Pressing On Series

ENGAGE

If, like me, you are a University of Arizona sports fan, the last couple months have been a real roller coaster, to say the least. And that has been especially true for the basketball team who has faced injuries, suspensions, the arrest of an assistant coach and major accusations leveled against the head coach that resulted in him not coaching a game last week.

But in the midst of all the turmoil, the players on the basketball team have been remarkably resilient. They have had to deal with the signs and chants from the fans of opposing teams when they play on the road, a change in coaches, and constant questions from the press. But they seem to have been able to rally around each other and largely shut out all of the outside pressure. And because they have been able to press on when problems pressed in, yesterday they accomplished their mission of becoming PAC-12 champions.

TENSION

Being a disciple of Jesus also has its share of external pressures, too. And how we respond when those problems press in is going to determine to a large extent how successful we are going to be when it comes to accomplishing our mission of bringing the kingdom of God near to others.

I don’t need to tell you that the church is facing increasing pressure from our culture. As a nation, we are increasingly illiterate when it comes to the Bible and increasingly hostile to Jesus, His teachings, and His disciples. But we really shouldn’t be surprised by that. Jesus warned His disciples that they would face tribulation in this world and He reminded them that if the world hated Him, they would also hate His followers.

So it’s not surprising that the early church also faced intense opposition, too. And had those disciples not pressed on when those problems pressed in, the church may have very well collapsed before it ever really got going. But the fact that we’re gathered here together this morning is proof that they were successful in persevering under that pressure. So let’s see what we can learn from them this morning.

TRUTH

We’re going to pick up with our study of the book of Acts in Acts chapter 13 this morning.

Last week we left off with the account of Peter and Cornelius and saw how God used their encounter to show Peter that the gospel was for the Gentiles as well as the Jews. After that Peter returned to Jerusalem to report what had happened there in Caesarea to the other apostles.

By that time, because of persecution, a number of the disciples had spread as far as Antioch so the apostles in Jerusalem sent Barnabas to encourage the believers there. Barnabas then went to find Saul in Tarsus and brought him back to Antioch to help disciple those believers. When the believers heard that their brothers and sisters in Jerusalem were in need, they took up a collection and sent it back to Jerusalem with Paul and Barnabas.

While they were in Jerusalem, King Herod killed James, the brother of John and arrested Peter. After Peter is miraculously freed, King Herod is struck dead by God because he refused to give glory to God. After all that takes place, Paul and Barnabas return to Antioch with John Mark.

That brings us to the beginning of Acts chapter 13. The events that take place in this chapter occur about 13 years after Paul’s conversion experience on the road to Damascus.

[Read Acts 13:1-3]

Luke records the names of five church leaders in Antioch. We’re familiar with Paul, who is still called Saul here, and Barnabas, but the other 3 are probably not familiar to most of us.

There could not have been a more unlikely group of people that God had brought together to lead the church at Antioch. Barnabas is a Hellenistic Jew from Cyprus. Saul of Tarsus is also a Jew, but not the same kind as Barnabas. He is a Hebraic Jew. We don’t know where Simeon is from. All we know is that He is called Niger, which is Latin for black. So he was likely a dark skinned man. Lucius is from Cyrene, which was in Africa. Manaen was a Palestinian Greek who is described here are a lifelong friend of king Herod, the very same Herod who had killed John the Baptist at the request of his step daughter as a reward for her dancing sensuously before him and his friends.

The fact that these five men were serving together in leadership in the church at Antioch is a powerful testimony of the power of the gospel to break down prejudices. These five men, who would have been trained from birth to despise each other, have been made one through the power of the gospel.