Progress or Criticism (Acts 11)

We live in a world that is itching for progress. We have had more technological advancement than we know what to do with. We want to see progress more than ever before as well. The level of information we have about everyone else makes us hungry for it. We can see what other people are getting, and we want to know why we aren't getting that. We want to see progress with our jobs, especially our income. We want to see progress in our children and our spouse. We want to see progress in our brethren and the church's attendance. I want to see progress in myself. I think that is probably one of my most significant stresses in life. Why am I not perfect yet? Why aren't my sermons perfect? Why can't I have the perfect attitude and mindset? We all want progress.

Progress doesn't happen quickly because progress hurts. It hurts to change. It's excruciating for change to happen over a short time. So we resist giving up what is normal. In our country, it seems like change happens quickly in New York and California. Then, it moves to major cities throughout the most liberal sections of our nation, Seattle, Washington DC, Chicago, and Detroit. But to get to places like Mobile, AL, and the south might take decades. Progress is happening here, but it happens slowly.

Much progress is immoral philosophical thinking that we want to blockade against. But it is coming, and it will attack the younger generations. But not all progress is immoral. There has been a lot of progress in the church, leading to denominations developing. Is everything they are doing wrong? Today, we are going to learn about the progress that is good and needs to happen here. Then, I want us to consider the progress of our world and the progress of the denominations around us.

Peter and Cornelius

In Acts 10, we learned about Peter's vision. God told him not to call unclean what God makes clean. As a Jew, the consensus was that Gentiles cause us to fall away from God. They did not want anything to do with the Gentiles. They were not keeping the law and might tempt a faithful Jew to worship other Gods. The Law of Moses seems to make that very clear.‌

God sends an angel to a man named Cornelius, telling him to send for Peter. As the messengers travel from Cornelius to get Peter, God gives Peter a vision to convince him that he should go with them. Peter sees a sheet descending from heaven. It is full of unclean animals. He's told to kill and eat, but he refuses to do so. God tells him, "Don't call common (or unclean) what God calls clean." At this moment, men come from Cornelius to get Peter. It wasn't a week later. It was at the very moment Peter saw this vision. These men are Gentiles. If they had come an hour earlier, Peter might have rejected them. But Peter and his host let them in, and Peter follows them. Then, Peter teaches them, and God sends the Holy Spirit down as he did on Pentecost. These men hear the word, believe it, and receive the gift from God that signified his acceptance of them.

Peter knows what this means in conjunction with his dream. He knows God can make these common (or unclean) men clean through the blood of Jesus. So he asks, "Can anyone prevent water for these to be baptized?" The six other Jews who were with him agreed, and they baptized them to receive God's blessings.

The Circumcision Party

Now, look at what happens after these events take place.

Acts 11:1--3 (ESV) --- 1 Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, saying, 3 “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.”

Peter returns to Jerusalem, and the news has spread about the Gentiles believing. They want to know what Peter is thinking. These brethren don't bow down before Peter and kiss his feet. Peter is an apostle, but he is not above criticism. They saw him as a fallible human. But the circumcision party (as they were called) responded to this news with criticism. They thought of Peter as being a rebellious sinner. No self-respecting Jew would enter a Gentile's house. They would never be willing to eat with them. That goes against their interpretation of the Law of Moses. ‌

Do you see how God has revealed something, and the church's initial response is critical? They start by casting blame and making accusations. Isn't that a sad commentary? It's as though Peter hasn't been faithful all this time. They fail to assume the best in him. I wonder if some have been jealous of Peter's role in the church. Fame and popularity make envy and jealousy run rampant. I wonder if some of that is at play.

Peter Explains

If you were Peter, how would you respond after being falsely accused? He doesn't get offended by their criticism. He doesn't fly off the handle. In verses four through fifteen, we have a detailed description of Chapter 10. Peter wants them to know that God was clearly at work in all of this. He's not crazy or rebellious.

The Response

Now, we see one of my favorite parts of this story. These Jews made some flawed assumptions. They were stuck in the old way of thinking. It was unclear to them that God wanted Peter to eat with and share the gospel with the Gentiles. But look at how they respond to Peter's words.

Acts 11:17--18 (ESV) --- 17 If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” 18 When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

Throughout the book of Acts, we have seen many of the Jews be completely wrong. Peter, the other apostles, and other Christians have explained everything in perfect, logical detail. How have they responded? They showed stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have refused to change their commonly held beliefs and accept the new teaching, which is clearly from God. Is that the way Christians are supposed to act? Absolutely not. ‌

In verse 18, we read that they fell silent. I imagine their wheels were turning. Do we accept this? Can we accept this? Nothing like this has ever been stated before. Would we want to stand in God's way? These Christians are utterly submissive to this news. Remember, everything they have learned has told them that going into a Gentile's house and eating with them is wrong. Now, they are so willing to honor God that they agree to let go of that belief. They say, "Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life."

Evangelizing To Greeks

At this point, the story makes a dramatic turn. We learn that Jews, up until that point, had only been speaking to the Jews about Jesus. But men from Cyprus and Cyrene came to Antioch and started teaching the Greeks. They embraced the news about the Gentiles and sought to teach them. As a Jew, there would have been a lot of things that might hold you back and prevent you from getting outside of your comfort zone. Teaching Gentiles has never been done before. How are we supposed to do that? What would people think? These men did not care about what people thought. They saw an opportunity and jumped at it. After all, Jesus told his disciples that the gospel would be spread to the ends of the earth. ‌

When Jerusalem heard about the Greeks in Antioch believing the gospel and turning to the Lord, they sent Barnabas up to be with them. Let's take a second here to focus on Barnabas. Barnabas is the guy who was selling his property and lying at the apostles' feet. He has been all in on submitting to the will of God for a long time. In Chapter 9, he was the guy who accepted Saul, who was known for being a murderer and opponent of The Way. Barnabas vouched for Saul and encouraged him. Now, we see Barnabas being sent to Antioch. Listen to what happens there.

Acts 11:22--26 (ESV) --- 22 The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, 24 for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. 25 So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.

Barnabas exhorts them to remain faithful with steadfast purpose. He builds them up. He encouraged them to be disciples of Christ. Then, after many people were added to that church, he went to Troas and got Saul. He brought him back to Antioch with him so that they could work together.

Greeks Help Jews

In the final verses of this Chapter, we start to get a picture of what is happening in Antioch. Antioch seems to become the central city for Gentile believers. First, we learn that they are called Christians first in Antioch. Then, we learn that prophets came to Antioch and foretold a famine would happen worldwide. So the brethren there start to send relief to the brothers in Jerusalem. The Gentiles are helping the Jews. ‌

Is that something that the Jews who criticized Peter would have ever imagined? They might have wondered if these Gentiles would ever really submit to God's will. Gentiles are the scum of the earth in the eyes of the Jews. But notice how diligent these Gentiles are to demonstrate the love of Christ. They send the money to the elders and provide for the brothers in Judea to have relief.

What Do We Learn?

As we work our way through this story, we see significant progress. Those who are of the "Circumcision party" start out assuming the worst thing possible of Peter. They think that he has gone rogue and rebelled against the Lord. But when they hear the truth about God's desire to save the Gentiles, they take time to consider it. They don't reject the truth or rebel against the will of God. These men are willing to change for God to be given honor and glory. They could care less about what their forefathers have always believed and taught.

The truth is that God wants sinful men and women to the ends of the earth to submit to his will and be saved. He has always wanted to gather all who will believe and save them from judgment. That's progressive in that society and culture. But the Jews have to learn to call clean what God calls clean. They must ignore men's teachings and focus on the truth from God.

Application

So, how do we take this text? Churches of Christ are built on tradition. We want to do what the first-century Christians did. We want to follow in the footsteps of Christians from the 20th century who stood for truth when everyone was twisting scriptures and creating a worldly version of the church. Am I saying all of that is wrong and we should go full-on progressive?

Remember, in the beginning, I spoke about our society being very progressive regarding morals. They claim that we can do whatever we want so long as it doesn't hurt anyone. What's wrong with that? Should we open our minds up to their ideals? The main problem is that they have no concept of sin and do not see the standard God has placed before us. Jesus is the picture of righteousness and the perfect image of what we are supposed to be. Their progressive attitudes have gone way past anything that God would call good. When we rely on feelings, we fall into the deceptions of Satan and fail to give God glory and honor.

Then, we remember how progressive churches have become. They seem to adapt to the culture and make considerable strides in our society. But are they? Compare the church in Acts 11 with those in the world today. Does Peter reveal his plan to reach the Gentiles so that they can have a more significant number of people join the fold? Are the members of the circumcised party willing to allow it because they want the numbers to reach higher and higher? That would be the result, but that's not their focus. They are focused on what their mission is.

Most churches around us are distracted by envy and jealousy over the progress of others. They add entertainment and luxuries because they want to entice people. Do you think that is what Paul and Barnabas are doing? Are they opening a coffee shop in the foyer and hiring a band? Surely, we can see how that is more of a distraction than progress. We might get more people who are a part of the club, but do they submit their lives to Christ?

That's what we want to see progress toward. God has granted the Gentiles "repentance that leads to life." As the Lord's church, that has to be our focus! Who will God grant repentance that leads to life? What group or groups are going unreached in our community? What can we do to promote the gospel to them and bring about the "repentance that leads to life?" What can you come up with to promote the gospel?

Good progress requires three things. Let's work on these three things.

Remove All Unnecessary Hindrances

The disciples in Jerusalem had to overcome their misbelief about Gentiles. What misbeliefs do we have that hinder us from spreading the gospel to people around us? To make progress, we must overcome these and leap in the direction we have never gone before.

Assume the Best in People

The disciples in Jerusalem started critically, but they became strong advocates. They sent Barnabas to Antioch. I imagine Barnabas was a valuable worker for the Lord in Jerusalem, but they let him go so that he could encourage and exhort the new Gentile Christians. Are we thinking optimistically about people, or are we assuming the worst? Will we invest in people, or will we refuse to assist or lift our brethren? The assumptions we make have a tremendous impact on progress.

Encourage Those Who Work Hard

Finally, consider the work of Barnabas and Saul. These men encouraged the Gentile Christians to shine a bright light for all to see. They sent money to Jerusalem. Soon, we will see that they support Saul and Barnabas on multiple missionary journeys. We need to build up God's church, not tear it down. You aren't looking close enough if you feel like there is no work in this congregation. You are assuming the worst. Please don't discourage those who are doing their best. Join them and encourage them. Lift them and praise God for them.