David Bahn – Reflections

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Acts 11:19-30

Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. ²⁰ But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. ²¹ And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. ²² The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. ²³ When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, ²⁴ for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. ²⁵ So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, ²⁶ and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.

²⁷ Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. ²⁸ And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). ²⁹ So the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. ³⁰ And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.

One day, when I was in 6th grade, I found a very confusing note on my desk. I don’t remember the specifics of the note except for the final word: “Zattd!” It proved to be an invitation from two boys in my class to join their secret club. It was a cipher, and the final word was “Hurry!” They had to patiently tell me how to decipher the message, using context clues and small words like “the” and “not” (“bzm” and “vwb” respectively if my cyphering skills are up to par). Thanks to Robert and Dennis who helped me figure out the code and really befriended me at that time.

When it came to the message of Jesus, his suffering, death, and resurrection, there is need for people to encourage and help others understand and believe the message of Jesus. And while it was initially a message kept for the Jews, Gentiles soon heard the message. They learned from the new followers of Jesus about his kingdom and the salvation he brought to the world. They believed and turned to the Lord.

This is such good news, right? Well, yes, sort of. There will come a time when the expansion of the Gospel message will challenge the sensibilities of the believers. Peter and the other apostles will need to weigh in on how to handle this new crop of believers. For now, there is need only for Barnabas to go to Antioch and encourage them to remain faithful to the Lord. Luke tells us that he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit, and of faith.

We’ve seen this Son of Encouragement  at work before (that’s what Barnabas name means). He was the one who brought Saul into the fellowship of the Apostles after his conversion. We’ll see more of him as we continue through Acts. It’s striking to me that there is need for encouragement within and outside of the Christian church. Outside the church to bring the message to new people. Inside the church to encourage the new believers and help them find their way fully into the fellowship of the redeemed.