OPERATION COMEBACK

ACTS 11:19-30

NASB

19 So then those who were scattered because of the [a]persecution that occurred in connection with Stephen made their way [b]to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews alone. 20 But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the [a]Greeks also, [b]preaching the Lord Jesus. 21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord. 22 The [a]news about them [b]reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas off [c]to Antioch. 23 Then when he arrived and [a]witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with [b]resolute heart to remain true to the Lord; 24 for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And considerable [a]numbers were [b]brought to the Lord. 25 And he left for Tarsus to look for Saul; 26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And for an entire year they [a]met with the church and taught considerable [b]numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

27 Now [a]at this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 One of them named Agabus stood up and began to indicate [a]by the Spirit that there would certainly be a great famine all over the [b]world. [c]And this took place in the reign of Claudius. 29 And in the proportion that any of the disciples had means, each of them determined to send a contribution for the [a]relief of the brethren living in Judea. 30 And this they did, sending it [a]in charge of Barnabas and Saul to the elders.

11:19 [a]Lit tribulation [b]Lit as far as 11:20 [a]Lit Hellenists; people who lived by Greek customs and culture [b]Or bringing the good news of 11:22 [a]Lit word [b]Lit was heard in [c]Lit as far as 11:23 [a]Lit saw [b]Lit purpose of heart 11:24 [a]Lit crowd was [b]Lit added 11:26 [a]Or were gathered together [b]Lit crowd 11:27 [a]Lit in these days 11:28 [a]Or through [b]Lit inhabited earth [c]Lit which 11:29 [a]Lit service 11:30 [a]Lit by the hand of

NLT

19 Meanwhile, the believers who had been scattered during the persecution after Stephen’s death traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch of Syria. They preached the word of God, but only to Jews. 20 However, some of the believers who went to Antioch from Cyprus and Cyrene began preaching to the Gentiles[*] about the Lord Jesus. 21 The power of the Lord was with them, and a large number of these Gentiles believed and turned to the Lord.

22 When the church at Jerusalem heard what had happened, they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw this evidence of God’s blessing, he was filled with joy, and he encouraged the believers to stay true to the Lord. 24 Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith. And many people were brought to the Lord.

25 Then Barnabas went on to Tarsus to look for Saul. 26 When he found him, he brought him back to Antioch. Both of them stayed there with the church for a full year, teaching large crowds of people. (It was at Antioch that the believers[*] were first called Christians.)

27 During this time some prophets traveled from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 One of them named Agabus stood up in one of the meetings and predicted by the Spirit that a great famine was coming upon the entire Roman world. (This was fulfilled during the reign of Claudius.) 29 So the believers in Antioch decided to send relief to the brothers and sisters[*] in Judea, everyone giving as much as they could. 30 This they did, entrusting their gifts to Barnabas and Saul to take to the elders of the church in Jerusalem.

[11:20] Greek the Hellenists (i.e., those who speak Greek); other manuscripts read the Greeks. [11:26] Greek disciples; also in 11:29. [11:29] Greek the brothers.

Benched. Shelved. Set aside. Taken out of circulation. If we go by what Luke reveals about Paul’s activity during Peter’s historic evangelism among the Gentiles in Acts 10, we might get the impression that Paul was out of action for ten years after his dramatic conversion. The truth is, Paul was never inactive. He certainly wasn’t in the limelight or in the mainstream of activity, but he was doing ministry like the vast majority of faithful servants of God throughout history —in the background, in obscurity. But why? Why would God send him to “small time” ministry in Tarsus for ten years after such an explosive conversion?

Think about it. No Christian had a more impressive résumé for ministry among the Jews. Yet in His wise providence and for His own purposes, God often places such people in small-scale, nonglamorous ministries for a season. He hones their theology, whittles at their character, rearranges their priorities, and teaches them the techniques of walking in the Spirit and not walking in the flesh. Not as rejection, but as refinement, God set Paul aside in this way.

Again, from a human perspective, Saul seemed the ideal candidate for fast-tracking into ministry to his fellow Hebrews. The Lord, however, doesn’t recruit like a corporate headhunter. He chooses people based on His own omniscient insight and prepares them through His own sovereign omnipotence. God selected Saul to become His witness among Gentiles. He made this clear in the beginning, telling the newly converted Pharisee,

THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF PAUL OF TARSUS

ACTS 11:25

If Paul were to pen an autobiography, it might go something like this:

“I am a Jew of Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city” (Acts 21:39). “I was actually born a [Roman] citizen” (Acts 22:28). “I . . . am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham” (Rom. 11:1), “circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless” (Phil. 3:5-6). “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in [Jerusalem], educated under Gamaliel, strictly according to the law of our fathers, being zealous for God” (Acts 22:3).

“I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it; and I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions. But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went away to Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus.

“Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas, and stayed with him fifteen days. But I did not see any other of the apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. (Now in what I am writing to you, I assure you before God that I am not lying.) Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. I was still unknown by sight to the churches of Judea which were in Christ; but only, they kept hearing, ‘He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith which he once tried to destroy.’ And they were glorifying God because of me” (Gal. 1:13-24).

“I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief” (1 Tim. 1:12-13). “I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me” (1 Cor. 15:9-10). “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel. For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me. What then is my reward? That, when I preach the gospel, I may offer the gospel without charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:16-18).

“For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it” (1 Cor. 9:19-23). “I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:12-13).

“I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Tim. 4:6-8). “The Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen” (2 Tim. 4:17-18).

“For this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you; rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.” (26:16-18)

For whatever reason, Saul didn’t pursue ministry among the Gentiles immediately; he headed straight for the synagogues. Within a short time after his Damascus road encounter with the risen Messiah, Saul was expertly defending the identity of Jesus as the Messiah and masterfully demonstrating the truth of the gospel, but with little effect among his fellow Jews. After escaping assassination in Damascus, Saul fled to Jerusalem, where he lived like a man without a country until Barnabas, the “Son of Encouragement,” became his advocate. At the insistence of Barnabas, Peter and the other church leaders accepted Saul, and he enjoyed the fellowship of believers —for a time.

Peter had not yet visited the home of Cornelius. One wonders why that had not been Saul’s task, since he was supposed to be the apostle to the Gentiles. From a human perspective, it seems backwards, but we know God had His reasons. Regardless, Saul headed straight for the synagogues again, but with little more success than in Damascus. After he inflamed the religious leaders of two major cities against him and survived two assassination plots, Saul headed home to Tarsus. A Gentile city. A faraway city. Let’s face it —with Saul removed to his hometown, everyone was safer. As Luke records, “So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase” (9:31).

TARSUS

ACTS 11:25

Saul, later known as Paul, proudly declared himself “a Jew of Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city” (21:39). Even though he was a product of Jewish education, having sat under Gamaliel in Jerusalem (22:3), his eager, young mind undoubtedly found Tarsus enriching.

In its heyday, Tarsus commanded a strategic spot on the navigable Cydnus River and was on the route to the famous Cilician Gates, a crucial engineered mountain pass.[87] Anyone traveling by land between Asia Minor and eastern destinations, including Syria, Mesopotamia, Judea, and Egypt, had to use this passage through the Taurus Mountains. Consequently, this strategic location made it a natural place for trading merchandise and exchanging ideas.

With so many people and such a wealth of resources, Tarsus became a center of learning. The academy in Tarsus strived to attain to the fame of the renowned schools in Athens and Alexandria.[88] But the chief downfall of the school was that “Tarsians who had studied in their own city were known for completing their education abroad, and then making their home in Rome or elsewhere rather than returning to Tarsus. Strabo lists many notable scholars from Tarsus.”[89] Some have suggested that Saul was one who studied locally and then moved to Jerusalem. However, it’s more likely that Saul left Tarsus around the age of twelve to study under Gamaliel.[90]

During his ten-year residency in Tarsus after his conversion, a scholar like Saul would have undoubtedly availed himself of the resources of the academy in Tarsus, which would further prepare him for a future ministry among the Gentiles. In fact, his quotation of the poets Epimenides of Crete and Aratus of Soli (a fellow Cilician) hints at some Greek education (Titus 1:12; Acts 17:28).

How fitting that Tarsus should prepare Saul for ministry among the Gentiles. As one scholar noted, “Tarsus has been described as ‘the heart of the Greco-Roman world’ and ‘a meeting place of East and West.’ From such an environment, a man like Saul of Tarsus, at home with Greek and Roman culture and educated at the feet of Gamaliel, was singularly equipped to bring the gospel to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”[91]

Benched. Shelved. Set aside. Taken out of circulation. But not forsaken. Not by a long shot. The vision for ministry that God had given Saul in Damascus had not been forgotten. The Lord had always intended for the gospel to be preached to all the world, but the church wasn’t ready for Gentile converts, and Saul wasn’t ready to be God’s spokesman. This thoroughgoing Jew needed to know more about Gentile culture. He also needed to learn how to walk in the Spirit rather than conduct ministry on his own terms. Ten years of small-scale ministry in Tarsus gave him the education and the spiritual seasoning he needed.

As Luke resumes his narrative, Saul has been tucked away in the region of Cilicia, far removed from the action, waiting for the right moment.

— 11:19-21 —

After the martyrdom of Stephen, Saul’s persecution of the church had scattered the believers in all directions. For the most part, these Jewish Christians proclaimed the gospel to their Hebrew kinsmen only. Some, however, weren’t as discriminating, sharing the news with any Gentile who would listen. Luke identifies the more broad-minded Jews as “men of Cyprus and Cyrene” (11:20). Cyprus, the homeland of Barnabas, is a sizable island in the Mediterranean off the coast of Syria. Cyrene lay on the coast of North Africa almost 500 miles west of Alexandria.

Syrian Antioch was a massive city at the time, the third-largest city in the Roman Empire, after Rome and Alexandria, and home to an extremely large community of Jews, Gentile converts to Judaism, and Gentile “God-fearers.” As a result, the gospel found an eager audience there. With such a large Jewish influence, the Gentiles were already familiar with the curious monotheism of the people of Judea. Within a short time, a large number of Gentiles had become Christians (11:21).

— 11:22-24 —

By the time news of Gentile conversions filtered down into Judea and up the slopes of Jerusalem, the church had come to terms with the ministry of Peter in Caesarea. Instead of sending critics to scrutinize the work in Syrian Antioch, they sent the “Son of Encouragement,” Barnabas, the perfect man for the job (11:22). He was from Cyprus, where many of the Jewish evangelists were from, and his temperament predisposed him to welcome the Gentiles as brothers. Luke says, “He was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith” (11:24). Upon his arrival, he saw authentic Christians very much in need of organization and training. Antioch was, after all, known for being a pleasure seeker’s den because of the famed “paradise of Daphne” just 5 miles away,[92] where visitors pursued moral depravity as if it were a virtue.

Barnabas rejoiced at the sight of God’s grace taking over the city, and he encouraged the new believers (11:23). That’s what new Christians need —lots of encouragement. He didn’t draw out a list of dos and don’ts or mark up a local map with places to avoid around Antioch. He mainly “encouraged.” The verb is parakaleō [3870], a multifaceted word that carries the idea of standing alongside someone in order to provide counsel, courage, comfort, hope, and positive perspective. Like an athletic coach, an encourager challenges without condemning, instructs without lecturing, inspires without condescending, and helps another toward excellence. Barnabas, like a coach encouraging and challenging an athlete to reach a particular goal, urged the new believers in Antioch to grow in grace while remaining true to their Savior.

— 11:25-26 —

Barnabas was mature and knowledgeable, more than capable in his own right; nonetheless, he also knew he needed help. The last part of Acts 11:24 connects with 11:25 to provide an explanation. I would translate the sentence, “And sufficient enough crowds were added to the Lord. So he went to Tarsus to search for Saul.” Barnabas was humble and wise: humble enough to recognize his limitations and wise enough to seek the best man to assist him in these responsibilities. Note that he didn’t send to Jerusalem for Hebrew scholars; he journeyed 100 miles in the opposite direction for the man God had set aside for a ministry to Gentiles. Saul agreed to come.

The two men harmoniously ministered together in Antioch with great success, not only evangelizing, but establishing the believers as a church (11:26). This is where Saul learned the basics of church formation, organization, and stabilization. They had as their goal an independent community, led by indigenous elders, sustained without outside help, and perpetuated by its own evangelistic efforts. If a church is a living organism, Barnabas and Saul wanted the congregation in Antioch to breathe, eat, grow, and live on its own.

Luke adds the side note that Syrian Antioch was the birthplace of the term “Christian” (Christianos [5546]). Of course, the central idea is “Christ.” The suffix -ianos denotes partisanship or identity with the leader of a movement or community. For example, the Gospel writers used “Herodian” to denote someone who supported or worked for the dynasty of Herod the Great (e.g., Matt. 22:16).

— 11:27-28 —

“At this time” (11:27) is literally “in these days.” Sometime during the yearlong ministry of Barnabas and Saul, “prophets” visited from Jerusalem. (The phrase “came down” refers to the change in elevation; ancient people didn’t think of north and south in terms of “up” and “down.”) These people had a supernatural, miraculous gift of prophetic speech. Much like the Old Testament prophets, they were human mouthpieces for God who announced new revelation (1 Cor. 12:10, 28; 14:3). God told them what to say, and they said it. During the apostolic era, before the New Testament had been written, the church needed to hear directly from God via prophets.

One of the prophets, named Agabus (see Acts 21:10-11), predicted that a “great famine” would afflict the world (11:28). The phrase “all over the world” doesn’t necessarily mean “in every universal location,” but rather “in many significant places.” Luke, like other Greek writers, used the term “world” (oikoumenē [3625]) to mean the known world of the Roman Empire. Luke affirms that the prediction by Agabus occurred during the reign of Claudius, who ruled as emperor for almost fourteen years (AD 41–54),[93] after Caligula and before Nero. Secular historians note his having to deal with at least two severe grain shortages in Rome due to famines in several parts of the empire.[94]

— 11:29-30 —

These grain shortages affected Rome in AD 42 and 51. According to hints from Egyptian records of the time and Josephus’s Antiquities, Judea felt the effects around AD 46.[95] That year, the church in Syrian Antioch took up a collection and sent it to Jerusalem in the care of Barnabas and Saul. This is noteworthy for a couple of reasons. First, the autonomous body of believers in Antioch viewed themselves as part of a greater whole and, therefore, responsible to care for their needy brothers and sisters in Jerusalem (cf. 4:34-37). Second, the Antioch church had grown strong enough to send tangible help to Jerusalem instead of requiring assistance themselves. This signaled a subtle shift. The Jerusalem church would become less vital while Antioch would grow more important.

They sent this offering “to the elders” in Jerusalem (11:30). This, by the way, is the first time Luke uses the term “elder” (presbyteros [4245]) in reference to the church. The apostles didn’t remain in Jerusalem. According to tradition —not authoritative like Scripture, but useful for providing historical clues —most of the Twelve traveled to different parts of the world to be “witnesses.” To fill the leadership vacuum, the Jerusalem church appointed “elders.” The Greek term literally means “older one” but is used in the technical sense of an office. The Jerusalem church followed the pattern of the synagogues, which selected several mature men to provide spiritual and practical leadership to the local congregation.

At this point, Saul of Tarsus had more to learn before he would become the Paul we know from his letters, but he was well on his way. He was off the bench and back in the game; nevertheless, his training would continue. A few key lessons yet to be learned would equip him for the task God had laid out for him.

APPLICATION: ACTS 11:19-30

Set Aside for Good Works

No one likes to feel set aside. After Saul’s dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus and then his “furlough” in Tarsus ministry, he undoubtedly felt bewildered and disillusioned during those “silent” years back in his hometown. Thankfully, he submitted to a humbling decade of soul-shaping preparation in the shadows of the church. His patience allowed him to emerge later as the most influential man in the history of the New Testament age.

As I observe the Lord’s preparation of Saul, two principles emerge.

First, only the Lord can prepare a person for ministry. After the Lord confronted Saul personally (9:4-6) and then revealed his future role in ministry (26:15-18), Saul got to work right away, confronting his kindred Jews in the synagogues. When that failed, he wisely retreated to Arabia for nearly three years. Perhaps thinking his experience had sufficiently prepared him and feeling ready to engage in ministry again, he returned to Damascus —to disastrous results there and again in Jerusalem. Clearly, he wasn’t ready. Ten years passed with the great Saul of Tarsus pushed to the sidelines in a pagan university city, far from the action in Jerusalem, a town he once owned. Then, when the time for Saul was right, and when Saul was right for the times, the Lord allowed this humbled Pharisee to step into the spotlight. He reentered, a wiser man with a clearer understanding of the work of the Spirit in his life and his ministry.

Almost every seasoned minister can relate. After I received my call to ministry, I knew immediately I needed to prepare. But when I enrolled in the four-year program at Dallas Theological Seminary, I had no idea that a large percentage of my preparation would occur outside the classroom! Certainly, the professors gave me crucial knowledge and insight, but it was the Lord who prepared me. During that time, He whittled and filed and chipped away at my character to shape me into a suitable vessel. Then, after my formal schooling, I spent another two years assisting an older pastor and another two years struggling in a ministry not suited to my personal style and bent. As I look back, I realize that nothing could have prepared me for my future role in ministry like the Lord’s personal touch during those difficult years out of the limelight. At the time, it was unclear what the Lord was doing. Looking back, it all makes sense.

Second, the Lord must prepare the ministry for the person. During his face-to-face encounter with the Lord and his three-day fast, Saul learned that he would minister to the Gentiles. The Lord told him,

At the time, however, Peter had not yet visited Cornelius. The Gentiles were only beginning to consider this strange Jewish teaching from Jerusalem, and the church leaders had not even considered evangelism outside the Jewish community. Simply put, the world was not yet ready for Saul’s ministry with such a marked emphasis on grace.

While the Lord prepared Saul for evangelism and church planting among the Gentiles, He also prepared the Gentiles and the church for him. In ministry —like a lot of things —timing is everything.