Commentary on Acts 11:1-18

By Bob Myhan

¹Now the apostles and brethren who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. ²And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision contended with him, ³saying, "You went in to uncircumcised men and ate with them!"

To show that Peter’s thinking in regard to the Gentiles was shared by the other apostles, Luke records the reaction of the others to the news of what Peter had done. It was not that he had preached the gospel to uncircumcised men but that he had eaten with them. Such, again, was taboo.

⁴But 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. ⁶When I observed it intently and considered, I saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. ⁷And I heard a voice saying to me, 'Rise, Peter; kill and eat.' ⁸But I said, 'Not so, Lord! For nothing common or unclean has at any time entered my mouth.' ⁹But the voice answered me again from heaven, 'What God has cleansed you must not call common.' ¹⁰Now 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. ¹²Then the Spirit told me to go with them, doubting nothing. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered the man's house. ¹³And 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, ¹⁴who will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved.'

Peter rehearses all of the events that Luke has already given so that the other apostles and the other Jewish brethren will draw the same inference he had drawn. Peter does not quote Cornelius but, by inspiration, gives the gist of the latter’s conversation with the angel. That which the angel said Cornelius “must do” was in order that he and his might “be saved.”

Thus, again, we have clear evidence that those whom Peter commanded to be baptized were not already saved at that point. So many have missed this that it bears repeating. In at least two cases, when someone was told what he “must do” it was “be baptized” (Acts 22:16; 10:48)

¹⁵And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning. ¹⁶Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, 'John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' ¹⁷If 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?"

The was the first and only time the Holy Spirit “fell” on someone without the laying on of apostolic hands. Such direct overwhelming of the Holy Spirit had no occurred since the day of Pentecost, when He fell on the apostles themselves. Peter rightly concluded from this event—coupled with the vision and the direct statement of the Holy Spirit to him—that Gentiles who wished to hear and obey the gospel should not be impeded. To hinder them would be to “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."

The apostles and others at Jerusalem drew the same inference as Peter. Thus, the results of the falling of the Holy Spirit on the Gentiles  reveal its purpose—not to save them but to convince the Jews that salvation was for both Jew and Gentile. God no longer made a distinction between the two.

This event will be revisited in chapter 15, when Luke deals with the Judaizers of Antioch, Syria.

(To be continued)

What Is Wrong?

Something is bad wrong when we cannot have all the members of the church, and their children, in attendance for Bible study. If you are a habitual absentee, consider that your eternal welfare depends upon your finding and correcting what is wrong. Following are seven possibilities.

1. If a person is too sick to go, something is wrong with his health. He should consult a doctor.

2. If he thinks he does not need the help that comes from Bible study, something is wrong with his education. He does not know enough to know what he needs most.

3. If he sleeps too late, he is too lazy. He needs to study Proverbs 6:6-11.

4. If he does not have the interest to go something is terribly wrong with his attitude. Indifference causes people to be lost.

5. If he is too busy to go, something is wrong with his schedule. The person who is “too busy” to serve the Lord is “too busy” to go to heaven.

6. If he lets company keep him away, then something is wrong with his courage. He should have the grit to serve the Lord even if the company is missed or offended.

7. If he thinks his clothes are not good enough, something is wrong with his pride. This excuse is over exalted, for the persons who use it can usually go anywhere else in the same town.

And when any of the above, excepting the first, are the reasons one will not regularly  worship and study, something is wrong with the heart. Do not deceive yourself by thinking that everything will “work out alright” if everything is not alright with your heart – check yours. (Author Unknown) &

Conduct of Ladies in the Assembly

By Bob Myhan

When a local church assembles together, certain things must be done, certain things may be done and certain things must not be done. We are not always told by God why this or that is demanded, allowed or forbidden, but we must trust that God always knows best and that what He says is in our best interest.

Because God has made man “the head of woman” (1 Cor. 11:3), men should always lead in gender-mixed worship. Women are to “keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law also says.” (1 Cor. 14:34)

Because all things are to be done decently and in order (1 Cor. 14:40), it is proper—at the beginning of each assembly—to remind everyone who will be leading singing, leading prayer, serving the elements of the Lord’s Supper, taking up the collection, etc. It is proper, also, to remind everyone of who is sick, out of town or otherwise need special mention in our prayers. The first song to be sung should also be announced at this time so that everyone can turn to the page and be ready to sing at the appropriate time. As with the acts of worship, themselves, these announcements should be made by the men in the assembly. The women should refrain from speaking. It is not an informal period, such as is the case with the Bible class. &