Sermon for May 29th, 2016

Acts 11:19-30

19Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that took place over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, and they spoke the word to no one except Jews. 20But among them were some men of Cyprus and Cyrene who, on coming to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists also, proclaiming the Lord Jesus. 21The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number became believers and turned to the Lord. 22News of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23When he came and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast devotion; 24for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were brought to the Lord. 25Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for an entire year they met with the church and taught a great many people, and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called “Christians.”

27At that time prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28One of them named Agabus stood up and predicted by the Spirit that there would be a severe famine over all the world; and this took place during the reign of Claudius. 29The disciples determined that according to their ability, each would send relief to the believers living in Judea; 30this they did, sending it to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.

First Church: First Called Christians

Tomorrow is Memorial Day, so I'm reminded of the story about the little boy who was walking one Sunday morning from Sunday School to the worship service. As they were walking down the long hallway to the sanctuary, the young boy saw a giant plaque with a long list of names on it, and so he asked his father what it was, and what all those names meant.

The father told his son, "those are the names of people from our church who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country." Confused, the boy said, "Ultimate sacrifice? What does that mean?"

Choosing his words more carefully this time, the father tried again: "Well, son, they're the names of brave young men and women who gave up their lives in the last war." The boy's eyes grew wider, but still he was confused. "Gave up their lives? What does that mean?"

This time, deciding to be more blunt, the father said, "They're the names of church members who died in the service." At this, the boy froze in place, refusing to go any further. Fearfully, he looked up at his father and said, "Which service, Dad...the 9:00 or the 11:00?"

What's going on here?

• Diversification. In times of trouble/persecution, two options, two ways to survive: dig in/buckle down/circle wagons... or spread out, diversify, evolve. they chose to spread out.
• Collaboration. Barnabas and Saul. Intergenerational mentoring.
• Branding. Christians. Takes patience (a year) and process to establish a reputation. Met. Taught. Called.
• Assessment and Action. These two go hand in hand, can't have one without the other. Sometimes assessment of situation comes directly via the spirit, and sometimes via wise discernment, observation. Action is "each according to ability" everyone has their part, and yet two are delegated to represent the whole.