The Church Is Sent to Encourage New Believers
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Imagine that you and your family decided to suddenly move to a new country. Somewhere where the customs are different, that language is different, people even act differently.
How would you think you would react to a change like that?
Q: What would you think would be the most difficult thing to adjust to if you moved to China or to Chile?
Well today we are going to talk about new believers in Christ. In many ways turning your life to Christ is similar to uprooting and changing every part of your life.
1. The people of God celebrate and encourage new believers
1. The people of God celebrate and encourage new believers
Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. 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. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 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, for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord.
Q: Observations
Notice at the beginning.
Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews.
What happened with Stephen?
He was stoned to death.
What did that do to the Christians in the area?
They moved away, back to where they were born or to other cities.
If everything was perfect then all of them would want to stay, no one would choose to move.
The persecution was intended to stop Christians and them preaching that Salvation is through Christ alone but that had the opposite effect.
Notice that in verse 19, they only spoke about Jesus to other Jews.
These are new believers, new converts. Who moving because they fear their safety and they are still speaking about Jesus to other Jews
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
These people are overjoyed with the treasure that they now have even with the risk. Some from Cyprus and Cyrene even spoke to others, the Hellenists
After some of this took place it says that the news got back to Jerusalem so the church in Jerusalem sent Barnabas to one of the cities, Antioch.
2. The people of God disciple new believers
2. The people of God disciple new believers
So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.
Q: Observations?
Barnabas heard the news , sees the growth, the potential and brought Paul to the same place where these new believers met.
We have a lot of people coming to faith. this is obviously a reason to celebrate
It should also cause us to invest in the people. They are like infants, or like someone who just moved here and everything is different.
We speak differently
We act differently
We believe differently
We live different lives
Many of us of have lived in families that have always been believers.
Q: Do anyone know what its like to be a new believer in Christ or have you witnessed someone who has? Whats that experience like?
They need help and guidance, they need Christ like examples
They go from being part of the world, loving the things of the world.
To being in but not of the world, to loving God’s commandments.
This is not a sudden 100% immediate change though and we know that the Christian life can be tough.
What is needed when the Christian life gets tough? Encouragement, training,
Remember we are in a spiritual war. You dont send a person out to fight a war without equipping them, if you do you risk that person losing their life or getting badly hurt because they dont know what to do.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
Then it goes on
Belt of truth
Breastplate of Righteousness
Shield of faith
Helmet of Salvation
Sword of the spirit
Life is difficult for those of us who have been believers for a while, imagine how difficult it must be for new believers who know nothing of this life.
Q: Who is responsible for doing this?
Q: Do you believe you are capable of training a new Christian in the ways to live a Christ filled life?
Jesus commands each and every one of us to be disciple makers. As the great commission says
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
This is excellent and all but there are other things that we need in this life. Encouragement and training is nice but many people still need practical things, food, shelter etc. What about those things?
The next verse discusses just that.
3. The people of God provide for the needs of other believers
3. The people of God provide for the needs of other believers
Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). So the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.
Q: Observations
How often do we hear about a brother or sister in need, something that is a physical need and our default answer is. I will pray for you yet we see here that there is more that can and should be done
Now on the surface only praying for someone sounds holy and righteous and many times it is. But if there is something that we can actually do about it, that might be a selfish answer.
Its like saying “I’ll ask God to help you out in your financial or material need but I wont act as the answer to that prayer.
Here we see that the faith in God lead people to physically provide for each other. This is faith in practice.
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
Q: I have recently come across this question online. Since we pay taxes and taxes are used for social programs to help the poor and underprivileged, is that not enough to count as Christians helping the poor?
You cannot outsource or pass on your responsibility to help your neighbor out. Jesus called us to do His work ourselves, not to elect government officials to be His hands and feet.
If single mothers or widows are suffering, what is the Bible’s response?
For the church and believers to step in
When Children are abandoned and alone, what is the Bible’s response?
For the church and believers to step in.
If any people are in distress and suffering what is the Bibles response?
For the church and believers to step in
I leave you with two Bible passages
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”