Purpose To Cleave
Acts 11
19 Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only.
20 And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus.
21 And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord.
22 Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch.
23 Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.
24 For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord.
25 Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul:
26 And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.
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Notes:
Matthew Henry —
Those we have comfort in we should exhort. Barnabas was glad for what he saw of the grace of God among them, and therefore was the more earnest with them to persevere.
[1.] To cleave to the Lord. Note, Those that have turned to the Lord are concerned to cleave unto the Lord, not to fall off from following him, not to flag and tire in following him. To cleave to the Lord Jesus is to live a life of dependence upon him and devotedness to him: not only to hold him fast, but to hold fast by him, to be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.
[2.] To cleave to him with purpose of heart, with an intelligent, firm, and deliberate resolution, founded upon good grounds, and fixed upon that foundation, Ps. 108:1. It is to bind our souls with a bond to be the Lord’s, and to say as Ruth, Entreat me not to leave him, or to return from following after him.
Cambridge —
Their determination was at present formed, and they had turned to the Lord; the purport of Barnabas’ exhortation was that continuing in the same determination they should hold fast their faith and allow nothing to shake their attachment to Christ.
The heathen converts to Christianity had much to endure for Christ’s sake, and to the weak there were many temptations to relapse.
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It appears that many, if not most, of those Barnabas was encouraging to remain steadfast were recently saved out of the darkness they had lived in until the moment of their conversion.
They were surrounded by family, friends, relatives that still were lost in their sins and who were having a hard time reconciling in their minds what had just taken place in the lives of these new believers. For these new believers it was, from the outset, a difficult path for them to navigate in the midst of the past they were constantly surrounded by.
I get their struggle and the need to be encouraged by others that had walked in the faith before they had. The need for camaraderie so early on in the experience of the new believer is vital. And Barnabas was there to bolster them in their new walk of faith.
As I said, I get their struggle. Having grown up in an unsaved environment of family, relatives, friends and society in general made the first steps in my new faith somewhat tenuous, at best.
The change from total darkness into a brand new realm of light comprised of people I had never known before was, in truth, challenging. Thankfully I had my “Barnabas” named Omar to encourage me in my new walk of faith. Without Omar in my life … who knows? I would not have walked away from my salvation, but my development and solidity would have taken much longer.
Thankfully I have still remained after all these years, because of the aid of others, the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit, cleaving to the Lord.
But …
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For all of us, whether growing up unsaved surrounded by a decadent environment or in a wholesome Christian family surrounded by a nurturing environment …
The days are coming in which our faith is going to be tested and stretched like never before in our country. Changes are on the way at home and abroad. Will it be the End or the beginning of the End? — maybe, maybe not.
However, whether it is or isn’t the beginning of the beginning of the End Times … the end of the life we as believers have enjoyed because of the Founding principles of our Country are coming to an increasingly rapid end.
And we are only going to have our Faith in the God of the Bible and the fellowship of like-minded believers in Christ as a source of comfort and encouragement.
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That is all the early believers had. But thankfully that was enough. Many survived the persecution that was forming on the horizon, but many did not. But what does remain is a testimony of those that —
“Overcame him (Satan, the accuser of the brethren) by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” (Revelation 12:11)
This is what it’s going to take in the coming days ahead for us. Satan, in the form of friends, society, government, will need to be overcome. The only way to do that is to be prepared in our faith ahead of time.
If we’re not in the Word but instead more focused upon the life we still want to live and maintain, we will be easy targets. And as a consequence our light, one way or another, will be extinguished.
We are to be and we can be those who overcome. That’s the good news. God wants and needs us to stand strong for Him. It’s during the times of persecution of God’s people that many see the validity of a life of faith in Christ and reach out for it.
That’s our role. We are to be beacons of light that shine majestically in the midst of our present, and encroaching, darkness. Whether we are going to be up for it or not is of the utmost importance to God.
As we see the events unfolding around us and are drawn into a closer walk of faith with our Saviour, we can rest assured that, by His help and grace …
We will with purpose of heart cleave to the Lord.
Amen!