V. 19: Verse 19 returns us briefly to 8:2. We sense here the extent of the Jews in the Mediterranean world -- one sees here that the crucial network for the spread of the Gospel was the synagogue, not the Roman empire. What does it tell us that these were "speaking the word" onto to the Jews?

V. 20-21: The NIV translation of this verse is just not very good. Here is how I would translate it: "And some persons from among them [those mentioned in v. 19], Cyprians and Cyrenes, having gone to Antioch were speaking even to those who spoke Greek, proclaiming the good news of the Lord Jesus." The text leaves ambiguous whether these Greek speakers were Jewish or not. Yet one can trace those who spoke to the Greek speaking messianic Jews who left Jerusalem during the persecution. These were described by the same word (6:1).

Verse 21 speaks of the result of their speaking: "and the ones who believed turned to the Lord." The use of the word "Lord" here is wonderfully ambiguous -- who is the Lord -- the God of Israel? Jesus? Both together as One, the Triune God? Again it is important to recognize the significance of these terms. "Believed = showed allegiance to"; "turned" speaks of moving from facing one god to another. Faith is in Jesus who is the Lord, the God of Israel.

v. 22: Why would the Jerusalem church send someone to the new believers in Antioch? Notice, no where does it say that these people were Gentiles -- the whole context suggest that they were Greek speaking Jews -- an extension of the bodies of the Greek speaking messianic Jews from Jerusalem.

Vv. 23-24: Again the NIV translation just is not very good: "Having arrived and seeing the grace of God, he gave thanks (the same verb that comes from the Greek word "eucharist") and exhorted all to persevere with the Lord with the resolution of their heart." My reading of this is a verse is that the passage shows the person from Jerusalem showing up to celebrate the Eucharist among the new believers as a means of setting the foundation of the church there. Why would this be so? How does this relate to the exhortation to keep at it? Why would they need exhorted to have resolve? Notice, as well, that the "heart" is singular here.

Why would the verse turn to the character of Barnabas? And then to the impact of his presence to outsiders as well? Why would there be a concern to tie the church so closely to Jerusalem? What is the relationship between being filled with the Holy Spirit with "faithfulness"?

vv. 25-26: If one notices, it was the Jerusalem church that sent Saul home to Tarsus to keep him alive (9:28-29). Why would Barnabus travel to Taursus to look for him now? What is his purpose for bringing Saul to Antioch? What would Barnabus and Saul taught them for a year? Why would they need such a long time?

How does all this relate to the comment that it was then, first in Antioch, that these messianic Jews were called Christians?

It is interesting to reflect upon the balance between the spread of the church, the grounding of the church in the apostolic teaching and the Eucharist, and the devotion to careful teaching over time. It is hard today to have people commit themselves to study and learning the faith over a period of time. Why?

Sorry to be so late! Hope you can use this still!