Acts Of The Apostles (19 Of 39)

God selected Paul and Barnabas to carry out His first missionary assignment.

They were not self-appointed, nor were they appointed by men.

As they were serving the Lord, the Holy Ghost called them out, saying, “Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work...”

They were APPOINTED BY GOD, SENT BY GOD, AND WERE ACCOUNTABLE TO GOD.

In this l3th chapter of Acts, we read of certain men chosen by God for a certain ministry. Soon they found they faced opposition in the form of a false prophet named Elymas.

God, through Paul, struck Elymas with a blindness, and he had to be led away.

Can we assume that now that was taken care of, there would be no more opposition? We cannot!

Satan will continue to oppose as long as the gospel of Christ is preached, even unto the day God casts him into his final place of torment. As long as we tell lost people this gospel, we are going to fight one battle after another.

Illus: Paul compares the Christian life to a boxing contest. A boxer has to fight his way up, and once he is on top, he has to continue to win fights against all who would challenge him, in order to stay on top.

Paul was in constant conflict with Satan wherever he went.

Look at verses 13-15, we read, “Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem. But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down. And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.”

Notice the Bible tells us Paul and Barnabas, “…went into the synagogue on the sabbath day...”, as soon as they had reached their destination.

Why? Because this is something that Christians do, they look for places and opportunities to worship the Lord, and to be with His people.

WHEN THEY ARRIVED IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD, WHAT HAPPENED?

The same thing that has happened to almost every preacher. Someone will look at them ask, “Are you a preacher?”

Well, Paul and Barnabas were just sitting there and after the scriptures were read, the rulers of the synagogue said, “...ye men and brethren. if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.”

Basically, they were saying, “Are you fellow preachers and do you have anything from the Lord for us?”

Well a congregation should never give a preacher a chance to open his mouth if they do not mean it.

Jesus had promised that the gospel would go to the ends of the earth, and now we see the beginning of the fulfillment of that promise, as the gospel was preached to the people of Asia Minor.

Let’s look at this INVITATION to preach God’s Word.

Look at verses 16-22, “Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience. The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an high arm brought he them out of it. And about the time of forty years suffered he their manners in the wilderness. And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Chanaan, he divided their land to them by lot. And after that he gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet. And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years. And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.”

Paul began his sermon with a little history lesson. He did that for several reasons.

Keep in mind, that was a predominately Jewish congregation --

• He shared something with them that they all had in common, their history.

• He wanted to show them that they, the Jews, were God’s chosen people, and remind them that the nation once was led by judges, then by kings, and from the lineage of David came Jesus.

Now much of the sermon that Paul preached in verses 19-41, did not bother the Jews who were there.

• Paul could have talked all day long about Israel being led by Judges for four hundred fifty years.