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New Testament Reading - The mission of Barnabas

¹⁹Meanwhile, the believers who fled from Jerusalem during the persecution after Stephen’s death traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, scattering the Good News, but only to Jews. ²⁰However, some of the believers who went to Antioch from Cyprus and Cyrene also gave their message about the Lord Jesus to some Greeks. ²¹And the Lord honored this effort so that large numbers of these Gentiles became believers.

²²When the church at Jerusalem heard what had happened, they sent Barnabas to Antioch to help the new converts. ²³When he arrived and saw the wonderful things God was doing, he was filled with excitement and joy, and encouraged the believers to stay close to the Lord, whatever the cost. ²⁴Barnabas was a kindly person, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith. As a result, large numbers of people were added to the Lord.

²⁵Then Barnabas went on to Tarsus to hunt for Paul. ²⁶When he found him, he brought him back to Antioch; and both of them stayed there for a full year teaching the many new converts. (It was there at Antioch that the believers were first called “Christians.”)