Video Transcript: Antioch

Once called the Fair Crown of the Orient, Antakya is a prosperous and modern  Turkish city that lies near the mouth of the Orontes River, about 19 kilometers  northwest of the Syrian border, and approximately 22 kilometers inland from the  Mediterranean coast. Antakya was the capital of Hellenistic and Roman Syria,  and remained an important commercial, cultural, manufacturing, political, and  religious center for more than 1000 years in biblical times, Antakya was known  as Antioch, the city where the followers of Christ were called Christians for the  first time. Antioch played an important role in the book of Acts, being the Mission Center for the early church, the first Gentile church and the community that  embraced, trained and sent the Apostle Paul to ministry. What was the city like?  Why was Antioch the perfect place for the first Gentile church to flourish? What  could we learn from this church and apply to the 21st century? Come with me on a journey, the quest for answers, looking for the first followers of Christ in  Turkey. Antakya is one of the largest cities in Turkey with a population of  approximately 210,000 people. Antakya has grown rapidly since 1950, and is a  prosperous commercial center for Turkey's southernmost province in Hatay. It  has a well known Archaeological Museum and the extensive ruins of its ancient  walls. Its old churches are important tourist attractions. Its laid back pace  cosmopolitan outlook and suddenly Arab atmosphere make it a unique  destination flanked by Mountains to the north and south. It sits in the bed of a  broad river valley planted with olive trees. Antakya is split in two by the icy river  known in ancient times as the Orantes. Recent developments along the  riverbank are slowly transforming the stretch into a pleasant but busy  thoroughfare best of all is the food which thanks to the city's Arab heritage is  among the best and most varied in Turkey. The Arab influence permeates local  life food and language. Indeed, the city became part of Turkey in 1939 after  centuries conjoined in some form or another to Syria. Antakya was founded as  Antioch in the fourth century BC by Seleucus Nicator. One of the four generals  between whom the entire of Alexander the great was divided. It was the principal city among the 60. others with the same name, built about 300 BC by Seleucus  first in honor of his father Antiochus. It soon grew and by the second century BC, it had developed into a multi ethnic metropolis of half 1,000,000. One of the  largest cities in the ancient world, and a major staging post on the newly opened Silk Road. Antakya was located at a major connecting point between trade  routes to and from Egypt, Asia Minor, Greece, Italy, Mesopotamia and later  Armenia and India. Antioch was the center of the Seleucid kingdom until 64 BC,  when he was annexed by Rome and was made the capital of the Roman  province of Syria. It became the third largest city of the Roman Empire in size  and importance after Rome and Alexandria, and possessed magnificent  temples, theaters, aqueducts and baths. I am here at an ancient water tunnel,  built during the time of the Roman Emperor Vespasian to divert the floodwaters  running down the mountain, and threatening the harbor. In the fourth century 

AD, Antioch became the seat of a new roman office that administer all the  provinces on the Empire's eastern flank. Despite being raised by earthquakes  during the sixth century AD, Antioch maintained its prosperity after the Roman  era. Only with the rise of Constantinople did it begin to decline in 1098, after a  vicious eight month siege, and a savage massacre of Turks, the Crusader Kings Bohemond and Raymond took the city in the name of Christianity. They  imposed a Christian rule that lasted until Antioch was sacked by the Mamelukes  of Egypt in 1268. By the time the Ottomans under Selim the Grim took over in  1516. Antioch had long since vanished from the main stage of world history. At  the start of the 20th century, the city was a little village just squatting amid the  ruins of the ancient metropolis, after World War I, Antakya, along with most of  the rest of that time, passed into the hands of the French, who laid the  foundations of the modern city. This is the cave Church of St. Peter that is  composed of a cave, which some believe was used by the very first Christians  here in Antioch. This is one of Christianity's oldest churches. Today, we want to  spend some time reflecting upon what happened here, when the early Christian  movement was about 10 to 15 years old, still largely focused on Jewish  communities and centered in a church in Jerusalem. Then, trouble erupted as  those who are scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled  as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, preaching the Word to Jews only. But  some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to  Antioch spoke to the Hellenists preaching the Lord Jesus, and the hand of the  Lord was with them and a great number believed in turn to the Lord. The  persecution of the followers of Jesus in Judea, caused their dispersion as far as  north of Antioch, where the Holy Spirit led to the church from its Jewish oriented  ministry in focus, to include a number of Gentiles. Then, the church of Jerusalem hearing of this sent Barnabas to investigate, and we might surmise, based on  later accounts of their concerns, to put the fire out with regard to the  promiscuous inclusion of uncircumcised Gentiles, as it turned out, rather than  bringing a fire extinguisher to Antioch, Barnabas brought an accelerant for when  he came and had seen the grace of God he was glad, and encouraged them all  that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord, for he was a good  man full of the Holy Spirit and of faith, and a great many people were added to  the Lord. At this point moved by the Spirit Barnabas thought about Paul, who  had recently been converted on his way to Damascus. For many reasons, Paul  could not find his place in the church in Jerusalem, and would be a good fit in  this new community in Antioch. Barnabas went to nearby Tarsus found Paul, and for a year they ministered in the church at Antioch, where the disciples were first called Christians. Later, when a great famine hit Judea, Barnabas and Paul took  a relief offering from the church at Antioch to Jerusalem and distributed after  some time had passed, they returned to Antioch and resumed their leadership  roles. It was under the direction of the Holy Spirit that the church and Antioch set

apart Paul and Barnabas for a mission that led to the establishing of churches  throughout Asia Minor, Macedonia, Greece and even Rome. The first missionary team intentionally sent out by a local church was sent from Antioch to extend the Gospel throughout the Gentile world. God had called Barnabas and Paul to start new churches, and they moved out in faith on their first mission trip. While the  team traveled, trouble was brewing in the Jerusalem church, some brothers  were upset about the news that Gentiles were becoming Christ's followers  without first becoming Jews. The problem came to a heading in Antioch when  Paul and Barnabas had returned from their mission trip, and certain men came  down from Judea, and taught the brethren, unless you are circumcised,  according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved. Therefore, when Paul  and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined  that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem,  to the apostles and elders about this question. So being sent on their way by the church, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, describing the conversion  of the Gentiles, they caused great joy to all the brethren, the phrase, no small  dissension and dispute doesn't do justice to the conflict. Paul described the  conflict this way. And this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in  who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus that  they might bring us into bondage, to whom we did not yield submission for even  for an hour that the truth of the gospel might continue with you. The Jerusalem  council hashed out the problem and decided salvation by grace through faith  alone was the true gospel. They selected a team of respected leaders to deliver  their conclusion to Antioch, along with the letter calling for deference in matters  of conscience effecting Christian Fellowship. At the Jerusalem Council, different  roles for the Church and its leaders were defined, Paul writes, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship. that we should go to the Gentiles and  they to the circumcised. solving this problem was very important to the early  church and for the future of the gospel. Working through these issues wasn't  easy. Sometimes public antagonism erupted between prominent leaders, but the mission united them for the work. Once these theological issues were resolved,  the missionary team was ready to return to their primary work of spreading the  gospel among the Gentiles. But first, a thorny personnel problem had to be  resolved. Paul and Barnabas made plans in Antioch to revisit the new  congregations they had established on their first mission trip. But there arose  between them what Luke called a sharp disagreement. According to Acts,  Barnabas wished to bring John Mark along, but Paul did not. Two missionary  teams resulted from this bitter conflict between former colleagues, Paul chose  Silas as his new teammate, and with the blessing of God, they established  several new churches including Philippi, Thessalonica, and Corinth. Eventually,  Paul along with Silas came back, stopping at Jerusalem. And then when he had  landed at Caesarea and had gone up and greeted the church, he went down to 

Antioch. It was a brief stopover, a quick report, and then the Antioch church  launched Paul on his third missionary journey, his last before his extended trip  that landed him in a Roman prison. After he had spent some time there, he  departed and went over the region of Galatia and Phrygia. In order  strengthening all the disciples, what a remarkable story. We have a detailed  account of this amazing congregation, the first predominantly Gentile church,  from its birthplace through its role in launching the gospel toward Rome, then  the most important city in the Mediterranean world. What can we learn from the  story of the church in Antioch? What qualities made this such a remarkable  church? What principles could we learn from the Antioch church and apply to the 21st century church? The church in Antioch was the salt and light making a  difference impacting in transforming lives not only here in the city of Antioch, but  around the world. Jeff Iorg and his book, A Case for Antioch presents seven  characteristics that define the Antioch Church and its success as a relevant  community of believers. The church at Antioch was empowered by the Holy  Spirit. There are three specific references to the Holy Spirit in the story of the  church at Antioch, as well as many implied references, since the book of Acts is  more of the acts of the Holy Spirit than the Acts of the Apostles. The first direct  reference is the description of Barnabas as full of the Holy Spirit. The second  reference is to Agabus a Prophet from Jerusalem, predicting by the spirit that a  famine was coming. The third is to the Holy Spirit intervening in a worship  service to call Paul and Barnabas to missionary service. The Holy Spirit was  present in the Antioch church leaders and members were filled with the Spirit.  They were open to the Holy Spirit's voice and surrendered their lives to God's  plan. The Antioch church was open to innovation, which often led to significant  change. They were not open to change just for changes sake, but because of  the mission. Their main concern was to fulfill God's mission. The mission would  not be jeopardized or imprisoned by human preferences or traditions for the  church at Antioch. The mission should always trump whatever it would take to  accomplish the mission they were willing to try to explore to do. For this reason  the church and Antioch model a series of firsts among churches. Each of these  firsts was directly connected to the mission of advancing the gospel. The first  and most striking innovation at Antioch was the establishment of the church  itself. The church at Antioch was started by Innovative evangelistic church  planters who had the courage to do something never done before, to preach the gospel broadly among the Gentiles. These preachers are heroes, giants in  church history. Unless you are Jewish, you owe a great debt of gratitude to  these men. Without their courageous willingness to innovate. You might not be a Christian today, they preached the gospel in a way that had never been  preached to a people who had never heard it in a city where it had never been  shared. Because of these men, the Gospel finally broke the shackles of religious tradition, and became good news for all people everywhere. A second 

innovation at Antioch was establishing a teaching ministry. The church continued under innovative leaders, Barnabas who had the courage to do what had never  been done before bringing Paul onto the teaching team of a church, and Paul,  who first ministered prominently in Antioch, another first at Antioch was likely not intentional, but is nonetheless memorable. It was in Antioch that the disciples  were first called Christians. This was probably a term of derision among the  early followers of the way by their critics and detractors. They ridiculed believers  as the Christ ones, men and women who so often spoke about the Christ, that  they earned a new nickname. Members of the first church in Antioch apparently  have a well earned reputation for being Christ talkers. Christ has dominated  their thinking and influenced their interactions to such an extent. Their  vocabulary earned them a nickname, that has since become the defining label  for the movement initiated by Jesus. This amazing church was the first to birth  and sustain a missionary. They sent out a support as a first missionary setting a  pattern for countless churches through the ages, who have been inspired to do  the same thing. The church at Antioch is an example of continued innovation for  spreading the gospel, enlarging the church and expanding the kingdom.  Through its teaching ministry, in obedience to Jesus instructions, disciples were  made here in Antioch. doctrinal convictions were established. stewardship was  learned and practiced. Worship was cultivated. Witnessing and missionary  outreach flourished, and church problems were solved by applying principles of  the gospel in an interpersonal relationships. The spring from which these chains  emerge was new birth and Jesus. The channel which the guide the flow toward  maturity was the teaching ministries, teaching ministries of Paul, Barnabas,  Agabus, Judas, Silas, Simeon, Lucius, Manaen, and others. Antioch is an  inspiring model of a teaching church. It's a good example of a church in making  disciples, men and women renew their minds and learn to walk more and more  like Jesus. The first great doctrinal challenge faced by the church at Antioch and  the first century church in general, was the nature of the gospel. The problem  was rooted in the inaccurate assumption by Jewish Christians that the gospel  had to remain connected to their community. Since Christianity originated in the  Jewish community, and the first Christians were Jews. Their natural assumption  was that the path to becoming a Christian and entering a covenant relationship  with God included circumcision. That erroneous assumption, set the stage for  the first significant doctrinal showdown in the church. Peter, like many other  Jewish leaders who struggle with circumcision in its relationship to the Gospel,  Paul was unflinching, however, in his defense of salvation by grace through faith alone. This confrontation between the in disputed giants of the New Testament  Church proves the significance of this issue and the importance of resolving it  accurately. The conclusion was summarized in a letter widely supported by all  concerned, Paul and Barnabas along with Judas and Silas, were representing  the Jerusalem church returned to Antioch with a letter and delivered their report. 

The Antioch church receive the affirming news, reinforced by messages from the guests preachers, then resumed their aggressive work of making disciples  among the Gentiles. Antioch is a model of a church handling Conflict effectively.  It experienced disputes over doctrinal issues tension with another church,  discord among its leaders and division over a personnel decision. The church at  Antioch was able to resolve conflict situations successfully, and moved on rather than being defined, preoccupied or permanently entangled in the process. At  least five foundational principles can be learned from the manner in which the  Antioch church handled different kinds of conflicts. One anticipate conflicts, two  address conflict situations when they arise. Three bring the resolution to every  conflict. Four, expect mixed results from conflict resolution and five Move On  When resolution has been achieved. The sixth characteristic of the church at  Antioch is that it had strong leaders, potent pastors, elders and missionaries  who became Christian statesmen. They were men of conviction larger than life  personalities, whose exploits shaped their generation and whose legacy shapes  civilization today. They were strong willed, strong minded, spirited men. While  Barnabas and Paul were the most well known leaders in Antioch. The Bible  mentions three others by name, Simeon, who was called Niger, Lucius, the  Cyrenian and Manaen, a close friend of Herod the tetrarch. The pattern at  Antioch was this strong leaders worked in a team environment. They were  visionary leaders and made at Antioch each of the disciples according to his  ability, determined to send relief to Judea. This offering wasn't giving out of the  surplus of a few wealthy members. It was a widespread effort of shared  sacrifice. The Antioch Christians gave generously in proportion to their  resources. The Antioch church give away money, but it also give away  something far more valuable. The Antioch church gave away it's best leaders. In a relatively short period of time, the Antioch believers progressed from new  converts to sacrificial givers. Most of us can only dream of being part of a church like that. It's easy to be discouraged even intimidated by comparing our  churches to this ancient model of world impacting effectiveness. When  considering the future, it's easy to be pessimistic based on our experience with  local struggles and temporal realities. A broader perspective, not just of the  global church, but also of eternal certainties is essential to determining an  appropriate perspective on the future of local churches. One of my favorite  authors wrote this, we have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall  forget the way the Lord has led us and his teaching in our past history. She also  wrote the church enfeebled and defective, needing to be reproved. warned and  counseled is the only object upon Earth upon which Christ bestows His supreme regard. The world is a workshop in which through the cooperation of human and  divine agencies, Jesus is making experiments by His grace and divine mercy  upon human hearts, friend, it's not your church or my church, it's God's Church.  Together. We are God's temple. Or do you not know that your body is the temple

of the Holy Spirit who is in you? God is calling His church God is calling you and I to be filled with the Holy Spirit. He is challenging his church. He's challenging  us to leave our comfort zones and explore ways to accomplish his mission. God  is inviting his church to be intentional and join hands with him, allowing him to  transform us and our communities into the image of His Son Jesus Christ  through discipleship. God is calling us God is calling His Church to be faithful to  the everlasting gospel. Though the heavens fall. God is giving us his church the  opportunity to resolve our conflicts in a Christ like manner. The Almighty is  looking for men and women who are willing to carry his torch leaders who are  not afraid of the challenges. God is waiting for our generous sacrifice for his  church's generous sacrifice. It is time For the Church of God to arise and shine,  we need to wake up. It's time to go home.  

At midnight cry, loudly resigned and now seeing the bridegroom has come God's people arise and look for the oil of the Holy Spirit. Wheat and tares wrapped  together but God shall rend them asunder for his invisible church awake now  forever. revive invisible church broken believers that evil drove out. Come with  your weeping and tears oh come seeking the day has arrived. arise from all  nations revive my people like Israel. it's time to heed the call to be one floor of  the good Shepherd the chosen people Abraham's seed are spread across the  world these rose remnant, Children of Christ have become an invincible church.  the blind who see the weeds and the tares the sheep without their Shepherd is  broken heroes. Arise invisible church, broken believers that he will provide.  Come with your weeds and your tares seeing the day has arrived. Arise among  the nations my people now. It's time to heed the call to be one thought of the  good shepherd. All creation declares the glory of God. Let's pray, our father and  our God, we thank you for your grace. Thank You for Your Mercy. We're so  grateful for this church, the church of Antioch the way that this congregation was used mightily by you. And Father we're praying that you would help your  churches around the world to have the vision that the Church of Antioch did to  be a sending church a generous church a church that will have a global impact  for Your glory. And we pray in humility today, Father that you would use us that  we would partner with Christians around us to make a difference in our  communities. Oh God, pour out Your Spirit upon your church shape us cause us to be the community of faith you've called us to be. We pray in Jesus name.  Amen. dear friend, thank you so much for watching us today. Don't forget to  share with your friends and relatives. The quest for answers looking for the first  followers of Christ here in Turkey, please visit our website. On our website. You  can leave us a message, your prayer request and order a copy of today's show  or the complete series. If you feel moved to support our ministry, you can make  your donation on our website as well. I hope to see you soon again