Acts

Acts 10-15: The Gospel For All

Posted on by

Is every type of person invited to be part of Jesus’ church?

Is every believer in Jesus, no matter what skin colour, gender, ethnicity, race or socio-economic background, equal within the church?

Is the Gospel really for all people?

These are the questions that are at the heart of Acts chapters 10-15. They are crucial chapters to understanding the mission and growth of the early church and they give us lots of great lessons today as we seek to continue with the same Spirit (Acts 1:8), being obedient to the same great commission (Matthew 28:16-20).

(1) The gospel for all

The chapters start with not one, not two but THREE accounts of what is usually known as Cornelius’ conversion. It would be better described as Peter’s conversion, as the Lord opens his eyes, mind and heart to accepting Gentile believers on the same footing (Acts 10:34 – “I now realise how true it is that God does not show favouritism” ), and to understanding that the Old Testament food laws no longer applied under the new covenant (Acts 11:9 – “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean”). It is through Jesus that we are made clean, not with external rituals but with internal heart change (see Mark 7:20-23).

Luke is so keen to tell the gospel is for all people (Jew & Gentile) that he gives us three accounts of Cornelius’ (sorry Peter’s!) conversion.

(2) The gospel of grace

The reason the gospel is for all is that the gospel comes by grace and through faith. No-one can earn or merit salvation. Salvation is a free gift from God. As such everyone is equally sinful and equally in need of the Saviour. The gospel is completely inclusive (to any who would believe) and equally exclusive (to any who deny their need of Jesus and try to earn their salvation). This comes to a nerve-wracking climax in Acts 15 with the council of Jerusalem – do the gentile believers have to be circumcised to belong to the church? No! They are saved by grace and are not required to become Jewish to be accepted, and this was foretold in the Old Testament Jewish scriptures.

Since the gospel of grace is for all there can be no racism in the church. No-one is superior to anyone else. No one culture is superior to another. One of the dramatic changes in this section of Acts is that ‘the mission centre’ moves from Jerusalem to Antioch – the Jerusalem church is no longer the mother church, the churches are now equal partners.

(3) The gospel in context

The gospel is for all because it is a gospel of grace, but it is also a gospel that needs to be communicated appropriately to the different hearers. What is striking about the sermons in the book of Acts is how varied they are depending on the geographic region Peter or Paul are in.Their modus operandi is to go to the Jews first and then to the Gentiles . This is the pattern of all of scripture (see Romans 9-11). It is worth comparing Paul’s sermons in Acts 13:13-52 or 14:17 where he is speaking to educated Jews in the synagogue and quotes the Old Testament as opposed to his impromptu sermon on idolatry and common grace to illiterate pagans on the street in Acts 14:8-20. Paul was able to communicate the same unchanging gospel in a way that connected with the worldview of his hearers.

Since the gospel is for all, we must communicate it in a way that is understandable to all types of hearers.

(4) The gospel in opposition

The book of Acts is stirring to read because we see ‘the word of the Lord spreading’ (e.g 6:7, 9.31, 12:24, 16.5 & 19.20). There are lots and lots of converts. The church is growing. Signs and wonders are aplenty, confirming the message of grace (Acts 14:3). It’s wonderful to read.

And yet with growth and expansion comes opposition, and the opposite comes initially from the Jewish leaders. Moreso, as the narrative develops hostility also arises from the Roman authorities. As the gospel spreads it is also rejected because it confronts our sin, idolatry and pride. So, we must hear Paul’s teaching as he strengthened those early churches – “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22).

As we share the gospel with all types of people we remember Paul’s words –“to the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life.” (2 Corinthians 2:16).

(5) The gospel continues to go out

Acts shows the geographic expansion of the church, starting in Jerusalem but moving to Judea, Samaria and then to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8). Acts 10-15 is a vital moment in this migration of the gospel as we have the first strategic missionary journey to the Gentiles and Antioch becomes Paul’s mission base for future missions.

So for us, the readers of the book of Acts in 21st Century Dublin; he gospel has come to us because these early Christians were faithful in sharing the message, as have many others throughout the generations. As a result, we have believed, repented and received salvation. It is now our turn to continue the spread of the gospel to those around us. We too can say to those we know who are not followers of Jesus…

Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin (Acts 14:38-39)

It is with this gospel mandate in mind that we are planning on starting a second morning congregation in September – that more people might hear the message and believe.

Our Preaching Series*

Here is how we will break the series up through the months of April and May

  • The gospel for all – Jew & Gentile (Acts 10:1-11:18)
  • The church in Antioch (Acts 11:19-26, 13:1-3)
  • The chains fell off (Acts 12:1-19)
  • The first missionary journey (Acts 13-14)
  • The Council at Jerusalem (Acts 15)

*The series may be extended further

Extra Resources

Resources that you might find helpful if you want to read deeper into the book of Acts are:

Posted in Blog and tagged , , , , , , , , .