Breakages At Antioch
Acts 11:19-23
Up to this point since the launch of the Church in Acts 2,
the center for Christianity was Jerusalem . Jesus had said tarry in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit. He did not say
tarry in Jerusalem
forever. Sometimes we take a part of the instruction. They kept the gospel in Jerusalem
and among the Jews instead of taking it also to Samaria and the rest of the world (Acts 1:8).
The church at Antioch
started well but progress stalled until they found themselves on the run. Their
efforts hit an invincible barrier. They however were able to find their
breakthrough. Breakthrough is when something standing in the way gives way.
Break through is being able to reach a place God has been before to prepare it
for you. Reaching the promised place despite resistance is breakthrough. God
prepares a place for his people and leads them to that place. God’s word
reveals the place. The promises in the word give the hope for which faith is
substance (Hebrews 11:1).
The Antioch
church refused to be stopped from living and sharing their faith. Opposition to
them reached a peak when Stephen was martyred. They had settled in Jerusalem but God was on
the move. The persecution made them move with God. They proved to be a people
on the move, a people unstoppable.
Wherever they went, they took the gospel with them. In Old Testament
times, all the enemy of God’s people needed to do to defeat them was to destroy
Jerusalem or
capture the ark where God’s presence manifested. Imagine the very ark of your
God captured. In the New Testament, however the church was harder to deal with.
Unlike a spider that can be killed by chopping off the head. The church was
like a starfish that when cut to pieces, the pieces grow to star fishes. The
more its cut the more starfish. Wherever the believers scattered to they took
Gods presence and the gospel with them.
You need to apply Antioch
lessons at a personal level. The lessons apply for your personal, business,
family break through. Often you get excited about a revelation you receive and
you take off to a great start. Then
setbacks come. Then you face barriers. Then you resistance intensifies until
you are on the run or go into hiding. The aim of the enemy is to stop you. The Antioch believers refused
to let the enemy win. Some lessons:
>> The Antioch Antioch
church broke from the norm to accomplish the normal to God. They took the risk
of being misunderstood.
They reached out to non-Jews and sparked the spread of the
gospel far and wide. They even sent
support to Jerusalem instead of waiting for
support from Jerusalem .
>>>Antioch Jerusalem sent Barnabas to investigate what was happening
at Antioch .
Baby Antioch
church needed lots of oxygen of encouragement. You also need someone who will
inspire and encourage you along the right way.
>>>Antioch Antioch
church needed someone able to give them capacity. Lots of encouragement without
ability leads to frustration. They needed Paul who had special grace for gentiles
and for teaching and grounding in the faith. Thank God, Barnabas brought him to
Antioch . He
built capacity while Barnabas gave the motivation. Paul needed Antioch
and Antioch
needed Paul.
However, with all these in place nothing would have worked
without breakages within. For your breakthrough, something will need to break. Something
had to break in the people of God at Antioch .
The church at Antioch
was a people on the move because of breakages inside. There is something called
breaking for break through. Something of
yours has to break in order for something standing in the way to be moved away.
Something lesser has to break to give way to something greater from God. If you
will not break, you will breakdown. If you break, you can no longer be broken.
Something will need to give way in and around you. The
barriers you face will not go away on their own you will have to face them. You
however overcome them by allowing something inside to break so that the lion of
Judah
inside can come out. Some things will not work unless something breaks inside
for grace to be evident. The word of God states some breakages that must happen
inside. The breakages relate to five life perspectives.
1) Breaking of fallow
ground. This breakage is in your
relationship with yourself. It is about
what your heart is like. How willing you are to learn and change. How soft your
heart towards God’s word. The one thing
that will determine fruitfulness in your walk with Christ is your attitude
towards the word of God (Mathew 13:18-23). Many have exposure to the word but
few experience transformation as a result. The word is reaching many from every
direction by satellite, internet, literature, radio, pulpit, and even street
corner. Yet many are only interested in experiences at meetings. They are
looking for someone to blow over then and blow away all their problems
permanently so they can go and live as they wish. Sustained victory comes from
an on going learning attitude. A heart prepared to hear God’s word. A heart
that readily receives and retains God’s word can produce 3000%, 6000% and
10000%. Your personal word choices determine how far you will go. You were called
to a personal relationship. Determine in your heart that you do not want to be
mediocre but dynamic. Cultivate a strong desire to grow in knowing and obeying
God’s word (Hosea 10:12; Mark 9:23). The day you think you know all, you expose
your pathetic ignorance. Show your
dependence on God by living a prayerful life. Sow righteousness for yourselves,
and reap unfailing love. Break up the
unplowed ground.
2) Breaking of
perfume jars. This breakage is in
your relationship with God. How much do you love God? Luke 7:37-48 mentions the woman who poured
her perfume from an alabaster jar and wiped the Lord’s feet weeping and kissing
his feet. . She was commended for giving her best. She loved so much because
she understood how much she been loved and forgiven. Jesus commended her for
prophetically anointing him for his death and for showing her love. You love
the Lord because he first loved you. To
the depth you understand how much you were loved and forgiven you love back. Many
love the Lord not for who he is but because of what they want from him. Jesus
said the new commandment is to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and
strength. That kind of love keeps you faithful when you face resistance. God
has given you his very best. He therefore deserves nothing less than the very
best from you. He held nothing back. He
gave himself. Time has come for seasons of fasting out of a hunger to know God
not from wanting to demand things. Like the woman, you can demonstrate your
love by your giving and your obedience. Whatever the past and whatever has not
worked well you have an opportunity to demonstrate your love for God. Be sold
out to Him. You can allow yourself to break and be poured out to him in
worship.
3) Breaking of earthen
vessels. This breakage is in your
relationship with the world around you. What does the world see in
believers? Believers have God’s treasure
in earthen vessels so that it can
be clear their power is of God not of them (2 Corinthians 4:6-7). For
God, who commanded the light to shine
out of darkness, has shined
in our hearts. Christ is in you for you to shine him
out. The world’s cameras are zoomed on you. People are quick to see the earthiness
of your ethnic backgrounds, and weaknesses through your outward visible
aspects. It is easy for them to miss
the glory inside. You carry power to change and make things happen. The challenge
is to allow people to see what is inside. Let Jesus inside be seen. Allow his
love and attributes to be evident. Let your light shine. In other words it is
your personal responsibility (Mathew 5:16). Allow your spiritual virtues to
dominate your canal. Produce fruit of character and good works that people can
come to eat (Galatians 5:20-23). Fruit trees do not eat the fruits they produce.
Be his ambassador at work, in extended family and everywhere. Ask God for the
wisdom to influence for Christ in your circles.
Often non-believers are not shunning Christ but the messengers of
Christ. God is looking for those who are willing to break.
4) Breaking of
cultural barriers. This breakage is
in your relationship with people of cultures different from yours. This breakage links closely with the previous.
We live in communities with mixed cultures. By living in such communities your
progress hinges on how well you can get allow with other cultures. Can people of other cultures see the Christ
in you? Christ is the common denominator, common factor that brings people
together in harmony. Antioch
church was reaching out to non-Jews. Cross-cultural skills and the love of
Christ that transcends cultural barriers are not luxuries any more. As believers,
we need to redeem culture from the cult of the culture. When others can see
less of your ethnic background enough for it to be immaterial in your
association with them then God has moved. You have not loved God enough until others
can experience God’s love through you. When they do, your ethnicity becomes
immaterial. You will always be different. After all, your very best mastery of
another culture will still be an improvised version of the genuine. Let the
light shine through our socio relational barriers. Even if think, the light is
little. As if a lighthouse let it shine bright enough so it can guide many to
the harbor of hope.
5) Breaking of light pitchers.
This breakage is in your relationship
with the enemy. What does the enemy
see and hear. Gideon and his army in
their smallness used very unusual weapons to achieve victory (Judges
7v18-22). They carried pitchers with
light inside and trumpets. At the right time and positions, they blew their
trumpets and broke the pitchers to let the light inside out. And shouted ‘The
sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.’ They celebrated their victory before it was
in hand. That celebration became the means to the victory. As they did, God
fought for them and they defeated the Midianites. The battle is the Lord’s but
the victory is yours. It is your right time and you are in the right place of
righteousness to blow your trumpet. Christ has won the battle for you. You have
reason to break the pitchers and blow your trumpets. You are more than a conqueror. You simply
enforce and enjoy a victory already achieved and settled in heaven by the Lord.
Whatever he died for, he gave to you as an opportunity and gift to receive by
faith. It is dangerous for the enemy to break one like you because what comes
out is bigger than he can handle.
The Breakages that were allowed inside at Antioch brought about a major break thru to
missions. The church rediscovered the grand idea. The Church found its God
intended direction (Mathew 28:19; Acts 1:8). Movement, emotion and commotion
are not enough you need direction (Mathew 4:19).
Message shared at FMUK
Faith Conference 2013
Message by Dr. Kurai Chitima.
Faith Ministries – Johannesburg
Faith Life
Center
Ground and First
Floors Sunset
Bay Building
204B Bram Fischer drive,
Randburg, Johannesburg ,
South Africa
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