The Unstoppable Force, The Church 11
August 15, 2021

The Unstoppable Force, The Church

ACTS 11:19-30 (NKJV)

The Unstoppable Force, The Church 11 | Debbye Turner Bell | leadership development pastor | first aired on 08.15.2021

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Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only. But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord. Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch. When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord. For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. And in these days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch. Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea. This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.” —Acts 11:19-30

I. Chapter 11 opens with the Jewish believers in Judea (the headquarters of the gospel at this point) were outraged that Peter ate with the Gentiles. Having a meal represented relationship, community, intimacy.

a. This was the same charge that the Pharisees made against Jesus because he ate with the publicans and sinners.

  • This was an objection born out of man-made cultural difference.

b. Prejudice in any form is evil….and anti-God by its very nature.

c. God’s great love sent Jesus to the cross for all of us

d. The kingdom of God is supposed to be reflected in the church

II. Verse 19: this is the first time that the Gospel is brought to such a diverse audience and positioned as a message for everyone not just the Jews.

A. Antioch was very diverse

B. Verse 21 says that “the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number of believed and turned to the Lord.”

C. Believers began to preach to Gentiles which was out of their comfort zone.

D. This is exactly where God wants us. In a place where we don’t have any of our own strengths and experiences to lean on. It forces us to trust in God and to depend on his ability and not our own ability.

Key point: Our passion for spreading the Gospel should take us out of our comfort zones

III. KCC is not just multi-ethnic because it’s hip and in-style.

A. The Kingdom of God is multi-ethnic!

B. Jesus’ gospel is multi-ethnic

  1. Jesus told the disciples to go into all nations

  2. Nations are ethnic people groups

C. The Kingdom of God is supposed to be reflected in the church

IV. Verse 21 declares that God’s hand was on the believers in Antioch and “a great number believed and turned to God”

  • How many times do we hear about something happening in the Body of Christ that is unusual or outside our experience and we’re quick to criticize it and condemn it?

Key point: We should encourage works of the Lord whether they are familiar or not.

V. Once Barnabas saw that the believers were doing a great work in Antioch, he worked to support them and increased the work by going to Tarsus to get Saul. But why Saul?

A. He was a Jew among Jews…..a Pharisee….and a Roman citizen…..which means he was familiar with the diversity and culture in Antioch.

B. Barnabas could have easily installed himself as the leader and taken credit for the work that was being done but he was strategic.

C. Barnabas was humble enough to recognize that someone else was perhaps better equipped to handle the work of discipling all these new converts

Key point: We should be willing to find and yield to the right person for leadership roles. Not just hog power because it’s available.

VI. We must be willing to be in it for the long haul with new Christians.

  • This takes a commitment and dedication to each other.

Key point: We must be invested in each other’s spiritual growth and development.

VII. And we learn why this is important in verses 27-30. The believers in Antioch believed the prophet and gave of their own substance to help the believers in Judea who would be affect by the famine.

  • The famine wasn’t going to affect them in Antioch much. They were helping with a problem that was not even theirs.

Key point: We are to be generous, unselfish, and gracious.

VIII. Verse 26 says, “..and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.”

A. This place of great diversity and variety is where our identity as the Body of Christ was established.

B. The name Christian means “little Christ”

C. Believers were called Christians in Antioch because of their beliefs and their actions.

  1. They showed hospitality

  2. They proclaimed Jesus as Lord and the Way to the Father

IX. If you were named by how you speak, how you dress, how you treat people, what name would you be given?

  • If we are going to truly be Christians, we must demonstrate the actions, attitudes, behaviors, and love of Jesus.

Call to Action:

1. Make a commitment to cross racial, ethnic, gender, socio-economic, even religious barriers to share the good news and love of Jesus Christ with everyone.

2. Repent for holding on to biases and prejudices that create division, hurt, oppression, and injustice.

3. Be committed to living in community with other believers and helping those who need help, even when their problems have nothing to do with your own life.

4. Ask Holy Spirit to show you how to live a life that declares the identity of truly being a Christian to the world.

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