Spirit-Filled Church | Week 3 | The Spirit-Filled Church with Unexpected People

Our passage in the context of ActsChapter 11 is a retelling of Peter’s experience in Acts chapter 10. In Acts 10, after experiencing the same vision three different times, God tells Peter to not call unclean what God has made clean. Peter discovers a God-fearing Gentile, named Cornelius, has invited Peter to his home and upon arrival at Cornelius' home, the Holy Spirit falls upon Cornelius' family.In response, Peter baptizes Cornelius and his family and stayed with Cornelius for a few days. Helpful literary and cultural context for Acts 11:Jewish purity laws and understanding of cultural distinction are at the center of this story. Going back to laws God gave Moses which are found in Leviticus and Deuteronomy, there are restrictions for whom Jews were allowed to share fellowship with as well as what food Israelites were permitted to eat. Jews were not permitted to enter the home of Gentiles or share in brotherly fellowship with Gentiles. They were also not allowed to eat any food that was considered unclean. Food laws associated with food were also closely connected with Gentiles, as these restrictions were often bound together. You can see an example of this in Leviticus 20:22–26. When Peter returns, the apostles and disciples in Jerusalem hear that he not only visited Cornelius but ate with him — a line they consider completely unprecedented.When Peter talks about entering “the man’s house” in verse 12, he’s speaking of Cornelius, a Roman centurion. It’s worth noting this because along with Cornelius being a Gentile, he also represents the “other” and the “enemy” is many ways as a Roman centurion. These elements add to the degree of wonder and the unexpected nature of the Holy Spirit’s movement in Peter’s encounter. Application Themes:When you look at this story, who are the people being saved? There is a lot happening in this story as the Holy Spirit moves and leads people to dare to change how they think and live in relation to God and others. Think about who is being invited to make those changes and the impact those changes have on their lives and the Church. How do you notice the movement of the Holy Spirit? — Drawing on the theme throughout Acts of the Spirit moving in surprising ways, what do we look for, how do we recognize the Spirit, and How do we respond when God seems to be doing something we don't expect?How does Peter's experience reflect Jesus? —  Reflect on the ways Peter's radical crossing of social and religious boundaries mirrors what Jesus himself did throughout his ministry — engaging with Gentiles, eating with the "wrong" people, dismantling purity boundaries in favor of grace.