BiblicalMastery Buddy's bible blog

Lesson 22

Peter’s Defense

Acts 11

Over the years I have had the privilege and opportunity to attend many training conferences both for the work I did and those that have been church related. In addition to those I have been able to go on four overseas mission trips. What I have discovered is that when I have tried to share what I have learned for the most part people either seem uninterested or do not want to change the way that things are being done. I have come to the conclusion, that unless they have been with me which was not always possible, there would have to be some different ways of having them understand what I was trying to share. I might attempt to paint such a clear picture for them of what I had heard that they would buy into my excitement. I might walk them through the process by which I came to my conclusions. The last possibility would be to provide them with a copy of the conference material and the notes that I made and allow them to discuss the information and come to their own decision. Today we will look at the way Peter handled the situation which he faced.

Sometimes we get so locked into a culture that we do not understand that changes need to take place. We do not want to deal with the real issues that may be affecting us by putting them on the back burner and talk about superficial things. The church in Jerusalem, like us, needed to come to grips with the fact that its world was changing. We find ourselves in a position of either coming to an understanding of what needs to take place in the church or continually seeing ourselves lose more and more people. These are exciting days. We have a real opportunity to listen to what God is telling us through His word that will help us to once again grow into a dynamic church. Today we will see how Peter handled a critical moment for the church in Jerusalem and how the church continued to expand as others were open to what God was doing.

Acts 11:1

Good news spreads fast. The church got wind of what had happened in Caesarea even before Peter returned from his trip.   The one thing they understood was that the “Gentiles also had received the word of God.” What is not told is what this meant for the church.

1. What implications might this kind of news have for the church meeting in Jerusalem and other parts of Judea?
2. What kind of changes might this force the church to make?
3. What would it take for news of this kind to be spread about Bethany Place?

Acts 11:2-3

What a contrast can be seen between the new Peter and the Church in Jerusalem. He had just been through a number of events that transformed his life and would from that point on impact his perspective of how to carry out the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18) All the Church could do was hold on to the old concepts of how God was to work through them.

The reaction of the Jewish believers was to confront Peter. Their words almost seemed to carry with them an accusatory tone, one of condemnation. They certainly did not appear to be pleased with what they had heard. It is amazing how they were able to jump to conclusions based on what had been told to them from others without actually hearing first-hand what Peter had say.

The pervasive elitist attitude which could be seen by what they said, if allowed to continue, would set a dangerous precedent for the church. One only has to look the track record of the Jews of including those outside their nation. They failed miserably in carrying out God’s mandate to be priest to all people.

By all appearances their statements seem to put Peter in between a rock and a hard place. Either he had done something awfully wrong or they had a major heart problem. Sadly, the church in Jerusalem was continuing in this false concept of who and who should not be allowed to receive the grace of God. The standard for inclusion into the church was being set that only those approved by them would be allowed to join

Peter now found himself in a very tenuous situation which would affect the direction of the church. The church had reached a defining moment that would ultimately determine its future effectiveness in spreading the gospel to the rest of the world.

Peter could have responded in a couple of different way. Before looking at what he did, let us think about how he might have dealt with the situation.

• He may have become defensive which would have accomplished nothing.
• He may have backed down and apologized for his actions.
• He may have begun to question himself and doubt his actions.

 

1. Why did the Jews respond so strongly to Peter?
2. Why did they jump to conclusions before hearing the facts from Peter?
3. What was the danger in the attitude they displayed?
4. How could it have affected the spread of the gospel?
5. What should have been the attitude of the believers?
6. How much is this like how we handle the ministry of the church?
7. What did they hope to accomplish with this type of response to the circumstances?
8. In what kind of position did this leave Peter?
9. How would you respond if you were on the receiving end of such harsh words as showered on Peter?

Acts 11:4

With the word “but” we know that the way Peter is going to answer will be in direct contrast to the reactionary attitude of those in Jerusalem. Peter chose a different tact than those shared above. Rather than responding directly to their accusations he used a teaching technique that Jesus used quite often. Peter wanted to take them along with him on the journey he had just completed. He did what any good historian would do. He involved them in each and every step as they fit into the whole picture. He wanted to paint a picture for them of what actually took place, then based on that information they could come to their own conclusions. He wanted them to take the journey with him step by step. This is the sign of a good teacher. Involve the listener in the narrative and they will find answers for themselves. Peter did not want to meet force with force but to tell what happened “in orderly sequence.”

1. What would have been the wrong way for Peter to have responded to the accusations?
2. What do you think of the method Peter used to get the church on board with what God was doing?
3. How would the technique he used to present the information help diffuse the situation?
4. What can we learn from what Peter did?
5. Why do confrontations like this occur?
6. What advantage did he have? (He had been there and had the facts on his side.)

Acts 11:5-14

Peter in these verses gives a full account of all that took place in Caesarea that is found in chapter 10. He emphasized in verse 12 that he did not go alone but that there were six circumcised believers who went him and witnessed all that took place. In the Jewish world three witnesses were needed but in the Roman world there would need to be six of seven who had seen and could verify the account. With that many who had seen what had happened his account would have been more credibility. Like any good teacher Peter was drawing all of them into events and building toward a climax.

1. How might this orderly account help the accusers see the hand of God in what Peter had done?
2. Why was it important for the six men to have gone with him?
3. In what ways are the facts more compelling that rumors and accusations?
4. What did Peter hope to accomplish?

Acts 11:15-17

Although what had been said up to this point was important, the next verses help to solidify for the church that God indeed was working in the lives of Gentiles. Peter made several points that wrapped up his case very nicely.

• While he was speaking the Holy Spirit fell on the people.
• The Holy Spirit manifested Himself in the same way the apostles had experienced on the day of Pentecost.
• Peter remembered the words of Jesus promising the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
• He did not want to stand in the way of the outpouring of God on the Gentiles.

It was now decision time for those who had heard his narrative. Peter had literally forced their hand. There was no way they could remain neutral. Either they would, “Stand in God’s way” or they would agree with Peter that God had done a great thing in the life of Cornelius. It truly was a defining moment in the lives of each of those present. One decision would hamper the work the other would help the gospel to spread and impact an ever widening circle of people, Jew and Gentile?

1. What do you think of the ending of Peter’s account?
2. What were the options for the church?
3. What would be the impact of either decision they might make?

Acts 11:18

These final words of Peter illicited two reactions from the group assembled there. They quieted down and then began glorifying God with the words, “Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.”

1. What brought about the change in the attitudes of the people?
2. From the narrative that was presented by Peter what changes had taken place in his life?
3. How should this narrative help us when confronted with questions that are very difficult to answer?

Try to understand that as the early church faced challenges to the status quo you also must deal with a world that is changing all around you.

1. It is important for you to ask questions relating to how we have come to the decisions that will impact the church.
2. You should consider what your part will be in making the church much stronger than it is today.
3. Learn all you can from many sources about the changes that are being suggested.
4. Be open to hearing new ideas without jumping to conclusions about what direction the church should take.

When we as a church face a difficult issue we have a real example of how to diffuse most issues. It is providing clear understandable facts. The one other characteristic to put into place is the use of tact.   Peter gave valid reasons for the actions he took. It was not until the end of his explanation that he made the statement about not standing in the way of what God was doing in the lives of Gentiles. We would be well served to use this format. Rather than moving right to the bottom line it is far better for the sake of unity to explain very carefully each step taken to reach a decision. Once again I believe Acts is giving us much guidance in the decisions that the church is trying to make in regard to Leadership.