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Acts Chapter Eleven

                             

I. Content of the Chapter

 

Peter Overcame the Accusation of Those of the Circumcision by Testimony

I. Those of the circumcision accused Peter that he ate with uncircumcised men (v.1-3).

II. Peter responded to their accusation by testimony:

  A. He saw the vision from heaven in Joppa (v.4-10).

  B. He obeyed the commandment of the Holy Spirit and went to Caesarea with brothers (v.11-12).

  C. He knew that that man sent men to invite him by the commandment of the angel (v.13-14).

  D. Since he saw the Holy Spirit fell upon them, he cannot withstand God (v.15-17).

III. They became silent and glorified God (v.18).

 

The Church in Antioch was Established and Bestowed Grace

I. The disciples gained many Greek to believe in and turn to the Lord in Antioch (v.19-21).

II. The church in Jerusalem sent out Barnabas to go to Antioch to help the church there:

  A. Barnabas came to Antioch to encourage all the people (v.22-23).

  B. Barnabas made many people turn to the Lord (v.24).

  C. Barnabas brought Saul from Tarsus to Antioch and they taught the disciples there together (v.25-26).

III. The church in Antioch sent relief to help brothers dwelling in Judea:

  A. The prophet Agabus predicted that there was going to be a great famine and it really came true (v.27-28).

  B. The disciples sent relief to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul (v.29-30).

 

II. Verse by Verse commentary

 

Acts. 11:1 “Now the apostles and brethren who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God.

   YLT: “And the apostles and the brethren who are in Judea heard that also the nations did receive the word of God,”

   Literal Meaning: the Gentiles had also received the word of God” The word “receive” in the original means that men receive and learn something voluntarily and willingly and seize and keep it; “the word of God” is logos.

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) “The Gentiles had also received the word of God” It is supposed to be a great event which is worthy of joy, however, it became the excuse of men who blamed Peter (See v.2-3). Many believers always, like those who “concentrate on details but forget the main purpose or objective”, pay attention to details only and neglect the most important thing.

2) In the works of serving the Lord, no matter what intentions men have, as long as Christ is preached and He is exalted, we should rejoice (Phil. 1:18).

 

Acts. 11:2 “And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision contended with him,

   YLT: “and when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision were contending with him,”

   The Background: “circumcision” is the sign that God made the covenant with His elect the Jews (Gen. 17:10). Their male babies had to be circumcised on the eighth day after their birth. Through the circumcision the Jews declared that they had the proof of God’s blessing upon them and they were different from the Gentiles.

   Literal Meaning: those of the circumcision” indicates that there was a group of believers in the church in Jerusalem who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ on one hand and on the other they also kept the Law of Moses of the Old Testament. They advocated that if the Gentile believers had not been circumcised, they cannot be saved (Acts. 15:1) and they had to keep the Jewish regulations concerning food also (Gal. 2:12; 6:13).

  “Contended with him” shows that sharp-pointed conflict arose among Peter and believers who were of the circumcision.

   Spiritual Meaning: the spiritual meaning of “circumcision” lies in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh (Col. 2:11) or removing the intentions and power of the flesh to commit sins. And therefore those who have the sign of circumcision on their body and do not express the real effect of circumcision in their life are regarded as uncircumcised according to the Bible (Lev. 26:41; Jer. 6:10).

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) Every Christian should have the sign of circumcision upon them, however, the sign is not on the flesh and it is the spiritual sign done by Christ through the Holy Spirit.

2) Circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter (Rom. 2:29).

3) Men always like the shallow, visible and touchable things and ceremonies, however, they miss the true meaning that the ceremonies stand for.

4) Concerning any kind of orthodox teaching of the Bible, if it is kept as the regulation, it will lose its spiritual value and it will make unnecessary difficulty among the sons and daughters of God.

 

Acts. 11:3 “saying, You went in to uncircumcised men and ate with them!’”

   YLT: “saying -- `Unto men uncircumcised thou didst go in, and didst eat with them!'”

   The Background: in the Old Testament, the Jews were not allowed to eat the unclean food (Lev. 11) and the Gentiles were not restrained by the regulations concerning food. The Jews did not eat with the Gentiles because they did not know the origin of the food of the Gentiles, lest they eat the unclean food by mistake. In the dispensation of the New Testament, Christ has annulled the law of commandments so that the Gentiles and the Jews were made oneness (Eph. 2:11-18). God also made Peter receive the Gentiles in the vision by commanding him to eat the unclean food (Acts. 10:9-16; 11:2-10).

   Literal Meaning: You went in to uncircumcised men” “Uncircumcised men” are the Gentiles.

“And ate with them” It shows that he offended the regulation of Moses concerning the food because the food that the Gentiles offered may be “unclean”. And even if the food that they prepared were clean, the food became unclean because they did not wash their hands according to the rules of cleansing.

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) If one wants to do the work of the Lord, he has to face various kinds of obstacles, especially the obstacles of the traditional habits.

2) In new creation, there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all (Col. 3:10-11).

 

Acts. 11:4 “But Peter explained it to them in order from the beginning, saying:

   YLT: “And Peter having begun, did expound to them in order saying,”

   Literal Meaning: explained it to them in order from the beginning” “in order” (Luke. 1:3).

   Enlightenment in the Word: the greatest trial for the Lord’s workers is the criticism from men. However, if one wants to do the work of the Lord, he will unavoidably encounter various kinds of criticisms. What’s important is that whether we are like Peter who paid heed to listening to others’ words and gently explained the vision that he had received without any anger.

 

Acts. 11:5I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, an object descending like a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came to me.

   YLT: “`I was in the city of Joppa praying, and I saw in a trance a vision, a certain vessel coming down, as a great sheet by four corners being let down out of the heaven, and it came unto me;”

   Literal Meaning: I was in the city of Joppa” Here “in the city” does not refer to within the wall of the city but “within the administrative dominion”. At that time Peter dwelled in a house that was by the sea (Acts. 10:6).

  “Praying; and in a trance” Please see in Acts. 10:9-10.

  “I saw a vision, an object descending like a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners” Please see the notes in Acts. 10:11.

  “And it came to me.” It shows that it is not the blurred vision that could only “been seen afar off” (Heb. 11:13) but the vision that could be seen clearly.

 

Acts. 11:6 “When I observed it intently and considered, I saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air.

   YLT: “at which having looked stedfastly, I was considering, and I saw the four-footed beasts of the earth, and the wild beasts, and the creeping things, and the fowls of heaven;”

   Literal Meaning: “When I observed it intently and considered” “Observe” in the original means “concentrate one’s attention on” or “gaze steadily”.

  I saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air” Please see in Acts. 10:12.

 

Acts. 11:7 “And I heard a voice saying to me, Rise, Peter; kill and eat.'

   YLT: “and I heard a voice saying to me, Having risen, Peter, slay and eat;”

   Literal Meaning: Please see in Acts. 10:13.

 

Acts. 11:8 “But I said, Not so, Lord! For nothing common or unclean has at any time entered my mouth.'

   YLT: “and I said, Not so, Lord; because anything common or unclean hath at no time entered into my mouth;”

   Literal Meaning: Please see Acts. 10:14. Here “have never eaten” is changed into “has entered my mouth”.

   Enlightenment in the Word: When the Lord entrusted us to do one thing that we have never done before, will we like Peter who said “not so, Lord!” If we are incautious, our past experiences may hold back us from serving the Lord.

 

Acts. 11:9 “But the voice answered me again from heaven, What God has cleansed you must not call common.'

   YLT: “and a voice did answer me a second time out of the heaven, What God did cleanse, thou -- declare not thou common.”

   Literal Meaning: Please see Acts. 10:15. Here “spoke to him” is changed into “answered from heaven”.

 

Acts. 11:10 “Now this was done three times, and all were drawn up again into heaven.

   YLT: “`And this happened thrice, and again was all drawn up to the heaven,”

   Literal Meaning: please see Acts. 10:16. Here “the object was” is changed into “all were”.

 

Acts. 11:11 “At that very moment, three men stood before the house where I was, having been sent to me from Caesarea.

   YLT: “and, lo, immediately, three men stood at the house in which I was, having been sent from Cesarea unto me,”

   Literal Meaning: “at that very moment” is the time when Peter wondered within himself what the vision he had seen meant (Acts. 10:17-19).

  “Three men” are the two men in the house of Cornelius and a devout soldier from among those who waited on him continually (Acts. 10:7).

  “Having been sent to me from Caesarea” The three men were sent by Cornelius (Acts. 10:7-8, 33), however, the Holy Spirit said that He had sent them (Acts. 10:20).

   Enlightenment in the Word: after we have seen the vision of the Lord, the objective circumstance (the visitation of the three men) is needed to prove that the vision that we have seen is indeed of God.

 

Acts. 11:12 “Then the Spirit told me to go with them, doubting nothing. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered the man's house.

   YLT: “and the Spirit said to me to go with them, nothing doubting, and these six brethren also went with me, and we did enter into the house of the man,”

   Literal Meaning: “doubting nothing” in the original means “make no division” and it means that do not discriminate against others.

  Moreover these six brethren accompanied me” They were brothers from Joppa (Acts. 10:23). When Peter was defending his behaviors, they were the best witnesses. There were seven people present, Peter and six brothers. The number “seven” is a number of perfection. According to the Egyptian law at that time, a case cannot be decided unless there were seven witnesses. Moreover, according to the Roman law at that time, an important document cannot be proved unless there were seven seals. And therefore Peter meant that there were seven people all together and the fact was absolutely true.

  “And we entered the man's house” “The man” refers to Cornelius (Acts. 10:25).

   Enlightenment in the Word: the “six brothers” accompanied Peter not to share the responsibility of “preaching” but to be “witnesses” of God. When bearing witness of the Lord, we may not preach and what’s important is that we are “at present” and see with our eyes personally.

 

Acts. 11:13 “And he told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house, who said to him, "Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon whose surname is Peter,

   YLT: “he declared also to us how he saw the messenger in his house standing, and saying to him, Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, who is surnamed Peter,”

   Literal Meaning: please see Acts. 10:30-32.

 

Acts. 11:14 “who will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved.'

   YLT: “who shall speak sayings by which thou shalt be saved, thou and all thy house.”

   Literal Meaning: from the words in this verse, we could know that before Cornelius heard the gospel from Peter, no matter how good his behaviors were (See Acts. 10:2, 4), the good deeds cannot save him.

  “By which you and all your household will be saved” “All your household” include the family members of Cornelius, soldiers that waited on him, slaves, his kinsmen and intimate friends and those who were invited to enter the meeting (Acts. 10:7, 24, 44). The condition for “one’s being saved” is to believe in the Lord Jesus and believing is an individual matter. If one wants to be saved, he has to believe in the Lord personally. And here “you and all your household” does not mean that when one has been saved, then his household will be saved voluntarily. It means that when one has truly believed in the Lord, he will naturally influence his family members and God is willing to work in order to make all his household be saved. There are many real cases in the Bible (Gen. 7:1; Josh. 2:18-19; Luke. 19:9; Acts. 16:15, 31; 18:8).

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household (Acts. 16:31).

2) In the Bible, “all your household will be saved” is a great fact. It means that it is pleasing to God that all one’s household are saved. When God saves men, He always saves a whole family.

 

Acts. 11:15 “And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning.

   YLT: “`And in my beginning to speak, the Holy Spirit did fall upon them, even as also upon us in the beginning,”

   Literal Meaning: “and as I began to speak” It does not refer to the time that Peter began to open his mouth to speak but the time when Peter only said a few words at first and still wanted to continue to speak (Acts. 10:34-44).

  “The Holy Spirit fell upon them” “Falling upon” means “pouring out upon” and it refers to the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit (Acts. 2:17-18).

  “As upon us at the beginning” “At the beginning” refers to the day of Pentecost (Acts. 2:1-4). The Holy Spirit fell upon the Jewish disciples on the day of Pentecost and by this matter it is proved towards the unbelieving Jews that it is the work of God. Today, the Holy Spirit also proves towards the Jewish believers that it is the work of God by pouring out upon the Gentile believers.

   Enlightenment in the Word: When Peter was still preaching, the Holy Spirit broke in and bore the responsibility by Himself. When God directly works upon listeners, the work of the speaker should be stopped and it is the time that we should keep silent and retreat.

 

Acts. 11:16 “Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'

   YLT: “and I remembered the saying of the Lord, how he said, John indeed did baptize with water, and ye shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit;”

   Literal Meaning: Then I remembered the word of the Lord” It does not mean that Peter thought or remembered purposely but that the word of the Lord in season (rhema) came to him. The word of the Lord in season may be the word that He has said previously and comes to men’s hearts suddenly.

  John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit” It is the word of the Lord Jesus in Acts. 1:5 and it is quoted from Mark. 1:8.

   Spiritual Meaning: John indeed baptized with water” “The baptism of water” is the sign of the ministration of John the Baptist. It is to bury men who repent into water in order to end their old life.

  “But you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit” “The baptism of the spirit” is the sign of the ministration of Jesus Christ. It is to baptism men who repent and believe in the Lord into the Holy Spirit so that they could receive God’s life and become the body of Christ------the church (1Cor. 12:13; Acts.2:2-4).

  Please Note: the baptism of the Holy Spirit is only mentioned two times in the Bible: it is mentioned on the day of the Pentecost for the first time and it is mentioned in the house of Cornelius for the second time. Though it is recorded many times that many people have received the Holy Spirit in the Act of the Apostles, it is only called “being baptized in the Holy Spirit” in these two times. And why is it so? Because the baptism on the day of Pentecost is for the Jews and the baptism in the house of Cornelius is for the Gentiles. One is to open the door of the Jews and the other is to open the door of the Gentiles. These two cases happened in two places and in different times, however, they are two aspects of one fact and the two stages of one matter. The baptism of the Spirit has not been recorded any more in the Bible after that.

    What shall we say then? The baptism of the Holy Spirit, like the salvation of the cross, is the fundamental truth. The Lord Jesus died on the cross for all humans and in like manner, the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit is for the whole church. The Lord Jesus once died for the world. Now when men believe that He died for them, they do not ask Him to die for them for a second time but believe His death “once for all” (Heb. 9:28). In like manner, there is one baptism of the Holy Spirit (the baptism that happened in the house of Cornelius is included in it). Now when men receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, they are not specially baptized by the Lord into the Holy Spirit but that they themselves believe that they have been baptized on the day of Pentecost. The salvation of the cross is a fact and to every sinner who receives it from his heart, it is the experience of being saved. In like manner, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is a fact and to every believer who appropriates it, it becomes the experience of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And therefore Paul the Apostle said that “for by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free” (1Cor. 12:13). The problem is that whether we appropriate it or not.

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) One thing that we value all the time is that the Lord still speaks today. The Lord not only speaks through the Bible and speaks to Peter but also speaks to us today. The Lord never stops speaking.

2) Today the difficulty of the church is the lack of the Lord’s word and the church only has the dead doctrines. “The word in season” that is directly heard from the Lord is lacked and there are only men’s sermons.

3) Every time the worker of the Lord stands on the platform, he should hope for the word of the Lord in season (rhema). If the Lord does not speak to us, we shall fail. Many times, we express a message, however, the Lord has not spoken.

4) The baptism of water is the end of life and the baptism of the Spirit is the beginning of the new life. In the former baptism repentance (Mark. 1:4) is needed and in the latter one has to repent and believe the gospel (Mark. 1:15).

5) If men are unwilling to repent and receive the baptism of water, they shall suffer the baptism of fire (See Matt. 3:11-12). Those who are willing to repent, believe in the Lord and receive the baptism of water receive the baptism of the Spirit at the same time (1Cor. 12:13).

 

Acts. 11:17 “If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?’”

   YLT: “if then the equal gift God did give to them as also to us, having believed upon the Lord Jesus Christ, I -- how was I able to withstand God?'”

   Literal Meaning: who was I that I could withstand God?” The word of Peter means that, “if he refused to receive the Gentile believers and disagree to baptize them, he indeed withstood and opposed God”. Peter knew that the whole process that the household of Cornelius were saved was guided by God Himself and he cannot and dared not hold back God’s great work of redemption among the Gentiles.

 

Acts. 11:18 “When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.’”

  YLT: “And they, having heard these things, were silent, and were glorifying God, saying, `Then, indeed, also to the nations did God give the reformation to life.'”

   Literal Meaning: When they heard these things they became silent” Though they became silent, they were not completely convinced. They had nothing to say and had to become silent when facing the fact that it was obviously of God. They did not abandon their Judaic traditional ideas because of this matter and contrarily asked the Gentiles to keep the Law of Moses and otherwise they cannot be saved (Acts. 15:1, 5).

  “Then” The tone is not positive and they were negative and unwilling to receive the fact.

  “Granted to the Gentiles repentance to life” “Life” in the original is zeo and it refers to the spiritual life that is of God, everlasting, uncreated and incorruptible (Eph. 4:18; John. 3:16; 1John. 1:2; Heb. 7:16). The life that men get from parents is “the life of soul” (psuche, Matt. 16:25). Men have to be born from above and then get the spiritual life (John. 3:6-7) and the condition for one’s being born from above is to repent and believe on the Lord (John. 3:15-16).

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) The Lord Jesus died for the sins of all humans and therefore the gospel is for all humans. When preaching the gospel, the objects should be the people of every race and every class.

2) Some people in the church in Jerusalem overly stuck to the Judaic traditions so that the church lost the central position in the testimony of the Lord and later was replaced by the church in Antioch (See v.20-30). If the individual or the church strays from the will of the Lord, the individual or the church will be put aside and He will rise other one or other church for a replacement.

 

Acts. 11:19 “Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only.

   YLT: “Those, indeed, therefore, having been scattered abroad, from the tribulation that came after Stephen, went through unto Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to none except to Jews only;”

   Literal Meaning: as far as Phoenicia” “Phoenicia” is Lebanon today. It is a long and narrow plain along the coast and it is in the northwest of Galilee. It includes the two cities Tyre and Sidon.

  Cyprus” is a great island in the Mediterranean (Sea) on the south side of Asia Minor and it is also called Cyprus today.

  Antioch” is within the border of Turkey today. It was the exit of the Oronte River on the east of the Mediterranean (Sea). At that time the products in Syria were transported through this river. It is also the only way connecting Palestine, Syria and Asia Minor. There were about five hundred thousand people in the age of the Apostles and it was the third largest city in the world at that time which was second to Roman and Alexander. Many Jews dwelled in Antioch.

  “Preaching the word to no one but the Jews only” The group of believers who were scattered only preached the gospel to the Jews and did not preach to the Gentiles until that moment.

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) Among the believers who were persecuted, none of them was the apostle (Acts. 8:1). The wide expansion of the gospel not only lies in the full time preachers but also all believers, otherwise the gospel will be restrained.

2) A true Christian must be a true preacher. No matter what suffering he encounters and no matter where he is, what he bears in mind constantly is preaching the gospel.

 

Acts. 11:20 “But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus.

   YLT: “and there were certain of them men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who having entered into Antioch, were speaking unto the Hellenists, proclaiming good news -- the Lord Jesus,”

   Literal Meaning: But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene” They should be the Jewish believers who were scattered in Cyprus and Cyrene (a city of Libya in North Africa today).

  “Spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus” “The Hellenists” were the Gentiles who did not believe in God at all. It is the beginning of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles and it is also a great breakthrough of the church’s work of preaching.

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) It is an epoch-making action to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. The “small step” that these brave ones had made is the worthwhile “great step” in the missionary history of the church.

2) The true faith should surpass the gap among men. Christians should not let the traditions, geography, history, culture, race, language, values and others from men influence our work.

3) It is not recorded in the Bible that who were those who preached the gospel to the Gentiles. It is only mentioned that they were from Cyprus and Cyrene. They were the anonymous forerunners in the church history. When serving the Lord, we should not seek after our own fame but seek the fulfillment of the will of the Lord. Unfortunately, some people in the church have only done a few things and they hope to attract others’ attention and spread their fame.

 

Acts. 11:21 “And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.

   YLT: “and the hand of the Lord was with them, a great number also, having believed, did turn unto the Lord.”

   Meaning of Words: “turn to”: turn upon, convert.

   Literal Meaning: And the hand of the Lord was with them” It shows that the Lord partook in the work of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles by Himself. “The hand of the Lord” at least had two aspects of work: 1) confirm the word with signs (Mark. 16:20); 2) open men’s understanding to understand the scriptures (Luke. 24:45).

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) If it is not of the power of the Lord, it will be in vain to accomplish the work of the gospel relying on men’s power.

2) If a man truly believes on the Lord, naturally he will turn unto the Lord from his heart. To the one who is unwilling to turn unto the Lord, probably something is wrong with his believing and it may be only the knowledge of mind and reasons or the identification of feelings (e.g. one thinks that he is also a Christian because his parents are Christians).

 

Acts. 11:22 “Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch.

   YLT: “And the account was heard in the ears of the assembly that [is] in Jerusalem concerning them, and they sent forth Barnabas to go through unto Antioch,”

   Meaning of Words: “Barnabas”: the son of consolation.

   Literal Meaning: Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem” The church actually has ears, showing that the church is not the building or group and organization but the living union of believers.

  “And they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch” The main purpose of the church in Jerusalem which sent out Barnabas was to confirm that whether the Gentiles’ reception of the gospel was indeed of God. Barnabas------the person who was selected by the church to send out was appropriate. On one hand he was lenient and broad (See v.23-26) and on the other he was a Cyprian (Acts. 4:36). It would be more skillful for him to understand and help the Cyprians (See v.20) than others. 

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) The church in every place is independent, however, the church does have communion with churches in other places. The church should care about the needs of both the local church and churches in other places.

2) The success or failure of sending workers to other places lies in whether the person selected is appropriate. If the person is appropriate, twice the result will be yielded with half the effort.

 

Acts. 11:23 “When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord.

   YLT: “who, having come, and having seen the grace of God, was glad, and was’ exhorting all with purpose of heart to cleave to the Lord,”

   Meaning of Words: “encourage”: exhort, beseech, comfort, promote;

   Literal Meaning: “continue with the Lord” It means to live in Christ continually and enduringly.

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) The one who is truly bestowed grace like to see others be bestowed grace.

2) If God’s servants cannot see the grace of God in others’ work and could only see the grace of God in their work, something must be wrong with their intentions.

3) What Barnabas is concerned about is the sincerity and perseverance of the Gentile believers’ commission to the Lord. Whoever commits to the Lord must be faithful to what he believes to the end.

 

Acts. 11:24 “For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord.

   YLT: “because he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit, and of faith, and a great multitude was added to the Lord.”

   Literal Meaning: the description of Barnabas in this verse shows his three great features: 1) “he was a good man”------concerning the relationship with men, he was kind to men; 2) “full of the Holy Spirit”------concerning the spiritual pursuit, he was devout and feared God; 3) “full of faith”------concerning deeds and works, he relied on the Lord wholeheartedly. 

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) A preacher has to match his deeds with his words. When one squares his words with his conduct, he will have great influence on others.

2) Leading others to turn to the Lord does not lie in our eloquence but whether our walking makes the Lord be manifested.

 

Acts. 11:25 “Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul.

   YLT: “And Barnabas went forth to Tarsus, to seek for Saul,”

   Meaning of Words: “seek”: search out.

   The Background: three years after Saul had believed on the Lord, he had come to Jerusalem and tried to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles. And he was with believers at Jerusalem, coming in and going out (Acts. 9:26-28). The one who knew Paul was only Barnabas. Barnabas had the sight to know men and he deeply knew that the ability of Saul was higher than his ability. And the ability of Saul was needed to build the church and therefore he sought Saul.

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) Saul (i.e. Paul) soon surpassed Barnabas at the work of preaching to the Gentiles and became the main speaker (See Acts. 13:16, 46). Barnabas was willing to let Saul step on his shoulders and sought and used talented person for the sake of the Lord.

2) If Barnabas was not so broad in mind, Saul may be covered up and it is not only the loss of the church but also the loss of God. For the work of the church, we should not dare that the talented men may come forward and should discover the talented men.

 

Acts. 11:26 “And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

   YLT: “and having found him, he brought him to Antioch, and it came to pass that they a whole year did assemble together in the assembly, and taught a great multitude, the disciples also were divinely called first in Antioch Christians.”

   The Background: at that time, Antioch was a city where the business of pornography prospered. There was the goddess of laurel temple and it was full of idols, temple prostitutes and other evil and licentious ways. Men’s standards of morality were low and they lead a dissipated life and walked corruptly. When a group of Christians who were well trained in the truth and had good testimony in life appeared in such social circumstances, it was a very obvious contrast to them and therefore they were treated by men as a group of “peculiar” people.

   Literal Meaning: And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch” Here it shows the two things that Barnabas had done: 1) “finding”------find and discover the talented men; 2) “bringing”------lead and cultivate the talented men.

  So it was that for a whole year theytaught a great many people” “Teaching” means instructing and training others so that they would “know” Christ whom they believe and “be familiar with” all the knowledge and implementing that Christians should have. “Teaching” here means to instruct and train men again and again until the objects have fully grasped what they have learned.

Barnabas and Saul built the church by “teaching”. At that time, the common churches stressed on preaching, however, there were many teachers in the church in Antioch (See Acts. 13:1). It could be regarded as the earliest church where the work of teaching believers was practiced. It also shows that new believers should be properly granted the teaching of the Bible and the principle of the life of Christians so that they may have good foundations in faith.

  And the disciples were called Christians” The suffix of the word “Christian” in the original is iani and it means being of XX gang. For instance, at that time the Jews called the lackeys of the Roman Empire Caesariani and it meant that they belonged to the party of Caesar. “Christians” does not mean the disciples of Christ but “men of Christ” or “race of Christ”. It was a scornful nickname previously, however, it became an honorable appellation (Acts. 26:28). Today, all believers of the Lord Jesus also regarded this name as honorable because of the following meanings: 1) the name of “Christ” is above every name (Phil. 2:9) and therefore it is the highest glory to be related to the name of Christ; 2) “Christian” shows that one is of Christ. Christ is the Lord of lords and all believers should devote all to Him willingly; 3) the name of “Christians” shows the people who are inwardly full of Christ and outwardly manifest Christ; 4) “Christians” not only call Christ with mouth but also let the mind of Christ in them by their walking.

  “First…in Antioch” Believers had different life style with unbelievers in Antioch and the Jews and they always talked about “Christ” with mouth, and therefore unbelievers used the semi-Greek and semi-Latin appellation to separate them from the world.

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) “Fellow-workers” is very important in serving the Lord in the church. We have to be able to cooperate with fellow-workers and serve the Lord together.

2) After one has been saved, he has to receive the systematic cultivation and teachings and then he will advance in the spiritual life, take root in the word of God and live a life of separation.

3) Helping and edifying new Christians is a task of great urgency.

4) If the church lacks the foundation of the truth, it is dangerous. If men repeat what other men say, it is easy for the heresy to intrude into.

5) “Christians” are men in whom Christ dwells and who are like Christ in life. It is the standard of Christians------to live is Christ on the earth and to manifest Christ before men (Phil. 1:20-21).

6) We should let our conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ (Phil. 1:27) and then we are able to bear good witness of the Lord and have great influence on men around us.

7) “Christians” are men in whom “Christ” and “men” are united. And therefore we Christians could only be united to Christ and should not be united to the world.

8) In the dark circumstances, believers should not follow the bad example of others and should stand more firmly contrarily and have the testimony of holiness for the Lord so that men around us would see the divine origin of Christians.

 

Acts. 11:27 “And in these days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch.

   YLT: “And in those days there came from Jerusalem prophets to Antioch,”

   Literal Meaning: “prophets” are those who speak for God and sometimes they prophesy in the communion of the Holy Spirit. Their position in the church is only second to the Apostles.

 

Acts. 11:28 “Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar.

   YLT: “and one of them, by name Agabus, having stood up, did signify through the Spirit a great dearth is about to be throughout all the world -- which also came to pass in the time of Claudius Caesar --”

   Literal Meaning: named Agabus” It is recorded two times in the Acts of the Apostles that he prophesied and both of them came true (Acts. 21:10).

  “There was going to be a great famine throughout all the world” “All the world” is within the dominion of the Roman Empire at that time. Agabus the prophet meant that many places instead of all places within the border of the Roman Empire will suffer a great famine.

  “Which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar” “Claudius Caesar” was the Roman Empire and he was on the throne from A.D. 41-54. It is said that the famine in the land of Judea took place from A.D. 47-48.

 

Acts. 11:29 “Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea.

   YLT: “and the disciples, according as any one was prospering, determined each of them to send for ministration to the brethren dwelling in Judea,”

   Meaning of Words: “ability”: prosper; “relief”: service.

   Literal Meaning: Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief” It shows that believers in Antioch did not “have all things in common” (Acts. 2:44) and each of them had their own possessions. And there was not any rule concerning the donation of believers. Believers donated voluntarily according to his willingness.

    Please note that here it is said that “the disciples determined to…” instead of “Barnabas and Saul gave impetus to…”

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) “Each according to his ability” The donation of money should be done according to one’s ability. Not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver (2Cor. 9:7).

2) The church in Jerusalem cannot manifest the oneness of the body because of “circumcision” and other problems (See v.1-3). However, the Lord arose the church in Antioch that lived the reality of the oneness of the body by caring about the members who were in sufferings.

 

Acts. 11:30 “This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.  

   YLT: “which also they did, having sent unto the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.”

   Literal Meaning: and sent it to the elders” “The elders” are not the elders among the people (Acts. 4:5, 9) but the elders in the church. Here it is the first time that the elder of the church is mentioned in the New Testament. The ministration of the elder is mainly for ruling over the church (1Tim. 3:5; 5:17) and therefore the elder is also called the overseer (Acts. 20:17, 28). Moreover, “elders” are mentioned here and it shows that the elders are “plural” in a local church. And therefore in a normal church, it is not allowed for one to be responsible for all and take complete care of all services.

According to the Bible, the elders not only take charge of things of the church but also are responsible for teaching the flock of God (Acts. 20:28; Titus. 1:9; 1Pet. 5:2). However, not every elder has the gift of word and therefore the main ministration of the elders is to “rule over” and “take the oversight” the church of God. The elders take chare of all administrations, affairs, persons, how to decide, how to carry things out and how to pay attention to in the church.

  The elders are ordained by the workers of the Lord in the church of every place (Titus. 1:5). What we should pay attention to is that when the Lord’s workers ordain the elders, they do not ordain those who they like but those whom have been ordained by the Holy Spirit (Acts. 20:28). An elder must be divided the gift of ruling over the church by the Holy Spirit according as He pleases (1Cor. 12:4-11) so that he would show the state of progress and sophistication in the Spirit and his leading position is shown in the local church. Then the workers of the Lord would understand the will of the Holy Spirit after observation and ordain him as the elder.

 

III. Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons

 

The Turning Point in the Church History

I. The decline of the church in Jerusalem------there was the underflow in the church withstanding the truth of salvation (v.1-18).

II. The rising of the church in Antioch:

  A. The solid foundations of the truth (v.19-26).

  B. The implementing of the spiritual oneness (v.27-30).

 

How to Confirm that One Thing Is of the Will of God

I. The manifestation of the vision (v.1-10).

II. The guidance of the Holy Spirit (v.11-12).

III. The proof of the circumstances (v.13-14).

IV. The falling of the Holy Spirit (v.15).

V. The Lord’s word in season (v.16).

VI. The inner communion (v.17).

VII. The amen of believers (v.18).

 

Breaking Through Various Barriers Is the Key for the Growth of the Church

I. Break through the barrier of the Jewish traditions and confess that God has also granted grace to the Gentiles (v.1-18).

II. Break through the barrier of races and preach the Lord Jesus to the Hellenists (v.19-21).

III. Break through the barrier of regions and send out Barnabas to Antioch (v.22).

IV. Break through the barrier of “one’s own gain and loss” and be glad to see others have been bestowed the grace of God (v.23-24).

V. Break through the barrier of “the desire of leadership” and help Saul with his work (v.25-26).

VI. Break through the barrier of money and care about the Saints who suffer from famine in other places (v.27-30).

 

The Several Steps of the Building of the Church in Antioch

I. The stage of preaching the gospel to gain people------preach the Lord Jesus (v.20).

II. The stage of edifying new believers------encourage men that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord (v.23).

III. The stage of teaching and perfecting------teach men to know the truth and make progress in the spiritual life (v.26).

IV. The stage of serving and building------enter into the service, for the work of the ministry (v.29-30).

 

The Features of “A Good Man” from Barnabas

I. The meaning of “Barnabas” (v.22) is “the son of consolation”------he is the one who is able to encourage and comfort others.

II. When he had seen the grace of God, he was glad (v.23a)------he is glad to share the grace of God with others.

III. He encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord (v.23b)------he is good at encouraging others.

IV. He was full of the Holy Spirit (v.24a)------he is full of the abundant spiritual life.

V. He was full of faith (v.24b)------he walks by faith.

VI. And a great many people were added to the Lord (v.24c)------he is good at leading other to turn to the Lord.

VII. Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul and brought him to Antioch (v.25-26a)------he knows others well enough to assign them jobs commensurate with their abilities and is glad to help and guide younger fellow-workers.

VIII. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church (v.26b)------he stresses on the church life.

IX. And taught a great many people (v.26b)------he is able to train and edify the spiritually talented men.

X. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch (v.26c)------he is able to lead the Saints and live the devote life of Christians.

XI. Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief (v.29)------he himself is glad to share his belongings with others (See Acts. 4:37) and is able to move others to have the same mind.

XII. They sent relief to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul (v.30)------he is deeply trusted by all.

 

The Example of A Preacher

I. When he had seen the grace of God, he was glad (v.23a)------he is able to appreciate other’s performance of work.

II. He encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord (v.23b)------he teaches with words.

III. For he was a good man (v.24a)------he sets a good example with his own conduct.

IV. Full of the Holy Spirit (v.24b)------he has the spiritual power.

V. Full of faith (v.24c)------he has the performance of deeds of faith.

VI. Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul (v.25)------he is broad in mind and is willing to discover the talented men for the Lord.

VII. He brought him to Antioch (v.26a)------he cultivates the talented men.

VIII. They…taught a great many people (v.26b)------use the talented men and cooperate with them.

IX. They sent relief to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul (v.30)------be trustworthy in money.

 

── Caleb HuangChristian Digest Bible Commentary Series

   Translated by Sharon Ren