The comforter who rejoices in the grace of God.

[Acts 11:23]

I have pondered questions such as, 'What am I looking at in my life, and what do I desire to see? What do I see within my family, and what do I desire to see in the community of the church I serve?'  There are times in the church where there is a desire for quantitative growth, a temptation, and there are also many times when there is a fervent desire to see qualitative growth in the progress of faith.  Especially in the church context, based on Acts 4, I earnestly desire to see (1) the power of prayer --> (2) being filled with the Holy Spirit --> (3) boldly proclaiming the Gospel --> (4) the Lord adding more believers --> (5) the community of love.  Personally, there are many times when I see our sins within our family.  However, on a family level, I fervently hope that the family members, through God's love, will love one another and also be able to see Jesus in each other's lives.  Personally, I fervently desire to see the fulfillment of the promise given to me by the Lord, the passage in John 6:1-15, and also to see the fulfillment of the promise given to the church, where I serve as a servant of the Lord, in Matthew 16:18.  However, as I meditate on today's passage, Acts 11:23, the challenge that God gives is for me to desire to see the grace of God, just as Barnabas did.  Through God's grace, I fervently desire to see a spiritual revival that God manifests in my own life, in my family, and especially in the church community.

In Acts 11:21, we encounter Barnabas, a comforter who rejoiced in the grace of God.  He witnessed the work of grace where many people, including Gentiles, believed and turned to the Lord.  I would like to consider what kind of comforter he was through three points.

First, a comforter who rejoices in the grace of God is an exhorter with a steadfast heart.

Look at Acts 11:23 - "When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts."  The term "with purpose of heart" can be understood as having set one's heart on a goal.  In the historical context, due to a large-scale persecution related to the martyrdom of Stephen, many scattered to regions in Asia Minor, including Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, but they only proclaimed the gospel to the Jews, limitedly (v. 19).  They did not realize that God's purpose in scattering them was to proclaim the gospel to the Gentiles.  However, a small number among them went to Antioch and preached the good news about Jesus to the Greeks as well (v. 20).  As a result, the remarkable conversion story occurred more among the Greeks than the Jews.  This was because the hand of the Lord was with the few from Cyrene and Cyrene who proclaimed the gospel to the Gentiles, doing the work that pleased and was acknowledged by the Lord (v. 21).  There was remarkable fruit in the proclamation of the gospel to the Gentiles by those who took on the challenge, pleasing and acknowledging the work of God.  Barnabas, rejoicing in this grace of God, earnestly exhorted the new believers to remain true to the Lord with purpose of heart.  In other words, Barnabas urged them to remain faithful to the Lord.  The reason was that these newly converted Gentiles were at great risk of reverting back to the idolatrous practices of the Antiochian lifestyle, due to their old instincts.  Therefore, Barnabas encouraged them to remain loyal to the Lord, even amidst the temptation of idol worship.

I believe the city of Antioch was similar to the Los Angeles where I currently reside.  Antioch, the third largest city in the Roman Empire (after Rome and Alexandria), was characterized by magnificent buildings, well-developed roads, a bustling port, and a center of wealth.  The city was home to the worship of Greek, Roman, and Syrian gods.  Barnabas, who rejoiced in the grace of God for these newly converted Gentiles amidst such an environment, exhorted them to remain steadfastly attached to the Lord.  I think John 15:4 applies here: "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me."  To abide in the Lord means to keep His commandments and obediently follow Him.  Likewise, a comforter who rejoices in the grace of God is one who exhorts with a set purpose in their heart to remain attached to the Lord.

Second, a comforter who rejoices in the grace of God is described as a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.

Look at Acts 11:24 - "For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord."  The conjunction "for" at the beginning of this verse (found in the English Bible NASB but not in the Korean Bible) explains verse 23.  In other words, verse 24 is an explanatory verse for verse 23.  The reason why Barnabas could exhort the newly converted Gentiles with a steadfast heart was because of his character and faith.  This teaches us that existence (being) should lead to action (doing).  To be a possessor of good and spiritually abundant grace allows one to rejoice in God's grace while comforting and exhorting brothers and sisters.  Through this, as with Barnabas, a work will occur where a great many people were added to the Lord (v. 24).

Third and last, a comforter who rejoices in the grace of God is a teacher.

Look at Acts 11:26 - "and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch.  So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people.  The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch."  As the church in Antioch experienced significant growth due to the large number of people being added to the Lord, Barnabas found it overwhelming to handle the pastoral responsibilities alone.  So, he went to Tarsus to find Saul, also known as Paul, and brought him to Antioch.  Together, they met with the church and taught great numbers of people for a whole year (v. 26).  A comforter who rejoices in the grace of God, like Barnabas, can lead a team ministry with fellow pastors without a spirit of competition.  The outcome of Barnabas and Paul's year of teaching was astonishing: "The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch" (v. 26).  Through the abundant grace of God, manifested in the diligent teaching with joy and personal integrity, the new believers in the church in Antioch were established as followers of Christ, resembling Him greatly.

I once again pose the question, 'What am I looking at in my life, in my family, and in my church, and what do I desire to see?'  The answer is a confession that I desire to see God's grace.  With a purpose set in my heart for myself, my family, and the saints in the church, I earnestly desire to exhort them, aspiring to be like Barnabas, a person of spiritual abundance.  Through God's grace, teaching the truth with joy and personal integrity, I fervently pray for an outcome where those called Christians are added to the Lord.

With a heart that earnestly confesses that what I have become is solely by the grace of God,

James Kim

(With a heart once again meditating on God's grace)