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Sunnyside Baptist Church Michael Dirrim
Apostles, his saints, by his spirit, to do his promised work. He said, I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. He promised to bring about his kingdom in a way that was surprising, but sure.
Leaven in a lump of dough, a mustard seed that becomes a tree. Inexorably, the glory of Christ advances through his people in the world and things begin to change. And in our passage, we're looking at what happens when the gospel has been preached to Gentiles in the third largest city in the Roman Empire, Antioch.
And how, although there was great violence, ethnic violence, tearing Antioch apart, Jew versus Gentile, that when the gospel of Jesus Christ was preached, by the grace of God, those who were once at war went together up Mount Zion and beat their swords into plowshares and began to labor together in the harvest of the.
Gospel.
And there's one aspect about being Christians that we're going to look at this morning. Yes, we go. Yes, we gather. But also, we'll see in our passage this morning that we give, we give. I invite you to stand with me as we read God's word together.
This is the word of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, by his Holy Spirit, through his servant, Luke, beginning in verse 19 of Acts 11. Now, those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only.
But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene who, when they came to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to.
The Lord.
Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch. 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. Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul, and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year, they assembled with the church and taught a great many people, and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.
And in those days, and in these days, prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch. Then one of them named Agabus stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar.
Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea. This they also did and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul. This is the word of the Lord, thanks be to God, you may be seated.
I was missing Brother Red this week, so I wrote a limerick. Some folks give so as to impress, some feel bad so they relieve stress, some give keeping a gratitude tally, some throw a virtue signaling rally, they have the reward more.
The less.
Giving is an interesting thing. As we approach Thanksgiving and Christmas, our thoughts and our email inboxes naturally turn to all manner of needs. We begin to think of hospitality and we begin to think of generosity and celebration and joy and we begin to receive all manner of requests that we give.
Here's this need, here's this need. Oh, look at that need, how pressing, how dire, how important. And we wonder, should I give? Should I give to this? If I give to this, will I have enough to give to that?
What if there's something better to give to? To whom should I give?
Why should I give?
How much should I give? Our giving should be shaped by the one who gave himself to us. Our giving should be Christian giving. We are what we are by the grace of God and that's all that we are. And to give is to impart something of ourselves, so freely we have received, let us freely.
Give.
As we have received the Lord Jesus Christ, so we are to walk in him. He is to shape and direct our giving. And we see that going on in our passage this morning. We should not find our identity in our giving, but in the one who gave himself for us.
He is the author and the finisher of our faith. And so we ought to let him free us unto giving and to focus us in our giving. We've talked about how Christians go. We've talked about how Christians gather, why we do these things.
But also we see in the passage that Christians give.
Christians give.
And we see that the giving going on in the passage is led by the Spirit, first of all, and second of all, is an expression of love to the saints. Led by the Spirit and it is love to the saints. Notice in verses 27 and 28 again, it says,.
And in these days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch. Then one of them named Agabus stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar.
Now what? Now what do we do?
There is a need that is set before the church in Antioch. What are they going to do? They've been informed of a coming famine. What is their responsibility? What is their inclination? What is their desire?
What is their plan? I want us to look at these two verses in two different ways. First of all, most importantly, to consider the prophetic source. And then secondly, to consider the political situation that we're reading about in verses 27 and 28.
I think it's good to be reminded that our giving as Christians is not something that happens in a vacuum. We're wanting to understand the will of God. How would he direct us? By what authority are we giving and what is our motivation and how are we to go about it?
But not only are we considering the proper way to give and the reasons to give, but then also we're very often influenced by the crisis of the week, the political situations in which we live. Our motives and our means are to be directed by the Lord.
If we are not to be tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine, surely this applies to how and why we give. Now, first of all, we see the prophetic source. Prophets came up from Jerusalem to Antioch on quite a trip, hundreds of miles north of.
Jerusalem.
There sits Antioch, third largest city in the Roman Empire on the Orontes River. A very cosmopolitan city, all manner of people from all over the empire meet there, the gateway to the east. And the prophets come up from Jerusalem.
Now, when we think of prophets, we're often thinking about Elijah, Elisha, strange men who did strange things and wore strange clothes and were asked to do all manner of oddities by God. Perhaps we think of Samuel and Isaiah, noble, influential prophets.
Perhaps we think of Jeremiah and Habakkuk, weeping prophets. Perhaps we think of Moses and John the Baptist, preeminent prophets. But we are perhaps surprised to read that there were prophets coming up from Jerusalem, from the church in Jerusalem, and that these prophets came up to the church in Antioch.
And these are brothers in Christ who are communicating the truth of God to the church. And one of them named Agabus says there's going to be a famine coming soon. Who are these prophets who come up to bless the church at Antioch?
Well, Ephesians chapter 4 tells us that Christ, in His victorious ascension and sending forth of the Holy Spirit, in His building of the church and His shepherding rule over His saints, that He has provided for the church all that was necessary for its establishment and its.
Growth.
So in Ephesians chapter 4, verses 11 and 12, we read, And He Himself, Christ our shepherd, our Savior, He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, apostles, prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers.
Why did He give these to the church? Verse 12, for the equipping of the saints, for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.
That's why.
So when Christ ascended and led captivity captive and gave gifts to men, among those gifts, He gave prophets who were specially given for the establishment of Christ's church in the latter days of the Old Covenant and the formative days of the New Covenant, while the New Testament was still being written.
There were things that His people needed to know in order to succeed and to flourish and to follow Him in obedience. And He provided that by the authority of the apostles and the authority of the prophets.
It's my own understanding that with the passing away of the Old Covenant and the completion of the New Testament, apostles and prophets, having served to establish the foundation of the church, have been laid to rest as gifts.
But let's say you think prophets are still around. I understand why. Don't we want a vibrant church? Don't we want a church that's being led by the Spirit of God? Don't we want a church that has all the best qualities that we read about in the book of Acts and observe in the letters of Paul and others in the New Testament?
What goes on here? I mean, Saul and Barnabas and the brethren at Antioch are not debating with one another about whether or not prophecy is going to cease with the eradication of the Old Covenant. They're not concerned about the theological debates that sometimes we have.
They're encouraged by these brothers who come up and tell them the truth of God. Prophecy is all over the place. Barnabas, son of a prophet in the Aramaic. Saul, named after King Saul, who was ironically and humorously found among the prophets.
Some of you remember that story. And now we have prophets coming up from Jerusalem to Antioch. And what has been going on this entire time in the book of Acts except that we've been watching the son of David by his spirit build the New Covenant temple?
It's just like in the days of Ezra when it was time to rebuild the temple and the prophets were there on hand to help. It's kind of like me showing up to a workday trying to do something. Kind of stumbling through trying to install a toilet or me trying to change out a light switch.
And the handymen beside me are like, I've got to let him have his shot to help. The prophets showed up to help build the temple in Ezra. I bet they did a bad job, but they were trying to set an example for the people to be about the work of the Lord.
How much better job here in Antioch as the son of David, by the power of the spirit, is building the New Covenant temple. Here come the prophets who have been given by Christ to the church to help build, to edify, to instruct the church.
What is essential here is that the grace needed for the expansion of the Lord's work is truth. Truth. And that's what God provides here. Notice that it says that Agabus, one of them named Agabus, stood up and showed by the spirit that there was going to be a great famine.
He showed by the spirit somehow what he said to them was authenticated by them, that they knew that what he said was by the spirit. By the spirit. When Paul was writing to the Thessalonians, 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, verses 19 through 21, he said, do not quench the spirit.
Do not despise prophecies. A couple of do nots. Do not quench the spirit. Do not despise prophecies. And then what does he lay in parallel to that? He says, test all things, hold fast to what is good.
He said that because there were plenty of false teachers about who were saying, thus says the Lord, when the Lord didn't say thus. And so what Paul was saying to the church in Thessalonica was, you know, don't throw the baby out with the bathwater, but make sure the baby's clean.
So notice what happens. He says, test all things, hold fast to what is good. Very interesting. In a parallel passage, 1 John chapter 4, verse 1, as John is dealing with the false teachers who were in Ephesus, he says, beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
And he goes on to talk about how you can tell the genuine from the false by what they say about Christ, who is the way, truth and the life. And no one comes to the Father except by him. So what happened here in this moment in Acts is that what Agabus said was revealed by the Spirit.
Thus, it had to be evaluated by a standard to be authenticated as to whether or not what he was saying was true. And what is that standard? What is the standard? Well, it has to be Jesus Christ and his word.
It has to be Jesus Christ and his word. Consider that in the Old Testament, there were also false prophets that were a problem and that when Moses was writing to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 13 and 18, he said, Thus saith the Lord, beware of false prophets.
They may come and tell you, let us go and worship an idol. They say that, stone them, don't show mercy. He also said, if they come and say, thus and such will happen, and it does. And then they say, since I've been authenticated by a sign coming to pass, therefore, here's how we're going to do things and try to lead you astray.
Moses says to them, don't listen to them. They're still worthy of being stoned because the Lord is testing you to see whether or not you're going to say true to his word. He says the same thing in Deuteronomy 18 and then adds in that passage in warning the people of false prophets and how to tell false prophets in that very passage.
He says to them, he prophesies to them and says, The Lord will raise up for you from among your brethren, one of you who will be a great prophet like me, but ultimately greater. And everybody must listen to him.
And whoever doesn't listen to him, they will be judged. And who is that great prophet who succeeds Moses other than Jesus Christ? So if we look at the Old Testament, the way you tell false from true prophecy is, does it agree with God's word?
Ultimately, does it agree with Jesus Christ, whom the Lord has sent? If we're in the New Testament, it's still going to be the same principle. Is this true or is this false? Let's compare it to a standard God's word, which reveals Jesus Christ.
Notice as well that one does not quench the spirit by testing prophecies. Do you see that? Do not quench the spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything. If someone comes and says, The Lord told me this.
The Lord has led me to do this and say this. If someone comes to you and says, I have essentially a prophecy from God. God is telling me to do this. And you say, hmm, I think we should test that according to the word and the revelation of Jesus Christ.
They don't get to say, don't quench the spirit. Because testing prophecy in accordance with the word of God and Christ is not quenching the spirit. That's honoring the spirit. For the spirit is the one who has given us these words.
It is God breathed. Holy men moved by the Holy Spirit wrote down the words of God. Every word superintended inherently with the truth of God. And the spirit's ministry is to bring to mind all that Christ has said.
And so we are not quenching the spirit and we are not despising prophecies. When if somebody comes to you and says that God told me this. Well, let me see if it agrees with the word of God and the revelation of Jesus Christ.
That's not quenching the spirit as honoring the spirit. So Agabus, what he said was in agreement with what Christ had said. For Christ had told them, Luke 21. Luke 21, same Luke who wrote the book of Acts.
Luke 21, verse 10. Christ said to them, nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places and famines and pestilences. And there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven.
And you know what was going on at the time that Barnabas was in Antioch? There was a war going on between kingdom and kingdom. The city state of Antioch was in crisis as Gentiles were murdering Jews. And the Sanhedrin had sent up tens of thousands of soldiers to put a stop to the violence.
And they began to kill Gentiles. And it was such a chaotic moment that Caligula, who was the current insane Caesar of the Roman Empire, sent all manner of instructions that made things worse. Some of those instructions were disobeyed by his own generals.
It was chaos. And in the process of all of that going on, many of the Jews in the land of Judea said, we're not going to live normal. We are going to agitate and we're going to protest. And we're going to come against our oppressors, the Roman Empire.
The following year, after that, in which they did no work to plant their crops, the following year was a Sabbath year. So once again, they planted no crops. And you know what happens when you don't plant crops for two years and you're under the judgment of God?
Famine. And lo and behold, just as Jesus said it would, it came to pass. We ought not be surprised by that. Agabus tells the truth. He was no false prophet. But, you know, sometimes what the Lord has to say is not very welcome.
That's not really good news to hear. There's going to be a great famine throughout all the land. There's going to be famines here and there. And it's going to bring great economic hardship in the world.
Agabus, by the way, was the same prophet who in Acts 21 came and told Paul, you're going to be arrested and thrown in jail. And nobody wanted to see Agabus coming. He always had bad news. Every time you see him coming, he's like, oh, here comes the plague.
By the way, funnily enough, his name means locust. Sometimes what the Lord has to say to us is not initially welcome. But we ought to listen and be led by what God has to say. We need to think in our giving about how we are led.
If we are led by the spirit, that means that we will be led in accordance with Christ. Christians are guided in our choices, in our investments, in our actions by the Holy Spirit. And that means more than emotional prompts.
We are to be led by the spirit, not by emotions, led by the spirit, not by presentations, led by the spirit, not by political machinations. Consider further the political situation. The days of Claudius Caesar we see.
The days of Claudius Caesar was when the famine hit. That's because Caligula was dead, having committed suicide. Many years of unrest. And where once there were troops deployed from Jerusalem to Antioch to kill the Gentiles who were killing the Jews in Antioch, now those who have become Christians, followers of Christ, now organize themselves to send relief to those living around Jerusalem because of the famine.
Now, there were needs all over the place, I would have us notice. There were needs all over the place because the famine here, there and everywhere, kind of a rolling blackout, a rolling famine throughout the entire Roman Empire.
So there were needs everywhere. But notice the disciples, verse 29, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea. The brethren dwelling in Judea. Isn't that interesting? The famine is afflicting all kinds of people throughout the whole Roman Empire.
But the Christians, they organized themselves to do what? To send relief to the brethren living in Judea. They're going to get hit hard by this famine. Antioch is going to be situated well on the Orontes River, just a few miles away from the sea.
They're going to be fine. But not the folks living down in Judea, not the brethren living down there. There's all manner of brethren living in Judea. A great population of Christians, mostly Jews, living in the area of Judea and Jerusalem.
Who's going to be looking after them? The Sanhedrin who runs the show will certainly be giving out relief food to fellow Jews. But Christ has come preaching the gospel, which as a sword has divided family members from family members.
And there's all kinds of people who are not going to be helped at all because the Sanhedrin is in the process of persecuting Christians. And so when the food comes into the area, none of the Christians are going to see any relief.
And so the brethren in Antioch organized themselves to support their fellow believers. I find it interesting that they were not globalist in their giving and they were not nationalist in their giving.
They were Christian in their giving. And this is not retreating from the world. But you see that they were very active in addressing the needs and the issues in their world. They weren't retreating from the world.
They weren't being routed by the world. They were responding as Christians to what was going on around them. And so the Lord lets the church know that a famine was coming, that they may express love for one another and bring glory to him.
And this is truly loving the saints, verses 29 and 30. Read it again. Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea. This they also did and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.
So what do we see going on here? Each one gave as he was able or as she was able. Together, their individual gifts meant more than by themselves. So they put them together and there was something added to it.
Because now the Jerusalem church that had sent out Saul and Barnabas, now they bring relief support from Antioch back to Jerusalem and Judea. There is a orderliness to it and there is a corporateness to it.
Paul, on another effort to gather up funds for support of other believers, wrote in 1 Corinthians 16, 1 through 2, he said, Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also.
On the first day of the week, which is the day Jesus rose from the dead, as the saints were gathering together for worship. On the first day of the week, let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.
So Saul is saying, be orderly about it, pull your resources together, and you're going to be able to help the saints who are in need. But this was a free action as well as a focused action. Each one, according to their own ability, according to their desire, according to their opportunity, gave.
But notice they were not giving to relieve the Jerusalem population. They were not giving to relieve the Judean population. They were not giving to relieve the Roman population. What were they doing? They were giving to help fellow Christians.
Now I find that this is an emphasis that is awful lacking in our larger evangelicalism today. Very often that when we are presented as Christians with these needs, and there is an expectation that Christians are generous and that they give, and that's a good expectation to have.
But when the needs are presented to us, they're very often about, here's this horrible situation. Here's another situation, 2 ,000 miles away. Look how terrible it is. Please give. Here's another situation, 3 ,000 miles away.
Oh, it is terrible. Won't you give? And this is generally what is presented to us as opportunities for giving. The question is, if we're going to be led by the Spirit, what would Christ have us do?
What does the Scripture say?
In Galatians chapter 6, which comes in the context of our following the law of Christ, bearing one another's burdens and loving one another, we find this, Galatians 6 verses 9 through 11. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, the big picture. Now, notice the focus, especially to those who are of the household of faith. Now, does that sound selfish and wrong and tribal?
That in our giving, that we would prioritize giving to fellow believers and to Christians than to non-Christians? If we feel that that's somehow wrong and imbalanced and inappropriate, who's been discipling us to think that way?
Who told us that that was the wrong way to think? Interesting question. There is a freedom to give to the poor. I want you to hear this very carefully from the mouth of our own Savior, Mark chapter 14 verses 6 through 8.
But Jesus said, let her alone, the woman who came to anoint him and to worship him. Let her alone, Jesus says, why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for me, for you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish, you may do them good.
But me, you do not have always. She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint my body for burial. Do you hear what Jesus said? Jesus said, first of all, you're not going to fix poverty.
Period.
Did you hear what he said? Do you believe Jesus Christ? Did he say poverty is good?
No.
Did he say people who have no food and clothes, that's a good thing? No, he didn't say that. He said the poor is going to be with you always. That's what he said. You're not going to fix poverty by giving.
Here's what you can do. Whenever you wish, you have the freedom, the absolute liberty to give to the poor whenever you wish. Do you hear that? It's not an obligation and a burden upon your back, so saints.
We are not Muslims. We don't have a pillar of our faith that requires that we give a 40th of our income to the poor or else Allah will judge us. We are not in the old covenant, brethren. We do not have a tithe of every single thing we bring in, including the animals and the crops.
They were first called Christians in Antioch. We are free and we may give to the poor whenever we wish. We have that liberty. We have that freedom. But do you see what happened in the passage? Maybe you remember the story that she gave something to Christ that was of great value.
And the complaining began. Oh, this should have been sold at market and the value given to the poor. That would have been the right thing to do. And Jesus said, no, loving me and worshiping me is more important than giving to the poor.
Uh-oh. Now that might be close to evangelical heresy today. But that's what Jesus said. Who was it who made the complaint about the money? Who was it who said this should have been sold and the money given to the poor?
Who was it who made that complaint? His name was Judas Iscariot. Who had control of the money purse and used to help himself out of the purse when he felt like it. By the way, are things any different today?
So-called benevolent noble groups trying to save the world through taking your money into their coffers. How are they doing in terms of being ethical and having integrity?
Terrible.
Oh, careful who you give to, how you give. Remember this. Jesus gives us a picture of what happens when he returns and raises the dead. And the goats are on the left and the sheep are on the right. And what did he say that matters to him in the end?
Same thing that happened when that woman whose worship is known wherever the gospel is preached. How she adored him and worshiped him. That's what matters to him. At the very end, here's what he says in Matthew 25 verse 40.
To those who gave water to drink, to the thirsty, food to those who were hungry, visited those who were imprisoned and closed, to those who needed it. But listen very carefully to what Jesus says. Matthew 25 verse 40.
And the king will answer and say to them, assuredly, I say to you, in as much as you did it to the least of these, my brethren, you did it to me. Jesus is fine with giving to the poor. He said you may do that whenever you wish.
But what matters to him at Judgment Day is how you worshiped him. And when you see a brother in need. And your heart is not closed to them, but you show love to them and give to them that you see that your brother or sister in Christ is in need.
You're doing it as unto Christ, joining in spirit with the woman who broke her alabaster box upon the head and feet of Christ. And notice how it was given. This is very plain, but I think it needs to be said there was a doubly accountable way of giving.
You know, Paul gives warnings in his letters about those who, for the love of money, make a shipwreck of their faith. Teaching many erroneous things, attempting to make godliness a means of illegitimate increase, like Judas Iscariot.
But notice that the Christian giving going on here in Acts 11 is doubly accountable. They sent the relief, notice, to the elders, meaning the pastors in each church throughout Judea, including Jerusalem.
They sent the relief to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul. Barnabas and Saul, who were known as having integrity, as good brothers in Christ, known both to those in Judea and to those in Antioch.
And then the relief funds were given to the elders, the shepherds who were overseeing the flocks, so that they could do what? Distribute it to the deacons and the deacons get it to those who were in need.
Do you see how accountable it is? It isn't giving in a vacuum. It isn't texting, you know, help and $10 into the void. Now I feel better because I gave. I'll tell somebody I gave, so they know that I'm a good person.
But there is a thoughtful approach. You know how we talked about when somebody comes to you and says, I have a word from God. God has said to me this, and then you say, well, let's check with the word of God.
They may complain and say, you're stifling the spirit. No, I'm obeying the spirit. Same thing happens when people come to you about giving. Here is this credible need. Look at this kid. He's starving.
He's crying. Why won't you help him? And you say, hold up a second. I'm going to check the financials of this organization and see if it's really accountable and see if this is a Christian thing or not.
Can I give to churches in the area? What will be the best? And they say, you don't care about, you know, actually, I'm obeying Christ. You see how that works? People want you to believe things emotionally on impulse or to give emotionally on impulse.
We should be giving as Christians give, and we will do a maximum of good. Now, if there is a third observation about giving beyond it being led by the spirit and love for the saints, it is truly praise and glory to our God, to our Savior.
2 Corinthians chapter 9. We remember this verse that gets wrenched out of context, but 2 Corinthians 9 verse 6 is a true promise. But this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity, as if it's your duty that I have to bear. For God loves a cheerful giver, and God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you always, having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
Meaning, depending upon the grace of God, I will give with my eye to Christ who did not sow sparingly. But this passage, as you keep reading, I want you to hear how it concludes. Verse 13 says, while through the proof of this ministry they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ and for your liberal sharing, your generous sharing with them and all men.
And by their prayer for you, who long for you because of the exceeding grace of God in you, notice how it concludes, thanks be to God for his indescribable gift. Every giving, every opportunity we have as Christians to give when we're led by the Spirit and do so for our Lord is an act of worship giving praise to God for his indescribable gift.
I'm always giving in light of the indescribable gift that has been given to me. Well, these are Christians. We go, we gather, we give, and a whole bunch of other things. Praise to God. Let's close in prayer.
Father, we thank you for the time that you have given to us in your word. I thank you for this note about what happened in Antioch, how you powerfully and miraculously turned things around, and how effective and how powerful your gospel is to transform lives and change the world.
Help us to believe your word and trust in your leadership. Pray these things for Christ's sake. Amen.
