THE BEAUTH OF CHRIST’S BRIDE, THE CHURCH

 

Acts 11:19-30

 

Jesus said, “I have given them the glory you have given me, so that they may be one as we are one.” John 17:22. Jesus tells us that we’ve been given the same “glory” that God gave to Him. This glory isn’t some flashy display of power; it’s about God’s beautiful presence dwelling within us. The true church is to experience deep spiritual unity "be one" mirroring the internal unity between the Father and the Son, enabled by Spirit dwelling within us. It’s about embodying the heart and character of God that Jesus has passed on to the church….. That’s what’s supposed to unite us. Our purpose as the Church isn’t just to bask in God’s presence; it’s about reflecting that glory in how we live our lives in this fallen world system. One writer said this about the church. “Every time we gather to worship, serve, or share a meal, we’re offering the world a taste of heaven. We’re demonstrating that something real and beautiful is happening here, something that can’t be explained apart from God. Our unity speaks volumes, and it’s a powerful witness to a world that desperately needs to see what true community looks like.

 

How wonderful is the local church when they remain faithful

to the calling that God has given them.

The faithfulness of the church is called….. The Bride of Christ…. the Bible describes Christ cleansing and presenting the church to Himself as a glorious church, without stain or wrinkle or any such blemish. Eph 5:25-27. Her true beauty comes not from human perfection, but from the sacrificial blood and grace of Jesus Christ that cleanses and sanctifies her. Dustin Benge wrote, “The church is beautiful because the lens through which Christ regards her is his cross—the focal point of blood, righteousness, forgiveness, union, justification, regeneration, and grace. His cross makes her beautiful. It’s not about the people. It’s not about our failures. No, his perfection makes her beautiful. It’s his sacrificial, substitutionary, sinless blood that washes her garments white as snow. It’s nothing that we do, but it’s all that he has done. The cross of Christ makes her beautiful, not only inwardly by justification, but also outwardly by sanctification. And so from giving second birth to final glory, the righteousness of Christ creates a beautiful church. And so let me say this: it’s just simply not possible to say that we love Jesus without loving the one for whom Jesus died—the church.”

Sadly, the church age in which we live in, has many churches that are not faithful to their calling because they forget the sacrifice that was given to purify her. Unfortunately, so many churches invent new methods, or plans in order to reproduce the church; and for many it works, but its only producing goats, not sheep. Shallowness, surface level Christianity; not deep-rooted roots to grow in His grace through the sufficient Word of God. Many large churches are just as lost, as the unconverted man or woman, on the street who have never heard the gospel. Not to say some of things don’t work, but it happens in spite of them, not because of them. I remember attending a church anniversary for keeping its doors open for 100 plus years; and the over all summary, the people’s comments, about her fondest memories of the church were: baked beans and their choir. No mention of….. spiritual growth through weekly study, messages that challenged their thinking through expositional preaching, the joy of others coming to faith in Christ and joy of edifying the fellowship. Nope! They were known for baked beans and their choir.

 

May that never be said of us, 100 plus years from now….. May we be known for handling the word of God to best of our ability; frail people, but held strong by God’s sustaining grace, who treated doctrine as our necessary food. I wanted to be remembered that we were a church when faced with adversity we stood strong, endured the blows from this world, and became stronger through it. I want to be remembered that we were a church not willing to compromise for the sake of the culture, but desired for souls to be saved and sanctified. I want to be remembered that you had an imperfect pastor, who fumbled the ball sometimes, but remained faithful to the end as your shepherd. I want to be remembered that we stood for important things: a biblical worldview, study, prayer, and speaking the gospel to our neighbor as most important.

 

God has set out the ground work for our regulative principle

of worship each Sunday and each week.

 

The 1689 London Baptist Confession Article 22:1 state. “The light of nature shows that there is a God, who has lordship and sovereignty over all; is just, good and does good to all; and is therefore to be feared, loved, praised, called upon, trusted in, and served, with all the heart and all the soul, and with all the might. But the acceptable way of worshipping the true God, is instituted by himself, and so limited by his own revealed will, that he may not be worshipped according to the imagination and devices of men, nor the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representations, or any other way not prescribed in the Holy Scriptures.

 

What is that prescribed regulative principle of worship? “And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” Acts 2:42-47

 

They devoted themselves to doctrine, fellowship, communion, and prayer. They saw the importance of genuine fellowship with the saints, to glorify God for all things in the church. They didn’t seek their own self-interests over one another; they didn’t hold petty grievances over each others head. They saw the church as family, because God is the Father over the church, and Christ is the groom. May we never think our ideas and plans are greater than our Lord’s. May we never think by inventing newer ways to reach the lost, when God knows the heart of every soul on this earth, and how we are to reach them. For any success to happen in gospel ministry or the church the hand of the LORD must be with us. (v21) The spreading of the gospel and the church outside of Jerusalem reveals how an ordinary group of believers built a thriving, generous, and outwardly focused church in Antioch.

 

Seven years has passed from Pentecost, and the Jewish born again believers see the gospel spreading as God builds His church beyond the borders of Jerusalem. This section of Scripture picks up where Acts 8:4 left off, the effects of persecution that arose in connection with Stephen’s death. This is what lead to the scattering of believers from Jerusalem, and what lead Saul to chase after believers to crucify them. Stephen’s death is what led to the gospel going forth where Gentile men and women would hear and respond to the gospel. Persecution was spreading against the church and this forced the gospel into other parts of the region for good reasons, so that sinners could be saved. God didn’t waste Stephen’s death as some cosmic abuse case, but to reveal the gospel to the world, to advance the gospel to the world. God ordained persecution, which pushed the gospel outward. Why? Because everyone needs the gospel. Stephen’s death would forever change the Jewish believer; as God would minister the gospel beyond their borders, as it spreads to the Gentiles. See! Before, and after, the tragic brutal killing of Stephen, the church in Jerusalem were lacking the knowledge of that precedent, they assumed the gospel was for the Jewish people alone. But as we have seen in the past two chapters, that isn’t true and the believers finally begin to understand that. So, what do we understand about this church?

 

Here’s the first thing we see about this church: it was fuelled by evangelism. It was characterized by the desire to share the good news of Jesus with others. This came about in two waves. The first was made up of people who had been forced to flee from Jerusalem (v19). The second wave of evangelism for the church comes in (v20), with a new group of people from Cyprus and Cyrene. Cyrene had probably received the Gospel early on. It’s here we see the church in Antioch, growing beyond what they ever could have expect. (v21)

 

We read this is the work of God, not man! “the hand of the Lord was with them” This reveals to us that God was active, His presence, His favor, working in human events, even in suffering. This church would be considered radical because of its diverse nature; some people who came to Antioch crossed the Jew-Gentile barrier with the Gospel. This means the blessing of God was upon them, because of their simple faithfulness to obey God, and to love what He created, the church. This should always be our prayer and desire as we do anything, meaning gospel ministry in our church or any kind of evangelism. Meaning whether that be: Who we support, who we give our money too, how we do Sunday School, our Worship Service, DVBS programs, volunteers, our Camp, bible study, fellowship time and so on. We want God’s hand of blessing over it, not so we can feel good about ourselves, or our church; but so that God would be glorified, as we serve Him wit our lives.

 

It’s because of their faithful obedience and evangelism. A large number of people believed and turned to the Lord; this movement was so powerful it led to the Jerusalem church to send Barnabas to investigate and to encourage them. (v22-v23). It’s interesting that we read that Barnabas is described as a good man, full of the Spirit and of faith. (v24). Why is this important to know? Because to send a rigid legalistic individual could have spelled disaster. Barnabas had the qualifications; he possessed the necessary spiritual qualities for one who was to discern what was happening. What’s the first thing we see when Barnabas arrives? (v23) “he was glad” The news of Gentile converts might have confused, frustrated or even upset some Jewish believers, but for Barnabas, he was rejoicing for those who were being saved. Literally “immeasurable joy, witnessing the salvation of others brings a profound, immeasurable joy; both in heaven and among believers on earth.

 

This joy is depicted as one of the purest

reflections of God’s own heart.

Luke 15:32 we read from the story of the prodigal son when he returns. "But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found." This joy is the ultimate reward and crown of the church. “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth." 3 John 1:4. Paul says this in his opening portion of his letter to the church in Thessalonica. “We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thess 1:2-3. We don’t begrudge someone else’s salvation, or church that is truly growing; or stick our noses in the air thinking they don’t deserve God’s mercy and grace. Remember, neither do you or I. Barnabas was the perfect man for the job as he rejoices and encourages the believers to remain faithful, grounded in God’s word. R C Sproul said, “We are to be mirrors of grace to others, reflecting what we have received ourselves.” We are to be modeling our daily character, decisions, and treatment of others after the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. This means….to live, love, and serve in a way that reflects the character and heart of Jesus Christ to the people around you. Rather than merely copying ancient customs and traditions; it involves letting His character shape your daily actions. That means…. extend deep compassion, patience, and quick forgiveness to those who hurt or oppose you, mirroring how God forgave you. C S Lewis said, “Step into the real-life struggles, loneliness, and questions of people around you with empathy rather than standing apart in judgment.” Barnabas saw their lives as a joy, not a burden to care for; but a privilege to serve God through gospel care towards others.

Here is the second thing we learn about this church. (11:25-30). The need for discipleship and instruction was greatly needed with these new Christians; greater than Barnabas can provide on his own. This is why Barnabas calls for Saul to join him, as they mirror Christ to them, teaching the believers in Antioch for a whole year. (v25) And this is the thing about Barnabas; he was a humble man; there’s very little ego involved. He doesn’t need to be the hero. So, he makes a trip to Tarsus where Saul has been hanging out for about eight years. This was not a church where the main point was to rack up numbers as quickly as possible, or to get as many people to say a prayer and fill out a commitment card. They had a lot of people coming to faith, genuinely, both Jews and Greeks, but they needed sound biblical teaching to grow from here….. Barnabas and Saul were determined to teach these new believers.

The same is true for our church…. This is why we do our selected men’s and ladies bible studies, and young adults, and Sunday school lessons. This is why I prepare each week to bring you messages from the pulpit, so that you would love Him more through His Son through expositional preaching. I don’t do these things so I can hear myself speak, I do these things because I want for you to grow in your faith, to understand Holy Scripture and to truly know who He is. This is my greatest joy in the church as your shepherd is to see your joy in Christ. Paul said, “Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith.” 2 Cor 1:24

 

What is my responsibility towards you? I am a "worker for your joy." This is why the Hebrew writers this to the church about their spiritual leaders. “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.” Heb 13:17. I have to answer to God for you, and I am ok with that because God has called me to this, I didn’t ask for it, or go looking for it, He called me and drew me this life. And its in this life I want you to know Him more, so that you can rest, glorify Him, for everything in your life; from the good to the bad. This is my joy, the same joy that Barnabas is demonstrating here “immeasurable joy”

To be good Bereans who study well, or as Paul told Timothy. “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” 2 Tim 3:14-17

 

Believers are fully provided with everything needed for spiritual maturity, daily obedience, and righteous living. Paul would say earlier to Timothy, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” 2 Tim 2:15. This means that the believer must work hard to learn sound doctrine, reject false teachings, and seek God's approval instead of human applause. The greatest blessing in studying God’s Word, means: finding the actual meaning intended by the original Author, rather than forcing personal opinions onto the text.

 

They were determined to help them

grow into maturity.

That’s what Saul and Barnabas commit themselves to for a full year in (v26) teaching and also to encourage them to remain faithful. (v23). The word for “encourage or exhorted” in (v23) comes from the same word as the one Jesus uses to refer to the Holy Spirit in the John 14:26. Jesus said, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” John 14:26. The teaching of Barnabas and Saul, must have taught on what it meant to be a faithful follower of Jesus, what a life that honored Him looked like. There lives were self-evident to those who lived among them, as being different because the gospel transforms not just your heart, but your mouth, mannerisms, how you treat others, and how respond to others whether its conflict, trials or blessings. Why? Because immediately after we read about their teaching, we read that it was in Antioch that believers were first called Christians. (v26). Up this point believers were called in the Christian community “people of the Way”. People of the Narrow Way, they were not known as Christians. The term “Christian” was derogatory, a term of mockery, and insult if you will. Its here, the church welcomed this name “Chrisitan” because they were taking their stand in the name of Christ; they were pleased to bear this label of mockery.

 

The word means that they were

associated with Christ.

 

People looked at them and heard them, they saw how they lived and they thought “Jesus”. How powerful is that statement? When they spoke and lived their lives, people automatically thought “Jesus.”

 

Isn’t that our desire, isn’t that our

desire for our church family?

 

As John would write in his first epistle, “whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which He walked.” 1 John 2:6. Romans 8:29 Paul wrote, “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” God's ultimate purpose is to shape believers to resemble Jesus, not this world, or you. Paul wrote the church that we are to grow constantly for this purpose. “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” Eph 4:11-16

 

The believer’s desire is to constantly reaching spiritual maturity and the full measure of Christ in godliness and holiness. To demonstrate the characteristics, or nature of God through my sanctified life. I want my Christian life to be known that I pursued, to be like Christ, though I am a sinner saved by His grace. My desire for our church is that we do everything for the glory of God. My desire for our church is that we hold to the absolute authority of the Scriptures. My desire for our church is that we are sound in doctrine and in practice. Our orthodoxy matches our orthopraxy. My desire for our church is that walk in personal holiness. My desire for our church is that we are spiritual submissive to the Head of the church, Christ.

 

May we glean the early church outside of Jerusalem

and continue to follow in its blueprint until Christ returns or calls us home.