The Antioch Church Called by God to Proclaim Only Christ (Acts 13:1-4)
Today’s main scripture reading was a very important thing that happened to the church of Antioch. Before the Antioch Church, there were the people of the mark’s upper room church, that’s the Early Church. And the same works that took place in Mark’s upper room took place in the church at Antioch, so the same things happened according to God’s time schedule. After Stephen’s martyrdom, the people were scattered, and God allowed the people to scatter to the Antioch church and to deliver the message to the Gentiles in the region. God allowed Stephen’s martyrdom, and through that incident, the gospel was proclaimed to the entire region.
Because the persecution was so severe, the people scattered to the places like Antioch, and this happened as a result of martyrdom. In that region, they proclaimed the gospel to the Greeks in that region, and they raised up a church in Antioch, the Antioch Church. The church of Antioch was the place where people gathered, and it was completely separate from the Jerusalem Church.
Until this church was raised up, Barnabas and Paul were the main figures. Barnabas was someone who personally was in Mark’s upper room, held onto God’s Word, receive the works and saw world evangelization. Because The Greeks had no idea who Jesus Christ is the gospel was the first thing and imagine how much they talked about the gospel of Jesus Christ that they received the nickname of “Christian,” meaning they emphasized the imprint, root, nature of only Christ. These people had so few things to talk about, all they talked about was Christ, so they called them Christians to mock them.
Why did they have no choice but to talk about Jesus? Because Christ is the solution to all problems. That’s why every time someone brought up a problem, the only thing they could talk about was Christ, and all the Gentiles and Greeks realized, “All they can talk about is Christ,” so they were called “Christians.” These were the things that took place in mark’s upper room and the church of Jerusalem 2000 years ago, and I believe God will work in the same way today.
May you finish everything with Christ, because if you don’t, and even if you go to heaven, it won’t be finished for you. Because everything is finished through Christ, we only talk about Christ. Because Christ has finished all the problems of our past, present, and future, along with all the incidences, we talk about Christ.
Does that mean when we talk about Christ, we won’t have problems? Many people think about using the name of Jesus Christ to solve the problems like in a Dracula movie where you hold up a cross and vampires run away. You think you can scream “Christ,” but the problem is still there. You think that, just if you hold up the necklace of a cross, then Dracula will run away, but many people have this kind of shamanistic faith.
In reality, they’re seized. A shamanistic faith means you’re seized by something, it means you haven’t been properly liberated yet. What does it mean that Christ is the answer to all problems? We’re not talking about the answer like, when you face a problem and use the name of Jesus Christ, then the problem will go away, but I’m saying the answer is within Christ, not within me, so we have no choice but to pray.
That’s why we talk about Christ, Christ, Christ, in other words, the gospel, prayer, and evangelism. No matter what problem, it’s only Christ Who is our answer. Confirm the fact that He has already finished everything on the cross. We keep talking about this in the church, we talk about Christ from the Old Testament. In all the problems that arise, they talk about Christ and have to relay this message to others so they relay Christ, and that was the Early Church and the Antioch Church.
Nowadays, there are many Bible studies, and because people aren’t satisfied with that, they go to YouTube to study deeper, and because that’s insufficient as well, they create many programs. That would be great if it were a process for someone who had already finished everything in Jesus Christ, but if you haven’t, you’re just living a religious life. God has given us the answer of Jesus Christ, but instead of starting form that point, you’re trying to solve something through Christ, so that’s religion, and no matter how much you live a religious life, it won’t end because you’re not going down a path that has an answer, so you’ll never find an answer.
There are an incredible number of people like this, and they surround you. On the outside, they talk about the Bible with words of faith, but they don’t have the answer within. Because they don’t have the answer, it means they don’t have rest or peace, and they have fear and anxiety and worry and emptiness within them, so either they struggle very diligently or they’ve just given up. Then, even if there are hundreds of people like this, this is not Biblical.
These people have the nature of spirituality so they work diligently and have no choice but to do so, but they still don’t have the answer, and that’s why they evangelize as well. These people only feel at rest when they’re very active, they’re only using the word “evangelism” to solve their own spiritual problems , but in reality they’re revealing their spiritual problems.
Some people really cannot stay still, they have religiosity so they think they have to accomplish something or do something to stay at rest. They have no answer, but those who have the answer are different. To those who have the answer and work diligently, and every time they move, it’s good because that’s how they can relay the answer, and they can handle their work because they have the answer.
If you don’t have the answer, then you yourself will first have fears and worries; you won’t have peace. We have to keep concentrating on the answer, but instead you work so diligently on the things that aren’t the answer. It’s possible the church may continuously package their own spiritual problems on the outside, and because they work so diligently, it’s possible they misunderstand that as something working out, and that’s religion.
They have programs, we call that humanism, and that won’t work in the Antioch Church. These are those who have the answer of only Christ, so it doesn’t matter what problem they face because He is the answer and He is with me as life. I have died on the cross and He lives within me, and you must have this to receive the Holy Spirit, and from that point on, we’ll have spiritual calm and this is someone who won’t work to overcome their spiritual fear. They work diligently out of thanksgiving. They work diligently for the goal of testifying this truth.
But if someone works so diligently because they fear having to provide for themselves, that’s a religious life. If someone tries this or that method so diligently because they’re afraid of what will happen in the future, they will head down a course that has no answer.
The Antioch Church had this answer, and that’s why unbelievers gave them the nickname of “Chrsitians.” I’m not saying we’re chanting “Christ, Christ,” like a shaman or fortune-teller, but you have no fear no matter what problem you face. Paul and Barnabas raised up disciples and trained them to have the imprint, root, nature of Christ for two years.
Some people read the Old Testament, but if you don’t see Christ there, it’s all useless. The Bible talks about Christ, and if you want to talk about Christ, you can only see Christ if you know the problem of mankind; if you don’t know the problem, you cannot have Christ as the answer. Is the problem of mankind money? The Bible says no. Is unemployment the problem of mankind? The Bible says no, then what is the problem? It is the problem of not believing in God. We have fear because we don’t believe, and that’s why you’re afraid you may lose your job or that your life is ruined. The reason why Christ is the answer is because he’s finished that problem, and now he takes complete responsibility for my life and I’m a child of God.
The one who prays with this answer and lives their walk of faith with this answer, that’s the Antioch Church. It’s an extremely great location, too, because all the great leaders who moved the world had to travel through that region. So, it’s an extremely good location to proclaim the gospel to all the end of the earth like Los Angeles or New York today.
This is where God raised up the Antioch Church, not the building but He moved the individuals there, then He created the Greeks to be the target and did the life and gospel movement there. So the people who saw and experienced the works that took place in Mark’s upper room came to this place and planted that within these people.
People who don’t have teeth will get false teeth implanted, but there are people who personally received the Holy Spirit from Mark’s Upper Room, and they proclaimed this to the church of Antioch, and that was Barnabas who trained Paul because they wouldn’t otherwise know what happened in mark’s upper room, so they raised up disciples and the church.
It says in Acts 13:1 that there were prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simon,called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene,Manaen and Saul. There were many people there, but God chose these five individuals. Acts 13:2. At the very least, there were people who were able to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. If you’re so strong in your own thoughts , you cannot hear the Holy Spirit. Those people are put on the wayside, but those who are able to put aside their thoughts and to listen to the Holy Spirit of God are raised up.
Acts 13:2, “to the work to which I have called them.” There were five people set apart to do the work the Lord called them to do. For someone who still hasn’t received the answer and conclusion of Christ, they have to live their own life, but if you call these people, they cannot do the work of the Lord as they haven’t overcome their self-centeredness. Even if the Holy Spirit speaks to them, they can’t listen because they’re so strong in their own thoughts. It doesn’t matter if someone relays the plan of God because they’re focused on success and money.
“Set apart Barnabas and Paul for the work I have called them to.” They were separated, so after fasting and prayer, they laid hands and prayed for them and sent them out. Within the Antioch Church, there were people who had reached the conclusion of Christ and could listen to God. Those who couldn’t listen to God’s voice wouldn’t belong there, they had to be able to listen to the voice of God.
They are the ones prepared to do the work to which God has called them, so in other words, these are the people who can devote for God’s covenant. There were five people raised for this, and among them, two were separately set apart. The fact they were prayed upon and sent off means they were chosen. They were sent to Selucia by the Holy Spirit in Acts 13:4. This is what happened in the Early Church, and all the people would pray for them to be sent out, and they also had coworkers and among them, there were those who hadn’t received the answers yet because they were new believers who just received the answer yesterday. They raised up the new believers and did the work God called home for.
From Antioch, they were called to Selucia and did the first work of the Holy Spirit by declaring the gospel. Because there’s no other answer than the gospel of Jesus Christ, they’re bound to talk about that. “Pastor, what should I talk about?” What else is there to talk about? Only Christ, it’s because you haven’t been trained yet and you haven’t come to the answer yet. You’ve heard about Christ, but you haven’t come to the answer, but once you have the answer, there’s nothing else because it’s only Christ.
“Yes it’s only Christ but how do I relay the answer?” It’s because you haven’t seen their problem within God’s Word. Because you don’t see the problem through God’s word, you say, “Yes, I know it’s Christ, but how do I give this Word?” That’s a foolish question, but five were able to do that and were sent out separately, and it didn’t matter whom they met, but it’s Christ. No matter what region they went to, it’s Christ. How do you raise up people like this? Because if you don’t raise up people like this, everything is futile because you have the answer but you don’t know the answer . God gave us all the answers but we don’t know them as the answer, and because you don’t know that it’s the answer, you’ll be so miserable in life, and that’s why you do your unnecessary work. All your work is already contained within God’s work, but you’re doing unnecessary, double work. If you don’t have the answer of Christ, even your job will be hard, because you don’t have the answer, you’ll do something by yourself, and imagine how difficult that is, how difficult is it for the kids to study? But even if you don’t know very much, if you do everything you do for Christ, at least you’ll know that, but that’s not being relayed to them so they have to do everything by themselves . We have been given the answer of Christ, but the answer hasn’t been relayed yet. That’s why instead, we’re doing things with our efforts and diligence, and that would be good, but it’s for themselves, not for the Lord, then it doesn’t matter how big the church is, it’s not for the Early Church.
In every region, we must give the answer to change them, but because we don’t give the answer, disasters enter and they hit the believers first. “I thought you said disasters were finished , but why do you talk about disasters ?” Don’t you think it’s a disaster to not be able to enjoy the blessings? It’s not just neutral because the devil will drag you into disasters. If someone was perfectly fine but they were afflicted with panic attacks, don’t you think that’s a disaster? Yes, there are many who suffer due to natural disasters like in New Orleans, but what about the people here afflicted by everything so they can’t live? If the storm passes over, they can move to somewhere like California, but you can’t move away from Satan’s disasters.
A person is perfectly fine when they believe in Jesus Christ, but they don’t have the answer, so they’re taken in by it, and their life isn’t working out. Already their life is so difficult, but they come to church and get criticized, so of course they can’t endure it. It’s because, unlike the Antioch CHurch, we haven’t received the answer that Jesus is the Christ. We think in a very worldly way, “If we do a lot of different things, it would be good.”
They do a lot of things, and that’s good, but it’s only good if those many things are only done to give the answer of only Christ. On the other hand, if they’re doing all these things as an act of struggling because they don’t have the answer, that’s religion. The ones who have the answer and the ones who give the answer. If someone has the answer, it means even if they face a problem, they have the answer.
Do you know why students’ hearts race when they go into a problem? It’s because they don’t have the answer, but some people are completely fine when they solve problems because they know the answer no matter what. Then even with those people, imagine how different they are. One thinks their life is over if they don’t have the answer, and the other has the answer so they have no fear.
Their fear doesn’t go away because they do many different things, but they enjoy the life of Jesus Christ and fear goes away. If you’re constantly worried, it means you have fear. What is worry? It’s fear, and why are we afraid? Think about it, we’re afraid because we’re not enjoying life. If something worrisome comes your way, all of that is answered, but if you don’t have that answer, you have fear. As a result of our sin, we have death ; as a result of our death, we live our lives in fear of death, that is, Satan who controls our lives and pushes us towards disaster. Then what is the answer? The only answer to sin and death is life, only the light can cast out fear, and Satan cannot touch that. There’s no other answer.
No matter what problem comes your way, it doesn’t matter because the One who is life guides us and He has the answer. You must always have this and enjoy this. Work while you enjoy this, and work to testify of this. According to the time schedule, five people were like this, so God called these peoples and sent them to Selucia, a place prepared according to God’s time schedule, and then they transferred the answers from mark’s upper room there, and over there, as they held onto the promise and covenant as they prayed, God answered and gave the same answer there. This is the work of the Antioch CHurch.
THen what did the people in that region do? The church officers did this same work, region by region because they all had their jobs there, so they couldn’t leave, and so they did this work there. THey’re going in for a work to which the Lord has called them. That is why God opens the blessings of meeting by the work of the Holy Spirit so they may be the witnesses to the ends of the earth. They do all that work for the work of saving lives.
These works are going to arise for those who have received the answer of going into God’s time schedule. If they haven’t had this answer yet, they’ll try to live and survive; because they don’t have an answer, they’re afflicted when they face problems; when they face the threat of being fired from their job, they worry and are anxious because they don’t have the answer; however, through the church officers who received the answer of only Christ according to God’s time schedule, the answer of mark’s upper room is given in that region.
All problems are finished in only Christ. See how He guides us. Why do we pray for this work? It means we are working to proclaim the gospel, and that’s aligned with God because that’s the work God has called you to do. That’s the Antioch Church, then what is today’s Antioch Church? It’s the church that does this. If you’re doing the work you want to do and not the work God called you to do, that’s not the church . The reason you do your own work is because you don’t have the answer, so you have no choice but to do your own work .
It’s difficult for a church that doesn’t have the answer because if there’s a gathering of many people who don’t have the answer, when they face a problem, they scatter and disappear. Yes, that’s better than going to a temple, but they won’t be able to give the answer to change the region, they are not going to be able to change the region and when people come into the church, they won’t be given the answer so they will shake left and right. But if you know the answer is Christ and the answer is within Christ, then you wait until Christ works and you gather together to pray for that.
You Say Christ is the answer, then Christ of course has to work. Then nothing will be a problem ; in fact, the greater the problems you face, the greater the answers are, that is the one who will give the answers to the problem of the region. What do you think is the problem of the region? You give the answer to other people, and you go to your work and school to the work that the spirit of the Lord has called you to do, and that becomes a regional church. The work the Holy Spirit has called you to do is the life movement and raise disciples , “How could someone like us do that?” It’s because you haven’t gotten the answer.
It’s very easy, once you’ve gotten the answer, that’s the easiest thing to do. Without that, you have to do your work and someone else’s work, it seems like double work again but if you come to the answer it’s easy because it’s an answer to me and an answer to them. I go to work for this purpose. You’re able to confirm that God is moving everything for this purpose, too. Of course, look at the Bible, everything is centered on Jesus Christ because we must be saved, then even in our lives today, Jesus Christ is the center because He is the answer for mankind and we must relay this answer.
The people who are like this will be okay whether they face problems or not, it doesn’t matter. These people go into their business and change everything, like that one remnant, Joseph. God reveals the talents of the remnants to do this work and develops their specialty, and God has already prepared a field and region to go and declare this answer, like in today’s passage. God already prepared the job you must get, and He has relayed your talent and specialization to the field, because there’s work to save people’s lives there as well.
The Early Church and Antioch Church restored the people who were able to do this according to their time schedule of coming to this answer. But the Jerusalem Temple was blinded to missions so they could never leave the Temple of Jerusalem because all they knew about were the Jews, and that’s why through Stephen’s martyrdom, God scattered them to the Gentile nations.
Nowadays, we look at what’s going on in Afghanistan, and many things have changed. Now, the people in power are the Taliban who are trying to move the entire nation according to the principles of fundamentalist Islam, and before that, the Russians tried to intervene and the US tried to intervene, it has gone back and forth and before that, the UK attempted to intervene as well. Because of the great war between Russia, the UK was fighting, too, and now all those people in Afghanistan are scattering to the other nations, and that’s the answer.
For us, we only see the war and that’s all we’re interested in, but it’s hard for God to testify the Gospel if they remain in Afghanistan so they’re living just to die and going all into the missions movement to relay the gospel. It’s hard for the gospel to go inside, there are Christians in Afghanistan but it’s hard for them. So God calls them out, so if they leave, everything is insecure, so imagine how good it is to proclaim the gospel. These are the works that are taking place.
The goal God has to accomplish through wars is the saving of souls. It doesn’t matter whether the main figure is America or the Taliban, but God is doing everything to save the lives in the region. About 400 people went to Korea, when they lived in Afghanistan, they had to wear the hijab and follow the customs, but they didn’t have to do this in Korea. So, either they would assimilate to the Taliban culture in Afghanistan or they would have to leave, and that’s God’s plan to proclaim the gospel to that nation. Just like in today’s passage, Stephen’s martyrdom scattered everybody to proclaim the gospel.
If you just look at Stephen’s martyrdom alone, you say, “ God is alive so why was he stoned?” But that means you don’t have the answer of missions and evangelism. People will only know about themselves and living a long life, they are all about not getting sick or hurt, they don’t look at God’s plan. God’s plan is to save lives because everyone is dead. After Genesis 3, all people are sinners and fall short of the glory of God, then do you think this person needs the answers of success or money? Yes these are good but that’s not the goal; there’s no other goal other than proclaiming life.
Five people were aligned like this, and God sent them out. There are even such people among the remnants , and among the young adults, and the way they talk is different ;their prayer topics ar ediffernet, and they have the time schedule. That’s the church GOd desires, and it’s for this purpose that they fasted and prayed. Even if we don’t fast, we should have oneness in prayer for the work God is doing, and that’s why the church exists.
The church doesn’t exist for the church , the church exists for the work God has called us to do which is to save lives. If these people increase according to God’s time schedule, then the disasters of the region are blocked. Because you’re running a business aligned with this will of God, of course God will take responsibility, but if you live your life irrespective of God’s will, that’s hard.
You think, “Maybe if I work really hard and show that to God, and God will reward me with something,” that’s religion. God even killed Jesus Christ on the cross and has given us everything because He is our father and we are His children; there’s nothing else we have to worry or beg for. It’s okay if there’s even one person who knows this.
We don’t need many people, just one person, then one church will come to life, that family will come to life, and that region will come to life. Do not be greedy, but just in one place, “I will be that one person.” Everybody else is not that important. Just because other people talk about it doesn’t mean they’re important but it’s about what God wants.
Prayer
May you and I become people like this. Let us pray holding onto the Word God gave us.
Our second prayer topic, if we pray, we receive answers and God reacts. If you think, you’ll just be afflicted because you don’t have the answer, but if you pray in the name of Jesus Christ , you will receive the answer because God will give the answer. Let us pray for regional evangelization, why? Because we have to give the answers to the disasters in the region, “May I be that person.” Temple construction is God’s plan. Those who pray will absolutely receive an answer, whether it’s to themselves or to the future generations, because even those who worship demons and idols build their temples.
If you’re wandering around with no sense of your region, that’s not God’s plan. But if you’re praying for the Los Angeles region and for the next generation to receive the gospel and rise up, you must have this answer at this time. If the church disappears after a few years, that’s not God’s plan, if this church ahs to move from this location to that location, the future generations need a place to worship for the next 30 years, so that’s not God’s plan. We believe God will work according to His plan. Let us pray together for the Word movement to take place in all regions, and for Temple construction to take place.
Let us pray for the Sunday message and for the evangelism school tomorrow. Let us pray for our missions fields.
One more announcement, we bought a church zoom account. Every day, we have regional churches from church, and we’re going to begin using the church zoom starting Monday. On Sunday, Esther is going to give a zoom training so you can log onto zoom. The church officers must sign into the zoom room for other believers to join the call.
You guys have to learn about this because if you can’t get in, you can’t tell others to get into the call. If we publish a schedule on what time and what day, you can join or pray about them. There’s no translation as of yet, so the messages are only in Korean, so we’ll reevaluate that with God’s time schedule, and we’ll publish the schedule because faraway people must be able to attend as well. It’s possible through zoom for us to receive training from the Word of God on Sundays, through zoom and many things.
If any of you desire, “I have to save these people through a regional church of my own,” we can use zoom for that as well. So, if you have this mission to save the 237 nations and the 5,000 unreached people groups, use the zoom and the remnants will arise according to God’s time schedule. This is the work God has called us to do.
Most people are good at finding drinking spots, even if they’re not advertised, because they’ve tasted the joy of drinking, but if you taste the joy of missions, then you’ll gather in those places. Some people are great at finding places to play, but let us do the work to which the Spirit has called us, and may this be the beginning that crushes the darkness.
Benediction
Now may the grace of our lord Jesus Christ, the unending love of god, and the indwelling, working, guidance, and communion of the holy spirit, be upon all the heads of the believers of God and the multiethnic people and the remnants who desire to the work to which God has called them, be with us from now until forevermore, amen.