You Bunch of Christians!
Acts 11:19-26
v. 19 Persecution!
They were running for their lives, under the threat of death!!
They knew if they stayed in
What did they do there?
Have a pity party? Sit around
and lick their wounds? No!
They started a church and started spreading the gospel!
v. 21 Isn’t that wonderful?
God’s Word was
on their lips and God’s hand was on their work!
THESE PEOPLE EXEMPLIFIED CHRIST
SO MUCH THAT THEY WERE CALLED CHRISTIANS HERE AT
What a wonderful label, though
given to them in a derogatory sense…and yet you and I should wear it as a badge
of honor!
Christian
= Follower of Christ, imitator of…,
little Christ.
It’s worthwhile for us to
examine now what qualities they possessed that caused those in the region to
label them as Christians.
One preacher asked,
“If you were taken to court
and accused of being a Christian…would there be enough evidence to convict?”
Do you and I have the right to
call ourselves Christians? Are we
truly cut from that same cloth?
These
disciples reminded the locals of Jesus Christ because:
1.
They witnessed like Jesus.
v. 20 “Preaching” isn’t a
reference to what I’m doing right now…the word actually means “evangelizing”.
It was a lifestyle 24/7, not just
And that reminded the
locals of Jesus…for everywhere He went His chief concern was the souls of men.
Jn. 4—woman at the well:
Jesus went out of His way to talk to her about her soul!
Nicodemus, who came to Christ
under cover of darkness one night…Jesus talked to him about his soul.
Rich Young Ruler who asked
“What must I do to inherit eternal life?”…Jesus talked to him about his soul.
The disciples did the same
thing, and it reminded that town of
Let’s say I’m a prosecutor, and
I call you to the stand now and ask you, “How many people did you witness to
this week?” If your answer is zero,
well, better proceed with a different question, there’s no evidence yet to help
me convict you as a Christian!
Jesus said in
Matthew
4:19
Follow me, and I
will make you fishers of men.
He didn’t say I might, or I
will make some of you…or your
pastor, a fisher of men…
It’s not a spiritual gift, it’s
a command.
Most of us are content to
be “keepers of the aquarium!”
Christian means follower of
Christ. So, even if you’ve been
saved, I ask you, are you a Christian?
Are you following Christ?
The
gospel in 2 words:
“Come” and “Go”.
Jesus says for us to come to Him and then to go and tell others!
Churches
today have a lot of hugs inside but not much heart for others
outside.
We’ve become a “holy huddle”…we’ve forgotten why we exist.
Luke 14:23
Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in,
that my house may be filled.
“Compel” is a strong word
meaning “do whatever it takes” to get them in here!
Most churches are like the
little boy whose mommy called to him saying, “Get dressed, we have to go
somewhere”. He replied, “I ain’t
goin’!” She replied, that’s not
right, son, it’s…
You ARE not going, we ARE not
going, I AM not going…understand?
“Yes ma’am, sounds like
ain’t nobody going!”
Listen, when it comes to
soulwinning in the church today, ain’t nobody going!
I can’t find one verse in the
Bible where lost people are commanded to come to church…but I can show you
hundreds of verses where you and I are commanded to go out and get them!
Bottom line:
we just don’t care…we’ve become so self-centered that we’ve lost our
compassion and our vision for the lost!
Psalm 126:5-6
They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless
come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.
See Jesus today in
Mark
And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with
compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd…
See Paul in
Romans 9:3
For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren,
my kinsmen according to the flesh.
[I would go to hell for them if
they’d only get saved!]
See Jeremiah the Prophet in
Jeremiah 9:1
Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I
might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!
Now, when’s the last time you
wept over a lost soul?! When did you
last cry bitter tears over your unsaved family members who are bound for
hell?/lost friends are heading down the highway for hell?
Have a lack of compassion
lately? Confess it to God today as a
sin. Here’s
a great tragedy:
A dry-eyed church in a hell-bent world!
True story:
September 1985 a celebration at a
As the party was breaking up and the four
lifeguards on duty began to clear the pool, they found a fully dressed body
in the deep end. They tried to revive Jerome Moody, thirty-one, but it was
too late. He had drowned surrounded by lifeguards.
Don't leave this place lost today, when you
are surrounded by Christians.
And Christians, let's take seriously our job -- to dive in and rescue those
drowning in sin!
Why were the disciples called
this name, “Christians”? Because
they witnessed like Jesus…
2.
They discipled like Jesus.
v. 22-23
They had a specialist.
·
They
dispatched a man, Barnabas. It was his job
to reproduce himself in those new converts!
Make it your job!
·
They
designed his mission, v.
23—“exhort” means “encourage”…Barnabas means “son of encouragement”…our job is
to encourage them along!
Here’s a blessing for you:
v. 25-26
This Saul is the man later named Paul, the Apostle…how many of you are
thankful for his ministry? You
should be! He’s the reason you’re
saved today, humanly speaking. Paul
took the gospel to
If you thank God for Paul,
you have to thank God for Barnabas, for as v. 26 says, he mentored Paul for a
whole year at
When Saul got saved, he went
back to his home at
And Saul became Paul and
little did he know but Paul became the greatest missionary/evangelist in
history!
Barnabas gave him a year of his
life…much like Jesus, who preached to multitudes on a few occasions, but for the
most part, spent his 3 years of ministry pouring Himself into 12 men who then
turned the world upside-down!
Why were these disciples called
the name “Christians”?
They witnessed like Jesus, they discipled like
Jesus…
3.
They gave like Jesus.
v. 27-30
Here’s these new believers taking up a sacrificial collection for those
in need. Folks, that’s just like
Jesus, who gave everything! Money?
It's all His, not just 10%...though that's a good starting point.
Time? It's all His, not just
a church service here or there. Your
strength? It's all His, and we
should strive to serve Him with our strength, to use the breath He provides to
form words of witness to the lost, and encourage and disciple one another!
Well, son…and he described
these concepts. Then his heart broke
when his son asked…
“Daddy, have
I ever seen a Christian?”
Maybe you’ve been saved, but,
are you a Christian? Not just in
name, but are you a follower of Christ?
If accused of being one, would
there be enough evidence to convict you?