Week #31 — REPENTANCE GRANTED
On March 21, 2015, Revere Meena of India set the current world record for recitation of digits of Pi. His record of 70,000 digits (yes, you read that right) surpassed the prior record by over 2,000 digits. Meena wore a blindfold for 10 hours of recitation because it helped him use the memory palace recall technique, which was how he had practiced. I bring this up for two unrelated reasons. First, it is crazy cool, right?! And second, it shows what can be learned and accomplished through repetition.
The Peter-Cornelius narrative covers 66 verses of Scripture. Both Peter’s vision and Cornelius’s vision are detailed and retold multiple times. Luke doesn’t do this to bore us by repeating information, but because we learn new lessons about our God and ourselves with each repetition of the story.
Therefore, don’t quit now! See what our Lord has to teach you in Acts 11:1-18. Read the passage together in your group, and then work through the discussion questions.
In Christ,
Pastor Ken
Week #31 — Questions
- The “circumcision party” criticized Peter for associating with Gentiles (v3). Where might you be tempted to draw boundaries—cultural, social, or personal—that God has not drawn? How can you guard against this and realign them with Scripture?
- While Peter corrects false boundaries, Scripture still maintains real distinctions (truth vs. error, repentance vs. unbelief). What lines that God has drawn are many people tempted to erase today? How can we avoid this?
- Peter recounts how God’s revelation changed his understanding (v5-10). Do you have an example of when Scripture challenged something you’ve long believed or assumed? When that happens, how do you typically respond—and how can you grow in humility and teachability?
- Even Peter needed correction and growth. How should this reality shape our understanding of spiritual leadership in the church? If no one is infallible, how can every leader be held accountable?
- The church eventually acknowledges that God has granted repentance to the Gentiles (v18). How do you tend to react when God works in people who may not fit your expectations?
- God is the one who “grants repentance that leads to life” (v18); people don’t muster up repentance on their own. How should that truth shape your approach to sharing the gospel—especially with people who seem resistant or unlikely to believe? Should we be concerned about doing it wrong, so to speak, when it comes to sharing our faith?
- The once-skeptical believers respond by glorifying God when they see what the Lord has done (v18). When you think about your own story, can you see that it has been all God’s doing? If so, what effect should that have on your gratitude to him?
- Peter had to let go of long-held assumptions to follow God’s leading. What beliefs, preferences, or expectations might God be asking you to hold more loosely so that you can follow him more faithfully?