The Chosen Key Word in this Chapter is “Christian” it comes from the Greek Word “Christianos” which means “Christian, follower of Christ.”
Peter has to explain himself to a skeptical Jerusalem church, and a new name emerges for the growing movement. Welcome to Bible Life Basics Chapter Reviews, I am Chris and this is Acts 11.
News reaches the apostles and believers in Judaea that Gentiles have received the word of God, and when Peter returns to Jerusalem, those who insist on circumcision confront him for eating with uncircumcised Gentiles. Peter explains the entire situation in order, describing his vision of the sheet, the instruction from the Spirit, and how the Holy Ghost fell on Cornelius’s household exactly as it had on the apostles at the beginning, asking pointedly, “Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us… what was I, that I could withstand God?” Hearing this, they hold their peace and glorify God, acknowledging that God has granted repentance unto life to the Gentiles as well.
Meanwhile, believers scattered by the persecution following Stephen’s death travel as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, initially preaching only to Jews, until some begin speaking to Greeks as well, and a great number believe and turn to the Lord. Hearing of this, the Jerusalem church sends Barnabas to Antioch, where he rejoices seeing the grace of God at work and encourages them all to remain faithful, since he is a good man, full of the Holy Ghost and of faith, and many more people are added to the Lord.
Barnabas travels to Tarsus to find Saul and brings him back to Antioch, where they teach much people together for a full year. It is in Antioch that the disciples are first called “Christians,” “Christianos” in Greek, meaning followers of Christ. When a prophet named Agabus predicts a coming famine throughout the world, the disciples in Antioch, each according to their ability, determine to send relief to the brethren in Judaea, delivering it by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.
This chapter shows the early church wrestling honestly with genuinely uncomfortable change, Peter having to explain himself, skeptics needing convincing, boundaries being redrawn. Rather than splitting apart over this tension, they worked through it together, ultimately choosing to glorify God for including even more people than they had originally imagined.
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