GETTING OUT OF GOD’S WAY

ACTS 11:1-18

NASB

1 Now the apostles and the brethren who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, [a]those who were circumcised took issue with him, 3 saying, “You [a]went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.” 4 But Peter began speaking [a]and proceeded to explain to them in orderly sequence, saying, 5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, an [a]object coming down like a great sheet lowered by four corners from [b]the sky; and it came right down to me, 6 and when I had fixed my gaze on it and was observing it [a]I saw the four-footed animals of the earth and the wild beasts and the [b]crawling creatures and the birds of the [c]air. 7 I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; [a]kill and eat.’ 8 But I said, ‘By no means, Lord, for nothing [a]unholy or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9 But a voice from heaven answered a second time, ‘What God has cleansed, no longer [a]consider unholy.’ 10 This happened three times, and everything was drawn back up into [a]the sky. 11 And behold, at that moment three men appeared at the house in which we were staying, having been sent to me from Caesarea. 12 The Spirit told me to go with them [a]without misgivings. These six brethren also went with me and we entered the man’s house. 13 And he reported to us how he had seen the angel [a]standing in his house, and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and have Simon, who is also called Peter, brought here; 14 and he will speak words to you by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’ 15 And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning. 16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized [a]with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could [a]stand in God’s way?” 18 When they heard this, they [a]quieted down and glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.”

11:2 [a]Lit those of the circumcision; i.e. Jewish Christians  11:3 [a]Or entered the house of  11:4 [a]Lit and was explaining  11:5 [a]Or vessel  [b]Or heaven  11:6 [a]Lit and I saw  [b]Or reptiles  [c]Or heaven  11:7 [a]Or sacrifice  11:8 [a]Or profane; lit common  11:9 [a]Lit make common  11:10 [a]Or heaven  11:12 [a]Or without making any distinction  11:13 [a]Or after he had stood in his house and said  11:16 [a]Or in  11:17 [a]Lit prevent God  11:18 [a]Lit became silent 

NLT

1 Soon the news reached the apostles and other believers[*] in Judea that the Gentiles had received the word of God. 2 But when Peter arrived back in Jerusalem, the Jewish believers[*] criticized him. 3 “You entered the home of Gentiles[*] and even ate with them!” they said.

4 Then Peter told them exactly what had happened. 5 “I was in the town of Joppa,” he said, “and while I was praying, I went into a trance and saw a vision. Something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners from the sky. And it came right down to me. 6 When I looked inside the sheet, I saw all sorts of tame and wild animals, reptiles, and birds. 7 And I heard a voice say, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.’

8 “‘No, Lord,’ I replied. ‘I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure or unclean.[*]’

9 “But the voice from heaven spoke again: ‘Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.’ 10 This happened three times before the sheet and all it contained was pulled back up to heaven.

11 “Just then three men who had been sent from Caesarea arrived at the house where we were staying. 12 The Holy Spirit told me to go with them and not to worry that they were Gentiles. These six brothers here accompanied me, and we soon entered the home of the man who had sent for us. 13 He told us how an angel had appeared to him in his home and had told him, ‘Send messengers to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter. 14 He will tell you how you and everyone in your household can be saved!’

15 “As I began to speak,” Peter continued, “the Holy Spirit fell on them, just as he fell on us at the beginning. 16 Then I thought of the Lord’s words when he said, ‘John baptized with[*] water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 And since God gave these Gentiles the same gift he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to stand in God’s way?”

18 When the others heard this, they stopped objecting and began praising God. They said, “We can see that God has also given the Gentiles the privilege of repenting of their sins and receiving eternal life.”

[11:1] Greek brothers.   [11:2] Greek those of the circumcision.   [11:3] Greek of uncircumcised men.   [11:8] Greek anything common or unclean.   [11:16] Or in; also in 11:16b.  

A good leader must know when it’s time to make changes and when to stay the course. He or she must then communicate with others and convince them to follow. Those are the basics of Leadership 101, and they hold true no matter what kind of organization you lead. Spiritual leadership, however, requires at least one additional skill: knowing when to get out of God’s way.

Every spiritual leader must come to terms with the fact that the church is God’s organization to lead. It’s easy to forget that. In our desire to keep the church on course amid shifting currents and prevailing winds, we tend to regard all change as unfavorable. Pastors, teachers, elders, and leaders must stand firm against constant pressure from the world to compromise divine truth in favor of popular opinion. So, when the Lord wants to alter course or adapt His church to meet new challenges, we’re often the last to see it.

That’s unfortunate. As spiritual leaders, we should be the first to sense His direction and be ready to change when we feel confident of His leading. After all, we serve a contemporary God! He’s never surprised by the future, He’s never out of date, and He’s never threatened by technological advancement or evolving cultures. Our message never changes, but our methods often do. Consequently, He’s kept the church cutting edge and relevant for more than two thousand years. He didn’t do that by keeping things perpetually the same. As difficult as this may be for some to believe, change has always been part of His ministry strategy.

Peter would soon discover this for himself. As he went up to the rooftop to pray at his friend’s house in Joppa, he had no idea things were about to change so dramatically. Up to that point, the church had been growing steadily as a result of the gospel being preached to communities of Jews. Successful evangelism among the Samaritans required church leaders to stretch their vision of ministry a bit —most Jews found Samaritans unsavory —but they worshiped the same God, believed and studied the same Law, and anticipated the same Messiah (see John 4:25), so they shared a great deal in common. Despite several significant challenges, everything was moving along comfortably —that is, until the Lord’s encounter with Peter’s prejudice signaled a major change.

The good news: Peter got the message and obeyed. That’s an important first step for a leader, spiritual or otherwise. Then came the greater task of leadership. It was his responsibility to communicate the new direction and to convince others to follow. Fortunately, the Lord had armed the apostle with everything he needed to deliver a simple, clear message: Get out of the Lord’s way!

— 11:1-3 —

News about the conversion of Cornelius and his household spread quickly throughout the region of Judea. That’s not surprising, considering the importance of Caesarea to government and commerce as well as the controversial content of the news. So, when Peter arrived in Jerusalem —perhaps with his first taste of ham or shellfish still on his breath —some of his colleagues weren’t eager to celebrate. Luke identifies the critics as “those who were circumcised” (11:2; see 10:45). He uses this expression for two reasons: First, to denote both kinds of Jewish believer —natural-born Hebrews and Gentile converts to Judaism prior to trusting in Christ. Second, to keep the basis of their objection in mind. Jews typically looked down on Gentiles as unclean and ignorant, but they also believed Gentiles could be made acceptable by teaching them to follow the Law. The rite of circumcision validated a male as one who knew and followed the Old Testament statutes.

The phrase rendered “took issue with him” (11:2) appears weak in English. The Greek verb used is diakrinō [1252], which literally means “to separate” and is most often translated “judge” or “decide.” Followed by “with him” or “against him,”[86] it indicates that they disputed with him. To put it in context: They retained the very misgivings that Peter had just overcome (cf. diakrinō in 10:20; 11:12). They said, “You entered the home and company of uncircumcised men and ate with them” (11:3, my translation). The literal Greek is “You went in to,” meaning “you associated with” or “you received the hospitality of” or “you shared fellowship with.” This came as an accusation, not merely a statement of fact. They might well have asked, “How could you?!”

Many commentators have noted that the Jewish believers didn’t object to Peter’s preaching the gospel or baptizing the Gentiles, only that he mingled with them and ate their food. But this, I think, misses the point. The circumcised Christians objected to his having anything to do with the Gentiles, including evangelism. Remember, their understanding of New Testament evangelism followed the Old Testament pattern, which expected proselytes to seek God in the temple. Apparently, they didn’t comprehend the full extent of the Lord’s commissioning in 1:8. Furthermore, they couldn’t fathom how anyone could come to the Messiah without at least some biblical and theological training.

To be fair, Peter himself would have held to the same opinion just a few days earlier. The believers in Jerusalem didn’t receive a vision. They didn’t hear God’s direct command to visit Caesarea. They hadn’t experienced anything like what Peter had.

— 11:4-6 —

The leading apostle immediately recognized the problem. He didn’t berate his colleagues or flout his progressive attitude or shame them for being prejudiced and backward. He met them where they were so he could vicariously walk them through the transforming process he had experienced. He said, in effect, “A short time ago, I saw things as you do. Let me tell you what changed my mind.”

When God wants to make a change within the church or a Christian organization, He rarely communicates it to the masses. More often, He prompts an individual —most often the leader —to become His agent of change. Depending upon the health of the organization, this individual receives either respect or ridicule —rarely anything in between. Truth be told, change is always challenging. If the vision for change comes from God, the proposal will not contradict Scripture; on the contrary, the new direction will help the organization become more obedient to the Word of God. Whether or not others recognize it, the future of that organization will depend upon its response to the Lord’s agent of change.

Peter recounted his experience on the rooftop in Joppa “in orderly sequence” (11:4), and a comparison between his recollection (11:5-11) and the event (10:9-20) shows he left out no detail.

— 11:7-17 —

Throughout his account, Peter highlighted the Lord’s prompting:

“Get up, Peter; kill and eat.” (11:7)

“What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.” (11:9)

“The Spirit told me to go with them without misgivings.” (11:12)

“The Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning.” (11:15)

“God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us.” (11:17)

Peter added the detail that when he traveled to Caesarea, six of the men in the room had accompanied him and had witnessed everything. There may have been others (10:23), but these six were among the group from Joppa. He undoubtedly asked them to come along not only for moral support but also to witness what God would do among the Gentiles. He didn’t know what to expect, but his vision hinted that it would be something big!

He didn’t bother to recount the details of his sermon; the specifics of his eloquence or sound reasoning weren’t important. In fact, he admitted that he said relatively little compared to all he had planned. According to 10:34-43, he said a lot in a short space, so “began to speak” (11:15) suggests he had only gotten started on a lengthy sermon before the Holy Spirit interrupted. Peter explicitly tied the falling of the Holy Spirit in Caesarea to the events of Pentecost. “At the beginning” points to the beginning of the church (2:4). He also recalled the Lord’s promise of Holy Spirit baptism (11:16; cf. 1:5). It was a well-crafted presentation.

John the Baptizer first uttered the promise of baptism in the Holy Spirit to the Jews he called to repentance (Matt. 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33). Naturally, they applied the promise to themselves without much thought of anyone else. Jesus affirmed the promise just before His ascension, and the 120 or so gathered disciples who awaited its fulfillment (Acts 1:15) applied the words to themselves, without considering that it might apply to others beyond their community. Then they saw the Holy Spirit fill the three thousand converts after Peter’s first sermon (2:37-41) and the five thousand after his second (4:4). Then several apostles watched as the Spirit fell on the Samaritan converts (8:14-17). At each stage of growth, the Lord’s promise applied to more and more people.

Just in case they missed the point, Peter underscored it for them (11:17). When God poured out His Spirit on the Gentiles, He validated them as authentically Christian, just like all the others who had believed and were baptized. Peter said, in effect, “Gentlemen, it doesn’t matter what you or I think; God has spoken, and that puts an end to the debate.” When Peter saw the power of the Holy Spirit fill the Gentiles, he knew enough to get out of the Lord’s way.

— 11:18 —

Luke writes that the critics “quieted down,” obviously referring to their arguments. The Lord had spoken; what more was there to say? They broke their silence only to give praise to God.

By this time in church history, the term “repentance” (metanoia [3341]) had taken on a technical meaning. “Repentance” encapsulates the response of Cornelius and his household to the gospel. The word literally means “a change of mind,” but it clearly means more than that when used of new believers. “Faith” or “belief” (pistis [4102]) describes the attitude of a person who trusts in Christ alone for salvation. “Repentance” is the process of turning away from one’s own ability to be good enough to earn salvation and turning toward Christ in an attitude of faith. The full expression of this special “change of mind” is repentance resulting in life.

This was a momentous occasion in the development of the church. Just as Peter didn’t understand all the implications of his rooftop vision in Joppa, so these Jewish Christians didn’t comprehend all this meant for the church as a movement or for them personally. Their acceptance of the Gentile converts gave them greater affinity with Gentiles —good for church unity —but would drive a permanent wedge between themselves and the temple. Up to this point, the Jesus followers in Jerusalem were considered a peculiar sect of Judaism. Embracing Gentiles as brothers and sisters would put an end to the goodwill they enjoyed among ordinary Jews in the temple.

APPLICATION: ACTS 11:1-18

Time to Face the Changes

As Peter recounted his encounter with the Lord in prayer, his obedience to the Lord’s command, and his experience with the Gentiles, those listening must have grappled with the change that was imminent. They ultimately recognized that this change was of God. Through this process, the leaders of the early church learned at least three lessons we would do well to remember.

First, some changes are inevitable. Again, that might seem obvious, especially in our technological culture in which change is the only constant. The Lord taught Peter that the church can change with the culture without becoming tainted by it. For a thousand generations —and counting —the Lord has appointed human leaders to adapt His church to meet the stylistic bents of each region, race, language, and philosophy, yet without altering the core message of the gospel. Methods must change; the message must not.

Second, any change requires adjustment. For some reason, we perpetually think the most recent spiritual lesson we learned was the last leg of our spiritual journey —not consciously, only when someone proposes an uncomfortable change. Then we dig our heels in: “I finally have a firm grasp on how things should be.” Then we become rigid and resistant instead of adaptable and accommodating. That’s because we don’t like big changes when the status quo meets our personal needs. Consequently, we’ll use any means necessary to justify keeping things the way they are —even the misuse of Scripture and nonsensical theology.

The Lord continues to change His church to keep us in touch, flexible, and cutting edge. Peter is a wonderful model of how we must adapt to keep in step with God’s program.

Third, every change must be examined in light of Scripture. When evaluating potential change, we must remember that some things are absolutes and some things are flexible. That might seem like good ol’ common sense, but for some reason we have to be reminded of it when potential changes affect the church. Even the most successful risk takers in business suddenly revert to tradition and nostalgia when making decisions about how their local fellowship should conduct ministry. On the other hand, some people respond to changes in society impulsively without considering the long-term impact on the church or whether the truths of Scripture would be compromised. So, it’s helpful for a local body to define what must remain absolute, such as the fundamentals of the faith. For any church I serve, that list must include these essentials:

Those are fundamentals of the faith we must not compromise in any decision. In regard to how we express those truths and how we conduct ministry, on the other hand, we have a duty to be creative and to remain current. Forgive me if it sounds unorthodox, but I think if Jesus Christ had come to earth in our day, His message would not change one bit, but His style would reach people where they are in the manner they can best hear. His people, therefore, should be no less flexible.