Now (you may recall) those scattered abroad because of the terror campaign that took off on account of Stephen’s proclamation; they travelled far to places such as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch taking the message with them, but as they went, they spoke only to Jews. However, some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, on coming to Antioch spoke to the Greeks there as well, proclaiming the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord gave them His (personal) assistance, and so a great number believed, turning to the Lord.
When an account of this came to the attention of the assembly in Jerusalem, Barnabas was despatched to Antioch. And when, on arrival, he saw (for himself) the grace of God (at work), he was overjoyed and (for his part) he instructed all who were thus moved from the heart to dwell continually upon the favour of the Lord; for he was a fine fellow, filled with the Holy Spirit and with faith. And so, a considerably large company was added to the Lord. And thus it was that Barnabas went off to Tarsus looking for Saul; and when he found him, he brought him (back) to Antioch. And so that was how, for a whole year, they joined with the church there, teaching that considerable company. That was in Antioch where the disciples were for the first time called Christians. (Acts 11:19-26/transliteration by Bruce C Wearne)
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The growing crowd of believers. PICTURE: Mark Smallcorn/www.freeimages.com IN A NUTSHELL
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Luke tells us about the arguments the Jewish believers had among themselves. They confronted big changes to the way they were to understand themselves in a Gentile world.
At first, persecution sent the Hellenistic believers fleeing, but as they did so they proclaimed the Gospel to fellow Jews wherever they went. But when believers from Cyrene and Cyprus started to share the Good News with Gentiles in Antioch, the cat was well and truly out of the bag.
No longer was it just a message for Jews resident in the land of God’s promise to Abraham. Pentecost had drawn believing Jews from around the world and so many became part of the movement that believed the Christ had come. His work completed, they were henceforth to live their lives from out of the bounty of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God had been poured out, not only at Jerusalem but also at Caesarea in the house of Cornelius.
Now in Antioch, “ordinary Gentiles”, not just proselytes like Nicolaus, had come to faith. The Gospel was on the move; the Lord’s hand, His personal assistance, was upon them.
Believers from Cyprus and Cyrene are mentioned together. They were part of Antioch’s church. You will recall that those accusing Stephen included Jews from Cyrene. Luke tells us about the deep tensions that defied easy resolution.
There were “Jews” who believed and those who didn’t; there were “Hellenists” who had been circumcised, and now there were uncircumcised “Greeks” who believed. As well, Hellenist widows, Jewish women, and presumably other groups were part of the movement. The Gospel, presented indiscriminately, meant that believers had acquired their own new name: “Christians”. It was a time when many new believers joined. The church was growing.
Luke presents the account of this growth as a harvest, after a dispersion of the seed of the Gospel – God’s Spirit had been poured out. It was not just a reaction to persecution; the disciples of Jesus discovered new aspects of His teaching as they lived out their lives. The apostles sent Barnabas to Antioch, and he then decided the time was right for Saul to make his contribution. So off to Tarsus he went and brought Saul to Antioch. There the Levite and the former Pharisee built a “discipleship school” which has benefited Christians ever since.
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BRUCE C WEARNE looks at how the Gospel was spreading in Acts 11…
