Acts 11b - The Church at Antioch - 4/23/17
Turn with me this morning to Acts chapter 11. We are going to pick up today with where we left off three weeks ago. We took the last two weeks to focus on Palm Sunday and Easter, but today we are back in the book of Acts. Remember that Acts is a transitional book, showing us how we went from the disciples and the ministry of Jesus in the gospels to the establishment of the church that we see in the epistles.
We saw in Acts 2, Peter takes the gospel to the Jews in Jerusalem. In Acts 8 Philip takes the gospel to the Samaritans, the half-breed Jews who lived north of Judea, the southern state of which Jerusalem was the capital. In Acts 10, we see Peter bringing the gospel to Cornelius, a God-fearing Gentile. Today, we see the gospel coming to out and out pagans - Gentiles with NO church background.
The reality is that this is what we often face when we seek to share the gospel, even here in America. A generation ago, most non-Christians at least knew the basic truths of the bible and had grown up spending some time in church. But today we work with, live near, and rub shoulders with people who for lack of a better word are “pagans” - they don’t believe in God, they aren’t religious, they have no church background, they don’t know what the bible says, and frankly they don’t care - they really don’t care about spiritual things.
So as we look at the church at Antioch and what God did there, we can relate well to the context of ministry that is taking place. I’ll begin reading in chapter 11 at verse 19. Read 11:19-30 Pray
Where does this passage fit in? In laying out the story of the spread of the gospel it falls at this very point, but from a timeframe, from a chronological standpoint, it takes place after the events of Acts 8. Remember that God had told the disciples at Jerusalem that they were to be His witnesses throughout the earth. But they all stayed at home and prayed that God would send somebody else to go be His witnesses. And so to get them on the move and to shake them out of the complacency of their comfort zones, God allowed great persecution to come upon the church.
Vs. 19 shows that some of the Jews went their way, sharing the gospel only with other Jews. Why would they do that? Remember that the Jews were largely an isolationistic people. They kept to themselves. They viewed themselves as “God’s chosen people” - “God’s gift to the world” - and they were - but they were God’s gift to bring the light of the knowledge of the one true God to the world. But they failed to live up to their calling. So when these Jews left Jerusalem with the good news of the resurrection, they sought to share it only with other Jews. They really didn’t care about the Gentiles. Sadly, many times we are like these Jews - yes we care about our friends and loved ones being saved - but we really don’t care about anybody else.
But reaching only the ones they cared about - that’s what MOST of them did. But we find the good news here in verse 20. Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. So to begin to understand this, let’s look at a map and see where these places are. [show sites on Map]. Antioch is a city in Syria, 300 miles north of Jerusalem. In fact at this time it was the third largest and most important city in the Roman empire, coming after Rome and Alexandria. Cyrene is a city on the Mediterranean Sea in modern day Libya, to the West of Egypt, and Cyprus is an island in the Mediterranean west of Syria.
So here are early believers who left town when the persecution began in Jerusalem, and traveled hundreds of miles away. They settle in new homes, and establish themselves in these regions. Yet they leave their homes to undertake a missions trip and come to Antioch, the capital of the Greek province of Syria - a large, pagan, immoral city - and they start telling the good news about Jesus.
Today, I want us to see 5 examples for us that we see in this account of the church at Antioch. And they all start with “L”. The first thing we see is that Antioch was a
• LABORING church - these believers worked hard in sharing the gospel. They left the comfort of their homes and communities, and traveled hundreds of miles away to confront pagans in a very immoral society with the good news of salvation. They worked hard. They labored. They toiled. And God blessed them for their efforts.
But compare their labor with ours. Sadly, sometimes we won’t even go across the street to share the gospel. We work with the same person for years, but we don’t open our mouth to tell them about Jesus. We really don’t take seriously the job that Jesus gave us to do. Like the church at Jerusalem, we pray that God will raise up someone else to do the job that WE are supposed to do.
Today, are you a willing worker for the Lord? If Jesus physically walked in to our sanctuary and He asked us to do something, we would be THRILLED to do it - no matter what it was! But Jesus HAS asked us to do something - to be His witness - and sadly many times we FAIL to do that which we know He wants us to do.
To be the church that God wants us to be, Bethel needs to be a church filled with people who LABOR at sharing the gospel with others. Not just sharing when it’s “convenient” or when someone asks us. But working hard at being a witness. God does not want our church to grow by taking Christians from other churches. Sadly many Christians like to hop around from church to church; whenever there is some type of controversy or contention, they move on to find another church. Someone once said it’s like shuffling deck chairs on the titanic. It really doesn’t make a bit of difference in the long run. So very often we are busy with all kinds of church activities, but the task that Jesus left us to do is to share the good news about Jesus. How good of a job are you doing in being a witness about Jesus?
Vs 21 says The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. So as they shared the good news, it was well received. And as a result of this, people of all different backgrounds became involved in leadership of the church. That brings us to our second point.
So the church at Antioch was a laboring church. It was also a
LEADING church - It was a church that was wise in the selection of leaders. The church in Antioch was a large, multi-ethnic congregation, and many people were saved through the witness of these faithful disciples who come to town. But the church - in contrast to the church at Jerusalem - the church at Antioch had a welcoming, diverse flavor to it. There are believers from all different backgrounds. And in the church the leadership reflects the makeup of the church. Look over in Acts 13:1 we see some of the leaders there: In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. First there is Barnabas, we see him coming to Antioch in the passage here - we’ll comment on that in just a minute. But Barnabas is a Cyprian Jew. Remember our passage in Acts 4 - Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet. So Barnabas is from the island of Cyprus, in the middle of the mediterranean, and he is ethnically a Jew. Next we see Simeon called Niger - very likely a BLACK man. That was his nickname - “he black man!” Some people think that this was Simon from Cyrene, the man who carried the cross of Jesus. Then Lucius, Manaen, and Saul. So we see a Jew from Cyprus, a black man, Romans, Gentiles, and a former Pharisee and church persecutor. God painted the church at Antioch with a full palette. What we see is a dynamic blend of cultures and races—and the place was exploding with life!
We always want to embrace diversity. And we want to realize that spiritual leadership is not about education or training or degrees after a name, but about seeking out those who love God and will lead the church through example.
Still here in Acts 13, verse 2 & 3, we see these leaders were men of prayer, fasting and worship. They weren’t just men chosed to make administrative decisions. They weren’t men who wanted control and who wanted to tell others what to do. They were men who loved God passionately, and who were full of the Holy Spirit.
For Bethel to be the church that God wants us to be, we want to make sure that our leaders love God passionately and seek His will first and foremost. It is so very easy in our humanity to seek to promote our own agenda instead of seeking God’s. That’s why we always need to act under the leading of the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:16 - So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
Take a moment to consider yourself here. First, do you harbor prejudice in your heart. Do you think that a person of a certain color skin, or a certain educational background, or working a certain job, or driving a certain type of car is better than another person different than that? We don’t like to think of ourselves as prejudiced, but sometimes we are.
Secondly, do you struggle with control issues? Do you want others to just “get on board” and go along with what YOU think is right? Or do you seek to build unity and harmony in the body of Christ? Do you seek to build up others and affirm them and listen to their thoughts and value their input? Remember Jesus said if we want to be great, we must be the servant of all!
Do you seek to be led by the Holy Spirit in all you do? Or do you tell God your plans and expect God and others to do what YOU think is best?
The church at Antioch had great leaders, and we need to make sure we are available for God to use as well.
The third thing we see in Antioch is that it was a
LEARNING church - It says in vs 25 - Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people.
So here’s what’s going on - the church back in Jerusalem hears about what’s taking place in Antioch: Gentiles are coming to faith in Christ through the witness of these laboring believers. This is new - they aren’t becoming “Jews” - they stay Gentiles, but they are Gentiles with faith in Jesus. Somebody went to Jerusalem and said, “They are preaching to the Greeks in Antioch. Did you know that? It is bad enough that Peter spoke to Cornelius, but at least Cornelius was a God-fearer. In Antioch they are just going out into streets and talking to everybody. You had better do something about it.” So the church sends Barnabas to find out what’s going on.
Why Barnabas? First, he is from Cyprus, so he probably knows some of the evangelists who have come to town. Secondly, Barnabas is a man who is well-respected by all. Third, he is one of the men with the biggest hearts in all the church. Every time you meet him on the pages of scripture he is encouraging someone. His name means “son of encouragement.” He participated in a special offering to meet the needs of the early church in Jerusalem (4:36-37). Barnabas had been the one person who was willing to stick his neck out when everyone else was afraid of Saul of Tarsus. They suspected Saul’s conversion to have been a trap for Christians (9:27).
Barnabas comes to town and he was glad with what he found. Barnabas was thrilled to see God bringing pagan Gentiles to faith. So he encouraged the new believers at Antioch. Sadly, many times as Christians we are quick to criticize others. Instead of encouraging the good things God is doing in their lives, we are quick to point out the areas that still need work. Instead of “fanning into flame” the fire of God in their hearts, we pour cold water on it. Some Christians think it is their God given gift to tell others all the things that are wrong with them.
Take a look in your own life. Who have you encouraged lately? Who have you seen taking a step forward and you have come alongside them to encourage them? Anyone? For many of us, it doesn’t come natural. But that’s why we need to be intentional about it. We look for the good to encourage others.
When Abraham Lincoln was shot at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. on April 14, 1865, he was carrying two pairs of spectacles and a lens polisher, a pocketknife, a watch fob, a linen handkerchief, and a brown leather wallet containing a five-dollar Confederate note and NINE newspaper clippings, including several favorable to the president and his policies. Everybody needs encouragement. As the weight of the mounting civil war weighs upon President Lincoln, he carries around newspaper clippings that were an encouragement to him.
Never forget the words of encouragement you offer may be the very thing that keeps a brother or sister going. Your words may make the difference between spiritual victory and discouraging defeat.
So Barnabas comes and encourages the people. That’s his gift. He is good at it. But these are pagans, they have no church background. They need much more than encouragement: they need TEACHING! They need to know the truth so they can live according to the truth. So who does Barnabas think of? SAUL! Who is soon going to start going by the name Paul. Paul is a gifted teacher. Paul is the one God had chosen to be his instrument to win the Gentiles. But he has been sitting out in his hometown of Tarsus waiting on God’s timing for the last 10+ years! This is about 17 years after Paul’s conversion! But this was God’s timing! We like the idea of “microwave spiritual maturity” - we want to go through a 5 week bible study and be ready to tackle giants. What did Paul do? He spent three years in the desert of Arabia being personally trained by Jesus - and remember he has spent his life in training as a rabbi - but after that God sends him home until God is ready to start using him in ministry to the Gentiles. And NOW is the time.
SO Barnabas goes 100 miles from Antioch to Tarsus to find Saul. And he brings him BACK 100 miles to Antioch. That was quite a trip. But Barnabas knows Saul is the man who is needed to train the people there. So Saul begins teaching - that’s his gifting - and Barnabas STAYS and gives the encouragement - that’s Barnabas’ gifting - and they together spend a YEAR there teaching the people. Let’s remember that here at Bethel God has given us different gifts to use for His glory. And one person’s gifts are not better than another person’s gifts. We NEED each other! We need to value and affirm and encourage each other. We need to SPUR one another on to love and good deeds.
And like Paul & Barnabas, we need to invest in the life of others. Because one of the greatest things we can do in life is to invest in the lives of others. Instead of thinking of how we can grow ourselves, we need to look for how God can use us to grow others. And in the process, we will also grow. It is by leading and teaching others that God brings great growth into our lives.
Again, take a moment of reflection here: Is there ANYONE that you are investing your life in? Who are you trying to help grow to be more like Jesus? What are you intentionally doing to help someone else learn more about being a follower of Jesus?
What their teaching effective? Look at verse 26 - the followers of Jesus grew to be so much like Jesus that it says, The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. The began to be called “little Christs.” Because as they learned the truth, they lived it out in their lives.
The church at Antioch was a laboring, leading, learning church. Fourth, it was a
LOVING church - It was a church full of caring-giving people. Look at vs. 28 - One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.) The disciples, each according to his ability, decided to provide help for the brothers living in Judea. This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.
At this time, Antioch is the 3rd largest city in the Roman empire. It is a happening place. It is like Chicago in the US. So when word of a famine comes, they really aren’t too worried about themselves - because they know their city will be okay. But they want to make sure their brothers and sisters back in Jerusalem are provided for. They didn’t just look after themselves, but they had a “kingdom” mindset. They cared more about what was good for the WHOLE church than what was just good for themselves.
Why would they do this? Because of LOVE! John 13:34-35 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” That says that our love is a witness to all who see our love. It shows that what we say we believe truly does influence our lives.
It is easy to look at our food distribution ministry and think, Why don’t we just use that food for our church families? But the truth is that it is by opening our hands and sharing that we show our community the love of Christ in practical ways. This past week we had one of the biggest food distributions we have ever had. And I heard SEVERAL people coming for food affirm how VERY much they appreciate everything we do for them. Let’s realize that the food we give is just a token gift - it is the LOVE we give that is truly important. And the more we give to others, the more we focus on loving them.
Let’s remember what Proverbs 19:17 tells us, He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done. It is as we seek to show love to the poor that God is able to reward us and bless us. When you shut yourself off from loving others and caring about their needs, what you are really doing is creating your own personal hell! If you’ve ever read the book Silas Marner, it teaches that very point.
Here at Bethel we always want to be a loving church - not just loving one another - Jesus tells us in the sermon on the mount: If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ do that. . . . But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.
Do you see that verse - Luke 6:35 - God is kind to the wicked! THAT is the type of love we are to have as well! And when we love that that, it makes an eternal impact on our world. The 5th lesson from Antioch, it is a
LAUNCHING church - turn forward to chapter 13 again, verse 2: While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.
The church at Antioch is the sending church of Paul and Barnabas. They sent them on three missionary journeys that transformed the world. Wherever they go, they share the gospel and start churches. And the model for these churches is NOT the church at Jerusalem, but the church at Antioch.
When we become the church that God wants us to be, we also will be a launching church. We will be a church that values highly the work of missions. Not just a church with a lot of missionaries. There are FAR TOO MANY of those! I know of churches that will have 20 missionaries, each one supported for $10 or $20 a month. But here at Bethel we have chosen to support fewer missionaries but at higher amounts. And we have sought to build relationships, friendships, with our partners in ministry.
Consider how you feel about missions. Do you know our missionaries we support? Do you know their names? Do you know where they serve and what they do? Do you know anything about their families? Do you know what their concerns are? Or do you simply pray, Bless all the missionaries!
Have you ever thought about going out as a missionary? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if God would raise up from our own congregation men and women to go and serve in the states and abroad as missionaries! I would encourage you to start praying that way. Ask God to give you a heart for missions.
So here we have the church at Antioch - a model church for us - because like Antioch, we want to be a laboring, leading, learning, loving, launching church. Let’s pray!
