Bible study on Acts of the Apostles – Chapter 11
Dear brothers and sisters,
In the Bible study on the 11th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles I will discuss:
- Peter explains his actions
- The church in Antioch
Peter explains his actions
The apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also received the Word of God, so when Peter arrived back in in Jerusalem circumcised believers criticized him. Even know we will meet other Christians that will criticize the ones that bring non Christians to faith. It is not always the non-believers that will try and stop your work for God, no often it will be other Christians. I therefore pray that we will never be demotivated to do God’s work, not even when other Christians turn against us. If you know that it was God that sent you out to do His work, than only listen to Him and not to other Christians.
But now we see even a more powerful show of faith. Instead of feeling discouraged he explained the whole story and how God guided Him to do what he did. And God bless how this was actually another blessing, because when he told everything it actually turned the hearts of them and they were very pleased. See how sharing God’s grace, can uplift other Christians to also work for God and to be showed what God can and will do through us.
The church in Antioch
After the persecutions of Paul the churches of several towns were scattered. But here we also see that even in the day of persecution, God will not allow that His work will never be stopped and that we need to continue to do His work. And through this Christians started to spread the word and even more people came to God!
When this news reached the church in Jerusalem, they sent Barnabas to find Saul. And when he did find him, he brought him to Antioch. And they both stayed there for a year and started preaching there.
God will always work through our life’s and will sent the right person(s) at the right moments in our life. Some years ago I was sent to a Latino church here in Amsterdam. This was by an ex of mine. The relationship was not meant to be (and I am now married to the wife that God really meant for me), but through it I met Rick and Minerva. I now know that God meant for them to meet me, as they were partly responsible to awaken my desire to start being more active for God and back then lead a bible study group. And I loved it and really felt that God arranged this, because before that I never imagined to do such a work, but I now know that God was preparing to work for Him. It also was the seed that also lead me to start this Christian blog and through the years God sent more people (of which my wife and my mother were the most important ones) to confirm that God wants me to do this. And in my new church (even while I am going through one of the hardest moments of my life) I also begin to see that God will probably use me to start giving Bible studies again.
Thank you God for leading my in my life and to be able to work for you!
I pray that God will continue to do everything needed to bring us to the work and ministry that He has ready for us to carry out. Never think that God will never use you, because as my current pastor told me just recently is that God wants to use all of us to do work for Him. God will not let anyone out of His ministry!
Amen!
Faith Life 