In the days of Jesus and the early church, Jewish people had four key practices that set them apart from other groups: circumcision, food laws, keeping the Torah, and observing the Sabbath. These practices acted as boundary markers. They showed who belonged to God’s people and who did not.
I once asked the congregation what they would do if I preached an amazing sermon on Sunday, then walked outside after the service and started burning the American flag. They were understandably shocked by the idea.
When Peter visited Cornelius and spent time with him, he stepped outside the protective boundaries of the Jewish faith. He ate with a Gentile and stayed in his home. It may be hard to believe, but for the crowd in Jerusalem, it would be viewed as positively as my hypothetical flag-burning illustration.
Peter Explains the Situation
Peter explained how he came to meet Cornelius, stay at his house, and preach to him. It began when God showed him a vision of unclean foods lowered on a sheet and told him to eat. Peter objected, but God made it clear that he should follow His instruction instead of relying on traditional beliefs.
“But a second time the voice answered from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call profane.'” (Acts 11:9)
Peter then explained that Cornelius had also received direction from the Lord to meet him. When they came together, Peter preached about Jesus. In the middle of his message, the Holy Spirit interrupted him.
“And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning.” (Acts 11:15)
In the book of Acts, the gift of the Spirit—evidenced by speaking in other tongues or languages—was given to affirm the salvation experience of Jews, Samaritans, and Gentiles. It was a visible sign of God’s activity and His acceptance of the recipients.
Peter understood the criticism of the strict Jewish observers, so he added:
“If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?” (Acts 11:17)
The Jerusalem leaders couldn’t argue with Peter’s testimony. His reasoning was similar to Gamaliel. Earlier, when Jewish leaders wanted to punish the disciples, Gamaliel wisely stated:
“If this plan or this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them—in that case you may even be found fighting against God!” (Acts 5:38-39)
Peter wasn’t interested in fighting against God and His love for all humanity. The church leaders in Jerusalem weren’t either. Together, they rejoiced at God’s love for the Gentiles.
When they heard this, they were silenced. And they praised God, saying, “Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.” (Acts 11:18)
Welcome Unexpected Guests
Pastor LeRoy Sullivan and I became good enough friends that we could have honest discussions about race. He gave me more insight about African Americans than anyone else.
We’re both big men with big voices. One day over lunch, we were discussing race. As we paused in our conversation, we looked up and it seemed that the entire restaurant was listening to us. We both had a good laugh about it when we got back in the car.
LeRoy said this about a prominent African American pastor: “He is more Black than he is Christian.”
The Jerusalem leaders had to overcome being more Jewish than Christian. The Gentile issue arose more and more as Gentiles became followers of Jesus.
LeRoy’s insight about that particular preacher is true today. Some people are more concerned about their version of “right” than they are about being Christian. Sadly, some Christians continue to be more interested in being white than Christian.
All of us can fall into the trap that LeRoy noticed. Let’s imitate Peter and be determined to follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit. When God puts “unexpected guests” in our path, let’s be certain not to fight against Him.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed Acts 11:1-18 on YouTube today.
