Acts 11:19-30 ~ They called them “Christians”
By way of introduction: We Christians get called a lot of names, what are some that you can think of and why is that name used?
Read Acts 11:19-30
Reflect on the context of this episode in Acts, by discussing the names used for Christians up until this point (check out Acts 9:2, Acts 24:5).
Have a look at a New Testament map in the back of your Bible, and discuss how the gospel came to Antioch.
Why does Barnabas go to Antioch and what does he do there as part of the ministry of the gospel?
The gospel could be understood from the whole 66 books of the Bible, from a book (such as The Gospel According to Luke), from a paragraph (such as 1 Corinthians 15:1-5), or even a clause such as “Jesus is Lord”. Why is it that “Jesus is Lord” is a summary of the gospel?
How does the gospel of “Jesus is Lord” change everything?
The ministry training of our church is framed around “being like Jesus, thinking like Jesus and serving like Jesus” - how does Jesus change everything in how a church does ministry?
A helpful cross-reference passage that shows us who Jesus is, what He has done and how this could shape us like the church was shaped here in Acts 11 is Philippians 2:1-11. For all the things Christians are called today, what ought to be noticeable about us who are called “Christians” today?
If we believe this, what will Jesus change for us in this Group, starting this week?
If we believe this, what Reforming Church look like this year, and in 5 years time, 20 years time etc?
If we believe this, what will that mean for our neighbours, our region?
Pray for one another, that the Lord Jesus would change everything
