SEEING THE MISSIONARY IN EACH OF US.
ACTS 13:4-12 THE TWO OF THEM, SENT ON THEIR WAY BY THE HOLY SPIRIT, WENT DOWN TO SELEUCIA AND SAILED FROM THERE TO CYPRUS. 5 WHEN THEY ARRIVED AT SALAMIS, THEY PROCLAIMED THE WORD OF GOD IN THE JEWISH SYNAGOGUES. JOHN WAS WITH THEM AS THEIR HELPER. 6 THEY TRAVELED THROUGH THE WHOLE ISLAND UNTIL THEY CAME TO PAPHOS. THERE THEY MET A JEWISH SORCERER AND FALSE PROPHET NAMED BAR-JESUS, 7 WHO WAS AN ATTENDANT OF THE PROCONSUL, SERGIUS PAULUS. THE PROCONSUL, AN INTELLIGENT MAN, SENT FOR BARNABAS AND SAUL BECAUSE HE WANTED TO HEAR THE WORD OF GOD. 8 BUT ELYMAS THE SORCERER (FOR THAT IS WHAT HIS NAME MEANS) OPPOSED THEM AND TRIED TO TURN THE PROCONSUL FROM THE FAITH. 9 THEN SAUL, WHO WAS ALSO CALLED PAUL, FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT, LOOKED STRAIGHT AT ELYMAS AND SAID, 10 "YOU ARE A CHILD OF THE DEVIL AND AN ENEMY OF EVERYTHING THAT IS RIGHT! YOU ARE FULL OF ALL KINDS OF DECEIT AND TRICKERY. WILL YOU NEVER STOP PERVERTING THE RIGHT WAYS OF THE LORD? 11 NOW THE HAND OF THE LORD IS AGAINST YOU. YOU ARE GOING TO BE BLIND, AND FOR A TIME YOU WILL BE UNABLE TO SEE THE LIGHT OF THE SUN." IMMEDIATELY MIST AND DARKNESS CAME OVER HIM, AND HE GROPED ABOUT, SEEKING SOMEONE TO LEAD HIM BY THE HAND. 12 WHEN THE PROCONSUL SAW WHAT HAD HAPPENED, HE BELIEVED, FOR HE WAS AMAZED AT THE TEACHING ABOUT THE LORD.
INTRODUCTION: IN THESE VERSES, WHAT WE HAVE IS THE FIRST DELIBERATE ACTION OF SENDING OUT MISSIONARIES AND OF MISSIONARY SERVICE. LET’S FACE IT, AT THIS POINT THESE FLEDGLING MISSIONARIES WERE GREENHORNS. THEY HAD NO EXPERIENCE IN DOING WHAT THEY WOULD BE DOING, YET THEY DID IT! I DO NOT KNOW WHETHER ANYONE HERE RIGHT NOW HAS EVER WANTED TO BE A MISSIONARY, YET, ACCORDING TO THE WORD OF GOD, WE ARE TO BE JUST THAT. THE GREAT COMMISSION SPECIFIED THAT WE ALL HAD A RESPONSIBILITY TO OUR JERUSALEM, OUR JUDEA, OUR SAMARIA AND OUR WORLD!
TRANSITION: WE HAVE ALL BEEN SENT OUT TO SERVICE BY NONE OTHER THAN CHRIST HIMSELF, SO LETS SEE SOME OF THE QUALITIES THESE FIRST MISSIONARIES HAD AND IN A SENSE WHAT QUALITIES ARE OUR THROUGH CHRIST!
1. WE CAN ALL FOLLOW THE LEAD OF THE HOLY SPIRIT – VERSE 4
a. WHEN WE ACCEPTED CHRIST AS OUR SAVIOR, WE RECEIVED THE HOLY SPIRIT IN A VARIETY OF WAYS.
b. THE PRESENCE OF THE HOY SPIRIT IN OUR LIVES IS A GIVEN.
c. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE ONE WHO CAN AND WILL LEAD US AS WE ARE SUBMISSIVE TO HIM.
d. THE EMPOWERING WORK AND GUIDANCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IS AVAILABLE TO ALL, NOT JUST A SELECT FEW!
2. WE CAN ALL BE A MISSIONARY AT HOME – VERSE 4
a. YOU WILL NOTICE THAT PAUL AND BARNABAS SAIL TO CYPRUS.
b. FOR PAUL THIS WAS GOING TO A PLACE THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN NEW TO HIM GEOGRAPHICALLY AND CULTURALLY. HE WAS GOING TO FOREIGN SOIL.
c. FOR BARNABAS ON THE OTHER HAND, THIS WAS GOING HOME. THIS WAS HIS COUNTRY, HIS CULTURE, AND HIS PEOPLE.
d. WE NEED TO GET OUT OF OUR HEADS THAT MISSIONARY SERVICE IS ONLY OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES
e. MISSIONARY SERVICE IS WHEREVER WE ARE
3. WE CAN ALL COMMUNICATE THE RIGHT MESSAGE – VERSE 5
a. AGAIN, THIS IS NOT SOMETHING WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT!
b. GOD GAVE IT TO US IN OUR BIBLES
c. IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT TO COMMUNICATE, LEARN THE ROMANS ROAD!
d. THE MESSAGE OF SALVATION IS THE MESSAGE OF SALVATION THEN AND NOW!
4. WE CAN ALL FIND A PLACE TO TELL SOMEONE ABOUT JESUS – VERSE 5
a. THE LORD SAID TO LOOK OUR BECAUSE THE FIELDS ARE WHITE TO HARVEST. WHAT HE WAS SAYING WAS THAT THERE IS FIELDS TO HARVEST WHEREVER WE LOOK!
b. THE CHURCH PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES TO TELL SOMEONE ABOUT JESUS, BUT YOU DO NOT NEED THE CHURCH, YOU HAVE A FIELD WHEREVER YOU GO!!
5. WE WILL ALL FACE OPPOSITION FOR CHRIST WITH SUCCESS – VERSE 6 AND 8
a. THERE WILL ALWAYS BE OPPOSITION TO THE COMMUNICATION OF THE GOSPEL.
b. SATAN IS A DEFEATED FOE AND THE ONLY AVENUE LEFT TO HIM IS TO TAKE AS MANY WITH HIM AS POSSIBLE AND THWART THE EFFORTS OF THOSE SEEKING TO PROCLAIM THE MESSAGE OF CHRIST
c. EVERY MISSIONARY (WHICH YOU ARE) WILL FACE OPPOSITION.
d. THE SCRIPTURE SAYS THAT JESUS WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU OR FORSAKE YOU
e. THE SCRIPTURE SAYS THE HE WHO IS IN YOU IS GREATER THAN HE WHO IS IN THE WORLD!
f. SERVICE FOR CHRIST IS NOT WITHOUT ISSUES
g. ISSUES ARE TO BE LEFT IN THE HANDS OF GOD – CAST ALL YOUR CARE UPON HIM, SO THAT WE CAN BE FREE TO FOCUS ON WHAT IS IMPORTANT – THE SOULS OF MEN!
6. WE CAN ALL SPEAK TO OTHERS WITH THE HELP OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
a. GOD NEVER ASKS US TO DO SOMETHING HE HAS NOT EMPOWERED US TO DO
b. JESUS PROMISED THE COMMUNICATING POWER OF THE HOY SPIRIT TO THE DISCIPLES
c. A FOLLOWER OF CHRIST, YIELDED TO THE SPIRIT CAN ACCOMPLISH MUCH FOR THE CAUSE OF CHRIST
d. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS NOT A FORCE FOR US TO USE, BUT A PERSON WHO USES US!
7. WE CAN BE ASSURED OF THE PRESENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT – VERSE 9
a. PAUL HAD A DIVINE EMPOWERMENT FROM THE SPIRIT OF GOD. HE WAS FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT.
b. THIS IS A LEVEL OF CONTROL THAT WE AS BELIEVERS SHOULD SEEK
c. IT A SITUATION WHERE THE SPIRIT OF GOD EXERCISES GREATER CONTROL OVER US, NOT THAT WE GET MORE OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD.
d. IT IS A STATE OF BEING THAT WE CONTROL BY OUR ACTIONS
i. QUENCHING THE SPIRIT – SENSITIVITY TO THE LEADING OF THE SPIRIT
ii. GRIEVING THE SPIRIT – ACTIVITY THAT APART FROM THE CROSS WORK OF CHRIST – WOULD AFFECT OUR SALVATION.
8. WE CAN DISCERN WHAT IS WRONG WHEN WE KNOW WHAT IS RIGHT – VERSE 10
a. PAUL CALLED OUT ELYMAS THE JEWISH MAGICIAN
b. HE WAS SEEKING TO DECEIVE A ROMAN OFFICIAL
c. HE WAS SEEKING TO PREVENT SERGIUS PAULUS FROM HEARING THE GOSPEL
d. PAUL KNEW THAT WHAT WAS BEING DONE WAS WRONG BECAUSE HE KNEW WHAT THE RIGHT THING TO DO WAS. THE RIGHT THING TO DO WAS TELL OTHERS ABOUT JESUS. THE WRONG THING TO DO WAS TO KEEP THAT FROM HAPPENING
9. WE CAN BE ASSURED OF GOD’S POWER TO ASSIST US IN DOING WHAT IS RIGHT – VERSE 11
a. “HAND OF THE LORD” – PRESENCE OF THE LORD’S POWER TO ASSIST!
b. FRIENDS, WHEN WE DO WHAT IS RIGHT GOD IS THERE!
c. FROM THE TIME OF CAIN AND ABLE, WE ARE PRESENTED A CHOICE, DO WHAT IS RIGHT OR NOT. GOD’S PRESENCE OF SIN CROUCHING AT THE DOOR
d. WHICH DO WE PREFER IN OUR LIVES!
10. WE CAN KNOW THAT PEOPLE WILL COME TO CHRIST NOT BY OUR ELOQUENCE BUT BY THE POWER OF WHAT WE SAY.
a. IT WILL NEVER BE HOW WE SAY IT
b. SALVATION COMES BECAUSE THE MESSAGE HAS POWER.
c. WHAT WAS DONE HERE WAS TO GET OUT OF THE WAY SO THE MESSAGE CAN GET THROUGH!
d. THE GREATEST HINDRANCE TO THE GOSPEL TODAY IS US
i. WE HINDER THE GOSPEL IN OUR UNWILLINGNESS TO BE A MISSIONARY
WE HINDER THE GOSPEL BY THINKING THAT APART FROM COMMUNICATING THE MESSAGE WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO GET SOMEBODY SAVED!
