Jan 1964 - Q & A

Question: Did the church of God in Antioch come into being when the saints "turned unto the Lord" (Acts ii. 21), or was it not till Barnabas was sent forth by the apostles in Jerusalem to carry out the mind of the Lord and plant a church there (verse 22)?

Answer: My mind is that the church was planted after the arrival of Barnabas, and that then he went on to Tarsus to seek Saul, whom he brought to Antioch, and with whom he continued a whole year teaching the people in the church. In reference to the great number that believed and turned to the Lord, these formed the good material for the planting of the church. Believers who do not turn to the Lord, in other words, who are not prepared to bow to the will of the Lord, are not such as can find a place in the church of God, though they are in the Church which is Christ's Body.G.P.

The disciples in Antioch became the church of God in Antioch when Barnabas came from Jerusalem and they were added to the Lord and by the Lord. Those who believed turned unto the Lord. "Turned" is in the active voice which shows that the action of turning was their own, but "added" is in the passive voice which shows that the action of being added was not their own, but that of another. By being added they were found together collectively. See Acts 2.41, 47, R.V.

5.14, also 11.24.J.M.

unknown | Jan 1964
Question And Answer