Turning the Corner

Chapter 11

vv.2-3 - this is classic church - the Jewish believers in the Jerusalem church are mad at Peter for associating with/doing ministry with Gentiles. This problem has persisted for 2000 years - not the Jewish/Gentile problem (although that is still an issue), but the idea that the church is for certain groups of people (and, therefore, not for others). I'm reminded of the sponge vs. pipe - an illustration that has stayed with me for years. Sponges receive water, soak it up and keep it there...pipes receive water and pass it along. Salvation and grace are things we receive from God. We can be a pipe or a sponge. If we choose to be a pipe, that means we don't get to decide who gets the water and who doesn't. This episode shows again how hard it was for the early church to get their minds around the idea that the Gospel was for Jews AND Gentiles. Before we judge them too harshly, remember all the law they lived under and how many of those laws were designed to keep Israel separate from the other nations (i.e. do not intermarry, do not wear clothes with multiple types of cloth, etc.).

v.8 & v.17 - the law leads to pride, but grace leads to humility - when Peter is recounting the story from chapter 10 to the Jews back in Jerusalem, he tells them what his response to God was when God told him to eat the "unclean" food: Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth. Notice how he throws in a clarifying statement that points to him and how good he is. Contrast this with verse 17 when he says ...who was I to think that I could oppose God? This statement is coated in humility and is more representative of someone who gets grace. This should be a sure sign to me when I'm choosing to live under the law - I get prideful and believing lies like: I deserve this or that (and I deserve it because I have performed well - which is what the law forces you to do).

vv.19-21 - the prophecy of chapter 1 (Jerusalem, Judea & Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the world) is being fulfilled by the church's march up to Antioch. Antioch was the 3rd largest city in the Roman empire and at the "corner" of Europe and the Middle East. It was also known as the "Las Vegas" of its day and seems an odd choice as the sending point for so many future missionary journeys. On the other hand, it shows the power of the Gospel to transform a city and culture and also shows that the Church cannot be stopped.

v.26 - the first "Christians" - the first time people who followed Jesus were referred to as "Christians" was in Antioch. This is a term that non-Christians labeled them with and signifies that the early church was so significant that the rest of the world recognized them as a group separate from Judaism. It's unfortunate that the term has virtually lost its meaning ("little Christs") in 21st century America - or has adopted a bad connotation in most people's minds. That's mainly our fault, since there is no statistical difference in behavior between those who claim the name of Christ and those who don't.