Day 324 – Acts 11-12

Talking Points

• When the Jewish converts hear about Gentiles being baptized, they are upset and question Peter. He explains all that had happened and how the Gentiles had received the gift of the Holy Spirit after believing the gospel. Upon hearing all that Peter had witnessed, “they quieted down and glorified God” (Acts 11:18). God’s desire is unity in truth and practice in His church.
• Because of the persecution of Stephen and others, the gospel continues to spread to the Gentiles, “and a large number who believed turned to the Lord” (11:21). The center of the Christian movement transfers from Jerusalem to Antioch.
• The name “Christians” is first used to identify those who are followers of Christ or “Christ’s people” (11:26). What an honor and responsibility to carry the name of Christ!
• James, the brother of John, the other son of Zebedee, is the first of the Twelve to be put to death for his faith and witness to the resurrected Christ. He was one of Jesus’s closest friends, often mentioned with Peter and John as a witness to private conversations and miraculous events. This “Son of Thunder” was known, along with his brother, for his passion and boldness (Mark 3:17). From the moment he was called out of his boat to follow Jesus, to the moment the sword pierced him, James was a faithful follower of the Messiah.
• God’s mission moves forward, in the midst of persecution. Peter’s imprisonment chained to guards cannot thwart the plan of God. Can you imagine being the servant, Rhoda, who, “because of her joy…did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter was standing in front of the gate” (Acts 12:14)? She’s recorded forever as leaving Peter knocking at the gates outside a house full of people praying for him.
• A pattern is evident in the New Testament church — when the church is unified in purpose and the Lord Jesus is proclaimed, the church grows. It is the natural result! Notice the recipe: when the “word of the Lord” grows and multiplies, the response to the gospel does as well (12:24). Today, we can be sure — to see people added to the kingdom, preach Jesus!

Thoughts

Throughout Scripture, there is scattered a consistent record of a man we would do well to study. In Acts chapter 4, it is recorded that his real name is Joseph, but the apostles know him as Barnabas — Son of Encouragement. Acts chapter 11 tells us more about him, calling Barnabas “a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith” (11:24) He is known as an advocate, friend, and comfort to Paul, and an encourager to the brethren, who urges believers to “remain true to the Lord” with a “resolute heart” (11:23). Barnabas is said to have been crazily generous from the very beginning of the Church, and his giftedness as an encourager serves the cause of Christ well throughout his lifetime. He serves as a go-between and a peacemaker, and because of his ministry, “considerable numbers were brought to the Lord” (11:24). It is important to notice that, when you proclaim Jesus and encourage others to do the same, people are brought to the Lord. Oh, to leave a legacy like Barnabas!