This page offers Acts 11 Bible study questions for a small group, a Sunday class, or quiet personal reading. Acts 11 follows Peter as he explains to the Jerusalem believers why he shared the gospel with Gentiles, then shows how the message spread to Antioch, where the followers of Jesus first received the name Christians. Each set of questions below includes a leader’s note to guide discussion.
Acts 11 at a Glance
The chapter moves in three steps. First, Peter defends his actions in Jerusalem after recounting the vision at Joppa and the arrival of the Spirit among Cornelius’s household. The believers respond by glorifying God. Second, believers scattered by persecution carry the word to Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, and many Gentiles come to faith. Third, Barnabas is sent to Antioch, brings Saul into the work, and the church there sends relief to Judea during a coming famine.
Use the questions in order if your group has time for the full chapter. If you have less time, the Observation set alone will carry a session.
Observation Questions
Use this set to slow the group down and read the text carefully before anyone offers an opinion. Ask someone to read the passage aloud first, then let people answer from what the words actually say.
Acts 11:4-6
4 But Peter began, and explained to them in order, saying, 5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision: a certain container descending, like it was a great sheet let down from heaven by four corners. It came as far as me. 6 When I had looked intently at it, I considered, and saw the four-footed animals of the earth, wild animals, creeping things, and birds of the sky.
(WEB)
This short passage shows Peter beginning to explain himself in order, which models a clear and patient way to tell what God has done. Reading it aloud helps the group hear the sequence of events without rushing to conclusions.
Acts 11:15-17
15 As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them, even as on us at the beginning. 16 I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John indeed baptized in water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit.’ 17 If then God gave to them the same gift as us, when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I, that I could withstand God?”
(WEB)
These verses contain the heart of Peter’s argument about the Spirit falling on the household. Reading them together lets the group weigh the evidence Peter presented and consider how it shaped the church’s understanding.
Acts 11:18
When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life!”
(WEB)
This single verse records the response of the Jerusalem believers, moving from objection to praise. It is a good place to pause and ask the group how they respond when God’s work surprises them.
Acts 11:21
The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.
(WEB)
Verse 21 gives the reason for the growth in Antioch, namely the hand of the Lord at work. Reading it aloud reminds the group that the spread of the gospel depends on God rather than on human strategy alone.
Acts 11:23-24
23 Who, when he had come, and had seen the grace of God, was glad. He exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they should remain near to the Lord. 24 For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith, and many people were added to the Lord.
(WEB)
These verses describe Barnabas as a good man full of the Spirit and of faith. Reading them invites the group to consider the character qualities that make someone an encourager in the faith.
Memory Verse for Acts 11
Acts 11:17
If then God gave to them the same gift as us, when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I, that I could withstand God?”
(WEB)
This verse captures Peter’s humble question about resisting God and is short enough to memorize easily. Keep it in mind as a reminder to examine our reluctance before we push back against what God is doing.
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we thank you that your word reaches beyond the boundaries we set for ourselves. Thank you for the way you opened Peter’s eyes at Joppa and poured out your Spirit on people we might have overlooked. Give us a willingness to listen, to examine our hesitations, and to rejoice when you do what we did not expect. Help us to remain near to you with steady hearts, as Barnabas urged, and to share generously with those who have need. Shape the way we speak about you so that others may see your grace in us. Amen.
