The Revival in Antioch

In Acts chapter 11 we see a move of God in Antioch as the gospel explodes among those who weren’t even expecting a Messiah! Here’s one big takeaway we drew out of the passage:

This follows what we’ve seen in the last two weeks about the gospel coming to the gentiles, as salvation came to the household of Cornelius. Today we see that God’s grace isn’t just for one exceptional gentile - a prominent, powerful, pious man like Cornelius. It’s available to common folk like the many unnamed people in Antioch who come to the Lord.

And that progression from v19 to 20: At first they shared this good news only with Jewish people. And we don’t necessarily need to read racial prejudice into that. If you were displaced from the United States and had to go to some foreign city… where would you rent a room? Probably in a section of the city where they spoke your language. Where the food was familiar. Where you could read the street signs. This is common in modern cities where we see “Chinatown” and “little Italy” sections. And we know from ancient accounts that Antioch’s residential quarters were divided along ethnic lines.

So sharing the good news only to Jews might not have been a function of prejudice, but of convenience. They shared with the people right around them. But some of the displaced Christians weren’t from Jerusalem. They were from Cyprus - a Greek-speaking island in the Mediterranean - and Cyrene - in north Africa (modern Libya). They shared this better-than-life news with Hellenists - Greek speakers. And they, too, saw that the steadfast love of the Lord is better than life. (Ps 63:3)

And this instructs us in a few ways:

The importance of mission to the world. First, in highlighting this on the heels of all that happened with Peter’s vision and Cornelius, Luke is highlighting the scope of the great commission:

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matt 28:19–20

The value of indigenous missions. Who is best able to reach a city with the gospel? Often, someone from that city, or from its culture. They understand the questions people are asking. They understand how people think. So they can communicate the gospel in culturally-appropriate ways. And that’s why we’re excited to support Randy Matthews, who goes to places like Nigeria (where he is today) and doesn’t try to win people to Christ all on his own. He builds up and teaches Christian leaders who are already there, and they reach Nigeria. Missiologists - those who study world missions - call this “indigenous missions” and it’s powerful. But there was a blind spot...

Who don’t you see? The Jewish believers shared with Jewish people likely because they were around Jewish people. They didn’t see - either by physical proximity or because we naturally gravitate to our own tribe - they didn’t see the whole mission field.

Who don’t we see? Who don’t you notice? Who is “other” to you? Who just blends in to the world and passes your gaze unnoticed? Who wouldn’t be interested? The gospel is for them too. Here’s what I mean:

The Jewish people were expecting a Messiah. David’s greater son. The prophet after Moses. Isaiah’s servant. The making of the new covenant. You have news about the Messiah? Jewish people were interested.

Non-Jews? They had no such expectations. They weren’t seeking the Messiah. Plenty of them didn’t even know anything about the Jewish religion. You tell that person, “I have news about the Jewish Messiah!” What do they do? Shrug.

We all have some prototypical idea of what Christians look like; what kind of person would be interested in Christianity. It seems that most of the converts in Antioch didn’t come from that Jewish group who should have been interested.

Who in your life do you assume isn’t interested in the gift of Christ?

And will you share it with them anyway?