Acts 11:23 - Printer Friendly

ESV: When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose,

NIV: When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.

NASB: Then when he arrived and witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord;

CSB: When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged all of them to remain true to the Lord with devoted hearts,

NLT: 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.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord.

Barnabas (Acts 4:36–37), has been sent by the leadership of the Jerusalem church to validate that Gentiles in Syrian Antioch are really coming to a saving faith in Jesus. He's the perfect man for the job for several reasons. He is so gracious that he's given the name "son of encouragement." He's so fearless that he was the only one who would meet with Saul, the great persecutor of the church, to see if his conversion was real (Acts 9:26–27). And he's from Cyprus, which is just west of Antioch and the home of many of the Jesus-followers who are preaching to the Gentiles.

It takes a leader open to the Holy Spirit to enter a God-ordained situation and affirm it, instead of judging it and trying to control it. When Barnabas walks in, he doesn't see a bunch of former-pagans who need to change their sinful practices and become more like devout Jews (Acts 15:1–2). He sees the grace of God working in the world like He promised. He sees God's promise to Abraham—that his line would bless the world—come to fruition (Genesis 26:4). He understands that heaven celebrates when a sinner comes to Christ (Luke 15:7). And he experiences the fulfillment of Jesus' commission to the disciples to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).

But he also sees that this job is far too big for him. We know, even now, how difficult it is to stay focused on our relationship with God. This church in Antioch includes Jews who see Jesus as the fulfillment but not replacement of Judaism, devout Gentiles who follow Judaism but haven't converted fully, and former pagan-Gentiles who have little understanding of the underlying Jewish traditions and laws. It's significant Barnabas "exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord"; only by concentrating on Jesus can they remain unified as a church.

Acts 11:19–26 continues the inauguration of the international church. While Peter is in Caesarea Maritima leading a houseful of Gentiles to faith in Jesus (Acts 10) and then in Jerusalem explaining that Jesus has come to the Gentiles (Acts 11:1–18), the church has already spread far north to Syrian Antioch. The Jesus-followers who fled Saul's persecution in Jerusalem took Jesus' story with them (Acts 8:1–4). Some, from Cyprus and Cyrene, taught Gentiles. If they, Jews who lived within the Greco/Roman culture, could worship Jesus, why couldn't their Gentile friends? This is exactly what Jesus intended in Acts 1:8.

Acts 11 accelerates the journey of the message of Jesus into the Gentile world. Peter returns to Jerusalem and explains to the church leaders how the Holy Spirit has fallen on a group of Gentiles in Caesarea Maritima (Acts 11:1–18). Then the church hears how Gentiles are coming to faith far north in Syrian Antioch; they send Barnabas to investigate and Barnabas brings in Saul (Acts 11:19–26). Finally, prophets travel from Jerusalem to Antioch to request aid for the Jerusalem church (Acts 11:27–30). The scene is almost set for Paul's extensive evangelism career to begin.

Until the martyrdom of Stephen (Acts 7:54–60), the story of Jesus' followers remained mostly in Jerusalem. Saul started persecuting the church and the members fled, taking Jesus' story with them. This included Philip who shared Jesus' story with Samaritans and an Ethiopian official (Acts 8). Saul's persecution even led to his own conversion (Acts 9). And Peter brought the gospel to a group of Gentiles (Acts 10). After one more story about Peter and rising persecution by the Roman government, the book of Acts will turn to Saul, who will use the Greek variation of his name, Paul, and his missionary journeys to southeast Europe.

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.