Standing in God’s Way
Acts 11:1-8
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.”
Circumcision Party!
“A Jewish Christian who thought a person still needed to become a Jew and get circumcised to be a true Christian.”
Criticism means…
to angrily confront someone to the point of not associating with them
Standing in God’s way means…
To try and prevent what God is doing
1- Dealing with criticism
- Uniformed or unfair criticism is inevitable in life. We shouldn’t run from it, but deal with it correctly
2-Dealing with criticism is important because
- peace is so rare in the world that the church should show the world how it’s done
3-Dealing with criticism Peter’s way
- Peter to the Psalm 15 path
- Input information
- Remind them about common experiences
- Use scripture as your support
- Preferred outcome is silence
- God was glorified
4-Dealing with criticism
- Has the potential to heal relationships.
Extra help in Romans 12:14ff
- The goal in the church is to live in harmony with each other because the world isn’t going to live in harmony with us.
- Don’t repay evil for evil.
- Remember: some people are impossible.
- Leave room for God’s correction / discipline.
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