Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Acts 11 before reading the devotional below.
Have you ever been criticized for doing what God told you to do? (Me too. It stinks.) In today’s passage, Peter returns from his world-shaking experience in which the Gentiles were given the Holy Spirit in the same way that the Jewish people had been. When Peter gets back to Jerusalem, the Jewish believers there criticize him and question his judgment. Rather than becoming defensive, Peter shares the story of what happened in such a way that God is glorified and the others are also convinced that the Gentiles can have access to God.
The mission continues and the believers begin to travel to other parts of the world to tell more Gentiles about Jesus. Barnabas is sent to the church in Antioch and later he finds Saul and brings him back to Antioch as well. They teach in that church for a year and the Holy Spirit causes the church to thrive, with prophetic words that help the believers prepare for a coming famine.
Peter’s obedience is called into question, but God wasn’t going to throw him under the bus for doing what he was asked to do. Instead, the Holy Spirit works in the hearts of those who hear Peter’s testimony and others are inspired to go reach the Gentiles too. Peter’s obedience wasn’t just about that one interaction with Cornelius — God was doing a great work that would impact the entire world. If you have been criticized or are in a season of doubt in the midst of obedience, take heart! Jesus has already overcome the world and he will multiply the fruits of your faithful labor for the Kingdom.