19 So then those who were scattered because of the persecution that occurred in connection with Stephen made their way to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews alone. 20 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. 21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord. 22 The news about them reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas off to Antioch. 23 Then when he arrived and witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord; 24 for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And considerable numbers were brought to the Lord. 25 And he left for Tarsus to look for Saul; 26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And for an entire year they met with the church and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. Acts 11:19–26
The Jesus movement was no longer tethered to Jerusalem. Stephen’s death and the persecution that ensued aimed mainly at Hellenistic believers released missionaries to the north up to Antioch, towns in between like Sidon and Tyre, and over to the isle of Cyprus in the Mediterranean. There they began to reach out to “Jews alone.” But at the same time others from Cyprus and Cyrene on the African coast converged with those at Antioch, indiscriminately reaching out also to the Greeks.
Obviously, one needs to study a bit of New Testament geography to read through Acts. Here mentioned is the area north of Judea, Phoenicia (Sidon and Tyre or modern day Lebanon), the island of Cyprus in the Mediterranean Sea to the west, and Antioch in Syria (Turkey), due north of Phoenicia. Not too much farther north and west was Saul’s hometown of Tarsus.
That out of the way, the main point is that “the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord.” Word of this exciting revival “reached the ears of the church in Jerusalem.” Instinctively, the leaders there were concerned that things would get “out of hand” and they sent the “Son of Encouragement” Barnabas to observe, he being “a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.” (11:24) In the back of their minds they knew these “Hellenistic” types could be quite the handful. “When he arrived and witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord.” (11:23)
In the church, it is wise, even when things seem to be going “great guns,” amid the spiritual exuberance, that biblical order be established, and a foundation of sound doctrine is laid. It is commendable that Barnabas sought out Saul in Tarsus to complement his encouraging style with a bit of “hot sauce,” for Saul I would think could be considered the “Son of Exhortation.”
As the church grew God was careful to assimilate new pockets of believers of all stripes to ensure that they were properly grafted into the church at large, encouraged in the faith, and well nourished, i.e., well taught. (Verse 26) As a result, the believers there were the first to be known as Christians.
Here are some insights that pop out from this passage:
The gracious hand of the Lord causes the expansion of his church. 21, 23
The importance of repentance in salvation. “A large number who believed turned to the Lord.“ 21
Two are better than one. The Lord used the complementary giftedness of Barnabas and Saul to accomplish the work. 25, 26
The importance of wise leadership and order in the church. 22
The importance of encouragement in the church. 23
The importance of teaching sound doctrine to the church. 26
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