New Days, New (Old) Ways
Acts 11:19-30
No one likes to get tragic news. The early church in Jerusalem got the terrible news that their fellow Christian, Stephen, had been killed because he believed in Jesus. His death shocked his church family. It wasn’t long, though, before more violence and persecution of Christians began. Thousands of believers left the holy city, scattering across the region.
While many of us may have been uprooted at some point in our life, and moved to a new place, those who quickly packed and left Jerusalem probably did so under the cover of darkness. They took what they could carry and fled.
Today’s Scripture lesson follows one of the displaced groups: they traveled 300 miles north of Jerusalem to Antioch of Syria. It would have been an exhausting journey, especially for those who were vulnerable, like infants, pregnant women, the elderly, and the sick. Pause for just a moment and imagine the mass of displaced refugees. They would never see their homes again. Or harvest what was planted in their gardens. All was left behind.
Antioch was their destination. It was the third largest city in the region - an estimated half-million people lived there. It was a thriving commercial hub connecting Rome to the West with Asia in the East. There was a wide road running north to south lined with marble columns, and another road went west to east with a two-mile long paved marble road; it too was lined with marble columns. The city was affectionately called the Queen of the East. It was divided into four quarters, each with walls that marked out their distinct area. Historians say there were at least 18 different ethnic groups living there at the time. Given the huge population, the continuous flow of goods and people, and the diverse make-up of the city, tensions ran high, and it’s reported that riots were common.
This was what the newly-arriving Christians encountered. They had to find lodging, work, and food. It seems they were resilient; they adapted and settled into their new life. They also continued to meet in one another’s homes for prayer, shared meals, and fellowship. There was worship on the Sabbath, then rest and time spent with family.
The community of Jewish Christians was thriving, yet they had no pastor among them, no missionary or apostle. Each person just did what God had gifted them to do and the church became rooted.
A very normal thing these early Christians did was share their faith. There were people still living who’d spent time with Jesus and their eyewitness accounts were exciting. They’d probably been blessed to hear those eyewitnesses preach and teach in Jerusalem. Now they were in a city where it could be their turn to pass on the news. There was an abundance of teachings and parables they could talk about. The accounts of Jesus healing people were fascinating as well. How closely people paid attention when it came to Jesus’ last Holy Week. Every part of that memorable week was described for people who never heard the news before.
Jesus’ death they could imagine, and his burial, but how could someone who was dead come to life? Yet all of the first-hand witnesses agreed he was resurrected -- he was the Son of God, the one we can ask to be our Savior.
The Christians in Antioch understood what it means to be part of “the priesthood of believers”. A priest’s main role is to connect people to God; the believers helped connect people to God as they shared all that they knew about Jesus! It’s good for us to remember that there will be seekers in every time and place, people searching for truth, meaning, and answers. When we share our faith, we too can connect people with Jesus. When the believers in Antioch did this, we’re told that God’s hand was upon them and he blessed them.
Another essential practice was for everyone to keep growing in their faith. This happened in small groups or larger ones; it was a communal experience. New Christians, who had confessed their sins, asked forgiveness, and received the assurance of salvation - by faith and through grace - were eager to learn more. What they learned then is similar to what we’d call a Discipleship 101class.
All the believers were devoted to learning, wanting to mature in their faith, so their thoughts and actions were holy and aligned with the will and ways of God. Barnabas was a leader who came to Antioch to encourage them; he also shared the Gospel and a great number believed. He left and found Saul, then together they taught large numbers of people. By that point it’s likely that there were Christians in all four quarters of the city, and some of those believers also came from each of the 18 different ethnic groups. We know some were Jewish in background, others were Gentiles, and yet others Greeks. The leadership in Antioch - those that came for a season, then went on mission trips - was also diverse. The book of Acts reveals that the early church had a cross-cultural team of leaders.
There’s one last important event involving the Christians in Antioch. Several prophets from Jerusalem had visited. One named Agabus, filled with the Holy Spirit, predicted that a terrible famine would soon devastate the entire Roman world. Immediately word spread, and a financial gift was collected. We’re told that every disciple contributed as much as they could to help their fellow Christians back in Judea. They didn’t give a token amount, a pittance. The church in Antioch was compassionate and generous.
Word gets around - it’s inevitable, no matter where we live. News passed, through formal channels and quite effectively through non-official networks, about the “Jesus people” in Antioch. They had rapidly grown, but they used no name for themselves. A word was coined for them, a simple descriptive one: they were called Christians. It was a perfect fit because “Christ” was a word that was often on their lips.
A few millennia have passed since the believers in Antioch were first called Christians. Modern day “church experts” might say that, “New days call for new ways.” I’d counter and say we need “New Old Ways”. We have to hold fast to the core as Jesus people, but allow for fresh expressions. The main ingredients of being church together are the same, but we can innovate in faithful ways. The characteristics of a committed Christian should be recognizable in any century, but the impact that could be made is far wider than ever before.
Everything I’ve shared about the Christians in Antioch offers us a template:
While many of us may have been uprooted at some point in our life, and moved to a new place, those who quickly packed and left Jerusalem probably did so under the cover of darkness. They took what they could carry and fled.
Today’s Scripture lesson follows one of the displaced groups: they traveled 300 miles north of Jerusalem to Antioch of Syria. It would have been an exhausting journey, especially for those who were vulnerable, like infants, pregnant women, the elderly, and the sick. Pause for just a moment and imagine the mass of displaced refugees. They would never see their homes again. Or harvest what was planted in their gardens. All was left behind.
Antioch was their destination. It was the third largest city in the region - an estimated half-million people lived there. It was a thriving commercial hub connecting Rome to the West with Asia in the East. There was a wide road running north to south lined with marble columns, and another road went west to east with a two-mile long paved marble road; it too was lined with marble columns. The city was affectionately called the Queen of the East. It was divided into four quarters, each with walls that marked out their distinct area. Historians say there were at least 18 different ethnic groups living there at the time. Given the huge population, the continuous flow of goods and people, and the diverse make-up of the city, tensions ran high, and it’s reported that riots were common.
This was what the newly-arriving Christians encountered. They had to find lodging, work, and food. It seems they were resilient; they adapted and settled into their new life. They also continued to meet in one another’s homes for prayer, shared meals, and fellowship. There was worship on the Sabbath, then rest and time spent with family.
The community of Jewish Christians was thriving, yet they had no pastor among them, no missionary or apostle. Each person just did what God had gifted them to do and the church became rooted.
A very normal thing these early Christians did was share their faith. There were people still living who’d spent time with Jesus and their eyewitness accounts were exciting. They’d probably been blessed to hear those eyewitnesses preach and teach in Jerusalem. Now they were in a city where it could be their turn to pass on the news. There was an abundance of teachings and parables they could talk about. The accounts of Jesus healing people were fascinating as well. How closely people paid attention when it came to Jesus’ last Holy Week. Every part of that memorable week was described for people who never heard the news before.
Jesus’ death they could imagine, and his burial, but how could someone who was dead come to life? Yet all of the first-hand witnesses agreed he was resurrected -- he was the Son of God, the one we can ask to be our Savior.
The Christians in Antioch understood what it means to be part of “the priesthood of believers”. A priest’s main role is to connect people to God; the believers helped connect people to God as they shared all that they knew about Jesus! It’s good for us to remember that there will be seekers in every time and place, people searching for truth, meaning, and answers. When we share our faith, we too can connect people with Jesus. When the believers in Antioch did this, we’re told that God’s hand was upon them and he blessed them.
Another essential practice was for everyone to keep growing in their faith. This happened in small groups or larger ones; it was a communal experience. New Christians, who had confessed their sins, asked forgiveness, and received the assurance of salvation - by faith and through grace - were eager to learn more. What they learned then is similar to what we’d call a Discipleship 101class.
All the believers were devoted to learning, wanting to mature in their faith, so their thoughts and actions were holy and aligned with the will and ways of God. Barnabas was a leader who came to Antioch to encourage them; he also shared the Gospel and a great number believed. He left and found Saul, then together they taught large numbers of people. By that point it’s likely that there were Christians in all four quarters of the city, and some of those believers also came from each of the 18 different ethnic groups. We know some were Jewish in background, others were Gentiles, and yet others Greeks. The leadership in Antioch - those that came for a season, then went on mission trips - was also diverse. The book of Acts reveals that the early church had a cross-cultural team of leaders.
There’s one last important event involving the Christians in Antioch. Several prophets from Jerusalem had visited. One named Agabus, filled with the Holy Spirit, predicted that a terrible famine would soon devastate the entire Roman world. Immediately word spread, and a financial gift was collected. We’re told that every disciple contributed as much as they could to help their fellow Christians back in Judea. They didn’t give a token amount, a pittance. The church in Antioch was compassionate and generous.
Word gets around - it’s inevitable, no matter where we live. News passed, through formal channels and quite effectively through non-official networks, about the “Jesus people” in Antioch. They had rapidly grown, but they used no name for themselves. A word was coined for them, a simple descriptive one: they were called Christians. It was a perfect fit because “Christ” was a word that was often on their lips.
A few millennia have passed since the believers in Antioch were first called Christians. Modern day “church experts” might say that, “New days call for new ways.” I’d counter and say we need “New Old Ways”. We have to hold fast to the core as Jesus people, but allow for fresh expressions. The main ingredients of being church together are the same, but we can innovate in faithful ways. The characteristics of a committed Christian should be recognizable in any century, but the impact that could be made is far wider than ever before.
Everything I’ve shared about the Christians in Antioch offers us a template:
- Their church grew and grew because everyone was excited about telling others about Jesus
- They had an everyday, authentic faith
- They enjoyed learning more as Christians
- They were in worship every week
- They gave whatever they could when there was a need