Derf
Well-known member
Acts 11:19 is descriptive again. It followed the prescriptive commission in Acts 1:8. But that doesn't mean they wanted to do it.Neither of those has overridden what was said here in Acts 11.
Your quote above is speaking of the church in Jerusalem who believed in the Messiah. "Them" is speaking of the Jews who were scattered after the persecution of Stephen. They were not preaching to the gentiles. They were not even to speak to the gentiles. Peter had not even had his vision of the sheet and his message of the clean and the unclean. Cornelius had not yet been approached and it took an act of God to get Peter to even speak to Cornelius. Notice what Peter says to this gentile.
Acts 10:28 And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean.
You have not yet addressed this.
Notice Acts 1 and Acts 8 come before Acts 11?
Acts 11:19 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.
It took a number of acts of God to get them to go to the Gentiles. Finally Jesus had to appear to Saul in order to get anyone to go, beyond the direct command and vision to go to Cornelius.
But you were the one that said they weren't supposed to go into the cities of Samaritans, yet now you are quoting verses where they went into the cities of the Samaritans (Acts 8:25 in particular). So why are you arguing with yourself? Were they obeying the Lord by going to the Samaritan cities or disobeying him?
If they obeyed by going to Samaria, were they obeying or disobeying when they wouldn't go to the Gentiles after God had showed Peter they were "clean"?