Hello everyone! Let’s continue to worship the Lord with the reading and proclaiming of His Word. Let’s pray and commit this time to Him.
As we gather Lord, may your spirit work within us. As we gather may we glorify your name, knowing well that as our heart begin to worship, we'll be blessed because we came. We are here Lord, to praise you.
We praise you for your power, which is beyond compare. We worship you for your wisdom, which is beyond understanding. You can meet all our needs. You restore the broken-hearted and heal the wounded. You are the Shepherd of our lives.
As we open the Bible today, we pray that we would hear your voice and understand your will. Opening our ears to hear and our hearts to receive Your Word. May we be sanctified and transformed into your likeness. Bless this time and glorify yourself, Lord. In Jesus’ Name we ask, AMEN.
Let me recap last week message.
• The traditional Jews in Jerusalem questioned Peter for his visit to the Gentiles.
• Peter explained what the Lord has done, recounting the visions of God, the witness of the Holy Spirit and the words of Christ.
• It was undeniably the work of God in saving the Gentiles and bringing them into the Kingdom of God. The people submitted to God’s will.
• It was the revealed will of God that the believers have to LEARN. There were wrong assumptions that they need to UNLEARN, and the truths that they need to RELEARN.
• Jews and Gentiles are one in Christ. We are all equal at the foot of the cross – all sinners in need of God’s saving grace.
• There is no first-class or second-class citizens in the Kingdom of God. We love and accept one another.
In today’s passage, we are going to shift our focus from Jerusalem to Antioch, a city 480km North of Jerusalem. Let us read Acts 11:19-21, the first of 3 parts.
19 Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen travelled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews. 20 Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord's hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.
Now you know where I got the title for the sermon today: The Lord’s hand was with them. The Hand of the Lord.
Stephen’s martyrdom sparked off the persecution of the church in Jerusalem that scattered the believers to the regions beyond as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch.
• Look at this map. Arrows with the 1 are the places the persecuted “refugees” went to (in Acts 8:1). Initially reaching out only to the Jews.
• Now in Acts 11:20 we see others from Cyprus and Cyrene carrying the Gospel to Antioch and beginning to speak to the Gentile Greeks.
• (Cyprus is this island out in the Mediterranean and Cyrene is in modern-day Libya)
There are many Antioch in ancient times, but we are looking at the Antioch in Syria, Syrian Antioch (map top right).
• The Bible also refers to another Antioch in Pisidia, Pisidian Antioch, later in Paul’s journey. (map middle top, out of the map)
• Syrian Antioch was the 3rd largest city in the Roman Empire, after Rome and Alexandria, a city known for its business but also corruption and immorality.
This marks a turning point in the book of Acts. We now see the Gospel being preached openly and actively among the ‘uncircumcised’ Greeks.
• It was carried by unknown men and women who believed Christ. They were the missionaries to this city and pioneers of this church but no names were mentioned.
• No big name, no sending organisation, no gifted speaker standing behind a podium or in the synagogue (since they were reaching out to the Gentiles), just ordinary believers sharing the good news about Jesus.
• “The Lord's hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.” (11:21) The Lord was working through His people.
The Gentiles were turning to the Lord in large numbers. It’s a growing community of FAITH in Christ.
Acts 11:22-26
22 News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. 24 He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.
25 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.
The church in Jerusalem got news of it and decided to send Barnabas to check things out. He was also from Cyprus and would be able to communicate well.
• More importantly, he has a proven character, Luke tells us “a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith.” (11:24)
• One’s character can only be judged by others, not self. The church in Jerusalem knows Barnabas.
Luke tells us again in 11:24 that a “great number of people were brought to the Lord” and 11:26 they “taught great numbers of people.”
• 3 times Luke underscored the large numbers (11:21, 24, 26) and the reason was “the Lord’s hand was with them” (11:21).
• They preached Jesus and the Lord’s hand was with them, bringing the lost back to Himself. Many believed and turned to the Lord.
• They turned FROM their old lives, old beliefs, old idols, and TO Jesus.
Their faith in Jesus led to a change in their lives. How do we know?
• When Barnabas arrived, he saw “the evidence of the grace of God.” (NIV 11:23)
• Most other versions put it simply as he saw “the grace of God.” How beautiful!
• Do you know that you can see ‘the grace of God’? How? When we see the effects of the grace of God in a person’s life.
Barnabas did not explain, neither did Luke, but I believe we know what it means.
• It was something that Barnabas could see, the evidence of the life-change in Christ.
• It could be in their behaviours or manners, especially so living in a city known for its corrupt practices and immoral lifestyles.
• It could be the fruit of repentance he saw, or their longing and thirst for the Word of God, or their unselfish love for one another.
• The list could go on but whatever that was, Barnabas saw the grace of God in their lives and “he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.” (11:23)
Barnabas saw life-change. You see, the Gentiles do not need to become Jews to have a new life in Christ.
• It’s not about having to be circumcised like the Jews or observing their Jewish laws or festivals. It’s about faith in Jesus Christ.
• Genuine faith in Christ brings about repentance and life-change, from the inside, and seen from the outside.
• Barnabas encouraged them to remain true to Jesus with all their hearts, no matter what. ESV translates, “with steadfast purpose”, meaning resolutely, not wavering.
That’s the people of FAITH in Christ displaying the GRACE of God in their lives.
Barnabas stayed to teach them the Word of God. With the expanding number of believers, Barnabas needed help and he remembered Saul.
• 11:25-26 “Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people…”
Barnabas may not be as prominent as Peter or Paul, but he played a crucial role in the early church. Luke highlighted him a few times before this.
• 4:36 when Barnabas made an offering to the church
• 9:27 when Saul first came to Jerusalem, Barnabas accepted him while many distrust him.
• Now in Acts 11. He was sent to Antioch by the church in Jerusalem, came to encourage the believers, brought Paul back from Tarsus and taught them for a year.
This is the 2nd time that Barnabas has intervened in Paul’s life.
• He went to look for him likely because he knew of Paul’s commission by the Lord to reach out to the Gentiles (when they met in Acts 9).
• Soon, Paul will take over the limelight when the missionary journey starts in Acts 13 but it’s fine, Barnabas is still the ‘good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith.’ (11:24)
• Ministry is not about personal status or glory. It’s not about making a name for ourselves or building our own kingdom. We are building God’s Kingdom.
• Barnabas did what he could to nurture and groom Saul into Paul, to the glory of God.
11:26b “The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.”
What a beautiful testimony!
• In Latin, the ending ‘ian’ meant “the party of” so Christian means ‘belonging to the party of Christ’ or the ‘Christ’s people’.
• The term was probably first used to mock followers of Jesus, intended to insult them, but the name stuck. And it was good.
• It might be given in mockery but the significance of this was that believers were now being recognised as a distinct group, distinct from Judaism and Israel.
• Christians are followers of Jesus, living distinctly different lives, modelled after Christ, and not any religious sect or creed.
• And the name was coined in Antioch, the city known for her corruption and immorality. What an irony. God’s light shines brightest in the darkest places.
Acts 11:27-30
27 During this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.) 29 The disciples, each according to his ability, decided to provide help for the brothers living in Judea. 30 This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.
The people of FAITH displays the GRACE of God and now exemplifies the LOVE of God.
A believer with the gift of prophecy, Agabus, prophesied that a severe famine will come upon the Roman Empire.
• History tells us this was a series of severe famines that struck various parts of the Roman world during the reign of Emperor Claudius. It happened around AD 44-45.
• And their first response was not to stockpile food and prepare for it (like what many did when CB was announced here) but to think of the needs of the Jewish comrades, the many poorer believers in Judea.
• The Christians decided to take up a collection, each according to his ability, to help their fellow Jewish believers. The Gentile church helping the Jewish church.
James Montgomery Boice (theologian and bible teacher): mont gum mer ree
“As far as I know, this is the first charitable act of this nature in all recorded history – one race of people collecting money to help another people. No wonder they were first called Christians at Antioch.”
The Christians in Antioch are the people of FAITH in Christ that display the GRACE of God and exemplify the LOVE of God.
We are beginning to see the desire of God being fulfilled here at Antioch when a great number of Gentiles believed Christ and turned to the Lord.
• This is the will of God, expressed in His covenant with Abraham, for the nations of the world to be blessed through Israel.
• Antioch would soon become the base of operations for Paul’s missionary journeys to the Gentile world.
A migrant worker suffered a fractured ankle. He was going to be sent back without any compensation.
He shared that he had come to Singapore poor because he needed a job, but within a short time he was injured, and now he’s being sent home even poorer.
His fellow migrant workers shared the Gospel with him, and he came to faith in Jesus because he was in the faith community here.
And before he left, he said that he had lost everything and became poorer, but found something of surpassing worth, returning home.
Can Singapore not be the ‘Antioch’ of Asia, with so many migrant workers?
Who started this faith community in Antioch?
• We did not see any apostles’ names. We did not read of special rallies. No big name or famous evangelist. Just ordinary believers who talk about Jesus.
• And the hand of the Lord was with them (11:21) and many were saved.
THE HAND OF THE LORD was with them.
• This line brought me back to a scene at the Sea of Galilee.
• It reminded me of Jesus’ outstretched hand to Peter as he was about to sink, in Matt 14:30-31.
• “Lord, save me!” Peter cried out and Jesus reached out His hand immediately and caught him.
• That’s our Lord. No one who cries out to Him shall perish. He is mighty to save.
Do you feel like Peter sometimes? Struggling to stay afloat, sinking in the weight of your troubles, looking at the terrifying storm around you?
• Don’t look around and don’t turn inward, to yourselves. Look for the hand of the Lord.
• Turn to Him and you will probably see His hand already outstretched and ready to lift you.
• And we might just hear Him say the same words: “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Mt 14:31)
May we be blessed like the Christians in Antioch.
• May we be a people of FAITH in Christ, displaying the GRACE of God in our lives, and sharing the LOVE of God to those in need.
• May the Lord use us to be a blessing to many, wherever He puts us.
Let’s pray.
PRAY:
Dear God, thank you for your pursuit of the lost throughout history, in drawing men back to yourself through your Son Jesus. We thank you for your love for us.
As Barnabas has said, let us remain true to you with all our hearts, help us remain faithful to you with steadfast purpose. May we continue to seek you and know you, to worship and obey you, to read and understand your Word for us.
And help us share the blessings we have in you, with everyone. Let us be channels of your love and grace. We pray that the lost and struggling ones will find hope and strength in you. May your will be done IN US and THROUGH US.
May the grace of Jesus, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with your people, wherever we go, now and forevermore, AMEN.
