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 11.27-30.
Barnabas has been gone for over a year, so the church in Jerusalem decides to send a team up to help. These men are described as “prophets.” Their work appears to have consisted in traveling about to teach the Word, supplementing whatever ministries and teaching existed in places like Antioch. But at least one of them also had the gift of prophetic foresight, given by the Spirit to prophets, and not to everyone.

For reflection
1.  What Agabus prophesied, Luke tells us, came to pass a bit later. But receiving his message as the Word of God, the church in Antioch was not going to wait for disaster to come upon their brethren in Judea. They gathered up a collection and sent it to Jerusalem with Saul and Barnabas. Do churches today have any responsibility for suffering believers in other lands? Explain.

2.  The believers in Antioch and the believers in Judea were one Church, one Body of brethren, with one common concern for the Kingdom and the wellbeing of God’s people. We have to “work hard” to maintain this kind of unity (Eph. 4.3), but doing so is an important part of the ongoing work of Christ. How does your church work to achieve unity with other churches in your community and beyond?

3.  Jesus said it’s unity like this that convinces the world that He has come for its salvation (Jn. 20.21). Paul would maintain this focus on the worldwide oneness of the Body of Christ throughout the course of his ministry, and across the vast expanse of the Roman world (cf. Rom. 15). Why don’t church leaders today follow Paul’s example of working for unity with other churches? And within their own?

4.  Things are expanding rapidly, but Luke does not want us to lose sight of the fundamental oneness of the Body of Christ. Of course, today we pretty much have lost sight of that. At least, we don’t do much, except perhaps within denominations, to maintain and demonstrate the oneness we have in Jesus Christ. This was not an easy thing for the believers in Antioch. Why should it be easy for us? And even though it’s not easy, how do we dare neglect working to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace with other congregations of the Lord’s people? What suggestions might you offer to help your church become more responsible and obedient in this matter?

5.  Can you see how the disunity of churches today is a hindrance to the ongoing work of Christ? If we refuse to tackle this challenge, and to begin working harder at this aspect of our Kingdom-and-glory calling (1 Thess. 2.12), can we expect to know the blessings of the Lord as fully as we otherwise might? Explain.

Summary
Unity among the churches of the Lord doesn’t just happen. We have to work hard at it. If we will not, then we can’t blame our unbelieving neighbors for not taking seriously our claim that Jesus has come for the salvation of the world. What can you do todayto encourage more unity among the Lord’s churches in your community?

Closing Prayer
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to dwell together in unity!
It is like the precious oil upon the head,
Running down on the beard,
The beard of Aaron,
Running down on the edge of his garments.
It is like the dew of Hermon,
Descending upon the mountains of Zion;
For there the LORD commanded the blessing—
Life forevermore.

Psalm 133

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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