The Gospel According to Jesus' Enemies

This is a series that we've actually been working through in our evening services, and we've been looking things that people said about Jesus in the new testament that were truer than even they realized some of those things came from the lips of those who actually hated Jesus. His enemy spoke truth about him, unwittingly, and, we're gonna be looking at another 1 of those phrases, this evening. So, the Bible reading is gonna be from acts 11. Acts 11.

So if you've got a hard copy of the Bible and you wanna turn there, you can do. And, we are going to read verses 19 to 29, acts 11 verse 19 to 29. Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed, traveled as far as Tunisia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews. Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and cyrene went to antioch and began to speak to Greeks also telling them the good news about the lord Jesus. The lord's hand was with them and a great number of people believed and turned to the lord.

News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabus to Antioch. When he arrived and saw what the grace of god had done. He was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the lord with all of their hearts. He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the lord. Then barnabas went to Tarsus to look for saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch.

So for a whole year, Barnibus and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first. At Antioch. During this time, some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 1 of them named Agaba stood up and through the spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world.

This happened during the reign of Claudia. The disciples, as each 1 was able, decided to provide help for the brothers and sisters living in Judea, This they did sending their gift to the elders by Barnibus and saul. And Peter's gonna come and preach that to us now. Well, good evening. My name's, Pete Woodcock, and as Tom said, I'm 1 of the ministers of the church, and it's fantastic to have you with us.

And as Tom said, we were we're going through this series. I won't be that long because we've heard some fantastic stuff already, and thank you Myra and Gladys for for those things. I can't see guys. Did you go into hiding? Oh, there you are.

Yeah. Brilliant. And we're we're in this scene. This is this is Acts, the book of acts, and it's really the history of the early church. That's what the book of acts is in in the bible, and it's just fantastic reading.

It's really, really exciting stuff. But, we're here at a Christian baptism We've, we're among a lot of people that would call themselves Christians. We've sung Christian Hims, We've said Christian prayers. We've been welcomed by a Christian minister. We've heard stories of people that say they become Christians.

But I wanna take up, I think, well, what is a Christian? I wanna take up some of my writing. What is a Christian? Cause she thought she was a Christian, but she said she isn't wasn't a Christian, but now she is a Christian. So what is a Christian?

And I think there is quite a lot of confusion around about what a Christian is because I think people have added all kinds of stuff. So, this week, I was watching a piece of art. And apparently, and someone cleaning a piece of art. And apparently, the Victorian They thought that their old masterpieces should be sort of very just sort of brown and not colorful, that, to be a mass to have a masterpiece, and they would put this sort of brown sludge sort of over the masterpieces, and that made them look like, oh, they're really old. And now all we're doing is is taking that sort of sludge off and just seeing colors and vibrance and things that you never saw before.

And I was watching this, this art cleaner just do that. And there was so much sort of dirt and and sort of horrible stuff And there was this rather dull picture of this woman who suddenly came alive and her cheeks were rosy and her lips were red and her hair was blonde, and the background was blue, and her dress was sparkling, and you saw none of that with this sort of overlay. And I think as the years have gone on, we've taken the word Christian and we've sort of had this overlay And, actually, it's become not what it should be. It's become not Christian. And I think that's a big problem.

I remember once after a service I took some years ago, a very lovely, but well-to-do lady came up and and spoke to me after the services. Oh, I really like I really liked your talk. And I said, oh, thanks very much. And I just said, can I can I ask you, are you a Christian? She said, oh, yes, definitely.

Yes. Of course, I'm a Christian. And I said, well, that that is that's fantastic. Would you mind, but I won't necessarily do this to you, by the way. What what what would you mind sort of telling me what do you think a Christian is?

And she said, mhmm. Oh. 0, dearie, me, you've got me there. Well, you said you were a Christian. So I guess you sort of know what Christian.

I wasn't trying to trick her. Let me have a think about someone who obeys the 10 commandments. I said, well, that's a very interesting you know, definition of a Christian, someone who obeys the 10 commandments. Do you obey the 10 commandments? And she came back immediately.

Oh, no. No. No 1 ever does. So I had to go through the process again, being a bit sort of thick myself. Are you a Christian?

Yes. What is a Christian you bathe the 10 commandments? Do you bathe the 10 10 commandments? No. No.

I don't wanna have a go at her. I'm just saying I think there's confusion. When I was at school, which was many, many years ago, we used to have a map, and it was all full of chalk, and they'd pull the map down. Some of you were recognize this, and it was a map of the whole world in that list. And, all the different countries were different colors.

And there was a red bit that was communism because they treated that as a sort of religion. There was a green bit, and that was Islam. If you if you were born in a green bit, you're a Muslim. There was a, all all kinds of other colors, a blue bit, and, you're a Hindu or or whatever color that was, And then you looked at Britain, and Britain was pink. And then you looked down at the code and pink equaled Christian.

I mean, is is is that is that it? It's just I was born in a particular part of the world, and that makes me a Christian. And if that is it, is it worth being 1? If if it's just by accident of birth. Other people say it's to be baptized.

Now we're gonna see some bacterisms in a minute. It's to do with a bit of water on your head. And, that makes someone a Christian. Now to be honest, if it was just water that made someone a Christian, Then all I've got to do is to stand on the, you know, bridge of the m 25 with a hose pipe. And then I'd be the greatest evangelist in all the world because I'd make so many Christians Now I know these things, but people are confused.

What is even Richard Dorkings, the arch atheist, whose written books for years about being an atheist is now calling himself a cultural christian. So so what is a Christian? Someone who goes to church regularly? You know, what what what what makes a Christian? There are all kinds of ideas.

And so what we wanna do is not just take our idea. We need to clean off the muck We need to go back to the original and see how colorful it is. And that's the great thing about this passage in acts chapter 11. I don't know whether you noticed it, but we're told there very clearly in acts chapter 11. This amazing, sentence where it says in, verse well, I'll read verse 20, 25.

It says Then Barnabas went to, Tarsus to look for saul or explain them in a minute if we've time. And when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year, barnabas and Sore met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. They were called Christians first in Antioch.

So here's the original picture. This is what an original is so we can find out what a Christian is. All a slush and stuff that's added on that becomes confusing and actually takes away from what Christian is. We've gone right back to the beginning. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.

Amazing. Now up until that point, they've been called all kinds of things. They've been called the disciples. They've been called saints. Not saints in the sense of, you get, you know, Saint Peter and Saint Martha, and and that there's sort of these special holy people, but actually ordinary Christians, ordinary people were called saints.

They were the ones that were made holy before god. That's that's what saints meant. They were called brothers and sisters. They're called believers. They're called those being saved.

They were called people of the way. So there are all kinds of names for this group of people, but it's here in Antioch that they're actually called Christians. Antioch was the third largest city in the Roman Empire at the time, It was known for its immorality. Its main, religion was the religion of Diana, and it's worshiped through prostitutes. It was known for all kinds of, people gathering there.

It was cosmopolitan city, the third largest city, as I say. And yet it's here that they call Christians Christians. Very interesting. Christians Christians. Now Antioch were known for their nicknames.

They they they loved calling, you know, they love to sort of belittle people with a nickname. So when Caesar, Julian went to Antioch. He had a little goatee beard, and so they called him the goat. So they're always sort of looking for a nickname and here the nickname, and it seems to be, deridory, you know, they they they put they put they're putting them down a a bit. They're called Christians.

They're called Christians. So let's just have a quick look because we've we've got a we've heard a lot of stuff today. At what what we see here. I've got every point beginning with b. Right?

So this is what a Christian is. Not c. It would've been easy, wouldn't it? But b, A Christian is 1 who believes. They're a believer now that's pretty obvious, isn't it?

But you get that here in this passage They're called the believers before they're called Christian. They believe these disciples of Jesus In Antioch believed in verse 21, it says the lord's hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the lord. They believed and turned to the lord. So it's not just believing a sort of set of truths, although it is that, but it's a set of truths that is taking up taking them up. They're turning.

They're turning from something perhaps Diana. They're turning from a life that they've lived. They're turning now, and they're believing that they're they're taken up with something more that they see is glorious. Something better to give their life to. Believing in the Bible is not just, you know, sort of knowing 2 plus 2 equals 4.

It's actually giving a life. It's trusting. It's turning. And so you've got these people that are are saying no to things and yes to other things. I don't know if you noticed.

If if you're not used to Christian service, it's very it's very interesting. And I I often sit here pretending that I I I'm not a Christian, and I've I've never sort of sang these songs before. But did you notice how many times, and it can really offend? How many times we're called sinners? I mean, it feels a bit depressing, doesn't it?

You come on a lovely, glorious day, and sin, sinner, you know, my sin, my sin, you know. Oh, that's a quite harsh thing, isn't it? Sinner? You know, and it sounds like sort of a mad preacher. But 1 of the things that you believe is that when you see the glory of the lord Jesus Christ, just what he was like, how he taught people, what he said, how he lived, When you see something of Jesus in the scriptures, you suddenly see that you're not as clean as you thought you are.

You you you you you suddenly it's like the the the bishop who had this, white dog that he was so proud of, and he used to show off at dog shows. And, 1 day he was looking at it snowed 1 day outside, you know, in his garden, he looked out and he saw this filthy yellow mutt and realized it was his beautiful prized white dog. Suddenly, when you see something of who Jesus is, You suddenly see what a failure you are. There are things you've said and done to people. People made in the image of god.

There are there are things that you've thought that sometimes you wish you hadn't thought. There are actions you've done that you really wish you could wash off. There's a sense of guilt sometimes. There are things in your memory that come back. And then you see that Jesus, suddenly, it you suddenly realized, no.

No. I'm that dirty dog. I'm the dirty dog. And so they're believing this stuff. They're believing who they are.

They've suddenly come to a realization, but not only that They're believing that Jesus is the Christ. The Christ means Messiah. He's the he's the king of god. He's god's king that god has sent to this world to deal with the dirty dog, to be able to cleanse the dirty dog. And that's what the death of Christ is that he would die on the cross to take that which we deserve.

The wrath of the holy god, and then rise again. So they're believers A Christian is a believer, and we've heard this in these stories. They've come to believe. They believe that Jesus is who he said. I am the way, the truth, and the life.

I am the living 1. I am the bread of life. I am the resurrection and the life. Come to me and have life. That he is the lamb of god that takes away the sin of the world.

There's a whole load of beliefs, but it's not just a sort of code book. It's in a person. It's in Christ. They're called Christians. That word Christian means of the party of Christ.

Followers of Christ. Yeah. It's quite interesting, isn't it? Because you can if if if if you preach activism, you'll get activists. If you preach self, you'll make selfish.

If you preach money, you'll make materialists. If you preach religion, you'll have a lot of people that like a lot of rules. If you preach Christ, you make Christians. They're banging on about They're believing Christ. That's why they called of the party of Christ.

You know, herodians were of the party of herod. And and believe it or not, and this is a real word. The caesarians and actually, well, I won't tell you the history of that, but the caesarians are followers of Caesar. Of the party of Caesar. And and so these are they believe in Christ.

Who is he? He's altogether different. He's different from Diana. He's different, and he's so different that this leads me to my second point, and second b, a Christian belongs. A Christian belongs These disciples in Antioch, they assembled together in verse 25.

It says, then Barnnebus went to task to atarsus to look for saul. And when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. Listen, so for a whole year, Barnnebus and Saw met with the church, the gathering, the congregation, and and taught great numbers of people. Suddenly, and remembering the past, they were called brothers and sisters. They're meeting together.

But here at Antioch, it's where it was decisively seen that these brothers and sisters meeting together was not just a Jewish cult anymore or a sect of of the Jewish faith. Because there were gentiles. There were people from all over Antioch. There were x Diana followers. There were people that worshiped Caesar.

There were Jews and gentiles and they're meeting together. Now that that is extraordinary. That's an extraordinary thing because these people did not like each other. And actually in Antioch, you had the different quarters, the gentile quarter, the Jewish quarter, the Roman quarter, and and they wouldn't come together. The the only time you ever really got those coming together and even then it's it's debatable was like a Roman bath.

But here was a new group of people from all different backgrounds and religions, men and women joining together to hear about the grace of god and the love of god and the lord Jesus Christ. They belonged. They had 1 shepherd, and the lord Jesus Christ says, I am the good shepherd. They're a flock. They come together.

They flock together. They belong. Their brothers and sisters. That's what Christians are. They were called Christians first to Antioch.

They believe, they belong. Thirdly, They have the behavior of Christ. It's quite extraordinary if you read the history books. The difference of Christianity, in places like Antioch and of and the other religions, to be quite honest with you, it's remarkably different And you've only gotta read, new historians like Tom Holland that show you, you know, big books, you know, they're they're serious historians are showing you just the impact and the difference that Christianity had on on places like antioch, particularly when things like the plague came. You know, in fact, Julian, the Caesar that was called the goat, complained to about all the other pagan religions that the that the the priests all ran away and it was only the that were staying ministering and caring for people.

There was a love that suddenly came a sacrificial love, a lifestyle that was very like Christ, who gave himself Remember that the the the that they believe that Christ, the lord Jesus Christ is God. God come down to man to sacrifice, to be a servant, to be a giver, And so they were called Christians because they're of the party of Christ who wanted to sacrifice, to give to love. Life wasn't all about them anymore, you know, and and that can be an awful idea of what some Christianity is a and it's not real Christianity. You're gonna wipe away the mess and that prosperity gospel stuff that you see all over the place. And the selfishness of people.

And you get back, and it's crystal clear. These people were lovers. They loved They love to meet together regularly. They expressed concern, and you saw that at the end of the reading. I don't know whether you noticed it.

They're immediately concerned for a famine that was gonna take place, and they were already collecting money before the famine took place so that they could give And it's extraordinary true Christianity when you see it in action. The generosity, Barnnebus, who comes, is known as the encourager, and he was utterly generous. He sold land and property to give to the poor. Paul who comes was a persecutor. The reason that the the believers went to antioch before they were called Christians was because Paul was persecuting these people.

He was saul then, and then he became Paul, a lover of Christ. And he gives himself to these people. In fact, he brings the grace of god we're told. So they're believers, and now they behave like Christ. That's why they're called of the party of Christ.

They look a bit like Christ. They're like little Christ, Christy ends. But there's a fourth thing, and then I'll finish. A Christian is baptized. A Christian is baptized.

And if you went back before our reading, you'll see at the end of the last chapter, They talk about baptism and a Christian being baptized, and a Christian is baptized. Now what is baptism? What is a Christian? What is baptism? Well, we've got some water here.

I'm sad to say that it's Tim's Water. And, I mean, who trusts Tim's Water? You know, Tim's Water are 19000000000 in debt. They're saying they're running out of money by May, and we know that Temms Water can't understand that you have clean water and you have dirty water, they seem to mix the 2 together. And you well, you know what's happening if you know what's going on in this area.

So this is Tim's water. This isn't this isn't holy water. This is Tim's water. And we even know that Tim's water's been through Londoners was it 8 times at least. So this is Tem's water.

It's not anything holy here. It's Tem's water. Right. So this doesn't make you a Christian. Backism doesn't make you a Christian.

That's another bit of the sludge that's put on the beauty of Christianity. When you go right back and see they were first called Christians in Antioch, You also go back and see what baptism was. And baptism has is 3 b's to remember. It's a burial day, and this is why we do it because baptism really means submersion. Submersion.

You go under the water. So myra, and Gladys, you're going under. Yeah. And it's like a burial. You you're going under, you're dying.

And and that's the picture of Christianity. You're saying no to self. Yeah. We've already said this, but it's a picture of this. It's like I'm dying to Christ.

And of course, if we keep you under for several minutes, that that'll be it. All your worries are over then, Gladys. Yeah. Do you want us to keep you under? No.

Okay. So but then you rise again. You go under. You die with Christ. I I I don't wanna live for myself anymore.

I wanna rise again and live for Christ, a Christian, a follower of Christ. So it's it's it's like a a burial, but it's like a bath day. I mean, this is like a great big bath. It's nice and warm, I think. It may be too hot.

I don't know. It's like a bath. And again in the Bible, you see that Christianity, we're cleansed. We're we're washed by by Jesus. That's why they're called Christians because they keep talking about Jesus all the time.

And when they talked about Jesus Christ all the time, that he's the 1 that washes us that cleanses us, that makes us right before a holy god. What an amazing thing that is. And so this is a picture of being washed by Christ. But it's also like a birthday. You know, the it's it's the time where your born into the kingdom of god.

It's like you're down in the water and you rise again and you're born again. Jesus talks about being born again. So this is a real picture of real spiritual truths that go right back to the first century in Antioch, where they were first called Christians. What is a Christian? A follower of none other than the beautiful, gorgeous son of the living god.

What is a Christian? Someone's that had an encounter with him? Someone that sees that they're not so beautiful. And they need him and his forgiveness and his cleansing. Someone who's died to self.

I don't wanna live to self anymore. You know, I wanna rise again and live for Christ, someone that has a new birthday, alive, with the lord Jesus Christ. That's what a Christian is. And is it worth being 1? Yeah.

Yeah. Even if you'll be persecuted. These people in Antioch were seriously persecuted. Paul and Barnabas, who came to teach them, were seriously persecuted, but it was worth being a Christian. Let's pray.

Father, we thank you for these truths. Help us please. Humbeless, help us, please, to understand what these things really do mean, even to ourselves, in Jesus' time, ma'am.