Sermon Tone Analysis

Church Growth Done Right

(Acts 11:19-30)

June 5, 2022

Read Acts 11:19-30 – There’s a a clear theme in this passage.

21b) “And a great number who believed turned to the Lord.”

24h) “And a great many people were added to the Lord.”

This is all about Jesus building His church.

The 20th century saw an interesting phenomenon -- the application of sociological and business principles to growing churches, which resulted in “seeker-sensitive churches” – audience sovereignty – entertainment spectacles – and targeted audiences, usually of a single ethnic and sociological background -- and, in far too many cases, the loss of the gospel message as too offensive for the average person.

Marketing Jesus has led to churches that offer good advice rather than a word from God!

It’s about therapy, not conversion.

Leadership Journal, an evangelical magazine for pastors was analyzed for content over the years.

Every conceivable church problem and methodology was there.

Yet, less than 1% of the articles had any reference to Scripture, or any serious theological content.

We’ve come to believe we are to build the church.

Yet Jesus said: Mt 16:18b: “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

I will build my church – not you, me!

So – we do nothing?

Of course not.

But our job is to get Jesus front and center, not hidden in a back room to avoid giving offense.

This all seriously undercuts Jesus’ rightful identity as Savior and Lord – and until you know Him that way, you don’t know Him at all.

So, how does Jesus grow His church and what is our part?

Here are four elementary principles.

I. Through Little People Preaching Christ

19 Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch.”

This intro takes us back to Acts 8:1 where after the execution of Stephen, “there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria.”

Many of those were Hellenistic Jews who had become Christ-followers and returned to their homelands, including the island of Cyprus, Phoenicia, along the coast, and the city of Antioch, 300 miles north of Jerusalem.

In new homes they shared Christ.

No doubt they went to the local synagogue, identified themselves with fellow Jews, then shared they’d found the One who fulfilled all the OT Messianic prophecies – Jesus of Nazareth.

Good news.

God delivered!

But then the remarkable happened.

20 “But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus.”

Antioch was the 3rd largest city in the empire, behind Rome and Alexandria – a major commercial center on the Orontes River, often likened to NYC.

It’s half million people included a large Jewish population.

Its main street was 4 miles long, paved with marble and lined with stores.

It was the only city in the ancient world with street lights!

It was also a city of gross immorality, 2nd only to Corinth.

The Temple of Daphne was located in a grove 5 miles out of town where Apollo’s pursuit of Daphne was reenacted day and night by men of the city and temple priestesses -- ritual prostitutes.

Throughout the world “the morals of Daphne” was a euphemism for depravity.

The Roman satirist, Juvenal, complained, “The sewage of the Syrian Orontes has for long been discharged into the Tiber” meaning it was so corrupt it impacted Rome from 1300 miles away.

Yet, Antioch became site of a great church and base for Paul’s mission activities.

That started when “men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus.

These “Hellenists” were Gentiles, as the are contrasted with “Jews” in v. 19.

Thus the NASB, NIV and KJV all translate Greeks.

Men from Cyrene and Cyprus arrived, maybe on business, and began sharing Christ with the Gentiles – the first mass evangelism of Gentiles.

Maybe they knew of Peter’s visit to Cornelius, maybe not.

In any case, this was clearly a turning point in the history of the church.

They came “preaching the Lord Jesus.”

Same core message, but different emphasis.

To Jews, emphasis was on how Jesus fulfilled the OT prophecies of Messiah.

Most Gentiles didn’t care about that, but they were interested in someone who could save them from life’s calamities and offer life after death.

As the emperor increasingly claimed the title of Lord, to preach that the title most properly belonged to Jesus gained an immediate hearing – allowing the case to be strengthened by showing how He did fulfill ancient prophecies, and how His resurrection solidified His right to the title.

Jesus was both Messiah and Lord, but by emphasizing the latter, they fit message to audience.

Above all, this shows Jesus building His church apart from human methods.

These men came with no official direction, no human instruction, no precedent – nothing but a burning love for Christ, and they revolutionized this city.

So, one of the most critical steps in the growth of the church was accomplished by laymen whose names we do not even know.

But while unknown to us, God knows.

God loves to do great things thru little people.

Little people.

One guy down south went to a church surrounded by dusty roads.

He wanted to pave them.

Everyone told him he’d never get the permits.

But after 5 persistent months, he had them.

A man named Gus led the construction.

After the work was done, the man who started it, tho he’d never met Gus, wrote him expressing his appreciation for a job well done.

A few days later, Gus’ wife showed up.

She said, “Gus has been working for the city for years, and no one ever wrote a letter of appreciation.”

She said, “Gus read your letter over and over and just cried.”

Next Sunday, Gus and his wife were in church.

Six weeks later they were baptized as new believers.

A few months later, Gus died of a heart attack.

Think evangelism is street-corner preaching?

It can be a simple as a letter of appreciation in Jesus’ name.

God’s ways are not our ways.

He builds His church – one little person at a time.

There’s no greater honor than to be one of Jesus’ little people, is there?

II.

Through Spirit-Filled Encouragement

It wasn’t long before the church in Jerusalem heard rumblings out of Antioch and decided to check it out.

And who better to send than Barnabas?

He was from the area – Cyprus.

He was generous and consistently lived up to his name – “son of encouragement.”

Get a church full of sons and daughters of encouragement and you’d change the world.

And: 24) “For he was a good man, full of the HS and faith.”

He was a Spirit-filled man – constantly looking to the HS within for guidance, exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit in his daily life.

So it’s no surprise to read, 23 “When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose.”

Imagine if a legalist had been sent?

Wait, you can’t mix Jew and Gentile.

These people are not kosher.

They’re not circumcised.

They’ve got to adopt Jewish regulations and rituals.”

But not Barnabas.

He looked and said, “This is different.

But this is God’s grace at work.”

Barnabas knew the truth of Eph 2:14 when Paul said regarding Jew/Gentile relations: “For he himself [Jesus] is our peace.”

He doesn’t make peace; He is peace.

The closer we all come to Him, the closer we will come to each other.

“Remain faithful to the Lord.”

That’s what Barnabas encouraged.

You want to help Jesus build His church?