Acts, Chapter 11
© Copyright 2007 Darroll Evans, all
rights reserved
Acts 11:1-3
1 And the apostles and brethren that were in
2 And when Peter was come up to
3 Saying, Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them.
The apostles and brethren in
The “brethren” were not
believers in Christ! They were believers in rituals and rites. Many times we
have a romanticized theory concerning the early Church.
When Peter came back to
The accused him saying, “Do you mean to tell us that you went into a Gentile
home and actually ate with them?”
Among Jewish Christians and
Jewish converts who had become Christians in that day, Gentiles were still
considered to be “dogs” (ritually unclean and unworthy of receiving the truth).
Acts 11:4-10
4 But Peter rehearsed the matter from the beginning, and expounded it by order
unto them, saying,
5 I was in the city of Joppa praying: and in a trance I saw a vision, A certain
vessel descend, as it had been a great sheet, let down from heaven by four
corners; and it came even to me:
6 Upon the which when I had fastened mine eyes, I considered, and saw
fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls
of the air.
7 And I heard a voice saying unto me, Arise, Peter; slay and eat.
8 But I said, Not so, Lord: for nothing common or unclean hath at any time
entered into my mouth.
9 But the voice answered me again from heaven, What God hath cleansed, that
call not thou common.
10 And this was done three times: and all were drawn up again into heaven.
Peter told them what
happened. He told how he had a vision,
in which a great sheet was let down from heaven containing all sorts of unclean
things. He told about the voice from
heaven telling him, “Arise! Slay and eat.”
He told of his response, “Not
so, Lord, because nothing common or unclean has entered into my mouth.”
Then he told them that the voice told him, “What God has cleansed, don’t call
common.”
He told them that the event
happened three times before being drawn back into heaven.
Acts 11:11-17
11 And, behold, immediately there were three men already come unto the house
where I was, sent from
12 And the spirit bade me go with them, nothing doubting. Moreover these six
brethren accompanied me, and we entered into the man's house:
13 And he shewed us how he had seen an angel in his house, which stood and said
unto him, Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose surname is Peter;
14 Who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved.
15 And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the
beginning.
16 Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed
baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.
17 Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who
believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God?
Peter told them all how
immediately after that three men arrived at the home asking him to go to
Peter told them that
Cornelius declared that he had seen an angel who told him to send for Peter,
and that Peter would tell him everything he and his household should know in
order to be saved.
Then Peter said, “As I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at
the beginning. And, I remembered the
word of the Lord, through John, ‘You shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.’”
“Since God gave them the same
gift He gave us what was I to do? Could I withstand God?”
Acts 11:18 When they heard these things, they held
their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles
granted repentance unto life.
When they heard all that they
stayed quiet and admitted that God also grants repentance of sins to Gentiles. That was a bitter pill for the Jew only
“christians” (lower case c).
Doubting is a Jewish sport!
Acts 11:19-21
19 Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about
Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and
20 And some of them were men of
21 And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and
turned unto the Lord.
As a result of Stephen’s
murder the disciples were scattered among the Gentile nations. They traveled to
Here is a very important, but
mostly overlooked, point. They preached the word to none but Jews only (v. 19).
We often lose sight of the fact that the early Church was considered by
most Christians to be a Jew-only sect of Judaism.
Some of them were Jews from
Acts 11:22-24
22 Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in
23 Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted
them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.
24 For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much
people was added unto the Lord.
When the leaders in
When he arrived, and saw the
work of the grace of God, he rejoiced, and exhorted them so that they should
persevere in the Lord. Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Ghost and
faith. Under his ministry, many were added to the Lord.
Acts 11:25-30
25 Then departed Barnabas to
26 And when he had found him, he brought him unto
27 And in these days came prophets from
28 And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the spirit
that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came to pass
in the days of Claudius Caesar.
29 Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send
relief unto the brethren which dwelt in
30 Which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and
Saul.
Then Barnabas went to
It was during that time that
a group of Christian Prophets came to
Agabus prophesied that
difficult times were ahead during the rule of Roman Emperor Claudius. They asked that each Christian, according to
his ability, donate something to be given to the disciples living in
This collection is not the same collection spoken of in 1 Corinthians, chapter
16. Both this collection and the
collection mentioned in 1 Corinthians were free will offerings for the benefits
of the saints in
Why were they in need? As you recall, they sold what they had and
gave it to the Apostles. Their
expectation was that Christ would return before their funding was used up. Eventually those funds ran out, and they had
no way of replacing them.
That action was a mistake,
carried out by the original Apostles who had no idea that there would be a
2,000 year