Read Acts 11:1-18

Tuesday

Read Acts 11:1-18

11  The apostles and the other believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. ²When Peter went to Jerusalem, those who were in favour of circumcising Gentiles criticized him, saying, ³“You were a guest in the home of uncircumcised Gentiles, and you even ate with them!” ⁴So Peter gave them a complete account of what had happened from the very beginning:

5 “While I was praying in the city of Joppa, I had a vision. I saw something coming down that looked like a large sheet being lowered by its four corners from heaven, and it stopped next to me. ⁶I looked closely inside and saw domesticated and wild animals, reptiles, and wild birds. ⁷Then I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat!’ ⁸But I said, ‘Certainly not, Lord! No ritually unclean or defiled food has ever entered my mouth.’ ⁹The voice spoke again from heaven, ‘Do not consider anything unclean that God has declared clean.’ ¹⁰This happened three times, and finally the whole thing was drawn back up into heaven. ¹¹At that very moment three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea arrived at the house where I wasⁿ staying. ¹²The Spirit told me to go with them without hesitation. These six fellow-believers from Joppa accompanied me to Caesarea, and we all went into the house of Cornelius. ¹³He told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house, who said to him, ‘Send someone to Joppa for a man whose full name is Simon Peter. ¹⁴He will speak words to you by which you and all your family will be saved.’ ¹⁵And when I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came down on them just as on us at the beginning. ¹⁶Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ ¹⁷It is clear that God gave those Gentiles the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ; who was I, then, to try to stop God!”

18 When they heard this, they stopped their criticism and praised God, saying, “Then God has given to the Gentiles also the opportunity to repent and live!”

Think

Peter is called by God to go to gentile people and announce their acceptance by God.  The Christians at Jerusalem are scandalized - Peter has eaten with gentiles and has declared that they belong to God's community.

The Jerusalem church considers carefully what Peter has to say - and the whole story ends with everyone praising God together.

Pray

Lord I don't listen to people very well.  But when we listen to each other and come to an understanding - we will praise you together.