Acts 11:20-21

Acts 11:20

I. Notice the spontaneous impulse which these men obeyed. They find themselves rejoicing in a great Saviour-Friend. They see all around them men who need Him, and that is enough. They obey the promptings of the voice within, and lay the foundations of the first Gentile church. (1) Such a spontaneous impulse is ever the natural result of our own personal possession of Christ. A heart warmed by the love of Christ needs to express its love, and will give it forth, as certainly as light must radiate from its centre, or heat from a fire. (2) True kindliness of heart creates the same impulse. We cannot truly possess the treasure for ourselves without pity for those who have it not. (3) Loyalty to Christ creates the same impulse. If we are true to our Lord, we shall feel that we cannot but speak up and out for Him, and that all the more where His name is unloved and unhonoured.

II. This incident suggests the universal obligation on all Christians to make known Christ. These men were not officials. In these early days the Church had a very loose organisation. But the fugitives in our narrative seem to have had among them none even of the humble officers of primitive times. Every Christian is solemnly bound to fulfil the Divine intention, and to take heed to the imperative command, "Freely ye have received, freely give."

III. Observe the simple message which they proclaimed. Their message was but the proclamation of their own personal experience. They had found Jesus for themselves to be lover and Lord, friend and Saviour of their souls, and the joy they had received they sought to share with these Greeks, worshippers of gods and lords many.

IV. Notice the mighty Helper who prospered their work. "The hand of the Lord was with them." How little any of us know what shall become of our poor work, under His fostering care. How little these men knew that they were laying the foundations of the great change which was to transform the Christian community from a Jewish sect into a world-embracing church. Let us sow the seed, and He will give it a body as it pleaseth Him.

A. Maclaren, The Secret of Power,p. 294.

References: Acts 11:20; Acts 11:21. Three Hundred Outlines on the New Testament,p. 113; Preacher's Monthly,vol. v., p. 262.Acts 11:21. Spurgeon, Sermons,vol. xxii., No. 1282.Acts 11:22; Acts 11:23. J. Keble, Sermons for Saints' Days,p. 234.