Theme: Jesus Christ is building his church; trust the work of the Spirit, serve in your new family

Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes was a Hellenistic Greek city founded by Seleucus I Nicator in 300 BC. One of the most important Greek cities of the Hellenistic period, it served as the capital of the Seleucid Empire and later as regional capital to both the Roman and Byzantine Empire. The city’s location offered geographical, military, and economic benefits to its occupants; Antioch was heavily involved in the spice trade and lay within close reach of the Silk Road and the Royal Road. During Roman occupation, the city’s population may have reached a peak of over 500,000 inhabitants (most generally estimate between 200,000 and 250,000), making the city the third largest in the Roman Empire after Rome and Alexandria.

Saul in Tarsus
After his conversion, Saul proclaimed the gospel in Damascus (9:20-22, 27), Arabia (9:23; Galatians 1:17; 2 Corinthians 11:32-33), Jerusalem (9:28-29) and the regions of Syria and Cilicia (Galatians 1:21-24). By the time Barnabas goes to find him, he has had quite a few years’ experience as a missionary. Overland the journey to Tarsus was around 210 kilometres.

Christian
The term ‘Christian’ is used in the Bible on three occasions: Acts 11:26; Acts 26:28 and 1 Peter 4:16. It was most likely coined by Gentiles outside of the church community as a means of describing the new religious group. Jews referred to Christians as the ‘Nazarene sect’ (Acts 24:5). Greek speaking people heard believers speaking of Jesus Christ and so they used the name in their description. The form of the Greek expression suggests an origin in Latin speaking circles. Quite possible it was an official designation coined by Roman authorities in Antioch.

Luke
It has long been thought that Luke himself might have been one of the early converts in Antioch, both because there is a tradition that dates at least as far back as the later 2nd century saying that Luke hailed from Antioch, and because the Western text of the book of Acts begins verse 28 with the words, “When we were gathered together…” suggesting that the author of the book was present at this gathering of Christians in Antioch. This may account for why Luke saw fit to record this history. He was personally familiar with it and it was important to him.