Who was I that I could stand in God's way?

Rev. Andrew Hunt, III

Walking through the Book of Acts • Sermon • Submitted 6 years ago

Acts 11

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Who was I that I could stand in God’s way?

“Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.

So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.” But Peter began and explained it to them in order:

“I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, something like a great sheet descending, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to me. Looking at it closely, I observed animals and beasts of prey and reptiles and birds of the air. And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’ But I said, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ But the voice answered a second time from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, do not call common.’ This happened three times, and all was drawn up again into heaven. And behold, at that very moment three men arrived at the house in which we were, sent to me from Caesarea. And the Spirit told me to go with them, making no distinction. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man's house. And he told us how he had seen the angel stand in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter; he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’ As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 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?” 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.”

Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 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, for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 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. Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). So the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.”

Gentile Christians, along with Jewish believers in Messiah form what is now termed “true Israel” and replace the Jewish people (physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as God’s covenant people.

We must Begin at the Beginning

The first two chapters of Genesis recount the creation of the earth and man and the beginning of Chapter 3 recounts the fall. In response, God doesn’t waste time, He does not leave the situation hopeless but immediately after the man and woman eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God speaks of the solution that He will someday bring and in speaking to the serpent, God says:

“I will put hostility (enmity) between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”

Immediately, God speaks of His solution; that someday, He will put an end to the hatred and hostility that Satan (the serpent) has for man by sending “the seed of the woman” who will strike the serpent’s head. He promises here that He will send the Messiah, the “seed of the woman” who will incapacitate the enemy — signified by striking his head, even though it will not be without a minor wounding to God’s Messiah — signified by the enemy striking His heel.

Paul, in the New Testament, relates back to this promise of “the seed of the woman” in when he speaks of “the seed” in the singular and that “seed” being Messiah;

, “Now, the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ.”

Paul makes the differentiation because readers of his letter (who were predominately Gentiles) would know that he was referring to the singular form of the word “seed” in Greek, because” seed” in Greek as well as Hebrew, could be used in two ways; in the singular and in the plural.

Understanding the word “seed”

The word “seed” in Hebrew and in Greek is a collective singular noun and can be used in two ways; to refer to (a) one person or (b) numerous, related people.

In , (“I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed.”), the collective singular noun “seed”, refers to one person, the Messiah.

In , the collective singular noun “seed is used to refer to the land that God promised to Abraham’s “seed” and applies to numerous, related descendants, the physical descendants of Abraham, the Jews.

What were God’s promises to the Gentiles?

Speaking to Abraham of His promises, God says;

“I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, I will curse those who curse you, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

God lays out in detail who this “great nation” is and His “everlasting covenant” with them as a people, and the land He promises to give them as an “eternal possession”.

He leaves no doubt that He is speaking of the physical descendants of Abraham, because He later repeats the same promises He gave Abraham to his son, Isaac and then repeats the same promises He gave Abraham to Abraham’s grandson, Jacob (whose God later changes his name to Israel — and from whom the 12 tribes of Israel, the Jews, come).

But before God goes into all that detail, He speaks of His promise of the inclusion of the Gentiles! We see it in the…

“all nations clause”

The book of Genesis from Chapter 12 to Chapter 50 pertains to the physical nation of Israel, the Jews — yet from the first time God begins to speak His promise to Abraham’s physical descendants, God speaks of His promise to the Gentiles!

The inclusion of the Gentiles is no afterthought – but is spoken of from Genesis Chapter 12, in the “all nations clause” ;

“…and all the peoples (nations) on earth will be blessed through you.”

From the very first time that God promises Abraham that he will be the father of “a great nation” — a specific nation though Isaac and Jacob, He promises () that through a physical descendant of Abraham, a Jew, “all the peoples (nations) of the earth will be blessed“!

The word for “peoples” (sometimes translated “nations”) in Hebrew is the word “families”— so there is a contrast being made between (1) the promises being made to this “great nation” (singular) and (2) the promises begin made to “all the families of the earth” (plural).

Paraphrasing, God is saying;

‘While there is the great nation that I will bless, and I make Abraham’s name great as a result of this nation, and that this nation will be a blessing, and I will bless the nations that blesses them and curse the nation that curse them — everybody, all the families of the earth will be blessed through a physical descendant of Abraham — a Jew which is, the Messiah.

This is how the “blessings of Abraham” come to the Gentiles in Jesus ()!

That One is the “seed of the woman” that God also spoke of in — the One that will crush Satan’s head.

He is the “seed” that all nations of the world are blessed though — the “great nation” and “all nations“.

Paul speaks of the inclusion of the Gentiles in , when he says; [6] “ just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? [7] Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. [8] And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” [9] So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.”

Now this morning in our text, the news that the hated Gentiles were now included in the church through what the Holy Spirit had done reached Jerusalem, way before Peter did. Especially, since he remained in Caesarea for a few days of fellowship and continued teaching with the new Christians. The news sent shock waves through the Hebrew Christian community. So significant was it that Luke does something completely out of character. Moved by the Holy Spirit, he repeats the account of their conversion in this chapter as well. That unusual repetition marks the event as one of unique significance. Christianity was not to become merely another sect of Judaism; had that happened, the Lord Christ Jesus’ great commission would have never been carried out. Unlike Israel before here, the church of Christ Jesus would not fail to channel the blessings of God’s grace and forgiveness to the world. The church’s outreach to the Gentiles was a crucial step in the outworking of God’s redemptive plan. That outreach, which began with Peter’s ministry to Cornelius and his household, now continues with the founding of the first Gentile church. Having moved from Jerusalem to Judea to Samaria, the gospel was about to take its final step towards fulfilling the call to go to the end of the earth.” We see in this chapter the very foundation of the Gentile church, the first Gentile church, the flourishing of the Gentile church and the fruitfulness of the Gentile church.

The Foundation of the Gentile church

, “Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.” But Peter began and explained it to them in order: “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, something like a great sheet descending, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to me. Looking at it closely, I observed animals and beasts of prey and reptiles and birds of the air. And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’ But I said, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ But the voice answered a second time from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, do not call common.’ This happened three times, and all was drawn up again into heaven. And behold, at that very moment three men arrived at the house in which we were, sent to me from Caesarea. And the Spirit told me to go with them, making no distinction. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man's house. And he told us how he had seen the angel stand in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter; he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’ As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 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?” 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.”

While Peter was still ministering in Caesarea, word of the remarkable events that had taken place in Joppa had reached the Jerusalem fellowship. Luke informs us that the rest of the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had also received the word of God.

Peter has already anticipated that there would be some backlash for his following the vision given by God. Though the vision had been completely vindicated in Joppa, now it was time to deal with the brothers in Jerusalem of the circumcision party. Consequently when Peter came up to Jerusalem those who were circumcised took issue with him, saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.”

The phrase those who were circumcised, described those believing Jew who had a covenant with God and now had accepted Christ Jesus as their Savior and Lord. Startled by the obvious social implications, many felt that if the Gentiles were really going to live as Christians, they would first have be become Jewish to live as Christians. At the very least they would have to become Jewish proselytes, , “But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.”

Many were still zealous for the law and Jewish customs.

The temple was their main meeting place. Not surprisingly, they took issue with Peter, saying indignantly, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.” Even though they were believers in Christ Jesus, such an obvious breach of Jewish custom outraged them. Acknowledging that Jesus was their Messiah and Lord was one thing, accepting that Christ was equally the Lord of the Gentiles as well was another thing entirely.

Peter did not fall for the bait nor did he engage in a debate with them; he summarized the foundation, which God had laid in Joppa. Repenting what he had say from .

Peter then wrapped up his reiteration and summarized with these words in verse 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?”

Who wants to argue with what the Lord as done? There was no doubt that God had saved the Gentiles! There was the clear evidence that they had received the Holy Spirit. Who could take back what God have freely given?

Let’s take look at what Job conclude from his questioning an Holy God,

, “Then Job answered the LORD and said: “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. ‘Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me.’ I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”

“I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. ‘Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me.’ I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”

things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. ‘Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me.’

I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”

What is Job’s Response here: It is Submission; in response to the Lord’s reproof, Job confesses that the Lord’s power and purposes will not fail (v. 2) and that He spoke of things beyond his knowledge (v. 3). In the presence of the Lord who is speaking and appearing to him, Job repents of the things he said while speaking to God and apologizes for his wildly blurting out in his confusion. (vv. 4–6). In the first part of each of these verses, Job is quoting the Lord’s questions (see 38:2–3; also 40:7) before responding to them. The Lord has already embodied his mercy to Job in the way he graciously reproved and questioned Job for his good. The phrase, “I despise myself.” That is, “I recognize the ignorance behind my own words.” God’s mercy is pictured further in the humble posture of Job, who in dust and ashes finally enjoys the comfort of relational peace that had been withheld from him by his friends.

So Peter in his recounting of the events, spoke of two more key points. First, he did not act alone but took with him six brothers from the church at Joppa. Their testimony, added to his, made his case even more convincing and compelling. Secondly, what happened at Cornelius’ house squared directly with the Holy Scriptures spoken by the Lord Himself was really enough evidence to squelch any protests of credibility.

When Peter’s accusers heard this they “fell silent”, they closed their mouths, just as Job had done. They could hardly argue with the Holy Spirit, the testimony of seven witnesses, and especially the Holy Scriptures. Right here and right now they had to come to the admission and conclusion that God almighty had granted to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.

This was the beginning of the divine effort to lay a sure foundation for the first Gentile church. Now, at least seven years elapsed from Pentecost until the founding of that church at Antioch. There were several reasons for that delay. First, apostolic authority had to be established. It took time for the believers to become grounded in the apostles’ teaching and for the development of church leaders. During those seven years, the apostles laid the doctrinal foundation for the church. Second, individual believers needed to be brought up to a sufficient level of maturity before they could be send out. Immature believers would not make effective missionaries. Third, it took time to tear down the long-established wall of prejudice. That was starting to be achieved, but as always prejudice raises its ugly head too often and sometimes even in the hearts of the repentant.

, “But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

What we see here is that Paul’s opposition to Peter was to preserve the Truth of the Gospel. Paul had said that he was not a people-pleaser, and his confrontation with Peter as reported here bears that out. The setting of Paul’s confrontation with Peter was Antioch, Paul’s missionary base for a number of years.

Peter had been participating in meals where Jewish and Gentile Christians ate together, but then he drew back and separated himself, eating only with Jewish Christians. Interpreters differ in their explanations of this situation in this passage. One view is that the men who came from James (probably sent from the Jerusalem church by the apostle James) encouraged Jewish Christians to eat separately and follow kosher dietary laws. Peter decided to go along with this, perhaps not realizing that his example would make the Gentile Christians feel like second-class citizens in the church unless they followed Jewish ceremonial laws (such as dietary laws [vv. 12–14], circumcision, and holidays and festivals). But this view makes no sense because the fact is that Peter had been eating and enjoying a non- kosher diet before the other Jews arrived. Paul saw that Peter’s behavior threatened the gospel of justification by faith alone because it implied that all Christians had to “live like Jews” in order to be justified before God and if also fueled a latent prejudice among the Jews.

Not only was Peter guilty of hypocrisy; as an influential leader, he also led astray the rest of the Jewish Christians, even Barnabas. Trying to force the Gentiles to live like Jews. Peter was guilty of hypocrisy because, though he had been happily living like a Gentile (i.e., not observing food laws), he was now requiring Gentile Christians to observe Jewish table regulations if they wanted to eat with him. Such a requirement, undermined the gospel itself by making justification depend on “works of the law” rather than “faith in Jesus Christ” Paul confronted him publicly. Because Peter’s sin was a public sin that was setting a bad example for the church, Paul confronted him publicly (compare the different procedure that Jesus commands regarding a private sin against an individual person, which hopefully can be corrected privately; cf. ; ).

So the time was right to give birth to the Gentile church and to move to the last phrase of our Lord’s plan for evangelism to the ends of the earth.

The First Gentile Church

,“Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.”

Now this passage picks up really where leaves off,

, “Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.” Discussing the effect of the persecution that arose in connection with Stephen. That persecution, led by Saul of Tarsus, scattered the Jerusalem fellowship all over. While some went to Samaria and Caesarea, Damascus, Lydda, Joppa, and Sharon, at the same time in the far north a church was being planted which would be first among Gentiles. Some of the displaced Jews made their way to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch. Phoenicia was the coastal region immediately north of Judea, where the cities of Tyre and Sidon were located. From there they could take a ship for the major island of Cyprus, some sixty miles off shore. They could also continue up the coast to Antioch, approximately 200 miles north of Sidon. Wherever they went, the refugees from Jerusalem were speaking the word to no one except the Jews. They could not have known that the gospel had already spread to the Gentiles, since they fled Jerusalem before it had happened. Lacking that knowledge of the precedent, they still assumed the gospel was for the Jewish people alone. Remember, Paul’s statement in

, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

Eventually, however, that mold for the church was broken. Some of them (Hellenists), men of Cyrus and Cyrene, came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks also, preaching the Lord Jesus. Being Greek-speaking Jews, from predominantly Gentile areas, they were more open to preaching to the Gentiles than the native Palestinian Jews. Through their efforts, the first Gentile church was born. Antioch was a major ancient metropolis. It was the third largest in the Empire, behind only Rome and Alexandria. Antioch was noted for its culture and commerce since many Roman trade routes passed through it. The Roman author Cicero described it as a place of learned men and liberal studies. It was also a vile place, full of pagan worship and sexual immorality. When people wanted to aim a barb at Rome, they would say that Ornotes River, (near Antioch) emptied its garbage into the Tiber River (near Rome). The debauched prostitution of the temple of Daphne was also only five miles away.

The fact that the Hellenists were preaching the Lord Jesus the facts of his life, death, and resurrection, as Peter had also taught to Cornelius and his household, seems obvious.

To have presented Jesus as the Jewish Messiah would have little meaning to predominantly Gentile audiences.

In the Old Testament the phrase the hand of the Lord meant two things, (1) It spoke of God’s power expressed in judgment, , “For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, that you may fear the LORD your God forever.” (2) It also referred to God’s power expressed in blessing, so that a large number who believed turned to the Lord.

, “The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men.”

Again, as in almost all the places where Jesus Christ was preached, the response was great. People not only believed intellectually, but also trusted with all their heart and turned away from their sins to the Lord. The birth of the Gentile church was at hand. As always, believing is inseparable from repentance, a repentance that must be manifested in a changed life and in the flourishing of the church.

The flourishing of the Gentile Church

, “The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 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, for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 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.”

To flourish is to be in a vigorous state of thriving!

Neither the salvation of the Ethiopian eunuch nor that of Cornelius and his household prepared the Jerusalem believers for the widespread Gentile conversions in Antioch. When the news about them reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, they decided to send a representative to investigate. Accordingly, they sent Barnabas off to Antioch. Barnabas first appeared in chapter 4, when he sold some property to meet the needs of other believers. Through his influence, the Jerusalem church finally accepted Paul; Barnabas was a leading teacher in the church and a loving, gentle, and generous man. Keeping with his name Barnabas which, means “son of encouragement.” The choice of a representative was crucial. Sending a rigidly, legalistic individual could have spelled disaster. Barnabas, however, had the qualifications needed for the job. Verse 24 describes him as “a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.” He possessed the necessary spiritual qualities for one who was to discern what was happening.

Barnabas was also the right man to send because, like some of the founders of the Gentile church in Antioch, he was a Cypriot Jew, which meant, he was a Greek-speaking Jew from Cyprus. He would be perceived as one of them. The grace of God may be invisible, but its effects are readily seen. When Barnabas arrived in Antioch and witnessed the grace of God by which they were saved, he rejoiced. Other Jews may have been upset at the conversion of Gentiles, but not Barnabas. To see the lost Gentiles souls added to the kingdom of God brought him immeasurable joy.

He then began to encourage them all with resolute hearts determined to remain true to the Lord. That exhortation reflects the concern that every pastor feels for new converts, that they continue in the faith. , “And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.” And then look at

, “When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”

The only way to remain true to the Lord is to continue in His word and His word with flourish the growth of the church.

The apostle the John wrote, , “Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life.”

Again, Luke chronicles the progress of the ever-expanding, ever-flourishing Gentile church. Through the ongoing ministry in Antioch, considerable numbers were brought to the Lord. The harvest was too vast for Barnabas to handle alone, so he went for help. He immediately thought of the best possible man for the job, so he left to find Saul of Tarsus. Eventually, Barnabas caught up with Saul, and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. These two gifted men formed a powerful ministry team. They faced the daunting task of shepherding a large number of new believers in a hostile pagan environment. Their solution was for an entire year to meet with the church; during the time they taught considerable numbers. Unlike many in today’s church, they knew the most urgent need of those new Christians was to be taught the Word of God. In mass meeting of the Antioch believers, Barnabas and Saul did just that.

Their example is an all-important one for the contemporary church to follow. Teaching the Word of God is at the heart of the church’s ministry. The apostles in made clear that the teaching of the Word is the highest priority of the church leaders. Barnabas and Saul did their job well. The leaders of the church at Antioch mentioned in chapter 13 were probably their disciples. Luke then adds the historical footnote, that the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. The term means “ of the party of Christ” and was used as a term of mockery and ridicule. Peter encouraged those who suffered “as a Christian,” to “ not feel ashamed, but in that name to glorify God.” What was a term of derision though, soon became a badge of honor to the early church.

The fruitfulness of the Gentiles Church

, “Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). So the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.

The first Gentile church was not only sound in doctrine but also strong in love and generous in giving. At this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch bearing disturbing news. The term prophet here refers not to an Old Testament figure such as Isaiah or John the Baptist but to the preachers of the New Testament.

One of them named Agabus stood up and began to indicate by the Spirit that there would certainly be a great famine all over the world. Like the apostles, the prophets were not a permanent order. Having fulfilled their foundational purpose, they gradually faded from the scene, to be replaced by the evangelists and pastor-teachers. , “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”

Christ gives specific spiritual gifts to people in the church whose primary mission is to minister the Word of God. For apostles, regarding prophets, different views on the nature of the gift of prophecy in the NT affect one’s understanding of this verse. Since the Greek construction here is different from and 3:5, some see this verse as a broader reference to the gift of prophecy generally in the NT church, rather than a reference to the “foundational” prophets mentioned in 2:20 and 3:5. From the Greek word for the “gospel” (euangelion), evangelists, denotes people like Philip and Timothy who proclaimed the gospel. Shepherds (or “pastors”) in the OT these are kings and judges. In the NT, elders “shepherd” by watching over and nurturing the church. There is some uncertainty as to whether “shepherds and teachers” refers here to two different ministry roles or functions, or whether the reference is to a single “shepherd-teacher” ministry role, since Paul uses a different Greek conjunction at the end of the list, joining the two nouns more closely together than the other nouns in the list.

If “teachers” are a separate group, they can be understood as a special branch of shepherds (overseers, elders) responsible for instruction in God’s Word. Back in verse 11:26 “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.”

They were being overrun with people and those chose to teach them the Word of God. In our day, what do we do, we choose to entertain them, to ensure that they come back next week.

Those church leaders with various gifts are to equip the saints(all Christians) so that they can do the work of ministry. All Christians have spiritual gifts that should be used in ministering to one another. The diversity of gifts serves to bring about the unity of Christ’s people. Mature manhood extends the body metaphor used earlier for the church and contrasts with “children” in the next verse. Some people think that the learning of doctrine is inherently divisive, but it is people who divide the church, whereas the knowledge of the Son of God (both knowing Christ personally and understanding all that he did and taught) is edifying and brings about “mature manhood” when set forth in love. The work of the gifted ministers was to proclaim and teach the word centered on Christ rather than on speculative or eccentric teachings of their own. Measure. Christ Jesus is the standard of the maturity to which the church must aspire. Christ’s fullness is the full expression of his divine and human perfection.

Immaturity in the truths of Christian doctrine makes the church like gullible children tossed helplessly by the waves and wind of cunning and deceitful schemes of false teachers. The truth must not be used as a club to bludgeon people into acceptance and obedience but must always be presented in love. The truth leads the Christian to maturity, which is defined here as growing up into Christ. Christ leads, directs, and guides the body. Paul continues the body metaphor to describe the church’s maturity. Every member (i.e., every believer, viewed as a limb, or unit, in Christ’s body) plays a crucial role in this growth. in love. There is no Christian maturity or true Christian ministry without love, and every act of love in the name of Christ is valued and remembered by him, as each part is working properly. For the church of Christ Jesus to be fruitful, the Word of God must be taught.

The amount of time we spend with Jesus - meditating on His Word and His majesty, seeking His face - establishes our fruitfulness in the kingdom.

If we allow natural affection and human admiration or the lack of these to govern our efforts we will surely fail in our work and our lives shall be ruined. To obtain genuine fruitfulness we frequently need to disregard fleshly relationships. Our thoughts and desires must be offered completely to the Lord.

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