Acts 11:19-24 New American Standard Bible 1995
The Church at Antioch
19 So then those who were scattered because of the [a]persecution that occurred in connection with Stephen made their way [b]to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews alone. 20 But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the [c]Greeks also, [d]preaching the Lord Jesus. 21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord. 22 The [e]news about them [f]reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas off [g]to Antioch. 23 Then when he arrived and [h]witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with [i]resolute heart to remain true to the Lord; 24 for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And considerable [j]numbers were [k]brought to the Lord.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
“God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform.”[1]
1 William Cowper, “God Moves in a Mysterious Way” (1773).
In the life of the early church, it was the persecution of the congregations in Jerusalem—the only churches on earth at that point—that caused the gospel message to reach further and faster than would have happened without those first Christians being forced to flee their city.
As the believers were scattered throughout the cities of Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, the gospel was spread to the “Hellenists”—the Greeks—in the region, and we read in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles that many came to believe.
However, we also read that when news of these Gentile conversions got back to the church in Jerusalem, it was not immediately welcome.
Up until that point, the gospel’s expansion had been almost entirely among the Jews-now the word was coming back that Greeks were becoming Christians too.
This confronted the church with a new development that they were not quite ready for.
What was happening?
Should they smile at it or frown over it?
Who could they send to handle an encounter such as this?
It should not surprise us that they chose to send Barnabas.
While not everybody in the church can cope with new, different opportunities, Barnabas was an encourager and a man who recognized God’s redeeming work in others, even when it was surprising or strange (see Acts 9:26-28).
Sure enough, Barnabas recognized that what had happened to the Hellenists was the work of the Lord, and he expressed gladness at the display of God’s grace, encouraging the new believers with the exhortation we all need: to just continue in the grace of and to remain resolute, true to God with all our hearts.
If we have lived our lives attempting to channel the Spirit of God into our own little concrete trenches, having determined that this way or that place is the only one in which God will work, we should reconsider what God’s Word says.
As God always continues to expand His kingdom and always pours His Spirit out upon the people we least expect to be included in it, we have the opportunity to respond with the kind of resolute enthusiasm that Barnabas here exemplified.
While the gospel message is unchanging, our world and times are changing constantly-yet God always continues to call people to Himself “from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages” (Revelation 7:9).
We should always expect Him to surprise us—to work in ways we had not predicted and in a time-frame that is always going to be different from ours.
And when He does, we need to be ready to be like Barnabas, “full of the Holy Spirit and of faith” (Acts 11:24), rejoicing in the new works of God, always ready to be a part of them, and always encouraging others to continue in His grace.
The Lord’s Mysterious Powerful Hand
Acts 11:19-21 English Standard Version
The Church in Antioch
19 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. 20 But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists[a] also, preaching the Lord Jesus. 21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.
The Jewish leaders hoped that by persecuting the church of Jesus Christ, they would extinguish people’s faith in him.
But persecution caused the Christian faith to spread like wildfire.
Believers who were scattered did not leave their faith behind in Jerusalem.
Wherever they went, they talked about their newly found faith in Jesus Christ.
And we read that by the Grace of God – “a great number of people believed.”
What was the reason for this widespread growth of the church?
Our reading for today, Acts 11:21 says that “the Lord’s hand was with them.”
The same is true for us today.
The mission of the church is to spread the good news of Jesus all over the world.
But how do we do that?
In whose name and whose power are we trying to win the world for Christ?
Today we too often put so much emphasis on programs, facilities, strategic planning, other church-growth strategies we often forget the most important “strategy” in evangelism, church growth: it is the power of the hand of God.
How can we expect lasting results if our presentation of the gospel is based on our own strength and planning?
Only if we resolutely choose, we decide to live and directly, steadfastly serve our neighbors under the power of the Lord’s hand can we be effective tools of God.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Dear Lord, as we come before you today, we ask that you open our eyes to see the encouragement and grace that you have bestowed upon us. May we be filled with gladness and joy as we witness your love and mercy in our lives. We pray that you would give us the strength and courage to remain steadfast in our faith, with a total purpose of heart to always remain near to you. Help us to seek you in all that we do, and to trust in your guidance and wisdom. May we be a light to others, sharing your grace and love with those around us. We ask all of this in your holy name, Amen.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 