Acts. Acts 11:19-30 And Now For A Word Of Encouragement

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1 Acts Acts 11:19-30 And Now For A Word Of Encouragement D oubts may have begun to creep into Saul s mind as he waited on God during his years on the shelf in Tarsus he d been living there now for a period of five, perhaps six, years or more. If I m figuring correctly, he was in his mid-forties before God finally called him back onto the scene to use him effectively for the next twenty years. John Pollock writes, The best years of Paul s life were slipping away between the Taurus Mountains and the sea. It was harder to bear because he cared so deeply that all men everywhere should hear and believe, yet during his later thirties and into the early forties when a man approaches his prime, Paul drops out of history. 1 But for Paul, his waiting was about to come to an end. When God moves, He often does so quickly, so much so we can be taken by surprise. In fact there were a lot of surprises going on. The church was expanding and becoming mixed, Jew and Gentile, at a rapid rate. Peter was one validation of this and the coming of Saul would be the final proof. But first To the Jew First (Judea and Samaria) C. The Church Scattered by Persecution 8:1-12:24 5. The Christian Church at Antioch 11:19-30 a. Barnabas Verses b. Some Prophets Verses Introduction: Luke pulls back the camera so we can see a more general picture of what was going on the early church. The balance of this chapter and the next provide this overview and picks up with the record of Saul/Paul s history at the end of Chapter 12. a. Barnabas: In fact to give a context, Luke takes us back to the events following the martyrdom of Stephen. On that day [the day of Stephen s death] a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went (Acts 8:1, 4). Now, let s touch on the locations that are names here. The Spirit is demonstrating that the Gospel and salvation was spreading beyond the confines of Jerusalem and Judea. Phoenicia was in the area of present-day Lebanon, its primary cities being Tyre, Sidon, and Ptolemais. Cyprus was 100 miles (161 km) off the coast. The primary language of these areas was Greek, as it 1 Swindoll, Charles, R., Paul, W Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2002, p. 82.

2 was for Antioch (modern Antakya), the largest city of the area and capital of the Roman province of Syria, with a population of a half million or more. Only Rome and Alexandria were larger in ancient times. At Antioch, an island bearing a palace and a hippodrome stood in the middle of the Orontes River. Bridges connected the island to the main city. In the first century the main city contained an aqueduct, baths, two theaters, temples (e.g., to Artemis and to Herakles), the Pantheon, and the Kaisareion (a basilica dedicated to the imperial cult). Prior to Paul s arrival, an earthquake in 37 B.C. had devastated Antioch, but the emperor Gaius (Caligula) helped rebuild it. Antioch periodically hosted Olympic-style games. Its great colonnaded and marble-paved road had been sponsored in part by Herod the Great. 2 Apparently this group had not heard about the events between Peter and Cornelius, not the church leadership s acceptance of Peter s behaviors. We know this because Luke makes it clear that these believers were only testifying to other Jews, meaning they were intentionally ignoring Gentiles. Also, there were a few believers who made an exception. They were willing to witness to the Hellinists. While this is some disagreement over whether this is referring to Greek speaking Jews or Gentiles, the latter is the most probable. It is obvious that both believers and the Spirit where very active in the spreading of the Gospel as the church continued to grow. The mother church in Jerusalem heard about these events, and so there was again a need to examine the situation to see if they were consistent with what Christ had instructed them and with what the Spirit had been doing. There may have been concern that the community was expanding so quickly, now mixed Jew and Gentile, that there was a potential for potential problems. Their concerns were not unsympathetic. This is seen in the decision to send Barnabas to Antioch. He was a godly man, recognized as such by the leadership. Remember what we saw of Barnabas back in Acts 4 in Lesson 18. Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles feet. (Acts 4:35 37). Barnabas was introduced there because he is a major figure in this section of Acts. The Holman Dictionary notes: He introduced Saul of Tarsus to the Jerusalem church (9:26-27). The church chose Barnabas to go to Syrian Antioch to investigate the unrestricted preaching to the Gentiles there. He became the leader to the work and secured Saul as his assistant. They took famine relief to the Jerusalem church (11:19-30). On Paul s first missionary journey, Barnabas at first seems to have been the leader (chaps ). Paul and Barnabas were sent to Jerusalem to try to settle the questions of how Gentiles could be saved and how Jewish Christians could have fellowship with them (15:1-21). They agreed to go on another missionary journey but separated over whether to take John Mark with them again (15:36-41). 2. Barnabas in Gal. 2:1-10 went with Paul to Jerusalem and the apostles approved of their Gentile mission (probably the same event as Acts 15). In Gal. 2:13, however, Paul indicated that on one occasion Barnabas wavered on the issue of full acceptance of Gentile Christians. In 1 Cor. 9:6 Paul commended Barnabas for following his (Paul s) practice of supporting himself rather than depending upon the churches. Colossians 4:10 simply states that Mark was Barnabas s cousin. 3 2 Dennis, Lane T. and Wayne Grudem, eds., English Standard Version (ESV) Study Bible, Crossway Bibles, Wheaton, IL, Brand, Chad, gen. ed., Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, TN, ) 202 (

3 Barnabas arrived in Antioch and being Spirit lead himself, he immediately recognized the Spirit s working. The only instructions he left for these believers was to keep on keeping on. Somehow, in conjunction with his involvement, Luke reiterates many more continued to be saved. It is interesting to see how successful these initial forays into the Gentile world were. Remember, it was this same Spirit who was leading the Apostles, Saul, the Circumcision Party, and these new believers in Antioch, was empowering the entire Church, from the mother church to these new groups. He is also the one who continues to build Christ s church including ours, which is spoken of in Scripture for we are found in the end of the earth. (Acts 1:8). Now Luke introduces the transition from Peter and the mother church to Paul. Whatever Barnabas sees here in Antioch causes him to travel to Tarsus to bring Saul back to Antioch. Here he and Saul carry out a year s ministry. This clearly is a discipleship ministry, not an evangelistic one. For those who are sticklers for chronological order, they should probably note The persecution by Herod (12:1 19) and Herod s death (12:20 23) would have been inserted at this point in the narrative if Luke had been writing everything in exact chronological order, because Herod died in A.D. 44 (see 12:23), and Paul apparently stayed in Tarsus until A.D. 45, when Barnabas went there and summoned him to Antioch (11:25 26). But Luke here departs from strict chronological order because he is telling the story of the church in Antioch. He continues on this topic until v. 30 and then turns to discuss what happened to Herod at about that time (12:1). 4 Parenthetically, Luke notes it is here and during this period that followers of The Way are now called Christians. I wonder if this was a derogatory name given to believers by unbelievers. But before moving on to Saul, Luke has one more thought and this is regarding b. Some Prophets: This is an interesting little section which again necessitates a reminder that these events should not be considered as normative. Verse 27 in the Amplified Bible reads: And during these days prophets (inspired teachers and interpreters of the divine will and purpose) came down from Jerusalem to Antioch (Acts 11:27 28 AMP). Unger s defines a prophet as One who is divinely inspired to communicate God s will to His people and to disclose the future to them. 5 The ESVS gives the following statement regarding NT prophecy as used by Paul. The word prophecy (Gk. propheœteia) refers generally to speech that reports something that God spontaneously brings to mind or reveals to the speaker but which is spoken in merely human words, 4 Dennis 5 Harrison, R. K., editor, by Merrill F. Unger, The New Unger s Bible Dictionary, Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, IL, ) 203 (

4 not words of God. Therefore it can have mistakes and must be tested or evaluated (see 1 Cor. 12:29; 1 Thess. 5:19 21). An alternative view of this gift, held by some, is that it involves speaking the very words of God, with authority equal to the OT prophets and equal to the word of Scripture. A third view is that it is very similar to the gifts of preaching or teaching. This gift is widely indicated throughout the NT churches (see 1 Cor. 11:2 5; 12:28 29; 13:2, 8 9; 14:1 40; Acts 2:17 18; 11:27 28; 19:6; 21:9 11; Rom. 12:6; 1 Thess. 5:19 21; 1 Tim. 1:18; 4:14; 1 John 4:1). Prophecy is used to build up, encourage, and comfort the gathered community (1 Cor. 14:3). Prophecy is also used evangelistically to disclose the secrets of the hearts of unbelievers and lead them to worship God (14:24 25). Because God used this gift to build up the Christian community, Paul urged the Corinthians to value it highly (14:4 5, 39). Since we know God adds nothing to His words of scripture, the second concept certainly ended with the closing of Canon. Also keep in mind that John the Baptizer was the last of the OT prophets. The other two descriptions may or may not still be in use today. But clearly any so called words of prophecy must be tested as Paul noted in 1 Corinthians 12:29 and 1 Thessalonians 5: Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? (1 Corinthians 12:29). Do not put out the Spirit s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good (1 Thessalonians 5:19-21). Prophecy was another way of God putting His official stamp of all of these works, encouraging the believers with the fulfillment of the OT descriptions of the work of the Messiah. And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues (1 Corinthians 12:28). John MacArthur notes: Like the apostles, the prophets were not a permanent order. Having fulfilled their foundational purpose, they gradually faded from the scene, to be replaced by the evangelists and pastor-teachers (Eph. 4:11). 6 So, another validation of the Antioch church was Agabus coming down from Jerusalem to warn the church of a coming famine. (By the way he will turn up again later in Acts with a prophecy specifically for Paul.) Here is a good example of understanding passages within their cultural context. The world of the early church is the world of the Roman Empire. And while there wasn t one great famine over the entire empire, there were a number of ones during the reign of Claudius which together would have fulfilled the prophecy. Keener points out: 6 MacArthur, John, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Acts, Chapters 1-12 Moody Press, Chicago, IL, 1994, p ) 204 (

5 A series of famines devastated Mediterranean agriculture in the time of Claudius: papyri show high grain prices around A.D. 46; a grain shortage in Rome nearly led to Claudius s being mobbed in the streets (about A.D. 51); Queen Helena of Adiabene bought Egyptian grain for large sums (due to famine there) to help Judea (about 45-46). Some commentators have connected this prophecy with the image of an end-time famine common in apocalyptic texts; although that suggestion is possible, this prophecy was fulfilled in the reign of Claudius. 7 The Antioch church responds to this news by contacting the Red Cross and raising monies for famine relief. This new church was moved by compassion and concern to support the church in Judea to carry them through the coming days. The relief funds were sent back to Jerusalem by the hands of Barnabas and Saul. As an aside notice that the leadership of the mother church has shifted from the Apostles to the Elders. Conclusion: There are a number of truths which we can take from this passage. One is that God moves in His own time which sometimes seems very quick. Look at the rapid growth of the Church. And sometimes His time seems slow. Paul, as we already noted, may have felt as if his time would never come. Have you even felt as if you were on hold? What does scripture say about this? Another truth is that the church has always be community, no matter how young and no matter how separated. Here we have the new believers in Antioch providing for the more established church back in Jerusalem. We are to be both missionaries and ministers. We are doing both through support of missions and support of ministries. Can you give examples? Last, but not least in the passage, I want to note that much of what was going on in this passage is the work of encouragement. Barnabas was an encouragement to the Antioch believers. He was an encourager to Saul. And both in tern became encouragers to others. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another (Hebrews 10:24-25 NIV). I like how Fernando talks about encouragers. THE VALUE OF non-prominent Christians. The fact that non-prominent Christians did such significant work for Christ reminds us that the famous are not necessarily the most significant or most important people in the church. The famous have gifts that put them into the limelight and that is not wrong. But neither is it necessarily great. Some of the most significant work for the kingdom has been done by unknown witnesses who are obedient to Christ right where they are and where they do not attract much attention. Today we associate significance and greatness with newsworthiness. Much effort is made to make an event look newsworthy, and thus it has to be associated with names such as the names of those who write best-selling books or head a big organization. These names attract the people in the media. I know of some people who write books simply to become newsworthy. Some even pay others to do most of the writing for books that will go under their name! All this is unnecessary, for our task is to be faithful to what God calls us to do. If that does not put our name forward on earth, that should not 7 Keener, Craig S., IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Downers Grove, IL, ) 205 (

6 bother us, for our aim in life is not to get our name in the papers, but to hear the Master say, Well done. It is the prospect of this reward that thrills true Christians. 8 We certainly fall into the category of non-prominent Christians. And so the truth of not just this section of Acts but in the Bible as a whole is God uses those who are usable even if they are unknown on the world stage. In this we too are to be both encouraged and encouragers. If you need encouragement ask those around you for help. Otherwise, look for opportunities to be an encouragement to others. It is not possible, ordinarily, to change the hard conditions of those who are in life s stress; but it is possible to give them brotherly sympathy and encouragement. The cup was not taken away from Jesus, but an angel from Heaven appeared and strengthened Him. No other ministry which human love can render is so angel-like as that of him who gives cheer. Those who have learned this lesson are indeed ministering spirits sent forth to do service for the sake of them who shall inherit salvation. J. R. MILLER. 9 Let us consider this week to whom we can be a ministering spirit. 8 Fernando, Ajith, NIV Application Commentary, The, Acts, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1998, p McClure, J. B., editor, Pearls from Many Seas, AGES Software Albany, OR, ) 206 (

7 Acts Acts 11:19-30 And Now For A Word Of Encouragement To the Jew First (Judea and Samaria) C. The Church Scattered by Persecution 8:1-12:24 5. The Christian Church at Antioch 11:19-30 a. Barnabas Verses b. Some Prophets Verses Introduction: a. Barnabas: (Acts 8:1, 4, 4:35 37, 1:8) b. Some Prophets: (Acts 11:27 28 amp; 1 Corinthians 12:29; 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21; 1 Corinthians 12:28)

8 Conclusion: (Hebrews 10:24-25 NIV) Personal Application: If you need encouragement ask those around you for help. Otherwise, look for opportunities to be an encouragement to others. Let us consider this week to whom we can be a ministering spirit. Prayer for the Week: Lord, let me be a conduit of Your love and encouragement to somebody this week. And Lord, let me experience Your encouragement. In Christ s name, amen.