to God’s will, or choosing to rebel and continue to hold fast in Judaism. First, the command of the Holy Spirit. This is the first time in the Bible that it is clearly stated that this is the command of the Holy Spirit. Frankly speaking, we are not very familiar with the command of the Holy Spirit either. Usually we may be more accustomed to the presence of the Holy Spirit, the comfort of the Holy Spirit, and the reminder of the Holy Spirit, right? And the knowledge of the Holy Spirit is soft-spoken, not even loud. Therefore, we may be more likely to quench the inspiration of the Holy Spirit without feeling it. Obviously the Holy Spirit reminds us to read the Bible, pray, worship, serve, and spread the gospel, but when we encounter something, we lose the chain and alienate ourselves from God. Now that the Holy Spirit has commanded, what will our attitude be?
Second, the authority of Christ. 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? (Acts 11:17)” Peter explained clearly how he sought God’s will, and it was beyond doubt that it was the will of Jesus Christ. Who am I peter? How dare I go against the will of Christ? May I ask what basis we have, that God only saves us Jews, but not Gentiles? Under the authority of Christ, what are our traditional concepts of the past? You say, at this moment, obeying God or obeying man which is our law and tradition, how should we choose?
Finally, give glory to God. What the Bible records here is a great event in the history of the church: “When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life. (Acts 11:18)” The point is that for the first time the church has a unified vision of this. Everyone was speechless and agreed that it was God’s will to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. In front of the gospel, it turns out that there is a sequence between Jews and Gentiles, but there is no essential difference. The leadership of the Holy Spirit this time has become the core values of the churches and has also determined the direction of the churches for the next two thousand years.
Conclusion
Well, thank the Lord! It gave me a headache all day, and I was able to complete today’s sermons in such a large volume. When the church preaches the gospel, Satan is not reconciled. May the Lord help us to overcome the bondage of the old self, rely on God’s words, the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit, and move towards the mission of preaching the gospel.
Let us pray……
Acts 11:1-18
1 The apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.
2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him
3 and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.”
4 Starting from the beginning, Peter told them the whole story:
5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was.
6 I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles and birds.
7 Then I heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’
8 “I replied, ‘Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’
9 “The voice spoke from heaven a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’
10 This happened three times, and then it was all pulled up to heaven again.
11 “Right then three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea stopped at the house where I was staying.
12 The Spirit told me to have no hesitation about going with them. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man’s house.
13 He told us how he had seen an angel appear in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter.
14 He will bring you a message through which you and all your household will be saved.’
15 “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning.
16 Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with[a] water, but you will be baptized with[b] the Holy Spirit.’
17 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?”
18 When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.”
