It’s Not What’s In A Name, It’s What’s Behind It

(Read Acts 11)

In Acts 10, we saw the veil lifted off of the apostle Peter’s eyes as God showed him the real truth. “What God has made clean, do not call common,” He said. Peter first interpreted the lesson of the unclean relation to food or even animals, but as his eyes were opened, he came to know that God was talking about people. All are equal under God. Despite this revelation to Peter, many of his followers still had their doubts.

So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.”
Acts 11:2-3

His contemporaries, originally from the Jewish faith, weren’t keen on the Gentiles being accepted into their Jesus faith. It was deeply entrenched fear and cultural snobbery. Just like our preconceptions in today’s world, these prejudices don’t go away without help. It often takes God’s hand to break down these barriers.

Peter had to explain his experience with Cornelius exactly how it happend in great detail. Perhaps God was emphasizing the importance of those events by having Peter repeat the story. Peter’s followers couldn’t withhold their acceptance when God had already given His.

“As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ So if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?”
Acts 11:15-17

For the Gospel to be shared to unreached people in our world, someone must cross cultural barriers. Peter knew where God was leading him, so he recruited others to go with him. What a conversion Peter went through. While not as physically explosive as what happened to Paul, it must have been quite a ride. From preaching Christ’s message to a Jewish audience to sharing the glory of the Gospel to the entire world. Suffice it to say, it was way out of his comfort zone. From uneducated fisherman to dedicated Jesus follower to witness of the empty tomb to the first gentile missionary.

After graduating from a highly reputable engineering school, our son informed my wife and me that he had a different plan for his post-collegiate life. He went on to describe a year-long mission trip he was going to embark on. We trusted him, his research, and his commitment to the calling he felt. At the time, it seemed like a discussion, but in hindsight him telling us about his plans was more of a formality. He was going regardless of what we said.

As parents of kids in rural suburbs, the thought of our son traveling the world evangelizing was out of our comfort zone. I’ll always remember the nightly prayers my wife and I casted for his safety. I’ll always remember praying with friends at an outdoor chapel for his growth. We were panicked about his future until we saw that it was God’s plan. We had to surrender, it was God’s plan. He called our son to do this. It was His design for our son to be one more message bearer to the four corners of the world.

Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.
Acts 11:25-26

Barnabas knew that his brother Saul had been sent out to Tarsus for his own protection. According to the literal translation, Barnabus’ search for Paul was a struggle. After serving in relative exclusion in Tarsus, Paul would go to the ends of the earth to serve God. He realized that his primary purpose was to intimately, deeply, and personally know God. Sometimes in life, God is saying, “Go where I send thee.”

Antioch was founded around 300 B.C. by one of the inheritors of Alexander the Great’s empire. Back then, the Turkish city had a population of more than half a million, now it’s about 3,500. Antioch was considered the third greatest city in the Empire, behind Rome and Alexandria. It was known for sophistication, culture, and reckless immorality.

Life there was an ongoing orgy revolving around bath houses and brothels. The predominant religious opportunities in Antioch, involved hired magicians, sorcerers, charlatans, and astrologers. Followers of Jesus were mocked. This was where disciples were first called “Christians.” It was a phrase like saying “Jesus-ites” or “Jesus People.”

One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.) The disciples, as each one was able, decided to provide help for the brothers and sisters living in Judea. This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.
Acts 11:28-30

Claudius’ domain was marred by a pattern of bad harvests and their subsequent scarcity, and economic hardships. The believers actively gave food and money according to their means to help the people suffering from the famine. This chapter concludes with a basic introduction to the origins of Paul’s ministry. Paul was particularly effective in encouraging people to raise funds for the churches in Antioch and in Jerusalem, which was also hit by the harsh famine.

Christian charity has been around as long as the church. While some give for cosmetic, selfish reasons, many give from their heart as a reflection of our Savior. The Cyprian Plague dated from 249-262 A.D. claimed millions of lives throughout the Roman Empire. At its peak, the plague killed up to 5,000 people a day. It was said to have begun in Ethiopia, spread to Rome, and eventually all the way to Greece and Syria.

The plague was named for a bishop in Carthage, named Cyprian. When it hit Rome in 252 A.D., fear and flight took over the city. According to Cyprian, the sick and dying were neglected while bodies piled up in the streets with no one willing to bury them. Cyprian encouraged Christians to risk their lives to care for the sick and dying. He asked the rich for money and the poor for service.

In “The Triumph of Christianity,” sociologist and historian Rodney Stark posed a strong argument as to why Christianity grew while Roman paganism waned in the 1st-4th centuries. He cited the mercy Christians displayed toward people who were suffering and during the plagues in particular. He has calculated that the mortality rate would have been even higher had it not been for Christian nursing during this time. In the midst of such chaos, Christians showed sympathy and humanity by their deeds. Throughout this period, some continued caring for and burying the dead which was no small task for the multitudes who had no one to care for them. Even Martin Luther refused to flee Wittenberg during the Bubonic plague in 1527. He stayed to minister to the sick. Luther wrote that the Christian response should be, “We die at our posts.”

Antioch as described in Acts, was a beautiful yet immorally sinful city. This era marked the beginning of the gentile mission to share the Gospel worldwide. The apostles began to spread out and traveled far. Both Jews and Gentiles were saved by the Word of the Lord. The early believers not only preached and taught the way of Christ, they served like Jesus too. They gave out of their means, not their abundance. They served the needy. They became examples of giving and charity, and light to the fallen world.

Always remember to be open to significant change in your life. Why? Because the hand of the Lord will be with you as you follow him on your mission. Be the Christ behind the Christian.

Abandon every display of selfishness. Possess a greater concern for what matters to others instead of your own interests.
Philippians 2:4

Key Applications:

1. Do you ever feel like you’re doing God’s work? Are you serving Him the way He expects you to? Give according to your means. God gave us treasures and talents. It is wrong to hide them for ourselves. Reach out.
2. Do you know anyone who has been sent on a mission trip? Were you worried? The next time you or a loved one is confronted with a life challenge, surrender. It’s not easy but it’s simple. Lay your worries on God’s shoulders. Give it all to Him.
3. Read Acts 11. Does the generous passion of the early church excite you? Do you notice it? We need to be mature in the understanding of our faith, living like passionate followers of Christ. Can you do this? For one week, try to rekindle the excitement you first felt when you discovered you have a personal Savior.

Where else in your life can you live out the teachings of Christ? Look for next week’s Devotion.