Acts 11:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But Peter began and explained it to them in order:

NIV: Starting from the beginning, Peter told them the whole story:

NASB: But Peter began and explained at length to them in an orderly sequence, saying,

CSB: Peter began to explain to them step by step,

NLT: Then Peter told them exactly what had happened.

KJV: But Peter rehearsed the matter from the beginning, and expounded it by order unto them, saying,

NKJV: But Peter explained it to them in order from the beginning, saying:

Peter is the most noted of Jesus' twelve disciples. He seems to be responsible for the largest number of Jesus-followers in Jerusalem (Acts 2). He is not the pastor of the church in Jerusalem, but he holds a lot of authority. But he and the members of the Jerusalem church are also Jews. That is, they practice the same tenets of Judaism which they've always held. They see Jesus as the Jewish Messiah, and they consider Jesus' teaching, sacrifice, and resurrection to be the fulfillment of the promises of Judaism.

This is why the Holy Spirit had to give Peter an elaborate vision and a direct order before he would go with three strangers to the home of a Gentile (Acts 10:9–20). Under the traditions and rules which grew from Old Testament laws, Jews do not mix with Gentiles. They do not visit them or have close friendships, and they especially don't eat with them. Peter did follow the Holy Spirit's leading. He entered the home of a Roman centurion and found a houseful of attentive listeners. Because of Peter's obedience, those Gentiles accepted Jesus as their Savior and received the Holy Spirit.

When Peter returned to Jerusalem, the legalistic Jewish Jesus-followers, called "the circumcision party," were critical (Acts 11:2). The "circumcision party" did right by directly addressing their concerns (Acts 11:3). Peter did better by graciously explaining (1 Peter 3:15–16). Both sides valued unity enough to listen to each other. That commitment to unity led to a resolved conflict (Acts 11:18).

Like Peter, here, our actions should be honorable and Spirit-led enough that a straightforward explanation is all it takes to clear things up. And we should be open to the Spirit's leading and admit when we're wrong.

Acts 11:1–18 describes Peter defending his actions in Acts 10. The Holy Spirit led him to share Jesus' story with a house filled with Gentiles. As he had barely started, the Holy Spirit fell on the Gentiles and Peter had them baptized into the church. Now, he has returned to the church in Jerusalem and has some explaining to do. Despite Peter being the most prominent of Jesus' twelve disciples, the legalistic Jews have already gained significant influence in the church. It's a good reminder we must always follow God and be ready to defend our response to His leading.

Acts 11 accelerates the journey of the message of Jesus into the Gentile world. Peter returns to Jerusalem and explains to the church leaders how the Holy Spirit has fallen on a group of Gentiles in Caesarea Maritima (Acts 11:1–18). Then the church hears how Gentiles are coming to faith far north in Syrian Antioch; they send Barnabas to investigate and Barnabas brings in Saul (Acts 11:19–26). Finally, prophets travel from Jerusalem to Antioch to request aid for the Jerusalem church (Acts 11:27–30). The scene is almost set for Paul's extensive evangelism career to begin.

Until the martyrdom of Stephen (Acts 7:54–60), the story of Jesus' followers remained mostly in Jerusalem. Saul started persecuting the church and the members fled, taking Jesus' story with them. This included Philip who shared Jesus' story with Samaritans and an Ethiopian official (Acts 8). Saul's persecution even led to his own conversion (Acts 9). And Peter brought the gospel to a group of Gentiles (Acts 10). After one more story about Peter and rising persecution by the Roman government, the book of Acts will turn to Saul, who will use the Greek variation of his name, Paul, and his missionary journeys to southeast Europe.

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.