Grace Bible Church Gillette, Wyoming

1. Luke continued the account of the early church. However, it was not necessarily immediately after the conversion of Cornelius, but perhaps sometime later. Though God had given a divine directive to preach to the Gentiles, it took considerable time for Jewish believers to implement it. The Day of Pentecost took place approximately during AD 30. The establishment of the church at Antioch was roughly dated anywhere from AD 37 to AD 43, that is some seven to thirteen years after the birth of the church.

2. Luke connects the mobilization of the church with the persecution that began at Stephen’s martyrdom. Initially some believers scattered throughout Judea and Samaria (Ac 8:1-4). The diaspora continued beyond to Phoenicia, Cypress, and Antioch (Ac 11:19).

3. Though the church was on the move, most of the Jewish believers were sharing the gospel to Jews alone (ei mā monon - “none except” the Jews).

B. Some were Scattered but open to Gentiles (20)

1. However, there were some Hellenistic Jews from Cypress and Cyrene who went to Antioch. Being from predominantly Gentile areas, they preached Jesus to the Greeks.

2. Some manuscripts read Hellānistas for speaking to the “Greeks.” But Hellānistas actually means Grecian Jews (cf. Ac 6:1; 9:29). Since the context only makes sense when understood as “Greeks” (and not “Greek speaking Jews) the Greek word Hellānas is the preferred reading.

3. But some raise the question concerning these particular Greeks, whether they were proselytes, God-fearers, or Greeks completely unattached to the synagogue. They maintain that these Gentiles were becoming Christians “through the doors of the synagogues.” They argue that Luke treats Paul as the one to breach the gap to the Greeks unconnected with Judaism. However, Luke does not use his usual language for proselytes or God-fearers (sebomenoi ton theon) here. In either case, these were Greeks (Gentiles), the first Gentile Church would be established, and the apostle Paul would go on to establish the model for the Gentile ministry.

4. Whether speaking to Jews, half-Jews, Hellenistic Jews, proselytes, God-fearers or unattached Gentiles, the message remained the same. It was the preaching and proclamation of Jesus who died on the cross for the atonement of sin and was raised from the dead declaring that He was “Lord.”

5. Antioch (of Syria), not to be confused with Pisidian Antioch, was founded by Seleucus, one of Alexander the Great's generals for its military and economic location. It was the third largest city in the Roman Empire next to Rome and Alexandria. It was saturated in pagan worship and temple prostitution to the goddess Daphne. However, Antioch later became known as the “cradle of Christianity.”

C. First Missionary Endeavor to Gentiles (21)

1. God was behind this first missionary endeavor to the Gentiles, because he aided the evangelism by the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

2. In fact, the reason that many believed and turned to the Lord was because the “hand of the Lord” was with them. This phrase first and foremost means that the Lord is performing a divine work in their midst. It can either be used in reference to the Lord’s judgment (Dt 2:15; Jos 4:24; 1Sa 5:6; 7:13) or the Lord’s blessing (Ezr 7:9; 8:18; Ne 2:8, 18).

3. Throughout the book of Acts, God orchestrated the divine work of bringing large numbers to Christ (Ac 2:47; 4:4; 5:14; 6:1, 7; 9:31, 42; 11:24; 14:1, 21; 16:5; 17:12).

II. BEGINNING OF THE GENTILE CHURCH IN ANTIOCH (Ac 11:22-24)

A. Barnabas was Sent by the Jerusalem Church (22)

1. The Jerusalem church under the direction of the apostles heard that in addition to Cornelius, more Gentiles were coming to the Lord Jesus.

2. Needing to investigate the validity of this new work of God, they decided to send someone to Antioch. In a wise decision, they sent Barnabas, who himself was of “Cyprian birth” (Ac 4:36). Being a Hellenistic Jew himself, he would have been able to easily join the work of the other Jewish brothers from Cypress and Cyrene. Furthermore, he would have been familiar with the Gentile culture in Antioch. But more importantly, he had to have the right spiritual qualifications.

3. As already noted by Luke, the “son of encouragement” (Ac 4:36) plays an important part in the early church (Ac 9:27; 11:2, 22; 12:25; 13:1, 2, 7, 42, 43).

B. The Qualifications of Barnabas (23-24)

1. A man of willingness (23)

a) First of all, Barnabas had to be willing to go to Antioch. It does not matter what qualifications he would have had. They would be of no avail if he had not been willing to go and be involved in the ministry in the church.

b) Willingness can be easily understood as a part of spiritual encouragement. Barnabas was not only excited about ministry toward others; he would have had a great desire to personally encourage them.

2. A man of discernment (23)

a) The apostles wanted to have first-hand knowledge of the status of these new believers. Did they hear the right gospel message? Did they exercise genuine faith? How would they handle persecution?

b) Barnabas would have had the spiritual discernment to answer these questions. As soon as he arrived in Antioch, he “witnessed” the grace of God. In other words, Barnabas had discerned that their faith was genuine and their salvation was evident.

c) Note the phrase, “grace of God.” Salvation is by “grace” not only in the offer of salvation, but in the reception of salvation. These Gentiles were saved by “grace” through the “hand of the Lord.” Throughout the book of Acts, Luke presents salvation as a predestined work of the Lord (Ac 13:48) and not a mere choice solely dependent on the hearers.

3. A man of encouragement (23)

a) Upon discerning their spiritual status, the “son of encouragement” “rejoiced” (chairō). For the salvation of others was not a mere religious duty, but like his Lord, the joy of his heart (cf. Lk 15:10; Jn 15:11; 3Jn 1:4).

b) The encouragement that Barnabas gave to the new believers was to remain true to the Lord with a “resolute heart” (prothesis - placing before, consecration, and dedication).This would have certainly applied to any who had not completely come to Christ (cf. Hebrews). It certainly applied to the persecution that they would soon receive (1Th 2:14). But it would also apply to their commitment and continued growth in the Lord through learning the Word, prayer, fellowship in the church, and ministry to others.

4. A man of goodness (24)

a) Here “goodness” (an attribute of God - Ps 119:68; Mk 10:17-18; Ex 33:18-19) suggests more than just being nice and giving aid.

b) It suggests the greatness of goodness in helping others grow in Christ.

5. A man full of the Holy Spirit (24)

a) These spiritual qualities could only be realized by being filled with the Holy Spirit.

b) It is a term for surrendered dependence upon the Holy Spirit (Ep 5:18)

6. A man full of faith (24)

a) “Full of faith” not only means having faith in what God can do in ministry.

b) It also suggests having knowledge of the faith and the purpose to teach it.

7. A man of evangelism (24)

a) It comes as no surprise that the “son of encouragement” was engaged in evangelism.

b) In fact, he encouraged “considerable numbers” to come to Christ.

8. The conclusion is that through Barnabas and unnamed faithful believers, the Spirit gave birth to the first Gentile church, and through willing believers, He established and enlarged it.

Grace Bible Church · 4000 E. Collins Rd · PO Box #3762 · Gillette, WY · (307) 686-1516