Acts 11:23 “Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.”
The Apostles, in Jerusalem, had heard that there was a Christian Church in Antioch, Syria. So, they sent Barnabas to visit the Church and to see the good “tidings” (Acts 11:22) firsthand. When Barnabas arrived, he found that there was indeed a faithful Church of Jesus Christ in that city. Therefore, Barnabas “exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord”. The Lord tells us that “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26); thus, those who can “cleave unto the Lord” are those to whom the Lord has blessed with a “new heart”! To “purpose” is to have an objective, to focus upon that objective, and to strive with all diligence to accomplish that objective. In this case, those with a “new heart” are exhorted to “cleave unto the Lord”; that is, obedience to “the Lord” is our objective, the focus of our heart and mind is upon “the Lord” and His Word and His Church, and we strive with all diligence to obey “the Lord” and to be a faithful part of His Church. The “purpose of” our “heart” is to focus our attention upon the Lord, no matter how severe our trials may be or how strongly we may be enticed to neglect the Lord’s Word and Church. To “cleave unto the Lord” is to show our love to Him by our faithful obedience to Him and our worshipful submission to His authority over us. We find the greatest of all joys when we “with purpose of heart” “cleave unto the Lord”!