A Study of the Book of Acts
# 22
“I Want A Church Like That”
Acts 11:19-30
It is not unusual to hear someone say that they want to be a part of a New Testament church. By that they probably intend to convey the desire to be a part of a vibrant church in which the Bible is preached, that is evangelistic in outreach and doctrinally sound. But if we take the time to examine the local churches found in the New Testament they were hardly idyllic.
The church at Corinth for example had so many problems that the Apostle Paul wrote two lengthy letters to address the problems. The church had a member that was having an incestuous relationship with his stepmother (1 Cor. 5). They were suing one another in the pagan courts (1 Cor. 6). Their worship services were chaotic and at times irreverent (1 Cor. 11-12). And they were divided into factions following various leaders (1 Cor. 1, 3).
The seven churches mentioned in the book of Revelation (Rev. 1, 2) were not much different. While some escaped criticism, most were called out for some shortcoming. Even the church at Ephesus which Paul praised in Ephesians 3 was just thirty years later warned that they had lost their first love (Rev. 2:4). However there is one church that stands out as a model of what a New Testament church should be - the church at Antioch. And yet the city of Antioch was a most unlikely place to plant a successful church. Let’s consider what ancient Antioch was like for a moment.
The ancient city of Antioch.
Antioch was considered by many to be the third greatest city in the Roman Empire, behind Rome and Alexandria. The city of Antioch with a population of perhaps 500,000 was known for its sophistication and culture but also for it immorality. It is noteworthy that when God picked a city that would become the birth place of foreign missions, He picked a cosmopolitan, morally corrupt city like Antioch.
The first eighteen verses of chapter eleven is a retelling of the story of the conversion of Cornelius and the reaction of the church at Jerusalem to that news. Basically Peter is called on the carpet by the church in Jerusalem because of his association with Gentiles (vv. 1-3), believers or not. Peter gives an admirable defense (vv. 4-18) that so satisfied the church that verse eighteen says, “When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.”
Then in verse nineteen we begin to hear the story of what happened when after the death of Stephen persecution pushed Christians into carrying out the Great Commission of carrying the gospel to the utter-most parts of the Earth. Some of those Christians made their way to Antioch.
Notice with me four factors that made Antioch a Great Church.
First, They Declared God’s Word. (11:19-20)
“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.”
The Greek word for “speak” (11:19, 20) is the word for normal conversation. As the believers were scattered by the persecution they “spoke the word,” sharing Christ in their ordinary conversation. Antioch was evangelized not by Apostles but by average members of the body of Christ who were willing to share their faith. They did not preach as we understand the word but rather, in their everyday contacts, they told others about Jesus Christ. They were not behind pulpits, preaching to people. They were behind their work counters, in their market places, in their shops, their social gathering talking about Jesus Christ who was the Lord of their lives.
At first it seems that they confined themselves to people like themselves. This could have been the result of a cultural block or it may have been as simple as a language barrier. But others came, perhaps who spoke the language, or were not constrained by cultural inhibitions, who took the Gospel to the Gentiles as well. This met with resounding success.
Not Only Did They Declared God’s Word But…
Second, They Were Enabled by God’s Power. (11: 21)
“And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.”
First, “the hand of the Lord was upon them, is to be understood in the sense that God had empowered their preaching so that many were saved. It can also be understood in the sense that it was because “the hand of the Lord was upon them,” that they were moved to do as they had.
We see an example of impressive church growth. From a small group of persecuted refugees, the church in Antioch saw large numbers of people come to Christ. In fact, three times Luke underscores the large numbers (11:21, 24, 26). As we have seen the reason for the growth was simple: “The hand of the Lord was with them” (11:21). They were so successful that by the time of the Nicean Council in A.D. 325, there are reported to have been more than 200,000 Christian in Antioch, nearly a fourth of the entire population of the city.
However, employing the principles that this church followed will not necessarily result in numerical growth; since God does not always grant numerical growth along with His blessing. And, we would be mistaken to conclude that God is blessing every grow-ing church, since churches can grow by using worldly techniques or a worldly message.
Not Only Were They Enabled by God’s Power but…
Third, They Discerned God’s Grace. (11:22-26)
The news of what was happening in Antioch got back to the church in Jerusalem. “Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem.” (v. 22a)
It took the death of Stephen and an ensuing persecution to cause the Christians to scatter out of Jerusalem. But as the believers scattered they began sharing the good news of the Gospel of Christ, and there were amazing results. According to verse twenty-one; “a great number had believed” in the city of Antioch.
But there is a problem here, a great number of Gentiles believed. But the whole idea that Gentiles could become Christians without first becoming Jews was to many of the Jewish Christians a scandalous idea. The defining issue was circumcision. Since Christianity originated in the Jewish community and the first Christians were Jews their natural and yet erroneous conclusion was the path to becoming a Christian included circumcision. When the news reached Jerusalem, Barnabas was dispatched to check things out.
• Barnabas Sent To Investigate. (vv. 22b-24)
“… 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.”
No better man could have been chosen to go than Barnabas, the encourager. Barnabas, was himself originally from Cyprus just as some of those who had evangelized Antioch were. Note that it is stated that Barnabas was a good man, it does not tell us that was talented, cultured, educated or intelligent and he may have been all of those. But it tells us he was a “good man” – that is he was a man of proven character. And he was a “good man” because he was a man “full of the Holy Spirit,” that is controlled by the Holy Spirit. And a man “of faith” believing in and reacting to the leading of the Lord.What Barnabas found when he came to Antioch was he witnessed “the grace of God” (v. 23). The grace of God may be invisible but you can certainly see its effect, changed people.
We told that when Barnabas saw the evidence of the grace of God “he was glad” (v. 23). But it was not a foregone conclusion that a Jew, particularly a Levite (Acts 4:36), like Barnabas would rejoice in this situation. God was working and Gentiles were being converted, without first having to become Jews. But true to his name when he saw that the grace of God was obvious at work in the people he was glad.
Verse twenty-three says that Barnabas “encour-aged” (parakaelei) the new believers he found in Antioch, that they would “cleave to the Lord” that is keep on remaining loyal (present active infinitive). Persistence is indeed needed in such a pagan city.
• Barnabas Searches for Paul. (v. 25)
Barnabas was humble enough to know when he needed help. It is a wise person who knows his or her own limitations and is willing to ask for help. Verse twenty five says, “Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul.” It has been 8 to 10 years since Paul left Jerusalem for the safety of Tarsus (9:30) and finding Saul may have been far from easy. But this was no casual trip, but it was a diligent, determined search for Saul—one which would not be terminated until Saul was found and persuaded to go to Antioch. The term which is used here, rendered “to seek” or “to look for” is found elsewhere only in Luke 2 (vv. 44,45), where it refers to the diligent search for the missing Jesus by His parents when he was twelve years old.
• Barnabas Persuades Paul To Come To Antioch.
(v. 26a) “And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch.”
This is the second time Barnabas has intervened in Paul’s life (9:27). We do not know for certain what transpired during Paul’s time in Tarsus, perhaps it then that he experiences the “loss of all things” (Phil 3:8) which may have been a reference to his being disinherited by his Jewish family. Certainly he would have continued preaching and perhaps it was at this time that he received five sets of thirty-nine stripes at the hands of synagogue officials (2 Cor. 11:23-27). But whatever he has experienced God has been preparing Paul for this time. What a joy to realize that even our pain has purpose.
At first it was the team of Barnabas and Paul (Saul)(11:30, 12:25, 13:2)but before very long we notice in the account in Acts that it is Paul and Barnabas (13:43, 46, 50).Barnabas was willing to give up the limelight. Paul takes over from Barnabas as the recognized leader of the team. It is a rare individual who can be like Barnabas and John the Baptist can say, “I must decrease that he might increase.” (Jn. 3:30) People who care more that the work is done than who gets the credit.
• Barnabas and Paul Instruct the New Believers. (v. 26b)
“…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.”
The initial success in Antioch had been in part because the believers began to carry out The Great Commission. Jesus said, “… All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. (19) Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.” (Matt 28:18-20)
Because English translations put the word “go” first in verse nineteen, sometimes is even capitalized and set apart by a comma, readers incorrectly assume the emphasis of the Great Commission is on “going.” We know we should be going so we emphasis this aspect of Jesus’ instructions. However we should really read that as “even as you go” the going is assumed.
The emphasis is on “make disciples.” Evangelism is just one of the things the followers of Christ were to do. But the second part of the Great Commission is “teaching then them to observe all things that I have commanded you.” That is we are to instruct them or disciple them in the fundamentals. We are not talking about just teaching a set of doctrines but of a way of life. This phase always takes longer, according to verse twenty-six, Barnabas and Paul spend an entire year on the process.
The end result was the many people were “taught” (v. 26) discipled and grounded in their faith through the efforts of Barnabas and Saul.
They Were Christians First! (v. 26)
The term “Christian” was not used until it was coined at Antioch (Acts 11:26). Prior to this believers had been called several things. The first word used to describe them was “disciples.” They were disciples of their Master. They were disciples or “learners” after their master Jesus. That name existed throughout the ministry of Jesus.
Afterward they were called “saints.” Jesus gave them this word, calling them literally “the holy ones, or the set apart ones.” A saint is not one who is perfect. Not one who has been credited with so many miracles as in the Catholic understanding of the word. A saint is one who is committed to or devoted to God, which are all the followers of Jesus Christ.
They were called “believers.” This does not refer only to an intellectual adherence to a set of facts, but to a joyous reception to the gospel.
They were called “witnesses.” Jesus said, “You will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8). They were to be witnesses of what they had seen and heard, of the truth about Jesus Christ to the rest of the world.
It is in Antioch that for the first time the followers of Jesus are called “Christians.” The word means “Christ’s ones” or “Christ’s people” or “belonging to Christ.” Some believe that it was intended as a sneer, an insult. But once given to them, it was felt to be too appropriate and too precious, to be ever allowed to die.
Here for the very first time these, disciples, saints, believers, witnesses, are called Christians. No longer is the church considered a sect of Judaism. The church is recognized as being distinct from Israel.
Dr. Boice make a valuable point when he wrote, “When the text says that ‘the disciples were first called Christians at Antioch’ it means that Antioch is the first place that they were given that name. But taking that sentence another way, we might also observe rightly that they were Christians first of all, before anything else.” [James Montgomery Boice. “Acts: An Expositional Commentary.” (Grand Rapids, Baker, 1997) pp. 203-4]
It is somewhat amazing to recognize that it is the city of Antioch where the disciples are first called Christians. Antioch was a city that was noted for its depravity and wickedness. But it was Antioch, which was chosen to be the birthplace of foreign missions. God’s light often shines brightest against a dark background.
Not Only Did They Discern God’s Grace but…
Fourth, They Were Dedicated to Generous Giving. (11:27-30)
“And in these days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch. (28) Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine through-out all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar.”
The message of Agabus was extraordinarily simple: a famine is coming (v. 28). We are never told that Agabus told the church at Antioch what to do. They could have started stockpiling food, but instead when the Antioch church heard this message they responded immediately. “Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea. (30) This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.” (vv. 29-30)
This seems like such a simple thing unless you think about the implications. The prophecy is that a famine is coming upon the whole region this means of course that the famine is also coming upon the land and the people of Antioch. When the saints at Antioch gave to the saints in Judea, they did so at their own risk. It is one thing to give to others when you know you have more than enough for yourself, but it is entirely another when you give knowing you might suffer as a result of that giving.
This offering was not given out of the surplus of a few wealthy members but rather according to verse twenty-nine, “each according to his ability” – it was a widespread effort of shared sacrifice. What a standard for today's church! Indeed,
