Ministry Focus Paper: The Church In Antioch:

Pastor Joseph G. Krygier

 

“And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians

first in Antioch” (Acts 11:26).

 

    From the birthing of the church in Jersualem on the day of Pentecost, to the establishment and growth of the church in Antioch, a process for the church, the body of Christ, passing from infancy to a new found maturity, had been realized. What began with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon a number of Jewish apostles and disciples who witnessed to numbers of Jews from various ethnic groups, culminated in the first major phase of the fullfilment of Christ’s church becoming both a Great Commandment and Great Commission church, multi-racial, multi- cultural and multi-ethnic in its complexion.

    The rightful birthplace of the church was Jerusalem, but why should Antioch become the future center of missionary activity and a more mature model for what the church should be? What did Antioch have in it’s favor to be so blessed?

    Antioch, situated 300 miles north of Jerusalem, was founded by Seleucus Nicator in 301 B.C. and was named for his father, Antiochus. Over a period of time this city was enlarged and embellished. In 64 B.C., it was annexed to Rome by Pompey, and made the capital of Syria. During the Roman civil wars, Antioch survived by persisting in attaching themselves to the winning side. It became known as the “Queen of the East”, and was also called “Antioch the Beautiful”, the third prominent city in the empire after Rome and Alexandria. Its suburb, Daphne, was the cultic pleasure resort for the Mediterranean world. It was a cosmopolitan city inhabited by Syrians, Greeks, Jews and Romans by the time the church was established there. It, like most urban centers of today, was a place of entreprenurial aptitiude, urban vitality, destitute people of all sorts, licentiousness, literature and the arts and it lacked the truth of Christ. However, in God’s wisdom, Antioch became the model of maturity for the body of Christ. It was here that the church came to a maturity that allowed it to go forward and begin its mission to the whole world.

    This city became the base of operations for sending missionaries to the Gentile world, it was Paul’s starting point for three missionary journeys, Acts 13, 15, and 18. It was his personal headquarters, Acts 14.

    In my estimation, the greatest occurance in relation to the church in Antioch was that it was here that they were first called Christians. I do not believe that this was necessarily a deragatory remark. It may have been a bit mockish in tone or one of amazement. Syrians ,Greeks, Romans and Jews living in a multi-racial, multi-ethnic and multi-cultural environment will do what they have to do for business and leisure sake. Any further relationship with “outsiders” does not have to be considered. Segregation within the overall diverse structure of such an urban center is just as prominent today and for the same reasons. But the Christians in Antioch were a different breed.

    The church in Jerusalem was characterized in Acts 2 as being a glowing, growing, going and God gloryifiying body. Wendell Calder says: “They praised God and pleased the group. They exalted God, expounded the Word and evangelized the sinners.” Rick Warren calls them the purpose driven church that “grew warmer through fellowship, deeper through discipleship, stronger through worship, broader through ministry and larger through evangelism.” The evidence shows that they served and sacrificed when needed. All of these factors were the result of obedience to the Word of God and yielding to the Holy Spirit. They observed the ordinaces of baptism and the Lord’s Supper and fasted and prayed. They were the model for doing church. When an ethnic dispute erupted, a God honoring solution was provided and the Word of God increased. The first martyr of the church, Stephen, was murdered with the participation of the one who would become the apostle born out of time, Paul. It was after this event that God made clear why a great persecution was coming upon the church in Jerusalem, this model of rightness for Christ. The Great commission was not being heeded. The church was only in Jerusalem. They had not begun to go out into all the world. The violent dispersion of the church brought fouth a rapid diffusing of the Word and to quote Tertullian, “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” As a result, the Word spread to Samaria, it was carried to Ethiopia by one who was converted in the desert near Gaza, it was preached from Azotus to Caesarea and Damascus and Tarsus, and Lydda and Joppa and then a church was planted in Antioch which was to be unlike any other, at this time, as far as we know from Scripture.

    A church began in Antioch as a result of those who fled the persecution in Jerusalem, the first converts were Jews. But some men from Cyprus and Cyrene came and preached to the Greeks, “And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord” (Acts 11:21). Barnabas was sent to verify what was occuring and soon after he brought Paul along with him and they taught this new congregation for a year. A benevolent offering was collected for the relief of the brethren in Judea and it was delievered by Barnabas and Paul. The interesting factor here is that this new muti-ethnic congregation showed its care for a distant group of believers of a single ethnicity.

    In Acts 13:1-3, we have the fullest insight into this mature model of urban ministry. This church that was begun by ordinary Christians, meaning there was no apostolic presence at the beginning of the work, set the tone for the every member ministry of this church. Three men are named in this passage and what they represent is indicative of what every church should strive for, especially in urban centers of minstry. The three sons of Noah, ie. the three “races” of humankind, are represented in the body of believers in Antioch. Simeon, a son of Ham, Lucius a son of Japheth and Manaen a son of Shem. An African, a Greek and a Jew represent the leadership in the church at Antioch. In this body we see the distinctives of the Great Commision being fleshed out. They are preparing to go into all the world and they are ministering to all of the world represented in their locale. As they ministered in Acts 13:2, the “they” meaning the church, we see a great co-operation of the church and the Holy Spirit. Responsible leadership, ministering, fasting and praying, all the things that characterized the Jerusalem mother church, but now taken to a new level. It is done in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic church. This is why they were called Christians. All of this diversity with a single minded purpose and goal: to go, preach and make disciples of all nations (people groups), baptizing and teaching of Christ and to show the world that they can know us by our love. The ethnic dispute over circumcision was not brought about by the Antiochan brethren but “... certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved” (Acts 15:1). What a pompous statement about a church that was being faithful and obedient to Christ. It is no suprise “When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question” (vs. 2.)

    What is occurring in many of our churches regarding this particular model of New Testament maturity? In my estimation, the current, and hopefully waning idea of the current church growth movement that “birds of a feather flock together,” might build large churches, but very few of them are mature, doctrinally or otherwise. Many, particularly the so called “boomer” and “buster” churches are busy with activity and promotion and spending incredible amounts of money on buildings and lighting and sound systems all to cater to a hedonistic element that has crept into the church and that is, blissfully, in the name of growth, being accommodated. But the urban centers of America are dying and struggling and the churches have little or no resources in more than the majority of congregations. Many sub-urban Christians will not even drive into most urban areas unless their job requires it or a sporting event or concert or other entertainment brings them there. By character and attitude, too many Christians exhibit “racist” tendencies. Most urban center churches, where the problems are at times the most demanding, are segregated, racially, and this is not acceptable, especially if “racial” issues are predominant in the community because Christians have the only solutions to matters of reconciliation.

    There is no doubt that there are mitigating circumstances that lead some cultural, racial or ethnic groups to establish churches that are homogenous. This may be due to a language barrier more than any other circumstance. But I am convinced, that established multi-cultural churches need to help these dear ones along and show them the need for cross cultural involvement to exalt the name of Jesus in a “racist” society where only Christ will make a difference.

    Not only are we living in a time of exponentially increasing heresy finding its way into the pulpit, but Christians are deserting the mission fields of America where the masses are in need of the gospel. Not many rich, noble or wise will respond to the Gospel, but the foolish, weak, base, lowly and despised are the majority of the elect of God, waiting to be called unto salvation, and most of them live in the urban centers of America and the world.

    I am also convinced that this is the most difficult and most rewarding kind of church to build. Personal preferences must be constantly challenged and at times surrendered for the good of the entire body. Doctrine must be taught at every level of meeting. The body of believers may come from many backgrounds and exposure to various elements of church doctrine because of ancestral heritage and tradition. The way of salvation is often not Biblically clear nor properly understood. Many come from nominal “Christian” backgrounds and are surprised when confronted with the demanding truth of scripture.

    We must learn to see the city through the eyes of God. The church planters of the Apostolic era did, and so did Jesus. The city is no more inherently evil than the smallest town in America. Where are most of our serial killers coming from? Evil is only magnified in an urban setting because there are more sinners congregating there. Cities are still havens of rest and justice and economic freedom for millions. They are the cultural and business centers of our nations. They host the diverse populations of a new global community that is ever expanding its borders. The final blessing of God’s sovereign will involving the redeemed is in the setting of a city.

    We must open our eyes to see the Bible as the textbook for effective urban ministry. The Gospel flourished in the cities of the ancient world. It was carried from the cities to the outermost communities. The Epistles of the New Testament and the Revelation were addressed to the believers gathered in cities. Our suburbs are over saturated with self serving churches that have forgotten their brethren and the multitudes in the cities. I believe it was Harvie Conn who cited a survey that 94% of evangelicals live outside of cities of a million or more in population. A suburban theology has grasped the hearts and minds of many, even in the city.. Success is measured by worldly rather than Godly standards. Sacrifice is a thing of the past or is for noble missionaries who go to the deepest jungles and the primitive people groups. Men who are directors of Rescue Missions and other urban center ministries live in wealthy suburbs and are disconnected from the very people they “minister” to. Families do not encourage their children to seek the will of God and calling of God but to be sure to choose a prosperous career. We have what Woodrow Kroll calls the “vanishing ministry.”

    God have mercy on us and revive us again to live according to the models of Biblical maturity with a proper focus on urban ministry.