24 The Gentile Church (11:1-30)

Now the apostles and the brethren who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those who were circumcised took issue with him, saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.” But Peter began speaking and proceeded to explain to them in orderly sequence, saying, “I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, a certain object coming down like a great sheet lowered by four corners from the sky; and it came right down to me, and when I had fixed my gaze upon it and was observing it I saw the four-footed animals of the earth and the wild beasts and the crawling creatures and the birds of the air. And I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Arise, Peter; kill and eat.’ But I said, ‘By no means, Lord, for nothing unholy or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ But a voice from heaven answered a second time, ‘What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.’ And this happened three times, and everything was drawn back up into the sky. And behold, at that moment three men appeared before the house in which we were staying, having been sent to me from Caesarea. And the Spirit told me to go with them without misgivings. And these six brethren also went with me, and we entered the man’s house. And he reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house, and saying, ‘Send to Joppa, and have Simon, who is also called Peter, brought here; and he shall speak words to you by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’ And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, just as He did upon us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ If God therefore gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” And when they heard this, they quieted down, and glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.” So then those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose in connection with Stephen made their way to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews alone. But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks also, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord. And the news about them reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas off to Antioch. Then when he had come and witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord; for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And considerable numbers were brought to the Lord. And he left for Tarsus to look for Saul; and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And it came about that for an entire year they met with the church, and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. Now at this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. And one of them named Agabus stood up and began to indicate by the Spirit that there would certainly be a great famine all over the world. And this took place in the reign of Claudius. And in the proportion that any of the disciples had means, each of them determined to send a contribution for the relief of the brethren living in Judea. And this they did, sending it in charge of Barnabas and Saul to the elders. (11:1–30)

The news that the hated Gentiles were included in the church reached Jerusalem before Peter did, since he remained in Caesarea for a few days (Acts 10:48). That news sent shock waves through the Hebrew Christian community. So significant was it that Luke, moved by the inspiring Holy Spirit, repeats the account of their conversion in this chapter as well.

That unusual repetition marks the event as one of unique significance. Christianity was not to become merely another sect of Judaism. Had that happened, the Lord Jesus Christ’s great commission (Matt. 28:19–20) would never have been carried out. Unlike Israel before her, the church would not fail to channel the blessings of God’s grace and forgiveness to the world.

The church’s outreach to the Gentiles was thus a crucial step in the outworking of God’s redemptive plan. That outreach, which began with Peter’s ministry to Cornelius and his household, now continues with the founding of the first Gentile church. Having moved from Jerusalem to Judea to Samaria, the gospel was about to take its final, yet still ongoing, step to the “remotest part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

The founding of this first Gentile congregation unfolds in four stages: the groundwork, the genesis, the growth, and the generosity.

THE GROUNDWORK

While Peter was still ministering in Caesarea, word of the remarkable events that had taken place reached the Jerusalem fellowship. Luke informs us that the rest of the apostles and the brethren who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. Consequently when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those who were circumcised took issue with him, saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.” The phrase those who were circumcised appears to describe the believing Jews who made up the Jerusalem fellowship (cf. Acts 10:45). Startled by the obvious social implications, many no doubt held that if Gentiles were really to live as Christians, they would first have to become Jewish proselytes (cf. Acts 15:5). Many were still zealous for the law and Jewish customs. The temple was their main meeting place. Not surprisingly, they took issue with Peter, saying indignantly, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.” Even though they were believers in Jesus Christ, such an obvious breach of Jewish custom outraged them. Acknowledging that Jesus was their Messiah and Lord was one thing, accepting that He was equally the Lord of Gentiles another.

Instead of entering into a heated rebuke of their prejudice, Peter simply recounted the remarkable events leading to the Gentile’s conversion (Acts 10:1–48). He began speaking and proceeded to explain to them in orderly sequence, saying, “I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, a certain object coming down like a great sheet lowered by four corners from the sky; and it came right down to me, and when I had fixed my gaze upon it and was observing it I saw the four-footed animals of the earth and the wild beasts and the crawling creatures and the birds of the air. And I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Arise, Peter; kill and eat.’ But I said, ‘By no means, Lord, for nothing unholy or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ But a voice from heaven answered a second time, ‘What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.’ And this happened three times, and everything was drawn back up into the sky. And behold, at that moment three men appeared before the house in which we were staying, having been sent to me from Caesarea. And the Spirit told me to go with them without misgivings. And these six brethren also went with me, and we entered the man’s house. And he reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house, and saying, ‘Send to Joppa, and have Simon, who is also called Peter, brought here; and he shall speak words to you by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’ And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, just as He did upon us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’”

He then wrapped up his reiteration and summary (v. 17) with the pointed observation that “if God therefore gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” Who wants to argue with what the Lord has done? It was unarguably God saving the Gentiles, as evidenced by the coming of the Holy Spirit with the very same attendant phenomena as at Pentecost. In his recounting of the events, they should have noted two more key points. First, he did not act alone but took with him six brethren from the Joppa church. Their testimony, added to his, made the case even more convincing. Second, what happened at Cornelius’s house squared with Scripture. Peter reminded his accusers of the word of the Lord, how He used to say, “John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” The Scripture was being fulfilled, just as the greatest prophet of all had said (cf. Acts 1:5). Miraculous phenomena signaling the arrival of the Holy Spirit, corroborating testimony by unsympathetic but trustworthy witnesses, and the promise of Scripture spoken by the Lord Himself was enough evidence to squelch the protests.

When Peter’s accusers heard this, they quieted down. They could hardly argue with the Holy Spirit, the testimony of seven witnesses, or the Scriptures. That they would come to the admission that God had granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life was one of the most shocking admissions in the annals of Jewish history. For until the Hebrew Christians came to that realization, they would never begin the task of evangelizing the Gentiles.

This was the beginning of the divine effort to lay the groundwork for the first Gentile church. At least seven years elapsed from Pentecost until the founding of that church at Antioch. There were several reasons for that delay. First, apostolic authority had to be established. It took time for the believers to become grounded in the apostles’ teaching (cf. Acts 2:42) and for the development of leaders. During those seven years, the apostles laid the doctrinal foundation for the church. Second, individual believers needed to be brought to a sufficient level of maturity before they could be sent out. Immature believers would not make effective missionaries. Third, it took time to tear down the long-established walls of prejudice. That was starting to be achieved (cf. Gal. 2:11–14), so the time was right to give birth to the church in a Gentile land and to move to the last phase of our Lord’s plan for evangelism—“to the remotest part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

THE GENESIS

So then those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose in connection with Stephen made their way to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews alone. But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks also, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord. (11:19–21)

This passage picks up where 8:4 left off, discussing the effect of the persecution that arose in connection with Stephen. That persecution, led by Saul of Tarsus, scattered the Jerusalem fellowship all over. While some went to Samaria (8:5, 25) and Caesarea (8:40; 10:24ff.), Damascus (9:10), Lydda, Joppa, and Sharon (9:35–36), at the same time in the far north a church was being planted among Gentiles. Some of the displaced Jews made their way to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch. Phoenicia was the coastal region immediately north of Judea, where the cities of Tyre and Sidon were located. From there they could take ship for the major island of Cyprus, some sixty miles offshore. They could also continue up the coast to Antioch, approximately 200 miles north of Sidon.

Wherever they went, the refugees from Jerusalem were speaking the word to no one except to Jews alone. They could not have known that the gospel had spread to the Gentiles, since they fled Jerusalem before that happened. Lacking knowledge of that precedent, they still assumed the gospel was for the Jewish people alone.

Eventually, however, that mold for the church was broken. Some of them (Hellenists), men of Cyprus and Cyrene, came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks also, preaching the Lord Jesus. Being Greek-speaking Jews, from predominantly Gentile areas, they were more open to preaching to Gentiles than the native Palestinian Jews. Through their efforts, the first Gentile church was born.

Antioch was a major ancient metropolis. It was the third largest in the Empire, behind only Rome and Alexandria. Antioch was noted for its culture and commerce since many Roman trade routes passed through it. The Roman author Cicero described it as a place of learned men and liberal studies. It was also a vile place, full of pagan worship and sexual immorality. When the Roman satirist Juvenal wanted to aim a barb at Rome, he wrote that the Orontes River (near Antioch) emptied its garbage into the Tiber River (near Rome). The debauched prostitution of the temple of Daphne was only five miles away.

That the Hellenists were preaching the Lord Jesus, the facts of His life, death, and resurrection, as Peter had to Cornelius and his household, seems obvious. To have presented Him as the Jewish Messiah would have had little meaning to predominantly Gentile audiences.

In the Old Testament the phrase the hand of the Lord meant two things. First, it spoke of God’s power expressed in judgment (cf. Ex. 9:33; Deut. 2:15; Josh. 4:24; 1 Sam. 5:6; 7:13). It also referred to God’s power expressed in blessing (Ezra 7:9; 8:18; Neh. 2:8, 18). In this case it was related to God’s blessing, so that a large number who believed turned to the Lord. Again, as in almost all places where Jesus Christ was being preached, the response was great (cf. Acts 2:47; 4:4; 5:14; 6:1, 7; 9:31, 35, 42; 11:24; 14:1, 21; 16:5; 17:12). People not only believed intellectually but also turned from their sins to the Lord (cf. 1 Thess. 1:9). As always, believing is inseparable from repentance manifested in a changed life.

THE GROWTH

And the news about them reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas off to Antioch. Then when he had come and witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord; for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And considerable numbers were brought to the Lord. And he left for Tarsus to look for Saul; and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And it came about that for an entire year they met with the church, and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. (11:22–26)

Neither the salvation of the Ethiopian eunuch nor that of Cornelius and his household prepared the Jerusalem believers for the widespread Gentile conversions in Antioch. When the news about them reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, they decided to send a representative to investigate. Accordingly, they sent Barnabas off to Antioch. Barnabas first appeared in chapter 4, when he sold some property to meet the needs of other believers. Through his influence, Paul was finally accepted by the Jerusalem church (Acts 9:27). He was a leading teacher in the church and a loving, gentle, generous man, in keeping with his name, which means “son of encouragement.”

The choice of a representative was crucial. Sending a rigidly legalistic individual could have spelled disaster. Barnabas, however, had the qualifications needed for the job. Verse 24 further describes him as a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. He possessed the necessary spiritual qualities for one who was to discern what was happening.

Barnabas was also the right man to send because, like some of the founders of the Antioch church, he was a Cypriot Jew (4:36–37). He would not be perceived as an outsider but as one of them.

The grace of God may be invisible, but its effects are readily seen. When Barnabas arrived in Antioch and witnessed the grace of God by which they were saved, he rejoiced. Other Jews may have been upset at the conversion of Gentiles, but not Barnabas. To see lost Gentile souls added to the kingdom brought him immeasurable joy.

He then began to encourage them all with resolute heart determination to remain true to the Lord. That exhortation reflects the concern that every pastor feels for new converts, that they continue in the faith. In Acts 13:43, Paul and Barnabas exhorted new believers to “continue in the grace of God.” In 14:22, they exhorted the Christians of Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch to “continue in the faith.” The only way to remain true to the Lord is to continue in His Word, where He reveals Himself to the believer. The apostle John wrote, “Let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father” (1 John 2:24). “If you abide in My word,” Jesus said, “then you are truly disciples of Mine” (John 8:31). It is through the Word that the Holy Spirit, the resident truth teacher (1 John 2:27), instructs believers.

Again, Luke chronicles the progress of the ever-expanding church by updating its growth. Through the ongoing ministry in Antioch, considerable numbers were brought to the Lord. The harvest was too vast for Barnabas to handle alone, so he went for help. He immediately thought of the best possible man for the job, so he left for Tarsus to look for Saul. Finding him was no easy task, however. Several years had passed since Saul fled Jerusalem for his home in Tarsus (Acts 9:30). He had apparently been disinherited for his Christian beliefs (Phil. 3:8) and forced to move from his home. Anazēteō (to look for) suggests a laborious search on Barnabas’s part. The Greek lexicographers Moulton and Milligan said anazēteō is used “specially of searching for human beings with an implication of difficulty” (cited in G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament [Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1977], 29).

Eventually, Barnabas caught up with Saul, and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. These two gifted men formed a powerful ministry team. They faced the daunting task of shepherding a large number of new believers in a hostile pagan environment. Their solution was for an entire year to meet with the church, during which time they taught considerable numbers. Unlike many in today’s church, they knew the most urgent need of those new Christians was to be taught the Word of God. In mass meetings of the Antioch believers, Barnabas and Saul did just that.

Their example is an important one for the contemporary church to follow. Teaching the Word of God is at the heart of the church’s ministry. The apostles in Acts 6 made clear that teaching the Word is the highest priority of church leaders. Barnabas and Saul did their job well. The leaders of the church at Antioch mentioned in chapter 13 were probably their disciples.

Luke then adds the historical footnote that the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. The term means “of the party of Christ” and was used in derision. Peter encouraged those who suffered “as a Christian,” to “not feel ashamed, but in that name [to] glorify God” (1 Peter 4:16). What was a term of derision, though, soon became a badge of honor to the early church. The historian Eusebius relates the account of the martyr Sanctus, who replied to all his torturers’ questions simply, “I am a Christian” (Ecclesiastical History V, I [Grand Rapids: Baker, 1973], 172).

THE GENEROSITY

Now at this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. And one of them named Agabus stood up and began to indicate by the Spirit that there would certainly be a great famine all over the world. And this took place in the reign of Claudius. And in the proportion that any of the disciples had means, each of them determined to send a contribution for the relief of the brethren living in Judea. And this they did, sending it in charge of Barnabas and Saul to the elders. (11:27–32)

The first Gentile church was not only sound in doctrine but also strong in love. At this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch bearing disturbing news. The term prophet refers not to an Old Testament figure such as Isaiah or John the Baptist but to the preachers of the New Testament (cf. 1 Cor. 14:32; Eph. 2:20). One of them named Agabus stood up and began to indicate by the Spirit that there would certainly be a great famine all over the world. 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).

The prophecy of Agabus came to pass in the reign of Claudius (A.D. 41–54). The years A.D. 45–46 saw great famines in Israel. Several ancient writers attest to that fact, including Tacitus (Annals XI.43), Josephus (Antiquities XX.ii.5), and Suetonius (Claudius 18).

The response of the Antioch church to the request for money to help the Judean believers was immediate. In the proportion that any of the disciples had means, each of them determined to send a contribution for the relief of the brethren living in Judea. Determined to help the mother church in Jerusalem, the Christians at Antioch collected relief supplies for them. Much like the generosity of the church in Jerusalem (Acts 4:34–35) was this expression of love by their Gentile brothers. Each gave in proportion to his means, and the church sent the contribution back to Jerusalem in charge of their two best men—Barnabas and Saul. Their return to Jerusalem is noted in Acts 12:25.

The final stage in the Lord’s command recorded in Acts 1:8 had been reached. The church, originally Jewish, had expanded from Jerusalem and Judea to Samaria and to the Gentiles in the remotest part of the earth. The church at Antioch, begun in this chapter, was to play a leading role for several centuries. But of all its honors, one stands out: it was the church that the apostle Paul pastored and from which he was called by the Spirit to launch his missionary journeys (Acts 13:1ff.).