The Christians of Antioch

The original church began with 120 believers in an upper room in Jerusalem. They had no property, no budget to speak of. No printed Bible, no social media strategy, no church history to learn from. But within a generation, the enemies of the church were forced to admit that they had “turned the world upside down”.

How did they do that, in the face of so much opposition?

The church we read about in Acts could not be stopped. Opposition came. Persecution intensified. Leaders were imprisoned. Believers were scattered. But the church kept moving forward. It turns out that one of the biggest obstacles to progress they had to overcome was in their own minds: how could all these Jewish-background Christians who believed in Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, wrap their minds around sharing the gospel with non-Jewish people (Gentiles)?

That question was answered when Jesus started saving Gentiles in Acts 10! The apostles in Jerusalem settled the issue in Chapter 11, that the Gospel is for everyone (Jews, Gentiles, all people everywhere). Let's read about the first major step into that new reality, in a place called Antioch. Please find Acts 11:19-26.