Acts 11:1–18

11:1
Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the
Gentiles too had accepted the word of God.
2
So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers took issue
with him,
3
saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and shared a meal with them.”
4
But Peter began and explained it to them point by point, saying,
5
“I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, an
object something like a large sheet descending, being let down from heaven
by its four corners, and it came to me.
6
As I stared I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth,
wild animals, reptiles, and wild birds.
7
I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; slaughter and eat!’
8
But I said, ‘Certainly not, Lord, for nothing defiled or ritually unclean
has ever entered my mouth!’
9
But the voice replied a second time from heaven, ‘What God has made clean,
you must not consider ritually unclean!’
10
This happened three times, and then everything was pulled up to heaven
again.
11
At that very moment, three men sent to me from Caesarea approached the
house where we were staying.
12
The Spirit told me to accompany them without hesitation. These six
brothers also went with me, and we entered the man’s house.
13
He informed us how he had seen an angel standing in his house and saying,
‘Send to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter,
14
who will speak a message to you by which you and your entire household
will be saved.’
15
Then as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as he did on
us at the beginning.
16
And I remembered the word of the Lord, as he used to say, ‘John baptized
with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
17
Therefore if God gave them the same gift as he also gave us after
believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to hinder God?”
18
When they heard this, they ceased their objections and praised God,
saying, “So then, God has granted the repentance that leads to life even to
the Gentiles.”

One thought:

The gospel going to the Gentiles is unsurprising because it was promised by the Old Testament prophets.

Three questions:

Check out Isaiah 49:6 & 42:4, Psalm 22:27, and Zecheriah 2:11.

 

Have you ever felt like someone didn’t deserve to be in God’s Kingdom?

 

Give thanks that God died for all peoples, even those who you think are furthest from Him have been given access to salvation!

Prayer:

Praise God for His plan to choose people from all nations.

Ask God to help you be reminded of His grace – we didn’t deserve His love but He has given it abundantly.

Pray for one person to be brought into His Kingdom.

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