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!

Seeing What God is Doing (Acts 5:17-42)

As we continue our study in The Acts of the Apostles, or what should be known as 
The Continuing Acts of Jesus Christ through the Apostles, we see revival made the 
religious leaders uncomfortable.

1. Religious Jealousy Was Aroused by Revival (v.16-18; John 16:1-4)

   Then the high priest and all his associates, 

                                 who were members of the party of the Sadducees, 

                                         were filled with jealousy. 

   They arrested the apostles

                    and put them in the public jail. 

As more and more people believed in the resurrection of Jesus the Sadducees, the ruling class in Jerusalem, became more aggressive in trying to stamp out this new sect of the Nazarene. We should realize that “revival” is no guarantee of government approval; in fact, revival and rapid church growth are often threatening to those in power. Why is that? Is it because grace-bathed, Spirit-filled, Christians are dangerous? No, for they become more loving, caring, and serving towards others. When they truly follow Jesus in the power of the Spirit they are changed from the inside out and stop lying, stealing, and cheating. They work harder at whatever their job is because it is seen as worship unto the Lord. You don’t need a policeman on the corner when you have one in the heart. When Christians don’t do this, it is an indication that they are influenced more by their culture and their own desires than by a love for God and for humanity.

So why were the religious leaders jealous? Well, what arouses jealousy in general?

We tend to arose jealousy in others when we have a different center of attention, a different recipient of our affection, and have shuffled our alliances (ultimate loyalty) from the status quo. Those who faithfully follow Jesus are generally more law-abiding citizens than others. However, their first loyalty is not to those in power, but to the Lord and showing his love to “the least of these.”

We also know that such opposition should not have been a surprise since Jesus had told them about it ahead of time (John 16:1-4)

I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you.

This happened first at the hands of the Jews who charged them with blasphemy, then the Romans who charged them with atheism (because they only believed in one God) and so on down through history with governments (e.g., communist USSR, China, Vietnam, Cuba, etc.) hating Christians because of a greater loyalty than to the state. Today, it is primarily at the hands of Muslim extremists who think they are serving God to kill the followers of Jesus, even though Jesus (Isa) is one of their prophets.

This is the smoking gun that they don’t know God…when violence is done against God’s people wherever they may be found.

Also, you can never say that Jesus wasn’t upfront and thorough in telling them about the difficulties they would face. Difficulties we cannot stand up against if we are trusting in our own strength (as we see from Peter on the night Jesus was arrested).

Why don’t we see these kinds of miracles today?

I am sure that we could list quite a few reasons, but I chose to consider five examples from church history and will draw at least one potential reason from each one.

A) Irenaeus (ca. 125-202) was one of the leaders of the early church that we refer to as “Apostolic Fathers.” He made a rather off-handed comment regarding not only of the presence of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the church of his day, but their purpose. This is a strong argument for miracles of healing continuing to be experienced beyond the lives of the Apostles. They were seen as a continuation of the ministry of Jesus. He said,

“Those who are truly his disciples receive grace from him and put this grace into action for the benefit of other men, as each has received the gifts from him. Some drive out devils...some have foreknowledge of the future...others heal the sick through the laying on hands...and even the dead have been raised up before now and have remained with us for many years. Why, there is no numbering of the gifts which all over the world the Church has received. from the Lord; and put into action day by day, in the name of Christ Jesus who was crucified under Pontius Pilate, for the benefit of the nations, without deceit and without payment. For as the Church has received freely from the Lord, so it freely serves mankind.^[1]

So what does this suggest? Perhaps we don’t see signs and wonders as often because the church doesn’t use its gifts for the benefit of others as it should.

B) Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) & the Pope

While I have seen this anecdote told of St. Francis of Assisi, it would seem to be better attested as having involved Thomas Aquinas. It is said that Thomas Aquinas once visited his friend the pope and was shown all of the treasures of the Roman Church. The pope said to Thomas,

“Well, Thomas, no longer can the church say, ‘Silver and Gold have I none.” 

Thomas replied, “Yes, Holy Father, but neither can we say, ‘In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk’?” 

Perhaps this story suggests that the Church became an empire rather than a spiritual community.

C) David Hume (1711-1776) and the Enlightenment.

Hume raised a new philosophical opposition to miracles based on probability and the laws of nature. This position was related to a movement towards Naturalism— a term referring to a philosophy that denies the existence and activity of the supernatural or the metaphysical. All that appears to indicate the presence of the supernatural can be explained in terms of natural phenomena or misperception of witnesses. While his arguments are faulty, the Western church tends to look with skepticism at the supernatural.

D) Miracle Workers and Televangelists (20^th Century)

Ironically, through the fruitful ministries of various people with gifts of healing over the last century there came a degree of sensationalism. Amy Semple McPherson and others were often hounded by aggressive agnostic reporters. Do we tend to relegate healing to the religious sideshow? Or do we invent reasons why we are off the hook? Are we so naturalistic that we fail to believe in the supernatural?

I love the story of the late John Wimber, the founder of the Vineyard churches, who when first saved in another denomination asked his pastor, “When do we get to do the stuff? You know, the stuff! The stuff Jesus did!” One reason we don’t see more miracles is that the church (and our culture) has both relegated signs and wonders to the sideshow of sensationalism and yet, ironically, we are desensitized to the super natural voice of the Spirit in our lives.

E) Advances in Personal Wealth and Medical Care (ongoing).

The last 100 years has seen an amazing progress in medical care. Life-saving surgeries that are commonplace today were not even dreamed of even 50-60 years ago. We live in a country that has experienced tremendous prosperity over the same period of time. While there are still areas affected by poverty it is not the desperate poverty on many third-world nations. While these advances are a blessing to those they benefit, they can produce a deceptive spirit of self-sufficiency which when coupled with the scientific-smugness that has accompanied it we are much like ancient Nazareth. Nazareth is remembered for its unbelief—they didn’t ask Jesus to heal their sick or deliver their oppressed. And when we ask we are like those described in James 2:3 “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”

Let me say that we do have tremendous healing in this country, but it comes through a variety of means. It comes through prayer, through doctors, through proper nutrition and exercise, and through medical breakthroughs. Yet we too often fail to recognize the wonder of it all.

There is an old story, of a man facing a rising flood. When the Weather Service gave the flood warning, advising evacuation he said “No, God will deliver me!”

When the water was up to his mailbox, he said “No” to the National Guard truck from the driveway…  later he said “No” to the swift water rescue boat from his porch, later as the water continued to rise he said “No” to the helicopter from the roof. After that he drowned. The story goes that when in heaven he stood before the Lord, and asked, “Why didn’t you save me…I trusted in you!” To which Jesus said, “Son, I sent you a warning, then I sent the truck, the rescue boat, and the helicopter. What more were you looking for?”

I don’t share this story to debunk miraculous deliverance but rather to warn against presumption; the presumption that demands God answer our prayer according to our specifications. The man in the story should have taken the warning and helped others. Instead of demanding that God rescue him in a certain way, he should have used the circumstances as an opportunity to be the answer to other people’s prayers. It is only a funny story, but if we aren’t careful we can end up being the punchline. Having said that it is good to remember that the power of God is often more convincing elsewhere. Timothy Warner writes,

In many parts of the world…people are much more power-conscious than they are truth-conscious. We may preach a very logical and convincing message by Western standards, but our hearers remain unimpressed. Let them see Christian power displayed in relation to the spirit world in which they live with great fear, however, and they will “hear” the message more clearly than our words alone could ever make it. (Perspectives 3^rd Ed., 580)

In light of these influences I would suggest that the Western church is neither desperate nor boldly trusting God to actually do something, and when he does do something we often don’t have the sense to see it and give thanks!

That was a very lengthy aside, answering a question we were unable to get to a few weeks ago. But what about the apostles back in Acts 5? Last time we checked-in with their story they were locked in the public jail by the Sadducee religious leaders. But it was not for long.

2. They Were Released For a Purpose (v.19-21)

    But during the night an angel of the Lord

                                            opened the doors of the jail and

                                                     brought them out. 

                              “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said,

                                       “and tell the people all about this new life.”

          At daybreak they entered the temple courts,

                         as they had been told,

                     and began to teach the people.

There are three things I would like to mention about this section. First, it was an angel of the Lord who opened the door of the jail (v.19). What marvelous bit of divine irony it is that the apostles were imprisoned by the Sadducees for doing the supernatural and were miraculously released from prison by an angel which according to the Sadducees do not exist. Who says that God does not have a sense of humor? In addition, the angel in this case does not proclaim that Jesus was alive but tells them to do so…in the temple no less. That is like sending the apostles to preach on the Sadducees’ front lawn. It is a strategy sure to land them back in jail. By the way, in case we are tempted to develop some kind of angelic door-opening theology, notice that while the angle opened the door of the jail for them to escape, they still had to wait until daybreak for the doors of the temple to be opened (v.21).

Second, the purpose of the Lord is sure (Isa 14:24), where in the context of the coming destruction of Assyria,

    The Lord of hosts has sworn:
    “As I have planned, so shall it be,
    and as I have purposed, so shall it stand…”

His word will be fulfilled; it will come to pass, with or without us.

Third, the Apostles were recalled to active service… a three-part commission was given by the angel. They were to “Go” (out of the jail), “Stand in the temple” (see Eph. 6:13-14), and “Tell the people all about this new life.” They were to continue to be ambassadors for reconciliation in the world.

3. Repeating the Process (21-25)

  When the high priest and      his associates arrived,

   they called together the Sanhedrin—

                                               the full assembly of the elders of Israel—

                                     and sent to the jail for the apostles. 

                            But on arriving at the jail,

                                         the officers did not find them there. 

                                    So they went back and reported, 

                                      “We found the jail securely locked,

                                                 with the guards standing at the doors;

 but when we opened them,

                 we found no one inside.” 

                                On hearing this report,

                      the captain of the temple guard and

                      the chief priests were at a loss,

                                                  wondering what this might lead to.

   Then someone came and said, “Look!

                              The men you put in jail

                    are standing in the temple courts

                                           teaching the people.” 

We all saw this ending coming, back when the angel sent them back to witness in the temple, the religious leaders’ home court. It reminds me in a way of the original Weebles, the old children's toy that was like a weighted punching bag that just kept standing back up. The tag line was, "Weebles wobble but they don't fall down!" They were noticed, reported and the source of great wonder to the guards.

4. Remaining Faithful Under Pressure (26-33)

   At that,       the captain went with his officers

      and brought the apostles.

              They did not use force,

because they feared that the people would stone them.

                         The apostles were brought in

                                                          and made to appear

                        before the Sanhedrin to be questioned

                                                 by the high priest.

   “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said.

            “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching

                           and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”

Peter and the other apostles replied:

“We must obey God rather than human beings! 

                  The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—

                                                                           whom you killed

                                                                                by hanging him on a cross. 

                         God exalted him to his own right hand 

                                                as Prince and Savior 

                                                    that he might bring Israel to repentance

                                                                                and forgive their sins. 

   We are witnesses of these things,

                                  and so is the Holy Spirit, 

               whom God has given to those who obey him.”

    When they heard this,

              they were furious and

                      wanted to put them to death. 

They were arrested again, but this time more discretely, so as to not start a riot. When questioned by the High Priest, Peter spoke up as representative for the apostles and stipulates to the charges being brought against them, namely that they were preaching the resurrection of Jesus Christ as though it were actually possible and true, and blaming Jesus’ death on the religious leaders.

Peter didn’t disagree with the High Priest’s charges but admitted them while saying just why they did what they did. He made several good points that I will list…

• We must obey God rather than human beings (v.29)
• The Jesus you killed is now alive (v.30)
• That Jesus is Prince and Savior—the Messiah (v.31)
• The Holy Spirit is also a witness (v.32) living in those who obey God.

Now, let me ask the question, “What were Peter’s words in v.29?” What was the implication of this? Is it not that “We obey, you don’t.” So this truthful conclusion didn’t clear them. Instead it cut the Sadducees to the heart not in conviction but in anger and they began actively discussing how to have them killed.

What will happen? Will they be delivered or executed? Will the angel show up again? Will the people march on the palace? Tune in next week at this same Acts-time, same Acts-channel!

Cliffhanger aside, God’s plan for us is not destroyed or cast down by any attack from the outside. “Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear” (Isa 59:1), we just need to make sure we have confessed our need for him to be our savior.

Lord, give us eyes to see and ears to hear what you are doing in the world today,

and the courageous love needed to jump in together and participate with you in your mission! 

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[1] Henry Bettenson, ed. The Early Christian Fathers, [New York: Oxford University Press, 1956], 93.