The first century churches were fired with the passion to make Christ known. Persecutions, court trials, and threats of imprisonment and even death could not silence the early church.
The events of Acts 11:19-20 are about the Church in Antioch. It continues from Acts 8:1-4 when the Church was persecuted and scattered. The Gospel spread from Jerusalem to Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, but only to the Greek-speaking Jews, called “Jews” (Acts 11:19). But Jewish Christians from Cyprus and Cyrene (north Africa) proclaimed the Lord Jesus to the Greek-speaking
Gentiles, called “Hellenists” (Acts 11:20).
Jewish Christian leaders sent Barnabas from Cyprus to Antioch. He went to Tarsus and brought Saul to Antioch. At Antioch, they taught the church for a whole year. There the disciples of Christ were first called Christians (meaning “belonging to Christ”).
The Bible Journey | The Gentile Church at Antioch
In those days, prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them Agabus prophesied of widespread famine. Several years later Agabus came from Judea to Caesarea, to the home of Philip. the evangelist. He had four daughters who prophesied. Agabus prophesied again that the apostle Paul will be arrested by the Jews in Jerusalem and be handed over to the Gentiles (Acts 21:11).
