What does Acts 11 show about the early Jewish believers and Jesus' command to the Twelve?
Acts 11 shows the early Jewish believers adhered to Jesus’ command to the Twelve. He commanded them not to go to Gentiles or Samaritans but to the lost sheep of Israel. They were to go to no one but Jews, and they never lost sight of that directive.
Les explains that Jesus did not merely suggest this; He commanded the Twelve. The command was specific: do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Les stresses that this was a commandment, and the Twelve were to go to no one but Jews; they never lost sight of it. He then directs listeners to Acts chapter 11 to see how the early Jewish believers adhered to that commandment. Many people think the Church began as soon as Jesus started His ministry and that grace and the Gospel went out to the whole world, but Les says that is not according to this Book. According to Scripture, Jesus ministered only to the nation of Israel for the whole three years, and even after His ascension, when Peter begins at Pentecost, for several years it continued in that same format. In Acts 11:19, Les notes this is review.
Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only.
More Questions
How do we know the early Jewish believers kept Jesus' commandment to go only to Israel?
The early Jewish believers adhered to the commandment Jesus gave to the Twelve, which is shown in Acts chapter 11.
Why were the believers scattered abroad in Acts 11:19?
The believers were scattered abroad because of the persecution that arose around Stephen.
Who were the scattered believers in Acts 11:19 and where did they go?
The people scattered by the persecution over Stephen, referred to in Acts 11:19, are the same people described in Acts 8:1, and they went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch.
What event is Acts 11:19 referring back to when it says they were scattered abroad?
The verse about those scattered preaching to none but Jews refers back to the time of Stephen's martyrdom, which took place about seven years after Pentecost.