Unity in Christ

 

By:  Dale Weckbacher

 

Text:  Acts 11:19-30

 

Acts 11:19-21

Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews.  ²⁰ But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists^[a] also, preaching the Lord Jesus. ²¹ And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.

(ESV)

 

The world has no shortage of divisiveness and lack of unity.  There is political divisiveness resulting in hotly contested and close elections.  Cultural divisiveness leading to groups of individuals believing they are somehow superior.  Racial divisiveness has resulted in riotous behavior on the streets of major U.S. cities.  Political leaders run for office claiming they have a plan for bringing unity, only to fall short.  However, humanity is not without hope for there is a possibility for unity in Christ. 

 

After the stoning of Stephen, Saul began to ravage the church leading to the scattering of believers throughout Judea (Acts 8:1).  This scattering of believers spread from beyond the borders of Judea to Cyprus, Phoenicia, and Antioch (Acts 11:19).  However, these believers continued to limit their outreach to Jewish believers, except for some men coming to Antioch who reached out to the Hellenists (Acts 11:20).  While scattered from their homes in Israel, these believers did not lose their Christ-centered focus and were,

 

1)      On the move (Acts 11: 19-21) – Persecution scattered the Church, but they did not cower in fear and instead took the Gospel message with them.  The weapon of persecution formed against the Church did not prosper for the believers were empowered with the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8; Isaiah 54:17).   In this age of social distancing and the wearing of masks, believers must continue to serve God in the power of the Holy Spirit and remember Isaiah 54:17 remembering that no weapon, including social distancing and masks, will succeed in stopping the spread of the Gospel message. 

2)      Sharing the Gospel with all (Acts 11:20-21) – The men coming to Antioch from Cyprus and Cyrene had no problems taking the Gospel to the Hellenists.  It is uncertain if these men had heard of Peter’s vision and the events at Caesarea with the family of Cornelius (Acts 10) but what is certain is that these men, under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, understood the Gospel message was for all (John 3:16).  The unity of the Gospel message is that it places all humanity in the same fallen state (Romans 3:23) with all needing Jesus as Savior, for Jesus is the only path towards reconciliation with God (John 14:6; Romans 6:23). 

3)      Teachable teachers (Acts 11:26) – As these scattered believers moved from place to place, they served as teachers, teaching about Jesus wherever they went.  They were also teachable and took time to sit under the teaching of Saul for one year, a man who once persecuted believers (Acts 11:25-26).  These people were excellent teachers because they were teachable and open to receiving new knowledge.  During these challenging times, God’s people must be bold in declaring the truth of the Word of God but to do this they must remain teachable as the method of spreading the Gospel may change. 

4)      Generous to anyone in need (Acts 11:27-30) – The Church in Antioch not only believed in unity in Christ with the message of the Gospel being for all, but they also practiced unity by responding to the needs of believers in Judea without any regard to whether they were Jewish or Gentile.  Jesus said the world would know believers are disciples by their love for one another (John 13:34-35).  A divided world needs the Church to put aside differences and unify around Jesus, providing an example of a diverse group of individuals unifying around a message of love and not hate. 

 

The Gospel message begins with a unified foundation stating the fallen state of all humanity and the death penalty all humanity is under (Romans 3:23, 6:23).  The dividing line of the Gospel is whether one receives the loving message and unifies with God or continues a life of separation from God due to sin.  Jesus is coming back and when he does, he will separate those that believe from those that do not (Matthew 25:31-46).  The position nobody should desire is a goat who will live in eternal separation from God the creator.  I encourage everyone who has not done so to pray with me now to receive forgiveness from their sins and eternal life,

 

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, spent three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

 

Humanity’s hope for unity rests in unity in Christ who came and died for the sins of all humanity.  Before leaving to be with the Father, Jesus commissioned his bride the Church to share the message of salvation through Christ and the making of disciples (Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19-20).  Jesus is returning for His bride the Church so it is important that the Church put aside its differences and unify around Jesus to give all the opportunity to accept Jesus as Savior and be with Christ when He returns for His bride.