Paul and Barnabas’s mission to Iconium, Lystra, Derbe of Lycaonia (Acts 14) By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce

 Paul and Barnabas’s mission to Iconium, Lystra, Derbe of Lycaonia (Acts 14)

By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce

Christian Arts Ministries: Biblical precepts & Gospel music

Scriptures reading Acts 14

¹ At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jew and Gentiles believed. ² But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. ³So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders. ⁴The people of the city were divided, some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles. ⁵ There was a plot afoot among the Gentiles and Jews, together with their leaders, to mistreat them and stone them. ⁶ But they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country, ⁷ were they continued to preach the good news.

⁸In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked. ⁹ He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed ¹⁰ and called out, “Stand up on your feet/” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.

¹¹ When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language “The gods have come down to us in human form!” ¹²Banabas they called Zeus and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. ¹³The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.

¹⁴ But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting:15” Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them. ¹⁶ In the past, he let all nations go their own way.¹⁷Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” ¹⁸ Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.

¹⁹ Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thing he was dead. ²⁰ But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe.

The Events on the return to Antioch

²¹ They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, ²² Strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” They said. ²³Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust. ²⁴ After going through Pisidia, they came into Pamphylia, ²⁵and when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.

   

²⁶ From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. ²⁷On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. ²⁸ And they stayed there a long time with the disciples.

 

Verse 1 Lystra. About twenty miles from Iconium.

Verse 12 Zeus. The chief god of the Greek Pantheon. Hermes. The patron god of orators. In two Greek legends connected with Lystra (and familiar to Paul’s listeners) Zeus and Hermes had come down and had become life men (v.11).  Jupiter in Roman mythology. Mercury in Roman mythology.

Verse 19 They stoned Paul. After suffering the crushing blows of the victim was dragged outside the city and left to the dogs and beasts. It was a miracle that Paul could get up and leave the next day. Some think the vision mentioned in 2 Cor.12:1-5 occurred at this time, and it is also possible that he received the marks spoken of in Gal.6:17 during this stoning.

Verse 22 Man’s soul is composed of his mind, emotion, and will. To establish the souls of the disciples is to establish them (1) in their mind, that  they may know and understand the Lord and the things concerning Him (1Cor.2:16;Phil 3:10); (2) in their emotion that they may love the Lord and have a heart for the Lord’s interest (Mark 12:30;Rom 16:4 and (3) in their will that they may be strong to remain with the Lord and do the things that please the Lord (11:23; Col1:101 Thes. 4:1). Remain persevere and firm and not depart from the faith, into which they had entered.

Verse 23 all the church here in which elders were appointed by the apostles had been established within less than one year. Hence, the elders appointed in these churches could not have been fully mature. They must have been considered elders because they were comparatively the most mature among the believers. They were not voted in by their congregations but were appointed by the apostles according to their maturity of life in Christ. They were charged by the apostles to care for the leadership and shepherding in their churches. In every church equal in every city in Titus.

Verse 27 This was the end of Paul’s first ministry journey, which began in 13:4. For fellowship regarding God’s move in the spreading of His gospel, not for a report concerning their mission.

 

 

Bibliography,

King James, The Holy Bible (KJV), Cleveland, OH: The world publishing company

Lee, Witness. The New Testament (R.V.) Anaheim, CA: Living Stream Ministry, 1985.

 Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie study Bible (NIV). Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986

 

 

Paul’s message the events in Galatian cities (Acts 13:13-52) By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce

 Paul’s message the events in Galatian cities (Acts 13:13-52)

By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce   

Christian Arts Ministries: Biblical precepts & Gospel music

Scriptures reading Acts 13:13-52

 ¹³ From Paphos, Paul and his companions sail to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch .On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and sat down.¹⁵ After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the synagogue rulers sent word to them, saying, “ Brothers, if you have a message of encouragement for the people, please speak.”

 ¹⁶ Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand and said: “ Men of Israel and you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me!¹⁷ The God of the people of Israel chose our fathers; he made the people prosper during their stay in Egypt, with mighty power he led them out of that country,¹⁸ he endured their conduct for about forty years in the desert, ¹⁹ he overthrew seven nations in Canaan and gave their land to his people as their inheritance.²⁰ All this took about 450 years. “After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet. ²¹ Then the people asked for a king, and he gave them Saul, son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years.

²² after removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: “I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.”

²³ From this man’s descendants God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as he promised. ²⁴ Before the coming of Jesus, John preached repentance and baptism to all the people of Israel. ²⁵ As John was completing his work, he said: “who do you think I am? I am not that one. No, but he is coming after me, whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”

²⁶ “Brothers, children of Abraham, and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent.²⁷ The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath. ²⁸ Though they found no proper ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilated to have him executed. ²⁹ When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. ³⁰ But God raised Him from the dead, ³¹ and for many days He was seen by those who had traveled with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now His witnesses to our people.

³² We tell you the good news What God promised our fathers ³³ he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm:

“You are my Son; today I have become your Father.”

³⁴ The fact that God raised Him from the dead, never to decay, is stated in these words:

“I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.”

³⁵ So it is staed elsewhere:

“ You will not let your Holy One see decay.”

³⁶ For when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed. ³⁷ But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay.  ³⁸ Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. ³⁹ Through him everyone who believers is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses. ⁴⁰ Take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you: ⁴¹ “Look, you scoffers, wonder and perish, for I am going to do something in your days that you would never believe, even if someone told you.”

⁴² As Paul and Barnabas were having the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath. ⁴³ When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God. ⁴⁴ On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. ⁴⁵ When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and talked abusively against what Paul was saying.

⁴⁶ Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. ⁴⁷ For this is what the Lord has commanded us:

“ I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.”

 ⁴⁸ When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed. ⁴⁹ The word of the Lord spread through the whole region.⁵⁰ But the Jews incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and expelled them from their region. ⁵¹ So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium. ⁵² And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

 

Verse 13 Based on 15:38 the reason for John’s departing must have been negative and hence a discouragement to Paul and his companions. However, he was recovered to Paul in Paul’s later ministry (Col.4:10-11;2Tim4:11).

Verse 14 Pisidian Antioch. Actually, it was in Phrygia, but near the border of Pisidia. This Antioch was so called to distinguish it from the larger Antioch in Syria. The purpose of the apostles going to the synagogue on the Sabbath day was not to keep the Sabbath but to grasp the opportunity for preaching the gospel.

Verse 20 The 450 years extend from the patriarchs to the judges. The 450 years extends from the people’s exodus from Egypt (v.17) to the time of Samuel the prophet (v.20), when David reigned completely, ruling over the whole nation of Israel (2 Sam.5:3-5; judg.11:26; 1 Kings 6:1).

Verse 22 David was a man according to God’s heart, that is, according to God’s heart’s desire, not only according to God’s words. Such a man will do all God’s will.

Verse 33 Resurrection was a birth to the man Jesus. He was begotten by God in His resurrection to be the firstborn Son of God among many brothers (Rom.8:29). He was the only begotten Son of God from eternity (John 1:18; 3:16). After incarnation, through resurrection He was begotten by God in His humanity to be God’s firstborn Son.

Verse 34 The Greek word for the holy things here is in the plural. The same Greek word is used for Holy One in the next verse, but in the singular. However, it is not the regular word for holy, it is a Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word chesed, which is translated mercies in Isa.55:3, and also in 2 Chrom.6:42 and Psalm 89:1 in both the Septuagint and the KJV. In Psalm 89, the word mercies in plural in v.1 is the same word as the Holy One in singular in v.19. This Holy One is Christ, the Son of David, in whom God’s mercies are centered and conveyed. Hence, the holy things of David, the faithful things refer to the resurrected Christ. This is fully proved by the context, especially by Your Holy One in the next verse and by the verse following Isa.55:3.

Verse 36 This indicates that David’s reigning as king was a service rendered to his generation by the counsel of God.

Verse 39 to be forgiven of sins is on the negative side (v.38) and is for our release from condemnation. To be justified is on the positive side and is for our reconciliation to God and our being accepted by Him.

Verse 46 One’s thrusting away the word of God is proof that he, by his own judgment, is unworthy of eternal life.

Verse 47 This word is a quotation from Isa.49:6 which refers to Christ as God’s Servant, whom God made a light to the Gentiles that His salvation might reach to the end of the earth. Because he was one with Christ in carrying out God’s salvation in Christ, the apostle Paul applied this prophetic word to himself in his ministry of gospel preaching for the turning of the gospel from the Jews, because of their rejection, to the Gentiles. In His ministry on earth the Lord expressed the same thing to the stubborn Jews in Luke 4:24-27.

Verse 48 Or, ordained. One’s rejecting the gospel is evidence that he is unworthy of eternal life (v.40); one’s believing it is proof that he was appointed or ordained by God to eternal life. God’s ordination, or predestination, for man’s salvation is sovereignly of Himself. However, He still leaves man to his own free will. Whether man would believe or reject His salvation is up to man’s own decision. They were glad. The Gentiles’ reception and the Jews’ rejection of the gospel is, from here on, a recurring theme in Acts.

Verse 51 They shook the dust from their feet. A good Jew took pains not to carry back into Palestine and dust from non-Jewish countries. to shake off the dust was a vivid gesture of complete break of fellowship and renunciation of responsibility for the person or community gestured at. See Christ’s command at Luke 9:5, 10:11 and Mark 6:11.

Verse 52 Gk. Pleroo, filled inwardly. this infilling by the Holy Spirit is essential, being for life not for power. Joy, being a matter of life, not of power, proves this.

 

 

 

Bibliography,

King James, The Holy Bible (KJV), Cleveland, OH: The world publishing company

Lee, Witness. The New Testament (R.V.) Anaheim, CA: Living Stream Ministry, 1985.

 Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie study Bible (NIV). Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986

 

Christianity to the uttermost part of the world (13:1-12) by Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce

Christianity to the uttermost part of the world (13:1-12)

By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce   

Christian Arts Ministries: Biblical Precepts & Gospel music

 

Events in Antioch

¹ In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul.   ² While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting,

the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” ³ So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.    

Events in Cyprus

⁴ The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. ⁵When they arrived at Salamis; they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper. ⁶ They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, ⁷ who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. ⁸But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. ⁹ Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, 10 “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? ¹¹Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind, and for a time you will be unable to see the light of the sun. "Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. ¹² When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.

 

 Verse 1 Here begins what has been called “The Acts of Paul” because Paul becomes the dominant figure. Simeon called Niger. Niger was his Latin name and probably indicates that he was an African. Who had been brought up with. Lit., foster brother, a designation given to boys of the same age as royal children with whom they were brought up. Herod the tetrarch. Herod Antipas, who ruled Galilee during the public ministry of Christ.

 Barnabas a Levite, a Cyprian by birth (4:36). Niger meaning black and denoting a Negro, probably of African origin. Lucius a Cyrenian from Cyrene in North Africa. He was a Jew if he was the Lucius in Rom.16:21, a kinsman of Paul. Manaen, Herod was governmentally related to the Romans; hence, Manaen, Herod’s foster brother, must have been Europeanized. Herod the one who killed John the Baptist (Luke9:7-9). It was the Lord’s sovereign doing that the foster brother of John the Baptist’s murderer became one  of the leading functioning members in the church. Saul a Jew born in Tarsus and taught by Gamaliel according to the law of Moses (22:3). The five prophets and teachers recorded here were composed of Jews and Gentiles, each having a different background, education, and status. This indicates that the church is composed of all races and classes of people regardless of their background, and that the spiritual gifts and functions given to the members of the Body of Christ are not based on their natural status.

Verse 2 This was a great step taken by the Lord for the spread of the gospel of His kingdom to the Gentile world. It was begun from Antioch, a Gentile center in Syria, without the organizing of a mission, without the raising of funds, without human ordination, and without any human plan or method. It was initiated by five faithful and seeking members of the Body of Christ, who gave the Head of the Body an opportunity through their ministering and fasting that He, as the Spirit, might set them apart to carry out His great commission to spread His kingdom for the establishing of His church in the Gentile world through the preaching of His gospel. This major step had nothing to do with the church in Jerusalem organizationally, and it was not under the authority and direction of Peter and the other eleven apostles in Jerusalem. It was begun solely and purely from a Gentile enter, far away from the atmosphere and influence of any Judaic background and practice and even from the practice and influence of the church in Jerusalem. It was absolutely a move by the Spirit, in the Spirit and with the Spirit through the coordination of the faithful and seeking members of the Body of Christ on the earth with the Head in the heavens. Hence, this was not a religious movement with a human schedule. From Antioch the Lord’s move on the earth for God’s New Testament economy had an entirely new start. Although the flow of the Lord’s move began from Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost and later came to Antioch and went on from Antioch to the Gentile world, it had a purified start by the Spirit at its turn in Antioch.

Verse 3 The laying on the hands denotes identification, signifying that they who laid their hands were one with those on whom they laid hands. By this they declared to all that they were one with the sent ones in their going to carry out the Lord’s great commission.

Verse 4 In v.3 Barnabas and Saul were sent by the other three. But here it says that they were sent out by the Spirit. This proves that the three were one with the Spirit in the Lord’s move, and the Spirit honored their sending as His. This was the start of Paul’s first ministry journey, which ended in 14:27.

Verse 5 Barnabas and Saul did not go to attend the Jewish synagogue gathering but to take advantage of that gathering to announce the word of God, just as the Lord did in His ministry on the earth (Matt.4:23; Luke 4:16). John was with them as their helper. This was John Mark, son of Mary (12:12) and cousin to Barnabas (Col4:10)

Verse 7 The proconsul. Cyprus was a Roman senatorial province.

Verse 8 Elymas was the name given to Bar-Jesus by Greek –speaking acquaintances.

Verse 9 Saul, who was also called Paul. Saul was his Jewish name and Paul his Roman or Gentile name. Both were given him at the time of his birth, but he now begins to use his Gentile name in this Gentile environment. The change of name may indicate a change in life. In any case, after Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit here, he took the lead in the apostolic ministry all the way.

 

Bibliography,

King James, The Holy Bible (KJV), Cleveland, OH: The world publishing company

Lee, Witness. The New Testament (R.V.) Anaheim, CA: Living Stream Ministry, 1985.

 Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie study Bible (NIV). Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986

The persecution by the Roman politician (Acts 12:1-25) By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce

 The persecution by the Roman politician (Acts 12:1-25)

By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce

Christian Arts Ministries: Biblical precepts & Gospel music

 

Scriptures reading Acts 12:1-15

The death of James Acts 12:1-2

¹ It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. ² He had Jame, the brother of John, put to death with sword.

The deliverance of Peter Acts 12:3-19a

³ When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. ⁴ After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover. ⁵So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.

⁶ The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. ⁷ Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up, “Quick, get up! “He said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists. ⁸ Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. ⁹ Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision.¹⁰ They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him. 

¹¹ Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating.” ¹² When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. ¹³Peter knocked at the outer entrance, ad a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door. ¹⁴ When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!”

¹⁵ “You are out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “ It must be his angel.” ¹⁶ But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. ¹⁷ Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James and the brothers about this,” he said, and then he left for another place. ¹⁸ In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. ¹⁹ After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed.  

 The death of Herod Acts 12:19b-23

 Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there a while. ²⁰ He had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon; they now joined together and sought an audience with him. Having secured the support of Blastus, a trusted personal servant of the king, they asked for peace, because they depended on the king’s country for their food supply.²¹ On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people.²² They shouted, “ This is the voice of a god, not of a men.” ²³ Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.

 

12 verse 1 Herod. Herod Agrippa I, grandson of the Herod the Great who ruled the birth of Jesus. Agrippa, at least on the surface, was a zealous practice of Jewish rites and a religious patriot. Herod, Agrippa I, whose successor was King Agrippa (II) in 25:13. Both were different from Herod the tetrarch in 13:1. Thus far the church had suffered persecution only from the Jewish religion. Now Gentile politics began to participate in the persecution in cooperation with the Jewish religion (v.11).

Verse 2 James. The first of the twelve to be martyred.

Verse 6 Peter was sleeping. He had Christ’s promise that he would live to an old age (John21:18)

Verse 11 rescued me. God’s ways are inscrutable Peter was delivered, but James was killed (v.2). Perhaps Peter felt that he had gone out of himself as in a trance; now he came to himself, that is, became sober.

Verse 12 the house of Mary. Traditionally it was here that the Last Supper was held and here now was the nerve center of the church in Jerusalem.

Verse 15 his angel. For other guardian angels in Scripture, (Gen.48:16;Dan.10:20-21;12:1; Matt.18:10;Heb.1:14. Not only the apostle Peter had an angel; even the little ones among the believers have their angels. Angels are servants to the believers who inherit God’s salvation. This is an arrangement in God’s eternal economy.

Verse 17 This indicates that James was a leader among the apostles and among the elders of Jerusalem (15:13;21:18;Gal.1:19’2:9,12).

Verse 20 Tyre and Sidon had to import grain; the fields of Galilee produced large supplies (1 Kings 5:9).

Verse 23 Josephus states that Herod was struck down while delivering his oration and, after five days of suffering, died (A.D.44)

Verse 25 Verse 1-24 are a parenthetical section, a record of Peter’s persecution. This verse is a continuation of 11:30, which, with the preceding verse from 11:22, is a narration of Paul’s initiation into his apostolic ministry. The passage from 11:19-12:25 is a transitional record between Peter’s apostolic ministry to the Jews in ch.2-11 and Paul’s apostolic ministry to the Gentiles in chs.13-28 (Gal..2:7-8). 

 

 

Bibliography,

King James, The Holy Bible (KJV), Cleveland, OH: The world publishing company

Lee, Witness. The New Testament (R.V.) Anaheim, CA: Living Stream Ministry, 1985.

 Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie study Bible (NIV). Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986

 

First Christians church at Antioch and Barnabas’ mission (Acts 11:19-30) By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce

First Christians church at Antioch and Barnabas’ mission (Acts 11:19-30)

By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce 

Christian Arts Ministries: Biblical precepts & Gospel music

 

Scriptures reading Acts 11:19-30

¹⁹Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews.²⁰ Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus.²¹ The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.

²² News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. ²³ When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. ²⁴He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord. ²⁵ Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.²⁷ During this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. ²⁸ One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.) ²⁹ The disciples, each according to his ability, decided to provide help for the brothers living in Judea.³⁰ This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.

 

Verse 19 Antioch on the Orontes River about three hundred miles from Jerusalem was the capital of the Roman province of Syria. It was the third largest city in the empire, with a population of about 500,000. It was one of the cosmopolitan centers of the world of that day and a center of commerce, Seleucia (sixteen miles away) being its seaport (13:4). Replacing Jerusalem as the number one Christian city, it was the center of the early missionary activity of the church (6:5;13:1;14:26;15:35;18:22). Verse 19 indicates how strong the Jewish believers were in keeping their traditions. They would not come near to Gentiles (10:28). This condition continued even after Peter’s preaching to Cornelius, an Italian. It surely restricted the Lord’s move in spreading His gospel according to God’s New Testament economy.

Verse 20 they must have been from among the Jewish believers in dispersion (1Pet.1:1) men of Cyprus and Cyrene.  This was a further step of the Lord’s move in spreading His gospel to the Gentiles after what happened in the house of Cornelius (ch.10) and before Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles, which beginning ch.13.

Verse 22 Barnabas. Was sent out from Jerusalem to visit the believers in other places; he was sent with authority from the apostles, not from the church, because the apostles were there in Jerusalem. Barnabas described by Luke as one who consoles or encourages (4:36). A good man who was full of the Holy Spirit (11:24), he played an important role in the early life of the church on four occasions (1) He convinced the apostles of the genuineness of Paul’s conversion (acts 9:27). (2) He represented the apostles at Antioch and recognized that the movement there was the work of God (11:22-24); (3) He and Paul were sent by the Spirit on the first missionary journey (13:2); and (4) He defended the work among Gentiles at the Jerusalem council (15:12,22,25).  Saul was saved by the Lord directly without any preaching channel (9:3-6) and was brought into identification with the Body of Christ through Ananias, a member of the Body of Christ (9:10-19). However, he was introduced to practical fellowship with the disciples in Jerusalem through Barnabas (9:26-28). Now Barnabas was sent form Jerusalem to go as far as Antioch to encourage the believers, and he went to Tarsus to bring Saul to Antioch (vv.25-26). This was a great step. It initiated Saul into the Lord’s move in spreading the gospel of His kingdom to the Gentiles world. (13:13).

Verse 23 grace of God. The grace that was seen by Barnabas must have been the Triune God received and enjoyed by the believers and expressed in their salvation, change in life, holy living and the gifts they exercised in their meetings, all of which could be seen by others. Be persistently faithful to the Lord, cleave to Him, and live in close fellowship with Him.

Verse 25 to look for Saul. Paul had been in Tarsus, his home city, and in Syria and Cilicia (Gal.1:21) about nine years since going there from Jerusalem (Acts 9:30).

 Verse 26 Christians. The word appears only here, in 26:28, and in 1 Pet.4:14. It means partisans or followers of Christ, “ Christ’s men” Christians, the disciples in Antioch were given such a nickname, a term of reproach, indicates that they must have borne a strong testimony for the Lord, a testimony that made them distinct and peculiar in the eyes of the unbelievers. 

Verse 28 A severe famine. Josephus reports that a famine occurred in about A.D.46. Claudius. A Caesar of the Roman Empire. In the fourth year of his reign. About A.D.44, there was a famine in Judea and the neighboring countries.

 Verse 29 disciples. This verse shows that the believers’ having all things in common (2:44-45;4:32), which was practiced at the time of Pentecost, had become a thing of the past at the time the matter here was mentioned, no more than ten years after Pentecost, long before Paul began his ministry to the Gentiles (13:2-4). This word indicates further that there was no uniformly prescribed way in the early days of the church concerning the believers’ giving of material things; rather, it was lift to each believer to give out of his own will and his own initiation. Prospered. The Greek word here means to progress favorably, or to go on smoothly; hence, it denotes to thrive smoothly, to prosper, in an enterprise, an occupation, or other activities. Prosperity is given by God, and it issues in surplus and abundance.

 Verse 30 This indicates that in the early days the finances of the church were under the management of the elders. Now Saul, through Barnabas, was brought into the service among the church.

Bibliography,

King James, The Holy Bible (KJV), Cleveland, OH: The world publishing company

Lee, Witness. The New Testament (R.V.) Anaheim, CA: Living Stream Ministry, 1985.

 Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie study Bible (NIV).Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986.