“Witnesses…to the Uttermost Parts” Acts 1:8
Christ spoke the words and now it was happening. Luke recorded the words of Christ:
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8 But how did the “witnesses… to the uttermost parts”, to the end of the earth, happen? Like an irritant can lead to a pearl, persecution in Jerusalem led to flight to Antioch, Syria. In this new location the Good News was shared with the Hellenists, Jews who spoke Greek and were immersed in the Greek culture.
What happened then? Luke reports, “a great number who believed turned to the Lord.” Acts 11:21 How do you care for these new believers? The church in Jerusalem sent Barnabus, a man of God, “a good man full of the Holy Spirit and of faith” and then “a great number many people were added to the Lord.” Now what? God led Barnabus to seek someone to help lead the ministry in Antioch. He sought a relative unknown, a “dark horse” of sorts who was haunted by his past. Who was this man who with Barnabus would take the Good News to the “uttermost parts of the world?
Question: In what country is Antioch, Syria of Apostles time now located?
Answer: Antioch, a populous city of ancient Syria is now a major town of south-central Turkey, called Antakya. It is located about 12 miles (19 km) northwest of the Syrian border. Antioch became the third largest city of the Roman Empire in size and importance (after Rome and Alexandria) and possessed magnificent temples, theatres, aqueducts, and baths. The city was also one of the earliest centers of Christianity; it was there that the followers of Christ were first called Christians, and the city was the headquarters of the missionary St. Paul about 47–55 BC
