19 Meanwhile, the believers who had been scattered during the persecution after Stephen’s death traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch of Syria. They preached the word of God, but only to Jews. 20 However, some of the believers who went to Antioch from Cyprus and Cyrene began preaching to the Gentiles about the Lord Jesus. 21 The power of the Lord was with them, and a large number of these Gentiles believed and turned to the Lord. 22 When the church at Jerusalem heard what had happened, they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw this evidence of God’s blessing, he was filled with joy, and he encouraged the believers to stay true to the Lord. 24 Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith. And many people were brought to the Lord. 25 Then Barnabas went on to Tarsus to look for Saul. 26 When he found him, he brought him back to Antioch. Both of them stayed there with the church for a full year, teaching large crowds of people. (It was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.) 27 During this time some prophets traveled from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 One of them named Agabus stood up in one of the meetings and predicted by the Spirit that a great famine was coming upon the entire Roman world. (This was fulfilled during the reign of Claudius.) 29 So the believers in Antioch decided to send relief to the brothers and sisters in Judea, everyone giving as much as they could. 30 This they did, entrusting their gifts to Barnabas and Saul to take to the elders of the church in Jerusalem.
Acts 11:19-30
ARE YOU LIVING ON MISSION?
PURPOSE! Everyone is searching for their purpose in life. What does God want me to do with my life? What is my purpose?
May I propose a perspective? God only has one purpose for all His children: to know Him and to make Him known. That’s it! Simple, though not always easy. With the demands of life, it can feel complicated, but the truth is clear: grow in your knowledge of God every day, and share Him with those He places in your path.
The believers who made up the church (see Tuesday’s devotional) understood this. They probably had different professions and family dynamics, but they all shared the same purpose: to know Jesus intimately and to make Him known—whether to unbelievers or to those who needed to know Him better.
When we live with clarity of purpose, it attracts both the Spirit and the body of Christ to come alongside us. That’s exactly what happened in Antioch:
“The Lord was with them” (v. 21).
“The news reached the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch” (v. 22).
The Spirit was present, the church rallied, and Barnabas brought Paul to help. The result? Antioch became one of the most effective congregations of the first century. They strengthened the church in Jerusalem, sent Paul and Barnabas on missionary journeys, and later supported both as they went out separately. Antioch thrived because its people knew their purpose.
Have you been wrestling with God’s purpose for your life? Struggle no more! Seasons change. Circumstances shift. But the overarching call remains the same: Know God, and make Him known.
Every decision in life can be viewed through this lens:
Marriage: Will this relationship deepen my walk with Jesus? Will we make Him known together?
Career: Will this job help me know Christ more and create opportunities to share Him?
Education: Will this choice of college or training strengthen my faith and platform for ministry?
Too often, we make decisions based on temporal knowledge rather than eternal outcomes:
“This job offers more money and perks—surely it must be God’s will! Yes, it means constant travel and less time with family, but think of the benefits…”
“He treats me so well. He’s not a believer yet, but maybe one day…”
“All my friends are going to this university—I’ll find a ministry there… eventually.”
God’s call remains steady: PURPOSE—Know Him and make Him known! Simple.
Tomorrow we’ll look at the last essential element: Partnership.
Quite simply, Dave Griffith loves getting to know Jesus better by studying His Word daily and is passionate about teaching his siblings in Christ how to study His Word as well. He is passionately in love and like with his helpmate, Jackie; and is most fulfilled when he is hanging with his 10 kids (3 of his, 2 of Jackie’s, 3 are married, 2 more spiritually adopted) and 9 grandkids. He is a small group leader and a men’s group leader. He is a serial entrepreneur owning or having owned numerous businesses. He also enjoys naps!
