Gospel Spreads Through Persecution — Acts 11:19-30 Daily Word

# Luke records how the church in Antioch came to be established.

Based on the narrative order of Acts, the founding of the church in Antioch appears to have occurred after the events surrounding Cornelius. In reality, however, as recorded in verse 19, it was “the persecution that arose over Stephen” that prompted believers to scatter — beginning with the outbreak of persecution following Stephen’s martyrdom — and to spread as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch.

The gospel had been brought to Phoenicia through the evangelism of Philip and Peter’s ministry in Joppa, and since Cyprus was the hometown of Barnabas, it follows that the gospel also reached Cyprus through him. And now the gospel had come to Antioch as well.

Antioch was a major city in the region of Syria — the third greatest city of the Roman world, after Rome and Alexandria. In verse 20, we see that some men from Cyprus and Cyrene proclaimed the gospel in Antioch, a city far larger than any place previously reached by the deacon Philip or the apostle Peter. Antioch had a population of approximately 800,000 at the time, of whom only around 24,000 were Jewish. Notably, these men preached the gospel directly to the Greeks — referring not to people entirely unacquainted with God, but to Gentiles who believed in God yet had not received circumcision.

For this audience, the message that God is “my Lord” seemed more accessible than the proclamation that Jesus is the Messiah. This explains the expression found in verse 21 as well: [21] And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. (Acts 11:21, ESV) Indeed, in the Old Testament, the hand of the Lord likewise symbolizes the power of God. It was God’s hand working alongside those who proclaimed the gospel that brought many people to faith.

When news reached the church in Jerusalem that Greeks in Antioch had heard the gospel, Barnabas was sent to Antioch. Just as Peter and John had been sent when the gospel spread to Samaria through Philip’s preaching, Barnabas was dispatched to Antioch in order to ease the tension between Gentiles and Jews and to bring balance to the community.

In verse 23, upon arriving in Antioch and seeing what had taken place, Barnabas exhorted the people with these words: “Remain with the Lord.” In other words, he urged them to live with and in the Lord. Through Barnabas’s mission, the church at Antioch grew even stronger in the Holy Spirit and in faith, and it is recorded that a great number of people were added to the Lord.

Barnabas then went to Tarsus to look for Saul (v. 25). In fact, Barnabas served as Saul’s advocate on two separate occasions. The first was when the believers in Jerusalem were reluctant to associate with Saul — Barnabas brought him to the apostles and helped him gain fellowship with the saints (9:26–27). This second time, Barnabas brought Saul from Tarsus so that they could work together in building up the church at Antioch.

Together with Saul, Barnabas carried out a great deal of ministry.

Among their work, verse 26 tells us that the two of them taught a great number of people in the church for an entire year. It was because of this that followers of Jesus were first called Christians in Antioch. However, the name “Christian” was not a term of blessing that believers used among themselves — it was a mocking label used by those outside the church to ridicule those who followed Jesus. Similarly, in Korea, Christians were once derisively called “Yesu-jaengi,” a scornful nickname for followers of Jesus.

During this time, prophets came to Antioch from Jerusalem.

While prophets typically appear in the Old Testament, Luke used the term to refer to those who traveled to various places and carried out a ministry of prophecy. Among them, Agabus is introduced. This Agabus prophesied that “a great famine would spread over the entire world.” The famine he foretold actually came to pass during the reign of Emperor Claudius.

All spiritual gifts given by God are to be used for the edification of the church, and the gift of prophecy especially so. (1 Cor 14:4) The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. The reason Agabus prophesied was entirely for the edification of the church. Therefore, [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. (Acts 11:29-30, ESV) it is recorded that the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brothers living in Judea, and they did so, sending it to the elders (in Jerusalem). In this way, it was the first time that a Gentile church came to the aid of the mother church. Through this, they put into practice loving their neighbors as themselves, just as they love God.

# Tribulation can also become an opportunity for bearing witness to the gospel.