CHURCH — DISCIPLES — CHRISTIANS

A. Acts 11:26. This verse, with its background context, is one of the most interesting and important
texts in the New Testament. These verses describe the coming of “the church” to Antioch. It all
began in Acts 8:1, with the death of Stephen, the first Christian martyr: “On that day a great
persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered
throughout Judea and Samaria.” Acts 11:19-21. tells us, “Those who had been scattered by the
persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch,
preaching the Gospel message only to 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.” These verses will help us to understand what the Lord’s church is. Most of the disagreements and divisions that have plagued the “church world” have stemmed from misunderstandings about the nature of the church. Three very important words are used in Acts 11:26 — Those three words are church, disciple, and Christian. Without an understanding of these, three words we cannot understand what the church is.
(2) Begin with the word Church. Do so by considering the elements that were sufficient for the church to come into being in Antioch: #1, There was Communication of an “understandable” and “obey-able” message, Vs. 20. - #2, The focus of that message was on “the Lord Jesus,” Vs. 20. - #3, There were Persons who evaluated the credibility of the message and “believed,” Vs. 21. - #4, There were Persons who, on the basis of belief in Jesus Christ “turned to the Lord,” Vs. 21.
a. These are the same elements that we find in the coming of the church to Jerusalem. You can read
about it in Acts 2:1-47. These are the same elements that we find in the comong of the church
to Samaria. You can read about it in Acts 8:4-8,12.
(A) Now let’s consider what is not in this record: #1, It is not an institutional body claiming
unbroken succession of “authority” back to Christ Himself. - #2, It is not an organization
through which believers must indirectly approach Christ. - #3, It is not a linkage of
congregations to a denominational organization and hierarchy. - #4, It is not an
“ordained” clergy who oversees the structure and doctrine of the church, Etc., etc. — It is
none of these things. In fact, most of the things the denominational world assumes to be
essential to the nature of a church is absent from the New Testament record of actual
churches appearing in places like Jerusalem, Samaria and Antioch.
(1) The single most basic misunderstanding of the “church” in the world of
denominationalism is the institutional concept of the church. Men have made the
church into an institution that is governed and controlled by a hierarchy who have
made their own rules and regulations with indifference to what God’s Word says.
(a) But the church came to Antioch when the truth about Jesus Christ came there.
It came into existence when some honest people heard this truth, believed it,
and “turned to the Lord” by obeying the instructions included in it. The church
is the product of truth being proclaimed and accepted. Rom. 10:17, “Faith
comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” That is illustrated in
Acts 6:7. The more God’s word was preached, the more people heard it’s
message, and believed it and obeyed it and so the number of disciples
increased and even many priests, who heard the Word preached obeyed the
Word. To have faith means to obey what God tells you. That’s how the church
began in Jerusalem.
(1) Rom 1:5. The preaching of the Gospel out side of Jerusalem was to “call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.” That’s what happened in Antioch. That’s how the church began in that city.

(3) Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Spiritual purification and sanctification comes in exactly the same way. 1 Pet. 1:22. “...you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth.” What truth? God’s Word that is preached to lost people. Jno. 17:17. Jesus prayed, “Father...sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”
You hear the Word of God preached. You believe it and do what it tells you to do. That means you have obeyed the truth taught you about your spiritual condition.
When you obey that gospel God forgives you sins and sanctifies your soul. The preaching of the Gospel is God calling you to salvation. When you hear and obey that call, you become one who is added to Christ’s church.
(4) The people who were “the church” in Antioch were not affiliated with anything resembling a modern denominationalism. They were merely “disciples” — learners or followers — of Christ. Their discipleship depended on their adhering to Christ’s truth.
(1) To be a disciple you must hear and obey the teaching of Christ. Lk. 6:46. “Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things which I say?” The apostle John tells us, “Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son.” 2 Jno. 9.
(a) Once you believe and obey Christ’s truth, as revealed in the Bible your faith and
subsequent practice will be identical to that of any of Christ’s churches elsewhere.
(1) Denominationalism (divided Christianity) did not appear until years later when men decided to distinguish them selves from one another and when it happened it was severely condemned. 1 Cor. 10-15; 11:18: 12:25; Rom. 16:17. Only one thing determines your discipleship to Jesus. Your relationship to the truth of His teaching.
(2) The Lord’s disciples were first called “Christians” at Antioch. This is all they were — they were not “hyphenated” Christians (Baptist-Christians, Methodist-Christians, Catholic-Christians, etc.) Today, people talk about “founding” churches, “joining” churches, “the church of their choice.” That kind of language would have been neither understood, nor tolerated in Jerusalem, Samaria or Antioch.
(1) These people wore the Lord’s name and only the Lord’s name to indicate their relationship to Him as His people. cf. 1 Pet. 4:16. In Acts 11:21, It says, “They had “turned to the Lord.” They didn’t turn to the teaching of men or denominations. Have you turned to the Lord? Of what “church” have you become a member? Whose “disciple” are you? Are you anything more or less than a “Christian”? Why not obey the same gospel the people in Antioch did — and be the same thing they were?
(2) Acts 20:32.

Spur - 02/16/03 pm