In God’s providence, the martyrdom of Stephen led to the birth of the church in Antioch. This local church became a crucial outpost as Paul’s home base for expanding mission to the Gentiles. How did that local church become a sending church? Paul met with these new believers for a whole year, teaching large numbers of them the truth about Jesus and His Gospel (Acts 20:17–24).

Discipleship is all about disciples making more disciples, and that’s exactly what Barnabas and Paul did. They taught God’s Word to the believers in Antioch for a year so they could live out God’s mission. We all should be learning and growing in obedience to Christ and helping others do the same.

Who has encouraged you to follow Jesus? How can you encourage others to follow Jesus?