TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Acts 11:19-30, 13:1-3
The new church in Antioch arose through persecution, as the word spread across not only geographic lines but also cultural and ethnic lines. God is not only sovereign over suffering and persecution, but uses it to advance his purposes in the world. This is the first church in Acts where Jews and Gentiles fellowship together, and this was when Jesus’ followers were first called Christians. This church consisting of a mix of peoples becomes the next major sending church in Acts, as the Holy Spirit sends out Barnabas and Saul into new frontiers for the gospel. God uses two Jews who are from the diaspora, rather than from Palestine, to progress the gospel into its next frontier.