Acts11:11

 Acts 11:11 says, And, behold, immediately there were three men already come unto the house where I was, sent from Caesarea unto me.  Peter said immediately after tis, three men were already at his house sent to him from Caesarea.  God will always be working ahead of us when He sends us somewhere.  Verse twelve adds, And the Spirit bade me go with them, nothing doubting. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered into the man's house:  Peter didn’t go just because these three men were there asking him to, but he went because the Holy Spirit told him to go.  Whatever we do as followers of Christ today should be under the direction and leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Peter didn’t go alone but was accompanied by six other brethren.  At least spiritually, when we are sharing the gospel, we should never be alone.  Verse thirteen continues, And he showed us how he had seen an angel in his house, which stood and said unto him, Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose surname is Peter.  Peter said that when they got to the man he had been sent to, that the man shared with them how he had seen an angel in his house telling him to send to Joppa for a man called Peter.  I don’t know if God has sent an angel to anyone telling them to come and look for a man named James, but I pray that if He ever does and I need to go and share the gospel with them that I will be willing to go.  Verse fourteen says, Who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved.  The man told Peter that the angel told him that Peter would tell him the words that he and his household could be saved by.  We as Christians have the same words to share with the world today, and that is the gospel, which is simply that Jesus lived without sin and died for the sins of all mankind, rose again the third day, and forever defeated sin and death for those who will put their faith in Him.  Verse fifteen adds, And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning.   Peter said as he began to speak, that the Holy Spirit fell on them as He had on the disciples at the beginning, and anytime a person is saved, the Holy Spirit is going to immediately fall on them.  Verse sixteen states, Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.  Peter said he then remembered the word of the Lord Who had said John baptized with water, but that they would baptize with the Holy Spirit.  We still do today.  Verse seventeen adds, Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God?  Peter said that since God gave these Gentiles the same gift He had given them, who was Peter to stand against them becoming Christians.  We may not always like a certain group of people, but Jesus Christ died for them just as He did for us, and if they accept Him as their Savior and Lord, who are we to stand against them.  Peter recounted all that had occurred with Cornelius and himself, and soon those that had questioned Peter's actions accepted that it was God's will and praised Him.  We need to praise God when people are reached with the gospel and accept Christ as their Savior, not question who they are.  We cannot rest on the past or wait idly by for the future.  When we understand that God is no respecter of persons, then we must understand that this applies not only to reaching the lost, but also to the not placing more value of one Christian over another based on nationality. 

In Acts 11: 1-18, Peter defends his actions to the apostles and the brethren that were at Judea.  Since the gospel was being spread and the number of believers was growling daily, we might think that was what the apostles and brethren at Judea were discussing, but their concern was who was being added to the church.  They had heard that Peter was meeting and eating with uncircumcised people.  Now, these were not just Jewish men, but Jewish men who were followers of Christ.  They still wanted to keep God for themselves and from other nations.  We must be careful that we don't become the same way.  We must never view Christ as the Christ of any nation.  If God has seemingly blessed one nation more than another, that simply means that nation will ultimately have to answer for how they used those blessings.  If it were simply to enrich themselves, with little concern for the rest of the world, then I don't think God will be pleased and call us good and faithful servants.  I see signs occasionally that say let's bring God back to America, but He has never been deported.  We hear of making American great again, and it nearly always refers to material matters.  God is still in America, as He is in the rest of the world.  He is simply waiting for those who call themselves His people to put the spreading of the gospel first.  Peter recounted all that had occurred with Cornelius and him, and those that had questioned Peter's actions accepted that it was God's will and praised Him.  We need to praise God when people are reached with the gospel and accept Christ as their Savior, not question who they are.  We cannot rest on the past or wait idly by for the future.  When we understand that God is no respecter of persons, then we must understand that this applies not only to reaching the lost, but to the value of one Christian over another based on nationality.