Acts 11:19-30 “But There Were Some of Them...”

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… 

1. Do we have eyes to see God at work (grace) and praise him for it? 
2. Do we have a faithful heart before the Lord (open and surrendered to him)? 
3. Do we have a humble heart willing to work with and learn from others? 
4. Do we have a giving heart to help those in crisis?

May we learn from Barnabas and the Church at Antioch this week!