HELLO I LOVE YOU, LET ME TELL YOU MY NAME
ACTS 11:19-30
Now 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.
19-20 The Jerusalem church’s reaction to Caesarea is interesting: acceptance without excitement. There was no carte blanche exodus to win the Gentiles. Galatians 2:7-9: Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong? 8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers… tells us that Peter continued to minister to Jews only (people of the circumcision). Then Antioch: 300 + miles North of Jerusalem, the largest city in Asia Minor, third largest city in the Roman Empire is hit with a spiritual earthquake. Cyprus was 200 miles North west of Jerusalem, Cyrene 800 miles west of Jerusalem. Greeks (Greek speaking Gentiles) hear the Gospel and respond with enthusiasm!
I) KNOWN BY PROCLAMATION (19-21)
The people of the way begin to display a new image. They were becoming cosmopolitan in their message and means. This is in contrast with the rest of the Apostolic witness, as the messengers were usually confining their work to Jews or friends of the Jewish way of doing things, like Cornelius. This wasn’t entirely due to prejudice however, as the assumption is the Jewish people would have cursory knowledge about the prophecies in Scripture, while the Gentiles would not. This gave the Jewish audience a great advantage in understanding the Christ event. What was overlooked was the general disgust and disillusionment that existed among the Greeks and their idols. Many were searching for a better way already.
Luke connects the events with two previous passages about expansion, Acts 8:1, 4; Acts 9:31 and the spread of the church due to Stephen’s martyrdom: “On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria… Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went… Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace.”
21 “Hand of the LORD” is a frequently used expression from the Old Testament that speaks of the supernatural abilities and inclusions of God performed on behalf of His people. This term would elicit images of the Exodus: So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go… “Your right hand, O Lord, was majestic in power. Your right hand, O Lord, shattered the enemy… ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself… (Exodus 3:20; 15:6; 19:4) and how God brought the children of Israel into Covenant relationship with Him. Now He is extending the Covenant of relationship to the Greeks as He is bringing them out of the bondage of sin. Ezekiel uses this expression frequently as a parallel term for Holy Spirit: Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a loud rumbling sound—May the glory of the Lord be praised in his dwelling place!… The Spirit then lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the Lord upon me… The hand of the Lord was upon me there, and he said to me, “Get up and go out to the plain, and there I will speak to you….” Then the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet. He spoke to me and said: “Go, shut yourself inside your house… the hand of the Sovereign Lord came upon me there… Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me (Ezekiel 1:12; 3:14, 22, 24; 8:1; 11:1).
From a grammatical standpoint, we can be certain that Luke’s usage of this expression is a direct statement as to the divine activities and the miracle working power that was on open display among these people. God was confirming His words and works in the exact same way he did through Philip in Samaria: Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there. 6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city (Acts 8:5-8) with the same results: great numbers turning to the LORD! This phrase means they left their pagan practices, beliefs and lifestyles and became followers of Jesus. They would have been baptized in water and the Holy Ghost. Believers took a risk and presented Jesus as Lord and Savior to non-Jews. The resulting success was phenomenal as they acted ‘outside the box.’
Luke never tries to tell us everything that was happening as the church expanded. He does give us insight into specific events that leave us with assumptions about what was going on elsewhere. Here we see the expansion of the itinerants, and the re-connection to Saul, soon to become Paul, as Scripture connects Acts 8:1 with the resumption of his ministry and imprint on the book. The shifting focus of the rest of Acts is taking place, as Paul takes the center stage.
II) KNOWN BY PRESENTATION (22-26)
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. 24 He 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, 26 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.
22-23 When the news hit Jerusalem, everyone understood this was an entirely new and unusual thing. Barnabas was sent to investigate and be an encouragement. Barnabas was blown away by what he saw. This demonstration of the unmerited favor (grace) of God was a special manifestation that made him rejoice. Barney did what he knew Peter had done as well: he accepted them as God’s own, and he then began teaching them the way, as he knew what was in store for them: persecution, temptation, difficulties and the need for perseverance. Barnabas reaction is the way it should be when God is blessing something that may look different: he blessed and encouraged the disciples. Some think the Jerusalem church sent a contingency in order to control the events, but there is no evidence of this. They just wanted to ‘bless what God was blessing.”
24-25 Because Barney was a good man, full of holy Spirit and faith, even more people gave their lives to Christ. His life, coupled with his preaching and teaching proved to be an effective witness. His ‘goodness’ tells us that he was free from Pharisaic judgment, something Jesus despised: The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector (Luke 18:11). Because of this Barney sent for reinforcements by way of Tarsus Calvary’s’ chief Lieutenant: Saul, as Barney would have been familiar with the prophetic proclamation concerning his mission to the Gentiles based on Acts 22:11. Some commentators suggest Paul had already begun evangelizing Gentiles in his native Province of Cilicia and had been disinherited by the Jews because of this, which would have been important from a revenge standpoint, as this would have allowed all of Paul’s family to treat him as if he had never existed. His name would have been blotted out of the Book of Life in the Temple.
26 Now it’s time to tell me your name. Names were important in the Old World. These Gentile believers couldn’t receive a Jewish name, nor could they continue to be considered a Jewish sect. Enter the practice of Cornelius’ predecessor. Remember, he was a Roman General who had freed 1,000 slaves who served under him, with all of the freedmen assuming his name. It was a common practice among the army to take the name of the General you served under, simply adding a suffix to the name, such as: Caesar’s soldiers were known as Caesariani, and Pompey’s were known as Pompeiani. You added ‘ian,’ or iani (Latin, or ianos (Greek) to the name. Political parties were also designated with the same sort of suffix.
Believers in Antioch became known as the Christani or Christians, soldiers, followers or partisans of Christ. Even though we at times have looked at the term as a negative here, it probably wasn’t. These believers accepted the name, as they were the army of the LORD, clothed in His armor: Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints (Ephesians 6:11-18). It is highly likely that this is where Paul’s teaching on the armor originated (Bolin). The encouragement the church received gave them the ability to successfully prosecute their evangelistic efforts with vigor. They were so successful the people began calling them Christians, or “Little Christ’s.”
III) KNOWN BY SUBSTANTIATION (27-30)
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.
27- 28 Now, prophets from Jerusalem enter into the picture to lend support and ministry along with Paul and Barney. These men would have regularly preached (foretellers) the Word of God in a way that would have been edifying as they built them up spiritually and confirmed peoples’ faith; as exhorters they awakened faith, encouraged and challenged believers to move forward in their walk. Their message would have been comforting as in releasing cheer, revival, and encouraging faith and expectancy. Paul would later delineate their function in 1 Corinthians 14:3 when he said that: everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort.
28 This passage highlights the ordinary (natural) and the extraordinary (supernatural) expressions of ministry. We see this in their normal function of preaching, and we see an extra measure when they begin to speak about future events. The unveiling of future events is an exception, not the rule. Prophecy in the Bible is always ‘forthtelling,’ as the messenger communicates God’s message for the day and the time in which it is given. Foretelling isn’t a usual and customary thing, as God has always been more interested in using us to help people walk with Him in the ‘here and now’ than in unveiling detailed information about things that haven’t happened yet. That’s why Revelation and other prophetic/apocalyptic writings are deliberately ambiguous at best. That’s not to say that He isn’t concerned about the future: He has given us a glimpse into a wonderful future that is in store for us.
The men prophecy about a famine that will overtake “the whole world (Greek: oikoumenen),” or inhabited earth. To the readers and the ones who were prophesied to, this would have been interpreted to mean the Roman Empire, as the Romans didn’t think anything outside of their world was worth noticing. The famine took place during the reign of Claudius Caesar who reigned from 41-54 AD, with Barney’s arrival in Antioch being around 41 AD.
29-30 The church in Antioch responded in a very Holy Spirit manner, as it is important to note that Holy Spirit is concerned about the whole man, body, soul and spirit. Their quick response to the prophecy demonstrates their conversion, as they act out their faith in a very practical way. Each man gave “according to his ability.” They were presented with a need, and these new believers demonstrated love in a non-theoretical way. Their faith was not dead: What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead (James 2:14-17). It was alive and well, and they showed their gratitude practically. The proof of the Greek conversions’ authenticity came in an unusual way: famine and prophecy.
Church history shows us that Gentiles pronounced Christiani the same as Charistiani or “followers of Charistos, which means goodness, kindness, loving and benevolent, generous and useful. This wasn’t a unreasonable expression, however. They didn’t give beyond their means out of an emotional appeal that they would later regret. They didn’t give out of a desire to gain prosperity, as they would also suffer under this famine. They simply gave because they knew the Jerusalem church had been giving to widows and the poor for years. Now they could help replenish the depleted coffers.
30 Once the offering was collected, Barnabas and Paul took it to Jerusalem where the reigning Elders (pastors) oversaw the distribution of the materials. It is amazing how the supernatural and random acts of kindness help to validate faith. They allow us to tell people: hello. I love you. Let me tell you my name.
