Acts 11:4-17
4 But Peter began and explained at length to them in an orderly sequence, saying,
5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, an object coming down like a great sheet lowered by four corners from the sky; and it came to where I was,
6 and I stared at it and was thinking about it, and I saw the four-footed animals of the earth, the wild animals, the crawling creatures, and the birds of the sky.
7 I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; kiII and eat.’
8 But I said, ‘By no means, Lord, for nothing unholy or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’
9 But a voice from heaven answered a second time, ‘What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.’
10 This happened three times, and everything was drawn back up into the sky.
11 And behold, at that moment three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea came up to the house where we were staying.
12 And the Spirit told me to go with them without misgivings. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man’s house.
13 And he reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house, and saying, ‘Send some men to Joppa and have Simon, who is also called Peter, brought here;
14 and he will speak words to you by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’
15 And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning.
16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
17 Therefore, if God gave them the same gift as He also gave to us after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?”
Peter’s Defense (1)
The vision of unclean animals
Peter explained what had happened in chronological order. (1) The vision of unclean animals (Acts 10:9-16). (2) The subsequent events (Acts 10:17-48). “I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, an object coming down like a great sheet lowered by four corners from the sky; and it came to where I was, and I stared at it and was thinking about it, and I saw the four-footed animals of the earth, the wild animals, the crawling creatures, and the birds of the sky. I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; kiII and eat.’” (1) Peter emphasized that both clean and unclean animals were inside the sheet. Here, additional information is provided (this is Peter’s personal testimony): (a) “an object coming down… from the sky.” (b) “It came where I was.” (c) “I stared at it” (d) “Wild animals” (beasts of the field). (2) Furthermore, he emphasized what he heard from the voice from heaven. (a) This voice is a “bat kol” (a heavenly voice). (b) It is a message from God the Father. (c) It is a command: “Get up, Peter; kiII and eat.” “But I said, ‘By no means, Lord, for nothing unholy or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ But a voice from heaven answered a second time, ‘What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.’” (1) Peter refused to eat the unclean food. (2) Then, the bat kol (heavenly voice) spoke again: “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.” (3) The same thing was repeated three times. The number three is often associated with Peter’s spiritual training. “And behold, at that moment three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea came up to the house where we were staying. And the Spirit told me to go with them without misgivings. These six brothers also went with me…” Peter did not go to Caesarea based on his own judgment. (1) The three messengers sent from Caesarea arrived at the house. (2) The Holy Spirit instructed him to go with them without hesitation. (3) Peter obeyed that command. It was the Holy Spirit who commanded Peter to go to Caesarea. The Holy Spirit, who has a persona, can speak to people. By observing the work of the Holy Spirit in the Acts of the Apostles, let us cultivate a sensitivity to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, who is still at work today.
Today's prayer
Father God, I thank You that I too, have been given the Holy Spirit. I will continue walk according to the guidance of the Holy Spirit today. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.