This morning we are continuing through the book of Acts, the story of the early church. Remember that the resurrected Jesus has told the disciples that they will be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth, telling everyone that they forgiveness of sins and eternal life and the very presence of God inside of us is offered to all who would put their faith in Him. They have been given the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, and the church in Jerusalem grew like crazy. After experiencing severe persecution, the church has been scattered around the region. But instead of destroying the movement, the disciples have brought the gospel of Jesus all over the known world. We’re going to pick up the story in Acts 11:19, paying special attention to the ministry of a man named Barnabas:
Acts 11:19-26 - 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. 22 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.
Most of the first apostles still remain in Jerusalem, where the center of Christian faith resides, but outside of Jerusalem, Antioch becomes a key center for early Christianity (map). We see in this passage how it has become a multicultural, multinational fellowship, and we learn that this is the first place that the disciples are called Christians, or “little Christs.” In response to the growth, the church at Jerusalem sends one of its key leaders, Barnabas, to see what is going on in Antioch. If you’re unfamiliar with Barnabas, we first learned about Barnabas in Acts 4:36-37:
Acts 4:36-37 - Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet.
This passage is from back when the church first starts forming, and many of the church’s members are voluntarily selling their possessions so that the proceeds can be used to care for those in need. Joseph, from Cyprus, is one of those. As we see, Barnabas is not his real name, but is a nickname that means “Son of Encouragement” given to him by the apostles because of his gift of encouragement.
