Acts 11 - Criticized 

The church is growing; thousands of people are coming to the Jesus movement; lives are being transformed and radically changed. All must be good, and everyone is happy, right? Wrong. The tension in the air is thick, and the frustration is brewing in many believers about this expansion of the movement and the Gospel reaching the Gentiles. 

“The apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.” - ‭‭Acts‬ ‭11:1-3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God had done something new. He had extended the reach and offered the gift of salvation through Christ Jesus. Peter received this and shared this with the other Jews in v17, So if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?

An excellent lesson for us all, when God is doing something new, when He brings fresh vision and direction, it is nearly a guarantee that we will face opposition and criticism. When we are on the receiving end of the criticism, we can learn from Peter’s response, how he handled this encounter. Peter took a humble approach, and he did not use his authority with this group, he took a step back, cast vision and shared his testimony and used great empathy to connect with the Jewish believers. 

And on the opposite side of the fence, what about when we are the ones dishing out the criticism? Sometimes dishing it out in our heads or our hearts, and others we might be more vocal with it. I think this is a great reminder that when God stirs up something new, we can find ourselves skeptical, on edge with our response, and watching this encounter, it is clear that both sides had a soft heart for Christ. I read this and loved the wording and picture that is painted.

This is a powerful passage, demonstrating that the hearts of the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem were soft enough to be guided and corrected by God. It is a glorious thing when God’s people will allow their prejudices and traditions to be overcome by God’s Word and God’s work.

God, I ask today for soft hearts in others and myself when we are approached with new things you are doing, and stirring. Father continue to correct us, shape us, and guide us in a way that helps us overcome any prejudices, mindsets, or traditions that get in the way of your work. Amen.