A Brand Built in Antioch
TBC Book 3, Chapter 17
Acts 11:1-30
When Peter returned to Jerusalem, news of the Gentiles’ conversion had preceded him. The other apostles and believers throughout Judea heard that Gentiles had received the word of God. But for some, this was not good news—Jewish laws had been broken.
Immediately, those believers rebuked Peter for entering the home of “uncircumcised men” and eating with them. So Peter recounted to them all that had happened.
“I was in Joppa, praying, when I fell into a trance and saw a vision appear before me. I saw something like a sheet, coming down to me from heaven. In it I saw four-footed animals, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds. Then I heard a voice say, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’
“I replied, ‘No, sir! Never have I eaten food that is unclean.’
“Then the voice said, ‘Do not call anything impure or unclean that God has made clean.’
“This dream-like episode happened three times. Then it was all pulled up to heaven.
“That’s when three men from Caesarea arrived, and the Spirit told me to go with them.” Then Peter motioned toward his companions, saying, “These six men from Joppa accompanied me to the home of a man named Cornelius. We learned that an angel had appeared to him, telling him to send for me, that I would bring a message by which he and his household would be saved.
“As I was speaking to them, the Holy Spirit came upon them just as it did upon us at Pentecost. Then I recalled our Lord’s words: ‘John baptized with water. But you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ So I reasoned, If God gave them this same gift, who am I to oppose God?”
When the Jewish believers heard that, their objections ceased, and they praised God, marveling at how he granted even Gentiles the repentance that leads to new life in Christ.
Now at this time, beginning with the persecution that followed Stephen’s stoning, a great many believers had fled Jerusalem. They traveled beyond Palestine, reaching as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, bringing with them the good news of Jesus Christ.
These Jewish believers delivered the gospel to other Jews in distant lands. But after news spread of God pouring out his Spirit among Gentiles, believers from Cyprus and Cyrene traveled to the large city of Antioch, sharing the good news of Jesus not only with Jews, but also with Gentiles. And God blessed their efforts—many believed and turned to the Lord.
When the church leaders in Jerusalem heard of this, they commissioned Barnabas, a good man, full of faith and the Holy Spirit, to travel to Antioch to witness this firsthand. He was delighted to see the evidence of God’s grace among them. So he encouraged them to remain wholeheartedly true to the Lord, and his witness resulted in even more turning to Christ.
Barnabas was so impressed with what God was doing in Antioch that he traveled to Tarsus in search of Saul. Then the two of them went to Antioch and remained there a year, meeting with the church and teaching a great many people.
It was there that believers were first called “Christians.” The term may have started as derisive ridicule (meaning “little Christ”), but Jewish and Gentile believers soon embraced it as a badge of honor (meaning “belonging to Christ”). Either way, the term “Christian” identified both Jews and Gentiles as followers of Jesus, implying that their religion was distinct from Judaism.
During that year, prophets from the church in Jerusalem also visited Antioch. A man named Agabus predicted that a famine would spread throughout the Roman world, impacting the believers in Jerusalem. So the disciples in Antioch took up an offering and arranged for Barnabas and Saul to deliver it to Jerusalem’s elders. What they didn’t know, as they left for Jerusalem, was that the imminent famine would be the least of their worries.
TBC 310
Acts 11:1-30
When Peter returned to Jerusalem, news of the Gentiles’ conversion had preceded him. The other apostles and believers throughout Judea heard that Gentiles had received the word of God. But for some, this was not good news—Jewish laws had been broken.
Immediately, those believers rebuked Peter for entering the home of “uncircumcised men” and eating with them. So Peter recounted to them all that had happened.
“I was in Joppa, praying, when I fell into a trance and saw a vision appear before me. I saw something like a sheet, coming down to me from heaven. In it I saw four-footed animals, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds. Then I heard a voice say, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’
“I replied, ‘No, sir! Never have I eaten food that is unclean.’
“Then the voice said, ‘Do not call anything impure or unclean that God has made clean.’
“This dream-like episode happened three times. Then it was all pulled up to heaven.
“That’s when three men from Caesarea arrived, and the Spirit told me to go with them.” Then Peter motioned toward his companions, saying, “These six men from Joppa accompanied me to the home of a man named Cornelius. We learned that an angel had appeared to him, telling him to send for me, that I would bring a message by which he and his household would be saved.
“As I was speaking to them, the Holy Spirit came upon them just as it did upon us at Pentecost. Then I recalled our Lord’s words: ‘John baptized with water. But you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ So I reasoned, If God gave them this same gift, who am I to oppose God?”
When the Jewish believers heard that, their objections ceased, and they praised God, marveling at how he granted even Gentiles the repentance that leads to new life in Christ.
Now at this time, beginning with the persecution that followed Stephen’s stoning, a great many believers had fled Jerusalem. They traveled beyond Palestine, reaching as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, bringing with them the good news of Jesus Christ.
These Jewish believers delivered the gospel to other Jews in distant lands. But after news spread of God pouring out his Spirit among Gentiles, believers from Cyprus and Cyrene traveled to the large city of Antioch, sharing the good news of Jesus not only with Jews, but also with Gentiles. And God blessed their efforts—many believed and turned to the Lord.
When the church leaders in Jerusalem heard of this, they commissioned Barnabas, a good man, full of faith and the Holy Spirit, to travel to Antioch to witness this firsthand. He was delighted to see the evidence of God’s grace among them. So he encouraged them to remain wholeheartedly true to the Lord, and his witness resulted in even more turning to Christ.
Barnabas was so impressed with what God was doing in Antioch that he traveled to Tarsus in search of Saul. Then the two of them went to Antioch and remained there a year, meeting with the church and teaching a great many people.
It was there that believers were first called “Christians.” The term may have started as derisive ridicule (meaning “little Christ”), but Jewish and Gentile believers soon embraced it as a badge of honor (meaning “belonging to Christ”). Either way, the term “Christian” identified both Jews and Gentiles as followers of Jesus, implying that their religion was distinct from Judaism.
During that year, prophets from the church in Jerusalem also visited Antioch. A man named Agabus predicted that a famine would spread throughout the Roman world, impacting the believers in Jerusalem. So the disciples in Antioch took up an offering and arranged for Barnabas and Saul to deliver it to Jerusalem’s elders. What they didn’t know, as they left for Jerusalem, was that the imminent famine would be the least of their worries.
TBC 310
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"Take up the shield of faith, . . . the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."
—Ephesians 6:16-17