Acts 9:15a "But the Lord said to him, Go your way: for he (Saul of Tarsus) is a chosen vessel to me, to bear my name before the Gentiles,…" (to bear is to carry His name as a woman carries her husbands name and as we're to bear His name which is to be in Christ or to have the ability to pray as He would or in His name, reestablished as One with Elohim.) Do we remember when Paul had now been out among the Gentiles, and had a lot of converts, and had started little congregations of believers, but he had always had that heart for the Hebrews. So, he went back and appealed to that great Jewish audience there in Jerusalem. Remember they listened to him until he said one word, and what was that word in Acts 22:22? "Gentile!" When he said Gentile, they just erupted into a mob. They threw dust into the air, and said, "Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live."
Well, we see Saul of Tarsus' mentality was the same. They could see nothing good in those pagan Gentiles, but now the Lord says to him, "I’m going to send you far hence to those Gentiles." Well, can you imagine how that struck into the heart of that good Pharisee Hebrew, Saul of Tarsus? But this is what the Lord had commanded, and after the experience he had on the road to Damascus, Saul had no argument with that command. But here in Acts chapter 9, this is what we want us to see, that for the first time in the Scriptures, here in the New Testament we’ve got God showing openly that He’s going to now turn to the Gentiles, He's going the make a break from the norm and remember that was unheard of. My, the Hebrew had no concept of going to the Gentile world. Though the promise given to Abraham was to the nations when the Lord said “that in you shall all the families of the earth will be blessed”. (Genesis 12:3, 18:18, 22:18, 26:4, 28:14; Psalms 72:17) He's placing a parenthetical between verse 7 and 8 of Psalm 2, remember this is God's time line of things to come.
For example, turn with us to chapter 8 and we’ll show what we mean. Many people can’t believe this. They think Jesus ministered to Gentiles, but no He did not! The Scriptures only record that He did that twice. And the Twelve didn’t have a ministry to the Gentiles either. Remember the verse we read in Matthew chapter 10, when the Lord commanded them, "Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans, enter not:" So the Twelve disciples also had nothing to do with Gentiles, to the Hebrew a gentile was a dog worthy of nothing but crumbs.
But we see mankind today seems to think that just as soon as we get into the New Testament, God is dealing with the Hebrew and Gentile, and nothing could be farther from the truth. God’s been dealing with only the Nation of Israel, based on those Old Testament Covenants, with those two exceptions, and if we think the Twelve disciples ran out preaching the Gospel to the whole world, then we're afraid people don’t know their Bible. The Twelve were stuck in Jerusalem, and here’s the proof of it in Acts chapter 8 and verse 1. This is probably 7 or 8 years after Pentecost. We don’t claim that we're right, but that’s when we think the setting for these verses took place.
Acts 8:1 "And Saul was consenting to his (Stephens) death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church (assembly) which was at Jerusalem: (under the persecution of Saul an others) and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles." The Hebrews ran away and joined their brothers that were still scattered through the nations around about, if they had family in what we know as Turkey that was where they went or where ever.
See, the apostles don’t flee. Now their life is in danger, but they’re not about to leave Jerusalem. Why? Because Jerusalem is at the hub of the matter, Israel has to be converted, and they’re not about to go out into the Gentile world. Now let me give you another one to prove our point, so turn to Acts chapter 11 verse 19.
Acts 11:19 "Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen traveled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word (now we’ve got to stop for a moment. How much Word was in print at that time? Just the Old Testament. So they went everywhere preaching the Old Testament) to none but to the Hebrews only." Paul had started writing his letters or epistles that we have today to read and study listening closely to hear God's voice in them revealed. As He spoke to the Hebrews through His Son so to He speaks through His Son to us and then through Paul to us also because Paul is speaking by the Holy Spirit. The same Holy Spirit that we're to have received at our conversion and by whom we're to be sealed after our resurrection by way of death into the promised New Covenant.
Now just look at that. Underline it, highlight it. They went everywhere in that then-known vicinity on the eastern end of the Mediterranean, North Africa, and up into what is now Turkey, and they were definitely preaching the Old Testament, the record of how that Christ had come, and that He had been crucified, resurrected and ascended back to heaven, but they preached to none but the Hebrews. Isn’t that funny that people can’t see that? They weren’t about to go to Gentiles, but always remember, a Sovereign God is still in control. So when we get down into the very following verses, and my goodness, now what happens? Gentiles are getting interested in Redemption and Salvation, by God’s Sovereign Grace of course. But when the news got back to Jerusalem that Gentiles were getting involved, what do you think the Jerusalem leadership thought? Uh Oh! There’s something wrong here!
They sent people down there pronto to check it out. Are those people really teaching that kind of heresy in one of our churches? Well now that’s just natural to do that, and that’s exactly what the Jerusalem leadership did. Gentiles getting interested? Hey, there’s something wrong with that. We’re not supposed to be going to Gentiles, and so look what happens in verse 22.
Acts 11:22 "Then tidings of these things came to the ears of the church (assembly) which was in Jerusalem: (over which Peter and the eleven were in charge) and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch." Well, for what purpose? To check this rumor out, that these Gentiles were getting interested in the things of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and that’s basically what the Scriptures are saying here. Now read on in verse 23, but before we do, isn’t it amazing how God always gets the right man, at the right place, at the right time? We maintain, had any of that Jerusalem leadership except Barnabas gone up to Antioch, they would have squashed it right then and there. But see Barnabas was the right man, in fact he was the perfect right man for that particular time, and verse 23 says it all.
Acts 11:23-25 "Who, when he came, and had seen the Grace of God, (how that God in His goodness was reaching to these pagans.) was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave to the Lord. 24. For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost (notice this, pay close attention to this term) and of faith: and much people was added to the Lord. (they’re being saved, Gentiles as well as a sprinkling of Hebrews. And as soon as Barnabas sees what’s going on, again, Sovereignty, by God’s direct leadership, what does Barnabas do? There is a key word often over looked and that word here used is “cleave” they cleaved to the Lord, they drew near to the Lord. To draw near or nigh.) 25. Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul:" The other term is, "of the Holy Ghost" did we catch that? Which is the very breath of God, the same breather which when breathed into the clay form gave God's Life to that clay or earthen vessel at its creation. Interesting thing this is.
Isn’t that amazing? Now if you think we're stretching the point, come back over into chapter 11 verse 1. And this portion of Scriptures follows Peter going up to the house of Cornelius in chapter 10. And remember Peter wasn’t too hot on that idea either, but the Lord forced him to do it. But when Peter saw the evidence of these Gentiles at Cornelius’ house being saved, my, Peter was awestruck. He and the men that were with him were astonished, because they had never seen anything like this before. But now come down to chapter 11 and verse 1 and see what happened when they got back to Jerusalem and shared this with the believers.
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