Day 9 of 14
Antioch and the First Missionary Journey
A New Center, a New Strategy, a New Name
Scripture Readings
Today's Reading
Read Acts 11:19-26. Those scattered by the persecution after Stephen's death reach Antioch in Syria and begin preaching to Greeks -- not just Jews. A great number believe and turn to the Lord. Barnabas is sent from Jerusalem to investigate, and he goes to Tarsus to find Saul. Together they teach in Antioch for a year. It is here that the disciples are first called "Christians."
Reflection
Antioch is one of the most underappreciated locations in Christian history. It was the third-largest city in the Roman Empire, a cosmopolitan crossroads where Greek, Roman, Syrian, and Jewish cultures mixed freely. And it was in this diverse, chaotic city that something unprecedented happened: a church emerged that was genuinely multiethnic and multicultural.
Stott draws attention to the leadership team listed in Acts 13:1. It includes Barnabas (a Levite from Cyprus), Simeon called Niger (likely a black African), Lucius of Cyrene (from North Africa), Manaen (who had been raised with Herod the tetrarch), and Saul of Tarsus. This is not a homogeneous group. It is a snapshot of the new community the gospel creates -- people from radically different backgrounds united by Christ.
It is in this context that Luke drops a seemingly casual detail with enormous significance: "And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians" (11:26). Wright notes that this was not a name the believers chose for themselves. It was a name given by outsiders who noticed that everything about this community revolved around the Christos -- the Messiah, the anointed one. Their identity was so thoroughly shaped by Jesus that their neighbors needed a new word for them.
Then, in Acts 13, the Antioch church does something remarkable. During worship and fasting, the Holy Spirit says, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." The church lays hands on them, prays, and sends them out. This is the beginning of the first missionary journey -- the deliberate, Spirit-led expansion of the gospel beyond the eastern Mediterranean.
Paul and Barnabas travel to Cyprus, then to the cities of Asia Minor -- Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, Derbe. They preach in synagogues, face rejection and persecution, and see Gentiles turn to the Lord. In Pisidian Antioch, Paul quotes Isaiah 49:6: "I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth" (Acts 13:47).
Going Deeper
The Antioch church's willingness to send its best leaders away is a model of missional generosity. Churches that hoard their talent stagnate. Churches that send their talent flourish. What would it look like for your community to listen to the Spirit's commissioning call and respond with the same open-handed faith?
Key Quotes
“Antioch was the place where the movement received its identity. It was in Antioch that the disciples were first called 'Christians.' This was not a name they chose; it was a name given by outsiders who noticed that everything about them revolved around the Christos.”
“The church at Antioch was the first genuinely multi-racial, multi-cultural congregation. Its leadership included a man from Cyprus, a man from North Africa, and a man who had been raised in the court of Herod. The gospel was creating a new kind of community.”
Prayer Focus
Pray that your church would reflect the diversity of Antioch -- people from every background united by the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Meditation
The Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.' Consider how the Spirit initiates mission. Are you available to be set apart and sent?
Question for Discussion
The church at Antioch fasted, prayed, and then sent out its best leaders for mission. What does it cost a local church to truly invest in sending people rather than keeping them? How should churches balance internal needs with outward mission?