Episode 70: Acts 11 The Jews, The Gentiles, and Jesus

Word gets back to the church in Jerusalem about what happened with the Gentiles at Cornelius' house and the believers there aren't very happy about it. They couldn't believe that Peter would go in the house of a Gentile and even eat a meal with them! However, after they got the facts first hand from Peter they changed their minds and were delighted that God had chosen the Gentiles as well...or so it seemed. Racism between the Jews and Gentiles was deep and it would be an ongoing issue even for those who followed Jesus! In Acts 11 the Jewish Christians follow the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea preaching Jesus to the Jews but when they came to Antioch of Syria they also shared the gospel with the Jews and what took place rocked their world! So many Gentiles were coming to the Lord they had to send Barnabas from Jerusalem to check things out and he travels to Tarsus to get Saul so he could help with the large growth of the new church there. This would be a relationship that would launch many churches as Saul and Barnabas would work together traveling around telling all people about Jesus!