Acts 11:19-26

CHRISTians…being justified in Him and being changed precept by precept to do good works to the glory of God. It was too small a thing that Jesus came to only the Jews. He came to offer salvation to ALL…those in every financial condition, every nationality, every gender. EVERYONE.

All praise and honor be to God…Father, Son and Holy Spirit!

The Greek term used here, christianos, which may be literally rendered “of Christ” or “belonging to Christ,” refers to “Christ followers.” The community began to be known as a distinct movement from Judaism that was loyal to Jesus as Messiah (or Christ) and Lord.

The mission of the early church extends into the region of Phoenicia—in modern-day Lebanon, north of Israel along the Mediterranean coast—beyond Caesarea and to areas besides Damascus. Cyprus a large Mediterranean island that figures prominently in Acts. Cyrene in northern Africa (modern-day Libya) settled by Greeks, which in the first century had a large Jewish population. 

Antioch was the Roman military and administrative capital of its region in southern Asia Minor. Luke (the narrator) underlines the culturally limited scope of the church’s witness beyond Jerusalem prior to this point. Faithlife Bible.

This persecution began when Stephen was murdered for his faith. God often uses tough times to accomplish His will. Jesus said, “You shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth”. God allowed persecution to be the impetus for spreading Christ’s witness throughout the land. Those who face such persecution will receive “great reward” in heaven. At this time it was primarily the Jewish believers who were being persecuted. Consequently, the Jewish Christians were the ones who were moving out and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ in various regions. They shared the gospel with the Jews because they still met in the local synagogues and held onto many of the Jewish customs. (Catholic)

Seleucus I founded the city of Antioch, naming it after his father. The city was cosmopolitan, attracting people of various cultures and ethnic backgrounds—including people from Persia, India, and even China. The gospel proclaimed in Antioch would have had tremendous potential for reaching other areas of the world. Moreover, because the city was culturally diverse, it was not controlled by one religious group, making the people there more open to hearing the truth of the gospel message.

Barnabas, nicknamed “Son of Encouragement” by the apostles, was sent to discern what God was doing in the lives of the new converts. When Barnabas saw the grace of God in these converts, he was true to his name and encouraged them in their new faith. Purpose of heart describes a resolve of the will to make up one’s mind about one thing. The resolve here was to remain with the Lord.

The believers were called Christians because they worshiped Christ, the Messiah. The historian Josephus called them “that tribe of Christians.” Tacitus, the Roman historian, referred to them as “Christians, a name derived from Christ.” Originally, the church called themselves “The Way.” But later they began to refer to themselves as Christians, despite the fact that the name most likely was originally used to ridicule the believers. NKJ Bible.

Acts 11:19–26 (NKJV)

¹⁹ Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only. ²⁰ But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus. ²¹ And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.

²² Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch. ²³ When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord. ²⁴ For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord.

²⁵ Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. ²⁶ And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

Acts 2:47 (NKJV)

⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

Luke 1:66 (NKJV)

⁶⁶ And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying, “What kind of child will this be?” And the hand of the Lord was with him.

Ezekiel 9:9-11

There will come a time of  judgement.

What does God require of us? Micah 8:6

Be fair to ALL people

Forgive quickly

Remain humble

it is nothing to do with your goodness but everything to do with His!

God can no longer delay punishment for Israel. His justice requires judgment. Faithlife Bible.

Three reasons are given as to why the nation deserved this terrible outpouring of God’s wrath—serious and undeniable (1) iniquity, or guilt of sinful offenses; (2) bloodshed, or violence; and (3) perversity, or more precisely injustice. The people and especially rich rulers willfully chose to believe that God did not see or care what injustices went on. NKJ Bible.

 Ezekiel 9:9–11 (NKJV)

⁹ Then He said to me, “The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great, and the land is full of bloodshed, and the city full of perversity; for they say, ‘The Lord has forsaken the land, and the Lord does not see!’ ¹⁰ And as for Me also, My eye will neither spare, nor will I have pity, but I will recompense their deeds on their own head.”

¹¹ Just then, the man clothed with linen, who had the inkhorn at his side, reported back and said, “I have done as You commanded me.”

2 Kings 21:16 (NKJV)

¹⁶ Moreover Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another, besides his sin by which he made Judah sin, in doing evil in the sight of the Lord.

Isaiah 29:15 (NKJV)

¹⁵ Woe to those who seek deep to hide their counsel far from the Lord,

And their works are in the dark;

They say, “Who sees us?” and, “Who knows us?”

Isaiah 65:6 (NKJV)

⁶ “Behold, it is written before Me:

I will not keep silence, but will repay—

Even repay into their bosom—

Micah 2:1-4

Evil never pays. Hate never rewards. Ill gotten gain is fleeting. I fear for our country under the current administration. God help America.

They do evil not merely on a sudden impulse, but with deliberate design. 

These wicked individuals lay on their beds at night thinking of evil plots. They cannot sleep because they are consumed with wickedness. These evildoers were powerful, wealthy people with the ability to carry out their schemes and profit by them. The mistreatment of others has given these evildoers the impression that they are better than those upon whom they prey. The “Day of Yahweh,” would be a day of divine judgment. Faithlife Bible.

The ethical teaching of the prophets regularly included oracles of judgment against greed, theft, and oppression, actions of the powerful in attacking the weak. To covet is not just to have a passing thought; it is a determination to seize what is not one’s own. “Do not prattle” these words may have been a strong warning to Micah not to be like the lying prophets who counseled that all was well in the land. NKJ Bible.

Micah 2:1–4 (NKJV)

2  Woe to those who devise iniquity,

And work out evil on their beds!

At morning light they practice it,

Because it is in the power of their hand.

² They covet fields and take them by violence,

Also houses, and seize them.

So they oppress a man and his house,

A man and his inheritance.

³ Therefore thus says the Lord:

“Behold, against this family I am devising disaster,

From which you cannot remove your necks;

Nor shall you walk haughtily,

For this is an evil time.

⁴ In that day one shall take up a proverb against you,

And lament with a bitter lamentation, saying:

‘We are utterly destroyed!

He has changed the heritage of my people;

How He has removed it from me!

To a turncoat He has divided our fields.’ ”

Amos 5:12 (NKJV)

¹² For I know your manifold transgressions

And your mighty sins:

Afflicting the just and taking bribes;

Diverting the poor from justice at the gate.

Amos 5:13 (NKJV)

¹³ Therefore the prudent keep silent at that time,

For it is an evil time.

Isaiah 14:4 (NKJV)

⁴ that you will take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say:

“How the oppressor has ceased,

The golden city ceased!

Matthew 2:9-12

This is the day the Lord has made let us rejoice and be glad in it!!

We will never totally understand the depravity of the world that exists without Jesus…but we were placed here to be a beacon of light not darkness. Listen carefully to the Holy Spirit who will direct your path and protect you from all evil.

This unusual activity demonstrates that the star is a supernatural phenomenon. Matthew does not identify the warning’s origin. Throughout his narrative, he commonly ascribes dreams to God and His emissaries. Faithlife Bible.

The wise men undoubtedly would have been discouraged by their failure to find the King in Jerusalem, by the lack of knowledge concerning the birth of the Messiah among the leaders, by the disinterest among Israel, and by the weariness from the long journey. The reappearance of the star must have brought great joy and encouragement to them. Their gifts provided the financial resources for Mary and Joseph’s flight to Egypt. NKJ Bible.

Matthew 2:9–12 (NKJV)

⁹ When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. ¹¹ And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

¹² Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

Job 33:15 (NKJV)

¹⁵ In a dream, in a vision of the night,

When deep sleep falls upon men,

While slumbering on their beds,

Matthew 1:20 (NKJV)

²⁰ But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 12:5-10

God is in total control.  He has the absolute power to save, to change circumstances and act on our behalf. He also can and does use our hands and our feet to fulfill his wishes as He did in WW2 in response to the genocide of the Jews by the hands of Hitler. As He used Moses to save his children enslaved by pharaoh. Throughout HISstory God has used those willing to serve him to help others in unison with the miraculous.

We must never put God in a box. He is the great I AM!

To God alone all glory!!

Two of the soldiers in the squad are chained to Peter while the other two keep watch. This choice to guard him this closely is probably due to him being freed miraculously earlier. Faithlife Bible.

Peter was arrested and slated to be executed like James. However, Peter’s execution was delayed because it was against Jewish law to have a trial or sentencing during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, better known as Passover. This was Peter’s third arrest. During a previous incarceration, Peter had miraculously escaped with the help of an angel of the Lord who opened the gates of the prison. This time Peter was placed under maximum security in the care of four squads of soldiers of four men each. The soldiers worked three-hour shifts. Both of Peter’s wrists were chained, and he had a soldier on each side. Outside Peter’s cell, two more soldiers stood guard. NKJ Bible.

Acts 12:5–10 (NKJV)

⁵ Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. ⁶ And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. ⁷ Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands. ⁸ Then the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and tie on your sandals”; and so he did. And he said to him, “Put on your garment and follow me.” ⁹ So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. ¹⁰ When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.

Psalm 126:6 (NKJV)

⁶ He who continually goes forth weeping,

Bearing seed for sowing,

Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,

Bringing his sheaves with him.

Acts 5:19 (NKJV)

¹⁹ But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said,

Acts 11:5 (NKJV)

⁵ “I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, an object descending like a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came to me.

John 12:44-50

Believe in the One sent to save you. GOD, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, loves you so! Let the flame of Christ reside in you through the Holy Spirit. If we cling to the light we will be transformed into a beacon of God’s love to all those we meet!

Jesus equates Himself with God the Father; they are one. Jesus desires to save. Receiving that salvation involves believing in Him. The commandment Jesus requires His disciples to keep is to believe in His ability to grant eternal life. Faithlife Bible.

Jesus insisted that anyone who believed in Him was at the same time exercising belief in God the Father. Jesus explained that He was the personal manifestation of God. Christ will judge, but at His first coming He did not come to judge but to save.

John 12:44–50 (NKJV)

⁴⁴ Then Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. ⁴⁵ And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. ⁴⁶ I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. ⁴⁷ And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. ⁴⁸ He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. ⁴⁹ For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. ⁵⁰ And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.”

Luke 10:16 (NKJV)

¹⁶ He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.”

John 6:53-59

Holy is the Lamb of God slain so that all who believe in Him, in His birth, death and resurrection, would live eternally with Him. Communion is the Body and Blood of our Savior and in partaking it we share in the remembrance of all that He did for us!

Jesus had made it abundantly clear in this context that eternal life is gained by believing. These verses teach that the benefits of Jesus’ death must be appropriated, by faith, by each individual. NKJ Bible.

This is that bread,—a sort of summing up of the whole discourse, on which let this one further remark suffice—that as our Lord, instead of softening down His figurative sublimities, or even putting them in naked phraseology, leaves the great truths of His Person and Office, and our participation of Him and it, enshrined for all time in those glorious forms of speech, so when we attempt to strip the truth of these figures, figures though they be, it goes away from us, like water when the vessel is broken, and our wisdom lies in raising our own spirit, and attuning our own ear, to our Lord’s chosen modes of expression. (It should be added that although this discourse has nothing to do with the Sacrament of the Supper, the Sacrament has everything to do with it, as the visible embodiment of these figures, and, to the believing partaker, a real, yea, and the most lively and affecting participation of His flesh and blood, and nourishment thereby of the spiritual and eternal life, here below).

 Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 2, p. 140). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

John 6:53–59 (NKJV)

⁵³ Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. ⁵⁴ Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. ⁵⁵ For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. ⁵⁶ He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. ⁵⁷ As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. ⁵⁸ This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”

⁵⁹ These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.

Matthew 26:26 (NKJV)

²⁶ And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”

Matthew 26:27 (NKJV)

²⁷ Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.

Mark 1:14-15

Faith alone pleases the Father.

The time is now!

As soon as John the Baptist is arrested, Jesus emerges from the wilderness to declare the arrival of God’s kingdom on earth. Faithlife Bible.

Jesus proclaimed the kingdom of God. It was the subject of much OT prophecy, and the theme was familiar to Jesus’ listeners. Repent, and believe are both acts of faith. When a person accepts the only true and worthy object of faith, that person readily turns from inferior substitutes. NKJ Bible.

Mark 1:14–15 (NKJV)

Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, ¹⁵ and saying,  “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

Matthew 4:17 (NKJV)

¹⁷ From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Matthew 4:8-11

God hates pride and arrogance. When you elevate yourself…Satan enters. Jesus, all man-all God, lived to serve. Shouldn’t we also strive to love and serve Him by loving others and wanting their needs met just like we pray for our needs to be met? 

Our battles are in the spiritual realm not the physical. God does not need our help He uses our hands,  for good, to accomplish His will on earth.

To God alone be all glory!

God led His people into the promised land despite the strength of its inhabitants. He also brought about the kingdom of His Messiah despite opposition. Faithlife Bible.

Specifically, in reference to Jesus, Satan was offering a crown without the cross. Jesus’ experience serves as a pattern in spiritual warfare today: Jesus resisted Satan, then He defeated Satan with consistent, meaningful use of the Scriptures. Having rejected Satan’s offer of bread, assistance from angels, and earthly kingdoms, Jesus was immediately visited by angels who helped Him. NKJ Bible.

Matthew 4:8–11 (NKJV)

⁸ Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. ⁹ And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”

¹⁰ Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”

¹¹ Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

Matthew 16:26 (NKJV)

²⁶ For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

Matthew 26:53 (NKJV)

⁵³ Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?

Joshua 24:14 (NKJV)

¹⁴ “Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord!

Luke 13:1-5

We are ALL sinners in need of a Savior. The only One who willingly gave up His life in place of ours…Jesus Christ our Lord and King! Micah 8:6 Be Fair, Forgive easily and remain Humble. We need to discern our actions and the actions of others according to Gods’ commands. We need to hate the sin but not the sinner. 

God alone knows the soul of a person.

Jesus’ point here is that everyone stands at the edge of death until repentance occurs. The death in view here is spiritual, not physical. The manner in which a person dies is not a measure of righteousness; what is important is not to die outside of God’s grace and care. The way to avoid such a fate is to repent, to come to God through the care of the physician Jesus. NKJ Bible.

Luke 13:1–5 (NKJV)

13 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. ² And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? ³ I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. ⁴ Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? ⁵ I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”

Luke 12:49-53

Not all who call Christ Lord belong to Him. Those who do the will of the Father…are His. Choose wisely.

Love God above ALL and love and treat everyone else as you deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. In this you fulfill what God expects from you. Micah 8:6

At face value, this statement seems to contradict the angels’ announcement of peace at Jesus’ birth. However, Jesus is not denying the reality of messianic peace; rather, He is affirming that His death and resurrection will force people to choose sides. Although the way of Jesus certainly leads to peace in God’s kingdom, not everyone decides to follow Him. Faithlife Bible.

Part of Jesus’ mission was to create a division within humankind. Other texts of Luke speak of Jesus bringing peace. He offers peace to those who respond to Him. NKJ  Bible.

Luke 12:49–53 (NKJV)

⁴⁹ “I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! ⁵⁰ But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished! ⁵¹ Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division. ⁵² For from now on five in one house will be divided: three against two, and two against three. ⁵³ Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”

Matthew 10:36 (NKJV)

³⁶ and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’

Micah 7:6 (NKJV)

⁶ For son dishonors father,

Daughter rises against her mother,

Daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;

A man’s enemies are the men of his own household.

1 Corinthians 3:9-17

We are all in this together. 

In God’s love there are no mountains that we cannot climb. We are united by the blood of the Lamb and empowered through the Holy Spirit. We were created by God for good deeds.

The church community displays the Holy Spirit’s power to give life and bring growth. Paul emphasizes that the entire Church community is God’s temple (His dwelling place on earth), not just select individuals. Faithlife Bible.

Paul had established the church at Corinth on the foundation of Christ. Any person who disrupts and destroys the church by divisions, malice, and other harmful acts invites God’s discipline. Everything God has done in the church, and in the entire universe, benefits all believers. There is no place for foolish boasting or competition among Christians. NKJ Bible.

1 Corinthians 3:9–17 (NKJV)

⁹ For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. ¹⁰ According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. ¹¹ For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. ¹² Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, ¹³ each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. ¹⁴ If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. ¹⁵ If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

¹⁶ Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? ¹⁷ If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.

Romans 8:9 (NKJV)

⁹ But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.

Ephesians 2:20 (NKJV)

²⁰ having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,

Ephesians 2:21 (NKJV)

²¹ in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,

Acts 15:6-11

The salvation God provides in Christ Jesus saves us. The Holy Spirit is given us to protect and guide us in our journey. Our faith in His power alone to save us….icing on the cake.

To God be all the glory!

Peter reasons that since God is working among both Jews and Gentiles that to demand that the Gentiles become Jews is to doubt what God has declared. Faithlife Bible.

These are the last words of Peter in the Book of Acts. He leaves us with the eternal truth that we are saved through faith by grace alone. The emphasis in the Book of Acts now moves from Peter to Paul, from the presentation of the gospel message among the Jews to its presentation to the Gentiles.

While the testimony of Peter, Barnabas, and Paul was important for the council in making their decision, something more than the experience of the Gentiles had to be taken into consideration. The council needed to know what the Word of God said. James pointed out that what was happening among the Gentiles was in full agreement with the OT. NKJ Bible.

Acts 15:6–11 (NKJV)

⁶ Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter. ⁷ And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: “Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. ⁸ So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, ⁹ and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. ¹⁰ Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? ¹¹ But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.”

Matthew 23:4 (NKJV)

⁴ For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

Acts 10:15 (NKJV)

¹⁵ And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.”