Acts 13 - How God Leads Us - 5/21/17
Turn with me this morning to Acts 13. We have been going through this transitional book, taking us from the ministry of Jesus to the establishment of the church. We see in the Great Commission, Jesus tells his disciples to take the gospel to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth. We see in Acts chapter 2, the gospel shared in Jerusalem on Pentecost as Peter preaches to the Jews; in Acts 8 the gospel goes to the Samaritans; in Acts 10 the gospel goes to god-fearing Gentiles; and now in Acts 13 we see the gospel being taken throughout the Gentile regions of Asia Minor, the land we know today as Turkey.
We were introduced to Saul, who later is known as Paul the Apostle, in Acts 7 when he is there giving assent to the death of Stephen, the martyr. Today, as we come to Acts 13, we see Paul stepping up to become the apostle who starts churches all across Turkey. And the first thing we want to look at in this chapter is
• The Making of an Apostle. What lessons do we learn from the way God works in Paul’s life? Let’s begin by reading in chapter 13, starting at verse 1. Read 13:1-12 - Pray
Today we are going to look at two key ideas in this chapter: The making of an apostle and the preaching of an apostle. We are going to look at How God leads us and How God speaks through us. This morning we want to look at is How God leads us: the making of an apostle, and the first lesson we learn from Paul is this:
*Wait on God’s Timing - We see Paul had to wait for quite some time until he begins to function as the apostle that God has called him to be. Back in chapter 9, we see that God has placed a call upon God’s life. Paul meets Christ on the road to Damascus and ends up going to the house of Ananias. There God says about Paul in Acts 9:15 - “This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. But even though God has made his plans clear, quite some time passes before Paul is ready to be used as the apostle to the Gentiles. We know that after his conversion, Paul goes out to the desert of Arabia and is personally trained by Christ. Even though he was trained to be a rabbi by the famous Gamaliel, even though Paul is a Pharisee of the Pharisees and knows the law inside out, yet he prepares for his new ministry by traveling into the desert in Arabia and being retrained. Where do I find that? Galatians 1. Check it out for yourself.
Three years later Paul goes to Jerusalem and meets the disciples, who are afraid of him and think it is a trick. Barnabas - encourager that he is - brings Paul to the disciples and convinces them that Paul’s faith is real, and they accept Paul. But when the Grecian Jews try to kill Paul, the brothers send him back to Tarsus. Acts 9:30. Paul goes back home until Acts 11, when men from Cyprus come to Antioch and start the church there. Barnabas comes to check out the new church, encourages them, and goes to Tarsus to bring Paul to teach the people. Paul spends a year at Antioch teaching there, and then in chapter 11, verse 30, we see Paul takes a short term mission trip to bring an offering to the church at Jerusalem to help them prepare for the coming famine. So that brings us to chapter 13 - several YEARS after his conversion and call, and it is just NOW that Paul is finally ready to begin the ministry that God had planned for him.
Were all those years wasted years? Not at all! But Paul reminds us that we need to wait on God’s timing. In Exodus, the Jews are crying out to God, and FINALLY God sends Moses. Why doesn’t God respond sooner? It wasn’t time yet! When Moses come to Pharaoh, says let my people go, God delivers the plagues, and Moses leads the Jews out of Israel, Exodus tells us that the deliverance comes on “THE VERY DAY” that the 430 years of bondage were fulfilled. Exodus 12:41 - At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the LORD’s divisions left Egypt. God’s timing is always perfect. They were crying out to God for deliverance, but it wasn’t God’s timing. Even though God had predicted 430 years before that He WOULD deliver them, He was waiting for the exactly right timing.
Consider Daniel 9 - Daniel knows from reading the book of Jeremiah that the Jews are only going to be in exile for 70 years. So Daniel is praying asking God why He hasn’t released them yet. And God sends the angel Gabriel to tell Daniel that he is right, but that his number of the start and end dates is wrong. And God lays out His perfect timetable, even predicting how many years until the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. There is even a British scholar, Sir Robert Anderson, who wrote a book called “The Coming Prince” that gives the precise accounting of the years from Daniel up to the crucifixion.
So in the same way, in our lives we often pray and pray and pray and cry out to God to work. And when God doesn’t answer the way we want, we often blame God, we say He doesn’t love us, we judge prayer of no value, and we turn from our faith. But the lesson of Paul reminds us the we need to wait on God’s timing, because His timing is always perfect.
If you’ve been looking for God to work in a certain way, don’t give up your faith if God doesn’t answer the way you would expect. Just be patient and rely on Him. Trust that He knows the very burdens of your heart, and He loves you more than anyone else possibly could. So we need to learn to simply wait and trust.
That’s what that verse in 1 Peter 5:7 teaches us: Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. It means that when we understand how very much God cares about us, we can give our burdens to Him, and we don’t need to be filled with anxiety about it anymore, because we know that God will take care of things in His perfect timing.
So Paul knows God has a special plan for him; he is going to be one of the apostles, one of the founders of the early church. But Paul is waiting for God’s timing. So during that time of waiting, what does he do? He finds practical ministry to engage in. Here’s the second lesson from Paul:
• Use your gifts in ministry while you wait on God. Find a way to be active in ministry. God was not ready to use Paul in the church-planting role yet, but God used him in a number of other wonderful roles. And in the same way, we need to be looking for ways to be used by God, even while we might wait for God’s timing in our lives.
I felt a call to full-time ministry in 10th grade, but I knew I had a waiting period ahead of me. I mean, who wants to have a 15 year old pastor for their church? But a call to preach is a call to prepare, so in 10th grade I made plans to prepare for ministry. In 11th grade I transferred to a Christian school. For college, I went to a Christian college and majored in Pastoral Studies. I graduated and went back for seminary. But after 10 years in college, I didn’t look for a church to pastor. With all the temptations and pressures of the pastoral ministry, I felt it was wise to wait until I was either married or 30 years old. After all, that was the age when Jesus began His public ministry. And I ended up having both fulfilled the same year: turning 30 and getting married.
But while I was waiting on God, I stayed active in ministry. In college I worked in a church on weekends as a youth pastor. After graduating seminary, I moved back to PA, and became part of a leadership team for our young adult group at a very large Free Church in Hershey. Even while waiting, I stayed active in ministry.
Never think that “one day” I’ll be ready for ministry. You ARE ready NOW! Maybe you need to wait on God’s timing for one certain door to open, but even while you wait, there are other ministries just waiting for you to be involved. Use the gifts God has given you! A third lesson from Paul:
• Listen to the Holy Spirit - Look at Acts 13:2 - While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” The leaders of the church gathered together to worship. And we see that God speaks to them while they are worshiping and fasting. Far too often we wonder what we don’t hear from God, but the answer is that we are too distracted by many other things. We fill our days and our calendars will all types of activity and then wonder why we don’t hear God’s leading. We need to remember the instruction of Psalm 46:10 - Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. When we are still and focused on worshiping God, that is when we will hear Him.
When we gather for worship, remember there is a big difference between “singing” and “worship.” The outward action may look the same, but the key is the heart. When you come out on Sunday mornings, it is easy to sing every word - Oh how I love Jesus - while we are thinking “I wonder what’s for lunch today.” When you sing, put your heart into it. Think about the words. Let your singing come from the depths of emotion in your heart. Never come to worship and leave without “worshiping.”
It also says they were fasting. Some people are quick to dismiss that and say “that was an OT custom.” Others say “that’s a ritual - the Pharisees fasted and it didn’t do anything for them.” But let’s remember that the Pharisees didn’t benefit because their hearts weren’t right with God. The fact that they fasted doesn’t mean that fasting isn’t for today. It just is a reminder to us to make sure we are fasting for the right reasons, in the right way. In Isaiah 58 the prophet writes, Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? . . . Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter--when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
So as we consider fasting, make sure it is not simply a way for you to manipulate God, but rather let your fasting flow out of a life that seeks to honor God. Fasting is a way to intensify our focus on our God. If you are seeking to hear from God, consider using a fast to help you focus better. I would be glad to talk with you more about fasting if any of you are interested in pursuing this practice.
Back to Acts 13 - it says, While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” But then look at verse 3 - So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. God speaks, but they they fast and pray more. Why? Because they are seeking a confirmation of God’s will. They want to make sure they have heard God correctly. When you think you know what God wants for your life, seek confirmation. Proverbs 11:14 - For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisers make victory sure. Seek the godly advice of others. Look for scriptures that confirm what you are feeling. Allow God to make His will clear.
After God makes His will clear, notice what happens - vs 4 - The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. What do we learn from that verse? When you think about being used as a witness for God,
• Start with those you know! We know that God has a work and calls Paul and Barnabas for this work, but we don’t know whether or not God gave specific instructions. But assuming He doesn’t, why would they go to Cyprus? Because that is where Barnabas is from! Back in Acts 4 when we first see Barnabas, it tells us this: Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet. So Barnabas is from Cyprus, and as they seek to follow God’s will, they head back to start their new phase of ministry from Cyprus.
Remember what Jesus says before He ascends - Acts 1:8 - But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” They were in Jerusalem, so they were to start with their home, and then work out. For Barnabas, his home was Cyprus, and so he starts there.
If you are looking to be a witness and share the good news of salvation with someone, don’t try to go to a stranger in a strange neighborhood, start with your family, your friends, your co-workers, your neighbors. Start with those you know. Start with those who will give you a hearing, whether they agree with you or not. Start with those you know. And then the last lesson about how God leads us:
• Embrace the work that God is doing. Look in verse 6 - Paul and Barnabas arrive on the East side of the island and work their way through the island stopping at Jewish synagogues all along the way. This would have taken some time. A synagogue could be formed any time 10 Jewish men came together, so there were probably quite a few synagogues in this island which is about 60 miles wide.
Why start in the Jewish synagogues? This was always Paul’s pattern: to the Jew first, and then to the Gentiles. But starting with the Jews makes sense because they already have a familiarity and understanding of the Scriptures. To talk to a worshiper of Zeus or Mars about “one true God” would be like speaking a foreign language - they would have a completely different frame of reference, a completely different understanding of what “truth” is. So it makes sense to start with the Jews.
As they come to the west side of the island - probably several weeks later - they are given an invitation by Sergius Paulus, the Roman proconsul, which is like talking about the governor of the island. So it would be like traveling to Lansing, and having Rick Snyder hear about our message and ask us to come share the gospel with him. But as they arrive there, they face opposition by a sorcerer, a witch doctor, a false prophet, and his name is Bar-Jesus.
The name Bar-Jesus means “son of Jesus” - but not a physical descendant, but someone who is a follower - like we use the phrase “son of a gun” - or in the OT we see the phrase “sons of belial” or “sons of the devil.” He is also given the name Elymas which means “sorcerer.”
So here is Elymas claiming by his name to follow Jesus - but by his actions and his teachings he shows he is opposed to Jesus. In verse 10 Paul says, You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! And this is exactly what we see in our society today by those we give the name “cults.” A “cultist” is a person who claims to be following the truth, but in reality is not.
When a mormon comes to your door, they look mighty fine in their white shirts and bicycles. They ask “wouldn’t you love to have a world where there was perfect harmony?” And they tell you they believe the bible. But what they don’t tell you is that their hope is to become a god and populate their own universes with their spirit wives who bear them spirit children.
Or how about the Jehovah’s witness who comes to your door and says they worship Jehovah, the one true God. That sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? But what they don’t tell you is they don’t believe Jesus is THE one true god, but that He and Satan are brothers and are “lesser, inferior” gods.
Well, Paul has Elymas’ number - he is trying to keep the governor from believing - verse 8 - why? Because if Sergius Paulus comes to faith, he will no longer want a witch doctor working for him! Elymas will be out on the street!
At this point, Paul steps up and embraces the power of the Holy Spirit and begins the next phase of ministry. In verse 11, we see Paul stating, 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.
What just happened here? Paul, who has been waiting to begin serving as the Apostle to the Gentiles, the man who has been patiently teaching and waiting and transporting offerings, now receives the full power of God upon him and strikes Elymas with blindness. What is significant about that? Just this - we all don’t have the power to do great miracles like this.
Can God do that through any one of us today? Of course He can. But will it be an ongoing gift that we should expect? No, not at all. In the early church great miracles were done - but not by all the Christians, but by the apostles. We see that back in Acts 5:12 - The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. The miraculous signs were done by the apostles to authenticate their message.
In 2 Corinthians 12:12 as Paul defends his position as an apostle, here’s what he says: I am not in the least inferior to the “super-apostles”, even though I am nothing. The things that mark an apostle--signs, wonders and miracles--were done among you with great perseverance. Do you catch that - Paul says the mark of an apostle is the ability to do these special miracles. They are not given for everyone to do.
So back to Acts 13 - what do we see here? We see Paul stepping up to assume the role of an apostle. He begins taking the authority that had been given him to start churches all throughout Turkey or Asia Minor as it was called back then.
Barnabas had many gifts too, but his gift was encouragement. Whenever we see Barnabas, he is encouraging. And his gift was greatly used. But at this point in the book of Acts, it is Paul’s gifting as an apostle that will be needed for the next step of the spread of the gospel. And in fact, from this point on, the leadership of the team changes. All along it has been “Barnabas and Saul” - but now we begin to see Saul take the lead. Look in verse 13 - Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem. Suddenly, Paul is given the spotlight. Barnabas still has powerful ministry, but Paul is now ready to assume the mantle of apostle to the Gentiles. And notice we see John leaving at this point. John Mark is a relative of Barnabas’ - Colossians 4:10 My fellow-prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. So John may not have been to thrilled that his cousin is no longer calling the shots - and so he goes home.
But as Paul exercises these gifts of an apostle, notice the impact it makes on Sergius Paulus: vs 12 - When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the miracles of Paul. Is that what is says? NO. It says When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord. What strikes his heart and brings him to the point of belief? Not the miracle, but the teaching of the truth of the word of God. The miracle confirms that what the word says is true, but it is the word of God that gets hold of his heart and changes him forever.
We never want to get obsessed with the sensational - looking for miraculous signs or things that catch our attention. We always want to make sure our focus is on the word of God. Because THAT is what will strike the heart and change a life. Paul’s focus in on powerfully teaching the word of God. Paul says in Romans 1:16 - I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
So Paul embraces the work of God. God brings Paul to a new level of ministry. Paul now begins a church planting ministry that God had uniquely prepared him for.
Come back tonight and we will look at the second half of this chapter and see the Preaching of an Apostle and learn some lessons about how God speaks through us. But to summarize what we have seen this morning:
Wait on God’s timing - don’t be impatient in looking for God to work
Use your gifts while you wait - look for ways to serve God practically
Listen to the Holy Spirit - make sure you are still enough and focused on worshiping God
Start with those you know - see to be a witness to those you already have relationship with, and
Embrace the work of God - look for what God is doing and join Him in His work. Let’s pray.
