Acts 11:19-21 Now they which were scattered abroad on the persecution that arose about Stephen traveled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch… Persecution was the first means of propagating the gospel. Blow on the candle, and you extinguish the flame; blow on the fire in the grate, and you increase it. The reason is in the hold the fire has upon the combustible substance. If the hold is slight, blowing will put it out; if deep, will intensify it. Christ came to send fire on the earth; the fire ate its way down to the very depths of the disciples' spirits. Saul "breathed out threatenings," etc.; but the breathing only fanned the fire. Observe that this Church — I. WAS ESTABLISHED BY LAY AGENCY. These men were not commissioned by any ecclesiastical authority to preach. They did it instinctively. The flowers do not require to be told to blossom; let the sun but shine, and they do it without being told. Birds do not need an almanack to remind them that May is come, and that the season for outdoor concerts has arrived. And as soon as a man has knowledge of the Saviour, he feels an impulse to tell others of Him. Some Churches object to what they call irregular teachers. They forget that there are two ordinations. Sometimes the human and the Divine meet in the same person; sometimes they diverge. If you can get the two, well; if not, give me the Divine, let who will have the human. The hand of an apostle had not been laid on the heads of these disciples. But what of that? "The hand of the Lord was with them." If that "hand" is with a man, surely the bishop's is not vitally essential. II. WAS ESTABLISHED AMONG THE GENTILES. 1. It was the first Gentile Church. Ver. 19 tells us that they "preached the Word to Jews only." But the following verse tells us that the natives of Cyprus and Cyrene preached to the "Greeks" also. The text, therefore, marks a new epoch in the history of the kingdom of God. Christ had plainly intimated the admission of the Gentiles into the fold. But the disciples understood Him not, and for years confined their labours to "Jews only." And when Peter ventured to preach to Cornelius, he was put on his defence. We are prone to look upon the primitive Church as our pattern; but the infant Church cannot be a pattern to the Church in its maturity. Shame upon us if modern Churches are not much better than primitive! How narrow and bigoted was the Church of Jerusalem! How contentious and immoral the Church of Corinth! But life proved too much for prejudice; whilst they of the circumcision were contending the Church was instinctively extending its frontiers — it claimed the Gentiles also as its inheritance. 2. Three stages are traceable in the growth of this idea. (1) From the establishment of the Church in the wilderness down to the Babylonish captivity, it was strictly Jewish. Not but that there was provision made in the law for the stranger and the alien; but the system was more tolerant than the men, and born Jews only were allowed to participate in its manifold privileges. (2) But during the Captivity, Jews and Gentiles were brought into frequent contact, and better knowledge led to kindlier feelings. The Jews, therefore, on their return, attached to their temple a court of the Gentiles. Such a thought never entered the mind of Solomon or of his architects. Henceforth they displayed a missionary spirit, and compassed sea and land to make one proselyte. True, they did not pull down the wall; but they did put a few gates in it through which the Gentiles might be admitted. But mark — they were not received as Gentiles, but as Gentiles circumcised. (3) The third stage is that indicated in this chapter. The wall is being pulled down, and Greeks may become Christians without first becoming Jews. The Jewish Church was like the chrysalis containing life in an undeveloped state; the Christian Church is the chrysalis emerging in the winged butterfly. In Judaism the Word of the Lord was standing; in Christianity it is flying. "And I saw an angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel." III. WAS FLOURISHING IN GRACE. 1. When the Church at Jerusalem heard of the great things that had taken place at Antioch, "they sent forth Barnabas" mainly for his natural fitness (ver. 24). "Good" signifies more than mere moral worth; it means that he was a kind, genial, loving man. Many men — good, morally speaking — are stem and hard. But Barnabas was a man of a very gracious disposition — a very attractive man. A rash, haughty, domineering man, coming down upon a Church to which he was a stranger, would do more harm than good. But Barnabas — a son of sweetness and light — would disarm opposition, and secure confidence. 2. No sooner did he arrive in Antioch than "he saw there the grace of God." If you have true religion in the heart, it is superfluous to declare it. If it is in the heart, it will be seen in the life. An ancient poet tells the painters of Greece, in a period of great art decadence, to write under their pictures the names of the animals they portrayed, implying that without the name it would be impossible to tell one animal from another — a very bitter satire upon the painters. And some men's religion is such that you would never suspect it unless they carried about them the label; they do not shine before men, that their good works may be seen, etc. But the moment Barnabas's eye caught the canvas, he could tell the picture. Nay, so decided was the likeness between them and Christ that the public recognised it, and there "the disciples were first called Christians." 3. "He exhorted the people that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord." Barnabas is by interpretation the "son of consolation" or exhortation. From this word we can partly judge of the character of his preaching; his exhortation brimming over with comfort, full of cheer and encouragement. His preaching was fine and stimulating rather than deep and convincing. He had the good sense to know this, and therefore hastened to Tarsus to fetch Saul. Barnabas would be worthy of grateful remembrance were it only for this one act. Barnabas exhorted the people; but when Saul came to his help, the "exhorting" became "teaching"; deeper thoughtfulness characterised the ministry. The people were before growing in grace — they are now growing in knowledge. Man has both a heart and a head. And every true minister, if he cannot accomplish the two-fold work himself, will, like Barnabas, seek another to help him. The dahlia is a gorgeous flower, but it has no fragrance. The perfection of a flower consists in exquisiteness of colour combined with deliciousness of fragrance. And the perfection of Christians consists in the combination of grace and knowledge. (J. Cynddylan Jones, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: 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. |
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