The Antioch Church has been the model for missions movements, church planting and urban reconciliation for almost 2,000 years. The following principles show why this church is the model church rather than the Jerusalem Church. The purpose of sharing this message today is so that our church can look toward the Antioch Church as a model to aspire toward and imitate.
It doesn’t take us much time to realize that there is something terribly wrong within our own souls and with the world. The best the world has to offer us is filled with challenges, sorrow and pain. It’s like a person who looks happy and healthy on the outside but every once in a while feels pain when he moves a certain way. Then he gets a checkup and finds he has stage four cancer throughout his body. Even before we were Christ-followers we knew something was wrong. Deep inside we know we are sinners, alienated from our Creator. Something has always been wrong even if we couldn’t tell exactly what it was.
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We are constantly trying to figure out the cause of certain things encountered in life, from important and complex situations to simple trivial situations.
There is perhaps no greater battlefield we will ever deal with than our families. When Satan wanted the whole human race to fall, his first order of business was to divide a husband and wife from one another and from their God, who holds their marriage union together (read Genesis 3:1-8). If Satan divides and deceives a husband and wife, then he has a greater chance of getting their children as well.
What a scene! It began with hope but ended in despair. It was born in witness but was buried in denial, in despair. What promised to be a coronation became a crucifixion. Jerusalem’s greatest hour soon became her hour of judgment.
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Peace comes when things are in order and in harmony. When you are missing something important, you are not at peace.
I heard it said once that “failure is the parent of innovation.” This is a very true statement because before every successful career or endeavor there are usually a multitude of failures. We all have to learn to “fail forward.” As we entered a new year, we should have reflected on the successes and failures of the past year, using both as a trajectory toward a more productive experience this year.
There has been much said in recent years regarding the office of apostle and how they should function. Even mainline Evangelical leaders are using the term “apostolic” to describe certain types of leaders. Consequently, I feel the need to put together a brief summary of what I want to call “apostolic truth,” which is a fancy way of saying what apostolic understanding should include, in my opinion.
