Dwell in the Word: Acts 11:19-30

Think on these questions as you dwell in Acts 11:19-30:

1. The establishment of the church in Antioch marked a significant milestone in the spread of the gospel. How did the believers in Antioch initially limit their outreach, and what catalyzed the shift towards including Hellenists in their preaching? What role did the hand of the Lord play in the growth of the church in Antioch?

2. Barnabas is described as a pivotal figure in the early Christian community, known for being full of the Holy Spirit and encouraging fellow believers. How did Barnabas contribute to the development and expansion of the church in Antioch? How can the example of Barnabas inspire individuals to be sources of encouragement within their own faith communities?

3. The term "Christian" was first used to describe the disciples in Antioch. Whether self-given or given by others, this term signifies followers of Jesus Christ. How does this designation reflect the identity and aspirations of those who profess faith in Christ? How can this title serve as a reminder of the ongoing commitment to be Christ-like in our actions and attitudes?

Transcript:

 The story of the shift of the missionary focus in Acts. continues through chapter 11 here, doesn't it? We see that there is now a church in Antioch. And so, what had happened was, when Stephen was persecuted, when Stephen was martyred, uh, the believers spread out, and they went to all these different cities.

We see Phoenicia and Cyprus, Antioch.  While they were speaking the word, and notice what it says here, to no one except Jews. We've talked about this earlier on, specifically on Wednesday. about how they were just going to those who were clean, those who were, uh, ritually clean, that they were the ones who were Hebrew people.

But, here we find that there were a few who also spoke to Hellenists. Now, Hellenists would have been Greek speaking people, and they were preaching the Lord Jesus. Well, we see that the hand of the Lord was upon them, and this is important. Notice how, throughout the book of Acts, what have we seen?  Who's doing the work in salvation?

Is it the people? No, it is the hand of the Lord, it's the word of the Lord, the Lord is adding to their number. And we're going to see that a little more as we continue to go through Acts. This is a continual theme. The Lord is doing the work. And so, we see, in verse 21, that the hand of the Lord was with these people who were proclaiming the Lord Jesus.

to these people in Antioch. So, the report comes back,  they send Barnabas, and notice what it tells us about Barnabas, it says basically, hey, he's a great dude, he's full of the Holy Spirit, they sent him because he could really be able to encourage these people, and so he went, and he saw these people, and again, we see a great many people were added to the Lord.

Again, this is what is happening. The gospel is going out. It is doing its work. People are coming to faith. And then we also see that in Antioch, the disciples were first called Christians. Now, this is one of three times that the word Christian is used in the New Testament. Now, we don't know If they gave themselves this title, or if it was a derogatory title given, uh, by another group, we're not sure, but we hold on to that.

That's been what we have been called throughout the ages. And the idea is that we are followers of Jesus Christ. We are desiring to be like him. And so, this is where disciples are first called Christians. This church in Antioch is substantial. It is important. It is growing. Well, we see as the chapter ends that someone who was a prophet says that there is going to be a famine.

So, what does the church do? Does the church ignore it?  Or do they take care of each other? Well, we see what they do and they have been doing this before in the book of acts when there are those in need They do as they can to take care of one another notice verses 29 and 30 So the disciples determined everyone according to his Ability to send relief to the brothers living in Judea and they did so sending it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.

And so, what is happening here is they're encouraging others to care for those who are in need and the church is distributing this. They are loving one another. This is a huge part of how we love our brothers and sisters in Christ. If we see them in need, we desire and we do what we can. To care for one another and so I think that is our big application We've seen a whole lot about the church going out to the gentiles here but now we come back to how these churches that are spread out around this area They're now caring for the churches caring for the churches in Judea, even though they're not the same ethnicity, right?

That doesn't seem to matter. What seems to matter is that they are in Christ. That they are fellow believers. That they have been brought together and united to the Lord Jesus. And so, we should desire to care for our brothers and sisters in any way that we can. As it says here, according to our ability.

So may we have wisdom. to know how we can care for our brothers and sisters in Christ. May we be able to see where we can serve, whether that is with financial gifts or with the work of our hands. May we desire today to do as we have ability to serve our brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus.