I am convinced that in these last days, God is restoring the church to it's original glory and power and even greater! (Hag. 2:9) I believe the Lord desires to raise churches to be literal hubs or centers for evangelism, worship and discipleship. The Church was born in Jerusalem, but it flourished at Antioch. In my study of the Early Church, I've discovered what I believe to be the reason for this "flourishing" at Antioch. Its outstanding feature was its "Open Arms". This is exactly what our Lord Jesus was doing while hanging on the Cross. He opened His arms to the whole world to say "Whosoever will, may come!" Churches need a great passion to fulfill the Great Commission..... Go into all the World and preach the Gospel to every creature, make disciples of all nations, be a house of prayer for all nations; this is not a good idea it is a God Ideal!
Antioch was an inter-racial church, welcoming people from every walk of life. Jesus said, "by this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another." (Jn. 13:35) The Disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. (Acts 11:26)
It is my opinion, that every church must take the Great Commission personally. Taking the Gospel to our Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the uttermost part of the Earth simultaneously. I have embraced, practiced, preached and taught these principles for over 23 years. I have been blessed to watch how the Lord has used these truths to revive the hearts of His people. I have observed that as Christians get their eyes off themselves, and lift up their eyes to the ripened harvest fields, God has a way of setting us free from our own captivities! When the Church fishes for souls they will stop fussing at each other! When Job took his eyes from Job and prayed for his friends, God intervened his misery and turned his captivity! The Lord restored his health and his wealth was restored twice over. An Evangelistic Church will be the healthiest and spiritually the wealthiest and wisest of all! (He that winneth souls is wise. Prov. 11:30) In the words of Oswald J. Smith " the church that does not evangelize will fossilize."
In conclusion, the Scripture reveals a four-fold principle, as I see it. Look at the scene of a small band of spiritual leaders gathered together in Acts 13:2-4. Consider the components of perhaps the most dynamic local church in history, thus far.
#1) WORSHIP! In verse 2 we read that they ministered to the Lord and fasted! Ministering to the Lord embodies: waiting on God, watchfullness of prayer with fasting and making the Lord feel WELCOME by praise and Worship! When the saints worship in Spirit and in Truth, the Lord Himself shows up in the midst and anything wonderful can happen! This is the keystone of ministry!
#2) WORD! In this atmosphere generated by God-hungry hearts - the HOLY GHOST SPOKE! The Word of the Lord does not disclose the manner in which the Spirit spoke; whether by prophet or an audible voice, all that we can know for sure is that HE SPOKE! By this we are assured of the absolute purity of the Word! God has chosen the "foolishness of preaching" to save those that believe. (1Cor. 1:21) It does not say that He has chosen foolish preaching!
The only possible way we (the Church) can be relevant to a World in darkness is that God would speak through His Church! The pure word of the Lord came from and atmosphere of worship. David said, "my heart was hot (inflamed) within me, while I was musing (to whisper or murmur ie. worship) the fire burned, THEN I SPOKE WITH MY TONGUE! (Ps. 39:3) What this world needs more than it ever has in history, is to encounter the people of God with TONGUES OF FIRE. From that upper room in Acts 1 & 2, the early Church burst into the streets and proclaimed the Word of the Lord in languages the everyone could understand! My Lord, touch us again with fresh r-e-l-e-v-a-n-c-e ! ! !
#3) WHOLENESS! In Acts 13, the first 3 reveal an absolute harmony of purpose. The Antioch church understood unity! It is no marvel that from that band of mostly un-named believers, the known world was Evangelized within a century. I believe that perhaps the greatest revival in world history is yet to come! Jesus prayed four times in John 17 for His people to become one. Maybe the most dreaded thing the Devil can imagine is when that prayer is fully answered! Notice the worst nightmare Satan has had so far is the day of Pentecost when 120 believers captured the same mind-set. Acts 2 says they were all in one accord... SUDDENLY the outpouring came! The direct result was 3,000 people came to Jesus on that first day! Today there are thousands of different group names for Christians. Sadly, it has created dividing walls of separation. In a dream 22 years or so ago, I saw the Lord's body disjointed, fragmented, diseased and life-less! The constant cry of my heart has been, "People of God come together! " John 17:21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. NKJV JESUS PRAYED FOR THE WHOLENESS OF THE PEOPLE OF GOD IN ORDER FOR THE WORLD TO BELIEVE THAT GOD HAD SENT JESUS AS THE ANSWER FOR ALL MANKIND!
#4) WORLD! From Antioch a world-wide ministry was launched! In verse 3 and 4 we read that the church became a sending ministry and they went out to let the whole world know! From Seleusia to Cyprus to Paphos and to the ends of the Earth! To those that sat in darkness, to those that had never heard of Jesus or experienced His love! At last at Antioch, the church fully obeyed the mandate of Jesus Christ ! (Mt. 28:18-20 and Acts 1:8) May we follow their passionate example: WORSHIPING JESUS, PREACHING THE WORD, WHOLLY UNIFIED, AND REACHING THE UTTERMOST PART OF THIS WORLD!
Mark 16:20 and they went forth, and preached EVERYWHERE, the LORD working with them, and CONFIRMING THE WORD with signs following!
AMEN!
