Acts 11:1-18 "Breaking Invisible Chains"

When I was twelve, I worked all summer in corn fields to buy an electric guitar and a nice stereo. I also bought a lot of records and was really into rock music. I wanted to grow my hair long and be a hippy but my mom wouldn’t let me. 

When I was fourteen, I started believing in God and became a Jesus freak—listening to Christian rock and writing songs about my faith. I started going to church and the pastor even let me play my stupid songs in worship services. This is how my family came to faith. So far so good, right?

Well, the pastor of that church left and we got a new pastor. 

Two or three weeks after he showed up, I played one of my songs in church. It was pretty tame, more of a folk song really. I got called into the pastor’s office on Monday. 

He explained to me that rock music was of the devil. The anapestic beat and backwards masking and secret occult practices of all the musicians. He gave me a book by Bob Larson that talked about the dangers of rock music. He told me my songs were demonic, that I would not be playing them in church anymore.

It was a confusing time for me but I didn’t leave the church or stop writing songs about Jesus. 

I graduated high school and went to Central Bible College. I was going to double major in pastoral theology and music. I showed up at the school  library in 1982 to register for classes—against my mom’s wishes I had been growing my hair all year. I got in line behind a guy who had hair about the same length as mine. 

He stepped up to the counter, “Hi, I’m Joe. I’m here to register for classes and get my books.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t register you unless you get a proper haircut.”

Yep. No long haired freaky people need apply. It says so right there in the Bible.

Joe and I went looking for a barbershop. I still have nightmares about that day—I don’t know my classes, can’t find my classroom, when I do the teacher tells me I have to cut my hair. Yes hair, it’s a dream!

Christians are always making up all these extra rules. No long hair. No rock music. No dancing. No R-rated movies, probably not PG either. No smoking, no drinking, no tattoos, no saying bad words, and run away from things like D&D, books with wizards, and decorating for Halloween.

Sometimes I wonder if they’ve actually read the Bible. Like with the long hair thing—Men in the Bible often had quite long hair. Some denominations don’t allow beards! What the heck? Where are they getting these ideas? 

In Bible college women weren’t allowed to wear pants to class, which sounds inappropriate but what they meant was they have to wear dresses. I got in trouble one time for writing a song called, “Dresses show more leg than jeans.”

If the Bible doesn’t call it a sin then we shouldn’t either. And there’s a lot of things in the Old Testament that the New Testament tells us not to worry about. Those things served their purpose and they don’t apply to Christians. Even if you don’t like them.

You ever been in a situation where Christians tried to force some weird rule on you? Something that has nothing to do with the Bible or anything Jesus actually said?

By the way, after college, I didn’t cut my hair for about ten years. Then it started falling out so I shaved my head and started growing out my beard—got to work with what you’ve got.

Well, today we’re going to look at the time Peter got called to synodical headquarters for not being traditional enough—getting in trouble for hanging out with the wrong people.

Last week we talked about how Peter went to the House of a Roman centurion named Cornelius. It was a big party and Peter was the guest of honor—he told them all about the days when he followed Jesus around listening to His teaching, watching Him perform miracles. He told them about the crucifixion and resurrection—told them if they believed in Jesus they would be saved and have peace with God. They heard the message loud and clear. They believed, they received the Holy Spirit, they were baptized—it was quite a party.

Then Peter stuck around for several days, eating and drinking with his new Roman friends, before heading back to Jerusalem. But the news of what Peter had been doing got there before he did. Chapter 11… 

Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.” Acts 11:1-3

Ain’t no party like a circumcision party ‘cause a circumcision party don’t stop! Not really the kind of thing I’m into—doesn’t sound like a great time. I think I’d rather go to a tax audit. At least there, the only thing they might cut is my deductions.

No, the circumcision party was a group in the church that thought this Jesus thing was only for the Jews. They were Christians, they’re thinking was like this: Jesus was a Jew, the disciples were all Jews, the first Christians were all Jews, the Messiah is a Jewish thing—if a Gentile wants to get in on the salvation that God is offering through Jesus, then they had to become a Jew before they can join the church. Full on Jew. Hire a MOY-el and sharpen the mo-GAIN! It was the only thing that made sense to them. In their way of thinking, how can Jesus be the whole point of the Law, the fulfillment of the Law—only so His people can ignore the Law?

Traditions go deep. And people tend to put way too much importance on them and cultural behaviors—as if they’re necessary parts of the faith. I’m sure we would never do such a thing, right? Argue about worship styles or what to wear in church or how liturgical worship ought to be? Yeah, these things are still deal breakers for some people.

So, in their mind, Peter was in hot water for breaking Jewish laws and customs. They thought Peter was offering a watered down cheap grace version of the Gospel to outsiders. Enemies. Everyone knows people need to clean up their act before God can save them, right?

What would you have said if you were Peter? The head apostle! You might be like, “Who do they think they are questioning my ministry? Did you personally walk with Jesus all over Galilee? Walk on water? I don’t think so!”

But Peter handles it with grace and humility. He gently explains what happened, doesn’t get defensive...

But Peter began and explained it to them in order: “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, something like a great sheet descending, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to me. Looking at it closely, I observed animals and beasts of prey and reptiles and birds of the air. And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’ But I said, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ But the voice answered a second time from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, do not call common.’ This happened three times, and all was drawn up again into heaven. Acts 11:4-10

We talked about this story in great detail two weeks ago. Peter is praying and God gives him a vision of a giant picnic blanket filled with a meat buffet of living creatures. Super gross. It was like offering a vegetarian a big ol juicy steak—or trying to make me eat a salad with pickles on it. Peter said, “No way!” But God said, “Way!” He argued with God three times.

You can’t win an argument with God.

I wonder if the Circumcision Party was like, “But did you ask God this? Did you ask Him that? Did you remind Him that He told us bacon bits completely ruin a baked potato and make it unclean?”

Peter’s like, “Yeah, I said all that. He said I shouldn’t call unclean what He has made clean.”

And at first, Peter thought the vision was only about food but then some Romans showed up at the house he was staying saying God had sent them. 

And behold, at that very moment three men arrived at the house in which we were, sent to me from Caesarea. And the Spirit told me to go with them, making no distinction. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. Acts 11:11-12

The Holy Spirit told Peter to go with these guys—to make no distinction, don’t treat them like outsiders. This is a big deal. From now on there’s to be no distinction between Jews and Gentiles. Even Peter doesn’t understand the full implications of this yet, that in the Gospel, there are not going to be distinctions between race and class and nationalities—male or female, slave or free. In the church, there are no second-class Christians. This is going to change the world. It’s Christianity that brought the ancient world, with its cruelty and violence, to our modern world where we take for granted the idea of human rights and human dignity. 

It’s strange. Christianity revolutionized sex and marriage, demanding that men control their lust, stop raping, stop sleeping around, confine sex to be within a monogamous marriage between a man and a woman. Elevating the dignity of women and prioritizing the family as the building block of culture. This is one of the ways Christianity changed the world. And it’s these same Christian standards that are being attacked and ridiculed in our day. It’s as if they want to return to the barbarism of the ancient world—calling it progress.

Peter grabs six of his buddies from the church in Joppa and they travel with the Romans to the House of Cornelius. That vision of unclean animals was about more than food—it was about removing all the rules that had to do with the distinctions between Jews and Gentiles. God had made all things clean. He was going to make the Gentiles clean, too—Just like He had the Jews. 

Then Peter tells them the really crazy part—what happened once they got there. He didn’t know what was going to happen or why this Cornelius guy sent for him. Was his son sick? Did he want Jesus to heal him? Peter had seen things like that before. But he wasn’t prepared for this, first Cornelius tells Peter his story… 

And he told us how he had seen the angel stand in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter; he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’ Acts 11:13-14

So, now Peter knows it wasn’t Cornelius’ idea for him to come any more than it was his idea to go. They both had an angel set up the meeting. The whole point was for Peter to tell all these Gentiles about Jesus. No pressure, but the angel said Peter will give them a message that can save all of them—the whole household. Imagine that. So, Peter tells them about the days when he followed Jesus around like a puppy—basically a synopsis of the Gospel of Mark. Jesus is Lord, He was crucified and He rose from the dead.

While he was still talking, God interrupted… 

As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” Acts 11:15-17

The circumcision party was there on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Jews and everyone spoke in languages they didn’t know, praising God—Peter had preached a banger sermon that day and three thousand people were baptized. Peter said it was just like that at the House of Cornelius. It was just like the day the church was born in Jerusalem.

Peter’s like, “You guys are acting like I did something wrong but I sure wasn’t going to stand in God’s way if He wanted to bring them into the church just like He did us. Do you? Do you want to accuse God of doing something wrong?”

Peter knew it was foolish to try and get in God’s way.

What do you think they're going to say? These very Jewish Christians pointing their fingers in Peter’s face. The Circumcision Party Boys. 

They don’t like it. They think even the apostle Peter is very sus for going into a house of Gentiles and eating their nasty food. 

But Peter made a good case. And the six Jewish Christians who were with him were all eye-witnesses. What COULD they say?

When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.” Acts 11:18

They fell silent. You know, we would all do well to take this approach more often. Just stop talking. Stop accusing. Stop defending our big throbbing opinions—and shut up.

These men who were accusing Peter of breaking the rules did the unthinkable—they changed their minds. We all want to change the world but nobody wants to change their mind. They got it! They were even happy about it. They glorified God saying, “God even wants to save the Gentiles!” 

They praised God because the Gentiles repented.

But look how it’s worded. “God has granted repentance that leads to life.” We usually think of repentance as something we have to come up with. We have to repent. It has to be our idea.

That’s not what this says. It says God is the One who granted repentance. He gave it to them. He repented them. Yes, they had to go along with it—they had to believe it, they had to trust that turning toward God through Jesus was the way forward—they had to receive it by faith. But God is the One who granted repentance.

Look. God saves you. You can’t save yourself. Unless God grants you repentance, you won’t even want to be saved. You’ll think your sin is the sweetest thing in the world. You’ll think the chains that are dragging you to hell are the most comfortable, most reliable thing to turn to when life gets hard. Unless God grants you repentance, you will get your self-identity and self-worth from all the things in this life that are trying to blind you to God’s love and His wisdom and the life He wants you to live.

If God doesn’t grant us repentance, then we’ll think that substance we’re addicted to, those sexy websites, all those material things we’re trying to fill up your life with—we’ll think that’s what pleasure is all about, that’s how to give ourselves comfort—all those dangerous things that are slowly destroying us and our family and our peace. Those things are invisible chains. We only see them for what they truly are if God grants us repentance.

People tend to go back to their same toxic behaviors like a dog that welcomes its abusive owner every time they walk in the door—maybe they won’t kick me this time.

Unless God grants us repentance, we’ll get our identity and worth from things that blind us from seeing God’s love. Things like our career, our social status, our physical appearance—things we work tirelessly to build and maintain. But if we lose a job or a promotion, or just start to feel any of those things slipping—our identity starts to crumble along with it. Our peace crumbles. We get anxious and feel lost.

Unless God grants us repentance, we’re blind to the wisdom of God. The wisdom that’s only found in turning toward Him and away from our self-destructive tendencies and habits. Wisdom that always looks like self-control, sacrifice, and love. Things that look like foolishness until God opens our eyes to see all our sins for what they are—chains. Death.

So, those Gentiles in the house of Cornelius who heard the Gospel and believed—and it saved them. God granted them repentance that leads to life.

What did they repent from? They repented from their Roman idolatry and pagan worship. From their honor culture and national pride. From violence and brutality. From things like sexual impropriety, adultery, fornication—things that were perfectly acceptable in Roman society—drunkenness, greed, materialism. They would have to repent from their superstitions and use of magic. They had to turn away from their sin, turn toward God and trust in Jesus.

But they did not have to repent of being Gentiles or being Roman. They didn’t have to change how they dressed, or what they ate, or what they drank. They didn’t have to stop being soldiers. They didn’t have to become Jews. God promised them that if they trusted in Jesus, they would be saved and inherit eternal life. That they have peace with God starting now and it will never end. That nothing can separate them from the love of God that is found in Christ Jesus.

Which is the same promise that’s offered to you. You have been granted repentance. I suggest you lean into it. Take God up on His offer. Turn toward Him and listen to what He’s telling you. He’s saying, “Trust in Jesus to free you from those invisible chains that bind you. Trust in Jesus instead of trusting in those things you use to numb your pain, dull your mind, and distract you from all the chaos in your life.” He is granting you repentance that leads to life.

Give into it. Let grace intervene.

God is opening your eyes. You still live in a dark world, but now you can see the brightness on the horizon. Follow it. Let it guide your steps. You’re not going to get there in this life—that’s not how the horizon works, but it’s the direction to keep going. It’s the way, it’s the truth, it’s the path to life. Follow Jesus. And when you falter, to the right, to the left, when you start going the wrong way—God will grant you repentance again. Not in anger. Not in frustration. It’s the kindness of the Lord that leads you to repentance.

We can get so caught up in our man-made rules and traditions—our preferences—that we miss what’s really happening. What separates us from God isn’t how we dress or wear our hair or what music we play—what separates us from God are those invisible chains of actual sin that bind us and drag us away from Him. These chains take different forms in each of our lives, but we can’t recognize them until God opens our eyes. They could be our addictions, our pride, our anger, or the way we hold onto past hurts—anything that prevents us from turning to God’s grace and forgiveness. Those are the things we need to repent of. Ask God to reveal what’s holding you back, because that’s where true freedom begins.

The struggle to understand grace without turning it into legalism and rules is real.

God isn’t interested in your outward appearance or your perfectly curated image. He cares about your heart. And He’s ready to give you something so much better than those invisible chains offer: freedom, forgiveness, a way to live your life with love and wisdom now and the promise of eternal life through Jesus Christ forever.

So if God is opening your eyes today, if He’s granting you repentance, then lean into it. Turn to Jesus. He’s already done everything for you—He died to remove your sins, and He rose from the dead to give you new life. You don’t have to save yourself—you can’t save yourself. But you can trust in the One who already has.

God has granted you repentance that leads to life. You are free. You are forgiven. And nothing—not your past, not your failures, certainly not the traditions of men—can separate you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. AMEN