Verse 17: “Therefore, if the equal gift God gave to them as to us when they believed upon the Lord Yeshua the Messiah, who am I to forbid God?

Equal: God did not make a distinction between the Holy Spirit that the Jewish people received and the Holy Spirit that the Gentiles received. They both received the same Holy Spirit. 

When they believed: The indwelling and the baptism of the Holy Spirit came about because they believed in the Lord Yeshua, the Messiah.

Verse 18: “Hearing these things they were silenced, and they glorified God saying, ‘Then also to the Gentiles God has given the gift of the repentance unto life.’”

God has given the gift of the repentance unto life: God invites us to repent, but does not force us to.

Unto life: And that life must include the Holy Spirit. He is the one that guides us, directs us, instructs us, reproves us, convicts us, empowers us, and equips us so that we might be a servant of God.


Verse 19: “Therefore the ones who had scattered, from the tribulation that arose upon Stephen, came unto Phoenicia, Cyprus, and to Antioch, but they did not speak the word except only to Jewish individuals.”

Tribulation: This is the same word that speaks of the last days tribulation. This is a very general word and can apply to persecution from the enemy (satanic in origin) but it can also apply to the discipline of God, or even the consuming wrath of God.

Arose upon Stephen: Persecution that started after his death

Did not speak the word: They were not sharing the Gospel message or teaching Scriptural truth as they should.

Only to Jewish individuals: The believers were of the opinion that this gospel message was only for the Jewish people, and not for the Gentiles. God reveals, through the book of Acts, that this is a wrong view. The gospel is a necessity for all of humanity.

Verse 20: “There were some from the men of Cyprus and Cyrene who had entered into Antioch. They were speaking to the Greeks, evangelizing the good news of the Lord Yeshua.”

Greeks: These Greeks were Jewish Greeks (Hellenistic Jews) as we were just told that the believers were not speaking the word to the Gentiles.

Verse 21: “And the hand of the Lord was upon them and a great number believed and turned unto the Lord.”

Hand of the Lord was upon them: God’s anointing/authority was upon them.

Unto the Lord: They submitted to the authority of Yeshua.

Verse 22: “The word was heard into the ear of the church in Jerusalem concerning them, and they sent Barnabas to pass through and to come unto even Antioch.”

The church in Jerusalem: Some people had remained in Jerusalem despite persecution.

Verse 23: “When he arrived he saw the grace of God and he was rejoicing, and he encouraged all in the purpose of the heart, clinging to the Lord.”

In the purpose of the heart: Remaining faithful and bold In their commitment to the will of God.

Clinging to the Lord: An expression that goes back to clinging to the commandments of God. (Deuteronomy 13v4, Joshua 23v6-8). If we hold fast to the Lord we are going to be doing His
will.