Ministry that Makes a Difference
Acts 13:42-52
Intro: Bill Wilson pastors an inner city church in New York City. His mission field is a very violent place. He himself has been stabbed twice as he ministered to the people of the community surrounding the church. Once a Puerto Rican woman became involved in the church and was led to Christ. After her conversion she came to Pastor Wilson and said, "I want to do something to help with the church’s ministry." He asked her what her talents were and she could think of nothing---she couldn’t even speak English---but she did love children. So he put her on one of the church’s buses that went into neighbor-hoods and transported kids to church. Every week she performed her duties. She would find the worst-looking kid on the bus, put him on her lap and whisper over and over the only words she had learned in English: "I love you. Jesus loves you."
-After several months, she became attached to one little boy in particular. The boy didn’t speak. He came to Sunday School every week with his sister and sat on the woman’s lap, but he never made a sound. Each week she would tell him all the way to Sunday School and all the way home, "I love you and Jesus loves you."
-One day, to her amazement, the little boy turned around and stammered, "I---I---I love you too!" Then he put his arms around her and gave her a big hug. That was 2:30 on a Sunday afternoon. At 6:30 that night he was found dead. His own mother had beaten him to death and thrown his body in the trash.......
-"I love you and Jesus loves you." ....Those were some of the last words this little boy heard in his short life---from the lips of a Puerto Rican woman who could barely speak English. This woman gave her one talent to God and because of that a little boy who never heard the word "love" in his own home, experienced and responded to the love of Christ.....
-As we are in the process of discovering and using our God-given gifts, let me encourage you that you can make a difference - if you will just use what God has given you. We may wish we had a different gift or could do things the way somebody else does them. However, ministry that makes a difference begins when we surrender ourselves to God and ask Him to use us the way He wants to. That’s our main theme:
Prop: God wants your life to make a lasting difference in the people around you.
Interrogative: How can we live so that our lives will have a lasting impact on those around us?
TS: Let’s look at a few thoughts from the Bible that show us how we can make a difference.
I. Life-Changing Ministry Leaves the Door Open (13:42)
42 As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath.
-It really says something here that Paul and Barnabas were invited back. It shows us that as hard as some of Paul’s writings are, he still ministered with a sensitivity to people that left a door of ministry open into their lives. Paul & Barnabas spoke the truth in love, but they did not burn their bridges. The only ultimatums they gave were those that God gave. They did not add to God’s word or take away from it. Instead, they let the power and truth of God’s word have its effect. Paul said that he became all things to all men so that by all means he might win some of them to the Lord.
-Whatever we do here at CLC, we want to always endeavor to leave doors of ministry open into people’s lives. See, people are in process. You may be concerned about someone else’s life and their standing with God, but don’t forget that God was working in them long before you came along. I am not discouraging you from ministering to them, but I am discouraging you from pushing too hard & fast and trying to do the work of the Holy Spirit. If we try to force someone to receive God’s love and forgiveness, we are probably closing the door on future opportunities to share the love of Jesus with them.
-So, how should we approach the ministry of evangelism? How do we share our faith with others who need to know Jesus and experience His forgiveness? The first thing we should do is probably obvious, but don’t overlook its importance: 1) Pray for them. We are in a spiritual battle, and we can only win to the extent that we pray. No prayer = no lasting success. 2) Build a genuine friendship with those God brings into your life. Find something in common with them and spend time hanging out together. Laugh together, work together, experience life together. The way you live your life around them will say far more than your words will say. 3) Let it happen naturally. What I mean here is that when the opportunity to talk about what Jesus has done for you, just be real about it. Don’t dress it up in church language. Just be yourself and tell them how your life is different since Jesus forgave you and changed your heart. 4) Always be sensitive. Be sensitive to what the Holy Spirit is telling you as He uses you to bring someone closer to receiving God’s free gift of forgiveness. Be sensitive to the perceptions and needs of the other person. Guard your friendship and keep it intact. Don’t argue over different beliefs. Share about your own experience with God, but don’t try to force anything. Let it flow. Leave the door open for future ministry.
II. Life-Changing Ministry Strengthens Others (13:43)
43 When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.
-When God uses us to help someone else receive His love and forgiveness, He also wants us to help them grow. We sometimes call that discipleship. It boils down to giving them tools and encouragement to grow spiritually. It involves teaching them how to stay connected to God.
-Apparently, many Jews and Gentiles believed the message Paul & Barnabas brought that day, and they received Jesus as their leader and forgiver. They followed Paul & Barnabas around looking for guidance in their new faith. Paul & Barnabas talked with them and urged them to continue in God’s grace, which they had received by believing on Jesus as the One who had provided forgiveness for them.
-Life-changing ministry does not end when God uses us to lead someone to the Lord. We need to stay with them and help them grow. That is likely some of what Paul & Barnabas did throughout that week. In fact, it is possible that Paul & Barnabas stayed in Pisidian Antioch for several months, as we will notice from what we will read in v.49. Most of these people were probably already fairly religious and read or heard the OT frequently. What some of them needed was encouragement to keep their trust in Jesus, not on external laws and codes of conduct that were common in the Jewish law.
-What do people around you need? Are you involved in strengthening others? It is not that difficult to do. Encourage somebody. Pray for them. Ask them how they are doing and stick around to hear the answer. Ask them about their walk with the Lord and if there is anything you can pray with them about. Maybe you can get together with someone else and study the Bible together. Let’s make it part of our lifestyle to strengthen and encourage others to grow in their faith. As we do so, we will see change not only in our church, but also around our community.
III. Life-Changing Ministry Can Impact an Entire Community (13:44)
44 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.
-Some manuscripts put an introductory sentence in front of v.44: “So it happened that the word of God spread throughout the whole city.” Whether it belongs there or not, we can be fairly certain that Paul and Barnabas did not just sit around and wait for the next Sabbath. No, they were most likely interacting with people in the marketplace and anywhere else they could share the gospel. Also, the new believers were most likely sharing their new faith in Jesus with anyone who would listen.
-What impact might the gospel have in our community if every believer got on board with sharing their faith, praying for the sick, and walking in the power of the Holy Spirit? Does God still do things like healing those who are sick, blind, deaf, or crippled? Does He still drive out evil spirits who bring certain sicknesses and bondage? Can God miraculously deliver people from sexual addictions, chemical addictions, such as drugs or alcohol, or other life-controlling problems? Can the good news about Jesus make someone a better parent who loves their kids and raises them to love God and others?
-Unlike, Pisidian Antioch, our community will probably not be greatly impacted by someone who comes into one of the churches and preaches a sermon. However, our community can be impacted by the church and the way we live our lives. If the Christians in this community would be willing to shift their focus outward, and be a little less concerned about how well off they are, or how comfortable their lives are, then we might just begin to see the impact the good news can have on a community.
-Now, what about us? What are we doing with what God has given us? Are we using our gifts to make a difference in our church and community? Are we staying filled with the Holy Spirit so we can be more effective in sharing Jesus with others? It is possible to see this community transformed by the power of God working in and through people, but life-changing ministry will not happen unless we are willing to let God change us and use us to make a difference.
-TS: When we set out to do something significant for the Lord, we need to understand that we have an enemy who wants to stop us in our tracks. We also need to know how to respond to opposition against God’s purposes, which leads us to the next point.
IV. Life-Changing Ministry Boldly Faces its Opposition (13:45-46; 50-51)
45 When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and talked abusively against what Paul was saying. 46 Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: "We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.
50 But the Jews incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. 51 So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium.
-The expression used here to describe the behavior of the Jews is the verb, to blaspheme. The Jews began to blaspheme the name of Jesus. They likely told the crowd that this Jesus whom Paul made such a fuss about was a criminal who had been cursed by God, having been hung on a tree. Jealousy is most commonly seen in those who are protecting their own interests. Why were these Jews jealous? Because they had been in Pisidian Antioch for years and had not made any significant difference in the lives of the people there. Now, here comes a couple of missionaries who begin to draw hundreds, if not thousands of people. It just wasn’t fair!
-Let me just say that there is no place for jealousy in the Lord’s ministry. If another church or ministry is successfully reaching people, we should not become angry or upset. There are plenty of needy people to go around – even here in our small community. We just need to know what God has called us to do and then ask Him to empower us to do it effectively. We need to approach it with all of our energy, creativity, and resources, but also recognize that those things can never make a difference without the power of God working in us and through us.
-Paul and Barnabas had genuine enemies who wished them ill. They even tried to sabotage their meetings by speaking against the person of Jesus. So, Paul and Barnabas boldly told them the truth- that they were rejecting God and they would now take the good news to the Gentiles, who were open to receive it.
-When opposition comes, we do not need to fear it, nor should we react harshly out of our own hurt and anger. God will help us deal appropriately with those who set themselves against Him and His plan to save this world. We just need to trust Him and be bold as we face whatever comes our way.
V. Life-Changing Ministry Flows from the Mission of God (13:47-49)
47 For this is what the Lord has commanded us: "’I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’"
48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed. 49 The word of the Lord spread through the whole region.
-Some 700 years before Jesus came to this earth as the baby in a manger, the Lord spoke through Isaiah to Israel and told them, "I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, 7 to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness” (Isaiah 42:6-7). That was God’s mission for Israel. God did not love only Israel. John 3:16 tells us that God loved the whole world enough to send His Son Jesus as the only possible payment for the sins of its people. God’s mission is designed to reach all around this earth and cover it with His love and forgiveness. However, not all will receive what He has to offer.
-Paul & Barnabas took God’s mission seriously and were willing to go to great lengths to see it fulfilled. Obviously, the Gentiles were quite happy with the idea that they were in on God’s plan. They weren’t just 2nd class citizens in God’s kingdom. They were included in His plan.
-Let me say that you are included in God’s plan. He hasn’t forgotten you or overlooked you. He’s knows where you’ve been and where you’re going. He knows what is going on in your life right now. God’s plan for you is forgiveness and peace, and a close friend ship with Him. As Jeremiah 29:11 says, God has "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future with Him.
-We can approach whatever area of ministry God has called us to with this in mind: People matter to God, and He will do all He can to include them in His goodness and His grace.
-This is why Paul & Barnabas found themselves in Pisidian Antioch. God’s heart had led them there. Some scholars believe that Paul & Barnabas stayed in Pisidian Antioch at least 2-6 months, because it was the administrative center of that region and attracted people from other cities. This allowed the word of the Lord to spread all throughout the region. God had a strategy that would allow Paul & Barnabas to reach the maximum number of people with the good news about Jesus.
VI. Life-Changing Ministry Produces Joy and Spirit-filled Believers (13:52)
52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
-Who are the disciples here? They are the people who have received Jesus. They are both Jews and Gentiles who have heard the good news about Jesus and have been changed. Now they are filled with joy! Now they are filled with the Holy Spirit! The Bible tells us that joy is some of the evidence that the Holy Spirit is leading our lives.
-What does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit? Well, the Holy Spirit is part of the Godhead, the 3rd person of the Trinity. Jesus told His disciples that He would send another comforter (the HS) after He went back to His Father. We see people being filled with the HS throughout the book of Acts:
-Acts 1:8 You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses…
-Acts 2:4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
-Acts 2:38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
-Acts 4:31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
-Acts 10:44-46 While Peter was still speaking…, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.
-Acts 19:6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
-Being filled with the Holy Spirit results in greater power, boldness, and a greater sensitivity to the Holy Spirit as He speaks to us and through us. Being Spirit-filled can change your life, helping you overcome habits and bondages that drag you down.
Conclusion: If you want your life to be ready for effective ministry, you need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. If you are a Christian, the HS already lives in you, but being filled with the HS is a blessing that is separate from our forgiveness and salvation. It may happen at nearly the same time, but often comes later, as we seek God’s help to empower us to share His love and truth with others. In just a few moments we want to give you the opportunity to be prayed for so that you will be filled with the Holy Spirit. Before we do that, however, let me revisit the mission of God.
-Maybe you’ve never asked God to forgive you and to become the leader of your life. Maybe you have known God in the past, but you just aren’t right with Him today. God’s mission includes you! He loves you and is doing everything possible to make you part of His family. If you need to pray and ask God to forgive you and to lead your life, would you be willing to slip up your hand so I can pray with you? If that doesn’t work for you, but you really want to do something about your relationship with God, let me encourage you to give me a call or stop by the office so we can talk. If you are a lady, I will probably ask my wife to join us to make things more comfortable. The important thing is that you get things right with the Lord. He loves you and has an awesome plan for you. Let me pray now for anyone here who might be in that kind of situation. (Pray)
-Now, if the Lord has been speaking to you about being filled with His Holy Spirit, will you come and let someone pray for you? God wants to give you boldness and power to accomplish what He’s called you to do.
