Act 11:25-26 | KingComments | STEP | When Barnabas is in Antioch, he remembers Saul. Possibly because he cannot handle the work alone, Barnabas goes looking for him. It is a church of Gentiles and he knows of the Lord’s will concerning Saul ( ). He will also have had insight into his special qualities. He makes an effort to visit Saul in Tarsus, in Turkey, where he grew up. A few years ago, Saul was sent there again by the brothers ( ) to testify and to be further taught by the Lord. Earlier, Saul was sent by his parents to Jerusalem for a religious education that made him extraordinarily religious. Saul is therefore both a Hebrew and a Hellenistic person who has been deeply versed in the Scriptures and is therefore the right person for Antioch. What Barnabas does with Saul is an example of how young believers are introduced to the church by older believers and are taught to perform their task. Barnabas does not care about taking the second place. Without selfishness, but for the good of the church, he looks for Saul, whom he brought to the church in Jerusalem about eight years earlier. A church as young as Antioch does not yet have a teacher in its midst. For the teaching of the church in Antioch, Barnabas does not call upon the apostles in Jerusalem. He does not consider himself capable to do so. Barnabas knows his limits. He understands that consolation or admonition is not enough and that there must also be teaching. He realizes that the appropriate tool for this is Saul. So there is evangelism ( ), admonishment or encouragement ( ) and now teaching ( ). We see evangelists, shepherds and teachers all working without being appointed by the apostles. The Lord gives the gifts ( ). In there is also prophecy. In this way the different gifts work together and complement each other. Saul’s task is the service of teaching in the Word of God, the affirmation of the doctrine of God’s Word. This is what this young church needs, while at the same time functioning as a church. She doesn’t need education to be able to function as a church at a certain moment after sufficient education. For Saul, this teaching is a preparation for his ministry through which many churches will be founded. For the first time the whole of the believers in one place is called “the church”, whereby it is distinguished from the church in Jerusalem. It is a church that consists mainly of believers from the nations, but to which also believing Jews belong. The name “Christians” is also used here for the first time to refer to the believers. The name “Christian” for the believers appears three times in the New Testament ( ; ). This name comes from ‘Christ’ which means ‘anointed one’. A Christian is a follower of the glorified Christ. The name “Christians” is given to believers by the world around them who name them after the Man they proclaim. This happens when Christians in their lives show their connection with the Lord Jesus as Lord. This name is still used, but unfortunately it no longer only includes true believers. The world no longer knows who is a real and not a real Christian. Unfortunately the world gets a false impression of the Lord Jesus by the wrong behavior of the nominal Christians and even more unfortunately also of true Christians. This is not yet the case here.

‏ Acts 11:25-26

Barnabas and Saul in Antioch

When Barnabas is in Antioch, he remembers Saul. Possibly because he cannot handle the work alone, Barnabas goes looking for him. It is a church of Gentiles and he knows of the Lord’s will concerning Saul (Acts 9:15). He will also have had insight into his special qualities.

He makes an effort to visit Saul in Tarsus, in Turkey, where he grew up. A few years ago, Saul was sent there again by the brothers (Acts 9:30) to testify and to be further taught by the Lord. Earlier, Saul was sent by his parents to Jerusalem for a religious education that made him extraordinarily religious. Saul is therefore both a Hebrew and a Hellenistic person who has been deeply versed in the Scriptures and is therefore the right person for Antioch. What Barnabas does with Saul is an example of how young believers are introduced to the church by older believers and are taught to perform their task.

Barnabas does not care about taking the second place. Without selfishness, but for the good of the church, he looks for Saul, whom he brought to the church in Jerusalem about eight years earlier. A church as young as Antioch does not yet have a teacher in its midst. For the teaching of the church in Antioch, Barnabas does not call upon the apostles in Jerusalem. He does not consider himself capable to do so.

Barnabas knows his limits. He understands that consolation or admonition is not enough and that there must also be teaching. He realizes that the appropriate tool for this is Saul. So there is evangelism (Acts 11:20), admonishment or encouragement (Acts 11:23) and now teaching (Acts 11:26). We see evangelists, shepherds and teachers all working without being appointed by the apostles. The Lord gives the gifts (Eph 4:11). In Acts 11:27 there is also prophecy. In this way the different gifts work together and complement each other.

Saul’s task is the service of teaching in the Word of God, the affirmation of the doctrine of God’s Word. This is what this young church needs, while at the same time functioning as a church. She doesn’t need education to be able to function as a church at a certain moment after sufficient education. For Saul, this teaching is a preparation for his ministry through which many churches will be founded.

For the first time the whole of the believers in one place is called “the church”, whereby it is distinguished from the church in Jerusalem. It is a church that consists mainly of believers from the nations, but to which also believing Jews belong. The name “Christians” is also used here for the first time to refer to the believers. The name “Christian” for the believers appears three times in the New Testament (Acts 11:26 ; Acts 26:28; 1Pet 4:16). This name comes from ‘Christ’ which means ‘anointed one’. A Christian is a follower of the glorified Christ.

The name “Christians” is given to believers by the world around them who name them after the Man they proclaim. This happens when Christians in their lives show their connection with the Lord Jesus as Lord. This name is still used, but unfortunately it no longer only includes true believers. The world no longer knows who is a real and not a real Christian. Unfortunately the world gets a false impression of the Lord Jesus by the wrong behavior of the nominal Christians and even more unfortunately also of true Christians. This is not yet the case here.