Recentering Jesus: Jesus Was at The Center

Recentering Jesus: Jesus Was at The Center

The conversation centered around the significance of the Antioch church as a model for disciple making, emphasizing its impact on the Gentile world and core values embraced by the Antioch Collective. Speakers stressed the importance of personal relationship with God and loving others as the foundation for Christianity. They also discussed the need to prioritize Jesus at the center of their solidarity in the face of persecution, and the importance of surrendering to Jesus as Lord. The speakers highlighted the biblical examples of Christians like Stephen, who were willing to suffer for their faith, and emphasized the need for strategies to build and multiply churches. They encouraged the audience to recommit to surrendering to God and prioritizing their relationship with Him.

Action Items

• [ ] Personally reflect on putting Jesus at the center of surrender.
• [ ] Consider being willing to suffer for Jesus.
• [ ] Focus on solidarity through love for Christ above all else.
• [ ] Evaluate strategy with Jesus and his methods as the central focus.

Outline

The Antioch church’s impact and core values.

• Speaker 1 emphasizes the importance of glorifying God and making disciples for Jesus.
• The conference aims to help attendees become more like Jesus and better disciple makers.
• Speaker 1 highlights the Antioch church as a model for the Antioch collective due to its impact on the Gentile world.
• The Jerusalem church, on the other hand, was primarily made up of Jewish followers who left Judaism to embrace authentic Judaism.

The importance of personal relationship with God and loving others.

• Speaker emphasizes importance of personal relationship with Jesus, not just fellowship or mission.
• Speaker challenges listeners to prioritize right relationship with Jesus for meaningful fellowship and mission.
• Speaker 1 emphasizes the importance of living consistently with the message of Jesus, citing the Deadliest Catch as an analogy for the challenges of sharing the gospel in a changing world.
• Speaker 1 believes that Jesus came at just the right time in history to save people, and that the methods and message of Jesus will work in the worst times morally and spiritually.

Church growth and discipleship through surrender to Jesus.

• Speaker 1 emphasizes the importance of surrendering to Jesus, putting Him at the center of one’s life.
• Speaker 1 encourages listeners to personalize the message and surrender to Jesus, like the early Antioch churches did.
• Speaker 1 describes a group of Jerusalem Christians who embraced God’s will to reach all nations, including Gentiles, and shares the good news about Jesus despite opposition from the church leadership.
• The speaker emphasizes the importance of surrender for both church members and new Christians in order to fulfill God’s will, even if it means facing persecution from their pagan culture.

Surrender and commitment in the early Christian church.

• Speaker 1 emphasizes the importance of surrender to Jesus, citing examples from Acts (11:20)
• Surrender leads to impactful evangelism, as seen in the Jerusalem church and Gentile converts (Acts 11:20)
• Speaker 1 emphasizes the importance of surrender to Jesus as Lord and King, citing Acts 15:35 and First Timothy 6:12.
• The speaker shares personal experiences with baptism, highlighting the significance of taking hold of eternal life through faith.

Confession and baptism as a symbol of death and resurrection with Jesus as Lord.

• Speaker 1 emphasizes the importance of confessing Jesus as Lord, not just believing in Him (0:22:16-0:22:59)
• Paul writes in Romans chapter 6 that embracing Jesus as Lord leads to salvation and eternal life (0:23:06-0:23:49)
• Believers are dead to sin’s power, alive to God’s rule.

The importance of surrender and suffering for Jesus.

• Disciples at Antioch were called Christians first, signifying absolute surrender.
• Speaker emphasizes importance of suffering for Jesus, connecting it to resurrection power.

Suffering and persecution for the sake of spreading Christianity.

• Speaker 1: Suffering can lead to heaven, but also spreads power (Stephen’s example)
• Jesus applauds Stephen’s courage, and his suffering opens door for thousands to come to Christ
• Antioch church suffers to spread salvation, persecution is unstoppable.

The importance of unity in the church despite cultural and racial differences.

• The church at Antioch welcomes diverse members, including Saul (former persecutor) and Barnabas (Jewish).
• Speaker reflects on the importance of putting Jesus at the center of life and faith, even in the face of adversity.

Church growth and multiplication.

• Speaker 1 emphasizes the importance of getting people committed to Jesus and sending them out to spread the message.
• The strategy of Acts 13 is highlighted, where believers were appointed for a special work and set on their way after fasting and prayer.
• Worship, authenticity, and compassion compel discipleship and church multiplication.
• Speaker 1 emphasizes the importance of surrendering to God and having a relationship with Him in the heart of hearts.
• Speaker 1 prays for the collective impact of Antioch Church, with a commitment to being a model of faith that inspires others.

This content was featured at the 2024 Antioch Collective Annual Assembly at The Crossings Church St. Charles County in O’Fallon, MO. For more like this, visit https://antiochcollective.org/