Act 11 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Acts 11:1-18: 11:1-18 Jews traditionally kept themselves separate and did not eat or associate socially with Gentiles (10:28 ; 22:21-22 ; see John 4:9 , 27 ; 18:28 ; Gal 2:12-14 ). Therefore, when the Jewish believers in Jerusalem learned that Gentiles had received the word of God , they criticized Peter’s unconventional actions and wanted an explanation, which Peter provided.

Summary for Acts 11:1-18: 11:1-18 ^a Jews traditionally kept themselves separate and did not eat or associate socially with Gentiles (10:28 ^b; 22:21-22 ^c; see John 4:9 ^d, 27 ^e; 18:28 ^f; Gal 2:12-14 ^g). Therefore, when the Jewish believers in Jerusalem learned that Gentiles had received the word of God, they criticized Peter’s unconventional actions and wanted an explanation, which Peter provided.
Summary for Acts 11:4-17: 11:4-17 ^h Peter reviewed the sequence of events, explaining that the whole development was the result of God’s initiative (11:12 ⁱ). Peter had eaten with Gentiles because God had made it clear that he should (11:4-12 ^j). Peter had then observed the Holy Spirit’s definite action of coming upon Gentiles, and he realized that they were being accepted and blessed by God just as Jewish believers had been (11:15-17 ^k; see 1:5 ^l). Peter was submitting to God’s will in admitting Gentiles to the church.
11:18 ^m Peter’s logical, straightforward explanation convinced those who had objected—they recognized God’s hand at work in the conversion of the Gentiles and their receiving eternal life. However, issues relating to the inclusion of Gentiles would soon provoke a major crisis (15:1-35 ⁿ; Paul’s letter to the Galatians).
Summary for Acts 11:19-26: 11:19-26 ^o The persecution that followed Stephen’s death forced believers into other areas (8:1-3 ^p), and they traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch.

• Antioch of Syria was a thriving cosmopolitan city, the third-largest in the Roman Empire after Rome and Alexandria. Antioch was of central importance in the spread of the Christian message to the Gentile world.
11:20 ^q This outreach effort on the part of Jewish believers ... from Cyprus and Cyrene was the first systematic attempt to preach to Gentiles about the Lord Jesus.
Summary for Acts 11:21-24: 11:21-24 ^r Once again, as had happened in the household of Cornelius, Gentiles turned to the Lord in considerable numbers. The explosion of Christian faith into the Gentile world had to remain in harmony with the church at Jerusalem, so the Jerusalem church sent Barnabas to Antioch to oversee developments there. He could see that God’s blessing was on what was happening, so he endorsed it with joy.
Summary for Acts 11:25-26: 11:25-26 ^s Barnabas recognized the special gifts that Saul possessed for preaching and teaching. His assessment of Saul’s gifts was wise, and it resulted in a fruitful team ministry in Antioch.
11:26 ^t Christians was possibly a term of derision. The Greek text uses this term in only two other New Testament passages (26:28 ^u; 1 Pet 4:16 ^v).
Summary for Acts 11:27-28: 11:27-28 ^w some prophets: See thematic note for The Gift of Prophecy at end of chapter.

• Agabus: See also 21:10-12 ^x.
11:28 ^y Claudius, nephew of Tiberius Caesar (Luke 3:1 ^z), was the Roman emperor in AD 41–54. His last wife was his niece Agrippina, whose son Nero he adopted.
Summary for Acts 11:29-30: 11:29-30 ^aa The upshot of Agabus’s prophecy was that the believers in Antioch decided to make a contribution to the Jewish believers—the brothers and sisters—in Judea. The believers in Antioch gave as generously as they could and committed the responsibility for this financial aid to leaders they trusted, namely, to Barnabas and his fellow worker Saul. This unified love and support of Christians for one another was a tangible demonstration of the difference Christ had made in their lives. Paul describes this visit in his letter to the Galatians (Gal 2:1-10 ^ab).
11:30 ^ac This is the first reference in Acts to elders as officers of the Christian church (see also 14:23 ^ad; 15:2-23 ^ae; 16:4 ^af; 20:17-35 ^ag; 21:18 ^ah; cp. 1 Tim 3:1-7 ^ai; Titus 1:5-9 ^aj).

Thematic note: The Gift of Prophecy
As Peter had declared at Pentecost, the gift of prophecy was one of the results of the outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit (Acts 2:17-21 ^ak; see Joel 2:28-32 ^al). The book of Acts names a few Christian prophets (Acts 11:27-28 ^am; 13:1 ^an; 15:32 ^ao; 21:9-11 ^ap; see also The Martyrdom of Polycarp 12:3; 16:2). One of these prophets was Agabus, whose function was similar to that of an Old Testament prophet, performing symbolic acts (Acts 21:10-11 ^aq; see 1 Kgs 11:29-32 ^ar; Isa 20:2-6 ^as; Jer 13:1-11 ^at; Ezek 4:1–5:17 ^au) and predicting events to come (Acts 11:28 ^av; 21:10-11 ^aw).
Philip the Evangelist was the father of four young women who “had the gift of prophecy” (21:9 ^ax). The apostle Paul also acknowledged the prophetic gift of some Christian women (1 Cor 11:5 ^ay). In the Old Testament, most prophets were men, but several women are also described as prophets, for example, Miriam (Exod 15:20 ^az), Deborah (Judg 4:4 ^ba), and Huldah (2 Kgs 22:14-20 ^bb; 2 Chr 34:22-28 ^bc). In the New Testament, the gift of prophecy is given to both men and women, and both young and old, as Peter signaled in his sermon at Pentecost (Acts 2:17-18 ^bd).
Although prophecy sometimes involves foretelling the future (20:22-23 ^be; 21:10-11 ^bf; see Rom 9:24-33 ^bg; 1 Thes 4:13-17 ^bh; 2 Thes 2:3-4 ^bi), at its core prophecy is proclaiming God’s word by preaching, exhorting, and explaining the will of God (Acts 15:32 ^bj; 19:6 ^bk; Rom 12:6 ^bl; 1 Cor 14:3-4 ^bm, 29-33 ^bn; Rev 19:10 ^bo). The gift of prophecy is clearly mentioned in 1 Corinthians and Ephesians as one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and of Christ to the church (1 Cor 12:4-11 ^bp; Eph 4:11-13 ^bq). It is to be used for the benefit of believers (1 Cor 14:22 ^br).
Prophecy is always in need of testing (1 Thes 5:19-21 ^bs), and the church is strongly warned against false prophets (1 Jn 4:1 ^bt; see also Rev 2:20-23 ^bu). When used faithfully and in submission to God’s word and his Spirit, courageous proclamation of God’s truth helps the church to determine what God’s will is and inspires God’s people to do it.

Passages for Further Study
Exod 15:20 ^bv; Deut 13:1-5 ^bw; Judg 4:4 ^bx; 1 Kgs 11:29-32 ^by; 2 Kgs 22:14-20 ^bz; Isa 20:2-6 ^ca; 44:25 ^cb; Jer 13:1-11 ^cc; 23:25-32 ^cd; Ezek 4:1-17 ^ce; 13:2-9 ^cf; Joel 2:28-32 ^cg; Matt 7:15 ^ch; 24:24 ^ci; Acts 2:17-21 ^cj; 11:27-28 ^ck; 13:1 ^cl; 15:32 ^cm; 19:6 ^cn; 20:23 ^co; Acts 21:9-11 ^cp; Rom 12:6 ^cq; 1 Cor 11:5 ^cr; 12:4-11 ^cs; 14:1-40 ^ct; Eph 4:11-13 ^cu; 1 Thes 5:19-21 ^cv; 2 Pet 2:1 ^cw; 1 Jn 4:1-3 ^cx; Rev 2:20-23 ^cy; 19:10 ^cz