Acts 11:19–30

Original Meaning

Gentiles Converted in Antioch (11:19–21)

THOSE WHO WENT to Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch shared the message with Jews only, but some from Cyprus and Cyrene shared the gospel in Antioch with Greeks2 as well (v. 20). While Luke tells us where these daring spirits who took the lead in this great step forward in the life of the church hailed from, we do not know their names—possibly because there were no famous leaders among them and no one stood out as prominent.

Antioch in North Syria by the Orontes River was the largest of sixteen cities in the eastern Mediterranean bearing that name. They were so named because many kings of the Seleucid dynasty (who ruled the eastern part of Alexander the Great’s empire after his death) bore the name Antiochus. With an estimated population of about 300,0003 Antioch in Syria was the third largest city in the Roman empire, surpassed in population only by Rome and Alexandria. It was also the seat of administration of the Roman province of Syria. A large Jewish population lived there, estimates of which range from 22,000 to 65,000.4

Antioch had lax morals, especially owing to cult prostitution at a shrine in Daphne, five miles south of the city. Because it was an international commercial center, it was a cosmopolitan city. People were accustomed to innovations there. “They had their rough corners rubbed smooth, and traditional attitudes which were taken so seriously in a place like Jerusalem did not matter much.”5 According to Josephus, a large number of proselytes lived there.6 In fact, one of the seven men chosen to serve tables in Jerusalem was Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch (6:5). It was, then, an ideal place to be “the real birthplace of Gentile Christianity.”7 It remained an important center of Christianity for many centuries. It is now a part of Turkey and is called Antakya, with a relatively small population of about 40,000.

Bridging Contexts

IN THIS PASSAGE Luke reports for us another significant step in the progress of the gospel to the ends of the earth. As he does so, he lets us observe some keys to vibrant community life that enabled the church to flourish. This is seen in the way the group of unnamed pioneers shared their faith in places to which they were scattered (vv. 19–21), in the way the church in Jerusalem reacted to the news of what was happening in Antioch (v. 22), in the way Barnabas acted in Antioch (vv. 23–26), and in the way the church in Antioch responded to the prophecy about a coming famine (vv. 27–29). These are important examples for us to follow. In keeping with our conviction that Acts gives us inspiring examples that we can follow,21 we will look at this passage as an example of how God works through vibrant community life.

Unnamed pioneers. The first thing that strikes us is that we are not given the names of those who took the church forward to what Barclay calls “one of the greatest events in history”22—the first general23 attempt at taking the gospel directly to Gentiles. We are only told where they hail from (v. 20), which suggests that no one emerged as prominent among them. This great work was done by a group of “ordinary Christians” who went and shared the gospel. In fact, much of the growth of the church must have happened through such people (see 8:1, 4)—as should be the case today.

Barnabas the encourager. Luke undoubtedly intends to present the qualities of Barnabas as an encourager in this passage. He had earlier said how this man had been given his new name, meaning “son of encouragement,” by the apostles (4:36). Now Luke not only records how Barnabas encouraged the young church in Antioch (v. 23), he also gives the character traits that enabled this man to be such an effective encourager (v. 24). We will therefore use this passage to study the ministry of encouragement.

(1) Barnabas was glad when he “saw the evidence of the grace of God” (v. 23a). He must have seen many weaknesses and perhaps “many excesses of religious enthusiasm that would have shocked some people.”24 But he did not focus attention on these. Instead, he focused on the evidence of God’s grace among them, and that made him glad. Biblical encouragers are easily gladdened.

(2) Barnabas encouraged perseverance in the people’s relationship with Jesus (v. 23b). Just to know that the envoy from Jerusalem was happy would have been a great source of encouragement. But that was not enough. Encouragement is an active ministry, not just a passive acceptance of people. Thus, Barnabas encouraged (i.e., exhorted) them “to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.” By their speech and life encouragers urge others to go on in the life of faith without giving up.

(3) Luke then cites the character traits that made Barnabas an effective encourager (v. 24). Encouragers are “good” people—people of genuine Christian character. Those who live godly lives will encourage others to be godly. Encouragers are also “full of the Holy Spirit” (a theme discussed at length elsewhere in this book). In addition, encouragers are “full of . . . faith.” Faith in God’s provision gave Barnabas the courage to sell his land and give the proceeds to meet the needs of the poor (4:37). Faith in God’s ability to change people gave him the courage to risk supporting Saul when the others were afraid of him (9:26–27). Here again faith in the possibilities of grace enabled Barnabas to look beyond the weaknesses he saw to focus on what God had done and could do in the life of the church in Antioch.

(4) Barnabas took a trip of about a hundred miles to recruit Saul to help him in his work (vv. 25–26). He had to be highly motivated to do that. Barnabas realized that the task was so big that he needed capable help. But Saul was probably more talented and educated than Barnabas. By getting Paul he was seriously jeopardizing his own position of leadership and prominence. But encouragers know that there are some things that others can do better than themselves, and they encourage such people to use their gifts within the context of the encouragers’ own ministries.

The gift of prophecy. Like with the gift of tongues, the issue of whether the gift of prophecy, which Agabus exercised (v. 28), is valid for today continues to be a point of contention in the church. What we said in connection with tongues25 applies here as well.26 I see no adequate biblical reason for eliminating this gift from the life of the church.

Partnership in missions. The Antioch church developed a missionary attitude, which resulted in a reversal of missionary roles (vv. 27–29). The result is partnership in missions, where each church contributes to the other out of its economic, cultural, intellectual, or spiritual riches. Paul describes this partnership approach to missions when he reflected on the benefits of his proposed visit to Rome: “I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong—that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith” (Rom. 1:11–12). This is the model of missions that we should strive for in every church.

Contemporary Significance

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 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.

Encouragers are easily gladdened. Some people see a new work and immediately compare it with their own work. This makes them feel threatened about their status, so they look at the shortcomings in the new work—and there will always be shortcomings. Focusing on those things, they end up criticizing the work. Such criticism may be valid, but it is ill-timed and done in the wrong spirit. Such people alienate themselves from the young, enthusiastic, and sometimes immature leaders. They forfeit their chance to influence them towards maturity.

There are many young enthusiastic Christians who have joined churches with a sincere desire to serve. They were not lacking in zeal, but they were lacking in wisdom and maturity. The potential of these youth who had so much to offer is lost from the church if they receive only criticism. Some give up trying and remain uninvolved. Others go elsewhere to serve, and the rest become bitter rebels. But wise encouragers see the good in the new movement, are pleased with it, and help it to grow and become stable.

Encouragers urge perseverance. Young enthusiastic Christians can cool off in their enthusiasm and commitment once the initial thrill of the new life wears off and they face disappointments and discouragement. At such times mature leaders are needed. They have weathered storms and are not surprised by problems. Because they have faith to handle crises, they can give stability to less experienced believers. This is one reason why we should have mature Christians involved in a new work—to help people persevere. We often take people who are young, committed, and enthusiastic and send them out to minister in difficult areas. Sometimes these people come to disastrous ends. In a crisis or a time of discouragement, they are alone, make rash decisions, or commit huge mistakes. Some fall into big sins as they are unequipped to face the strong temptations that come from Satan as they challenge his rule.

Encouragers have a calling to help people abide in Christ wholeheartedly (v. 23b). This involves teaching—which Barnabas and Saul did for a whole year in Antioch (v. 26). It involves being with people and urging them to persevere when they are in a challenging situation and may be tempted to compromise or give up.

This ministry of urging people to persevere is well expressed in a story I heard from a preacher years ago. His son was running a race, and the father was watching the race from near the final bend before the home stretch. When the son came to that spot, he was not in the lead. The father cried out as loud as he could, “Go!” The son recognized the father’s voice, and this cry created a new determination, which helped him to increase his speed and win the race. We can be a shot in the arm to the faith and life of many people. When they are discouraged, we can help lift them up through words of encouragement. When they are committed, we can help them go deeper in their commitment.

Here is a new believer who had lost a battle against temptation and fallen into sin. She thought that there was little chance for her to succeed as a Christian. We sit and talk with her, reminding her of the promises of God to help people like her. She receives the strength to start walking with God again.

Or I think of the young preacher who comes to speak at a meeting. From his face we see something has gone wrong. We ask him about it, and he tells us about some big problems at his home so that he cannot prepare adequately for his talk. We assure him of the sufficient grace of God for such situations, lay hands on him, pray for him, and send him off for the meeting with fresh hope in the promises of God.

Here is a young evangelical with a passion for social justice and a sense of call to do something in this area. She is discouraged because she finds that few of her fellow evangelicals understood her passion. We talk with her and explore possibilities of how she can be involved constructively in such ministry, and we introduce her to people with whom she can work.

The character of an encourager. The first character trait we examined was goodness. Good persons refuse to break any principles to achieve their desired goals. They do not have ulterior motives of achieving some hidden agenda as they serve in the church or the world. When they are put in leadership, we can expect them to make unselfish and principled decisions. Good persons do not lie to suit their own purposes. They do not crush others in order to climb in society or manipulate people and situations for their own ends. They do not use people and then drop them when they no longer serve their purposes. They take responsibility for mistakes.

It is possible for people without integrity—people who are not good—to climb to leadership positions in the church today. Ours is a pragmatic generation, which seems to have a love affair with results. If a person produces results, we regard him or her as successful, and people without integrity can do well and succeed. Because the church is an entity in contemporary society, it is not surprising that this problem has hit the church. When motivated, capable, and ambitious people do supposedly great things, we can be so enamored by the results that we overlook their character flaws. Such people can build their empires and become prominent spokespersons for Christianity.

But when such people are discovered as having no integrity, Christ is dishonored. If bad people stand for the right message and win a hearing for this message, people may end up rejecting the gospel. At the beginning of this century liberalism posed a great threat to the church and nearly destroyed its vitality. At the end of this century worse results may come through the devastation caused by people who preach the evangelical message but lack personal integrity.

The seriousness of this problem surfaces in the growth of religions like Buddhism and Hinduism, which focus on self-effort. People of these religions object that Christianity, with its free offer of forgiveness for sins through grace, opens the door for irresponsible living. (This is one of the most common criticisms made against Christianity by Buddhists in Sri Lanka.) In answer we say that God not only forgives us, but he also gives us the strength to overcome sin. But if they accept that argument, they will examine the lives of Christians to see whether it really works. And if they do not see holiness in Christians, they will accuse us of making fraudulent claims. This is precisely what the former Indian President and Hindu philosopher Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan meant when he said, “Christians are ordinary people making extraordinary claims.” This was also Gandhi’s major objection to the Christian gospel.

Elsewhere we have discussed how important the fullness of the Spirit is to Christian ministry.27 The third quality of encouragers mentioned here is faith. Both faith in God and faith in people are important for the ministry of encouragement. To encourage people you must believe in them, which is not easy to do today given the lack of integrity we encounter. If we become disappointed over people, we are tempted to refrain from trusting anybody. It is faith that helps us believe in people. Ultimately we put our belief not so much in people as in the promises of God—in the possibilities of grace in the lives of people. That vision of grace helps us to see beyond the gloom, to believe, and so to try to be agents of grace in the lives of others. We will not give up on people. We will pray for them and meet with them. We will urge them and rebuke them. And we will do so believing that God can make them into his mighty instruments.

Paul once wrote, “Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you” (1 Tim. 1:18). Based on some prophecies made about Timothy, Paul had a vision of what he could become. That vision led him to instruct Timothy so that he could become the person God wanted him to be. How we need to feed faith in our lives! Reading the Bible daily can help keep us from becoming cynics. Perhaps we question whether we can expect Christians to act as the Bible says Christians should act. Are we being impractical fools when we press for scriptural holiness? The promises in the Bible challenge our cynicism. They encourage us to believe that grace can indeed effect a profound change in people and make them Christlike. Believing in the possibilities of grace, we have courage to hope, pray, and work toward seeing these possibilities realized in our lives and in the lives of others.

Thus, the key to helping people stay close to Christ is the Christian character of the leader. This is in keeping with what Paul gives as the qualifications for leaders in the church. Out of the long list he gives in 1 Timothy 3:2–7 only one element has to do with ability (the ability to teach). The rest are about the maturity, character, and reputation of a leader. There are many things that we can do in ministry without godliness and the fullness of the Spirit. We can lead meetings, prepare and deliver messages, organize and implement programs, win elections, and head committees. But we cannot help people abide in the Lord. To produce godly people we too must be godly. To produce people of prayer we too must be people of prayer. To produce people who walk close to God we too must walk close to God.

The power of the life of a godly leader is still important even in this pragmatic age. Deep down people desire to be holy. But many have taken shortcuts, thinking that such a life will not be practical. But as the famous American evangelist of an earlier generation, Henry Clay Morrison, said, “God never fixed me up so that I couldn’t sin. He fixed me up so that I couldn’t sin and enjoy it.” There is a yearning for godliness in the human heart. When people see that it is possible to be holy, they too are urged to pursue this path. This is why godliness and integrity have a way of pervading the fabric of movements led by godly leaders.

Encouragers enlist the help of capable people. Some leaders reluctantly accept help from other capable people because they know it is inevitable. Barnabas, on the other hand, took the initiative and personally made the long journey in search of the highly talented Saul. Because encouragers know there are others who can do some things better than themselves, they are not possessive of their status. They do not thrive on being worshiped as heroes, so they do not try to protect their flock from the ministries of other gifted leaders. Some leaders get upset when their people are thrilled about someone else’s teaching. But encouragers are not defensive, always trying to prove their own abilities. They, like Barnabas, will prove the abilities of others.

Some leaders are willing to have young, inexperienced, and enthusiastic assistants but are threatened by capable colleagues. They are afraid that their position will be jeopardized. Such people are never happy. When any threat comes to their position, they lose control and act rashly. Take the example of a Christian couple who plan on being married. The couple asks a preacher from another church, who is a friend of theirs, to preach at the wedding. Their pastor becomes angry, resurrects a forgotten rule, and prevents this, or he expresses his anger in some other way. We should leave it to Christ to honor us and concentrate instead on honoring Christ and others. In 1 Samuel 2:30, God says, “Those who honor me I will honor.” We can rest on that promise, realizing that the honor that comes from God is the only honor worth striving for.

The gift of prophecy today. I said that I see no adequate reason for rejecting the idea that the gift of prophecy can be operative today also. But I must also say that any messages given through the exercise of this gift should not contradict what God has already revealed in the Scriptures. Thus, for example, when a prophecy is given regarding the date of the Lord’s return, it should be judged as inauthentic because it contradicts the clear teaching of the Scriptures (see comments on 1:1–8).

Why is it, then, that many churches do not seem to experience the operation of the prophetic gift? Unlike the gift of tongues, which is not necessary for public worship to be complete, Paul seems to suggest that prophecy is at least desirable, if not essential, in the community life of the church (1 Cor. 14). Wayne Grudem has pointed out that often the gift of prophecy is operating in churches without its being recognized as such.28 For example, sometimes in a time of prayer someone may pray something that becomes an unusual means by which God directs the group. Or a speaker may say something he or she had not planned to say, which becomes a direct message from God to someone in the audience.

Forging missionary partnership. How can we forge a model of missionary partnership today? How can we break the donor-recipient barrier so that all segments of the church see themselves as capable and called to make significant contributions to the worldwide mission of the church? Two keys need emphasizing. (1) We must develop what can be called a “body of Christ” mentality. This was well expressed by the Indian Christian leader Sam Kamaleson, in a statement he made at the Urbana ’70 Student Missionary Conference: The church “is not an organization but a supernatural organism: she feels, she throbs with vitality. In other words, when the church in the United States is pinched, the church in India must say, ‘Ah, that hurts!’ ”29

Because of this mentality, the need of the church in Jerusalem became the responsibility of the church in Antioch. Some have called this the kingdom perspective—where our concerns are not only for our own programs but for the entire kingdom of God. Those with such a perspective think not only of their own work but also of the impact their activities have on the wider body. Leighton Ford speaks of the need to be kingdom seekers rather than empire builders.

(2) Another key that helped break the donor-receiver distinction in Antioch was the fact that the group without money was the mother church and the group with money was the daughter church. Today money rules much missionary strategy. Money is power in our society, and that myth has infiltrated into the thinking of the church. So the one with more money may feel superior and the one with less money inferior. Such attitudes make partnership impossible. But because the mother church was poor, the relationship between the churches in Antioch and Jerusalem was freed from this malady.

If we are to arrive at partnership today, we must free missions from the stranglehold of money. We must think in terms of sharing everything we have. Missionary giving can take place through prayer, ideas, spiritual gifts, and people, as well as money. The one who gives money is not greater than the one who contributes ideas or prays. Usually, however, we behave as if money is most important. In the partnership model, rich Christians can look for help in spirituality and community living from poor Christians since they know these two qualities tend to grow well in the soil of poverty. When the rich realize how important the spiritual and community life are to Christianity, they will not feel superior to the poor. When the poor realize that they are being treated as equals and that their contribution is highly valued, they feel confident of what they can offer. In such an environment missionary partnership will thrive.

Some missionary leaders complain that nationals are not emerging as leaders on the mission field. But the reason for this may be that the environment is not conducive to the development of national leaders. If the rich foreigner is considered superior, we can be sure that true leaders will scarcely emerge. Potential leaders will be either stifled or, more likely, move away. “Yes-men,” that is, people hoping that some of the money will come their way, will stay. These people have no sense of ownership; they just want to grab what they can from the rich person. Naturally, therefore, you cannot hand the work over to them. Developing models of partnership, then, is a vital need for the church today.

Original Meaning

Encouragement from Barnabas (11:22–26)

THE PROBLEM WITH unknown people doing significant things is that they lack credentials for others to accept the validity of what they are doing. Therefore, a known and respected person was sent by the Jerusalem church to check out what was happening (v. 22). They made a wise choice in Barnabas, for he had distinguished himself as an encourager (4:36) and was known for his godliness (11:24). Moreover, he was a Jew from Cyprus, like some of those who had preached to Gentiles in Antioch. He would have a broader perspective than those who had never been abroad. It may be that he volunteered his services for this assignment.8

Barnabas’s first response to seeing the evidence of God’s grace in Antioch shows why he was given the name “Encourager.” “He was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts” (v. 23). The word “encouraged” (parakaleo) should take the meaning “exhorted” here. What Barnabas urged was not just perseverance along the Christian way. Barrett translates it literally as “to continue with the Lord in the purpose of their hearts.”9 The discipline required for perseverance comes from a clinging love relationship with the Christ who loved them and gave himself for them.

The NIV unfortunately does not translate the first word of verse 24, hoti, meaning “because.” That word connects Barnabas’s ministry of encouragement (v. 23) to his Christian character as “a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith” (v. 24).10 Paul ranks goodness above righteousness in Romans 5:7: “Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.” It is a quality that inspires loyalty and commitment. It can mean generosity (Matt. 20:15), a quality that comes to the fore here with Barnabas’s unhesitating acceptance of this new work. Sometimes it refers to good as opposed to bad, as in good fruit versus bad fruit in Matthew 7:17. In the parable of the sower in Luke, the good soil is said to refer to “those with a noble and good heart” (Luke 8:15). To sum up, when Luke uses “good” to describe Barnabas, he is describing someone with true Christian character, a man of integrity and wholesomeness.11 That goodness was specially mentioned suggests that Barnabas “was outstanding for the Christian quality of his life.”12

While Barnabas is the only one described as “a good man” in Acts, others, like the Seven (including Stephen), are likewise described as “full of the Holy Spirit” (cf. 6:3, 5). Barnabas was also “full of . . . faith,” which probably means faith in God.

Next follows a typical Lukan statement, that “a large crowd was added to the Lord” (v. 24b; lit. trans.).13 The coming of the encourager/consolidator did not result in a reduction in evangelistic zeal and effectiveness. Soon, however, Barnabas realized that he needed help to adequately pastor this flock. Thus, he went in search of Saul and brought him back to help in a teaching ministry that went on for a whole year (vv. 25–26). The trip to Tarsus was about a hundred miles—a major undertaking.14 About ten years must have elapsed15 since Saul had left Jerusalem and gone to Tarsus (9:30). He himself says that he was in Syria and Cilicia (whose principal city was Tarsus) during this time (Gal. 1:21). There is every reason to believe, especially considering his comments in Galatians 1, that he was evangelizing during this time.16

Another reason why Antioch has a special place in the history of Christianity is that here “the disciples were called Christians first” (v. 26), a name that has prevailed. This was probably a name given by the Antiochene population; Christians used it of themselves beginning only in the second century.17 In New Testament times, they preferred to use words like “disciples,” “saints,” and “brothers.” In the New Testament only non-Christians (like Agrippa, 26:28, and the persecutors of Christians, 1 Peter 4:16) use the term. The Gentiles must have heard the believers speak so often of Christ that they supplied a suffix to the word “Christ”—thus, “Christians” (meaning “the Christ people”). The Jews would not have given them this name, since “Christ” is the Greek word for the title “Messiah,” and the Jews did not accept Jesus as the Messiah.