Revivals, Recruitment, & Relief
This week’s passage in Acts 11 documents a transition
in the book from a narrative focused on Jerusalem, with Peter and the other
apostles and elders as the missionary agents of the church to a missional
narrative where the city of Antioch, with Barnabas and Saul/Paul, are seen as
the major participants. While there are some exceptions (e.g., Acts 12), from
this point on, the narrative follows the various missionary journeys of Paul and
his companions and documents the hardships and joys faced in missionary
evangelism.
We pick up in Chapter 11:19 after Peter’s
report to the Jerusalem church regarding his unexpected ministry to the Gentile
Cornelius in Caesarea. Luke’s chronology is not necessarily sequential here. He
tells the story of some of the believers who had been driven out of Jerusalem
by Saul’s persecution and their faithful witness for Jesus Christ even as they
journeyed north as refugees.
I will present the text in three sections and
offer a few simple observations accordingly.
1)
Revival in Antioch (v.19-24)
Now those who were scattered
because
of the persecution
that arose over Stephen
traveled as far as
Phoenicia and
Cyprus
and Antioch,
speaking the word to no
one except Jews.
But there were some of them,
men of Cyprus and
Cyrene,
who
on coming to Antioch
spoke to the
Hellenists also,
preaching the Lord Jesus.
And the hand of the Lord was with them,
and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.
The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem,
and they sent Barnabas to
Antioch.
When he came and saw the grace of God,
he was glad,
and he exhorted them all to remain
faithful to the Lord
with steadfast
purpose,
for
he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.
And a great many people were added to the Lord.
But “there were some” for whom…
- Persecution
caused relocation, but not retreat or renunciation of the gospel.
While the “some” had to flee Jerusalem for their lives, they didn’t stop
preaching the good news of a crucified and risen Savior! As a result, the
attacks of the enemy turned into a blessing for the many who got to hear that
salvation was available in Jesus Christ. Persecution always seems to expand the
church and embolden believers to make good use of whatever time they have to
serve the Lord and love people.
- They took the
risk… to preach to the Gentiles. Let’s be honest, they would have
been criticized by both Jews and status-quo Jewish Christians. This likely was
going on even before Peter’s high-profile visit to the Roman Cornelius in
Caesarea. As a result of their spiritual boldness revival broke out in Antioch.
It was apparent that the results were not of their own doing… Two things were obvious, first “God was with them” and second “People responded in great numbers.”
- Barnabas had
eyes to see God at work and rejoice. This is huge! In
contrast to the reaction of the circumcision party in Jerusalem to the revival
in Caesarea, which only wanted to find fault with Peter for hanging out and
eating with Gentiles, the church sent Barnabas to encourage the new church in
Antioch. Further, Barnabas had the spiritual aptitude to see God at work in
Antioch.
- Barnabas brought a message encouraging this new church to ongoing faithfulness on
a heart level. The word used for “with steadfast purpose” is πρόθεσις (pro'-the-sēs).
It means to set before, to display. Came to
mean purposeful resolve to reflect God’s faithfulness. It is a picture of our
hearts being open and available to the Lord. It is the word used in the LXX
(the Greek translation of the Old Testament) to describe the 12 loaves of shewbread
that were placed in the holy place of the Tabernacle/temple of God. The bread
represented the 12 tribes of Israel who depended on the presence of the Lord to
sustain them each day. The bread was replaced weekly so that it was always
fresh. in the holy place of the Tabernacle/temple.
- They didn’t just believe… "they turned to the Lord." It is one thing to give intellectual assent to a concept or idea, but
another thing altogether to rearrange your entire life as a result. The word
translated “they turned to/towards” is ἐπιστρέφω (epi-stréphō),
which is used to describe true Christian conversion in the sense of to turn to
the worship of the true God; to cause to return, to bring back to God, or intransitively
to turn to one's self, to turn one's self about, turn back, to return, turn
back, come back. In my sermon, I made the mistake of calling this "a Hokey-pokey
verb" …because it involves turning yourself around, in order to turn back to God.
It was a mistake because then some mischievous worship leaders closed the
service by singing a verse from the Hokey-pokey. Oh my!
2)
Recruitment of Reinforcements (v. 25-26)
So Barnabas went
to Tarsus to look for Saul,
and when he had found him,
he
brought him to Antioch.
For a whole year they met with the church
and
taught a great many people.
And in Antioch
the disciples were first called Christians.
- The ministry was not the work of one man. I would suggest that wise leadership knows
its own limits and is not afraid to ask for help. David Peterson in his
commentary on Acts suggests that “Barnabas apparently recognized his own inadequacy to cope
with the demands of a growing church and the need to bring another gifted
apologist, evangelist, and teacher into the situation.” [Peterson, 355]
- The situation in Antioch was
complicated. It was the number three city in the Roman Empire (after Rome and
Alexandria) with a population of around 500,000. There was political and
cultural intrigue, mystery cults, and sexual immorality (e.g., ritual prostitution
at the temple of Daphne) who would be a good fit? Who was an intelligent and
passionate defender of the faith? Barnabas thought that Saul of Tarsus/Paul
would be a good fit. The one who had once been a persecutor of the church would
become an edifier instead, living into the words he would one day write to the
church in Ephesus, “let those who stole, steal no longer” (Eph. 4:24).
- From Galatians 1:21-24
(cf. also Gal 2:2, 7), it is certain that in some way Saul continued preaching
after leaving Jerusalem and that this was known back in Jerusalem. “Perhaps the five lashings he received at the
hands of the synagogue authorities (2 Cor 11:24), together with some of his
other afflictions and hardships enumerated in 2 Corinthians 11:23-27, occurred
during those days in Tarsus, for they find no place in the records of his later
missionary endeavors. If so, this might indicate that in Tarsus and its environs, he
was trying to carry on a Gentile ministry within the Cilician synagogues and
was getting into trouble for it. It also may have been during this period that
he began to experience the loss of all things for Christ's sake (cf.
Philippians 3:8) through being disinherited by his family.” [EBC]
- Biblical leadership doesn’t have to
control everything. In leading the
church in Antioch, Barnabas was willing to share with a team of leaders
including Paul. As Furneaux once said, “He
has none of the littleness which cannot bear the presence of a possible rival.”
[Furneaux in RWPNT III-159] Barnabas and Paul worked together to teach the
people the Word of God until in the wisdom of God’s plan they split up
doubling their reach and training up new leaders at the same time. The church
is not a building, neither is it programs or pastors—it is people who all have
a place in God’s plan to transform the world.
- People who know and live the word look
like Jesus. They met continually for a
year with Barnabas and Saul to learn and apply the Word of God to their lives.
Interestingly they were known as Christ’s people (Christians) here for the
first time likely because they spoke so often of Christ and were followers of
his way. What do people say about us?
3) Relief Efforts-Preemptively Sent (v.27-30)
Now in these
days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.
And one of them named Agabus stood up and
foretold by
the Spirit
that there would be a great famine
over all the world
(this took place in the days
of Claudius). [ad 41-54]
So the disciples
determined,
every one according to his ability,
to send relief to the
brothers living in Judea.
And they did so, sending it to the elders
by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.
- Their
compassionate giving was further evidence of God’s grace. Not only
had they believed and turned again to the Lord, but they gave generously to
those in need.
- Spiritual
maturity led to a generous mutuality. The Jewish church in Jerusalem had
encouraged the Gentiles church in Antioch, now the Church in Antioch moves to
encourage the Church in Jerusalem. Warren Wiersbe writes, “Sincerely thinking about others is still the best formula for a happy
and useful Christian life, both for individuals and for churches.”
- What
made those in Judea their brothers? They were of different nationalities and
cultures. Up to that point, they would not have referred to the other as a
brother or sister. They would have been something other, something less.
However, through faith in Jesus Christ, both Jews and Gentiles were adopted into
God’s family. So it was the same thing that makes us brothers and sisters in
the church today…Their faith in Jesus Christ and the filling of the Spirit!
- They
used the structures that were in place for maximum efficiency. Sometimes when
we are moved by compassion we give but do so through channels without
accountability. The church at Antioch sent their gift by the hand of trusted messengers
(Barnabas and Paul) with whom they had a deep relationship and delivered them to
the Elders and Apostles in Jerusalem—who had previously established an accountable
structure for equitable relief distribution (Acts 6). Right now there is a tremendous need in Haiti and the Eastern USA after the damage of Hurricane
Matthew and subsequent flooding. We can, and should, give as each is able to
bring direct relief through Foursquare workers on the ground (Foursquare Disaster Relief) both
internationally in areas such as Haiti and domestically in areas like Florida
and North Carolina. Other good organizations include Samaritan’s
Purse, Operation Blessing, and even the American Red Cross. You can look up the
ratings for most charities in the areas of financial effectiveness (how much of
your donation goes to the project) and organizational transparency at watchdog
websites such as Charity Navigator.
- Antioch
became a second missionary-sending base. Jerusalem was the first sending base
though the sending needed a bit of persecution to get the ball rolling.
Eventually, all the apostles would be sent out from Jerusalem as well. Antioch
was the sending base in the missionary journeys of Paul and Barnabas that we
see in the Book of Acts. The church at Antioch didn’t stray from its missionary
heritage. What they had received, they gave.
Let me
conclude by asking you a few questions in reaction to this study in Acts 11…
- Do we have
eyes to see God at work (grace) and praise him for it?
- Do we have a
faithful heart before
the Lord (open and surrendered to him)?
- Do we have a humble heart willing to
work with and learn from others?
- Do we have a giving heart to help
those in crisis?
May we learn from Barnabas and the Church at Antioch this week!
