Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev19980104.htm

ACTS: THE LOCAL CHURCH AS GOD'S AGENCY FOR DISCIPLING MEN
Part XXIV: The Developing Communication Format God Uses To Disciple The Unchurched
(Acts 11:19-30)
  1. Introduction
    1. In seeking to disciple others, we may want to get them into Church to hear some speaker or sermon .
    2. However, that is NOT the best starting point for reaching the unchurched, for a church setting is basically a foreign environment for the unchurched, or for those of a non-Evangelical background.
    3. To reach the unchurched, God demonstrated in Acts 11:19-30 His use of a series of developing steps:
  2. The Developing Communication Format God Uses To Disciple The Unchurched, Acts 11:19-30:
    1. Acts 11:19a,b describes how the Gospel began to spread to Gentile areas through Stephen's martyrdom.
    2. That spread of the Gospel, with the discipling process, reveals a divine use of a developing format of communication styles to get unchurched Gentiles into a Local Church setting as follows:
      1. Step One - Due to deep racial, cultural and linguistic barriers, the freshly scattered believers merely privately conversed about the Gospel in a one-on-one format, Acts 11:19.
        1. The word translated "preaching" in the KJV and "telling" in the NIV is from lalountes, meaning "the orderly linking and knitting together in connected discourse of the inward thoughts and feelings of the mind," UBS Greek N.T., p. 460; Richard C. Trench, Synonyms of the N.T., p. 286-287.
        2. Thus, the initial sharing of the Gospel came by way of heart-felt private conversations!
        3. Note that these first "evangelists", being a bit shy due to their flight for persecution, ministered only to the Jews who knew the Scriptures, the easiest group to contact at first, Acts 11:19c.
        4. Thus, due to the trials they faced, and due to their tendency to minister very meekly to those most likely to agree with them, the first step was to converse the Gospel with Jews only.
      2. Step Two - Next, believers actually preached in evangelistic ways the Gospel, Acts 11:20-21.
        1. The word for the KJV's "preaching" in v. 20 and the NIV's "telling" is euangelizomenoi (Ibid., UBS Grk. N.T., p. 461) meaning to proclaim glad tidings (Arndt & Gingrich, A Grk.-Engl. Lex., p. 317.
        2. Apparently, the private conversations had opened up an interest not only in the conservative Jewish community, but word through this had spread about so that people were open to hearing evangelists.
        3. As a result, many believed, forming a large church, Acts 11:21.
      3. Step Three - Third, believers in the new Church setting were formally exhorted from the pulpit, 11:22f
        1. When the established Church in Jerusalem heard of these believers in Gentile territory, they sent Barnabas up to them to establish them into a recognizable entity united with the Jerusalem saints, 22.
        2. Barnabas discovered the grace of God was with the group, and thus preached sermons of exhortation for these believers to purpose in their hearts to cleave in their lives to the Lord, 11:23. The word "exhorted" in v. 23 of the KJV and "encouraged" in the NIV is from parekalei, meaning to "exhort, encourage", Ibid., UBS Grk. N.T.; Arndt & Gingrich, A Greek-Engl. Lex., p. 622.
      4. Step Four - Fourth, Barnabas went to Tarsus to get Saul to use his expansive, formal training under Gamalial to teach the gathered believers over a period of time, Acts 11:25-26.
        1. The word for "taught" appearing both in the KJV and the NIV in verse 26 is didaksai, meaning "to teach," Ibid., UBS Grk. N.T.; Ibid., Arndt & Gingrich, p. 191.
        2. Thus, regular pastoral teaching was reserved for those in an organized church who were already believers, and needed strengthening and insight to grow and mature in the Lord.
        3. Evidence of this teaching is presented in the group's functioning to care for the needs of the believers in Jerusalem through abundant care-giving, Acts 11:27-30!
Lesson: (1) The Lord used an ASCENDING development of communication STYLES in reaching the unchurched Gentile areas: (a) He started with personal conversations amongst close unsaved associates in the community, (b) followed by more formal evangelis tic activity, (c) followed in turn by church preaching to new believers (c) and then more extensive, long-term teaching for the maturity of those believers in the church. (2) Similarly, we should be careful not to UNLOAD God's truth on those not familiar w ith a church setting, but communicate in STAGES with them, starting at the level of personal conversation, moving to formal evangelism followed by church preaching and teaching!