Surprised By Growth

Surprised By Growth - Acts 11:1-26

Don’t miss what God is doing by being unprepared.

1. Prepare Yourself for Irritation

Growth Will Challenge Your Priorities

The Circumcision Party was more concerned with Peter’s table fellowship than with the Gentiles’ salvation.

Acts 11:1–3 NASB95

Now the apostles and the brethren who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those who were circumcised took issue with him, saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.”

The Devil can turn glory into gossip.

Growth Will Challenge Your Positions

Peter resisted God in the vision just like the Circumcision Party did in this story.

Acts 11:7–9 NASB95

“I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’ “But I said, ‘By no means, Lord, for nothing unholy or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ “But a voice from heaven answered a second time, ‘What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.’

Peter was challenged again about this later.

Galatians 2:11–14 NASB95

But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, “If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?

If we want to grow, we have to constantly evaluate what we believe by God’s standard, the Bible.

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2. Prepare Yourself for Participation

Acts 11:12 NASB95

“The Spirit told me to go with them without misgivings. These six brethren also went with me and we entered the man’s house.

Growth Results From Revelation

God used revelation first to prepare Peter for growth.

Ephesians 3:1–6 NASB95

For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles— if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace which was given to me for you; that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel,

We do not need a vision or a mystical experience today. We have revelation from God about who He is, who we are, and why we exist in His revealed Word. Christianity is not a blind faith.

Growth Results From Action

God called Peter to action based on the revelation.

James 1:19–24 NASB95

This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.

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3. Prepare Yourself for Contemplation

Growth Requires Thinking

Peter remembered what Jesus taught.

Acts 11:15–16 (NASB95)

“And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning. “And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’

Proverbs 13:13–16 (NASB95)

The one who despises the word will be in debt to it, But the one who fears the commandment will be rewarded. The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, To turn aside from the snares of death. Good understanding produces favor, But the way of the treacherous is hard. Every prudent man acts with knowledge, But a fool displays folly.

Growth Requires Listening

Peter’s accusers slowed down to listen.

Acts 11:17–18 (NASB95)

“Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.”

Healthy things grow slowly. Are you moving too fast to grow as a Christian?

Luke 10:38–42 (NASB95)

Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

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CONCLUSION

Don’t Be Surprised by Growth

Growth comes from God.

1 Corinthians 3:4–7 NASB95

For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not mere men? What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.

Growth is guaranteed.

Romans 8:28–39 NASB95

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, “For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Don’t miss what God is doing by being unprepared.