The Essential Question (Part 5): The Good News Is for EveryoneSample

The Church Goes Viral

Prepare: "Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits" (Psalm 103:2). How has God been good to you this week?

Read: Acts 11:19-30

Reflect: A few years ago two nerdy-looking "scientists" combined Diet Coke and Mentos candy to cause an explosion of fizz and foam. The homemade video of their goofy experiments went viral on YouTube and reached millions of people overnight. You get the feeling at the beginning of this passage that the church is about to "go viral" as well. A plan of salvation that included everyone, combined with persecution, produced explosive growth and made the church a grassroots phenomenon (11:19-21).

But the question on the minds of the leaders back in Jerusalem was this: Was the phenomenon legitimate, a fad, or worse? It's important to be discerning about new experiences or teachings that become popular among Christians today, especially in a media-driven world; it's easy for new believers to be misled. As the apostle John counseled, "Do not believe every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world" (1 John 4:1). So at this formative stage of the church, the leaders made a wise move: they sent Barnabas, "a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith" (Acts 11:24), to check things out. What would it take for you to develop that kind of reputation?

As it turned out, Barnabas became a strategic player in the early church. Like an effective executive, he had the ability to do a situation analysis and affirm the strengths he found (11:22-24). But he didn't stop there. Barnabas instinctively knew good leadership would be required, so he recruited Saul and trained him for the task (11:25-26). As we've already seen, identifying and mentoring new leaders is one of the best ways to make a long-term impact on the kingdom. Notice, too, that instead of keeping power for himself, Barnabas was concerned to find the right person for the job. Maybe that's why Antioch became the first missionary-sending church and the place where followers of Jesus were first called Christians (11:26).

Our passage ends with a note of realism; a severe economic downturn was soon to hit the Roman world (11:27-30). The point is that the church's explosive growth occurred in the face of difficulty. We sometimes assume that for the good news to spread, the economy must be strong, the "right" candidates must be elected and society must welcome the efforts of the church. But that's not what we see in Acts or in the rest of history; from the very beginning, the church has experienced its greatest growth in the tough times. Instead of complaining or being immobilized, Christians should view hardships as an opportunity for growth. That's the beauty of an idea that goes viral: even without great resources or big sponsors, nothing can stop it.

Apply: What are some specific steps you could take to become more like Barnabas, "a good [person], full of the Holy Spirit and faith"? Ask for God's help in taking the first step this week.