Acts Chapter 11 - Unity in the Gospel: God’s Grace for All

Today we are studying Acts Chapter 11. In this chapter, Peter explains to the Jewish believers how God gave the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles. At first, there is confusion and questioning, but when they hear what God has done, they glorify Him. We also see the church growing beyond Jerusalem, especially in Antioch, where believers are first called Christians. Acts 11:18 says, “When they heard this they became silent. And they glorified God, saying, ‘So God has granted repentance resulting in life even to the Gentiles!’” This chapter reminds us that God’s work brings unity when we recognize His hand in it. 

Transcript

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It's a blessing to see how God's word continues to stand as our foundation. This reminds me of Luke chapter 8, verse 21. My mother and my brothers are those who hear and do the Word of God. Praise God that his word is being heard and lived out in 44 countries around the world. We want to take a moment to say hello to our listeners in Mino, Osaka, Japan. San Jose, California, United States. Almori, Almori, Japan, Omaha, Nebraska, United States, and Nazareth, Northern District, Israel. We're grateful you've joined us today. Thank you for being part of this mission. It means so much to have you listening.

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Welcome to Giving God Praise. This is a podcast where we walk through the entire Bible, book by book and chapter by chapter. Our desire is to discover not only what God's Word says, but what it means to praise God in our daily life. In each episode, we explore a promise to claim, a response to make, an attitude to change, an instruction to obey, a sin to confess, and an example to follow. So let's go ahead and grab our Bibles and dive into today's teaching. Today we are studying Acts chapter 11. In this chapter, Peter explains to the Jewish believers how God gave the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles. At first, there is confusion and questioning, but when they hear what God has done, they glorify Him. We also see the church growing beyond Jerusalem, especially in Antioch, where believers are first called Christians. Acts 11, 18 says, When they heard this, they became silent, and they glorified God, saying, So God has granted repentance, resulting in life even to the Gentiles. This chapter reminds us that God's work brings unity when we recognize his hand in it. Let's begin reading Acts chapter 11. The apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles had welcomed God's message also. When Peter went up to Jerusalem, those who stressed circumcision argued with him, saying, You visited uncircumcised men and ate with them. Peter began to explain to them in an orderly sequence, saying, I was in the town of Joppa, praying, and I saw, in a visionary state, an object that resembled a large sheet coming down, being lowered by its four corners from heaven, and it came to me. When I looked closely and considered it, I saw the four-footed animals of the earth, the wild beasts, the reptiles, and the birds of the sky. Then I also heard a voice telling me, Get up, Peter, kill and eat. No Lord, I said, for nothing common or ritually unclean has ever entered my mouth. But a voice answered from heaven a second time, What God has made clean, you must not call common. Now this happened three times, and then everything was drawn up again into heaven. At that very moment, three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea arrived at the house where we were. Then the Spirit told me to accompany them with no doubts at all. These six brothers accompanied me, and we went into the man's house. He reported to us how he had seen the angels standing in his house and saying, Send to Joppa, and call for Simon, who is also named Peter. He will speak a message to you that you and all your household will be saved by. As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came down on them, just as on us at the beginning. Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Therefore, if God gave them the same gift that he also gave to us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, how could I possibly hinder God? When they heard this, they became silent. Then they glorified God, saying, So God has granted repentance, resulting in life even to the Gentiles. Those who had been scattered as a result of the persecution that started because of Stephen made their way as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the message to no one except Jews. But there were some of them, Cypriot and Cyrenian men, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Hellenists, proclaiming the good news about the Lord Jesus. The Lord's hand was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord. Then the report about them was heard by the church that was at Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to travel as far as Antioch. When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged all of them to remain true to the Lord with a firm resolve of the heart, for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith, and large numbers of people were added to the Lord. Then he went to Tarsus to search for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught large numbers. The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch. In those days some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and predicted by the Spirit that there would be a severe famine throughout the Roman world. This took place during the time of Claudius. So each of the disciples, according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brothers who lived in Judea. They did this, sending it to the elders by means of Barnabas and Saul. Let's take a moment to pause and fix our hearts on the Lord. Heavenly Father, thank you for the truth of Acts chapter 11 and the reminder that your grace reaches all people. Thank you that you bring unity through the gospel. Lord, help us to recognize your work and celebrate what you are doing. Remove any division or misunderstanding from our hearts. Teach us to encourage others and remain faithful to you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

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Now that we've read God's Word and prepared our hearts in prayer, let's begin our praise study and listen to what God wants to say to our hearts today. In Acts chapter 11, we see a powerful promise to claim in the truth that God's grace is available to all people. He granted repentance and life to the Gentiles, just as he did to the Jews. This promise reminds us that salvation is not limited, it is extended to everyone who believes. We also see the promise that God's hand is with his people. In Antioch, many believed because the Lord was working through them. This shows us that when we follow God, he is actively involved in what we do. This promise gives us confidence that we are not alone in his mission. The response to make in this chapter is to accept what God is doing and align ourselves with it. At first, some questioned Peter, but when they understood, they glorified God. Our response should be the same. We are called to celebrate God's work, even when it looks different than we expected. We also respond by remaining faithful. Barnabas encouraged the believers to stay true to the Lord. We are called to stand firm in our faith. The response is acceptance, faithfulness, and encouragement. We are called to change our attitude from division to unity. The early believers had to overcome differences. We must shift from focusing on what separates us to what unites us in Christ. Another attitude to change is from skepticism to trust. God was clearly at work, and they had to accept it. We also need to change from passivity to encouragement. Barnabas actively strengthened others. A changed attitude builds others up. The instruction to obey in this chapter is to remain faithful, encourage others, and support the work of God. We are instructed to stay committed to the Lord. We are also instructed to strengthen fellow believers. Another instruction is to give generously. The disciples sent help to those in need. Obedience means living in unity, encouragement, and generosity. The sin to confess in this chapter is division. If we allow differences to create barriers, we must bring that before God. Another sin to confess is resisting God's work. If God is moving and we hesitate to accept it, we must confess that. We also need to confess lack of encouragement. If we fail to build others up, we are missing part of our calling. Confession brings us back to unity and purpose. The example to follow in this chapter is Barnabas. He saw the grace of God and encouraged others. He was full of the Holy Spirit and faith. We also see the example of the believers in Antioch. They responded to needs and supported others. These examples show us how to live in unity and faithfulness. Acts chapter 11 reminds us that God's grace brings people together. It calls us to remain faithful, encourage others, and support his work. Take time today to reflect on your walk with God. Are you living in unity with others? Are you encouraging those around you? Are you supporting the work of God? If this message encouraged you, share it with someone who needs to be reminded of the power of unity in Christ. Let's close today by bringing our hearts before the Lord in prayer. Heavenly Father, we are so grateful that our listeners chose to spend their time with us in your word today. Thank you for the truth of Acts chapter 11 and the reminder that your grace unites us. Lord, help us to live in unity and to encourage others. Give us hearts that are generous and faithful. Strengthen us to follow you and support your work. We pray that this message would encourage every listener and draw them closer to you. May God bless you and keep you in his grace. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

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