Acts (10)

And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. Luke 24.27

Be sure to view the video introducing our study of Acts 11 (Lesson 10) by clicking here.

Read and meditate on Acts 11.25, 26.
Why Saul? We don’t know. God must have impressed on Barnabas to head over to Tarsus and see if he could find Saul. The need was great for excellent teaching, greater than Barnabas could fulfill by himself. How humble is that? A megachurch has sprung into life at his teaching, and he heads off to find someone else to join him in this great work.

For reflection
1.  Whatever Saul has been doing in Tarsus has prepared him for this ministry among the Christians in Antioch. Indeed, Antioch will become Saul’s – Paul’s – “home base” for nearly the remainder of his ministry. Barnabas provides an example for church leaders in all ages of the ongoing work of Christ. What lessons have you been learning from him thus far?

2.  We note that teaching was the focus of this whole year of ministry. The Church can never receive too much excellent teaching. Nothing substitutes for good teaching to ground people in the faith and help them get on the growth curve with the Lord. But good teaching alone won’t get the job done. Each believer needs time with the Lord in prayer and in His Word. How does that work out in your life?

3.  The great outreach to the Gentile world that will begin in chapter 13 is the result of solid grounding in the Word of God. And we know that it took, because the believers in Antioch soon became so identified with Christ – by their words and their works – that their neighbors took to calling them the “Christ-ones” – Christians. It seems the people of Antioch observed the same grace of Christ that Barnabas did. These days many people seem to have a different view of Christians. Why do you think this is so?

4.  Again, Luke is setting up the next phase of the ongoing work of Christ: Saul – Paul – and the church in Antioch will play a major role in the expansion of Christ’s Kingdom. It will take us two chapters to get to it – a reminder in the next chapter that the unbelieving world is not taking the ongoing work of Christ lying down – but then we’ll be into the meat of the remainder of Acts. How would you describe your church’s role in the ongoing work of Christ at this time?

5.  Would you say that you receive ample teaching? Are you getting sufficient time with the Lord in prayer and in His Word? In what ways is the grace of Christ evident to the people around you each day? Where would you like to improve?

Summary
In the Kingdom of God we’re always preparing for the ongoing work of Christ at the same time we’re doing the ongoing work of Christ. That work takes place in our individual lives, our churches, our communities, and our world. And it is a work that is noticeable by others. How can Christians encourage and help one another to become more consistent and fruitful in the ongoing work of Christ?

Closing Prayer
I will praise You, O LORD, with my whole heart;
I will tell of all Your marvelous works.
I will be glad and rejoice in You;
I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.

Psalm 9.1, 2

T. M. Moore

Each week’s studies in Acts are bound together into a free PDF that you can download for personal or group use (click here). Each week also features a video related to the studies of the week, which you may find helpful as you work through our studies in Acts.

Acts is the record of Christ’s ongoing work as King and Lord. This is the work of bringing the Kingdom of God to earth as it is in heaven. Read more about the implications of this work in our new book, The Kingdom Turn (click here).

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