Zambia Hunt

The word “Christian” in our culture is most carelessly over-used. The politician claims he is a Christian and expects more votes. The businessman attends his local church and considers himself Christian yet to lie to Zambia Revenue Authority or to bribe Customs is considered valid business practice. Our churches in Zambia appear to be full, and those sitting in the service claiming to be Christian – yet our cities are plagued by violence, crime, rip-offs, immorality, drunkenness, sexual abuse of children, oppression of widows and orphans.

In the world press and reported here in Zambia is a most shocking story of African children being sold to persons in the UK who use them as human sacrifices. The UK press reported that “fundamentalist Christian churches” were perpetrating this crime.

The Context of Ancient Antioch

Next to Rome and Alexandria, Antioch was the third largest city of the world. It was 400 KM north of Jerusalem. She was a lovely city and she was a cosmopolitan city. She was famous for her chariot racing and for a kind of dedicated pursuit of pleasure, which went on literally night and day. Barclay says, “But she was a by-word for luxurious immorality. To put it in modern terms, we might describe her as a city of sports run mad, of betting, and gambling and night clubs.”

But most of all she was famous for the worship of Daphne whose temple stood five miles out of town amidst its Laurel groves. The legend was that Daphne was a mortal maid with whom Apollo fell in love. He pursued her, and to save her, Daphne was changed into a laurel bush. The priestesses of the Temple of Daphne were sacred prostitutes and, nightly, in these laurel groves the pursuit was re-enacted by the worshippers and the priestesses. “The morals of Daphne” was a phrase that the whole world knew for loose and lustful living. It seems incredible but nonetheless it is true, that it was in a city like that that Christianity took the great stride forward to becoming the religion of the world.

Pursuit of wealth, sports, pleasure, gambling, money, sex, immorality and business scams of every kind. Does it remind you of anywhere? Our media have poured out another week of television shows promoting sex without marriage, business without ethics, sport without scruples, and pleasure without restraints. Religious predators fill the airwaves promising riches to those who will sacrificially give to their ministry.

The Counter-Movement

In Antioch a counter-movement was infiltrating the grass roots of society. It started with people with Jewish roots. But now for the first time, people were openly talking about it with anyone who wanted to listen. They were telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus.

The writer of this account was Luke. Luke was a doctor and doctors see the damage that humans inflict on each other and on themselves. Betting, drugs, immorality, and sex games, all cause damage. Here were sex games with a religious twist, at the temple of Daphne.

Treating people merely as commodities flourishes in the city, because we never have to face those who lose at our expense. Today sport is a product; the players merely units to be exploited. Football was a game of integrity, not so today. Game-fixing scandals, political manipulation and publicized immoral lifestyles of players dominate the world press.

And it must have been like that in Antioch in the days when great numbers turned to the Lord.

For Jesus stood against this. Jesus regarded people as persons, and still does. And persons can be born again. What was damaged and dead in you can be renewed. You can be born again, made over. You can become a child of God, be in the family, join God’s team, get on His side, belong, be clean, believe, be glad. That’s why people joined Jesus. They had felt contaminated and exploited. Jesus offered a new start, a chance to feel clean again. A number of Jesus disciples were like that, scarred by the dog-eat-dog world of financial rip-offs.

And the sex trade is the same sort of thing. Again it flourishes in the city, because you don’t have to look people in the eye. Think of that prostitute whom Jesus saved. Who knows how she got where she was! Was she forced into it? Was she abused as a child and could never after wash the dirt away? Was it dirt that she smelled all the time? And soap never made it better because the dirt was inside her skin, and couldn’t be reached with anything!

She didn’t need the hypocritical Pharisees handling her all over to make her feel like trash. To them, she was merely part of a scheme to oust Jesus.

But Jesus was a revelation, and made her feel totally different. He turned the spotlight off her and onto the Pharisees saying “Let the one who has no sin cast the first stone.” And as if he’d been tapping into their telephone lines and intercepting their internet traffic he wrote a few things on the ground which told them that He knew; and every one of them slunk away.

He’d watched them go, the power of his morality and character compelling they leave at the same time that a gentle and compassionate understanding attracted her attention.

He turned to her, “Mam, where are they? Has no-one condemned you?” “No-one Sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you. Walk free and live, and leave your life of sin.”

I don’t wonder that a great number in Antioch turned to the Lord Jesus, If you’ve tasted the stink of life without morals, and been treated as dirt, like a torn carton on the road, then to have Jesus defend you, and trounce your tormentors, and treat you with courtesy and dignity, and above all – in full knowledge of everything in your life – had forgiven you and declared you free of condemnation, then I know why someone would turn to the Lord and pay heed to his kindness and encouragement to leave the old ways and sin no more.

So why were they called Christians? What was it about this group of people in Antioch that caused the city to take notice?

They Had Received the Gospel

These scattered believers everywhere they went talked about Jesus Christ and the Word of God at a personal level. They spoke the gospel – but more than that, they preached the gospel – to publicly stand and proclaim the gospel of Christ. As Romans 10:14 asks, how can people believe without hearing? They were not promoting religion or a church, they were preaching about a person.

But their ministry had power behind it. The hand of the Lord – the Power of God as promised in Acts 1:8 – was upon them. You cannot minister in your own power – and you don’t have to. Have you ever tried to do something on your own and failed miserably? We need the hand of the Lord enabling us.

And what was the product? They believed the message. They heard the message that all have sinned as Romans 3:23 declares – they knew this to be true. All they had to do was to look around their city. In their own hearts they knew in an honest moment that they were dominated by sin – lust, evil thoughts, covetousness, pride, anger, rebellion, self-seeking, drunkenness, immorality, and a host of other sins caused them to miserably fall short of God’s glorious standard.

Galatians 5:19-21 spells it out clearly: “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

They heard that sins separate us from God – God is holy and can never allow sin of any kind into His presence. Isaiah 59:2 makes this clear: “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.”

They heard that the wages of sin is death. Ezekiel 18:20: “The soul who sins shall die,” and Romans 5:12 says: “When Adam sinned, sin entered the entire human race. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.”

But they also heard that God provided one way in which sin could be judged and the sinner forgiven. 2 Corinthians 5:21: “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

And they responded to the message with repentance, as Luke 13:1-5 and John 1:12 describe.

They Remained in the Faith

Jerusalem was concerned and involved – note the change of heart from Acts 1-18. They had contended with Peter, but Peter had carefully explained the Cornelius incident, and the church was convinced that God had opened faith to Gentiles. They sent encouragement and help to these new believers.

Barnabas came with a message of encouragement, urging them with purpose of heart – to do something on purpose, priority – to continue with the Lord. And this is the sign of a true believer – continuance! This explains all those who were once here faithfully and now are sitting at home with no interest in the things of the Lord.

John 8:31 makes this clear: “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.’” 1 John 2:17 adds: “And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” And 1 John 2:19 explains those who fall away: “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.”

Barnabas himself was a man of character.

He was a good man – Barnabas means “Son of Encouragement.” Good means excellent, upright, honorable. He was a man of his word, honest. He was the antithesis of the Antiochan culture! Encouragement – support of the kind that inspires confidence and a will to continue or develop.

He was a Spirit-filled man – controlled by the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23 describes what this looks like: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”

And he was a man of faith – strong faith in God that comes from a proper knowledge of God. He lived what he believed.

They Realized the Importance of the Word

They were taught for a whole year! Didactos – line upon line. Systematic teaching the whole word of God. Teaching the Word is at the heart of the Church’s ministry.

But more than learning it, they loved the Word. Is there any other explanation for the consistent commitment to assembling together to be taught? Do you love the Word? Do you read it everyday, do you delight to come to the house of God to hear the Word taught?

Job 23:12 captures this love: “I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth More than my necessary food.” And Psalm 119:105: “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”

Most importantly, they lived the Word. They were called ‘Christians’ – Party of Christ. Though a term of mockery it was quickly embraced by the followers of Christ and worn as a badge of honor! It affected their home life, their business life, their worship life, and their recreational life.

They Readily Expressed Their Love

They moved from selfishness to sacrifice, showing concern for others. When they heard of coming famine, they were determined to help those in need. Everyone was involved. Each did what they could.

The Question for Today

So I must ask you the question: Are you called a Christian? Why? Why would anyone look at your life and call you a Christian?

Have you received the gospel? Have you remained in the faith? Do you realize the importance of the Word? Do you readily express your love in the family of God?

These four marks distinguished the believers in Antioch – a city much like ours today, full of moral corruption and the pursuit of pleasure without restraint. Yet in that environment, the gospel took root and transformed lives so completely that the world took notice and gave them a name that has endured for two millennia.

Sermon Transcript Edits by Claude.ai