Acts 11 Commentary
You admire how the early church resolved ‘differences’. Peter had gone into ‘enemy’ territory and dined with them. Sections of the Body of Christ felt differently. They had their own reasons. Peter explained his reasons. The church listened and oneness was restored. No one won; no one lost; the Spirit won; Jesus won.
The humility to listen and the humility to be questioned is amazing! Peter could have easily snapped especially since he was right. He was also a leader with the rare privilege of having been with Jesus as part of Jesus’ inner circle.
The opposition had valid reasons also. Peter had clearly violated the Torah which, even today, you need to have ‘Jesus’ reasons to break. A heated situation cooled under the guidance of the Spirit. So admirable!
The church at Antioch is established by “untitled” men; neither apostles nor deacons. No authorization from HQ! No funds for the minister! No worries about the venue and the paperwork! They only cared about obedience – the Spirit at work!
The church at Antioch is yet another hot issue for which members may be disciplined under our current conditions. Who authorized you? The lows we have fallen to! So believers need authorization from men before they can obey the Holy Spirit!
Instead, we have a different environment in the early church. Like Peter, these “untitled” men break the barriers and preach to the Greeks! And guess what, the LORD’s hand is with them! Verse 21. The top leadership at HQ (Jerusalem) responds by sending a “fireball” in Barnabas. No CIA agents to uncover illegal activities by the “untitled” men. Barnabas is fired up in the Holy Spirit but what a peacemaker!
The apostles don’t send a “rule” man among them! They may be full of the Holy Spirit but are they especially equipped by the Spirit in the area of unit and peace? Are they “sons of encouragement”? Probably the leadership doesn’t even think about it but the Holy Spirit has orchestrated these events to perfection! Obedience to the leadership of the Spirit means that the leadership at Jerusalem remains judicious.
Barnabas arrives and “saw what the grace of the LORD had done” and is glad. He encourages them. He doesn’t leave them bylaws and the constitution from HQ. He simply encourages them to remain true to the LORD with all their hearts.
You would guess the church here is doing everything anti-torah! What with all these Greeks in greater numbers, clearly outnumbering the Jews! But that doesn’t concern Barnabas at all! He is concerned about obedience to the LORD.
The church needs meat. Saul is the ready-made tool to provide it! Barnabas finds Saul and they minister together at Antioch. You may be “a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith” (Verse 24), but the Holy Spirit hasn’t given you everything. Saul is there to provide the missing parts. Go fetch him. Get him fully involved in the work.
The believers are called Christians first at Antioch. What happens when the Holy Spirit guides the process!
Prophecy becomes important in the church. As in the times of Joseph in Genesis, the LORD wants His people to be ready for the severe famine. It could be time to realign businesses and cash in on the special knowledge. Maybe this, but importantly, the church responds by generosity. Then you know there is an important reason for prophecy. Forget the kind that predicts that Liverpool will win the race!
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