I. The Background of Acts 11 and the Conflict Between the Jewish Church and the Gentile Church
Acts 11 is one of the pivotal turning points in the early church, vividly illustrating the conflict and resolution process between the Jewish church and the Gentile church. In his commentary on this chapter, Pastor David Jang underscores the essential phrase “breaking down the dividing wall,” emphasizing the reconciling and unifying nature of the gospel. Indeed, in Acts 11, when news spreads that Peter preached the gospel in the house of Cornelius—a Gentile—and even shared table fellowship there, the apostles and believers in Judea are deeply shocked. They hear that even the Gentiles received the word of God, and they fear that their long-held Jewish customs and traditions, as well as their consciousness of being the chosen people, may be shaken. This fear was profoundly rooted in the Jewish community of that time. Their identity centered on the observance of the Law (Torah), which was the basis for maintaining their holiness and purity as a community.
Pastor David Jang focuses on how this “legalistic boundary” and “chosen-people consciousness” operated within the early church, and why it caused such a significant shock and conflict. The Law was God’s word given to the people of Israel and served as the “standard for keeping holiness.” For a long time, they had strictly avoided “table fellowship with Gentiles,” considering it taboo. The reason was that Gentiles were commonly seen as those who ate unclean food, engaged in idol worship, and did not observe the Law. Thus, from the perspective of Jewish Christians, there was a very real fear that their long-cherished piety and religious regulations would be defiled as soon as they began mingling with Gentiles. Against this backdrop, the report—“Gentiles too have received the gospel and experienced the Holy Spirit” in the house of Cornelius—was not merely a theological surprise, but a grave event that shook their tradition and culture at its foundation.
Pastor David Jang sees this incident not simply as “cultural” or “ethnic” conflict, but as the eruption of tensions between the Law and the Gospel. Even though Jesus Christ had already opened a “new covenant” through the cross, many Jewish believers in the early church, while believing in Jesus as the Messiah, still clung tightly to observing the Law and maintaining Jewish traditions. Since living by the Torah was intimately linked to their identity, the declaration that “Gentiles can also become God’s people” was difficult to accept. Because of this, the mere fact that the apostle Peter had shared table fellowship with the Gentile Cornelius provoked fierce criticism from the “circumcised believers” within the Jerusalem church (Acts 11:2–3).
Pastor David Jang analyzes how this sense of being “the chosen people” could become a stumbling block to the spread of the gospel, and also how that same chosen-people consciousness should be reinterpreted within the framework of God’s plan. He points out that the Jewish sense of chosenness was originally a “special calling” to reveal God’s plan of salvation to the world, but at some point it took on an exclusivist form that veered toward the erroneous extreme of “the Gentiles being excluded from salvation altogether.” If such exclusivism persisted even after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the church’s missionary mandate would be critically compromised. Consequently, Pastor David Jang explains that the conflict in Acts 11 was “an inevitable growing pain necessary for the gospel’s expansion into the Gentile world,” and served as a springboard for the church’s next stage of growth.
Indeed, Acts 11:2–3 uses the term “criticized” (or “contended”/“rebuked”) to reveal how intense this conflict was. The word “criticize” implies not simply questioning but denouncing Peter, accusing him of breaking the Law, and condemning him. The sharp opposition of the Jewish-centered church stemmed from their viewing Peter’s behavior as “turning away from the Law.” However, in the face of all these criticisms, Peter does not initially present his personal opinions or emotions; he carefully explains “what God showed him.” This reveals that the essence of the conflict was not about “human prejudice” but rather a theological and spiritual question of “how far does God’s plan of salvation reach?”
From this, Pastor David Jang draws a crucial lesson for contemporary churches facing similar missionary challenges. When the church shares the gospel, evangelists may unconsciously elevate their own religious traditions or cultural background to an “absolute status,” imposing them on those who are receiving the gospel. In such cases, the gospel risks being perceived not as “the grace of God” but as “cultural imperialism” or “spiritual coercion.” On the other hand, from the perspective of those who receive the gospel, if they are urged to adopt an attitude of “We don’t know anything, so we’ll just do whatever we’re told,” the true freedom of the gospel will be hard to realize. The conflict between the Jewish church and the Gentile church underscores in a vivid way how distorted attitudes of both “evangelist and the evangelized” can build formidable walls. And David Jang emphatically states that these walls can only be torn down “through the cross.”
The conflict in the first part of Acts 11 unfolds around the question: “Why has the gospel been preached to the Gentiles as well, and how do they receive the same grace of salvation?” The Jews believed that they were set apart as Yahweh’s people by observing “circumcision and the Law,” and Gentiles, who did not meet these standards, were regarded as “unclean.” But when Peter preached the gospel in the house of Cornelius, he witnessed that they, too, experienced the work of the Holy Spirit in exactly the same way. This was precisely the same phenomenon the Jewish believers had encountered at Pentecost in Acts 2. Humans may label things as “unclean” or “clean” based on their own criteria, but God had already cleansed the Gentiles (Acts 10:15) and opened wide the door of the gospel.
Highlighting this point, Pastor David Jang counsels the church today to value its “Law” or “tradition” yet ever remain vigilant lest that tradition become an impediment to the grace of the cross. The shock and exclusivism initially felt by the Jewish church can still recur today. For instance, when a congregation with longtime members or a firmly established denominational heritage welcomes newcomers to the faith (akin to “Gentiles”), friction may arise. At such times, the crucial question is not “Who’s right and who’s wrong?” but rather, “Will we open the door of fellowship and acknowledge as equal brothers and sisters those whom God has already made new?” Pastor David Jang insists that this lesson from Acts 11 remains desperately relevant for the modern church.
Moreover, we see from the way the conflict was resolved that Peter did not simply say, “I don’t know—just ask God,” abandoning the matter. Instead, we read that he “began and explained everything to them in order” (Acts 11:4). This is a model of how the early church dealt with internal tensions. Peter meticulously recounts his experience—the vision he received in Joppa, the meeting with the men sent by Cornelius, and the manifestation of the Holy Spirit while he was preaching the gospel. This detailed explanation helped his Jewish brothers and sisters understand, and eventually the Jerusalem church came to acknowledge, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life” (Acts 11:18). Pastor David Jang sees this as the “dramatic moment” when hostility turned into unity, demonstrating how the universal nature of the gospel was being fulfilled in history.
Ultimately, the conflict between the Jewish-centric church and the Gentile church in the early part of Acts 11 sprang naturally from the collision of the age-old “chosen-people identity” and Law-based tradition with the “new covenant” gospel. Yet these growing pains became the very spark that ignited “a new revival.” Once the church recognized that this was not merely Peter’s personal experience but “something God Himself had shown,” they finally proclaimed that “the dividing wall was broken down.” And from that point onward, the church continued broadening its missionary scope. Pastor David Jang calls this process “the event in which the early church discovered the horizon of the gospel that God had prepared for them.” Thus, this passage is not merely a historical anecdote, but rather contains a “core theme” for the modern church to revisit whenever we enter “a new era.” The question is: “Can we indeed gather all nations, cultures, and generations around the essence of the gospel?”
Once we examine the background of the conflict in Acts 11, it naturally draws us to the second major theme that emerges: “Peter’s vision” and how it showcases “God’s direct intervention.” This vision becomes the decisive factor in resolving the early church’s conflict and also provides a blueprint for how the church should understand its future mission. Relying on this event, Pastor David Jang urges the church to find a path that transcends human prejudice and legalism. We now turn our focus to the middle section of Acts 11, where Peter reiterates his visionary experience and the core of the gospel contained therein.
II. Peter’s Vision and the Essence of Mission
In Acts 11, when the Jerusalem church criticizes Peter, he recounts in detail the incident with Cornelius that had already been described in Acts 10. The centerpiece of his account is the vision he received in Joppa. While Peter was praying, he saw something like a large sheet coming down from heaven, filled with all kinds of animals considered unclean by the Law, and he heard a voice saying, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat” (Acts 11:5–7). Peter refused, saying he had never eaten anything unclean or impure. However, the same voice was repeated three times, and shortly thereafter, the men sent by Cornelius arrived. Peter then followed the Spirit’s instruction to “go with them without hesitation.”
Pastor David Jang interprets this visionary scene as God’s purposeful attempt to “demolish prejudice and exclusivism.” Peter was Jewish and had spent his life observing dietary regulations of the Law that forbade unclean foods. That God Himself declared three times, “What God has made clean, do not call common” underscores both how entrenched the Jewish way of thinking was and how resolute God’s message was to tear down that barrier. The Law itself was not evil, but any legalistic adherence that stood in the way of evangelizing Gentiles had to be broken.
At this point, Pastor David Jang admonishes the church to reflect on whether “existing practices or theological preconceptions” might stifle the gospel’s dynamism and freedom. Even Peter, influenced by his own cultural and religious roots, was initially extremely reluctant to “share a meal with Gentiles.” This is further evidenced by the incident in Galatians 2—Peter withdrew from table fellowship with Gentiles whenever Jewish believers arrived, indicating he struggled for some time between a legalistic mindset and the freedom of the gospel. Yet in Acts 10–11, after directly witnessing that God was cleansing the Gentiles, he finally realized that “God shows no partiality” (Acts 10:34).
Here, Pastor David Jang notes that “the greatest barrier to mission is often the sense of superiority or inferiority between the sender and the receiver.” When the church evangelizes new mission fields, those with advanced language skills, cultural influence, or a well-established theological system may unwittingly dominate those lacking such resources. In the early church, similarly, there was a prevalent bias that “the uncircumcised Gentiles” were spiritually and morally inferior compared to the “circumcised Jewish church.” Yet as illustrated by the Cornelius episode, Gentiles received the same Holy Spirit and shared in God’s grace. That right came not by legal observance or religious credentials, but through “faith in Jesus Christ.” Therefore, when Peter confessed, “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning” (Acts 11:15), it led directly to the conclusion: “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”
Expanding upon this argument, Pastor David Jang redefines the “essence of mission.” Often, people perceive mission as “building churches on new soil and teaching the gospel.” Though not incorrect, it is more fundamentally “the church’s participation in the work God is already doing in that place.” When Peter visited Cornelius’s house, he found that Cornelius already revered God and that his household was open to the gospel. God had responded to their prayers, sending an angel who instructed them to invite Peter. Hence, even in so-called “Gentile lands,” God was already at work, and the Holy Spirit was actively engaged.
Pastor David Jang calls this “the moment the church responds to God’s invitation.” Rather than forcing its own methods, the church must view the world through the lens of “Do not call unclean what God has already cleansed,” and it is in that mindset that genuine missionary breakthroughs occur. This applies today as well. If churches dismiss the spiritual hunger or God-given gifts manifest among people of certain cultures or backgrounds, saying “That’s not our style; we can’t accept it,” they effectively block off mission. On the other hand, if we approach them believing “God is already at work here,” we will encounter a mutual respect and hospitality that reveal the true power of the gospel.
What Peter experienced in Cornelius’s household was precisely “the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Gentiles in the same manner as upon the Jews.” Pastor David Jang calls this “the equality of the gospel.” Whether Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female—all are one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28). That is the ideal for the church. Although the Jerusalem church was initially alarmed, upon hearing Peter’s testimony, they accepted that “God has granted the Gentiles repentance unto life.” This indicates that the ideal of oneness in Christ was realized in historical context.
Accordingly, Pastor David Jang emphasizes that “true mission commences when the church sees the world from God’s perspective.” If we remain confined to human standards—Law, culture, tradition, prejudice—the church will never freely evangelize the Gentile world. Or if it attempts to do so, it is prone to an attitude of superiority, as though saying, “We are the enlightened ones; you must be taught.” But what Peter learned through his vision is that “no one can stand in the way of what God is doing.” He bore witness to this before his brothers in Jerusalem, and that testimony brought down the formidable internal wall within the church.
Summarizing the flow of events, Peter’s vision in Acts 11 played a decisive role in helping the early church overcome its “legalism and chosen-people mindset.” Beyond that, it offered the church a glimpse of God’s grand design: “The gospel will not remain confined in Israel but expand to the whole world.” Pastor David Jang describes this as “the moment the church rediscovered the essence of gospel proclamation: the grace of the cross and the work of the Holy Spirit.” The cross stands for “the sign of God’s love poured out on sinners, whether Jewish or Gentile,” and the Holy Spirit is the force driving that gospel throughout the world. The core theme of Romans—“salvation is by faith alone”—is reaffirmed in Acts 11.
Even modern churches should look to this incident as a mirror. Churches that received the gospel in earlier times (akin to “the Jews”) may exhibit deep-seated pride in their heritage and tradition, finding it difficult to embrace communities (akin to “Gentiles”) that encounter the gospel later or hail from vastly different cultural backgrounds. Conversely, those new to the faith may feel inferior, or dismiss the existing church, fueling conflict. Pastor David Jang states, “Both arrogance and a sense of inferiority are enemies of the gospel,” for in Christ’s grace we are equal beneficiaries, each responding to God’s call in distinct ways.
Furthermore, the principle holds for handling “culture clash” on the mission field. Even if differences in language, custom, or food remain, if the church rests on the conviction that “God is already at work in that place,” it will meet others with hospitality and respect. Then the gospel can bring liberation rather than oppression, cultural renewal rather than cultural domination. Pastor David Jang often uses “table fellowship” as an analogy for this. Just as Jesus dined with sinners and tax collectors, so should the church invite those of different backgrounds to its table and embody the hospitality of the gospel.
In sum, the core lessons emerging from Peter’s vision, the story of Cornelius, and the subsequent explanation in Jerusalem are as follows: First, the gospel is not bound to any single ethnicity or tradition. Second, the Holy Spirit can descend in unexpected places and upon unexpected individuals. Third, the church must push beyond man-made boundaries and go “where God has already cleansed.” Fourth, the conflicts that arise through this process serve ultimately to clarify God’s plan. Pastor David Jang emphasizes that this message transcends time, speaking powerfully to every generation.
Following this line of thought, we are naturally drawn to observe where the church’s widespread presence in Gentile regions actually took root. That place, introduced in the latter part of Acts 11, is the Antioch church. Located in a cosmopolitan city hosting diverse cultures and ethnicities, the Antioch church would go on to send out Paul and Barnabas as the first major missionaries, becoming the launchpad for world missions. Pastor David Jang uses the example of Antioch’s birth and growth to reveal the “prophetic role” and “collaborative model” that the church is called to practice. And the Antioch church’s story is not just an old story of the early church—it still provides a blueprint for today’s church, whenever we seek to “expand the horizons of the gospel.” Therefore, in the third section, we will focus on how the Antioch church was born, how the prophets there played a vital role, and how cooperation with the Jerusalem church produced powerful synergy.
III. The Birth of the Antioch Church and the Role of Prophets
In the latter half of Acts 11 (verses 19–30), we see how the early church, dispersed in the wake of “the persecution that arose over Stephen,” began to preach the gospel in Gentile regions in earnest. Those scattered traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, initially proclaiming the message only to Jews (Acts 11:19). This reflects that a “Jewish-focused” approach to evangelism still held strong influence. But Acts 11:20 marks a significant turning point: certain people from Cyprus and Cyrene began preaching to the Greeks also, and this ignited the spark that became the Antioch church. Luke hints that these were ordinary, unnamed believers—neither official apostles nor prominent figures. Pastor David Jang emphasizes this point: “The pivotal start of Gentile missions was driven by the voluntary commitment of everyday Christians.”
Antioch was the third-largest city of the Roman Empire at the time, after Rome and Alexandria. It boasted thriving trade routes and housed various ethnicities and cultures. There was also a sizable community of Jewish diaspora, offering some foundation for spreading the gospel. At the same time, the city was rife with pagan worship, idolatry, and the merging of many different cultural practices. Yet ironically, these “multi-cultural” characteristics turned out to be fertile ground for the gospel to expand beyond Jewish believers to the Greeks. Pastor David Jang interprets this as evidence that “God used the surrounding environment so that the church wouldn’t stay shut in and that the gospel might naturally cross boundaries.”
Once the gospel began to flourish in Antioch, news of it reached the Jerusalem church, which sent Barnabas to investigate (Acts 11:22). This is a classic example of “cooperation between churches.” From Jerusalem’s perspective, it was necessary to examine and guide the new developments taking place. Pastor David Jang stresses that the posture here was not one of “control” but of “collaboration.” Indeed, upon arriving in Antioch, Barnabas immediately rejoiced at the grace of God at work (Acts 11:23). He exhorted them “to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose.” Rather than trying to dominate or take over as leader, Barnabas recognized the movement of God’s grace already underway and encouraged it.
He went even further, traveling to Tarsus to bring back Saul (Paul) (Acts 11:25–26). Barnabas and Saul then worked together in Antioch for about a year, teaching many people. Pastor David Jang views this scene as marking the birth of “a new leadership community.” Previously, the Jerusalem church had been centered around the Twelve Apostles, but the Antioch church developed a leadership structure that included Barnabas, Saul, and other leaders of diverse Gentile backgrounds. Through this, the early church became structurally positioned for “world missions.” Pastor David Jang highlights how Barnabas surrendered his personal authority and enlisted Paul, “a figure who would play an even greater role in the future.” This exemplifies how “serving one another and working together” can be a foundational model for building up the church.
What made the emergence of the Antioch church particularly significant was that “it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians” (Acts 11:26). The congregation there was no longer viewed simply as a “Jewish religion,” but as “followers of Jesus Christ,” a brand-new identity recognized even by the wider society. Pastor David Jang sees in this a powerful illustration of what the early church was meant to be. In Antioch, where many Greeks also joined, the community no longer appeared exclusively Jewish. Instead, it was seen as a fresh movement of those who followed the gospel of Christ.
Next, in Acts 11:27–30, we read about the prophet Agabus, who predicted a severe famine, prompting the Antioch church to gather an offering to send to believers in Judea. Pastor David Jang notes that this event reveals both “the practical function of prophetic ministry in the early church” and “the importance of mutual aid among churches.” Agabus’s prophecy did not end as a mere spiritual experience but led to tangible action within the community. This demonstrates a “healthy combination of prophecy and practice.” Moreover, the fact that the Antioch church gathered funds in advance of the coming famine to support the Jerusalem church symbolizes how these once-separate communities—Gentile church and Jewish church—were concretely manifesting their oneness.
Such inter-church cooperation recurs throughout Paul’s epistles, including Galatians and 2 Corinthians. Paul collected offerings from Gentile congregations to support the Jerusalem church, aiming to reinforce “the unity of giver and receiver” (Romans 15:25–27). Pastor David Jang sees this as a practical outworking of the apostolic theology “the church is one body.” If the Jerusalem church had stubbornly maintained its “Law-focused” exclusivism and refused to acknowledge the Gentile churches, no mutual aid could have developed, and the global spread of the gospel would have been severely hindered. Yet as Acts 11 shows, having accepted the truth that “Gentiles too have received salvation” through Peter’s vision, the Jerusalem church welcomed the new community in Antioch, and the Antioch believers, in turn, offered assistance. Consequently, the gospel would soon permeate the entire Roman Empire.
Pastor David Jang repeatedly underscores that the contemporary church must learn from this model. The larger the church grows organizationally, the more likely it is to bring together people with varied cultural backgrounds and theological perspectives. The biggest challenge is “conflict,” and the key to resolving it lies in “the heart of the gospel” and “commitment to unity.” The Antioch church demonstrated this unity in action by sending relief funds to the believers in Jerusalem, while the Jerusalem church dispatched leaders to Antioch to provide teaching—forming a mutually beneficial partnership transcending geographical distance. Moreover, the role of prophetic figures like Agabus, who conveyed a “future scenario” that the church addressed wisely, showcases the vital power of a community that combines spiritual insight with tangible practice.
Hence, Pastor David Jang describes the Antioch church narrative in Acts 11 as “the starting point of global missions,” and “the scene where the fusion and unity within the church yield concrete results.” The barrier between the Jewish church and the Gentile church was torn down, and once the community embraced the message of Peter’s vision—that “God has already cleansed these people”—the church underwent explosive growth. The fruit of this growth was “famine relief” and “further missions through Barnabas and Saul.” This demonstrates that the church need not remain an inward-looking assembly but can look outward toward the world while building deeper bonds within.
From Antioch, Paul would embark on his first, second, and third missionary journeys, traversing the Roman Empire and establishing a bridgehead for the gospel beyond Judea, into the Greek-speaking world and ultimately toward the West. Pastor David Jang regards this as the fulfillment of “the church’s missionary calling.” It did not remain in Jerusalem but moved outward to the ends of the earth, in accordance with Jesus’s command, “You will be my witnesses…to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The story of the Antioch church serves as the test case demonstrating how the horizon of the gospel can be expanded. Indeed, this resonates perfectly with the phrase “the horizon of the gospel” that Pastor David Jang frequently evokes, underscoring the idea that the gospel cannot remain confined to one region, one people, or one culture, for it is the boundless grace of God extended to all.
Pastor David Jang therefore poses the question, “What kind of church are we envisioning?” when reflecting upon Acts 11. Is there any chance that our congregations are absolutizing a “particular culture” or “theological tradition” in such a way that they end up excluding newcomers? Are we hesitant to venture into contexts where the gospel has not yet been planted, preferring instead to remain comfortably inside the church? The Antioch church was labeled “Christian” by the surrounding population precisely because it maintained its identity in Christ’s teachings and love even while mingling with the Gentile culture. Moreover, it sustained uninterrupted communication and collaboration with the Jerusalem church and took tangible steps to reflect the gospel through its famine relief efforts.
In other words, at the close of Acts 11, we behold a beautiful resolution: a multi-ethnic Antioch church unites with the Jewish-centered Jerusalem church as “one body.” This unity was possible because, previously in the chapter, the church had accepted Peter’s message abolishing “Gentile discrimination.” Once the church toppled the “wall of prejudice and exclusivism,” it swiftly moved into widespread mission, effective relief work, and spiritual growth. Pastor David Jang calls this “the fruit enjoyed by a church that is obedient to the essence of the gospel.” When human institutions, traditions, or forms do not overshadow “the voice of the Holy Spirit and the love of the cross,” the church moves in the direction God intends.
Indeed, the early church continued to face formidable challenges—clashes between Jews and Greeks, disputes over the Law, factions within the congregation, and external persecution. The fundamental power enabling them to overcome these obstacles and welcome “a new era” was always “God’s direct intervention” and “the sovereignty of the Holy Spirit.” When the Jerusalem church sharply criticized Peter in Acts 11, it ultimately yielded upon hearing how the Holy Spirit had worked, leading them to praise God. Likewise, when the Antioch church decided to send help to Jerusalem, it was not merely out of human generosity but in response to the prophetic word from Agabus, meaning they acted under the Spirit’s guidance. It was precisely this consistent submission to “where the Spirit was leading” that prevented the early church from splintering and allowed it to transition into each successive new phase.
Pastor David Jang thus reiterates that the church thrives most powerfully when it “lays aside prejudice and is united in the gospel.” Conversely, whenever the church draws rigid boundaries—“We alone are right,” “They deserve exclusion”—it stagnates or even fragments from within. Forgetting that “Jesus Christ tore down the dividing wall through His cross” quickly leads a church to lose the vitality of the gospel, fixating on numerical growth or self-preservation. Yet, starting from Acts 11, the early church came together as “one body,” paving the way for the gospel to reach every corner of the Roman Empire. Though conflicts occasionally arose along the journey, they continually reverted to “the direction set by the Holy Spirit.”
Thus, the core message Pastor David Jang revisits throughout Acts 11 is that “the church is a community unified in the gospel, bearing the responsibility to transcend barriers of nationality, culture, and tradition.” Initially, the Jewish church and the Gentile church perceived an enormous divide, but upon comprehending God’s design, they together rejoiced that “even to the Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.” Antioch then transformed that collective joy into spontaneous action: sending relief offerings to aid the brothers and sisters in Jerusalem, thereby confirming their shared bond. It is precisely this narrative in Acts 11 that provides us with a model for the “universal missionary community” the church should aspire to be.
In order for today’s church to uphold this spirit, we must make a “decision to broaden the horizon of the gospel.” That means examining whether any “exclusivist doctrines” or “cultural biases” might be hindering the gospel, whether we are welcoming new members of different ethnicities or languages wholeheartedly, and whether we are genuinely supporting—and learning from—our brothers and sisters laboring on mission fields. When the church embraces the dual obligations of “sending” like the Jerusalem church and “serving” like the Antioch church, it matures further in its calling. Pastor David Jang describes this as “missions centered on the cross,” which most closely resembles the original form of the church presented in Acts 11.
All told, Acts 11 shows us in three key developments how the early church laid the groundwork for “world mission.” First, the conflict between the Jewish church and the Gentile church vividly illustrates the clash between “chosen-people consciousness and adherence to the Law” on one side, and the gospel on the other. Second, Peter’s vision and the Cornelius episode highlight that mission stands upon “the freedom of God’s sovereignty,” compelling the church to obey that freedom. Third, the birth of the Antioch church, the ministry of the prophet Agabus, and the partnership with the Jerusalem church demonstrate that “practical unity” is the core engine of church advancement. These threads all revolve around “the cross of Christ, which has torn down the dividing wall,” and “God’s direct intervention.”
On this basis, Pastor David Jang concludes that “the conflicts and reconciliations experienced by the early church were not just an event locked in the past, but an enduring guide for us today.” Indeed, local churches often confront internal divisions resulting from varied denominational or traditional backgrounds, and overseas mission fields raise cultural barriers or prejudices. In such situations, the key reminder is “God is already at work there, and the church is merely invited to participate in that work.” To accept that invitation, we need the humility to set aside our preconceptions and listen attentively to the Holy Spirit.
Hence, Acts 11 provides “a clear answer to where the church came from, why it exists, and where it is headed.” The church is a community meant to unify all those called as God’s children, tearing down barriers between Jews and Gentiles. This unity is more than just theological talk; it must manifest through actual mutual support, mission sending, and spiritual fellowship. When the church does so, it is ever renewed, and the horizon of the gospel can continuously expand. This is what Pastor David Jang seeks to convey through the term “the horizon of the gospel”: that the church must go beyond itself, embrace the world, and press on toward God’s kingdom.
All the threads in Acts 11—though historically set in the first century—carry profoundly relevant solutions to the missionary challenges of the twenty-first-century church. When the church transcends cultural, religious, and racial biases to become one, moves forward in the Holy Spirit’s leading to share the gospel worldwide, and practices mutual support and collaboration, the gospel will again bear amazing fruit. And if we recall that the early church has already walked this path, we too can confront any conflict or obstacle with faith in the cross that “breaks down our walls” and trust the Holy Spirit to make us one. This, in essence, is the core message Pastor David Jang shares through Acts 11, and it remains the direction the church today must embrace.