Acts of the Apostles + a History of Christ’s Church
Acts of the Apostles 1-28
Acts of the Apostles:
+ The first century Church SHARED Christ while suffering severe persecution.
+ Luke records a historic account of the Church which gives 21c Christians a context to SHARE the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others.
Read more about the Early Church & add your COMMENT on Scripture.
ACT now.
+ SHARE the Gospel history witnessed in the CURRENT chronological SERIES from ACTS of the APOSTLES.
SUCCESS! So after their first missionary journey and years together witnessing the Gospel you wouldn’t expect a parting of paths of these apostles Barnabas and Paul, right?
The Church at Antioch received exciting good news that their First Missionary Journey was successful. Then hey sent a delegation to Jerusalem to clarify some gentile issues in a Council meeting with the Apostles and Church. Barnabas and Paul return to Antioch with a clarification of doctrine and some brothers from the Jerusalem Church.
The Council at Jerusalem sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers.. down to Antioch.
Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren – Acts of the Apostles 15:20 – KJV
Previously:
Acts 14:27 [in Antioch]
And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. And they remained no little time with the disciples. But some men came down from Judea [to the church at Antioch] ..
And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question.
When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them.
Excerpt from Acts of the Apostles 14:27 - 15:4
30 So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch, and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement.
Preaching the Gospel to all in Antioch
32 And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words. 33 And after they had spent some time, they were sent off in peace by the brothers to those who had sent them.
35 But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.
[Let’s not miss this: Paul and Barnabas had spent some time with the Church in Jerusalem. Now Judas [Barsabas] and Silas ‘exhorted the brethren’ [KJV] in Antioch. And then they return [v.33b]
Planning a Second Missionary Journey
Take a look at our map [cover]:
Barnabas and Paul preached the Gospel as they had sailed to Cypress, travelled along the coast and then sailed to Pamphylia where they journeyed to inland cities before sailing back to Antioch. ~A.D. 47-49
36 And after some days Paul said to Barnabas,
“Let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.”
37 Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark.
38 But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work.
Do you recall the incident prior to their inland journey? (It too had caused a parting of paths and as mentioned previously became a time when Mark would write his Gospel.)
Acts of the Apostles 13:13 Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem
Barnabas wants to have his young cousin who had served them in Cypress to go with them again. As a reminder, Barnabas had also mentored the younger Saul of Tarsus (Paul) in his early days. But Paul disagreed.
This sharp disagreement between Christians, brothers who worked side by side proclaiming the Gospel — even suffering severe persecution for the sake of the Gospel of Christ Jesus — Paul and Barnabas would NOW agree to a parting of paths to the gentiles, making separate mission journeys with new travel companions to witness the Gospel in yet more cities and towns of the Roman-ruled world of MOSTLY gentiles.
39 And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus..
AD 49/50 {Between v.39 & v.40} It will take Paul some weeks or perhaps months to reorganize the 2nd mission to the Gentiles as the apostles and friends plan their parting of paths for two missions to MORE new Christians.
Cilicia – journey through Syria to Pamphylia
40 but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
Will any of the Twelve travel to Antioch Syria from Jerusalem? Or will the Apostles send their Epistle to the Gentiles with other reliable messengers?
A.D. 49 – Jerusalem Judea in Roman occupied Syria
Who are these Apostles to the Gentiles?
Recall that the current crisis of the Church involves both Jews and Gentiles and that the Church at Antioch sent Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem to clarify the Law of Moses.
A Council of Church Leaders meets under leadership of the Apostles of Jesus, the risen Christ witnessed my the Twelve and many leading men of Jerusalem.
22 Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers..
This is exactly what the Council of Jerusalem has ordered.
in a broader sense applied to other eminent Christian teachers
of Barnabas
of Timothy
and Silvanus
They SEND these apostles with their epistle of encouragement and specific instructions to the Church and its other leading men in Antioch, obeying Christ’s command to go into all the world — theirs, a gentile world — with the Gospel.
ἀπόστολος – Apostle
a delegate, messenger, one sent forth with orders
specifically applied to the twelve apostles of Christ
ἀπόστολος apóstolos, ap-os’-tol-os; from G649; a delegate; specially, an ambassador of the Gospel; officially a commissioner of Christ (“apostle”) (with miraculous powers):—apostle, messenger, he that is sent.
The KJV translates Strong’s G1484 in the following manner: Gentiles (93x), nation (64x), heathen (5x), people (2x).
We have recently spent time on this on Paul’s first missionary journey, but for clarity definitions which apply here:
in the OT, foreign nations not worshipping the true God, pagans, Gentiles
Paul uses the term for Gentile Christians
ACTS on Mission
Paul
The Church is already quite familiar with Saul of Tarsus or Paul; who following his first mission from Antioch to the Gentiles along with Joseph of Cypress (Barnabas) has precipitated this Council in Jerusalem.
In a later Epistle of Paul to the Romans he writes:
Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them.
Think about it, my fellow gentile brothers and sisters in Christ.
Paul identifies himself as an apostle. The Council sent both Paul and Barnabas as apostles for this next mission to the Gentiles.
The Apostle Paul also magnifies his mission is to the Gentiles (although a remnant of Jews will be saved).
On their first missionary journey the Apostle Paul had proclaimed Christ to the Jews first and then preached the Gospel to the Gentiles.
Barnabas
Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
It was Barnabas, a trusted Jew of the priestly line, who brought Paul to the Apostles after his encounter with the risen Christ (and having heard their former nemesis preach Christ crucified and risen to the Jews in Damascus).
When a report came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem after some men of Cyprus and Cyrene spoke to the Hellenists in Antioch (and a great number turned to the Lord), they sent Barnabas to Antioch. – from Acts 11:20
(Not to be confused with another important disciple and deacon of the church in Jerusalem * possibly also present with its leading men of the Council, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus [Acts 1:23] put forth along with Mathias as a candidate to replace Judas Iscariot in the Twelve Apostles.)
2. the surname of a certain Judas: Acts 15:22, (B. D. under the word Judas Barsabas].
* Could Luke’s wording indicate that both were present & this Barsabbas is Judas son of Saba rather than Joseph son of Saba? (And might they even be biological brothers? [again, my speculation])
Contraction for Σιλουανός (G4610) – Silvanus, the same man who in Acts is called Σιλᾶς (which see): 2 Corinthians 1:19; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:1; 1 Peter 5:12.
Silas or Silvanus is a Roman Citizen (as is Paul) sent with the Apostle to the Gentiles on this second mission and other journeys to preach the Gospel to all the world of the Roman Empire.
A.D. 49 – 51 Secondary Missionary Journey with Paul
They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers,
23 with the following letter:
“The brothers, both the apostles and the elders,
to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings.
Since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions, it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements:
that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”
30 So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch…
ACTS of the Apostles TO BE CONTINUED…
in Antioch Syria…
Comment on Scripture – Share the Gospel
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