A Church Of Maximum Impact
Acts 11:19-30
Several years ago Time magazine carried a story about a controversy that once raged in a Waterloo, Iowa courthouse over a perplexing question. The question at hand was this: “What is a Christian?” It all started when a local doctor who had been very wealthy died, and when his will was read it was discovered that he had left a large sum of money to be distributed to the Christians in town, specifically—and I quote, “...to persons who believe in the fundamental principles of the Christian religion, and in the Bible, and who are endeavoring to propagate the same.”
Well, when the doctor's will became public, a dispute grew over exactly who in town were Christians and therefore worthy of a share of the doctor’s estate. Suits and countersuits were filed, and eventually the court was given the responsibility of settling the issue. Each of the ministers in town who had staked a claim was called in to testify before the judge to be in order to see if they were all in agreement when it came to exactly what, “Christianity’s fundamental principles” include. There were representatives of all the various denominations, Baptists, Catholics, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists. In fact, even a few Unitarians showed up. So, as you can imagine, there was a great difference of opinion in that courtroom about what it means to be a “Christian.”
And today, there is STILL quite a variety of opinion as to what a CHRISTIAN is or is not. Many people say being a Christian has something to do with the country you were born in. Others seem to think the political party you choose determines whether or not you are a Christian. Some people even seem to refer to themselves as Christians by default — they’re not Buddhist or Muslim or Jewish or Hindu—so they must be Christian.
This morning we return to our study in the book of Acts and we’re going to learn about the church in Antioch. Our text that we’ll read in a moment tells us that it was here in Antioch where disciples of Jesus were first called “Christians.” So what was it about these disciples that caused them to be called “Christian?” What was it about this church that those who belonged to this church were known as Christians? The bottom line is that this church was a church of maximum impact. They impacted their community, their city, and their world in a powerful way – so much so that outside observers attached to them the very name of Christ – Christian.
Let’s read our passage and then we’ll discover three identifying characteristics of a church of maximum impact.
11:19Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. 20But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. 21And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. 22The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, 24for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. 25So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.
Luke first introduces us to the church in Antioch here in chapter 11 of Acts. He will return to talking about this church in chapters 13, 14, 15, and 18. What we will discover in the coming weeks is that it was from the Antioch church - not the Jerusalem church - that the great missionary movement of the 1st century finds it's genesis. They were without a doubt a church on mission. So we would do well to understand the makeup and character of this church if we are going to be a church on mission as well.
First a little bit about the actual city of Antioch. Antioch was 300 miles north of Jerusalem. It was the third largest city in the Roman Empire - behind only Rome and Alexandria. It had an estimated population at this time of approximately 500,000 people. A mid-sized city in our day, but an absolute mega-city in Ancient times. Situated on the Orontes River which gave it easy access to the Mediterranean Sea. This made it a major trade city, yet it was far enough inland that it was able to serve as a military outpost for the rule of Syria by the Romans. Antioch was strong commercial city.
It was a very diverse city with Arabs from Syria, Greeks, Romans and because it was not far from the northern Jewish states there were many Jews who had settled in the city. Antioch was a virtual melting pot of different people groups. As such it was a very cultural & cosmopolitan city.
But probably what Antioch was known most for in that day was the fact that it was a morally corrupt city - even by ancient standards. Outside the city there was a park known as "the Grove of Apollo." It was known as a place of sexual indulgence - something like an outdoor, public brothel. People went to the Grove of Apollo specifically to indulge their sensual appetites.
Yet it was here, in this city that a great church - a church of maximum impact - was established and became THE missionary sending force of the New Testament. So what are some things we can learn from this early church? Three things I want you to notice this morning. First of all, a church of maximum impact...
I. Faithfully DECLARES The GOSPEL
Luke picks up here in verse 19 where he left off three chapters earlier in Acts 8:4: Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. Acts 8:4
He starts his description of Antioch in the same way. Look again at verse 19: 19Now those who were scattered because of the persecution
This church was born out of persecution. This church was established by displaced Christians from Jerusalem who had fled because of the ravaging that came against the church at the hands of Saul of Tarsus. The martyrdom of Stephen launched a full-scale assault by the Jewish leaders to completely annihilate the church from existence.
So most Christians fled Jerusalem and were scattered about. But they didn't go quietly, they went about preaching the word. And when some came to the great city of Antioch, some of the scattered Christians limited their preaching about Jesus Christ to only Jews who resided there. But others spoke to the Hellenists, the pagans, in Antioch. This church in Antioch was established on faithfully declaring the gospel. In so doing, they were revealing God's nature. How? Two aspects of God's nature I see through them. This church was...
A. Revealing God's HEART for missions
who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus
Sometimes when studying a historical book from the Bible like the book of Acts, we can tend to lose sight of the fact that this is Holy Spirit inspired, God-breathed Scripture. When we read the Psalms, or one of Paul's epistles, or the gospels it's very evident to us that it's inspired. But the book of Acts is just as much inspired by God. And God inspired Luke by the Holy Spirit to arrange this historical chronicle of the church in a very intentional manner.
Acts is not a haphazard telling of the story of Christianity, but rather a step-by-step unfolding of what happened, which was the expansion of the Christian gospel and the Christian church throughout the known world. This unfolding of the development of the early church clearly reveals God's heart for missions. I want us to consider the expanse of the church in Acts as Luke has laid it out for us under God's inspiration:
The gospel first went to the Jews in Jerusalem. (Acts 2-7) Pentecost; Stephen going into Jewish synagogues in Jerusalem and proclaiming that Jesus was the Jewish Messiah. That's preaching to an audience that already has a keen understanding of Scripture and the hope of a Messiah. Then after that, the gospel spread to Jews throughout the region of Judea.
The gospel spread to half-Jews, Samaritans in chapter 8. Samaritans believed and received the first five books of the OT. They had a general knowledge of the monotheistic God of the Bible and therefore would have a base of understanding by which they could understand the gospel of Jesus. They had a theological starting point. Philip was used by God to reach the Samaritans with the gospel and there was a major revival that took place.
God uses Philip to reach an individual Gentile, the Ethiopian Eunuch. This is where Luke first introduces us to a full-fledged Gentile, not a Jew or a half-Jew, who receives the gospel and is baptized. But if you'll remember, he had traveled 1200 miles from Ethiopia to Jerusalem on a spiritual pilgrimage and had purchased a copy of the OT, and was reading from Isaiah 53 when Philip happened upon him on that desert road. So even though he wasn't Jewish or Samaritan, he was still a God-seeker looking for truth, and acquainted with the Scriptures. Next, in chapter 10...
God uses Peter to reach a Gentile household - Cornelius and his family and friends. This is what we covered last week. The gospel crosses the border to a large group of Gentiles in Caesarea. A significant step in the spread of the gospel to all nations. But remember, Cornelius was described as a God fearer, devout, one who was charitable and compassionate and who prayed daily. I would say he would be very receptive to the gospel and would be a prime candidate for conversion.
But now as we come to the second half of chapter 11 and Luke describes the beginnings of the church in Antioch we see something totally new. Some were preaching, not to Jews, or half-Jews, or God-seekers like the Ethiopian eunuch, or God-fearers like Cornelius - but they were preaching to those we would simply classify as pagans. They had no knowledge of the God of the Bible, they had no Scriptural context. These were not Gentiles who had at first shown an interest in God - these were completely uninterested pagans living in an utterly pagan city. These believers in Antioch were doing there what we would describe today as pioneer missions – going to an unengaged, unreached people group and introducing them to not only the gospel, but the God of the gospel for the very first time.
They were doing what our IMB mission partners in SE Asia - Stephen and Meghan Jones - what they do on a regular basis. They travel by boat to remote islands and hike into villages that exist on these islands. They stay in those villages for some time, living among the people and building relationships that lead to gospel conversations about.
The people they are trying to reach have no context of the God of the Bible, they know nothing of Scripture, they've never heard of Jesus or why he would be relevant to their lives. They don't understand the implications of their sin and that God has loved them with an everlasting love and has sent his only Son to redeem them from their sin. They don't have that framework at all. They're not looking for a Savior because they don't even know that they need a Savior.
That's what's happening in Antioch. It was the very first pioneer missions. And so the church of Antioch is a church of maximum impact because it faithfully declares the gospel - and in so doing they are revealing God's heart for missions. But do you know what else they reveal about God?
B. Revealing God's HAND of blessing
Remember, Luke, the author of Acts, is a Gentile Christian too! It’s almost as if he’s sounding the trumpet of triumph. They listened to the message, believed in the Lord Jesus, and joined the fellowship of the church. Luke ascribes all of this to the sovereign hand of the Lord in verse 21: And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.
God’s providential hand blessed the labors of the missionaries. In other words, the tremendous success of the missionaries in Antioch could not be attributed to savvy outreach strategies or clever missions methods – though those may have been employed. At the end of the day, it was God who brought a great number of people to faith in Christ – the hand of the Lord was with them. They were simply being faithful to declare the gospel. And why wouldn’t they? I mean once you’ve been captured by the grace and mercy of God you can’t help but share the grace and mercy of God.
Faithfully DECLARES The GOSPEL
II. Visibly DEMONSTRATES God’s GRACE
23When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad
News of what was happening in Antioch eventually got back to Jerusalem. And I suppose it always works out that way. Whenever anything different is happening somebody always thinks its their job to go to someone they consider "important" and say, "Do you know what's going on at that church down there?" They get their own sense of importance by being busybodies. Somebody went to Jerusalem and perhaps said, "They're preaching the gospel to the Greeks in Antioch. I mean, it was bad enough that Peter spoke to Cornelius and his household, but at least he was a God-fearer. Those people in Antioch are absolute pagans. They're just sharing the gospel with anybody on the street who will listen. You'd better send someone down there who will do something about it.
So, the church in Jerusalem sends Barnabas down to investigate. Time doesn't permit today - and it really doesn't fit the focus of this message - but if you want to do a fascinating character study, look into this disciple by the name of Barnabas. Barnabas was his nickname. His given name was Joseph - a proper Jewish name. But the apostles gave him the nickname Barnabas which means "son of encouragement." No doubt Barnabas was a consistent encourager. And he's the man the Jerusalem church leaders appointed to go to Antioch and bring back a report.
If anyone had the character and good judgment to handle a delicate situation surely Barnabas was the man for the job. The text says in verse 24 that, he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. Those are pretty good credentials for a person going on this exploratory mission.
So what did Barnabas discover when he arrived in Antioch from his 300 mile journey from Jerusalem. Verse 23 says… When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad… I want you to circle that phrase on your outline – “saw the grace of God.” Most of the time we consider the grace of God to be an invisible quality, an unseen virtue or blessing. But Barnabas saw it, it was visible, it was outward, it was evident. And Barnabas’ response to the grace of God evident in their lives was to rejoice, he was exceedingly glad when he saw it.
And since he is the son of encouragement, what does he proceed to do? He proceeds to encourage the believers there. The ESV says he “exhorted them all.” That word translated here “exhort” is the Greek verb parakaleo. That’s a common NT word used 111 times in the Bible. The literal translation of the compound word means to come alongside. What’s interesting is that Jesus uses the noun form of parakaleo in John 14 – parakletos – which is a title he gives to the Holy Spirit. After Jesus’ departure from his disciples he promised the coming parakletos – the Counselor and Encourager who would come alongside them and minister encouragement to them. So Barnabas is doing real Holy Spirit work here in Antioch! Look again at verses 23-24 23When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, 24for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. Acts 11:23-24
The indication of the text is that Barnabas came to investigate what was happening, and he ended up staying there for an extended period of time. And he stayed there to pastor them, to shepherd them in the truth about Jesus Christ.
And like a good pastor, he knew his personal strengths and weaknesses and he knew he needed an associate pastor who would complement his gifting. Barnabas was an encouraging type of pastor and he needed a more intellectual associate pastor to balance him out. And who comes to mind? Saul of Tarsus – this brilliant, highly educated converted Pharisee. So he travels to Tarsus to search for Saul. Scholars estimate that this is about 10 years after Saul’s conversion on the road to Damascus. So Barnabas brings him back to Antioch to minister alongside him there.
Now the question I want to ask at this point is this: how can we be a church that visibly demonstrates the grace of God? How can we continue to become a church that people look at and say, “The hand of the Lord is upon them?” Two commitments we must make, like this church, that will foster an environment where the grace of God is visible through us. First…
A. Commit to LEARN the TRUTH of Christ
For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people.
What did Barnabas & Saul do for a whole year? They TAUGHT the believers there. Why teach them? Hadn’t they already come to Christ? Hadn’t they been in worship with other believers? Hadn’t they begun to apply Christ’s principles to their everyday lives? What else was there to know?
I actually had an older person tell me a few years ago, “I’ve been in church my whole life. Do you think there’s anything else you can teach me?”
What an arrogant, conceited attitude. None of us have arrived. Leaders are lifelong learners. These Christians in Antioch were already reaching their community for Christ and experiencing great numerical success. Then this Johnny-come-lately pastor Barnabas comes along and brings in his associate pastor Saul with his highfalutin education – “they think they’re gonna learn us something!” That wasn’t their attitude at all. The text says that Barnabas and Saul “taught a GREAT many people.” Their small groups were bursting at the seams; they were creating and forming new D-groups every week. People were coming to the worship services ready and eager to LEARN the TRUTH of Christ.
Lookout Valley Baptist – if we’re going to be a church on mission; if we’re going to be a church of maximum impact that visibly demonstrates the grace of God – we must be a disciplemaking church, we must be a learning church, we must be a biblically taught church. Discipleship and missions go hand in hand. We won’t be a missional church if we’re not a discipling church. We can't say people have been genuinely discipled if they never go on mission. We must commit to learn the truth of Christ, but secondly...
B. Commit to LIVE the NATURE of Christ
The end of verse 26 says, And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.
Up until that point Jesus’ followers referred to themselves as brothers, disciples, believers, saints and those who belonged to the way. But here in Antioch they are called “Christians” – in Greek, Christianoi.
More than likely this name was a name of derision; it was given to them as a means of insult. Jews would never call followers of Jesus “Christians” because the name “Christ” is the Greek word for “Messiah.” So they wouldn’t call followers of Jesus Christians because they didn’t affirm Jesus as the Christ, as the Messiah.
But in Antioch the name of Christ did not have that connotation. Christ was just the title of a man that these people who followed him were always talking about. And they noticed they lived differently as well; they didn’t act like the rest of the pagans in Antioch – they lived lives of distinction.
Ill. I can just imagine the awkward conversation around the water-cooler at work. “Hey Quirinius, a bunch of us are going to the Grove of Apollo this weekend to party. I hear it’s gonna get crazy. Did you want to come with us?” “No, Titus, I think I’ll just spend the weekend with my wife.” “WHAT?!?! Don’t be such a prude, man. You’re sounding like one of those Christ-ians. Wait, you didn’t join that cult did you? You’re not one of those fanatics who follows that Jewish Rabbi are you?” “Well, as a matter of fact, I am." Calling someone a Christian then would be akin to someone calling you or me a Jesus-freak. "Those buncha Jesus freaks!" They talk differently, they act differently, they live differently.
Ill. In 1650, George Fox and some of his followers in England stood in a courtroom before a certain justice Bennett. In those days in England it was illegal to be a preacher unless you were ordained by the Church of England – the Anglican Church. Well there were protestant preachers like George Fox, and the Baptist John Bunyan (the author of Pilgrims Progress) they refused to come under Anglican ordination because they believed the Anglican Church was corrupt. So if they persisted in preaching, they would be arrested and taken to court.
Such was the case with George Fox. As he is before Justice Bennett, George Fox bid the judge to “tremble at the Word of the Lord.” Justice Bennett didn’t like that so he sneered back at Fox and his friends, “You tremblers, you Quakers.” And the name stuck. The great insult was a great compliment, because the Quakers quaked, they trembled at the Word.
So too here in Antioch. What was meant as a great insult was actually a great compliment. In Antioch they were first called Christians because they lived out the NATURE of Christ. This church was so captivated by the gospel of Jesus, and they lived it out in their lives, that their neighbors coined a new word just for them - Christian.
Could we dream together a bit this morning? What if we were captivated by the work of Jesus Christ in such a way, that God does something in our church that is so dynamic, so radical, so transformational, so counter-cultural that people in our community and in our city reach for a new word to try to describe us. By God's grace may we be a church of Maximum Impact, for the glory of God and the salvation of sinners.
We will be if we are a church that...Faithfully declares the gospel; Visibly demonstrates God’s grace… A Church of Maximum Impact...
III. Sacrificially DETERMINES To Be GENEROUS
27Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius).29So the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. 30And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.
Like a good historian, Luke gives us a major event - the great famine during the reign of Claudius - as a historical marker for the timeline of the early church. Claudius reigned from AD 41-54. The great famine during his reign occurred in AD 46. So if you put the death and resurrection of Jesus at AD 30, this is about 16 years into the history of the church, the Christian movement. I think it's important for us to consider that, because events we read about in the Bible are not legends or fables, or myths or fairy tales; they're actually events that occurred in human history.
That's why my usual practice is to refer to these events recorded in the Bible as "accounts" not as "stories." The word "story" usually refers to something fictional. These are not fictional stories, they're actual historical accounts of real events that occurred in real time - this was about 46 AD when the great famine occurred.
Now the church in Antioch understood that believers in Jerusalem, who were already experiencing poverty because they had been shunned by society in the city - they knew they would be especially hit hard during the famine. No doubt their pastor, Barnabas, who came to them from the Jerusalem church had related to them the difficult situation in Jerusalem.
So they determined to sacrificially give; they determined to be generous with their resources. Verse 29 communicates some practical points about how the Antioch church participated in this love offering.
• It was premeditated. the disciples determined
• It had full participation every one
• It was proportional according to his ability
Not equal gifts, but equal sacrifice.
What could move a people - a people brought up and steeped in a pagan life of self indulgence - what could move them to be so gracious as to generously sacrifice their own financial resources to assist people they'd never met? The only explanation for them being givers of such a sacrificial gift of grace is they had first been recipients of an even greater sacrifice of grace. That is, the sacrifice of grace they received through Jesus. They knew their sin, they understood their lostness and they grasped the grace of God expressed to them through Jesus' great work on the cross. They had been shown great grace and now they determined to show great grace.
Illustration: I’m reminded of the story I read about that occurred on the mission field in China. There was a Chinese farmer who had severe cataracts that greatly impaired his vision. He had the great blessing of having those cataracts removed from his eyes at a Christian mission clinic. A few days later, the missionary doctor who did the procedure looked out his window and noticed this farmer holding the end of a long rope. Behind him were many blind Chinese people, in a single file line, holding the rope and following him. He had rounded them up and led them for miles to the doctor who had worked a miracle on his eyes. He wanted others to experience the same eye-opening work that he had experienced!
That’s how we who have received God’s gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ should be. We are so blessed to have our spiritual eyes opened that we want everyone to know, so that they can receive the same blessing.
Last Thought: Christian missions at its most basic level is one BEGGAR telling another BEGGAR where to find BREAD.
And Jesus is that bread. He's the bread of life come down from heaven to give spiritual sustenance to all who place their faith in him. In just a moment we're going to receive the meal that Jesus instituted in the upper room. We're going to eat the bread and drink the cup that represent his life-giving sacrifice for our salvation. Let's use this time to prepare our hearts for this meal.
