Acts 11

Criticism of Peter by Jewish believers verse 1- 3

And the apostles and brethren that were in Judea heard

that the Gentiles had also received the word of God

And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem

they that were of the circumcision

CONTENDED with him saying

You went in to men uncircumcised – and did eat with them

Peter explains vision verse 4- 10

BUT Peter rehearsed the matter from the beginning

and expounded it by order unto them

saying

I was in the city of Joppa praying

and in a trance I saw a vision

A certain vessel descend – as it had been a great sheet

let down from heaven by four corners

And it came even to me

upon the which when I had fastened mine eyes

I considered

and saw four-footed beasts of the earth

and wild beasts – and creeping things

and fowls of the air

And I heard a voice saying unto me

Arise Peter – slay and eat

BUT I said – Not so – Lord

for nothing common or unclean

has at any time entered

into my mouth

BUT the voice answered me again from heaven

What God has cleansed

that call not you common

And this was done three times

and all were drawn up again into heaven

Peter explains travel to Caesarea verse 11- 17

And BEHOLD

immediately there were three men already come

to the house where I was

sent from Caesarea to me

And the Spirit bade me go with them – nothing doubting

moreover these six brethren accompanied me

and we entered into the man’s house

and he showed us how he had seen an angel

in his house

which stood and said to him

Send men to Joppa – and call for Simon

whose surname is Peter

Who shall tell you words whereby you

and all your house

shall be saved

And as I began to speak – the Holy Ghost fell on them

as on us at the beginning

THEN remembered I the word of the Lord

how that HE said

John indeed baptized with water

BUT you shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost

FORASMUCH then as God gave them the like GIFT

as HE did to uswho believed

on the Lord Jesus Christ – what was I

that I could withstand God?

Critics accepted explanation verse 18

When they heard these things – they held their peace

and glorified God – saying

Then has God also to the Gentiles granted repentance to life

Gentiles turn to the LORD in Antioch verse 19- 21

NOW they which were scattered abroad

on the persecution that arose

about Stephen traveled as far as

Phoenicia – Cyprus – Antioch

PREACHING the word to none but unto the Jews only

AND some of them were men of Cyrus and Cyrene – which

when they were come to Antioch

spoke unto the Grecians

PREACHING the Lord Jesus

And the hand of the Lord was with them

and a great number believed

and turned to the Lord

Barnabas to Antioch verse 22- 26

Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church

which was in Jerusalem

and they sent forth Barnabas

that he should go as far as Antioch

Who – when he came – and had seen the grace of God – was glad

and exhorted them all

that with purpose of heart they would cleave to the Lord

FOR he was a good man – full of the Holy Ghost – full of faith

and much people was added to the Lord

THEN departed Barnabas to Tarsus – FOR to seek Saul

and when he had found him – he brought him unto Antioch

AND it came to pass

that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church

and taught the people

AND the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch

Agabus predicts famine verse 27- 30

And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem to Antioch

and there stood up one of them named Agabus

and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth

throughout all the world which came to pass

in the days of Claudius Caesar

THEN the disciples – every man according to his ability

determined to send relief to the brethren which dwelt in Judea

which also they did and sent it to the elders by the

hands of Barnabas and Saul

COMMENTARY:

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers

: 2 And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him. (1252 “contended” [diakrino] means doubt, judge, discriminate, to separate one’s self in a hostile spirit, strive with dispute, evaluate carefully, argue, or express disapproval)

DEVOTION: You would think that at the beginning of the church there would be a spirit of excitement for those who realized that Jesus was the Messiah.

We have already learned that the Greek widows were being neglected. They established deacons to take care of that challenge. Now they had the challenge of accepting those from other nations into the mix of the church. They had Jews from other nations but now it was Gentiles who were not Jews already but uncircumcised individuals. Real Gentiles were being added to the church.

There was a group that didn’t like this happening. They thought that Peter overstepped his responsibility. He had gone to a family that was truly out of the children of Israel. Now they wanted him to explain his actions.

This was not a group that seemed loving toward this new development in the church. They thought God only loved the Jewish people or those who had converted to Judaism.

Peter started with his vision and moved to the fact that they were filled with the Holy Spirit just like they were on the day of Pentecost. The group accepted Peter’s explanation and glorified God that true Gentiles were now allowed in the church.

Allow the leaders of your church time to explain any new plan they might have to reach others. Be part of the organizing of the plan. Encourage others to be involved. Reach out and touch those who are different than those who normally come to your church.

God wants us to reach all ethnic groups. Our church should not be known for excluding any ethnic group.

There is always going to be someone who will question what is happening in the church.

CHALLENGE: The church should stay true to the Word of God. If it is true to the Word of God people will accept the answers given. Stay true to the Word of God.

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers

: 9 But the voice answered me again from heaven, What God has cleansed, that call not you common. (2511 “cleansed” [katharizo] means purge, purify, make clean, to pronounce clean in a Levitical sense or to consecrate)

DEVOTION: Peter told the LORD no when HE told him to eat the animals that were considered ceremonial unclean in the Old Testament. The LORD was trying to convey a truth that there was a change taking place. The ceremonial laws of the Old Testament were over.

Part of the law was the relationship between Jews and Gentiles. The Jews avoided all contact with the Gentiles. There were not even allowed to enter the home of a Gentile or they would be considered ceremonial unclean. Here is Peter in the home of a Gentile. Here is the Holy Spirit coming on the Gentiles.

In this chapter Peter is defending his actions in the last chapter. They were mad at him for what he had done. They thought he had polluted the church.

After the explanation they praised the LORD. As the church was beginning to form, we see that God wanted the disciples to know that a different group was going to be included. The Samaritans were ministered to after the Jews on Pentecost. The Gentiles were going to join the church. No longer was it only Israel that was the chosen people. Now the chosen people were from any nation and any people that followed Christ as their Savior.

God is no respecter of persons. HE wants HIS servants to be the same. Too often we look at appearances instead of hearts. Too often we are prejudice before we even meet people. Christian of all nationalities are going to be in heaven for eternity. We need to get along with each other NOW. We have people of all colors receiving the devotionals daily. We have many nations represented in the devotional family. There is no place for racial prejudice in the kingdom of God. There are many Christians who are still prejudiced. That includes all colors: red and yellow, black and white – as the song goes. God wants every nation to hear the good news. Are we willing to share the Gospel with all people groups?

CHALLENGE: Get to know Christians who have a different look. You might be surprised.

DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers

: 18 When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then, has God also to the Gentiles granted repentance to life. (2222 “life” [zoe] means the condition of living or the state of being alive, living thing, existence, way of life, the state of one who is possessed of vitality or is animate, or every living soul)

DEVOTION: What is salvation? What does it mean to those who become believers? Is life easier once you become a follower of Jesus? Do all those who are believers have less problems than those who are not? Do all those who become believers have money coming in from the LORD so that they can live the good life while they are here on this earth? What are we promising people who become believers?

The early church seemed to understand that the Christian life was going to be one of suffering for the sake of Jesus. They had to leave their homes and go to other countries to get away from the persecution. They had to go to jail for their belief in Jesus.

Today we are told by some on the television and radio that is just a matter of positive thinking or possibility thinking that will make a difference once we become a follower of Jesus. We are told that God will just bless us to the point where all we can do is praise HIS name continually.

Here we find that repentance is necessary for the forgiveness of sin. Once there is repentance there is the promise of eternal life in heaven. This new life will be filled with good days and bad days. The LORD will be with us through all of our days.

Our eyes have to be on God’s eternal plan for us not just our personal preferences while we are here on this earth. Too often we want God to be someone who gives us all we want right now. It is wrong attitude.

CHALLENGE: God gives us what we need to grow now and every day we live on this earth. HE loves us enough to only give us what will help us come closer to HIM.

___________________________________________________

: 29 Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren which dwelt in Judaea (1248 “relief” [diakonia] means ministry, service, task, the activety of helping especially as it relates to person’s sustenance, aid, or provision)

DEVOTION: One of the responsibilities that we have as believers is to help those in need. This should start with people who are around us and reach out to those around the world if we are able to help them.

The first century church was facing unique problems. One of the problems or challenges was to face a famine in the land. The churches outside of Judea took up collections to help those who are in Judea.

They were willing to give what they could to help. Many Christians had to run from persecution which meant that they had to leave their homes behind. They had to struggle to find a new job in a new location. They had to start over.

Now we face some of the same challenges today. In many countries there are believers who are killed or hurt because of their belief in Jesus. They have their homes and churches burned with no help from the legal authorities. The women are taken and mistreated because they don’t believe the same as most of those in the country. They are without protection.

The church has to step up to help those around the world with this challenge. However, some of the same things are happening in our country. Those who are believers are considered people who are not getting along with others very well. Because of our beliefs regarding unborn children and marriage people think we are too restrictive.

CHALLENGE: We need to send help especially to fellow believers in our neighborhood and around the world.

______________________________________________________________

DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:

BODY

Chastity (Purity in living)

Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)

Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)

Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)

Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)

SOUL

Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)

Frugality (wise use of resources)

Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)

Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)

Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)

SPIRIT

Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)

Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)

Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)

Peter praying verse 5

Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)

Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)

Preached the word verse 19

Preaching the Lord Jesus verse 20

Exhorting verse 23

_______________________________________________________________

DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)

Word of God verse 1

Word of the Lord verse 16

Preaching the Word verse 19

Preaching the Lord Jesus verse 20

God the Father (First person of the Godhead)

GOD verse 1, 9, 17, 18, 23

Word of God verse 1

Grace of God verse 23

God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)

Lord verse 8, 16, 17, 20, 21, 23, 24

Word of the Lord verse 16

Jesus verse 17, 20

Christ verse 17

Lord Jesus Christ verse 17

Lord Jesus verse 20

Hand of the Lord verse 21

Cleave to the Lord verse 23

God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)

Spirit verse 12, 28

Holy Ghost verse 15, 16, 24

Baptized with the Holy Ghost verse 16, 17

Full of the Holy Ghost verse 24

Signified by the Spirit = great dearth verse 28

Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)

Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)

Seen an angel verse 13

Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)

Gentiles verse 1, 18

Received the Word of God verse 1

Uncircumcised verse 3

Eat with uncircumcised verse 3

Caesarea verse 11

Phenice verse 19

Cyprus verse 19, 20

Antioch verse 19, 20, 22, 27

Cyrene verse 20

Grecians verse 20

Great number believed verse 21

Dearth throughout the world verse 28

Claudius Caesar verse 28

Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)

Contended verse 2

Unclean verse 8

Doubt verse 12

Withstand God verse 17

Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)

Expound truth verse 4

Prayer verse 5

Vision verse 5- 10

Cleansed verse 9

Saved verse 14

Holy Spirit fell verse 15

Gift of Holy Spirit verse 17

Believed verse 17, 21

Glorified God verse 18

Repentance to Life verse 18

Preaching the Word verse 19

Preaching the Lord Jesus verse 20

Turned verse 21

Grace verse 23

Glad verse 23

Exhorting verse 23

Purpose of heart verse 23

Cleave to the Lord verse 23

Good verse 24

Full of the Holy Ghost verse 24

Full of faith verse 24

Give according to ability verse 29

Send relief to fellow believers verse 29

Israel (Old Testament people of God)

Judaea verse 1, 29

Jerusalem verse 2, 22, 27

Circumcision verse 2

City of Joppa verse 5, 13

John (the Baptist) verse 16

Jews verse 19

Church (New Testament people of God)

Apostles verse 1

Brethren verse 1

Peter (Simon) verse 2, 4- 18
Six brethren verse 12

Holy Ghost fell on believers verse 15

Scattered abroad verse 19

Persecution verse 19

Stephen verse 19

Preaching verse 20

Ears of the church verse 22

Barnabas verse 22- 30

Exhorted people

Good man

Full of the Holy Ghost

Full of faith

People added to Lord

Departed to Tarsus

Assembled with church

Taught much people

Saul (Paul) verse 25- 30

Brought to Antioch

Assembled with church

Taught much people

Disciples = Christians in Antioch verse 26, 29

Prophets verse 27

Agabus verse 27-

Sent relief to Judea verse 29

Elders verse 30

Last Things (Future Events)

_______________________________________________________________

DONATIONS:

Remember that all donations to Small Church Ministries are greatly appreciated. The treasurer will send a receipt, at the end of the year unless otherwise requested. Please be sure to make check out to “Small Church Ministries.” The address for the treasurer is P.O. Box 604, East Amherst, New York 14051. A second way to give to the ministry is through PayPal on the website: www.smallchurchministries.org. Also, if you can support this ministry through your local church please use that method. Thank you.

_______________________________________________________________

QUOTES regarding passage

22–24 News of the situation at Antioch was of definite concern to believers in Jerusalem. With the conversion of Samaritans, the conversion of some Gentiles in Caesarea, and now the report of a mixed congregation in Syrian Antioch, many in Jerusalem were doubtless fearful that the Christian mission was moving ahead so rapidly as to be out of control. The Jerusalem church, therefore, as in the case of the Samaritan conversions, decided to send a delegate to Antioch, probably in order to regularize whatever had gone awry and report back to the mother church. The man chosen for this task was Barnabas, a Jew from Cyprus who had gained an outstanding reputation for piety and generosity among the believers at Jerusalem (cf. 4:36–37). In all likelihood, it was the fact that Barnabas was both a Diaspora and “Zionistic” Jew coupled with his piety and generosity that qualified him in the eyes of the Jerusalem church for this mission to Antioch. In addition, the high esteem in which he was held made it certain that both his counsel and his report would be received with all seriousness.

The Jerusalem church could hardly have selected a better delegate, particularly from Luke’s point of view. His generous spirit was gladdened by what he saw of the grace of God at work among the believers at Antioch, and, true to his nickname “Son of Encouragement” (Barnabas, or huios paraklēseōs [4:36]), he “encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.” Here was a crisis point in the history of the early church, for much depended on Barnabas’s reaction, counsel, and report—not only at Antioch itself, but also at Jerusalem and in the later advance of the gospel through Paul’s missions. With evident feeling, therefore, Luke says of him, “He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith.” And as a result of his response, the work that was started at Antioch was enabled to go on, with many being brought to Christ. (Longenecker, R. N. (1981). The Acts of the Apostles. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: John and Acts (Vol. 9, pp. 401–402). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)

________________________________________________________________

The grace of God, was glad (την χαριν την του θεου ἐχαρη [tēn charin tēn tou theou echarē]). Note repetition of the article, “the grace that of God.” The verb (second aorist passive indicative of χαιρω [chairō]) has the same root as χαρις [charis]. See the same suavis paronomasia in Luke 1:28. “Grace brings gladness” (Page). “A smaller man would have raised difficulties as to circumcision or baptism” (Furneaux). He exhorted (παρεκαλει [parekalei]). Imperfect active, picturing the continuous encouragement from Barnabas. With purpose of heart (τῃ προθεσει της καρδιας [tēi prothesei tēs kardias]). Placing before (from προ-τιθημι [pro-tithēmi]), old word for set plan as in Acts 27:13; Rom. 8:28. The glow of the first enthusiasm might pass as often happens after a revival. Barnabas had a special gift (4:36) for work like this. Cleave unto the Lord (προσμενειν [εν] τῳ κυριῳ [prosmenein [en] tōi kuriōi]). Dative case (locative if ἐν [en] is genuine) of κυριος [kurios] (here Jesus again) after προσεμενειν [prosemenein] to keep on remaining loyal to (present active infinitive). Persistence was needed in such a pagan city. (Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Ac 11:23). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.)

______________________________________________________________-

11:23. Barnabas could not escape the conclusion that God was genuinely at work in Antioch, and as Luke often noted there was the response of joy. True to his nickname, Son of Encouragement (4:36), he encouraged the believers (cf. 14:23). (Barnabas is also mentioned in 9:27; 11:25, 30; 12:25; 13:1–2, 7, 43, 46, 50; 14:3, 12, 14, 20; 15:2, 12, 22, 25, 35–37, 39; 1 Cor. 9:6; Gal. 2:1, 9, 13; Col. 4:10.)

11:24. Three things were said about Barnabas: he was a good man, he was full of the Holy Spirit, and he was full of faith (Stephen too was full of faith and the Holy Spirit; 6:5). Luke wrote this description of Barnabas after the confrontation between Paul and Barnabas, recorded in 15:39. Since Luke was Paul’s traveling companion, this statement about Barnabas must have been Paul’s assessment as well. (Toussaint, S. D. (1985). Acts. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 383). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

__________________________________________________________________

When the saints were scattered abroad during Saul’s persecution of the church (Acts 8:1), some of them ended up in Antioch, the capital of Syria, 300 miles north of Jerusalem. (Don’t confuse this city with Antioch in Pisidia, Acts 13:14.) There were at least sixteen Antiochs in the ancient world, but this one was the greatest.

With a population of half a million, Antioch ranked as the third largest city in the Roman Empire, following Rome and Alexandria. Its magnificent buildings helped give it the name “Antioch the Golden, Queen of the East.” The main street was more than four miles long, paved with marble, and lined on both sides by marble colonnades. It was the only city in the ancient world at that time that had its streets lighted at night.

A busy port and a center for luxury and culture, Antioch attracted all kinds of people, including wealthy retired Roman officials who spent their days chatting in the baths or gambling at the races. With its large cosmopolitan population and its great commercial and political power, Antioch presented to the church an exciting opportunity for evangelism.

Antioch was a wicked city, perhaps second only to Corinth. Though all the Greek, Roman, and Syrian deities were honored, the local shrine was dedicated to Daphne, whose worship included immoral practices. “Antioch was to the Roman world what New York City is to ours,” writes James A. Kelso in An Archaeologist Follows the Apostle Paul. “Here where all the gods of antiquity were worshiped, Christ must be exalted.” Not only was an effective church built in Antioch, but it became the church that sent Paul out to win the Gentile world for Christ.

When the persecuted believers arrived in Antioch, they did not at all feel intimidated by the magnificence of the buildings or the pride of the citizens. The Word of God was on their lips and the hand of God was on their witness, and “a great number” of sinners repented and believed. It was a thrilling work of God’s wonderful grace.

The church leaders in Jerusalem had a responsibility to “shepherd” the scattered flock, which now included Gentile congregations as far away as Syria. Apparently the Apostles were ministering away from Jerusalem at the time, so the elders commissioned Barnabas to go to Antioch to find out what was going on among the Gentiles. This proved to be a wise choice, for Barnabas lived up to his nickname, “son of encouragement” (Acts 4:36). (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, pp. 448–449). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

________________________________________________________________

Let me try to give a few suggestions to young believers. In the first place, give the Word of God its proper place in your heart. Do not let a day go by in which you do not spend some time over your Bible. You cannot grow in grace without that. You are new-born babes and you need to be fed, and the Word is not only for our food but for our enlightenment. We cannot find our way through this world without the instructions we get from the Word of God. Not only should you be careful to meditate upon the Word of God each day, but see that you spend some time daily waiting upon God in prayer. Prayer is the Christian’s vital breath. A believer who is not given to prayer will never really count for God in this scene. We are told to be instant in prayer, to pray without ceasing.

Next, if we are going to cleave to the Lord, we should cultivate Christian fellowship—seek the association of those of like precious faith. None of us are strong in ourselves, and we need one another. We are to exhort one another, to be helpers of one another in the faith. Then let us be unsparing in self-judgment. We need to keep account with God. When conscious of failure, of sin, when we have yielded in any sense to temptation, let us not go on getting deeper and deeper into things that are wrong, drifting farther and farther from God; but turn at once to the Lord, face the matter in His presence; and remember, “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” This is what is meant by cleaving to the Lord with purpose of heart, recognizing His authority over our lives and His ownership of all we have and are.

So Barnabas exhorted these young Christians to cleave unto the Lord, in order that their lives might really count for God. (Ironside, H. A. (1943). Lectures on the Book of Acts. (pp. 279–280). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.)

__________________________________________________________________

Ver. 23. Who when he came, and had seen the grace of God, &c.] The many instances of the powerful and efficacious grace of God in regeneration and conversion; the great goodness, love, and favour of God in enlightening, quickening, and converting so many souls; and the wonderful gifts of the spirit bestowed upon many of them, fitting them for public use and service: was glad; rejoiced at heart, and gave glory to God, as every good man will, at the success of the Gospel in the conversion of sinners, let it be by what instrument or means it will, and at the gifts and grace bestowed on them: and exhorted them all; in whom he saw the grace of God implanted, who had received the doctrine of the grace of God, and had gifts of grace qualifying them for usefulness, in some nation or another: that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord; that is, with a fixed resolution in the grace and strength of Christ, they would hold to his person, exercising grace upon him, abide by his truths and ordinances, keep close to his people, adhere to his cause and interest, and hold on and out unto the end. The Arabic version takes the purpose of heart to be meant of Barnabas, and reads the words thus, and he exhorted them according to the usual firmness of his heart, that they would continue in the faith of the Lord; in the doctrine and grace of faith in Christ. (Gill, J. (1809). An Exposition of the New Testament (Vol. 2, p. 248). London: Mathews and Leigh.)

_________________________________________________________________

(b) He Was a Sensible Man (11:23)

Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.

That is the kind of man Barnabas was—not a bit critical or jealous of someone else’s success, but thrilled and delighted. To see all those Gentiles responding to the gospel, to hear them talking about Jesus, to listen to their testimonies—Barnabas rejoiced.

Barnabas would have been one of those in the Jerusalem church who had “glorified God” at Peter’s news. He would have been one of those who said, “Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life” (11:18). It did his heart good now to see just what was happening at Antioch and to assess for himself this great step forward for mankind.

However, he was a practical man, too, and he could see the danger in people making too light a decision for Christ. The old way into the fold by means of circumcision was too hard. This new and living way by simple faith in Jesus the Lord was not too easy, but it might seem so to some. There was the danger of a false profession of faith. Barnabas warned them to make their calling and election sure. The case of Simon Magus was a warning to all, so “he exorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.” Salvation is a matter of the heart, not the head.

The word translated “purpose” here is prothesis. It suggests “a setting forth” and comes from a root meaning to place before or to exhibit. The word is used, interestingly enough, for the showbread (Matt. 12:4; Mark 2:26; Heb. 9:2), which was exhibited on the table in the Tabernacle. Once a week the priests were required to take twelve loaves of bread, one for each of the tribes of Israel, and put them on the table before God, each in its proper place. At the end of the week the bread was replaced, and the loaves that were removed were ceremonially eaten by the priests. In all that there was deliberate, planned purpose.

So then, when Barnabas urged Gentile converts that “with purpose of heart” they should “cleave unto the Lord,” he was encouraging them to be deliberate and purposeful about their decisions for Christ.

The expression cleave unto literally means “abide with.” The word is used of Paul’s stay at Corinth: “And Paul after this tarried there yet a good while” (Acts 18:18).

So although Barnabas was delighted with what was happening, he was a sensible man, and was not carried away by the excitement of a revival. He added a note of encouragement and exhortation. (Phillips, J. (2009). Exploring Acts: An Expository Commentary (Ac 11:23). Kregel Publications; WORDsearch Corp.)

______________________________________________________________________

FROM MY READING:

When our Lord says, “Ye must be born again,” He throws down the gauntlet. He says in effect, “It is all right; I know what you are going to say, but you need not say it–it is all wrong–you must be born again.” “Verily, verily”–“truly, truly.” Whenever He uses that formula He is always saying something of unusual seriousness and of deep import. He says, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
This is the crucial phrase, the key phrase of Christianity: “born again”! Some people say it should be translated “born from above.” Others say it should be translated “born anew.” I think that they are probably nearest to the truth who say that undoubtedly our Lord was speaking to Nicodemus in Aramaic, that the Greek is a translation from the Aramaic, and that then our English is a translation from the Greek. But the original was probably Aramaic, and there it means “except a man has another birth, he will never see the kingdom of God.” It is the same thing. “Born again,” “another birth,” “born from above,” “born of the Spirit”–take any of the terms you like.
This is the great New Testament doctrine, and what it means, negatively, is that Christianity is not just an addition to something you already have. Christianity, in other words, is not something that you and I, as we are, can take up; all that is contradicted here….we need an entirely new start. (Walking with God Day by Day by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

_______________________________________________________________

Religious Liberty and the Right to be Christian

The challenges we will face with regards to religious liberty are immense and increasing by the season. The government has at its disposal mechanisms for moral coercion that reach far beyond prisons, jails, and fines. For example, at least some business people who refused to participate in same-sex weddings, such as photographers, bakers, or florists, were required to undergo “sensitivity training.” In order to understand how the new moral regime uses sensitivity training, it is helpful to think back to iconic works of the twentieth century such as Aldous Huxley’sBrave New World and George Orwell’s 1984. These sensitivity training programs represent efforts to bring intellectual cleansing. And now, in some jurisdictions they can be inflicted upon religious believers who dare oppose the morality of the new regime.

The religious liberty challenge we now face consigns every believer, every religious institution, and every congregation in the arena of conflict where erotic liberty and religious liberty now clash. This poses no danger to theological liberals and their churches and denominations because those churches have accommodated themselves to the new morality and find themselves quite comfortable within the context of the new moral regime. Furthermore, some of these liberal denominations and churches style themselves as defenders of the new morality and actually advocate legal modifications that restrict the religious liberty rights of more conservative churches and denominations.

(Edited from We Cannot Be Silent by Albert Mohler)

_______________________________________________________________

There is the proof from the mystery character of the church. This is the natural corollary of what has been discussed in the preceding section. If the distinctive character of the church as a living organism indwelt by Christ in which Jews and Gentiles are on an equal basis is described as a mystery unknown in Old Testament times, then the church must not have been constituted in those Old Testament days. Indeed, Paul says very clearly that this entity is a “new man” (Eph. 2:15) made possible only after the death of Christ.

(p. 146, Dispensationalism by Charles C. Ryrie)

_______________________________________________________________

PRAY FOR HOLINESS

And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
1 John 5:15
We can pray that all the precepts, all the promises, and all the prophecies in the Bible with respect to ourselves may be fulfilled in us. “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification” (1 Thessalonians 4:3). And if you pray for sanctification, you can be sure that God will sanctify you. It is God’s will that we may know His love; ask Him therefore to reveal His love to you by the Holy Spirit, and you can be certain He will do so. And it is the same with all the various other promises that are in the Scriptures: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7).
Are you concerned that you do not love as much as you ought? Tell Him about it; ask Him to shed His love abroad in your heart, and He will do so. Are you concerned about some sin that casts you down? Pray a confident prayer. It is the will of God that you should be delivered from sin; so pray for it. Are you concerned that your heart shall be clean? Well, offer David’s prayer (“Create within me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me,” Psalm 51:10), and I assure you, on the basis of the Word of God and His character, that He will answer you, and the blood of Christ will cleanse you from all sin and all unrighteousness. Go through your Bible, and make a list of the promises of God to you; then take them to God, use them in His presence, plead them, and you can be quite certain that you have your petitions. You already possess them, and in His own time and way God will give you a full realization of them and a full enjoyment of them.
A Thought to Ponder: We can pray that all the precepts, promises, and prophecies in the Bible may be fulfilled in us.
(From Life in God, p. 125, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

________________________________________________________________________

Revelation 1
Jesus is seen in a vision as a glorious, powerful, heavenly being.
INSIGHT

When Jesus came to earth, He came in poverty, humility, and obscurity. He willingly allowed men to victimize Him and to seemingly triumph over Him. But this is not a complete picture of who Jesus really is. In coming to earth, Jesus Christ left a state of glory and power, clothed Himself in humanity, and veiled His divine appearance. The book of Revelation gives us a broader picture of who He is by telling us a little about His divine appearance and nature (vv. 14-15). Although we cannot know how Jesus looked while on earth, this description of Him certainly discloses many of His divine traits (vv. 17-18). (Quiet Walk)

________________________________________________________

Going and Returning
“I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again: and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes.” (Genesis 46:4)
Imagine the turmoil Jacob must have felt when he heard the news that Joseph was alive and wanted him to move to Egypt. His son, whom he had thought dead for many years, was not only alive but governor of Egypt! As difficult as this was for him to believe, Jacob no doubt had myriad other emotions crowding in on him. God had directed him to Canaan, as with his fathers Abraham and Isaac. This was the land of promise, and yet circumstances seemed to indicate that God was leading him away. In the past, God had always spoken to him directly before each important move, and Jacob must have had that in mind as they traveled.
The company stopped at Beersheba, the southern boundary of the promised land. Here Jacob had lived with his parents (Genesis 28:10). Here God had repeated His covenant to Isaac (Genesis 26:24), and here Jacob decided to build an altar to ask God for clear leading before leaving the land (Genesis 46:1), and God graciously answered: “I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation” (Genesis 46:3). Furthermore, God assured Jacob, in our text, that when His purposes in Egypt were accomplished, He would “bring thee up again” into the land of promise. Many details were as yet unknown to Jacob, but he gladly obeyed.
This pattern is applicable to us. As we endeavor to follow God’s leading, we should proceed as best we can discern the situation (assuming there is no scriptural teaching to the contrary), all the while praying for wisdom and clarification. He may shut the door and redirect, or He may confirm our decision. We can proceed in the confidence that He will go with us, and when the time is right, He will lead us on. (JDM, The Institute for Creation Research)

______________________________________________________________

We now have a Facebook page for Small Church Ministries – please invite others to join us on Facebook. Thank you. Look for the logo from the devotionals.