SERVING IN THE SHADOWS
Acts 1:15-26
(Antioch Baptist Church – Sunday March 9th, 2025)
Church history records the names of many devoted servants of God. The Book of Acts tells us about Paul, Silas, Barnabas, Mark, Luke, and many others. We know the names of notable preachers, pastors, and evangelists from days gone by; men such as Charles Spurgeon, John Wesley, D.L Moody and more. Even in our generation we have been blessed by the service of men like Billy Graham, Adrian Rogers, Charles Stanley, R.C Sproul, John Macarthur, and many others. Many of us have read the biographies or heard the stories of missionaries such as William Carey, Hudson Taylor, Jim & Elisabeth Elliot, Lottie Moon, and Annie Armstrong.
We are indebted to many well-known men and women who have served the church throughout its history. However, some of the greatest servants of God are unknown to most of the world. There are many faithful Christians who work behind the scenes whose work is invaluable. I am referring to servants of God who do things that few people ever notice. These are people who witness boldly, labor fervently, and serve consistently. Often these men and women do so without any attention or public recognition.
Antioch Baptist Church is blessed with many people who fit this description, and they are no less important to the kingdom work than the men who pastor mega churches. In fact, some of them may have more rewards waiting for them in Heaven than some “ministry leaders” who are known all over the world.
The Bible gives us a wealth of information about the Apostles Peter & John. Often mentioned with them is John’s brother, James (the first Apostle to be martyred for his service to Christ). There are a certain passages that briefly mention Matthew, Andrew & Thomas. We are given a detailed description of the deceptive acts of Judas Iscariot. Interestingly, we are not given much specific information about James the son of Alpheus, Thaddeus, Simon the Zealot, Bartholomew, or Philip. However, I would submit to you that though they may not be as well-known as the others, their service to the Lord and their impact on the Kingdom is no less important.
Furthermore, there were others who traveled with Jesus throughout His earthly ministry who were rarely mentioned, and their names are even not recorded in scripture but they are important, nonetheless. Two of those followers are about to step out of the shadows and their testimonies will be featured in our selected text; their names are Barsabbas & Matthias.
As the Apostles and the other followers of Christ spent time in prayer and waiting for the Holy Spirit, they sought the Lord’s guidance and made preparations for the future. Peter stood up and addressed this assembly. He referenced the dastardly acts of Judas Iscariot and using scripture proposed that they select someone to fill the position of Apostle. In his address, Peter reminded the people that the Old Testament predicted that the Messiah would be betrayed. He said, “Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus; for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry." (v16-17). This prophecy was fulfilled when Judas betrayed Christ for 30 Pieces of silver.
Judas had been called to be a Disciple; he traveled with Jesus and His followers up until the night before His crucifixion. But recently, this deceiver conspired with the enemies of Christ and agreed to betray Him into their hands. After Jesus had prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, Judas arrived with a detachment of soldiers and betrayed the Savior with a kiss. Jesus was then seized, arrested, tried, and ultimately crucified.
Judas regretted what he had done, so much so that he attempted to return the blood money that he had received. After this, he went out and hanged himself. The chief priests took the money that Judas tried to return and bought a burial ground with it. Luke declares that Judas “purchased a field with the wages of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his entrails gushed out. And it became known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem; so that field is called in their own language, Akel Dama, that is, Field of Blood.” It is believed that after Judas hung himself, the rope or the branch of the tree broke and Judas fell on the rocks below and his corpse burst open.
Peter explained to the assembly that Judas’ betrayal is what David was referring to in Psalm 69:25 when he said, “Let his dwelling place be desolate, and let no one live in it.”. He then referenced Psalm 109:8 that says, “Let another take his office”. Peter understood this to mean that after Judas’ defection, a replacement must be appointed to fill his office.
The Apostles selected two men who had been with them throughout the ministry of Jesus. These men had seen the Savior after His resurrection and were present for His Ascension. After this, they prayed and asked God to reveal who He would have to serve as an Apostle. Though there were two men who essentially became “finalists” for this position, it appears that there were several who met the required qualifications. This means that there were people behind the scenes who were faithful to Jesus throughout His ministry that we know nothing about.
The same is true today, God has many servants who are faithfully serving Him with little (or even) no recognition. You may be one of those people, if so, this passage serves as a great reminder that God sees and will reward every deed done in His name. I would like to look at the stories of Barsabbas & Matthias and see what we can learn about those servants of God who work behind the scenes. Join me as we examine this passage and consider the thought “Serving In The Shadows”.
- The first thing that we will see is that:
I. THOSE WHO SERVE IN THE SHADOWS WALK WITH JESUS
v21 “Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection."
The man who would be chosen to be an Apostle had to have accompanied the Disciples from the very beginning of Christ’s ministry. This man must have seen what the Apostles had seen and heard what they had heard. He had to be someone who was an eyewitness of the miracles of Jesus, one who heard the teachings of Jesus, one who had seen the evidence of His resurrection, and who had been present at His Ascension.
Like the original 12 Disciples, Barsabbas and Matthias had surrendered all and followed Jesus. They were men who possessed a personal relationship with the Savior. They had walked with Him, talked with Him, and learned from Him. The people who serve behind the scenes in the church today have a similar testimony. They are born again believers who have repented and surrendered their life to Christ. They walk with Him, learn from Him, and live for Him.
- As we move further we will see that:
II. THOSE WHO SERVE IN THE SHADOWS ARE WITNESSES OF JESUS
Barsabbas and Justus had participated in Jesus’ earthly ministry. They were witnesses of His life and they were witnesses of His Resurrection. It was important that they had seen Christ post-resurrection because they would travel the earth sharing the good news that Jesus is alive. Peter said, “one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection."
- Notice that:
WITNESSES OF JESUS HAVE HEARD HIS WORDS
When Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount, Barsabbas and Matthias were there; when He delivered the Olivet Discourse, these men were in attendance. They were present on many of those occasions when Jesus was confronted by the Pharisees and Sadducees. These faithful servants were also privy to the intimate conversations that Jesus had with His followers when the multitudes were not present.
The people who serve behind the scenes in the church today know the Word of God. They spend time in the scriptures and they learn from the words of the Savior. These people may not be well known to the rest of the world or even to others within the church, but they walk with Jesus, and they know His Word.
- Witnesses of Jesus have heard His words, and furthermore:
WITNESSES OF JESUS HAVE SEEN HIS WORKS
Matthias & Barsabbas were privileged to see the many miracles of Jesus. They saw things that we can only read about. They witnessed Him give the blind their sight, make the deaf to hear, the mute to speak and the lame to walk. They saw Jesus cleanse lepers, cast out demons, and it is likely that they ate of the bread and fish that Jesus multiplied as He fed the multitudes.
Those who serve behind the scenes in the church today have seen the miracle working power of God. They have seen answered prayers and they may have even experienced miracles in their own lives. Because of what they have seen and heard from Jesus, they are able to witness to others about His wonder working power.
Those who serve in the shadows are people who walk with Jesus, they are witnesses of Jesus, and as we move further we will see that:
III. THOSE WHO SERVE IN THE SHADOWS WORK FOR JESUS
We don’t know much about Matthias’ story before he became an Apostle; in fact we are not told much about his life after being selected to replace Judas. But it is clear that this man spent time with Jesus and he shared Him with others. Matthias was just as involved in the Great Commission as Peter, James & John. In fact, history tells us that this man served Jesus to the point of martyrdom. According to historical sources Matthias lived till 80 A.D. and spread the gospel around Cappadocia and on the coasts of the Caspian Sea.It is believed that he died for his faith either by being crucified or by being chopped apart.
Like Barsabbas, Matthias, and the rest of the Apostles, there are people in this church who have spent considerable time with Jesus and they consistently share Him with others. This should be the case for every born-again believer. We should all abide in Christ, spend time with Him daily, and we should tell the world about Him.
I praise God for those faithful servants who work behind the scenes! They may not be in the spotlight, but their work is vital to the advancement of God’s Kingdom. Because of my position I have no choice but to be in the spotlight, but I can assure you, there is no way that I could do what I do if it were not for those who are faithful to “serve in the shadows” so to speak.
Even those who hold a title or serve on staff do many things that are not visible on Sunday Morning. I am in the unique position to see things than many will never see, I see how Jimmy comes in at 4:00 in the morning and takes care of the cleaning and maintenance issues throughout this campus. I see how Darlene meticulously handles the many financial issues related to the various ministries of Antioch Baptist Church. I see how Terrie masters the mundane and takes on responsibilities that are not hers in order to take the load off of the rest of us. I see how Craig plans, prepares, and organizes everything so that we are ready for worship on Sunday morning. I see the passion that Rhonda has and all of the long hours of planning and preparation that she puts into our children’s ministry. I am able to watch as Tracy wrestles over his Wednesday night message and to witness the excitement that he has for what God is doing in our student ministry (not to mention the many other things he does throughout the week). I am able to see the late nights where Grant is here providing people with counsel that I am not qualified to offer. I am able to see how Troy keeps all of our technology components up and running.
We are blessed with men who serve on the security team. We have trustees who take care of the campus and deacons who minister to our families. We have some precious women who compassionately care for the sick and shut ins. There are a host volunteers who serve in the nursery, children’s church, and various other children’s and student ministries. We are indebted to those who take care of our audio/visual needs. We have a fantastic choir & praise team, and some of the best musicians around. We have several women who are devoted to promoting and supporting missions. There are others who are faithful to host and serve meals during church fellowships as well as in our grief ministry. I am amazed by how many people we have who are equipped and willing to teach a Sunday School class.
Furthermore, we have leaders of various committees that are essential to the success of our church. However, there are a host of others who do not serve on a committee or hold a title yet we would be unable to operate without their faithful service to the Lord and this church. No matter your area of service, do not underestimate how important you are to the ministry of Antioch Baptist Church. It is also important for you to comprehend that your service is ultimately having an impact on the eternal Kingdom of God.
- Those servants who are witnesses of Jesus, those who faithfully walk with Him & work for Him will one day be rewarded by Him. Notice:
THOSE WHO SERVE IN THE SHADOWS WILL BE REWARDED BY JESUS
v23 And they proposed two: Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. 24 And they prayed and said, "You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen 25 to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place." 26 And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
After Peter addressed the congregation, they nominated Barsabbas and Matthias. Both of these men were qualified but in order to choose the right one, the Saints took this matter before the Lord and asked Him to reveal His choice. In the end, it was Matthias who was chosen to replace Judas and to serve the Lord as an Apostle. This man spent the rest of his life serving Jesus and sharing the good news of the Resurrected Christ. His influence on the church continues today. I have no doubt that this faithful servant stored up many eternal rewards for his service to the Lord.
That is true for all genuine servants of Christ. Whether you serve out front or behind the scenes, whether you are in the spotlight or in the shadows, God sees and will reward every deed that is done in His name. You may never receive attention or recognition from your peers, but one day you will stand before Christ at the Judgment Seat and receive rewards for your faithful service. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
At that Judgment seat there will be rewards given to the faithful servants of Christ. Knowing that eternal rewards are available should motivate us to serve the Lord, even if it requires us to serve in the shadows. Let me encourage you to remember who you serve and why you do what you do. Always remember that in the end He will reward your faithfulness.
Early in His earthly ministry the Lord went up on a mountain with a large number of His followers. From that vast multitude the Lord appointed twelve to be His Disciples. It appears that Matthias was present on that occasion and was not chosen. History would have been much different if Matthias’ pride had caused him to cease following Jesus because he was passed over and others were chosen instead.
There have been many times when I have seen people who profess to be followers of Christ, get mad, give up, and go home because they were not chosen for a specific task or position in the church. This happens far too frequently and when it does it is a good indicator that such people are serving for the wrong reasons. They are in it for notoriety and personal glory rather than seeking to serve, honor, and glorify the Savior. Are you willing to serve the Lord even when there is no recognition involved? If not, then you have lost sight of what Christian service is all about.
Some of you have been serving faithfully behind the scenes for many years. It may be that God is preparing you for a day when, like Matthias, you are elevated to a position of great honor. There may come a time when you are chosen to serve in a leadership capacity. When this happens, you must never lose sight of the true purpose of service, and that is to honor Christ.
There is much that we can learn from these men who served behind the scenes. Like Barsabbas and Mathias we must walk with Jesus, we must be witnesses of Jesus, we must labor for Jesus and we must remember that one day we will be rewarded by Jesus. The church is truly indebted to those who are faithfully “Serving In The Shadows”.
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