Are You Willing to Risk Your Good Reputation to Save 'Bad' People Like Jesus Did?

Sorry I'm a bit late because of Spring Break!

Read Acts 11:19-26

Title in NIV: Antioch receives the Good News.

You learn something new everyday. When I was preparing for this post, I learned that there are two towns named Antioch. Did you know that?

Sometime between A.D. 32 and A.D. 62 the word Christian was coined at Antioch, however people were Christians before Jesus ever died. They were followers of Jesus, thus Christians. I heard someone say that the Catholic religion is older than the Christians, but if Catholics say their faith’s founder is Peter, then Peter was a follower of Jesus, thus Peter was a Christian before he ‘founded’ what is now know as the Catholic church. Therefore, Christian is still older than Catholic.

 I guess the white smoke rose from the chimney the other day signifying a Pope was selected. Those millions of people waiting in the rain to see the smoke as evidence they had a representative to God again. Sad that they do not understand that the curtain was ripped and they can communicate with God directly. They don’t need an earthly mediator. They just need Jesus Christ as their mediator.

After the stoning of Stephen in chapter seven, men scattered as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch. They told the message of Jesus only to Jews, but some from Cyprus and Cyrene went to Antioch to speak to Greeks also about the good news of Jesus. The Lord’s hand was with these men and a great number turned to the Lord.

What is your roll in the Kingdom? Do you plant the seed of the Word? Do you water the seed planted by someone else? Do you encourage growth? Do you keep quiet and think someone else will do it? What is your roll?

I am so thankful for the men and women who were bold in proclaiming the Word of God. “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it,” Matthew 11:12. Are you advancing the kingdom passively or aggressively?   

What does it look like to advance the kingdom of God? A little farther down in Matthew it says, “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners.” But wisdom is proved right by her actions.” Jesus was willing to risk the appearance of a bad reputation to save souls and share salvation. Are you?

Back to Antioch. Barnabas was sent there from Jerusalem when they heard that a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. He encouraged them to remain true to the Lord with all their heart.  Barnabas went to Tarsus and found Saul (not named Paul yet.) They went to Antioch and for more than a year they taught a great number of people.

The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.