“Who you say I am?” by Rev. Poh on 19th Jan 2020

As we interact with the people in the marketplace, do they believe that we are a Christian? The preacher, Rev. Poh used a story in the bible which revisited the behaviour of the disciples in Antioch, an ancient Greek city in the past. He explained that the disciples were first called Christians at Antioch (Acts 11:26b). He noted they were the disciples in Jerusalem, Peter, John and other Apostles (Acts 1: 13-14). Then, he observed that a great persecution broke out against the Church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria (Acts 8:1). He noted those who were scattered ended up in Antioch. “Why were they first called Christians at Antioch? This was probably due to the deeply rooted religious legalism. The churches in Antioch went beyond the confines of the religious legalism. They did an in depth teaching of Christ via the Holy Spirit. Another is because of the different quality of life of the people in Antioch,” he explained. Rev. Poh added,” Are we just a Christian or are we a disciple of Christ? Are we confined to a Church with a physical building? Are we similar to the disciples of Cyprus and Cyrene?,” he asked. Going back to the story of Antioch, he shared that those disciples were among the people who went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus (Acts 11:20). Hence, Rev. Poh encourages us to change from just a mere Sunday worshipper to a worshipper throughout the week. “Let us be a responsible disciple in our speech, conduct love and purity (1 Timothy 4:12). Let us give a good life testimony in our daily life to the people around us especially those in the marketplace. Therefore, take the lead to be the primary disciple in the family in order to make a difference as a Christian,” he said.