To the Ends of the Earth, Part 18
The Importance of Missionary Work
Acts 12:19 – 13:12
Dismiss children for nursery (under 4) and children’s church (ages 4-7)
Introduction
- Welcome to Seasons Church & 2024 sermon series, “To the Ends of the Earth”
-- In 2023 we unpacked the beginning of all history (Creation/Fall/Promise)
-- And we looked ahead, anticipated the coming & victory of Jesus (Revelation)
-- But, in order to get to the end, we have to be busy doing the work now (Acts)
- Last week we examined a theme of much importance: being faithful
-- What we saw in the first church was a desire to be faithful – a drive to follow
-- However, we also saw them have their prayers answered and them not believe it
- CH: What if, today, we got serious about God and obeyed what He said to do?
-- How could our lives be affected and changed for the Kingdom if we did?
-- EX: What if we believed God would do what He said He would do, fully?
- Today, I’d like to look at the calling of the first missionaries, but prep it with:
-- FB Post: MYTH: It takes special training to be a missionary and share Jesus
-- FACT: We need NO special training to share Jesus, we just need courage to tell what we know! If we would – I wonder how could God use that for His glory?
-- If we’ll lean into this truth today, I think we’ll be encouraged this week
- Read Acts 12:19 – 13:12 / Pray
Point 1 – The death of a King reveals God’s authority (Time: ~42 AD)
- We talked last week about King Herod and his persecution of the Church
-- It was a renewed persecution (nothing new), his choice to silence the Church
-- Having James martyred, imprisoning Peter, was a plot to shut down the Gospel
-- And, when Peter escaped, Herod swore out a search party to find him (v19)
-- He even sentenced the guards who were supposed to be watching him to death!
- However, as the old saying goes, “nothing lasts forever…”
-- God, in His sovereignty, will not allow the Church to be mistreated forever
-- It might last for a season, yes, but it will not just go on with no ending
-- Diving into our passage, we begin with the death of King Herod Agrippa
-- But, more than just his death, we see God’s hand of authority here
-- Even as he tries to make peace with neighboring cities, God has had enough
- To be clear, Herod had a list of sins that brought God’s judgment:
• He was guilty of opposing God; violently persecuting the church
• He was a murderer, ordering the deaths of the faithful (and innocent)
• His love and focus was on the world, and the power he could get
• He was a hypocrite, a master deceiver, a liar in every sense
• He lacked compassion for the people and was hostile and unwise
• All of this surrounds one thing: pride, self-glory, self-exaltation
- FACT: The death of Herod was the sovereign authority of God
-- God even struck him down with a sickness that ate him from inside out (v23)
-- Greek: skólékobrótos; eaten by worms
-- Literally: He was being eaten from the insides, tape worms, etc.
- KEY: Don’t miss what happened even in the face of persecution, and his death
-- Greek: euxanen kai eplethuneto; grow and multiply
-- The church continues to expand, to grow, to flourish – to share Jesus! (v24)
-- Even more: we see how discipleship prospered with these men! (read v25)
- Enter John Mark, a young follower who had joined them on their mission
-- Imagine: You’re a young Christian & your disciples are Saul, Barnabas, & Peter
-- So much is poured into this young man, that he even wrote one of the Gospels!
- We know a few things about John Mark from history, and those are:
• He had a godly mother - Acts 12:12, “When he realized this, he went to the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many were gathered for prayer.”
• Her home was probably the very center of many church activities
• John Mark was related to Barnabas - Colossians 4:10 (Paul writing), “Aristarchus, who is in prison with me, sends you his greetings, and so does Mark, Barnabas’s cousin. As you were instructed before, make Mark welcome if he comes your way.”
• We know that as a young man something happened that weakened his faith
• And he abandoned Saul and Barnabas (see next week) to return to Jerusalem
• However, he does turn / come back to serve with faithfulness later
• Rejoining Peter is prob what led to the writing of the gospel of Mark
- TR: The church cannot just stay in one place; so we see an evolution …
Point 2 – The calling of the first missionaries
- KEY: The church in Antioch was called to a mission – to open its doors to all
-- The first missionaries were members of a great Church; one with a specific goal
-- CH: Reach as many as you can, as far as you can, with everything you can
-- It was a diverse church (v1), one focused on hospitality and grace for everyone
- Know this: That calling has not changed today! Seasons is called to this!
-- Even in this room, with our diverse backgrounds, we can reach diff. peoples!
-- Romans 10:12-13, “Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Note the context of the ‘famous’ verse!!
-- RE: “God is no respecter of persons”, said by Peter to Cornelius in Acts 10:34
- These men were chosen, but not because of something only “they” had (v2)
-- Greek: proskaleó; to call to -- Greek: aphorizó; to set apart
-- They were faithful: willing to reach, to serve, to follow Christ’s commands
-- BIG APP: Don’t miss this: They were faithful right where they were!
-- They were not waiting for a grand approval or leadership course to happen
-- They saw what had to be done, and they did it – without waiting for applause!
- Because of their faithfulness, God knew they could be trusted to do more (v3)
-- 1 Peter 4:10, “God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.”
- They were men chosen because of the life they led (devoted to prayer & fasting)
-- They knew that in order to be faithful it meant sacrificing their “comforts”
-- APP: Sometimes, we can go without a cheeseburger to spend time in prayer!
- See this: Jesus’ words were as true for Saul & Barnabas as they are for us now
- John 15:16, “You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.”
- The Holy Spirit was calling these men to be specific in their mission (v4)
-- It was a calling to a lifetime of ministry to reach people (same calling we have)
-- None of us are called to be on the sideline, but active – these men show us that
-- It is why it is here in Acts, so prominently outlined, it is a church catalyst
- Remember this from last week?
-- Want to grow the church? Here’s the recipe: BE the church!
-- CH: Do we do the things (are we obedient) we must do to grow the church?
-- FACT: Being the church is what causes it to church to grow, to reach others!
- TR: Let’s examine their mission, and what it shows us to do today …
Point 3 – How can we know if missionary work is effective?
- There are 5 things that must take place for missionary work to be effective:
1. There is a leading by the Holy Spirit (vv4-5)
- The leadership of the Spirit is critical to doing the work of the Lord
-- Without its leading, we end up wandering aimlessly with no real destination
-- Barnabas and Saul were specific in their direction of where to go and minister
-- Maybe God is telling you to love someone at Dairy Queen … then go do it!
2. There is Gospel work being done (vv5-6)
- God’s servant shares the word b/c they are devoted to it
-- In the sharing of the word, God calls them to reach new areas, people, and lands
-- It shows a willingness to obey, to be faithful, to share what you know
- EX: Preaching is not easy, takes research, prayer, time, devotion, etc. …
-- But we are not all called to preach – some of us are called to just love others
3. There is a desire to hear the Word of God (v7)
- Sergius Paulus was a regional governor, a man of intelligence who sought truth
-- This man was looking for truth in philosophy, science, astrology, and religion
-- He sent for Saul & Barnabas because he wanted to hear the truth they had
- APP: Do you know how many people are looking for the truth today? Lots!
-- GQ: Had young man ask if a YouTube video was valid b/c his faith was shaken
-- BIG: Are you willing to be the one who tells people what they need to hear?
-- Sometimes, it just means being available to share with them God’s truth
4. There is always a pronouncement of God’s truth (vv8-11)
- Said another way: There is a confrontation of false teaching when needed
-- Most people aren’t confrontational, rebuking in God’s name is not for the weak
-- This is exactly what occurred when they crossed paths with this wicked man
- “Elymas” is the official title of a sorcerer; prob means “wise man”, Bar-Jesus
-- RE: Jesus was a common name – but this man was also a religious priest
-- He opposed the teaching that Saul and Barnabas brought into the region (why?)
- He was Jew who mixed monotheism (1 God) with worldly teaching (phil, astro)
-- Primary teaching may look like: God is love, and there are many ways to Him
-- Truth: if your god is the devil, there are most certainly many ways to get there!
-- We must notice that Saul gains a new name – it is the gentile name Paul (v9)
- Now don’t miss this … Saul is led by the Holy Spirit and confronts this man
• He had the sin of subtlety (blurred lines of truth)
• He had the sin of mischief (full of wickedness and deceit)
• He had the sin of being a child of the devil (controlled by evil intentions)
• He was the enemy of righteousness (opposed God’s will, refused to repent)
• He was a perverter of the right ways of God (by twisting scripture)
- His punishment is severe – he is stricken blind, stopped from his ministry of sin
-- How? He is now dependent on others, so much for being a messenger of light!
-- To others, this judgment of God would be a sure indicator to avoid him!
5. There is a conversion of a heart to God (re-read v12)
- This is most critical for us to pay attention to … even rebuke can lead to Christ!
-- God’s authority has no limits, and faced with a holy authority Sergius submits
-- He becomes astonished, convinced that God is real, and submits to Christ
- Why? Because the work of God is that people would come to salvation in Christ
-- The true revelation of Scripture is Jesus is the Messiah we all need (re: diverse)
-- The conviction of the Spirit leads all of us to a place of choosing: Him or Us
BIG IDEA
- It is not a grey area, it is not a man-made truth, it is the only truth that saves us
-- Being a missionary is not glamorous, but it is the work that matters to God
-- What we’ve seen today is that it is a calling, but a calling that we (can) all have
- These men were called to simply go and share, are we not called to do the same?
-- Are we not diverse enough that we could reach different people’s all at once?
-- That is our challenge today – will be tell/show what we know to those we meet?
- Pray
