Saul the Teacher
Acts 11:19-24 KJV 19 Now they which were scattered abroad upon the
persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and
Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only.
20 And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they
were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus.
21 And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed,
and turned unto the Lord. 22 Then tidings of these things came unto the
ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas,
that he should go as far as Antioch. 23 Who, when he came, and had seen
the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of
heart they would cleave unto the Lord. 24 For he was a good man, and
full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the
Lord.
Introduction
When Stephen was killed, the disciples who were at Jerusalem were then scattered. Probably many of them returned to their homes, from wherever they had come. Some of them, however, did not go home but instead went to other places. Some of the disciples from Cyprus and Cyrene went to Antioch. There they found some Greeks who, when they had heard the gospel, were saved. Verse twenty-one relates that there were a great number of them that believed. Others had gone to the Jews only.
When word of these conversions reached the church at Jerusalem, they sent Barnabas to view the results and that he should go as far as Antioch, Syria.
When he arrived at Antioch, he found that many indeed had been saved and that there was a thriving church there now. The ministry of that church continued to grow with the added ministry of Barnabas.
The City of Antioch
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Antioch was a very prominent city in the world in that era. It was heavily populated at the time of Barnabas and Saul.
Antioch of Syria is located along the Orontes River in modern-day Turkey. At one time, this Hellenistic city was one of the largest in the Roman world. During the time of
the New Testament, Antioch was a center of commerce and an important political power in the Roman Empire. Though Antioch is hundreds of miles from Jerusalem, a significant
Jewish population had already developed there by the second
century B.C.E., becoming a powerful population in the city.
In the second half of the first century B.C.E., Herod the Great paved the main streets of Antioch with marble. The city also
became a center for early Christianity, playing a prominent
role in the ministry of the apostle Paul in the New Testament.
According to the book of Acts, it was at Antioch that followers of Jesus were first called "Christians" (Acts
https://www.bibleodyssey.org/en/tools/map-gallery/a/map-antioch Largely because of the great growth of the church in Antioch, Barnabas set out for Tarsus to find Saul. When he had found him, he brought him to Antioch.
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THE CHIEF
https://www.bibleodyssey.org/en/tools/map-gallery/a/map-antioch Produced by RiddleMaps.com.
Acts 11:25-30 KJV 25 Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek
Saul: 26 And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And
it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the
church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians
first in Antioch. 27 And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto
Antioch. 28 And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified
by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world:
which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar. 29 Then the disciples,
every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the
brethren which dwelt in Judaea: 30 Which also they did, and sent it to the
elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.
For a whole year after Barnabas brought Saul to Antioch, they taught the church members at that church to the point that the Church at Antioch is actually the example of a New Testament church and how it should be. It is the Antioch Church that we have the example of how mission work is to be conducted. Even though the Jerusalem Church was the first, it is not the example that is needed for today. It is the Antioch Church.
It was during this time that a prophet named Agabus, along with some others, came to Antioch. He prophesied that there would be a great “dearth”
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in the world. He was a true prophet because what he had prophesied came to pass.
The Church at Jerusalem
It should be noted that the members of the Jerusalem Church had sold all they had following the example of Barnabas and giving it to the church.
Each family was then given what was necessary for them to live. It is not said in Scripture, but we can easily draw the conclusion the money would run out at some point. That coupled with the famine that had stuck the area, the church membership was in very dire need.
Claudius Caesar was the fifth Roman emperor, and ascended
to the throne in the year 41 A.D. His reign covered a period
of thirteen years (41-54 A.D.) and was brought to a rather spectacular conclusion when one of his wives, Agrippina, poisoned him in order that her son could take the throne.
During the reign of Claudius, several different famines are
known to have occurred. The first famine during this period
was centered around the city of Rome in the years 41 and 42
A.D. The second famine known to have occurred during the
reign of Claudius was in the fourth year of his office (45
A.D.), and was particularly centered in Judea. It is this famine to which Luke makes reference in Acts 11:28, and to
which we hope to give further attention in this discussion.
The third famine during the time of Claudius was centered
in Greece in about A.D. 50. The fourth famine took place in
52 A.D. and once again, plagued the city of Rome.
Josephus, the Jewish historian, supplies further information
concerning the intensity of this famine, with its great distress and many deaths. In a footnote, it is indicated that it may have lasted for a three-year period….
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The reason for considering this particular famine is due to the fact that it served as an occasion for many of the New
Testament congregations to co-operate in the giving of material aid to the "brethren which dwelt in Judea." (Acts 11:29.)
Just before this famine, prophets had journeyed from
Jerusalem to Antioch, and one by the name of Agabus, inspired by the Holy Spirit, proclaimed that there would be
a "great dearth throughout all the world," and then Luke says. . . "which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar."
(Acts 11:28.)
The next verse informs us that the disciples in Antioch, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in
Judea. Each man, according to his ability would make a donation, which, in turn, was sent to the "elders by the hands of
Barnabas
and
Saul."
(Acts
11:30.)
https://www.wordsfitlyspoken.org/gospel_guardian/v7/v7n30p2-3a.html When the relief offering had been gathered, the Antioch Church sent it to Jerusalem by Barnabas and Saul. Saul’s last trip to Jerusalem was believed to be six years earlier.
The Return to Antioch
The majority of Acts chapter twelve revolves around Peter and his imprisonment by Herod. Herod had killed James, the brother of the Apostle John. This James was one of the three who formed the idea of the “inner circle” around Jesus, Peter, James, and John. They were the ones who were the closest to Jesus. When Herod saw his killing of James pleased the Jews, that is, the Jewish leadership, he undertook the task of hunting down Peter and threw him into prison. Acts 12:5-17 relates how Peter was released from the prison and how many of the Jerusalem church were praying for his release. Peter instructs those present to go and tell James, the pastor of the Jerusalem Church, and the church brethren, what had happened.
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Acts 12:18-23 relates what happened to Herod with his pride and self-centeredness.
Acts 12:24-25 KJV 24 But the word of God grew and multiplied. 25 And
Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled
their ministry, and took with them John, whose surname was Mark.
The Call
Acts 13:1-3 KJV 1 Now there were in the church that was at Antioch
certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called
Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up
with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 As they ministered to the Lord, and
fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work
whereunto I have called them. 3 And when they had fasted and prayed,
and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
If you will recall, earlier I mentioned that some of the brethren in Jerusalem were from Cyprus and Cyrene. They went to Antioch and soon formed a new church there. Lucius of Cyrene is still there and part of the preachers and teachers in the church. Saul apparently was the last teacher that was added to the church.
It is believed that Manaen was a foster brother of Herod. He was obviously the complete opposite of Herod. Simeon “that was called Niger” was another of the preaching and teaching team. “Niger” means “black.” Here is an example of a black man being part of the Antioch Church, indicating that the Antioch Church was composed of Jews and Gentiles. It is believed that Lucius was also a black man because Cyrene is a part of northern Africa. He may have been a descendant of some of the Jews who migrated to Africa during the time of Jeremiah. This is not known specifically, however, by the time of Jesus’ birth, there was a large community of Jews in Northern Africa. This would have been the general region to which Mary, Joseph, and Jesus went when they fled from Herod.
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It seems that these five brethren were the leadership of the Antioch Church.
They, at least, had charge of the teaching in the church. Some believe that there was a Bible School located in the church and these five were the primary teachers.
While these five were carrying out their ministries, the Holy Spirit informed them to separate Barnabas and Saul for a work that He was calling them to do. It is important to note that the Holy Spirit is the One that is doing the calling. The Antioch Church is not the calling authority for these men. The Antioch Church is the facilitator of the call. The Antioch Church is the one that has the authority to carry out the action that the Holy Spirit is impressing upon them to do. It will be the Antioch Church that will be the authority for Barnabas and Saul and then later Paul and Silas and Barnabas and John Mark. Without this church, no work done by any of these four men would be valid.
It should be noted that these men were already busy in the work of the Lord.
They were not sitting around waiting for the Holy Spirit to reveal to them what they needed to do.
We should note that while the Holy Spirit dealt with Barnabas and Saul personally, He also dealt with the Antioch Church as well. It was the church that fasted and prayed and made the decision to send them away.
The process that is revealed for this church to send out missionaries is the same as it is today. The Holy Spirit lays upon the heart of some man to go to a certain location. Sometimes the location may be the suggestion of someone else, but it is important to note that it is the Holy Spirit that calls the missionary to that specific location. The Holy Spirit may use someone else or something else to call the missionary’s attention to the need in a specific location. It is the Holy Spirit’s work that causes that missionary to realize and understand that this is where he should be going. It is then the church’s responsibility to confirm the Holy Spirit’s calling in the missionary by authorizing him to go to that specific location. He is to preach and teach the gospel to the utmost of his ability, baptizing those who are saved, and 52
to continue to teach them. He baptizes those who are saved in the name of the church that sent him. When the missionary is led by the Holy Spirit to believe that it is time for this work to become a church, he petitions the sending church to organize this group of believers into an independent church. Anything not in keeping of this “process” is outside of Scripture and should not be carried out.
We will notice in the coming parts of this study that the Antioch Church did not “micro-manage” the missionaries that they sent out. If the missionaries are trusted enough to be sent out to do the work of a missionary, they then should be trusted to do what needs to be done on that particular field. The sending church should not tell that missionary what he needs to do. In the days of Barnabas and Saul, it was impossible to tell the missionaries what to do at any location. The sending church’s sole responsible after sending the missionaries away, is to do all they can to support those missionaries.
We will also see that Barnabas and Saul would return to the Antioch Church and report to them all that the Holy Spirit had accomplished through them.
It was not their work, but the work of the Holy Spirit that was done. They were only the instruments for the Holy Spirit to use.
Conclusion
In the next part, we will see the first of the missionary journeys of Saul, who would soon begin using his Greek name Paul, where they travelled and all that transpired before their return to the Antioch Church.
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