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“Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen travelled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews. Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.

“News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.” —Acts 11:19-23

Back in Acts 7, Stephen had been brutally murdered by stoning to death, with Saul (Paul) “giving approval to his death” (Acts 8:1). “On that day”, we’re told, “a great persecution broke out against the Church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria” (Acts 8:2). It is that same persecution that chapter 11 of Acts is here telling us it resulted to the brethren travelling “as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch.” Those who were scattered abroad initially preached the gospel only to Jews but later, some of them “went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus” and the Lord backed them up with his grace: “a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.” The news of this grace-enabled work travelled back to Jerusalem, the headquarters of the Church, where the apostles who weren’t scattered by the persecution were residing. The apostles dispatched Barnabas to go see what they had heard. It is to Barnabas’ eternal credit that when there was a budding plant that needed encouragement, it was him who was found fitting for the task. In that way, he was like his Saviour, of whom Isaiah said, “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out” (Matthew 12:20).

What Barnabas Found

There is no guarantee that when you get to a Church, you will find Christ-like elements there. In the Corinthian Church, Paul found divisions and quarrels (1 Corinthians 1:10-17; 3:1-9); sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 5:1-2); lawsuits among believers (1 Corinthians 6:1-8) impropriety in worship and gluttony (1 Corinthians 11); and false apostles (2 Corinthians 11). In Galatia, he met a people who had abandoned the grace of God and returned to pre-Christian Jewish law-keeping as the way to salvation (Galatians 3).

What did Barnabas find on his arrival in Antioch? “When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God.” Another version simply says he “saw the grace of God (NKJV); another says he “saw what the grace of God had done” (ISV). 

Many times we think and speak of the grace of God as some intangible gift that God places within his children —an invisible resource. Barnabas went to Antioch and saw the grace of God. ‘Since when did the grace of God become an object that can be seen?’ you may ask. What is grace? I like the definition that comes from looking at the word grace as an acronym. It says GRACE is God’s Resources At Christ’s Expense. All that God has freely given to you as his child because of Christ is His grace. This grace is meant to achieve something visible in the life of the recipients and that was what Barnabas saw in Antioch. It was clear that the news that had reached the Elders at Jerusalem wasn’t just noise, it was the fruit, the result, the tangible evidence of the grace of God.

There are many things we can expect to see as evidence of the grace of God. One such thing was manifest in Antioch: “A great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.” Repentance and turning to the Lord is perhaps the first evidence of the reception of, and the fruit borne by, the outpouring of the grace of God on anyone. Titus 2:11-12 says, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age.” Salvation is the primal work of the grace of God, and Barnabas saw that in Antioch; not a few persons believed and their believing was matched by their actions —they turned to the Lord. Turning to the Lord means they abandoned their former sinful ways and put on Christ-like ways. That was the evidence of the grace God had given them.

Everyone a Recipient

God has not been thrift with this grace of his in Christ Jesus. But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.”’ Ephesians 4:7-8

Each means that God didn’t just broadcast this gift of grace like a man planting rice, where there is no care taken to ensure that each portion of the farmland gets to receive a seed. In such a case, the farmer sometimes has to come back and repopulate the farmland with seeds in the areas that may not have received any. That is not what God does with his grace. Every single member of the body of Christ has been carefully identified and their allotted graces deliberately poured out on them by God. That verse says that “grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift”. Not just the decision on what kind of grace each person should receive has been made, but also how much each person should receive as grace has been meticulously decided. We can confirm that from the parable of the talents. Jesus said, 

Every single member of the body of Christ has been carefully identified and their allotted graces deliberately poured out on them by God.

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.” —Matthew 25:14-15

Each servant received something, but not equally. The master decided how much each got “according to his own ability.” I hope that you are already thinking of what the implications are for you too, as a recipient of the grace of God.

The Giver of Grace Seeks Evidence of Receipt

If it was just the apostles and Brother Barnabas who went looking for the evidence of the grace of God, we wouldn’t need to bother much. But there is a giver in heaven, who measures his grace before he gives it out. This grace is also given for particular purposes determined by the giver. Paul summarily describes that purpose as being for the common good: “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7). It, therefore, behoves each believer to carefully and prayerfully find out what graces they have received and what common good these graces are meant to serve for the body of Christ and the kingdom of God in general.

In the parable of the talents, the master, after giving out the talents to his servants, proceeded on a journey and stayed for long. But he returned one day: “After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them” (Matthew 25:19). Beloved, Jesus may have been gone for a long time but one day he will return and call for the settling of accounts. That will be him seeking evidence of the grace he has given to you.

The servants who received five and two talents put them to work and made 100% profit. They were thus commended: “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord” (Matthew 25:21,23). The servant who had nothing to show for what he had received was called “wicked and lazy”. If that was merely a story Jesus told, again we wouldn’t bother much. But the Lord said, “For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away” (v. 29). The destiny of such unprofitable persons, Jesus said is where “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (v. 30). That is how serious and consequential this matter of the evidence (or not) of the grace of God is.

Another instance where the master sought evidence of the grace of God was in his encounter with the fig tree. If even trees have to show evidence, then how much more humans? The scripture says,

“Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. In response Jesus said to it, ‘Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.’” — Mark 11:12-14

The fig tree had soil divinely enriched with nutrients; it received rain, air and sunlight freely. To it, these were God’s graces bestowed upon it. The required evidence of that grace was missing, however. It was all leaves but no fruit. From afar, the master saw leaves and went closer to find fruit. He got none and he cursed the fig tree, and it withered. From far away in Jerusalem, the Elders heard of Antioch and they came close through Barnabas. Thankfully, they found fruit. The fruit is the evidence of the grace of God. John had told his hearers to “bear fruits worthy of repentance” (Matthew 3:8). 

Implications for You

The message is really about you and me. What graces have you received? Remember, to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift; when He ascended on high, he gave gifts to men. You cannot say you have not received his grace, “For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace” (John 1:16). Each person has received and not just one but grace upon grace. How many have you identified? The one(s) you have identified, how have you used it to profit the master? Have you also doubled yours so you can, on the day when accounts are settled, be told, “Well done, good and faithful servant”? or like the fig tree, are you all noise and activity but no fruit commensurate with what has been bestowed on you as grace by God? How many of your gifts or talents are lying fallow? Maybe your excuse is that your local church does not have a platform for you to express it. The Church of God is bigger than your local assembly. Expand your parish. Or someone offended you in the subunit where you used to put your grace to use and you have withdrawn to idleness. Such excuses and any you have will be handled like that of the servant with one talent.

You know the leaves could have provided shade from the sunlight for the trekking Christ and his entourage, but the Master sought fruit. Don’t be a showman who looks like the main deal from afar but a close look brings disappointment. 

Don’t be a showman who looks like the main deal from afar but a close look brings disappointment. 

The ‘wicked and lazy’ servant didn’t lose the talent he received; the problem was that he didn’t ‘profit withal’. If you will, God is a shrewd businessman. He is not into the business of loss-making. Jesus said of his Father, “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit” (John 15:2). Bear fruit with the grace you have received so you can be pruned for even more fruitfulness. Grace be with you.