Introduction
I recently finished reading John Geddie’s biography titled Missionary Life Among the Cannibals: Being the Life of the Rev. John Geddie.
It is an astonishing story of a man committed to making Jesus known to the cannibalistic island people of the South Pacific.
He was incredibly industrious and died when he was only fifty-seven years old.
He translated the entire Bible into Aneiteumese, the language of the people.
He produced books for the people.
He taught them to read and write.
He helped stamp out cannibalism on the islands.
He built homes and church buildings.
He clothed the people.
Most of all, he taught them about the love of God that is found in Jesus.
After John Geddie’s death, a wooden plaque was prepared in Sydney, Australia, and placed behind the pulpit in the church on Anelcauhat.
The inscription on the plaque was in the people’s language of Aneiteumese and reads as follows:
“In memory of John Geddie, D.D., born in Scotland 1815, minister in Prince Edward Island seven years, missionary sent from Nova Scotia to Anelcauhat, Aneiteum, for twenty-four years. He laboured amidst many trials for the good of the people, and taught many to read, many to work, and some to be teachers. He was esteemed by the natives, beloved by his fellow labourer, the Rev. John Inglis, and honoured by the missionaries in the New Hebrides and by the Churches. When he landed in 1848 there were no Christians here, and when he left in 1872 there were no heathen. He died in the Lord in Australia, 1872. 1 Thess. i. 5” (George Patterson, Missionary Life Among the Cannibals: Being the Life of the Rev. John Geddie, n.p.)
Thousands of islanders learned the good news about Jesus through the service of John Geddie.
What about John Geddie made him so effective in his service to Jesus?
I propose that John Geddie possessed the same qualities as Paul and Barnabas when they made Jesus known on the first missionary journey recorded in the Book of Acts.
Acts 14 does not explicitly teach God’s requirements for effective service.
However, it shows us Paul and Barnabas, who exhibited several qualities of effective servants of Jesus.
Scripture
Let’s read Acts 14:1-28:
1 Now at Iconium they entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed. 2 But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. 3 So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. 4 But the people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews and some with the apostles. 5 When an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat them and to stone them, 6 they learned of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding country, 7 and there they continued to preach the gospel.
8 Now at Lystra there was a man sitting who could not use his feet. He was crippled from birth and had never walked. 9 He listened to Paul speaking. And Paul, looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be made well, 10 said in a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And he sprang up and began walking. 11 And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycaonian, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” 12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. 13 And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds. 14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out, 15 “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. 16 In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. 17 Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” 18 Even with these words they scarcely restrained the people from offering sacrifice to them.
19 But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. 20 But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. 21 When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, 22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. 23 And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
24 Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. 25 And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia, 26 and from there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled. 27 And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. 28 And they remained no little time with the disciples.
Lesson
Acts 14:1-28 shows us some qualities of an effective servant of Jesus.
Let’s use the following outline:
1. An Effective Servant of Jesus Has a Courageous Commitment (14:1-7)
2. An Effective Servant of Jesus Has a Humble Heart (14:8-18)
3. An Effective Servant of Jesus Has a Steadfast Spirit (14:19-23)
4. An Effective Servant of Jesus Has a Faithful Fellowship (14:24-28)
I. An Effective Servant of Jesus Has a Courageous Commitment (14:1-7)
First, an effective servant of Jesus has a courageous commitment.
Paul and Barnabas were driven out of Pisidian Antioch by Jews who were vehemently opposed to the good news that Jesus was not only alive but changing lives (see Acts 13:50).
They left Pisidian Antioch and traveled about eighty miles southeast to Iconium.
According to John MacArthur:
Iconium was a cultural melting pot—native Phrygians whose ancestors had occupied the area from ancient times, Greeks and Jews who dated back to the Seleucid period (312–65 B.C.), and Roman colonists who had arrived more recently (John F. MacArthur Jr., Acts, vol. 2, MacArthur New Testament Commentary [Chicago: Moody Press, 1994], 45).
Verse 1 tells us, “Now at Iconium they entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed.”
What did Paul and Barnabas say that produced a great number of believers?
They told the people that Jesus was the Christ that God had promised to send to his people for centuries to deliver them from their sins.
They told the people that Jesus was without sins himself.
They told them that Jesus was unjustly punished and crucified.
They told them that Jesus was raised back to life again three days after his death.
And they told them that Jesus was alive and changing lives when people turned from their sins in repentance and put their faith in him.
But opposition quickly arose against Paul and Barnabas and the good news they proclaimed to the people.
Verse 3 says, “So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.”
Paul and Barnabas had a courageous commitment to proclaim the good news of Jesus. They testified about Jesus wherever and whenever they could. They loved to tell the story of Jesus, as the hymn writer said:
I love to tell the story
Of unseen things above,
Of Jesus and His glory,
Of Jesus and His love.
I love to tell the story,
Because I know ’tis true;
It satisfies my longings
As nothing else can do.
Paul and Barnabas were courageous but not foolish.
When they learned their opposition planned to mistreat and stone them, they “fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding country, and there they continued to preach the gospel” (vv. 6-7).
John MacArthur helps us understand a little better about the cities of Lystra and Derbe:
The cities of the region of Lycaonia, Lystra and Derbe, to which Paul and Barnabas fled, were quiet, provincial towns, well off the beaten path. Both were located in the Roman province of Galatia. Lystra was about eighteen miles from Iconium and was the home of Lois, Eunice, and Timothy (Acts 16:1; 2 Tim. 1:5), who may have been saved during this visit by the apostle. Derbe was forty miles southeast of Lystra. Since no synagogue is mentioned in Lystra, it probably had a very small Jewish population. That did not deter the missionaries, however, and they immediately proclaimed the gospel. From this effort in Lystra, Luke records three remarkable events: the healing of the man who had never walked, the bizarre incident of pagans worshiping the preachers, and the stoning of Paul (John F. MacArthur Jr., Acts, vol. 2, MacArthur New Testament Commentary [Chicago: Moody Press, 1994], 48).
Before moving on to the next quality of an effective servant of Jesus, let me ask: Do you have a courageous commitment to proclaiming the good news of Jesus?
I just finished reading a book on evangelism.
The authors suggest evangelism is simply this: Just go tell people how awesome Jesus is.
A lot of people are open to hearing about Jesus in our culture.
A 2021 study by Lifeway Research of around 1,000 Americans revealed compelling data on personal evangelism in the United States.
About 65% of people are open to talking with a friend about having a relationship with God.
About 54% of people are open to talking with a stranger about having a relationship with God.
Friends, those statistics blew me away.
One out of two strangers will talk with you about how awesome Jesus is.
And two out of three of your friends will talk with you about how awesome Jesus is.
So, let me encourage you this week to commit to telling someone how awesome Jesus is.
II. An Effective Servant of Jesus Has a Humble Heart (14:8-18)
Second, an effective servant of Jesus has a humble heart.
In Lystra, Paul healed a man who had been crippled from birth.
Verse 11 tells us, “And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycaonian, ‘The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!’ ”
But Paul and Barnabas would have none of it.
They would not allow the people to deify them.
They redirected all the glory to God and emphasized the gospel’s good news, as Paul said in verse 15, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.”
Paul and Barnabas were grounded in humility.
They ensured that Jesus was the focus of their ministry.
They did not want any glory for themselves.
They wanted all the glory to go to Jesus.
It is easy to see how one might get puffed up with pride when we see a lot of success in ministry.
Proverbs 16:18 reminds us, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
Whenever a believer falls into sin, there is almost certainly more of self and less of Jesus, which causes pride.
If you and I are to effectively tell others about how awesome Jesus is, let us do so with a humble heart.
III. An Effective Servant of Jesus Has a Steadfast Spirit (14:19-23)
Third, an effective servant of Jesus has a steadfast spirit.
In verse 19, we read, “But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead.”
But Paul was not dead.
Most likely, he was unconscious, and the Jewish opponents returned to the city.
In verse 20, we read, “But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe.”
Most of us would have taken a few days to recover from such a stoning.
But not Paul.
Paul left Lystra the next day and walked with Barnabas to Derbe, which was forty miles away!
In verses 21-22, we read, “When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”
Nothing ever seemed to discourage Paul.
He had a steadfast spirit.
He was so captivated by the good news that Jesus was alive and changing sinners that he had to tell others about Jesus.
What about you and me?
Let us not become discouraged when someone rejects our message.
Let us not become timid because someone criticizes what we have to say.
Let us not become fearful because we may not have an answer to an objection.
Let us just go tell people how awesome Jesus is.
Tell people how Jesus has changed you.
Tell people how Jesus has forgiven you.
Tell people that Jesus is taking you to be with him for all eternity in heaven.
And all of that can be theirs, too, if they turn to Jesus in faith and repentance.
IV. An Effective Servant of Jesus Has a Faithful Fellowship (14:24-28)
And fourth, an effective servant of Jesus has a faithful fellowship.
Luke tells us that Paul and Barnabas returned to their sending church at the end of their missionary journey.
You recall that many months before, the Holy Spirit said to the church at Antioch, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them” (Acts 13:1).
After completing the first missionary journey, they returned to the church at Antioch, “where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled” (v. 26).
Paul and Barnabas fulfilled the work to which the Holy Spirit had called them. Those who were appointed to eternal life believed the good news that Jesus was alive and changing lives (see Acts 13:48).
Luke then tells us in verse 27, “And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.”
Paul and Barnabas were called by the Spirit and used by the Spirit to proclaim the good news about Jesus.
But it is also certain that they were supported by a faithful fellowship of Christians in the church in Antioch.
The believers in the church of Antioch prayed daily for Paul and Barnabas.
The believers in the church of Antioch gave sacrificially to support the ministry of Paul and Barnabas.
The believers in the church of Antioch eagerly heard Paul and Barnabas’ report about “all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.”
The Holy Spirit may call you to be set apart for missions ministry. If so, pray about it and talk to the elders about it.
Jesus certainly wants all of us to tell others around us that he is alive and changing lives.
Jesus wants us to pray for and support our missionaries.
Let me encourage you to put on your calendar to attend the Missions Conference next month (February 14-16, 2025) here at the Tampa Bay Presbyterian Church.
Come and learn what God is doing in missions around the world.
Come and learn what God is doing through the missionaries you support.
The good news of Jesus advances best when a faithful fellowship of believers prays, gives, and supports those on the front lines of ministry.
Conclusion
An effective servant of Jesus has a courageous commitment, a humble heart, a steadfast spirit, and a faithful fellowship.
When we hear a story like John Geddie's, we may think, “I could never do what he did.”
That is probably true.
But you and I can do our little bit to turn the world upside down right where we live by having a courageous commitment, a humble heart, a steadfast spirit, and a faithful fellowship. Amen.
