14th July 2022
Stay glued
…he [Barnabas]… exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.
Acts 11:23 (KJV)
There had been widespread persecution in Jerusalem after Stephen was stoned to death, and many Christians fled from the city and set off to faraway places such as Phenice, Cyprus, and Antioch, bringing the good news to the Jews in those places. And Luke tells us, ‘…some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians, preaching the LORD Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord.’ (Acts 11:20-21).
The news that many Gentiles in Antioch had accepted Christ got back to the apostles in Jerusalem and they sent Barnabas to find out what was happening. He took a 300-mile, fact-finding journey to Antioch and when he saw the grace of God, he rejoiced (Acts 11:23). These new believers – uncircumcised Gentiles – really were new converts.
Luke continues with a summary of what Barnabas said to them. It’s the first documented sermon given to a church outside of Jerusalem. Continuing in verse 23: ‘he…exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.’
We could say that he was encouraging them to stick with it. I’ve used the King James version which uses the word ‘cleave’. Because of the vagaries of the English language, it’s a word which can mean two opposite actions. If I was cleaving to something I would be hanging on to it for all I am worth. But if I picked up a cleaver I could be cutting something in half.
It wasn’t long after churches like Antioch were established outside of Jerusalem, that other men journeyed out to them, telling these new congregations that they had been given wrong information and that they must be circumcised and keep the Old Testament laws of Israel. They were cleaving all right – dividing the congregations and attempting to prise them away, separating them from the grace of God and the closeness of their relationship with their Saviour.
From then on, there have been people, down the ages, who have attempted to take a cleaver to the churches and pull Christianity apart, but through it all, many, many have been faithfully cleaving to their Saviour. May we listen to Barnabas’ exhortation and cleave to our Lord each day.
Prayer
Father, may we stay glued and, as Jesus told us, may we be like those, who, hearing the word, ‘hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.’1
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Study by Hilary Buck
1 Luke 8:15 ESVUK
About the writer:
Hilary Buck is a Minister and pastors the Lewes congregation of Grace Communion International.
Local congregation:
Grace Communion in Lewes
The House of Friendship
208 High Street
Lewes
BN7 2NS
Meeting time:
Sunday 11:00am
Local congregational contact:
Hilary Buck
Email: lewes@gracecom.church
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Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church