OVERVIEW:
The transition from Jerusalem to Antioch (chapters 11 and 12); Paul’s first missionary journey (chapters 13 and 14).
HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:
As we begin today, let’s take a few moments to review what we’ve discovered thus far from the book of Acts. Acts 1-6 is the record of God continuing to offer the Messiah and the kingdom of heaven to the nation of Israel. In chapter 7, with the stoning of Stephen, the question the Apostles had in Acts 1:6, regarding whether it would be the time the kingdom would be established, has been answered by the nation of Israel, and God withdraws His offer of the Messiah and His physical kingdom. Chapter 8 marks the beginning of the transition from God dealing with the nation of Israel to God dealing with a racially mixed group of Jews and Gentiles called the Church, the body of Christ. Chapter 9 continues the transition with the salvation and calling of Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles. In chapter 10, Peter, the Apostle to the Jews, confirms that God is indeed offering eternal life to the Gentiles. From these chapters alone, God has made it abundantly clear that He has postponed His dealings with the nation of Israel and has begun to focus His attention on the Church. Today, in chapters 11 through 14, we will discover the final phases of this monumental transition.
Chapter 11 reveals a transition from God’s base of operations moving from Jerusalem to Antioch. When the persecution arose in chapter 8, though the Apostles remained in Jerusalem, the majority of believers fled. (8:1) Through their witness, each time a new people group received the word of God, envoys from Jerusalem were sent to confirm God’s working among them. (See Acts 8:14-17, 25; 11:1-3, 19-22) Even Paul himself needed affirmation from the Apostles in Jerusalem to validate his ministry. (Galatians 2:1, 9) All of these components point to the fact that Jerusalem was the base of operations and place of authority for the early church. It only makes perfect sense, because…
- If you were a believing Jew waiting for Jesus your Messiah to return to the Mount of Olives (Acts 1:9-12; Zechariah 14:1-9) to establish the capital of His kingdom in Jerusalem at His second coming, why be any place other than Jerusalem and miss all of the action?!
- If you were seeking to only reach the Jews with the message of the kingdom of heaven, Jerusalem was where there was the greatest concentration of Jews in the entire region, not to mention the world!
- If the Apostle to the Jews (Peter) resided in Jerusalem, where else would God’s base of operations be?
But with Israel’s rejection of the King and His kingdom in Acts 7, God turns His attention to the Gentiles, and therefore, establishes a new base of operations in Antioch. Watch how chapter 11 unfolds…
Once the Apostles in Jerusalem had confirmed the salvation of the Gentiles (11:18), Barnabas seeks out Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, and brings him to Antioch (11:25-26) where a multi-ethnic church of Jews and Gentiles had been planted. (Acts 13:1) Notice also, that it was in Antioch that “the disciples were called Christians first.” (11:26) It is significant to note that for the first ten years of the church, not one believer had ever been called a “Christian”! Not until God makes the transitions from Israel to the Church, and Jerusalem to Antioch, does God see fit to have His followers called “Christians”—another confirmation that Antioch is the new base of operations.
In the next chapter, it is evident that the Apostles now understand that God has postponed His plan for Israel. The first piece of evidence is that the Apostle James is not replaced after his execution. Jesus promised the twelve apostles, “Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Matthew 19:28) Since the Apostles believed the Lord’s return was imminent, we find that in the early part of the book of Acts, when the King and His physical kingdom was still being offered to Israel, the Apostles wanted to be sure there were 12 Apostles in place. That’s why when Judas Iscariot committed suicide, they believed a replacement was necessary to fill the twelfth throne. (Acts 1:15-26) The fact that the Apostle James was not replaced clearly indicates that the Apostles recognized that Christ’s return had been postponed and the church would now be God’s primary vehicle for carrying out His purpose and plan on the earth.
Another evidence that God’s center of global outreach was transitioning from Jerusalem to Antioch is seen in the fact that when Peter leaves Jerusalem, he doesn’t return. (12:19) The leadership team of Peter, James, and John is obviously being dismantled and Jerusalem’s central authority is waning.
In Acts 13, God introduces His new institution for fulfilling His plan…the Church! It is multi-racial (13:1), multi-cultural (13:1) and missional (13:2-4). As the word of God was being proclaimed in this local church, the Spirit of God begins to move in their midst, and calls out Paul and Barnabas to perform a particular “work”. (13:2) That “work”, as we see in Acts 13 and 14, is preaching the gospel and reproducing local churches—and specifically, local churches who, likewise, carry the mission of planting other local churches—who carry the mission of reproducing other local churches! We may deduce then, that the work of both the local church and of missionaries is preaching the gospel and planting reproducing local churches. Though many faithful Christians serve in diverse capacities in missions, preaching the gospel and church planting are the preeminent components of missions.
A comparison of the sermons preached by Peter and those preached by Paul give further evidence that God was no longer offering the kingdom of heaven to Israel, but instead, intended to bring all men into the spiritual, internal kingdom of God. Peter’s sermon is simply, “You Jews killed our Messiah and rejected the kingdom. Repent and be baptized in water!” (See Acts 2:36-38; 3:15, 19-20) Paul’s message, however, is, “Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through [Jesus] is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.” Peter’s message is the gospel of the kingdom, while Paul’s is the gospel of grace. (See 13:42-43)
Acts 13:4 –14:26 is the record of Paul’s first missionary journey in approximately 46 AD. On this first journey, the gospel was preached, and churches were planted on the Island of Cyprus, Antioch of Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, Derbe, and Perga. All of these cities, except Cyprus, are in the region known as Galatia, which is modern day Turkey. The journey took approximately two years and covered nearly 1,250 miles!