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Acts Chapter
Eleven
I.
Content of the Chapter
Peter Overcame the Accusation of Those of
the Circumcision by Testimony
I. Those of the circumcision accused Peter that he
ate with uncircumcised men (v.1-3).
II. Peter responded to their accusation by
testimony:
A. He
saw the vision from heaven in Joppa (v.4-10).
B. He
obeyed the commandment of the Holy Spirit and went to
C. He
knew that that man sent men to invite him by the commandment of the angel
(v.13-14).
D.
Since he saw the Holy Spirit fell upon them, he cannot withstand God (v.15-17).
III. They became silent and glorified God (v.18).
The Church in
I. The disciples gained many Greek to believe in and
turn to the Lord in
II. The church in
A.
Barnabas came to
B.
Barnabas made many people turn to the Lord (v.24).
C.
Barnabas brought Saul from
III. The church in
A. The
prophet Agabus predicted that there was going to be a great famine and it
really came true (v.27-28).
B. The
disciples sent relief to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul (v.29-30).
II.
Verse by Verse commentary
Acts. 11:1 “Now the apostles and
brethren who were in
YLT: “And the apostles
and the brethren who are in
Literal Meaning: “the Gentiles had also
received the word of God” The word “receive”
in the original means that men receive and learn something voluntarily and
willingly and seize and keep it; “the word of God” is logos.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “The Gentiles had also received the word of God” It is supposed to be a great event which
is worthy of joy, however, it became the excuse of men who blamed Peter (See
v.2-3). Many believers always, like those who “concentrate on details but
forget the main purpose or objective”, pay attention to details only and
neglect the most important thing.
2) In the works of serving the Lord, no matter what
intentions men have, as long as Christ is preached and He is exalted, we should
rejoice (Phil. 1:18).
Acts. 11:2 “And when Peter came up to
YLT: “and when Peter came
up to
The
Background: “circumcision” is
the sign that God made the covenant with His elect the Jews (Gen. 17:10). Their
male babies had to be circumcised on the eighth day after their birth. Through
the circumcision the Jews declared that they had the proof of God’s blessing
upon them and they were different from the Gentiles.
Literal Meaning: “those of the circumcision” indicates that there was a group of
believers in the church in
“Contended with him” shows that sharp-pointed conflict arose
among Peter and believers who were of the circumcision.
Spiritual Meaning: the spiritual
meaning of “circumcision” lies in putting off the body
of the sins of the flesh (Col. 2:11) or removing the intentions and power of
the flesh to commit sins. And therefore those who have the sign of circumcision
on their body and do not express the real effect of circumcision in their life are
regarded as uncircumcised according to the Bible (Lev. 26:41; Jer. 6:10).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Every Christian should have the sign of
circumcision upon them, however, the sign is not on the flesh and it is the
spiritual sign done by Christ through the Holy Spirit.
2) Circumcision is that of the heart, in the
Spirit, not in the letter (Rom. 2:29).
3) Men always like the shallow, visible and
touchable things and ceremonies, however, they miss the true meaning that the
ceremonies stand for.
4) Concerning any kind of orthodox teaching of the
Bible, if it is kept as the regulation, it will lose its spiritual value and it
will make unnecessary difficulty among the sons and daughters of God.
Acts. 11:3 “saying, ‘You went in to uncircumcised men and ate with them!’”
YLT: “saying -- `Unto men
uncircumcised thou didst go in, and didst eat with them!'”
The
Background: in the Old
Testament, the Jews were not allowed to eat the unclean food (Lev. 11) and the
Gentiles were not restrained by the regulations concerning food. The Jews did
not eat with the Gentiles because they did not know the origin of the food of
the Gentiles, lest they eat the unclean food by mistake. In the dispensation of
the New Testament, Christ has annulled the law of commandments so that the
Gentiles and the Jews were made oneness (Eph. 2:11-18). God also made Peter
receive the Gentiles in the vision by commanding him to eat the unclean food
(Acts. 10:9-16; 11:2-10).
Literal Meaning: “You went in to
uncircumcised men” “Uncircumcised men” are the Gentiles.
“And ate with them” It shows that he offended the
regulation of Moses concerning the food because the food that the Gentiles
offered may be “unclean”. And even if the food that they prepared were clean,
the food became unclean because they did not wash their hands according to the
rules of cleansing.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) If one wants to do the work of the Lord, he has
to face various kinds of obstacles, especially the obstacles of the traditional
habits.
2) In new creation, there is neither Greek nor Jew,
circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ
is all and in all (Col. 3:10-11).
Acts. 11:4 “But Peter explained it to
them in order from the beginning, saying:”
YLT: “And Peter having
begun, did expound to them in order saying,”
Literal Meaning: “explained it to them in
order from the beginning” “in order” (Luke.
1:3).
Enlightenment in the Word: the greatest trial for the Lord’s workers is the
criticism from men. However, if one wants to do the work of the Lord, he will
unavoidably encounter various kinds of criticisms. What’s important is that
whether we are like Peter who paid heed to listening to others’ words and
gently explained the vision that he had received without any anger.
Acts. 11:5 “‘I
was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, an object
descending like a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it
came to me.”
YLT: “`I was in the city
of Joppa praying, and I saw in a trance a vision, a certain vessel coming down,
as a great sheet by four corners being let down out of the heaven, and it came
unto me;”
Literal Meaning: “I was in the city of
“Praying; and in a trance” Please see in
Acts. 10:9-10.
“I saw a vision, an object descending
like a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners” Please see the notes in Acts. 10:11.
“And it came to
Acts. 11:6 “When I observed it
intently and considered, I saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts,
creeping things, and birds of the air.”
YLT: “at which having
looked stedfastly, I was considering, and I saw the four-footed beasts of the
earth, and the wild beasts, and the creeping things, and the fowls of heaven;”
Literal Meaning: “When I observed it
intently and considered” “Observe” in the original means “concentrate one’s
attention on” or “gaze steadily”.
“I saw four-footed animals of the
earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air” Please see in Acts. 10:12.
Acts. 11:7 “And I heard a voice
saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.'”
YLT: “and I heard a voice
saying to me, Having risen, Peter, slay and eat;”
Literal Meaning: Please see in Acts.
10:13.
Acts. 11:8 “But I said, ‘Not so, Lord! For nothing common or unclean has at any
time entered my mouth.'”
YLT: “and I said, Not so,
Lord; because anything common or unclean hath at no time entered into my
mouth;”
Literal Meaning: Please see Acts.
10:14. Here “have never eaten” is changed into “has entered my mouth”.
Enlightenment in the Word: When the Lord entrusted us to do one thing that we
have never done before, will we like Peter who said “not so, Lord!” If we are
incautious, our past experiences may hold back us from serving the Lord.
Acts. 11:9 “But the voice answered me
again from heaven, ‘What God has cleansed you
must not call common.'”
YLT: “and a voice did
answer me a second time out of the heaven, What God did cleanse, thou --
declare not thou common.”
Literal Meaning: Please see Acts.
10:15. Here “spoke to him” is changed into “answered from heaven”.
Acts. 11:10 “Now this was done three
times, and all were drawn up again into heaven.”
YLT: “`And this happened
thrice, and again was all drawn up to the heaven,”
Literal Meaning: please see Acts.
10:16. Here “the object was” is changed into “all were”.
Acts. 11:11 “At that very moment,
three men stood before the house where I was, having been sent to me from
YLT: “and, lo,
immediately, three men stood at the house in which I was, having been sent from
Cesarea unto me,”
Literal Meaning: “at that very
moment” is the time when Peter wondered within himself what the vision he had
seen meant (Acts. 10:17-19).
“Three men” are the two men in the house
of Cornelius and a devout soldier from among those who waited on him
continually (Acts. 10:7).
“Having been sent to me from
Enlightenment in the Word: after we have seen the vision of the Lord, the
objective circumstance (the visitation of the three men) is needed to prove
that the vision that we have seen is indeed of God.
Acts. 11:12 “Then the Spirit told me
to go with them, doubting nothing. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me,
and we entered the man's house.”
YLT: “and the Spirit said
to me to go with them, nothing doubting, and these six brethren also went with
me, and we did enter into the house of the man,”
Literal Meaning: “doubting nothing”
in the original means “make no division” and it means that do not discriminate
against others.
“Moreover these six brethren
accompanied me” They were brothers
from Joppa (Acts. 10:23). When Peter was defending his behaviors, they were the
best witnesses. There were seven people present, Peter and six brothers. The
number “seven” is a number of perfection. According to the Egyptian law at that
time, a case cannot be decided unless there were seven witnesses. Moreover, according
to the Roman law at that time, an important document cannot be proved unless
there were seven seals. And therefore Peter meant that there were seven people
all together and the fact was absolutely true.
“And we entered the man's house” “The man” refers to Cornelius (Acts.
10:25).
Enlightenment in the Word: the “six brothers” accompanied Peter not to share
the responsibility of “preaching” but to be “witnesses” of God. When bearing
witness of the Lord, we may not preach and what’s important is that we are “at
present” and see with our eyes personally.
Acts. 11:13 “And he told us how he had
seen an angel standing in his house, who said to him, "Send men to Joppa,
and call for Simon whose surname is Peter,”
YLT: “he declared also to
us how he saw the messenger in his house standing, and saying to him, Send men
to Joppa, and call for Simon, who is surnamed Peter,”
Literal Meaning: please see Acts.
10:30-32.
Acts. 11:14 “who will tell you words
by which you and all your household will be saved.'”
YLT: “who shall speak
sayings by which thou shalt be saved, thou and all thy house.”
Literal Meaning: from the words in
this verse, we could know that before Cornelius heard the gospel from Peter, no
matter how good his behaviors were (See Acts. 10:2, 4), the good deeds cannot
save him.
“By which you and all your household
will be saved” “All your
household” include the family members of Cornelius, soldiers that waited on
him, slaves, his kinsmen and intimate friends and those who were invited to
enter the meeting (Acts. 10:7, 24, 44). The condition for “one’s being saved”
is to believe in the Lord Jesus and believing is an individual matter. If one
wants to be saved, he has to believe in the Lord personally. And here “you and
all your household” does not mean that when one has been saved, then his
household will be saved voluntarily. It means that when one has truly believed
in the Lord, he will naturally influence his family members and God is willing
to work in order to make all his household be saved. There are many real cases
in the Bible (Gen. 7:1; Josh. 2:18-19; Luke. 19:9; Acts. 16:15, 31; 18:8).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will
be saved, you and your household (Acts. 16:31).
2) In the Bible, “all your household will be saved”
is a great fact. It means that it is pleasing to God that all one’s household
are saved. When God saves men, He always saves a whole family.
Acts. 11:15 “And as I began to speak,
the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning.”
YLT: “`And in my
beginning to speak, the Holy Spirit did fall upon them, even as also upon us in
the beginning,”
Literal Meaning: “and as I began to
speak” It does not refer to the time that Peter began to open his mouth to
speak but the time when Peter only said a few words at first and still wanted
to continue to speak (Acts. 10:34-44).
“The Holy Spirit fell upon them” “Falling upon” means “pouring out upon”
and it refers to the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit (Acts. 2:17-18).
“As upon us at the beginning” “At the beginning” refers to the day of
Pentecost (Acts. 2:1-4). The Holy Spirit fell upon the Jewish disciples on the
day of Pentecost and by this matter it is proved towards the unbelieving Jews
that it is the work of God. Today, the Holy Spirit also proves towards the
Jewish believers that it is the work of God by pouring out upon the Gentile
believers.
Enlightenment in the Word: When Peter was still preaching, the Holy Spirit
broke in and bore the responsibility by Himself. When God directly works upon
listeners, the work of the speaker should be stopped and it is the time that we
should keep silent and retreat.
Acts. 11:16 “Then I remembered the
word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John indeed baptized with
water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'”
YLT: “and I remembered
the saying of the Lord, how he said, John indeed did baptize with water, and ye
shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit;”
Literal Meaning: “Then I remembered the word
of the Lord” It does not mean
that Peter thought or remembered purposely but that the word of the Lord in
season (rhema) came to him. The word of the Lord in season may be the word that
He has said previously and comes to men’s hearts suddenly.
“John indeed baptized with water, but
you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit” It is the word of the Lord Jesus in Acts. 1:5 and
it is quoted from Mark. 1:8.
Spiritual Meaning: “John indeed baptized with
water” “The baptism of
water” is the sign of the ministration of John the Baptist. It is to bury men
who repent into water in order to end their old life.
“But you shall be baptized with the Holy
Spirit” “The baptism of
the spirit” is the sign of the ministration of Jesus Christ. It is to baptism
men who repent and believe in the Lord into the Holy Spirit so that they could
receive God’s life and become the body of Christ------the church (1Cor. 12:13;
Acts.2:2-4).
Please Note: the baptism of the Holy
Spirit is only mentioned two times in the Bible: it is mentioned on the day of
the Pentecost for the first time and it is mentioned in the house of Cornelius
for the second time. Though it is recorded many times that many people have
received the Holy Spirit in the Act of the Apostles, it is only called “being
baptized in the Holy Spirit” in these two times. And why is it so? Because the
baptism on the day of Pentecost is for the Jews and the baptism in the house of
Cornelius is for the Gentiles. One is to open the door of the Jews and the
other is to open the door of the Gentiles. These two cases happened in two
places and in different times, however, they are two aspects of one fact and
the two stages of one matter. The baptism of the Spirit has not been recorded
any more in the Bible after that.
What shall we say then? The
baptism of the Holy Spirit, like the salvation of the cross, is the fundamental
truth. The Lord Jesus died on the cross for all humans and in like manner, the
out-pouring of the Holy Spirit is for the whole church. The Lord Jesus once
died for the world. Now when men believe that He died for them, they do not ask
Him to die for them for a second time but believe His death “once for all”
(Heb. 9:28). In like manner, there is one baptism of the Holy Spirit (the
baptism that happened in the house of Cornelius is included in it). Now when
men receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, they are not specially baptized by
the Lord into the Holy Spirit but that they themselves believe that they have
been baptized on the day of Pentecost. The salvation of the cross is a fact and
to every sinner who receives it from his heart, it is the experience of being
saved. In like manner, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is a fact and to every
believer who appropriates it, it becomes the experience of the baptism of the
Holy Spirit. And therefore Paul the Apostle said that “for by one Spirit are we
all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond
or free” (1Cor. 12:13). The problem is that whether we appropriate it or not.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) One thing that we value all the time is that the
Lord still speaks today. The Lord not only speaks through the Bible and speaks
to Peter but also speaks to us today. The Lord never stops speaking.
2) Today the difficulty of the church is the lack
of the Lord’s word and the church only has the dead doctrines. “The word in
season” that is directly heard from the Lord is lacked and there are only men’s
sermons.
3) Every time the worker of the Lord stands on the
platform, he should hope for the word of the Lord in season (rhema). If the
Lord does not speak to us, we shall fail. Many times, we express a message,
however, the Lord has not spoken.
4) The baptism of water is the end of life and the
baptism of the Spirit is the beginning of the new life. In the former baptism
repentance (Mark. 1:4) is needed and in the latter one has to repent and
believe the gospel (Mark. 1:15).
5) If men are unwilling to repent and receive the
baptism of water, they shall suffer the baptism of fire (See Matt. 3:11-12).
Those who are willing to repent, believe in the Lord and receive the baptism of
water receive the baptism of the Spirit at the same time (1Cor. 12:13).
Acts. 11:17 “If therefore God gave
them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who
was I that I could withstand God?’”
YLT: “if then the equal
gift God did give to them as also to us, having believed upon the Lord Jesus
Christ, I -- how was I able to withstand God?'”
Literal Meaning: “who was I that I could
withstand God?” The word of Peter
means that, “if he refused to receive the Gentile believers and disagree to
baptize them, he indeed withstood and opposed God”. Peter knew that the whole
process that the household of Cornelius were saved was guided by God Himself
and he cannot and dared not hold back God’s great work of redemption among the
Gentiles.
Acts. 11:18 “When they heard these
things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, ‘Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to
life.’”
YLT: “And they, having
heard these things, were silent, and were glorifying God, saying, `Then,
indeed, also to the nations did God give the reformation to life.'”
Literal Meaning: “When they heard these
things they became silent” Though they became
silent, they were not completely convinced. They had nothing to say and had to
become silent when facing the fact that it was obviously of God. They did not
abandon their Judaic traditional ideas because of this matter and contrarily
asked the Gentiles to keep the Law of Moses and otherwise they cannot be saved
(Acts. 15:1, 5).
“Then” The tone is not positive and they
were negative and unwilling to receive the fact.
“Granted to the Gentiles repentance to
life” “Life” in the original is zeo and it refers to the spiritual life that is
of God, everlasting, uncreated and incorruptible (Eph. 4:18; John. 3:16; 1John.
1:2; Heb. 7:16). The life that men get from parents is “the life of soul”
(psuche, Matt. 16:25). Men have to be born from above and then get the
spiritual life (John. 3:6-7) and the condition for one’s being born from above
is to repent and believe on the Lord (John. 3:15-16).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord Jesus died for the sins of all humans
and therefore the gospel is for all humans. When preaching the gospel, the
objects should be the people of every race and every class.
2) Some people in the church in
Acts. 11:19 “Now those who were
scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as
YLT: “Those, indeed,
therefore, having been scattered abroad, from the tribulation that came after
Stephen, went through unto Phenice, and
Literal Meaning: “as far as
“
“
“Preaching the word to no one but the
Jews only” The group of
believers who were scattered only preached the gospel to the Jews and did not
preach to the Gentiles until that moment.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Among the believers who were persecuted, none of
them was the apostle (Acts. 8:1). The wide expansion of the gospel not only
lies in the full time preachers but also all believers, otherwise the gospel
will be restrained.
2) A true Christian must be a true preacher. No
matter what suffering he encounters and no matter where he is, what he bears in
mind constantly is preaching the gospel.
Acts. 11:20 “But some of them were men
from
YLT: “and there were
certain of them men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who having entered into Antioch, were
speaking unto the Hellenists, proclaiming good news -- the Lord Jesus,”
Literal Meaning: “But some of them were men
from
“Spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the
Lord Jesus” “The Hellenists”
were the Gentiles who did not believe in God at all. It is the beginning of
preaching the gospel to the Gentiles and it is also a great breakthrough of the
church’s work of preaching.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) It is an epoch-making action to preach the
gospel to the Gentiles. The “small step” that these brave ones had made is the
worthwhile “great step” in the missionary history of the church.
2) The true faith should surpass the gap among men.
Christians should not let the traditions, geography, history, culture, race,
language, values and others from men influence our work.
3) It is not recorded in the Bible that who were
those who preached the gospel to the Gentiles. It is only mentioned that they
were from
Acts. 11:21 “And the hand of the Lord
was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.”
YLT: “and the hand of the
Lord was with them, a great number also, having believed, did turn unto the
Lord.”
Meaning of Words: “turn to”: turn
upon, convert.
Literal Meaning: “And the hand of the Lord
was with them” It shows that the
Lord partook in the work of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles by Himself.
“The hand of the Lord” at least had two aspects of work: 1) confirm the word
with signs (Mark. 16:20); 2) open men’s understanding to understand the
scriptures (Luke. 24:45).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) If it is not of the power of the Lord, it will
be in vain to accomplish the work of the gospel relying on men’s power.
2) If a man truly believes on the Lord, naturally
he will turn unto the Lord from his heart. To the one who is unwilling to turn
unto the Lord, probably something is wrong with his believing and it may be
only the knowledge of mind and reasons or the identification of feelings (e.g.
one thinks that he is also a Christian because his parents are Christians).
Acts. 11:22 “Then news of these things
came to the ears of the church in
YLT: “And the account was
heard in the ears of the assembly that [is] in
Meaning of Words: “Barnabas”: the son
of consolation.
Literal Meaning: “Then news of these things
came to the ears of the church in
“And they sent out Barnabas to go as far
as
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The church in every place is independent,
however, the church does have communion with churches in other places. The
church should care about the needs of both the local church and churches in
other places.
2) The success or failure of sending workers to
other places lies in whether the person selected is appropriate. If the person
is appropriate, twice the result will be yielded with half the effort.
Acts. 11:23 “When he came and had seen
the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of
heart they should continue with the Lord.”
YLT: “who, having come,
and having seen the grace of God, was glad, and was’ exhorting all with purpose
of heart to cleave to the Lord,”
Meaning of Words: “encourage”: exhort,
beseech, comfort, promote;
Literal Meaning: “continue with the
Lord” It means to live in Christ continually and enduringly.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The one who is truly bestowed grace like to see
others be bestowed grace.
2) If God’s servants cannot see the grace of God in
others’ work and could only see the grace of God in their work, something must
be wrong with their intentions.
3) What Barnabas is concerned about is the
sincerity and perseverance of the Gentile believers’ commission to the Lord.
Whoever commits to the Lord must be faithful to what he believes to the end.
Acts. 11:24 “For he was a good man,
full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the
Lord.”
YLT: “because he was a
good man, and full of the Holy Spirit, and of faith, and a great multitude was
added to the Lord.”
Literal Meaning: the description of
Barnabas in this verse shows his three great features: 1) “he was a good
man”------concerning the relationship with men, he was kind to men; 2) “full of the Holy Spirit”------concerning the spiritual pursuit, he
was devout and feared God; 3) “full of faith”------concerning deeds and works,
he relied on the Lord wholeheartedly.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) A preacher has to match his deeds with his
words. When one squares his words with his conduct, he will have great influence
on others.
2) Leading others to turn to the Lord does not lie
in our eloquence but whether our walking makes the Lord be manifested.
Acts. 11:25 “Then Barnabas departed
for
YLT: “And Barnabas went
forth to
Meaning of Words: “seek”: search out.
The
Background: three years after
Saul had believed on the Lord, he had come to
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Saul (i.e. Paul) soon surpassed Barnabas at the
work of preaching to the Gentiles and became the main speaker (See Acts. 13:16,
46). Barnabas was willing to let Saul step on his shoulders and sought and used
talented person for the sake of the Lord.
2) If Barnabas was not so broad in mind, Saul may
be covered up and it is not only the loss of the church but also the loss of
God. For the work of the church, we should not dare that the talented men may
come forward and should discover the talented men.
Acts. 11:26 “And when he had found
him, he brought him to
YLT: “and having found
him, he brought him to
The
Background: at that time,
Literal Meaning: “And when he had found him,
he brought him to
“So it was that for a whole year they…taught a great many people” “Teaching” means instructing and training others
so that they would “know” Christ whom they believe and “be familiar with” all
the knowledge and implementing that Christians should have. “Teaching” here
means to instruct and train men again and again until the objects have fully
grasped what they have learned.
Barnabas and Saul built the church by “teaching”.
At that time, the common churches stressed on preaching, however, there were
many teachers in the church in
“And the disciples were called
Christians” The suffix of the
word “Christian” in the original is iani and it means being of XX gang. For
instance, at that time the Jews called the lackeys of the Roman Empire
Caesariani and it meant that they belonged to the party of Caesar. “Christians”
does not mean the disciples of Christ but “men of Christ” or “race of Christ”.
It was a scornful nickname previously, however, it became an honorable
appellation (Acts. 26:28). Today, all believers of the Lord Jesus also regarded
this name as honorable because of the following meanings: 1) the name of
“Christ” is above every name (Phil. 2:9) and therefore it is the highest glory
to be related to the name of Christ; 2) “Christian” shows that one is of
Christ. Christ is the Lord of lords and all believers should devote all to Him
willingly; 3) the name of “Christians” shows the people who are inwardly full
of Christ and outwardly manifest Christ; 4) “Christians” not only call Christ
with mouth but also let the mind of Christ in them by their walking.
“First…in
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “Fellow-workers” is very important in serving
the Lord in the church. We have to be able to cooperate with fellow-workers and
serve the Lord together.
2) After one has been saved, he has to receive the
systematic cultivation and teachings and then he will advance in the spiritual
life, take root in the word of God and live a life of separation.
3) Helping and edifying new Christians is a task of
great urgency.
4) If the church lacks the foundation of the truth,
it is dangerous. If men repeat what other men say, it is easy for the heresy to
intrude into.
5) “Christians” are men in whom Christ dwells and
who are like Christ in life. It is the standard of Christians------to live is
Christ on the earth and to manifest Christ before men (Phil. 1:20-21).
6) We should let our conduct be worthy of the
gospel of Christ (Phil. 1:27) and then we are able to bear good witness of the
Lord and have great influence on men around us.
7) “Christians” are men in whom “Christ” and “men”
are united. And therefore we Christians could only be united to Christ and
should not be united to the world.
8) In the dark circumstances, believers should not
follow the bad example of others and should stand more firmly contrarily and
have the testimony of holiness for the Lord so that men around us would see the
divine origin of Christians.
Acts. 11:27 “And in these days
prophets came from
YLT: “And in those days
there came from
Literal Meaning: “prophets” are those
who speak for God and sometimes they prophesy in the communion of the Holy
Spirit. Their position in the church is only second to the Apostles.
Acts. 11:28 “Then one of them, named
Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great
famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius
Caesar.”
YLT: “and one of them, by
name Agabus, having stood up, did signify through the Spirit a great dearth is
about to be throughout all the world -- which also came to pass in the time of
Claudius Caesar --”
Literal Meaning: “named Agabus” It is recorded two times in the Acts of
the Apostles that he prophesied and both of them came true (Acts. 21:10).
“There was going to be a great famine
throughout all the world” “All the world” is
within the dominion of the
“Which also happened in the days of
Claudius Caesar” “Claudius Caesar” was the
Acts. 11:29 “Then the disciples, each
according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in
YLT: “and the disciples,
according as any one was prospering, determined each of them to send for
ministration to the brethren dwelling in
Meaning of Words: “ability”: prosper;
“relief”: service.
Literal Meaning: “Then the disciples, each
according to his ability, determined to send relief” It shows that believers in
Please note that here it is
said that “the disciples determined to…” instead of “Barnabas and Saul gave
impetus to…”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “Each according to his ability” The donation of money should be done according to
one’s ability. Not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver
(2Cor. 9:7).
2) The church in
Acts. 11:30 “This they also did, and
sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.”
YLT: “which also they did,
having sent unto the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.”
Literal Meaning: “and sent it to the elders” “The elders” are not the elders among the
people (Acts. 4:5, 9) but the elders in the church. Here it is the first time
that the elder of the church is mentioned in the New Testament. The
ministration of the elder is mainly for ruling over the church (1Tim. 3:5;
5:17) and therefore the elder is also called the overseer (Acts. 20:17, 28).
Moreover, “elders” are mentioned here and it shows that the elders are “plural”
in a local church. And therefore in a normal church, it is not allowed for one
to be responsible for all and take complete care of all services.
According to the Bible, the elders not only take
charge of things of the church but also are responsible for teaching the flock
of God (Acts. 20:28; Titus. 1:9; 1Pet. 5:2). However, not every elder has the
gift of word and therefore the main ministration of the elders is to “rule
over” and “take the oversight” the
The elders are ordained by the workers
of the Lord in the church of every place (Titus. 1:5). What we should pay
attention to is that when the Lord’s workers ordain the elders, they do not
ordain those who they like but those whom have been ordained by the Holy Spirit
(Acts. 20:28). An elder must be divided the gift of ruling over the church by
the Holy Spirit according as He pleases (1Cor. 12:4-11) so that he would show
the state of progress and sophistication in the Spirit and his leading position
is shown in the local church. Then the workers of the Lord would understand the
will of the Holy Spirit after observation and ordain him as the elder.
III.
Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons
The Turning Point in
the Church History
I. The decline of the church in
II. The rising of the church in
A. The solid foundations of the truth (v.19-26).
B. The implementing of the spiritual oneness (v.27-30).
How to Confirm that
One Thing Is of the Will of God
I. The manifestation of the vision (v.1-10).
II. The guidance of the Holy Spirit
(v.11-12).
III. The proof of the circumstances
(v.13-14).
IV. The falling of the Holy Spirit (v.15).
V. The Lord’s word in season (v.16).
VI. The inner communion (v.17).
VII. The amen of believers (v.18).
Breaking Through
Various Barriers Is the Key for the Growth of the Church
I. Break through the barrier of the Jewish
traditions and confess that God has also granted grace to the Gentiles
(v.1-18).
II. Break through the barrier of races and
preach the Lord Jesus to the Hellenists (v.19-21).
III. Break through the barrier of regions
and send out Barnabas to
IV. Break through the barrier of “one’s own
gain and loss” and be glad to see others have been bestowed the grace of God
(v.23-24).
V. Break through the barrier of “the desire
of leadership” and help Saul with his work (v.25-26).
VI. Break through the barrier of money and
care about the Saints who suffer from famine in other places (v.27-30).
The Several Steps of
the Building of the Church in
I. The stage of preaching the gospel to gain
people------preach the Lord Jesus (v.20).
II. The stage of edifying new
believers------encourage men that with purpose of heart they should continue
with the Lord (v.23).
III. The stage of teaching and
perfecting------teach men to know the truth and make progress in the spiritual
life (v.26).
IV. The stage of serving and
building------enter into the service, for the work of the ministry (v.29-30).
The Features of “A
Good Man” from Barnabas
I. The meaning of “Barnabas” (v.22) is “the
son of consolation”------he is the one who is able to encourage and comfort
others.
II. When he had seen the grace of God, he
was glad (v.23a)------he is glad to share the grace of God with others.
III. He encouraged them all that with
purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord (v.23b)------he is good at
encouraging others.
IV. He was full of the Holy Spirit
(v.24a)------he is full of the abundant spiritual life.
V. He was full of faith (v.24b)------he
walks by faith.
VI. And a great many people were added to
the Lord (v.24c)------he is good at leading other to turn to the Lord.
VII. Barnabas departed for
VIII. So it was that for a whole year they
assembled with the church (v.26b)------he stresses on the church life.
IX. And taught a great many people
(v.26b)------he is able to train and edify the spiritually talented men.
X. And the disciples were first called
Christians in
XI. Then the disciples, each according to
his ability, determined to send relief (v.29)------he himself is glad to share
his belongings with others (See Acts. 4:37) and is able to move others to have
the same mind.
XII. They sent relief to the elders by the
hands of Barnabas and Saul (v.30)------he is deeply trusted by all.
The Example of A
Preacher
II. He encouraged them all that with purpose
of heart they should continue with the Lord (v.23b)------he teaches with words.
III. For he was a good man (v.24a)------he
sets a good example with his own conduct.
IV. Full of the Holy Spirit (v.24b)------he
has the spiritual power.
V. Full of faith (v.24c)------he has the
performance of deeds of faith.
VI. Barnabas departed for
VII. He brought him to
VIII. They…taught a great many people
(v.26b)------use the talented men and cooperate with them.
IX. They sent relief to the elders by the
hands of Barnabas and Saul (v.30)------be trustworthy in money.
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Sharon Ren