A city in the story of God
Antioch
Antioch in Syria was a great cosmopolitan city where the gospel first took deep root among the Gentiles. It was here that the disciples were first called Christians, and here that the church became a sending base for the mission to the world.
“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.”Acts 11:26
The city in Scripture
The city in Scripture. Antioch in Syria was one of the largest cities of the Roman world, a diverse commercial center on the Orontes river in the region of modern Turkey, not to be confused with Antioch in Pisidia. After the martyrdom of Stephen, believers scattered and some came to Antioch, preaching the Lord Jesus not only to Jews but to the Greeks, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord (Acts 11:19-21). The Jerusalem church sent Barnabas, who rejoiced at the grace of God and brought Saul from Tarsus to help teach the growing church for a whole year (Acts 11:22-26). And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch (Acts 11:26). The Antioch believers, moved by a prophecy of famine, sent relief to the brethren in Judea (Acts 11:27-30). Most significantly, as the church there worshipped and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them (Acts 13:2), and so began Paul's missionary journeys. Antioch was the base to which Paul returned to report (Acts 14:26-27), and the setting of the dispute over Gentile believers that led to the council in Jerusalem (Acts 15; Gal 2).
What it came to mean
What it came to mean. Antioch came to mean the church breaking out beyond its first boundaries, the gospel becoming truly for all nations. If Jerusalem was the mother church, Antioch was the first great Gentile congregation, a mixed community of Jews and Greeks worshipping together. It stands for mission, for a church that does not keep the gospel to itself but sends its best out to the world. The Spirit's call at Antioch, Separate me Barnabas and Saul, marks the beginning of intentional cross cultural mission, and it flowed from a praying, worshipping, generous church. Antioch also means identity, for here the followers of Jesus received the name Christian, a name that binds them to Christ. And it means practical love, for the Antioch believers sent relief to famine struck Judea, showing that the gospel produces generosity across ethnic and geographic lines. Antioch teaches that a healthy church worships, teaches sound doctrine, gives generously, and sends its people out, always looking beyond itself to the nations still waiting to hear.
How it points to Christ
How it points to Christ. Antioch points to Christ by carrying His name and His mission to the nations. The name Christian, first given here, means one belonging to Christ, and it declares that the church's whole identity is found in Him. Antioch embodies the risen Lord's command, Go ye therefore, and teach all nations (Matt 28:19), and his promise that the gospel would go from Jerusalem unto the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8). The church that gathered Jew and Greek at one table displays what Christ accomplished, that he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition (Eph 2:14). From Antioch Christ sent laborers into His harvest, showing that He is still the Lord of the mission, calling and sending by His Spirit. Every church that reaches across cultures with the gospel walks in the pattern set at Antioch, where the name of Christ was first worn and first carried to the world He came to save.
Questions people ask
Why were believers first called Christians in Antioch?
As the mixed church of Jews and Greeks in Antioch grew distinct in its devotion to Jesus, observers gave them the name Christians (Acts 11:26), meaning those belonging to Christ. It became the enduring name of His followers.
What made Antioch important for missions?
Antioch was the base from which the Holy Spirit sent out Barnabas and Saul (Acts 13:1-3), launching Paul's missionary journeys. It modeled a worshipping, generous, sending church reaching beyond its own culture.
Is this the same as Antioch in Pisidia?
No. Antioch in Syria, on the Orontes, was the great church and sending base. Antioch in Pisidia, in central Asia Minor, was a different city that Paul visited on his first journey (Acts 13:14).