1. Imagine being the Jerusalem Christians in Acts 11:22. With the Gentile church in cosmopolitan Antioch surely being very different in many ways from the Jewish-heritage church in Jerusalem, the church gatherings of the two churches must have been very different too. What might the Jerusalem leaders have thought? Why do you think they sent Barnabas to Antioch?
2. Use your own words to describe what Barnabas was like after you read Acts 11:23–26.

   *Why do you think he was a man ideally suited to visit this new and different church?

3. In Acts 11:25–26, Barnabas felt it was necessary to bring in Saul (a.k.a., Paul) to teach the new Christians about their faith. How important do you think an understanding of Christian doctrine and theology is for the church and its people?
4. In Acts 11:27–30, we read that God gave a prophecy about a famine that would affect the whole world and, apparently, Judea in a very harsh way. What might we learn from the willingness of the Antioch believers to support their hurting “family members” in Judea?
5. Read Acts 13:1–3. What are your first impressions of the leadership in the Antioch church?

   *This new church sent its very best people, Barnabas and Saul, to carry the Gospel to unreached places. How did they know to do this? What do we learn from them?

Here And There: Spring 2010 Study Series • Copyright © 2010, Lake Avenue Church