The physician Luke wrote how “they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen traveled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only”, and in chapter eleven and verse twenty of the book of Acts Luke shared about, “men of Cyprus and Cyrene” where we read:
And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they were come to Antioch,
spoke unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus.
The verse begins, “And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they were come to Antioch, ...” Luke began with the words, “and some of them” which means “and a few of the people who were preaching unto the Jews only” “were men of Cyprus” or “were male human beings from Cyprus which was an island situated near the Northeast corner of the Levant, in an angle formed by the coasts of Cilicia and Syria” “and Cyrene” which means “a wall, coldness or the floor and was a city (now Tripoli) in Upper Libya, North Africa”, “which, when they were come to Antioch” or “who at the time and moment these believers separated from Jerusalem entered Antioch which means driven against and was a city in Pisidia on the borders Phrygia, founded by Seleucus Nicanor” did the following. Luke shared how a few of the people who scattered from Jerusalem were from “Cyprus and Cyrene”, and after they entered “Antioch” they did the following.
The verse goes on to say, “... spoke unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus.” Luke continued with the words, “spoke unto the Grecians” which means “uttered, declared and proclaimed to the Hellenist who were ones who imitate the manners and customs or the worship of the Greeks and use the Greek tongue”, “preaching” or “bringing good news, announcing glad tidings and in particular the Messianic blessing from”, “the Lord Jesus” which means “the One to whom a person or thing belongs about which he has power of deciding; master, and the title given to God the Messiah who is Jesus, the Son of God, the Savior of mankind and God incarnate whose name means Jehovah is Salvation”. Luke shared how the believers from “Cyprus and Cyrene” went to “Antioch” and “spoke” to the Greek people who were there by “announcing and proclaiming the “gospel” of Jesus Christ.
When we meditate upon Luke's words in this verse, we learn how the believers in Jesus who were located in Jerusalem began to spread out to other regions. Some of these believers were from “Cyprus”, and others were from “Cyrene”. They went to “Antioch” where they shared with the “Grecian” people there about Jesus Christ. God's “gospel” of “salvation” through His Son Jesus was spreading, and He was using people from all areas to tell others His “good news”. God loves everyone, and He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross for the sins of the whole world, and whenever a person yields their life to Him, He will forgive their sins and grant them everlasting life with Him. Let all who read these words understand this “diaspora” of the “gospel” and submit themselves to Jesus as their personal “Savior and Lord”.
Next time Luke shares how, “the hand of the Lord was with them”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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