Wind of Revival – New Territory
April 1-2, 2011
I. WELCOME, 15 mins.
Plan one to two icebreakers for the purpose of mixing around and getting group participation or getting acquainted.
II. WORSHIP, 20 mins.
Prayerfully choose a few songs to lead people into God’s presence. During this time, cell leaders will encourage cell members to listen to the Holy Spirit and release the words of strengthening, encouragement, and comfort they have received for the cell group, the church and nations. Upon each word shared, the cell leader will lead members by thanking and praising God for His promise and/or praying aloud together for the needs, etc.
III. WORKS, 20 mins.
During this time, the cell will break into groups of 3 to pray for the followings: (1) the mission organization or daughter church adopted by the cell (2) the church ministry needs as printed on Sunday bulletin (3) individual’s needs, new comers, the sick, and blessings for one another.
IV. WORD, 35 mins.
Use the format of sharing & discussion to apply God’s word in our daily lives.
Scriptures: Acts 11:19~30 (Please take turns to read the passage verse by verse and reflect upon it for 5 minutes.)Memory Verse: He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord. (Acts 11:24 NIV 2010)
Reflection on the Words
1. New Territory. God raised the church in Antioch, Acts 11:19-22
The Lord led apostle Peter and the entire church across the boundary of culture and tradition to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles. At the same time, God chose Antioch as the place for sharing the Gospel with the Gentiles.
1. Preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles, Acts 11:19-20
The disciples, who were scattered all over the place due to the martyrdom of Steven and the persecution faced by the church, started to evangelize and tell people about Jesus. They went to Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch. Some of the disciples only shared with the Jews. But the disciples from Cyprus and Cyrene went to Antioch. They not only preached about Jesus with the Jews, but also to the Greek-speaking Gentiles†.
2. Lord increased the number of the saved, Acts 11:21
Many Gentiles came to Christ because of the presence of the Lord, signs and wonders from the Lord to testify what the disciples preached, and the work of the Spirit in the hearts of the people in giving them the faith to turn to the Lord.
3. Barnabas was raised up, Acts 11:22
When the church in Jerusalem came to know that many Gentiles were saved, they sent Barnabas—the one who introduced Paul to the apostles—to Antioch. They wanted to verify whether the acceptance of the Gospel by the Gentiles is from God. They selected Barnabas for the task because: [1] He is from Cyprus (Acts 4:36) and [2] He has certain characteristics for completing this ministry.
Discussion 1: Have you ever shared the Gospel with people who are of different cultural background from yourself?
Discussion 2: How did the church of Antioch started to share the Gospel with the Gentiles?
2. God raised new leaders, Acts 11:23-25
Previously the church in Jerusalem sent apostles to verify that people were being saved (Acts 8:14). This time the disciple Barnabas was sent because he had the attributes necessary for the important task:
1. Barnabas was a good person (Acts 11:24): He’s a doer of good deeds and what he did was to bless others. He sold his tract of land and brought the proceedings to the church so that the apostles can share it with those in need (Acts 4:36).
2. Barnabas was filled by the Spirit: He had the gifts and wisdom of God to discern what’s in the heart of someone. When the disciples were fearful of Paul, He was able to discern the truthfulness of Paul’s repentance. Now he’s also able to verify the genuineness of the repentance of the Gentiles. When he arrived at Antioch, he was able to determine that their growth was accomplished through the hand of God.
3. Barnabas had great faith: Barnabas had experienced the trial-tested faith with the apostles in Jerusalem and overcame persecutions and the martyrdom of Steven to bring about the expansion in ministry of evangelization. He trusted in God and sold his land to give the money for the church to use. This type of faith also showed in his live and his ministry in Antioch. And it is this type of faith that attracted more people and led people to turn to God.
4. Humble Barnabas raised Paul up and became the teacher that enlightened Paul: Barnabas was a humble person that was able to value others above himself. He’s also someone that was willing to elevate others. He knew that Paul was better with the words of God and oratory skills. So he humbly went to Paul and raised Paul up to become a leader for the edification of the believers. Because of his humbleness and willingness to accept Paul and to let Paul serve the believers of Antioch with him, Paul was able to start to serve in church ministries. Otherwise Paul might have remained in Tarsus in obscurity.
Discussion 3: What characteristics of Barnabas do you admire the most or do you wish to learn from the most? Why?
Discussion 4: God used Barnabas to raise Paul up to be a coworker. Ministry in Antioch was where Paul officially joined the church ministries and also the starting point where Paul became the apostle for the Gentiles. How did you start in your ministry? Who were your Barnabas? Can you also become Barnabas for other people?
3. Believers are called Christians for the first time, Acts 11:26
Paul and Barnabas spent about one year in Antioch with the believers there in gatherings worshipping the Lord. They also taught the Truth to the believers to solidify their faith and to lead them into obeying the word of God and testifying for Christ Jesus. It is for this reason that they were called Christians:
1. “Christ” is the anointed one. His name is above all other names (Philippians 2:9)
2. “Christians” declare that they belong to Christ and that they are followers of Christ Jesus.
3. Exhibiting the glory of Christ Jesus: The believers obeyed the teachings of Paul and Barnabas. They acted with the heart of Christ as their own and lived out according to the sample of Christ Jesus to testify for Him and manifest His glory.
Discussion 5: Under what conditions were the believers of Antioch being called Christians for the first time? What is the meaning of Christian to you?
4. Practice of life—helping members of body in need, Acts 11:27-30: In the Jerusalem church, God brought money to those in need through the faith and love of disciples who were willing to offering their wealth to the church. Now through the famine in Judea, God also drill the faith and love of Antioch church to provide for the members of the body in need. When Agabus, one of the prophets from Jerusalem, received revelation from the Spirit, the believers of Antioch donated money according to their abilities to help those in need due to their love and faith. They let Barnabas and Paul carried the offering to Judea in order to help the believers in need over there.
Discussion 6: Through the members of body in need, God drilled the faith for God and the love for people of the churches of Jerusalem and Antioch. In the divine wind of opportunity, which areas are God drilling you? How will you walk in His will?
Our Response
Praise the Lord! God used Barnabas to raise Paul up so that he was able to start serving the Gentile believers and to respond to the calling that Lord Jesus had for him—the apostle for Gentiles. In every generation, God is searching for suitable vessels so that the love and grace of God can flow continuously to all lands through these vessels. Let us be determined to become the vessels suitable for His use. Let us invest our short lives in the eternal kingdom of God and become His vessels for blessing others.
Note:
†Greeks (Hellenists): Strictly speaking, this refers to the Greeks that do not believe in God. At the time, Antioch was the third largest city in the Roman empire. There were people of many ethnicities living there. Greek was the common local language. Hence in general it refers to all those who spoke Greek.