About UsJESUS TO THE NATIONS

ANTIOCH - THE APOSTOLIC MANDATE

God came to Adam before Adam came to God. God came to Israel in Egypt before Israel became free to go to Canaan. God came to our world through Christ Jesus or else we would never have made it to heaven. Once he came to our world Jesus kept on going. He came into contact with majority of the people he spent his time with, and all of the disciples he called, while going from place to place. I often wonder how many people Jesus would have reached if he would have waited for them to come at the synagoge once a week? what if he decided not to leave Narareth his hometown until his ascension? one time the people had difficulty to let him go because they enjoyed the miraculous things he performed. The bible says "they tried to keep him from leaving them. but he said I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, BECAUSE THAT IS WHY I WAS SENT." Luke 4:42. I think our problem could be that we see the number of saved people we have inside our churches and get happy whereas Jesus sees the number of unsaved outside the churches & his heart yearns to bring them in. It’s said, "The church is the only club that was invented for the benefit of its non-members."

When he left to heaven the GOING was not to stop. from heaven he was to reach the whole world through his disciples. He said Matt 28:18 "....All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore GO and make disciples of all nations, ..........I am with you always to the very end of the age"

At the day of Pentecost, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit no doubt brought about a glorious transformation as the Jerusalem church experienced the favor and dynamic moves of God. it led to a spiritual explosion in the first period of growth, both in quality as well as quantity. It resulted into supernatural manifestations such as a bold proclamation of the gospel, power teachings, healing, raising the dead, convicting sinners, casting out devils and building up a strong community of believers. However Jerusalem church gradually ceased to be on the front line of God’s purpose, which was to take the gospel to the unreached nations.

Acts 1:8 “but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be my witnesses…" However the promise did not only say “you shall receive power,” but it also described the reason to receive power.” and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” The increasing resistance to the overriding mandate of Acts 1:8 led to persecution in order to thrust the church out of Jerusalem and brought about a shift in focus to the church of Antioch. Acts 11:19-20.

The church of Antioch was pioneered by simple, obedient and daring men who stepped out and boldly proclaimed the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Hellenists. It was a church whose significance remained undiminished for a longer period of time as it fully embraced the mandate of Acts 1:8

What was unique about the church of Antioch?

  • It was a church that broke the church traditions and was free from the influence of the spirit of religion.
  • It was a church with a visionary leaders who carried it with a fierce and focused determination. Paul the Apostle, and also Barnabas, a son of encouragement, an agent God used to release the gift that lay in people, a man responsible to release Paul into his calling and enabled him progress further into his destiny.
  • Though the city of Antioch was known for its immorality, the church was neither influenced by the darkness nor compromised by other religions.
  • It was a church that embraced and supported the vision of Paul as it’s own.
  • It was a church that was financially strong but used its resources for mission works optimally.
  • It was a multiracial and multi-cultural church that accommodated both Jews and gentiles without compromising the message of the full gospel of Christ. It was a church that broke cultural and racial barriers because of its response to the revelation of God. Gal 3:28
  • It was a church where the disciples were called Christians for the first time. It was also a church that affected the world’s view about Christianity, from thinking that the teaching of Jesus as a new form of Judaism into believing Christ is for all men, Jews as well as gentiles.
  • It was also a church that comprised of different nationalities to be in its structural leadership.
  • It was a church that brought in ministries with gifts to provide an impartation and help its members have a spiritual breakthrough into their regions.
  • It’s a church that equipped and released ministries to pioneer other churches at different geographical locations.
  • It was a church that was willing to spare the time to hear the voice of God to find fresh destiny and vision from God.

After a careful examination and thorough study of the above mentioned and some other qualities of the church of Antioch it’s clearer than ever to anyone that if a church chooses to remain fruit bearing and at the center of God’s purpose, so as to allow the flow of the anointing and the presence of God, without which no work of God can bear fruit, and if a church has to bring about a change in the surrounding communities and governments as well as the nations through the message of the gospel, I have found it to be imperative to embrace wholeheartedly the vision which the church of Antioch once had, in order to remain significant and effective instrument in the hand of the Almighty God in this 21st century. Jesus is still calling us to GO to the nations. We are his feets through whom the apostolic mandate can be realized. This is the philosophy behind pioneering the Church of Antioch.