A New Believer's Bible Commentary: The Letters & Revelation

By Dr. Judy Barrett

A New Believer's Bible Commentary: The Letters & Revelation is designed to be an easy to understand guide for the new believer, and an enjoyable read for those who have been in the church for a while. The context and history of each passage is explained, 'real life' examples are given and points to ponder are put forth so that the reader may examine what the teaching means when applied to their life. It was written to be a fun, thought-provoking run through the scriptures, jam packed with information, for people who have had little time to take an in-depth look at scripture themselves.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jan 24, 2013
• ISBN: 9781300670971

Book preview

A New Believer's Bible Commentary: The Letters & Revelation

A New Believer’s Bible Commentary: The Letters & Revelation

By Dr. Judy Barrett

Copyright © 2013 Dr. Judy Barrett (all rights reserved)

ISBN# 978-1-300-67097-1

Photography by Matija Barrett

Introduction

This book was written to help those who did not grow up in the church ‘catch-up.’ It is an easy-to-read commentary designed to cover what one should have learned in Sunday School and make the Bible a bit more easily understood. It is not a major theological tome. Instead it is a down-to-earth guide to help simplify some of the harder to understand sections of the Bible.

So, if you came to Christ as an adult, or merely slept through most of your church school classes and/or decided the main purpose of youth group was to meet members of the opposite sex, this book is for you.

Will you agree with everything in it? No. If you haven't noticed there are more than a few different denominations, and there are sections of the Bible where they disagree. I am a female Pentecostal. Luckily the sections that talk about women in ministry and the gifts of the Holy Spirit are relatively short. Ask your pastor for information on why your denomination believes what they believe. Reading differing views causes you to more fully examine your beliefs. Not a bad thing. And, you have just talked theology with your pastor. Getting used to asking a real, live human being who has studied their Bible questions will also help you grow in Christ. Also not a bad thing. So, whether you use this as a learning tool, or a tool to examine your Bible and prove why I am wrong, you now understand why you believe what you do better, and that is an accomplishment. Truthfully though, I hope you don’t disagree too vehemently… I have feelings too!

That being said, I hope you enjoy what I have written. I worked hard on it, and gained a bit of weight doing it, since typing on the treadmill was a bit too much for me to handle. (Ecclesiastes 12:12b tells us that much study wearies the body- bet you didn’t know that was in there!)

Read well, and pass it on and make my sacrifice worth something, okay?

Blessings,

Dr. Judy Barrett

The Letters

The majority of the New Testament consists of letters that were written and delivered to believers in the early church. (The gospel of Luke is also a letter, by the way.) The majority of the letters were written by Paul, a Jew and a Pharisee who persecuted the church until Jesus appeared to him. The exceptions to this are: the book of Acts, which was written as a continuation of the gospel by Luke (a Greek physician), Hebrews whose author is unknown but may be Paul, James (by James, Jesus’ brother), 1 and 2 Peter (by Peter, the disciple), 1, 2, and 3 John (by John, the disciple) and Jude (by Jude, Jesus’ other brother). The book of Revelation (also by John) is also included here. Although it is a letter it is usually classified as ‘prophecy.’ I only included it here because it would make a very short book on its own… As you will see the letters were meant to be passed around, and it is obvious that they were since there are a few references that indicate that the authors have read each other’s writings.

Acts

The book of Acts is also known as The Acts of the Apostles. It was written as a letter by Luke to his friend Theophilus. It is a continuation of the gospel of Luke. Likely Luke intended to write a third letter, as the book of Acts ends before all of the ‘action’ is over.

The book of Acts is a record of what the early believers were doing after Jesus died. Unlike the other letters, this book tells us more about the actual lives and events of the people who were ‘missionaries’ in the early church. There is much we can learn from their lives, including the way they handled mistakes (theirs and others).

Acts 1

The book of Acts is the second letter written by Luke (a Greek physician) to his friend Theophilus. (The gospel of Luke is the first letter.) In it he begins to tell Theophilus that Jesus appeared to the believers for a period of 40 days before being taken up to heaven before their eyes. Two men, presumably angels, then tell the believers that Jesus is to return in the same way He just left them (Bodily, from heaven).

Before He leaves they ask Jesus when Israel will be restored. Jesus refuses to answer, telling them that there are things they are not to know. Jesus also tells them to wait in Jerusalem until they are baptized with the Holy Spirit.

Point to Ponder: Sometimes in a believer’s life we have to wait. So what do we do while we wait? We take care of any business that comes up (They chose a replacement for Judas.) and we pray.

While they are waiting, they pray and choose a replacement for Judas among the twelve. They narrow it down to two men, Matthias and Joseph (aka Justus).

What we see in the choosing of Judas’ replacement is that there are men who were there from the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist until His resurrection that are not part of the twelve. Matthias is picked and this is the last we will hear about him. To be fair, we do not seem to hear about Joseph (who is also called Barsabbas or Justus) again either. (Other mentions of a person by these names are always associated with a ‘also known as’ reference that is not one of his other names, so I do not believe it is him.)

FYI: According to Christian tradition both men, Matthias and Justus, died as martyrs, and Justus may be ‘Justus the Flatfoot’ who reportedly drank poison without effect, was imprisoned by Nero until a vision of the martyred Paul scared those in charge, and served as an early bishop- but we are not entirely sure.

Jesus’ brothers, as well as His mother Mary are also mentioned as being among the believers.

FYI: Jesus has brothers: James, Joseph, Judas and Simon (Mk 6:3) as well as sisters. Since Joseph is present when Jesus is 12 at the Temple, but not during Jesus’ ministry it is assumed that Joseph dies sometime in between these two events. That would leave Jesus as the male head of the house until His brothers are old enough to take over the responsibility. During Jesus’ lifetime His brothers did not believe in Him. (John 7:5) After His resurrection they are among the believers waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit along with their mother, Mary. (Acts 1:14) His brothers likely came to believe when Jesus appeared to them, or at least to James, after His death. (1 Cor. 15:7) The book of James and Jude are believed to have been written by Jesus’ brothers of the same names. (Jude 1:1) By the way: Jesus had no children! (Acts 8:33, Is. 53:7-8) Re: Jesus’ family (Mark 4:31, 6:3, Mt. 12:46-47, Lk. 8:19-21, Jn. 2:12,7:3-5, Acts 1:14, Jude 1:1)

We are also told about the death of Judas. After Jesus’ death Judas bought a field, and somehow fell to the ground where his body burst open, so that his intestines were spilling out. Early church tradition tells us that Judas hung himself, the branch broke, and his body burst open on the ground, which fits with this description. Others have postulated that Judas had used an older method of hanging (as seen in the gallows Haman builds in the book of Esther) which involves putting something sharp at an upward angle under you so that you are both hung and impaled in the process. (Ew.)

Acts 1 also emphasizes that God had predicted Judas’ betrayal. Two psalms are quoted, but this is prophesied in other places as well. Jesus, knew that Judas was to betray Him, and allowed it to happen. This is another instance where God shows His sovereignty by telling us exactly what is to happen, and it does happen, even though the ones involved (Satan and Judas) are clearly not into doing God’s will.

FYI: Prophecies of Judas’ Betrayal

John 13:18, Mt 26:20,23, Luke 22:21 Jesus predicts that one who shares His bread will ‘lift up his heel’ against Him.

John 6:70 Jesus states that He chose the twelve and that one of them is a devil.

John 12:64 Jesus states that there are some among His followers who do not believe, and John lets us know that Jesus knew from the beginning who was to betray Him.

Luke 22:48 Jesus asks Judas as he approaches Him if he is going to betray Him with a kiss.

Mark 14:41, Mt. 26:46 As Judas comes Jesus tells the sleeping disciples that He is being betrayed.

Ps. 41:9 tells us that a close friend, whom Jesus had trusted, who shared His bread will lift up his heel against Him. (Remember that the serpent was to strike Jesus’ heel- Gen. 3:15)

Psalm 2:2 Rulers take counsel against the Lord and His Anointed

Zechariah 11:13 30 shekels of silver goes to the Potter in the house of the Lord.

Acts 2

Pentecost

FYI: Pentecost takes place 50 days after the Sabbath of the Passover week, so it always lands on the first day of the week (Sunday). It is also called the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Harvest.

The Holy Spirit arrives. He sounds like a violent wind and tongues of flame rest on each of the believers. They are filled with the Holy Spirit and begin to speak in other tongues, ‘as the Spirit enabled them.’

Others in Jerusalem heard the sound as well and a crowd gathered. Each person in the crowd heard them speaking in their native tongues. This puzzled them for several reasons. First, it is seemingly impossible for every person to hear the same speaker in his own tongue. Second, the people are from Galilee, which doesn’t have a reputation for providing a high level of education. Others dismiss this all together and decide the believers are drunk. (While this seems like a silly thing to do, people today often dismiss acts of God with silly explanations as well.)

Peter takes the lead and begins by telling the crowd that they are not drunk. Instead he claims that the prophecies of Joel have been fulfilled. These are the ‘last days’ when God’s Spirit is poured out. So what does that mean? According to Joel there will now be prophecy, visions, dreams (assumably prophetic) for both men and women, old and young. There will also be signs and wonders culminating in the sun darkening and the moon turning to blood just before the great Day of the Lord. There is also a promise that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.

Peter also explains that Jesus, who did miracles, signs and wonders that only God could do, was put to death, but was raised from the dead. Peter emphasizes that God ‘foreknew’ that men would put Jesus to death and gives scriptures showing this to be the case. While there are many scriptures predicting the crucifixion, Peter chooses Psalm 16 where David predicts that the Holy One’s body will not see decay, and points out that this cannot possibly be about David, since he died and everyone assembled there knows where his tomb is. He also quotes Psalm 110 where David says, ‘The Lord says to my Lord.’ Since David was obviously talking about a future time, and would not call his descendant ‘Lord,’ and since this obviously takes place in heaven, where David would not be in a position of authority, David cannot be speaking about himself. Peter is thus pointing out that this is God, speaking to Jesus, in an Old Testament scripture.

Peter then tells them what they must do: Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Why? For the forgiveness of sins. 3000 responded that day and many more came to believe in the days to follow.

FYI: Baptism was not uncommon in the Jewish culture. We see John baptizing in the Jordan, and there are man-made ‘baptisteries’ found throughout this area, including the settlement at Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls are thought to have originated. Baptism indicated that you were changing your ways and becoming a new person (repenting). It was an outward sign to show people that you did not intend to be the person you once were.

Now the believers in Jerusalem sold their possessions as needed so that no one lacked.

FYI: This only occurred in the Jerusalem church however. A famine was coming to Jerusalem, and then the Romans were coming to destroy the city. By combining their resources, and through the donations from the other churches that are planted, the Jewish Christians will avoid much of the hardship others in Jerusalem will face, and it will be easier to leave when it becomes time to relocate. The preparedness of the Christians in Jerusalem, as we will see later, also encourages others to become believers. It is through the urging of the Holy Spirit that this occurs as the believers in Jerusalem could not possibly know what the future would be like. This is not a model for all churches, but instead an admonition to listen to the Spirit’s prodding and do what He says, for you do not know what the future will hold!

Acts 3

Peter and John are at the Temple and a beggar, crippled from birth, (He is now 40. Acts 4:22) is being brought to the gate so that he might beg. Peter takes the initiative and prays for the man, who is healed. What is interesting is that Peter states that he has no significant amount of money (silver or gold).

Point to Ponder: Even though Peter is blessed by God in such a way that he heals a man crippled from birth, God has not blessed him with riches as well. We must remember that with God, money is not always the form in which blessings come!

The former beggar hangs onto Peter and John and people, astonished to see him healed begin to gather. Peter begins to preach and emphasizes strongly that these people had Jesus here, but killed Him, yet in Jesus’ name the crippled man was healed. Peter also emphasizes that scripture foretold that this would occur. This time he mentions Moses, Samuel and Abraham. He also emphasizes that God sends His anointed, including Jesus, to bless the people by leading them to repent of their wicked ways. Turning from evil is the path to all God’s blessings.

Acts 4

The Sadducees ruled the Temple at this time and they did not believe there was life after death, so when Peter and John preach that Jesus had risen they were quite upset. (This belief is what separated them from the Pharisees, and it was a big deal to them.) Peter and John were put into jail for preaching this because it was late in the day and Jewish law required matters concerning life and death to be decided during daylight hours. (I know Jesus was taken to be questioned at night, but as you will see the Jewish leaders do not always obey Jewish law…)

Even though Peter and John were arrested their numbers grew to 5,000. Peter is questioned and he again tells of Jesus’ death and resurrection, and that it was the name of Jesus that healed the crippled man. He also tells us that Jesus is ‘the stone that the builders rejected’ (Is.28:16, Ps 118:22) mentioned in scripture. (In Psalm 118:21 just before this quote we see that God is our salvation.) He also tells us that salvation is found in no other name. This is big since according to the Old Testament salvation is from God alone. (Jonah 2:9, Ps. 43:11; 49:7&15) Peter is calling Jesus God and showing them Jesus is God by healing people in His name.

The Sadducees command Peter and John to stop preaching. They reply that they are to listen to God, not men. (Again implying Jesus is God.) Because of the miracle the Sadducees are reluctant to punish them and they are let go. The believers praise God and quote Old Testament scripture that reminds them that people will always be against God and those who follow Him. The rest of the believers are now filled with the Holy Spirit.

We are then reminded that the believers are sharing all that they have, and we are introduced to Barnabas (aka Joseph) a Levite from Cyprus. (Barnabas means ‘son of encouragement.’)

FYI: It is not uncommon during this time for people to be called by various names. Sometimes the name will describe a personal characteristic, like Barnabas; other times it is their name translated into another language.

Acts 5

A married couple, Ananias and Sapphira, sell a plot of land. They tell the church that they are giving all the money to the church, when in reality they are keeping some of the money for themselves.

Peter points out to Ananias that he owned the land and did not have to give it, or any of the money, to the church, so why lie? He points out that this is not a lie to men, but to God, and Ananias drops dead.

Three hours later his wife, Sapphira, appears. She does not know that her husband has died. Peter asks her point blank if the price she got for the land is what they told the church they got for the land. He gives her a chance to repent, but she lies. She dies too.

Real Life: Some teach that it is the husband’s job to obey God, and the wife’s job to obey her husband and that the husband will be judged based on his obedience to God, but the wife will be judged based on her obedience to her husband. This account proves that this is not true. Both are judged based on their obedience to God. If Sapphira were supposed to obey her husband alone, she would not have died.

We then see that the believers gathered at Solomon’s Colonnade (by the Temple). They were also highly regarded at this time. Many miracles were occurring and even Peter’s shadow seemed to have healing power.

FYI: Before persecution the believers gathered in large groups in public, not in each other’s homes. Gathering in homes is a response to persecution, and not necessarily the ‘perfect plan’ for how to do church. Church changes as the people’s needs change.

Persecution then begins as a result of the Sadducees’ (who were in charge of the Temple) jealousy. (Remember Cain and Abel. Sometimes good people get hurt when bad people are jealous.) The apostles are arrested, but an angel lets them out of jail. In the morning they are in the Temple courts preaching. (This had to be extremely annoying to the Sadducees.) The Sadducees find them and they appear before the Sanhedrin (the Jewish ruling body, based on Moses and the 70 elders, they decide matters pertaining to Jewish law). Peter again is the spokesman and he repeats that Jesus, who they killed, was raised from the dead and is now at God’s right hand. The Sadducees' fear is that the people will blame them for the death of Jesus, and because the people now believe that Jesus was an innocent man (killing an innocent man is a very serious crime) things will not go well for them.

Gamaliel (one of my favorites in scripture- he was a student of a Hillel, a very famous Jewish teacher, and may have taught Jesus as a youth. He did teach Paul. Acts 22:3) Anyways, Gamaliel states that they have seen many false messiahs who have come and gone. If this is false then just let it go its course- paying attention to it will only make it last longer- but if it is of God then they are not going to be able to stop it anyways.

In response to Gamaliel’s comments they have the apostles flogged (Apparently they do not listen well.) and tell them not to speak of Jesus again. As Gamaliel predicted, their actions backfire. The believers rejoice that they were worthy to suffer for God, and the preaching continues.

Acts 6

The church has a problem. The Greek widows are not being taken cared of like the Jewish widows are. The disciples are busy with prayer and ministry and decide to appoint men to be responsible for this area of ministry. They appoint seven Greek men. (Again, we do not have to do it all ourselves. Make priorities, and then allow capable people to do the rest.)

The number of believers is growing, and it is mentioned that many Jewish priests become believers as well.

Stephen, one of the men appointed to oversee the ministry to the widows, is doing miracles. His peers, other foreign Jews (from Greece and Egypt) become upset with him and falsely accuse him of blaspheme. Stephen is called before the Sanhedrin, and his face glows. (As we will see, even a glowing face does not always change people’s hearts….)

Acts 7

The high priest asks Stephen if the charges of blaspheme are true. Stephen uses this question as an opportunity to witness. He begins with Abraham and recounts the history of the Jews. (Jewish law says that you must listen to a person’s full testimony without interruption.) He concludes by calling the rulers of the Sanhedrin ‘stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears.’ He accuses them of resisting the Holy Spirit and asks them if there was ever a prophet that they did not persecute. He then tells them that they killed the righteous one of God (Jesus) who was predicted by those same prophets and accuses them, the leaders of the Jewish community, of not obeying the Law. Stephen is most likely saying this with the Power of the Holy Spirit. Understandably they are now furious with Stephen, but Stephen is already in another world and tells them that he is looking into heaven and sees God with the Son of Man (Jesus) at His side. The rulers cover their ears, and scream, while dragging him out of the city to stone him. Paul (Saul) is there, watching the people’s cloaks.

FYI: This passage seemingly violates Jewish law about fair trials, and how to perform the death penalty etc, but in reality it does not. At this time there is a loophole based on Phinehas (Aaron’s grandson) stabbing a Moabite woman and an Israelite man through as they, how should I say this, got to know each other ‘Biblically.’ (Num. 25) Phinehas was praised and his actions stopped the plague that was the result of the Israelites taking advantage of Moabite ‘prostitutes.’ Because of this, Jewish law at this time allowed someone to be murdered ‘in the moment’ if you were ‘zealous’ for God’s laws. (It did however violate Roman law.)

Point to Ponder: Although Saul ‘watched’ the cloaks, he understood that he was even guiltier than those who threw the stones. How could this be? Saul was a person people respected. By standing there he was saying that he approved of their actions. (Which he did.) If he had not been there, or if he had disapproved, the people may not have been comfortable enough in their belief that they were to do this. Saul recognized this, and will later regret his part in Stephen’s death. 

Real life: Think about the times that you condone things by just standing there silently. Sometimes, when we are afraid to say something, people see our silence as if we have no problem with the situation and follow our example, especially if they believe us to be ‘good.’ Watch what your inaction says about you!

Acts 8

After the death of Stephen persecution begins in earnest. Saul becomes zealous, destroying churches as often as he can. The believers, except for the apostles, scatter. (This is not necessarily bad since they will bring their faith with them and many more will be saved.)

Philip (one of the seven chosen to minister to the widows) ends up in Samaria and does many miracles.

FYI: Philip is from Greece, so he was likely not brought up with the same prejudices as other Jews. Jews have a severe prejudice against Samaria. Samaria is where the descendents of the people kicked out of Jerusalem at the time of Nehemiah for marrying pagans now live. Jesus came to the woman at the well there, and many believed, so there is some knowledge of Jesus there already.

In Samaria there was a man named Simon who was a sorcerer, and he was apparently pretty good at it. He, and many of the people who followed him believed Philip’s testimony about Jesus and were baptized.

The apostles hear about the believers in Samaria and come to lay hands on them, for the Holy Spirit had not descended on them. They lay hands on people and pray and the Holy Spirit comes. Simon offers to pay to be able to do this. He does not understand that the gifts are God’s and because they are from God they are God’s to give, and are not for sale. Simon is still tied into the idea of using the spirit world for profit, like Balaam does in the Old Testament. The apostles rebuke him, and he repents.

Now Philip is told by an angel to walk down a desert road. On this road he is told by the angel to go up to a chariot and stay near it. He then meets an Ethiopian eunuch, who is an officer to Candace, the queen of Ethiopia. He is a Jew and is reading the book of Isaiah, but he does not understand it. The passages are prophecy about Jesus. Philip explains the passages to him, and the eunuch asks why he should not be baptized. So they find some water and the eunuch is baptized. Philip is then taken away, and finds himself in Azotus, where he begins preaching, making his way towards Caesarea.

FYI: Isaiah Explained: In this short passage of Isaiah Jesus is the sheep. He did not protest when arrested, He was humiliated and deprived of justice, then killed. This passage also lets us know that Jesus did not have children before He died. (Is. 53:7-8) The rest of chapter 53 tells us that Jesus:

1.       Was born as a baby and grew up, ‘tender,’ like everyone else does.

2.       Was average looking, with no particular beauty or majesty or any other feature to make people desire Him over others.

3.       He was despised and rejected by men.

4.       He suffered.

5.       He was despised, not esteemed.

6.       Why? To take on Himself our infirmities and sorrows.

7.       People considered Him stricken by God. (Remember, He died on a cross accused of blaspheme. This is the punishment for someone who is clearly not with God, but against Him.)

8.       He was pierced. Why? For our sins.

9.       He was crushed. Why? For our failings. In order to bring us peace.

10.    He was wounded. Why? So that we are healed.

11.    God laid all the sin of the world on Him.

12.    Even though He was oppressed and afflicted He did not open His mouth. (Complain about it being unfair. Protest.)

13.    He had no descendents.

14.    He was assigned to be buried with the wicked, but was buried with the rich.

15.    He had done no violence nor had He deceived anyone.

16.    It was God’s will to do this. He was a guilt offering for the people.

17.    He will see life again.

18.    By knowledge of Him many will be justified. (Have their sins made as if they never happened. Justification is when you go to a judge and he dismisses the case even though you did it.)

FYI: At some point before Christ it is believed that part of the tribe of Dan settled in Ethiopia. Even today there are black Jews from Ethiopia who claim to be offspring of this tribe. The eunuch is likely a part of this tribe.

FYI: The eunuch did return to Ethiopia and preach. There is currently a church in Ethiopia that believes they are the oldest official ‘church’ as a result of this ministry.

Acts 9

Saul is still on the warpath, and begs the high priest for permission to persecute the believers in Damascus. (Apparently he had done a pretty good job in Jerusalem already….) Notice that at this time Christians are called ‘The Way.’ (Is. 35:8, 51:5, 59:8, Jer. 2:17, 21:8, Mal. 2:8)

So Jesus appears in a bright light and Saul falls to the ground. Jesus asks Saul why he persecutes Him and causes Saul to be blind.

Jesus then appears to a disciple named Ananias. (There are more people than just the 12 called ‘disciple’ in scripture. ‘Disciple’ merely means ‘student.’) Jesus tells him to go to Judas’ house on Straight Street and see a man from Tarsus named Saul. He tells him that Saul is praying and that He has given Saul a vision telling him that a man named Ananias will come and pray for him.

Ananias is understandably nervous, and tells Jesus he has concerns since Saul has come to persecute believers. Jesus tells him to go and that Saul is the one Jesus has called to bring news of Him to the Gentiles. He also tells him that Saul will suffer for Jesus.

Ananias goes to Saul. (I am very impressed with this. I am not sure you could get me to do this… though I would hope I would!) He prays that Saul may see AND be filled with the Holy Spirit. Something like scales falls from Paul’s eyes, he gets baptized, and then he eats. (He has not eaten for 3 days. v.9) Paul spends 3 days with believers then begins preaching in the synagogue using his knowledge of scripture to prove that Jesus is the Christ. (Christ means ‘Anointed One’ –look for it in the Old Testament)

The Jews now want to kill Saul. He hears of it and is lowered out of the city in a basket over the city wall.

He then goes to Jerusalem, but the disciples fear him, and refuse to talk with him until Barnabas befriends Saul and brings him to them. Saul then tries to tell the Grecian Jews about Christ, and they want to kill him too so the believers send Paul to Tarsus.

We then hear about Peter who is in Lydda. He heals a paralyzed man and everyone who heard the paralyzed man’s testimony turned to the Lord. (This is why we share what the Lord has done for us.)

A believer named Tabitha dies and her body is prepared for burial. (Meaning people have really looked at her and she is certainly dead.) Men go to Peter and beg him to come to Joppa for the funeral. He comes, prays for her, and she is again alive. Many come to the Lord and Peter stays in Joppa for a while at the house of Simon the tanner.

By the Way: Dorcas, aka Tabitha, means gazelle.

Acts 10

In Caesarea there is a military man (centurion) named Cornelius. He and his family are God-fearers, which means that they believe the Old Testament teachings, worship at the Temple, but do not participate in all the rituals including circumcision. Cornelius prays regularly and gives generously to the needy. While he is praying an angel comes to him in a vision and tells him to send men to Joppa to get Simon Peter who is staying at Simon the Tanner’s house by the sea. (Did you notice that here, as well as in Acts 9, God gives very specific directions to people’s houses!?) Cornelius then sends 2 of his servants and a devout soldier to Peter.

Point to Ponder: Did you notice why God said He sent the angel? Because of Cornelius’ prayers and offerings to the needy. God sees what we do, and blesses us for it!

FYI: Centurion means that he is in charge of the hundreds. A typical centurion was in charge of a group of 80 to 100 men.

Peter then goes up to the roof to pray while he is waiting for his meal to be prepared. (Being on the roof in this culture is normal. Roofs were flat, had a railing around them for safety and usually an outside staircase for access so that people could go up onto them without going through the house itself. We see a lot of people on roofs in scripture. I would not recommend this a gathering place for most of us today. The pitch of our roofs and lack of railing would make for a very different experience…)

Peter then goes into a trance. He is hungry so this is a good time for God to talk to him about food. He sees a large ‘sheet’ with all kinds of animals and the Lord tells him to ‘kill and eat.’ Peter says ‘no’ because at least some of the animals are unclean and according to the Old Testament law they are forbidden to believers. God tells him three times not to call anything He has made impure. Everything God has made is ‘clean.’ (Sometimes even God has to repeat himself. This should make parents happy to know that it is not just their children that need things repeated!)

Peter is pondering this vision when Cornelius’ men show up. The Holy Spirit tells Peter not to hesitate in going with them. Peter then invites the group in and they leave for Joppa.

Cornelius, expecting that Peter would come, has invited his friends and relatives to be there. When Peter comes, Cornelius falls at his feet to worship him. Peter rejects his worship and tells Cornelius that he is only a man.

FYI: In the New Testament the only person we see accepting worship is Jesus. The angels reject it too. Since only God is to be worshipped, this is another indication that Jesus is God, and that even the people, and angels, believe that to be so. It is also an indication that we should be worshipping no one, dead or alive, but Jesus, who is God.

Peter understands that his vision meant more than just being able to eat unclean meat. For years the Pharisees had stretched the Jewish food laws into teachings that prohibited Jews from even entering a Gentile home. Now Peter understands that he is to include the Gentiles in his ministry as well. (He will forget this later, and Paul will yell at him, but for now he understands. Gal. 2:11-15)

Cornelius then tells Peter about his vision, and Peter tells Cornelius and his friends about Jesus. They believe and are filled with the Holy Spirit. (As evidenced by speaking in tongues.) There was no laying of hands here, as the Jewish believers were amazed that the Holy Spirit was being poured out onto Gentiles. Peter correctly says that if they have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, then there cannot be any reason to not baptize them.

FYI: Peter then stays with them for a few days, which is a big deal, for before this Peter believed it was forbidden by God to set foot in a Gentile home. Now he is eating and sleeping there, and all of his Jewish buddies who did not get the message from God will know about it. Not only is Peter overcoming his own issues, but he will have to stand up to the others and convince them that associating closely with the Gentiles is okay as well.

Acts 11

Peter then goes back to Jerusalem and the Jewish believers confront him about eating and visiting with the Gentiles. Peter explains his vision, and all that had occurred. When the believers heard that the Holy Spirit had come upon the Gentiles, they praised God and believed that God was calling them to minister to the Gentiles as well.

The believers who were scattered by Saul and his friends' persecution after the stoning of Stephen ended up as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Greece. Many were saved in these areas as a result.

When the believers in Jerusalem hear that people have come to faith in Antioch they send Barnabas there. He is a good man, and his testimony brings many more to the Lord.

Barnabas then decides to go to Tarsus to find Saul. He brings him back to Antioch and they preach together there for a year. It is here that the believers are first called ‘Christians.’

During this time a prophet named Agabas predicts a famine for the Roman Empire, and the churches decide to provide help for their fellow believers in Judea.

FYI: This is the first time we see a reference to ‘elders’ in the New Testament. (v.30) It refers to people in Jerusalem. It may refer to the leaders in the church, or merely to the fact that the church in Jerusalem is older than they are.

FYI: Paul is a believer, yet still called Saul at times. This is because Saul is the Jewish version of his name, while Paul is the Gentile version. People at this time frequently translated their names as well when dealing with other cultures. Saul’s name in scripture seemingly changes to Paul after his conversion primarily because he is now dealing with a predominantly Gentile group of people, where as before he hung out with mainly Jews. You will, however, see Paul called ‘Saul’ after his conversion in scripture for this reason. He did not get a ‘name change,’ per se. His name change reflects more of a location change to a predominantly Greek speaking part of the world.

FYI: There was a strong teaching at this time that a student owed much to his teacher. Since the church in Jerusalem was the first source of the knowledge about Christ the later churches believed they had an obligation to help and support it. This thought is emphasized elsewhere in scripture as a ‘truth.’ Today we believe Christian teaching should be free. This is not what the Bible says, and not what Jewish culture teaches. Instead the emphasis was on a student ‘valuing’ his education. A rabbi would typically receive a day’s pay from each of his disciples and a philosopher standing on a corner teaching would expect payment from the crowd. There are exceptions to this. Jesus did not take payment from the twelve disciples; instead women supported his ministry. (Luke 8:3) Paul also did not take money from the Thessalonians, but instead set an example of hard work. This was important since the Thessalonians had a culture that glorified laziness and thought work to be ‘bad.’ So while we are not to get hung up on pay (God will provide), it is good to support those who teach you.

Acts 12

Now King Herod is arresting believers. The Romans are getting involved in persecuting Christians. (By the way- this is not the same King Herod as in Jesus’ time. There is a whole family of them.) James, Jesus’ disciple dies. (Remember this. The James we will see throughout the rest of scripture is Jesus’ brother.)

Peter is then taken to prison, but must wait until after Passover to be tried. He is guarded by 16 soldiers. The church prays.

Peter is in jail, sleeping between 2 soldiers. He has 2 chains binding him to the wall and two sentries are blocking the exit. An angel appears and there is bright light in the cell. He strikes Peter in the side to wake him up. (I am imaging he kicks him due to the position Peter is in…) The chains fall off Peter’s wrists and he is told to put on his clothes and sandals and wrap his cloak around him. Peter believes this to be a vision, not reality, and walks right by the guards out of prison. The angel leaves and Peter is standing in the street befuddled. He comes to his senses and decides to go to Mary’s house. (This Mary is John Mark’s mother. She is also the aunt of Barnabas- Col.4:10)

FYI: Many women were named Mary during this time. Mary, similar to Mara seen in the book of Ruth, means ‘bitterness and weeping.’ Jewish parents liked to give their children names that would double as prayers so when they called their children they would also be praying to God. The name Mary is telling God that they are suffering under the Romans and is a cry to God for help. This is why there are so many Mary’s at this time. (People also liked to name their children after favorite relatives. Since they are all somewhat interrelated there is a lot of repeated names for this reason as well.)

Peter knocks at the door and a servant, Rhoda, answers. She leaves him at the door, after hearing his voice, and announces happily to everyone that he is here. The others tell her that it must be his angel, fearing he is dead. Peter keeps knocking and finally they let him in. He tells them to let James (Jesus’ brother, the other James is dead.) and the others know he was there and Peter leaves.

Herod is furious when morning comes, and after questioning people he has the guards executed. (This is the standard punishment for losing a prisoner.)

Herod is also having trouble with the people of Tyre and Sidon. In an effort to appease Herod while he is visiting the people worship him as god. Herod accepts the worship, instead of directing it to God. This upsets God. Herod is eaten by worms from the inside and dies.

FYI: This is also not uncommon. It was believed at this time that the rulers were chosen by the gods and that a god