Study From the Book of Acts,11

Study From the Book of Acts,11  

Today we study the eleventh chapter of the Book of Acts and we choose two biblical principles and their lessons which are useful in Biblical Counselling.

The Jews were not fond of the Gentiles. They called them dogs and unclean. Therefore, the Jews in Jerusalem were angry with Peter because he visited and preached the gospel to the Gentiles. They “contended with him”: this was not a polite discussion, but an intense quarrel. Because of the importance of the issue of personal prejudice, Luke repeats the account of the vision of the sheet and unclean animals that God used to free Peter from his racial bigotry.

The statement “baptized with the Holy Spirit” is found seven times in the NT. The reference is to a once-for-all act whereby Christ places believers in the care and safekeeping of the Holy Spirit until the day He returns.

The city of Antioch was a cosmopolitan attracting people of various cultures and ethnic backgrounds including people from Persia, India and even China. The gospel proclaimed in Antioch would have had tremendous potential for reaching other areas of the world.

Barnabas, nickname “the Son of Encouragement” by the apostles was sent to discern what was doing in the lives of the new converts. When Barnabas saw the grace of God in these converts, he encouraged them in their new faith. Barnabas then departed to Tarsus to seek Saul and after he found him, he brought him back to Antioch. At Antioch the believers were named as Christians for the first time, a name derived from Christ.  Before that the believers called themselves “the Way.” But later they began to refer themselves as Christians, despite the fact that the named most likely was originally used to ridicule the believers.

Structure:

Verses 1-18: Peter defends God’s grace

Verses 19-26: Barnabas and Saul at Antioch  

Verses 27-30: relief to Judea.

Principle 21: verse 11:18 ---“When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying,’ then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life’.”

Lesson 21: It had never occurred to the early Jewish believers that God might actually choose to put believing Gentiles on the same spiritual plane as believing Jews. But once they saw the truth, they responded correctly by praising God.

Principle 22: verse 11:23: --"When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord .”

Lesson 22:  How does one “see” the grace of God? By observing the fruit of genuine grace: dynamic worship, forgiving spirits, peace, joy, and so forth. We encouraging such grace to flourish by exhorting each other to eagerly and tenaciously serve the living God.12/4/2025.