Mission Unstoppable – Preserving the Gospel (Acts 15:1-29)

Preserving the Gospel

Acts 15:1-29

Introduction

This chapter comes right in the middle of Acts . . . in some ways, the middle of the Bible. Understanding this chapter is absolutely crucial for understanding the gospel, how the Bible fits together, and how we as Christians are supposed to live today.

We have seen how step by step the Gentiles had been brought into the church. At first there were isolated cases, like the conversion of the African official [Acts 8] and the Roman centurion (Acts 10-11).

Then began the movement of the Spirit in Syrian Antioch (Acts 11-12) which resulted in the first multi-ethnic church (Acts 13:1). As a result, the Antiochan church launched the first strategic mission to the Gentile when it sent Saul and Barnabus out as missionaries (Acts 13:3).

Gradually the (originally) Jewish Christian church came to see the Lord’s hand in the inclusion of the “nations” into the church. It was widely understood that the Gentiles were also capable of “repentance unto life” (Acts 11:18). Inevitably, however, a controversy arose about how the new Gentile converts were to be incorporated into the church.

Acts 15:1-29

But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” [2] And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. [3] So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers. [4] When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. [5] But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.”

[6] The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. [7] And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. [8] And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, [9] and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. [10] Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? [11] But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”

[12] And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. [13] After they finished speaking, James replied, “Brothers, listen to me. [14] Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. [15] And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written, [16] ” ‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, [17] that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things [18] known from of old.’

[19] Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, [20] but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. [21] For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.”

[22] Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers, [23] with the following letter: “The brothers, both the apostles and the elders, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings. [24] Since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions, [25] it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, [26] men who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. [27] We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. [28] For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: [29] that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”

1. The Legalistic Challenge to Salvation (15:1-5)

Winston Churchill once recounted something he had seen as a young man. He talked about being by a lake once day when a family came for a picnic. As the day went on and everyone was having fun, the 5 year old son fell into the lake.

Unfortunately, none of the family could swim and looked on in horror as the boy bobbed up and down in the water, about to drown. Thankfully, though another man near the lake saw what was happening, and at great risk to himself, jumped into the lake wearing all of his clothes.

He managed to reach the child and bring him ashore. Instead of being forever grateful, when the man handed the child back to the mother she snapped at the stranger, “Where’s his hat?” Although she should have been grateful for the rescue of his son, she only found something to complain about!

Such is the case in the first century. Many Gentiles are being converted, but some of the Jewish believers didn’t rejoice, they only complained. However their complaint was not just the fruit of a bad attitude, but something far worse.

Luke makes the issue clear. “Some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, ‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.’”

There was a group of Jewish men who traveled from Judea to Antioch and began teaching that the Christians there – thought they had already believed in Jesus – could not be saved unless they were circumcised and in compliance with the law of Moses.

This group would later be called Judaizers. You see these Judaizers believed that Jesus was the Jewish Messiah. Therefore, no one could really follow Jesus without becoming a Jew.

It might be tempting to see this as a fear about ethnic identity. Though most of the early converts to Christianity were Jews, now the scene has shifted. More and more Gentiles are becoming Christians. Even the center of Christianity itself is shifting from Jerusalem to Antioch.

And we may be tempted to think that these Jews are concerned that their ethnic identity will become diluted with this influx of Gentiles. And that may have been a part of what’s going on here. But the core issue is much larger than that; it is more serious than that.

The central issue comes down to this – who is supreme, Moses or Jesus? You see the Judaizers were elevating the law of Moses above Jesus. Jesus could be accepted as the Messiah by anyone, but only if that group committed to obeying the laws of Mosaic Covenant. The laws dealing with food, circumcision, the temple, all of it.

So this wasn’t some ivory tower theological debate. No, what do they say? ‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.’ Salvation itself was at stake here. The issue was this: is Christ enough? You see, they weren’t denying God’s grace in salvation. They were just adding to it.

But the gospel says ‘salvation comes by Christ alone.’ The Bible says that in order to be in right relationship to God, you need to be perfectly righteousness. That’s a problem because as human beings, we are not righteous, we’re sinful beings. And because we have sinned, we deserve to be punished.

So how do we get to God? Through Christ. Christ lived a life of perfect righteousness – a life we could not live. More than that, he died under the wrath of God for sinners. He took the punishment we deserve for our sins.

So, the Bible says when we look to him in faith. When we acknowledge that we cannot get to God on our own, but trust in the righteous life and atoning death of Christ on our behalf, we are saved from God’s wrath.

God considers Christ’s righteousness our righteousness, and he considers the punishment we deserve fulfilled through the death of Christ. So, Christ has done it all!

But these people were denying that. They didn’t believe Jesus fully accomplished salvation. They taught that believers must still contribute something to their redemption. You must believe in Jesus and follow the law of Moses to be saved.

Although, it is usually not the law of Moses, Christians often tend to do the same thing. It is almost our default setting. We want to add something to the work of Christ. Whether it’s a certain standard of holiness, or giving a certain amount of money, or very often not doing certain things – “we don’t drink, smoke, or chew, or go with girls that do.”

Whatever it is, we have to avoid the deadly temptation to add something to the finished work of Christ. Because once we do we have undermined the gospel itself.

2. The Divine Evidence for Salvation (15:6-18]

The stage has been set with the problem of the Judaizers. A problem that has already caused much grief and confusion.

Now Luke says, “The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter.” And according to Luke there was much debate about the issue. Then in the end, four people stand before the entire group and weigh in on the matter.

2.1. God’s Spirit Came (15:6-11)

Peter stands up and says, you know that God moved dramatically to send me witness to Gentiles. “God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.”

Before Melinda and I started dating, my college roommate once faked an email from another girl that I was interested in. My mouth was hanging open at what the email was saying. I fell for it! But then my friend showed me a way to find a digital seal that indicated the real user id of any email and couldn’t be faked. I wasn’t going to fall for that again!

And here Peter is saying, look – uncircumcised Gentiles received the Holy Spirit. They received the promised blessing of the Messiah without becoming Jews. The Holy Spirit was God’s own seal of possession. Things guys couldn’t fake being saved – God authenticated their professions of faith by giving them the Spirit.

And he goes on and says, “therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? [11] But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”

Peter says, ‘if we as Jews couldn’t even keep the law like we should have, why in the world would we want to burden the Gentiles with it?’

2.2. God’s Power Affirmed (15:12)

Now, Paul and Barnabas stand and begin to explain what they have seen. Specifically, we are told, “all the assembly . . . listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.”

Not only did the Gentiles receive the sign and seal of their salvation through the Holy Spirit being poured out upon them. But God also demonstrated his power through Paul and Barnabas through signs and wonders – affirming his blessing on their efforts.

From their experience, it should have been clear that God was at work. More than that, though, through these miraculous workings, they had essentially received God’s stamp of approval. That they were fulfilling God’s will, and not committing a massive error by failing to tell the Gentiles to keep the law.

2.3. God’s Word Proclaimed (15:13-18]

Finally, James himself speaks. James who was the half-brother of Jesus (born to Mary and Joseph after Jesus was born) had risen to become something of a chief leader in the Church at Jerusalem. James has never left Jerusalem. He’s not been involved with mission work to the Gentiles. He would have been the best hope he Judiazers had someone being sympathetic to their position.

And get begins by referring to Peter by his given Jewish name, Simeon. It’s a beautiful touch. He says, “Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name.” That was it – those listening would have known the whole thing was over.

Why? Because James just took precious language from the Old Testament about Israel – that they were the fruit of God making a people his own name – and applying it to Gentiles. Amos 9 is about the rebuilding of the David dynasty.

“’ I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, [17] that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things”

James says, we know that’s been fulfilled in Christ and here God says when it happens that many Gentiles will turn to God as Gentiles, not proselytes to Judaism. What we see happening as been God’s plan all along – a plan he has revealed through his word.

And so the judgment is this – “Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God,” (Acts 15:19).

This is the end of the matter then – three nails in the coffin of the Judaizer’s error of legalism.

3. The Loving Fellowship of Salvation (15:19-35)

Now, if we’ve been paying attention to the chapter up to this point, and if we have rightly understood what has been taking place, and through Luke, what God wants us to understand, then there is a real chance that we can get really confused when we hit verse 20.

Look at what the texts says, “Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, [20] but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood.”

It looks like James is speaking out of both sides of his mouth – ‘Look, we shouldn’t trouble the Gentiles with the law of Moses, but they should keep some of the laws.’

In order to understand what is going on here, we need to understand what these things are that James asks the Gentiles to abstain from.

First, things polluted by idols. Specifically, he got in mind here, meat that’s been offered to idols in pagan worship. In the first century, there were pagan temples around town than bars in Bay City. And of course, the people that worshipped there would, among other things, offer meat sacrifices.

Now the false god is obviously not eating the meat, so the priests would then take it to the market and sell it cheap. Even though it was just meat, it was offensive to many Jews who wouldn’t touch it.

It’d be like driving out of here and heading down Euclid and seeing a sign for gas at $1 a gallon. You pull in and find out its Mormons, or JW’s or some other false church selling the gas. Some would simply buy the gas and think nothing of it; after all it’s just gas! But others would be worried about buying there because they would feel like they were supporting the false church.

Next, James says they should abstain from sexual immorality. Although this is a catch all phrase, it’s likely that something specific is in mind here. Not what we usually think of in terms of sexual immorality – adultery, homosexuality, etc. It dealt more with the precise regulations concerning marriage among families. It seems to be the case because all of this is what we call adiaphora – second issues or matters of indifference.

Finally, he talks about abstaining from what’s been strangled and from blood. These two are related in that they both speak to how food is prepared. The kosher laws of Israel said that meat had to have the blood drained out of it before eating. So, no rare steaks.

So what’s all this about? James says, “For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.”

So here is what James and the others are saying. They’re saying, look it’s not necessary for Gentiles to convert to Judaism in order to be saved. The pointed to Christ, and now that he has come, the law is no longer binding over the lives of God’s people.

However, there are synagogues all over the Roman Empire. And in those synagogues the law has been preached every sabbath. And even those Jews who are now Christians, though they need keep the law of salvation will likely still live according to it because of their culture. It’s how they’ve been raised.

And as long as they do not think it makes them better than other Gentiles who don’t keep the law, or they think their law-keeping somehow earns favor with God, then it’s no problem. It’s just culture.

But that culture is going to make it difficult for them to have fellowship with Gentiles. Because when the Gentiles show up with their meat that’s been bought as cheap leftover from the pagan temple down the street, or the slab of beef that’s been cooked with the blood in, the Jewish Christians are going to get sick and not be able to sit next to you.

Therefore, you Gentile brothers – though you are free from the law – we are asking you to lovingly give up your freedom so as to maintain a spirit of unity and experience true fellowship with your Jewish Christians brothers and sisters.

And more than an interesting moment from church history, there is an enduring spiritual principle there. As Christians, we should never use our freedom in Christ in such a way that it causes a brother to stumble.

The only time we shouldn’t go along with something is if the issue compromises the gospel itself.

Conclusion

In the end, then, here was the verdict –

Don’t move on the essentials. When it comes to the core doctrines of the Christians faith, when it comes to the gospel – don’t budge.

Be flexible on everything else. Think about whether or not what you do will help create fellowship, or tear it apart.

Mission Unstoppable – A Tale of Three Cities (Acts 14)

A Tale of Three Cities

Acts 14:1-28

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Acts 14:1-28

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.

From this passage we want to see three Marks of faithful Christian life and ministry.

1. Point People to Christ with Humility

Our text begins with Paul and Barnabas following their usual strategy of ministry – beginning with the people of Israel and then moving outward, preaching the word of Christ.

Luke says, “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.”

So what did they do? These Gentiles pagans have their minds poisoned – the truth is twisted – so, Paul and Barnabas, “remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord.”

Their goal is to continually point people to Jesus. To tell people about Christ’s work on the cross. To proclaim to them that it is only by believing in Christ that sinful people can be made right before a holy God. Because Christ lived and died and was raised back to life for sinners.

He lived a perfect life in keeping with God’s law because we can’t. By nature, we are sinful people and will always sin given the chance, and will never be able to live a perfect life. That is also why Jesus died. Because of our sin, we deserve death. We have offended a God who is perfectly holy, and because he is not only holy, but just, he must punish sin – our sin.

But God is also love. And as an act of his love and mercy, he sent Christ to stand in our place, to be our substitute as take upon himself God’s righteous wrath against his people’s sins. But God did not leave Christ dead, but raised him up on the third day.

And now God promises that for any one who would look to Christ in faith. For all who look to Christ and believe that he died for their sins, and will trust him as the King above all kings, and love him as the greatest of all Treasures; when we don’t trust in ourselves, but in Christ’s death to make us right before God, then God will forgive our sins, credit Christ’s righteousness as our own, and one day raise us from the dead just like Jesus so that we can spend eternity with him in heaven.

That’s the message that Paul and Barnabas are proclaiming to these people in Lystra. And Luke says that as they are preaching this message, they see a man who is showing interest. So Paul calls to this man who was crippled from birth, and they heal him.

Luke says, “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!’ Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. 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.”

These were two of the gods these people worshipped. Zeus was of course the father of the Roman gods, and the Hermes (or mercury) the messenger – he’s the one on the FTD florist logo; with the weird hat and winged feet. These are some of the gods that these people worship. And seeing this miracle, they get excited and assume it’s their gods – Zeus and Hermes.

But there is excitement is more of a panic really. That’s because an old poet named Ovid wrote a story about Zeus and Hermes visiting the same town – Lystra – much earlier. And in his story, they went from door to door, but no one invited them in. Finally they came to a cottage where a poor couple took them in, fed them, and gave them a bed for the night, not knowing that they were gods. Because of their kind hospitality, the two gods turned this poor couple’s cottage into a golden-roofed temple, but they destroyed the selfish people who had refused to take them in.

The people of Lystra didn’t want to make the same mistake again! So they ran to the local temple of Zeus, told the priest what had happened, and he quickly brought oxen to sacrifice to these two powerful visitors.

Somewhere along the line, Paul and Barnabas get wind of what was happening and then they get upset – they tear their clothes as a sign of their distress at the Lystrans’ display of blasphemy. More than that though, Luke says, they “rushed out into the crowd, crying out, ‘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. In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. 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.’ [But] even with these words they scarcely restrained the people from offering sacrifice to them.

Because we bear the most precious, most powerful message in the world, it is very tempting to begin thinking we are special. That we are somehow important. There can be a temptation to think that if we are serving God, we should be made much of and given special treatment.

But the example given by Paul and Barnabas is one we should follow. These actually had something to feel special about. God just used them to heal a man. They are part of this first generation of Christian, taking the gospel where it’s never been before. But instead of seeking to put themselves forward, they are quick to out God forward, and exalt him.

Back when I was serving as an intern at a previous church, I remember trying to get a Christian music artist to come. He was very famous at the time. He would only come if the church or venue had a certain number of seats. He wouldn’t play small venues, or be happy with even a sizeable love offering – it had to be ticketed seats.

Likewise from my preaching professor at seminary I learned of a very famous speaker who was invited to come but demanded much more time than was allotted for him to speak in chapel. He was told no, but he came anyway. When he got there, he didn’t respect the time, went way over, made people late for classes.

It’s easy for people who give the appearance of being godly, mature Christians to go about their lives and ministry with great pride in themselves instead of Christ.

Let that not be said of us, though. Instead, let us follow the example of Paul and Barnabas and with humility, never think too highly of ourselves, but always seek to make much of Christ and point people to him.

2. Endure Hardship As You Persevere in the Faith

Again and again as we read Acts, but especially in this passage, one the enduring marks of the Christians’ ministry was a constant persevering in the their faith, even as they endured hardship and suffering.

We see an incredible example of this in our passage. Paul and Barnabas are run out of one town for preaching in one town. And then in the next, they are mistaken for false gods. And so they have to straighten them out. But in doing so, they are pointing out to them that their understanding of the gods is wrong.

And this makes them upset and ready so that when the“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.”

I once heard about a young lady who was attending church and the pastor talked about Paul getting stoned and she began to laugh. She laughed because the only stoning she knew of involved the smoking of illegal and mind-altering drugs. So, in the interest of clarity, let me say that’s not what is going on here!

No, stoning in the biblical sense was a horrible, bloody affair. People would pick up whatever stones or rocks or bit of rumble from building they could find and hurl it at you, hoping to injure and usually kill you. And this is what happens to Paul.

Here are people what just days before were trying to worship him as a god, and now they are attempting to kill him! In fact, they think they did kill him, so they drag him out of the city. After all, who wants a rotting corpse in front of their house?

But he’s not dead. He has surely passed out from the physical abuse – his body has likely just shut down in shock from the pain. Imagine being one of these new Christians – you’ve come to faith through Paul’s ministry – and now you see him, bruised, bloody, near death. You think I wouldn’t blame him at all if he left town, never to return. I wouldn’t blame him if he was angry and had bitter feelings towards those who did this to him.

But what does he do? Luke says, “the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe.”

‘Paul – you’ve nearly just died! God find a safe place to rest and recuperate. Go find some Advil and some clean clothes and don’t worry about things for a while.’

Paul says, ‘I can’t do that. I have to keep going. I have to go back to that city and continue to preach. I have to go to Derbe and tell them about Christ.’ It’s an amazing display of endurance in the face of suffering.

Let me say also that – you know in the situation in which we live, we will likely never face any serious difficulty for faithfulness to the gospel. I doubt any of us will be stoned for speaking of Jesus.

But that doesn’t mean that other sufferings and difficulty that we face – sufferings that are not directly related to our speaking the gospel are not sufferings that can be endured for Christ. I don’t want to make the mistake of thinking, this doesn’t apply to me because my suffering isn’t a direct result of ministry.

Think about Paul for a minute. Elsewhere he says that on five occasions, he was whipped 39 times. So let’s imagine the last beating. The whip is made up of a several strips of leather, some with bits of bone or wood or glass tied into them. After being hit with this thing 39 times, your flesh is like jelly. Skin is torn and gone; muscle is ripped apart.

And when those beating him were through, they didn’t walk him off to the doctor’s office. They just tossed onto the ground, and now you have dirt, maybe even animal dung all into his open wounds. This would have likely brought infection. There are no antibiotics, so infection likely set in. What does infection bring? More pain, oozing of puss, fever.

So where do we draw the line between his suffering because of persecution and physical suffering? We can’t. And I think it’s right to extend that to us as well and see all sufferings that Christians endure in the path of obedience as suffering with Christ and for Christ.

In all suffering – whether it’s suffering in ministry, or life in general – part of the temptation is the same: to be believe that God is not good, or he is not worth serving him. Or that to escape the pain by some sinful means is better than to endure it.

So, what are you going through today? Do you have cancer? Have you lost a loved one? Do you have rebellious children that bring pain to your heart? Do you have marriage problems? Is there some difficulty at work?

When we find ourselves in the midst of suffering, are we going to continue to trust God, to hold on to him? Christ is probably no more glorified than when people who are suffering continue to rejoice in him as the treasure of the lives, and trust him as the Lord of their lives.

The world doesn’t want us to say ‘Jesus makes the world go easy for me.’ Money and doctors can already do that for them. But when neighbors know that the baby inside your womb is growing with organs on the outside of it body, and no spine. And you have to carry this baby to the end. And they watch you and see how you endure through that, the possibilities of bringing glory to Christ are staggering.*

Therefore, like the apostle Paul, like Barnabas, like countless other Christians who have gone on before us, we should endure hardship as we persevere in the faith.

3. Encourage God’s People Alongside You

[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.

Paul goes back along the way he came and he stops in each the same towns in order to encourage the young Christians that are there. He doesn’t just say, ‘okay, they’re saved, I’m moving on.’ No, he takes the time to stop back in build them up in their faith in Christ.

Let me say that this is something most Christians don’t do very well anymore. We like to socialize, but very few Christians actively encourage other Christians in their walk with God. And yet, showing our love and concern for one another is one of the marks of our salvation.

The apostle John would later write to Christians living in Ephesus – “If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. [21] And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother” (1 John 4:20-21).

So, what does Paul do to encourage these Christians? What should we do as we seek to follow his example and encourage one another in our common faith?

First, speak the truth in love. Luke says that Paul told them, “through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” I don’t think I read that in the Purpose Driven Life. We think of encouraging each other with only nice, easy going words. Here, Paul encourages them with the truth – the truth of God’s word. Sometimes the most encouraging thing we can do for someone is help them understand the truth of God’s word, even if isn’t pleasant.

Second, support leadership. Paul identifies those men who were qualified to serve as elders in the church and helped the local churches establish them as leaders. We have two men training to be elders now. When the time comes to install them as leaders of this church, it will be now privilege to be an encouragement to them by supporting their ministry.

Then, Paul prayed with them. Verse 23 says he prayed and fasted with them. This is not the same as praying for them. That’s important too, but here Paul sets the example of praying with other Christians.

When I was in seminary, one of my Korean friends wanted to get together in the mornings for devotions together. After we each shared our outlines of a specific passage and sang a hymn or two, we would pray together – me in English, him in Korean.

And in the middle of a language I couldn’t understand I would begin to hear one knew that I knew well, “John.” And as his prayer would intensify, soaring to heaven, I knew that he was praying for me – my studies, my spiritual health, my integrity, my relationship with my wife and son. And there have been few things in my life as encouraging as that.

Finally, we must share testimonies of God’s work. Paul and Barnabas “declared all that God had done with them.” How better to encourage another Christian’s faith in God by sharing what you’ve seen and experienced God doing in your own life?

Sometimes we think encouraging each other is hanging out together, or joking around, or watching a game together. But if we follow the example of Paul and Barnabas, it’s so much more than that. It’s showing genuine love for one another by spending time with each, helping each other better pursue God.

Conclusion

If we are to follow the biblical example given to us this morning, three things must be a part of our life and ministry as Christians. We must 1) point people to Christ with humility; 2) endure hardship as you persevere in the faith; 3) encourage God’s people alongside you.

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*I am very indebted to John Piper’s comments at the 2008 T4G conference for this point; certain section have been paraphrased directly from his comments.

Mission: Unstoppable – Gospel Ministry, Pt 2 (Acts 13:42-52)

Gospel Ministry (Pt 2)

Acts 13:42-52

Introduction

Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem, [14] but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. [15] After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say it.” [16] So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said:

“Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen. [17] The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. [18] And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness. [19] And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance. [20] All this took about 450 years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. [21] Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. [22] And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ [23] Of this man’s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. [24] Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. [25] And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’

[26] “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. [27] For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. [28] And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. [29] And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. [30] But God raised him from the dead, [31] and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. [32] And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, [33] this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, ” ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you.’

[34] And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way, ” ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’ [35] Therefore he says also in another psalm, ” ‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’

[36] For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, [37] but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. [38] Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything [39] from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. [40] Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about: [41] ” ‘Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish; for I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.’”

[42] As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath. [43] And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.

[44] The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. [45] But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. [46] And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. [47] For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “’I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.”

[48] And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. [49] And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region. [50] But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. [51] But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. [52] And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Paul has proclaimed the gospel of Christ. He has told them how God’s Son took on flesh and lived a life of humility and service to God’s people. A life that culminated in his death on a Roman cross.

Though tragic, his death was not unforeseen or accidental, but part of God’s plan from before the creation of the world itself. It was the reason Christ was born – to offer his life as a sacrifice for the sins of his people.

On that cross, Christ died as a substitutionary sacrifice – he hung there in his people’s place, bearing God’s wrath against their sin. And on the third day, God vindicated his Son by raising him back to life. Jesus did not stay dead but experienced the power of God’s resurrection and now reigns from the right hand of God in heaven as Lord of all creation.

This message resulted in essentially two kinds of reactions. Some rejoiced at hearing the message that through Christ, they could be made right with God and not have to strive to see salvation by their own works. For them the message of the gospel was good news.

Still others rejected the message. It was an offense to them. It was not something to rejoice in, but something to disparage and turn away from.

When we share Christ today, we will see the same kind of responses. And the question is, ‘how we will react?’ Paul and Barnabas provide and example for us in what we should do.

1. Persevere Despite Resistance to the Gospel

Luke says, “The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. [45] But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. [46] And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. [47] For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “’I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.”

[48] And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. [49] And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region. [50] But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. [51] But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. [52] And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.”

You know, as we work through Acts this is something that comes up again and again, and something that then becomes a point of explanation and application again and again. There is a real temptation to kind of shrug it off – ‘yes, yes, we’ve heard it all before.’

But let me encourage you to not simply nod and move on. You shouldn’t do that because it is such a part of the story of the early Church. You know, Luke is an excellent historian and writer, but remember that he is only giving us part of the story here. We are at chapter 13 and it’s already been over 10 years since Christ was risen!

Luke is giving us what is most important so that we can understand what God is doing. Furthermore, what he presents should serve as an example for Christians throughout the years. So it should give us pause when he takes the time to repeat something over and over again. This is something God really wants us to get – it’s something he thinks important enough to repeat over and over again.

And one of the things he repeats is the resistance that is encountered to the gospel. It was resisted by Jews because they felt it was it blasphemy to say that Jesus is Lord. The Romans and Greek resisted it because the Christians claimed that there was only one, true and living God, and that all others gods were false, they weren’t real.

We find ourselves in very much the same situation today. Christians are hated because of the exclusivity of our message. We have the audacity and narrow-mindedness to claim that there is only one way to God – through Christ.

And so we will encounter resistance to the gospel. Sometimes we lose friends. Sometimes we are passed over for promotion at work, or ostracized by co-workers. Some people get mad and yell at us. We could go one, but the point is, if we are faithful to preach the message of Christ, we will encounter resistance.

And there is a danger that when we encounter that kind of resistance enough, we will eventually give up sharing the gospel altogether. We will decide that a peaceful life is more important than sharing the gospel. It’s important that we learn form the example of the apostles who preserved in preaching Christ despite opposition.

There are two responses we need to see – first their boldness. Some of the religious leaders begin to contradict Paul and Barnabas. What do they do? Some of us say, ‘well it must not be the right time’ and shut up. What do they do? Luke says, “And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly.”

When we were in Africa, we gave a talk to some men who were not Christians. They were Muslims but they were also willing to listening. Because we were telling them stores from the Bible, from the parts they accept about Abraham.

And this older man heard about us coming to speak and came as well. He listened to me speak of Abraham’s life leading up to God’s test of offering his son Isaac as a sacrifice. I then transitioned to the offering of God’s own Son, Christ as the sacrifice for us.

Afterward he began to dispute what I had said. But this only invigorated my Christian translator, Mohammed. He answered the man’s words, offering his own criticism of Islam and driving home even more clearly the call to trust in Christ as Savior. The resistance made him bolder in proclaiming Christ.

The same should be true of us. This doesn’t mean that we should yell or rant or get mad. But it does mean that we should not shut our lips simply because someone contradicts what we are saying, or complains about our message. But we should be embolden us to proclaim Christ.

Second, we need to see their faithfulness. In v. 50, we read, “But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. [51] But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium.”

This was frankly an incredible reversal. You see in this day, a pious Jew, on leaving Gentile territory, might remove form his feet and clothes all dust of the pagan land now being left behind. All of this symbolized his dissociating himself from the spiritual pollution of those lands and the judgment in store for them. It was a way of saying, ‘I have nothing to do with them and their pagan ways.’

But now – just as Jesus instructed back in Matthew – these disciple, both Jews by the way, treat their fellow Jews as pagans. Do you see how shocking that is? Here are the people who had the law, they had the promises, they saw – face to face, their God in the face of Christ, their messiah.

And yet, they rejected him. All that God had promised them had come, and they turned away.

And now Paul and Barnabas have come, in effect giving them another – showing them the truth from their scriptures – and they have done it again. This time, driving his messengers from their city.

But this doesn’t crush Paul and Barnabas, this does not lead them to stop preaching Christ. No, they simply shake the dust off their feet and move on.

Again, that’s the example we should imitate. We remain faithful in our calling to proclaim Christ, even in the midst of persecution. And we keeping sharing right up until God closes the door.

Even then, we don’t stop. We don’t allow ourselves to wallow in self-pity or discouragement. Instead, we kick the dust off our feet and move on to the next opportunity to share Christ. Even in resistance to our message, we are to preserve in our calling of proclaiming the gospel.

2. Rejoice when Salvation Comes through the Gospel

[44] The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. [45] But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. [46] And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. [47] For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “’I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.”

[48] And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. [49] And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region.

Paul and Barnabas do not stop preaching Christ with the Jews, but also turn to the Gentiles as well, believing that it was always God’s plan to see them receive salvation. And God confirms his word which they quote, calling many to faith in Christ.

Here’s the payoff – if you work long enough, if you work hard enough; if you keep sharing the gospel as Christ commanded, eventually you get to see the fruit of your labor. You get the joy of seeing people trust Christ to be their savior and experience salvation.

If you’ve been a Christian for while and find your passion and joy waning. If you find yourself not getting very excited about the things of God, then let me suggest you work hard at sharing Christ.

At first, that may sound odd. But the quickest way to have the smoking embers of your faith fan into a roaring flame, is to see someone come to faith for the first time. If, as Jesus says in Luke 15, there is rejoicing in heaven over even one person who turns to faith in Christ, how we not find ourselves rejoicing?

Now, we need to say something about verse 48 because it tends to ruffle feathers. Let me say two things about this. First, take the passage at face value. What does Luke say? “when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.”

He doesn’t say those who believed were then appointed to eternal life. No, he says those whom God appointed to eternal life were the ones who believed the gospel when it was preached by Paul.

That’s what the text says – there’s no getting around it. To try and make it say something other than that is not a right handling of the word of God. That’s what the verse says, but secondly now, what does it mean? What does Luke mean when he says that those whom God appointed to eternal life believed the gospel when they heard it?

It doesn’t mean that God forced them to believe. It’s not as if God put them in some kind of divine wrestling hold and kept squeezing harder and harder until they yelled ‘uncle!’ and believed the gospel.

Furthermore, it doesn’t mean that God actively kept the others from believing. Notice what Luke says in v. 46 – these people willfully rejected Christ; they “thrust it aside.” And then that fearful statement – [they] judged themselves unworthy of eternal life.

You judge yourself. It’s like the man who went to the Louvre in Paris, France. And as he stood in front of the Mosa Lisa he said, ‘that’s lousy art.’ And the museum worker calmly replies, ‘Sir, it’s the not the art that’s being judged, it’s you.’ In other words, centuries of people have deemed this work to be a classic, if you can’t see that you’ve pronounced sentence upon yourself – you don’t know good art when you see it.

Paul is saying that by rejecting Christ – by being presented with the truth of his being and his work on the cross for salvation – you judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life. That’s what John says in his gospel, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God” (3:17-18)..

Listen, the Bible teaches human responsibility. You will never find a passage in the Bible that says God sends people to hell. They send themselves to hell by rejecting Christ.

‘But wait a minute,’ you might say, ‘didn’t we just see that God appointed people to salvation?’ Yes, the Bible teaches that as well – it’s called election. God chooses, or elects to salvation all those who will be saved.

Some say, ‘how could you believe that?’ How could I believe anything else? That’s the Bible says; that’s what our text says – “as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.” The word appointed has the sense of writing down or inscribing something.

The Bible says those that are saved have their names written down in the book of life, when? Rev 13:8 says, “before the foundation of the world.” Thus Jesus can say in John 15, ‘You did not choose me, but I chose you.’

Paul will later say in his letter to the Ephesians, ‘[God] chose us in [Christ] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love [5] he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,’

This then is what the Bible teaches – if we reject Christ, we are responsible and justly condemned for our sins. If we choose to receive Christ, it is only because God has first chosen us – our salvation is a gift of his grace, for which we can take no credit.

How do those two truths come together? I don’t know. There is an element of mystery here. Nevertheless, this is what the Bible teaches so this is what we should believe.

Furthermore, this should motivate and encourage us to actually share Christ, knowing that he has already determined to save people through our sharing of the gospel. If you know we will succeed in our calling, how can we not be excited to obey our calling?

In the end, this is what happened in Antioch. And according to Luke, it was a glorious day!

Conclusion

Mission Unstoppable – Gospel Ministry, Pt 1 (Acts 13:13-41)

Gospel Ministry (Part 1)

Acts 13:13-41

Introduction

As Christians we are called to be involved in gospel ministry. By that I simply mean that we would be involved in actually sharing the gospel – the good news of Jesus Christ – with our lost family and friends.

And we are often presented with many opportunities to engage people with the gospel. Sometimes we take them but often we don’t. As we continue in our series in Acts we’ve come to Paul’s first sermon.

From Paul’s speaking and his handling of the responses he gets to his message, we have for ourselves an example of gospel ministry. An example of how we should speak about Christ.

Next week, we’ll look at how to handle the various responses from the second part of the passage. Today, we want to see an example of how we should speak about Christ. What does it mean to tell people about what Christians believe? What Christianity is all about? What does that kind of a talk look like?

Most of us will never get the same opportunity Paul had to speak in such a public place. But his example should serve us in whatever venue we find ourselves being able to share about Christ. Whether it’s a public talk, or a small group, or a one-on-one conversation over coffee.

Some of you may be here this morning and not know what Christianity is all about. For you, Paul’s message will present the very heart of what Christians believe. It will be an opportunity for you to understand who Jesus really is and what he means for your life today.

Acts 13:13-52

Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem, [14] but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. [15] After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say it.” [16] So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said:

“Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen. [17] The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. [18] And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness. [19] And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance. [20] All this took about 450 years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. [21] Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. [22] And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ [23] Of this man’s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. [24] Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. [25] And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’

[26] “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. [27] For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. [28] And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. [29] And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. [30] But God raised him from the dead, [31] and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. [32] And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, [33] this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, ” ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you.’

[34] And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way, ” ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’ [35] Therefore he says also in another psalm, “’You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’ [36] For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, [37] but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. [38] Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything [39] from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. [40] Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about: [41] ” ‘Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish; for I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.’ “

[42] As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath. [43] And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.

[44] The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. [45] But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. [46] And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. [47] For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, ” ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’ “

[48] And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. [49] And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region. [50] But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. [51] But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. [52] And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Paul and Barnabas have just seen the salvation of the government official Sergius Paulus in Cyprus. Now they are moving on to another location. At first, there is some problem – and were not sure what it is – but it results in John Mark leaving them and going back home.

Nevertheless, Paul and Barnabas and continue on in their work and go first to a synagogue. There – probably because of the way he was dressed – Paul is recognized as a Rabbi. And as was customary, he was invited to speak.

Paul of course took this God-given opportunity to tell his fellow Hebrews about Jesus Christ as the messiah they were longing for.

Three things emerge for us from this passage – three essentials to any presentation we give about the gospel.

1. The History of God’s Grace Leads to Christ (13:13-25)

Paul begins his message with the very foundation of the nation of Israel. He says, “The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it” (13:17).

In some ways, the nation of Israel was like any other nation in its day. There was nothing particularly special them, nothing that would make them desirable above any other people. Nevertheless, Paul reminds them what the Bible says over and over again – in his grace, God chose Israel to be his people. And he provides for them a special land in which to dwell and live as his people.

Paul begins in the same place the Bible does – God taking the initiative in provide grace and salvation to an undeserving people. If we know God, it’s because he took the initiative. You know, when you read Exodus, it’s clear that Israel isn’t going after God, they just want out of Egypt. And yet God goes after them and calls them to be his people, showing them mercy, rescuing them from Pharaoh.

Over time, God continued to bless his people, giving them the land he promised – And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness. And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance (13:18-19).

Paul goes on, over and over again, reminding of them of the grace of God towards the nation of Israel. Despite their sinfulness and rebellion for forty years, God gives them the promised land. Despite their turning away from God as King, doing what is right their own eyes, God gave them the prophet Samuel and a king who loved God, David.

All the while, Paul is giving what is essentially an overview of the Old Testament. This is the kind of stuff they would have learned in Sabbath-school.

Imagine a school class on US history; imagine all the important events – our declaration of independence from Great Britain; the inauguration of the first president; our civil war; the Louisiana purchase; WW1; WW2; the Civil Rights movement; and on and on.

Now, imagine yourself sitting in the synagogue at Pisidian Antioch. You are a good, faithful Jew who knows the Scriptures well. And you’ve been listening closely to Paul’s message – nodding, along most of it.

He begins with what you’re familiar with: Exodus, yes; the conquest of Israel, yes; the Judges, yes; the Kings, yes; Jesus? What’s He doing in this great message on the history of God’s dealings with His people?

It doesn’t quite fit. Yet Paul says that, far from not fitting, this is the climactic event, this is the event to which all the others are pointing. All the prophets point to Him, including the last great prophet, John the Baptist, who says ‘Look, coming after me there’s coming one whose sandals I’m not even worthy to do up.’

Paul says ‘I know its shocking, but this is what our own Scriptures lead us to believe about Jesus.’ Moses said, God is going to send another prophet like myself. David was promised a son whose kingdom would last forever. The prophet Isaiah saw a servant who would suffer for the sins of the nation.

This wasn’t some new religion, this was God’s plan from the beginning – that Jesus Christ would come as the promised Messiah. That all God was doing before – all of his poured out grace and mercy – was leading up to the coming of Christ.

2. God’s Plan for Salvation is Fulfilled in Christ (13:26-37)

Paul says the totality of Christ’s life can be summed up in just two events – his death and resurrection.

In some ways, it’s amazing that Paul even mentions the crucifixion. It was scandal to the Jewish mind. Notice what he says – “And though they found in Christ no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb” (13:28-29).

Paul’s not doing much in human eyes to validate Jesus in the eyes of these Jews. After all, if those in Jerusalem – the cultural and religious capital for the Jewish people – rejected Jesus, and put him to death, why should they accept him?

More than that, Jesus very means of death – being hung on a wooden cross – made him cursed by the Mosaic Law. It was something that should have caused people to look away in disgust and revulsion. Yet, Paul knows these are the very things that point to Jesus’ significance.

God’s Law says, “cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree” (Deut 21:23). In his death Jesus became cursed – but not for anything he did. Remember that God issued a curse upon all of creation because of Adam’s sin. Everyone is born into this world as a sinner, living under that curse as well.

But, Jesus was born without a sin nature. And more than that, he never sinned. As this perfect man – God in the flesh – he then offered up his own life as a sacrifice for sin. He willingly placed himself under God’s curse against sin.

This is why Paul will later write in one of his letters to the church, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’—“ (Gal 3:13). Jesus bore upon himself God’s wrath against the sins of his people. He died as the perfect sacrificial offering for their sins.

But Jesus didn’t stay dead. Paul says just as was prophesied through David, “God raised [Christ] from the dead, and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people” (13:30-31).

Death could not hold Christ. And in raising him back from the dead, God vindicated him. He showed that every word Jesus said was true. That he really was the Messiah. And you can’t dispute this, Paul says. Go on, ask around, and you will find dozens, even hundreds of people who saw him and talked to him after he was raised back to life. You can find out for yourselves that what I am saying is true.

Christ died and was raised up again in fulfillment of the Scriptures that God gave us. The very Scriptures you read every Sabbath.

One of my favorite authors is C. S. Forester. He wrote the classic novel The African Queen. And he also wrote a series of adventure novels about a British naval officer named Horatio Hornblower who was a haunted but brilliant officer with daring and talent.

One admiral recognized his talent and his tendency to neglect himself. So, shortly after Hornblower takes his fist command as Captain, the admiral sends him his own steward, Mr. Doughty. Doughty assisted Hornblower in every way: protocol, cooking, proper garb for the weather on deck, paper and pen for reports.

But one day while Hornblower was off the ship consulting with several captains, a hot-headed, rude petty officer gave Doughty a ridiculous order to follow. Doughty objected. The petty officer got mad and struck him. Doughty – long a servant of gentleman and unaccustomed to this – struck back. But in the British navy at the time, that was mutiny. And the penalty for mutiny is death.

Captain Hornblower returns and learns of what happens and immediately begins thinking of how to save Doughty’s life and gets an idea. His new cook is terrible and while he is hosting an Engllish ambassador for dinner, he blows up at his new cook and says he will have to let Doughty out for a while to fix a proper meal.

As Doughty works in the kitchen, Hornblower comes in and the two are alone. Hornblower simply asks him one question – “Doughty, can you swim?” Doughty replies, “Yes sir, thank you sir.” Hornblower leaves the room and a moment later, there is little splash as Doughty goes out the window and begins swimming was away.

Hornblower who saved Doughty’s life by giving him a chance to save himself, but Doughty had to perform the main action. He had to dive overboard, swim to safety, and survive in a foreign land. And in this story, many see a picture of salvation. Some deity or some authority – a judge, a doctor – gives someone a chance to save themselves. But ultimately, people must save themselves.

The problem is that’s not how the Bible presents salvation. God doesn’t give people a chance to escape death and redeem ourselves. Instead, he does everything necessary for salvation!

Paul says, we can’t save ourselves – even by following the law God gave us. So, God gave us Christ. Even when we were sinners, living for ourselves, the way we wanted to, and were destined for hell. Christ came and stood in our place and died for our sins.

This is what the death of and resurrection of Christ mean for us. And when we trust in him and his sacrifice, and not ourselves, then God forgives us and pours out his grace on us, giving us salvation. That is the message we proclaim.

3. Life or Death Comes in Our Response to Christ

Paul is not a laid back speaker. There is an urgency to his message. He is not content to simply enter into a religious dialogue; to present one more view of things. No, he says, here is the truth about Jesus and now you must do something with it.

That is why in v. 38, Paul says, ‘therefore’ – he is making the turn from teaching to application. Here is what this means for your life. Here is what you must do with what you’ve heard. Paul says, there are only two ways to live. There are only two things you can do with this – accept it or reject it.

Paul says, “Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses” (13:38-39).

What does it mean to be freed from the law of Moses? He’s saying that you are not made right with God by obedience to the law. Keeping the law was an expression of one’s love for God; you want to keep because you’ve been made right with God.

But keeping the law cannot save you. You can only be saved – only be made right with God – by believing in Jesus Christ. Paul says that it only through him that forgiveness of sins can come. And Paul is saying that this salvation comes to everyone who believes. It is a universal appeal – it’s for Jews, Romans, Greeks, Koreans, Americans – name it.

And then Paul also warns the people he’s talking to. He quotes from the Old Testament – from a prophecy in Habakkuk – and warns them not to be scoffers. He says, do not ridicule Christ and what he did on the cross, or else you will perish. You cannot save yourself. There is no other way to heaven. There are only two ways to live – accept Christ and live, or reject him and perish.

The central problem behind all religion is the problem of sin or evil. We’re not the people we should be. There’s nothing that’s naturally good in us, far from it. We turn away from what we know to be right, we turn away from God.

And so the problem of all religion is: ‘How can sinful people be right with a holy God? Or for some eastern religions, how can sinful people be at harmony with the universe?’ It doesn’t matter if the religion has the same concept of God not, in the end, because the problem is the same – people are wicked. And if you look at all the religions of the world you’ll find some attempt to bridge that gap and to deal with sin.

Every twelve years there’s a religious festival in the holy city of Allahabad near the Ganges river in India. Lines of people stretch for miles. A few year ago, over four million people attended the festival. And this sea of humanity is lined up waiting to bath in the Ganges. Why? Because they believe that the freezing water from the Himalayas will wash away their sins.

But, of course, water can only bring about outward cleansing. It can take the dirt off your body, but it cannot take the wickedness out of your heart. Paul knows that, the rest of the Bible teaches that and here as throughout its pages, the only solution to our sinful hearts is given – trust in Jesus, our substitute.

Jesus alone can offer forgiveness because he alone has dealt with sin though his death and resurrection. In his death, he suffered God’s wrath against humanity’s sin. And in rising again, he reigns are lord of all things, offering forgiveness to all who trust in him. In Christ alone can we be freed from all our efforts at being good enough for God.

This morning, just as those people who heard Paul had a decision to make, so do we. We must choose, live with Christ. Or everlasting death and judgment apart from him. That’s our only two options.

Conclusion

This is Paul’s message. This is the gospel of Jesus Christ. It’s about His life and His death and His resurrection. The gospel is not ‘Let me tell you what I’ve experienced.’ That’s not the gospel. The gospel is not ‘God changed my life.’ That’s not the gospel.

Getting married to Melinda changed my life. Having kids changed by life. The internet and cell phones have changed my life. But it’s not the gospel.

All kinds of things can change people’s lives and turn them upside down for a season, but that’s not the gospel. The gospel – the good news – is the message of God who exists in holy glory taking the initiative to save a sinful people who deserve judgment. It’s about the salvation that comes by believing that Jesus died for you on the cross, and was raised back to life so that you could be right with God.

As Christians, that’s should be the message that drives our life and fuel our worship. That’s the message that should be on our lips, that’s the message we should be taking to the world. For that’s the message that bring salvation.

Mission: Unstoppable – The First Christian Missionaries (Acts 13:1-12)

The First Christian Missionaries

Acts 13:1-12

Introduction

In the very first chapter of Acts, just before Jesus ascends to the Father in heaven he tells his disciples, “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.”

That’s basically the outline for the book of Acts. It’s a summary of God’s plan to take the gospel from the disciples and the Jewish nation to the very ends of the earth. And as we’ve been studying this book, we have seen this plan being gradually fulfilled.

The gospel has gone out from Jerusalem to Judea, and then to Samaria. That first step out of Judaism came in Acts chapter eight and then gradually we’ve seen the beginnings of the gospel going to the ends of the earth. We saw the Ethiopian eunuch converted. We saw Saul, that persecuting Pharisee, converted and commissioned to be the apostle to the Gentiles.

We saw Cornelius converted and then in chapter eleven we saw the gospel reach Antioch and some Greeks were converted to Christ and were their faith was so obvious that it was there they were first called Christians.

And now this morning as we look at chapter 13, we’ll see the next major step forward. You see, up to now, the gospel has only really been on the Palestinian mainland, the Syrian coast. It’s not really penetrated anywhere else. We can hardly say the gospel is going to the ends of the earth.

But Acts 13 marks the beginning of the Church’s first great missionary journey. And the gospel now penetrates Europe and the ends of the earth are beginning to be reached. And all of this is done as God empowers his people with his Spirit as they proclaim the life-giving message of the gospel.

The gospel is the good news of how Jesus brings salvation to sinners. . . .

This morning we want to see how that message crosses and ocean and begins transforming lives and growing God’s church.

Acts 12:25-13:12

And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had completed their service, bringing with them John, whose other name was Mark.

[13:1] Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a member of the court of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. [2] While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” [3] Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

[4] So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. [5] When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them. [6] When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. [7] He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. [8] But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. [9] But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him [10] and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? [11] And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. [12] Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

1. Seek God’s Will through Prayer and Fasting

Barnabas and Saul have spent a year in Antioch preaching and teaching, seeing the church grow and discipling them into mature Christians. And if you remember, these young Christians heard a prophecy about a famine that was going to take place and they collected money to care for their brothers and sisters in Jerusalem.

Now Luke tells that Barnabas and Saul have come back from taking that collection to Jerusalem and are again in Antioch, ministering to the Christians there. And at this time there is a kind of a question in their minds – where do we go from here?

They know the gospel must be shared. It’s not like the crown jewels that you stick in a case somewhere on display. It is a message that must be proclaimed. They know that the church must expand, but how? Where? What direction should they take? Luke tells us that they sought God’s direction for these answers.

He says that, “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.”

God’s direction came while these Christians were actively engaged in prayer and fasting seeking God. Pastor John Piper explains, “They were hungry enough for God’s leading that they wanted to say it with the hunger of their bodies and not just the hunger of their hearts.”

And God answered them. We’re not exactly sure how, but Luke does tell us that there were prophets in the church. And it’s natural to assume that God spoke through one of them to the entirety of the gathered church.

Regardless, of how he did it, we know that he did telling the church – ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’

I think as we consider this, it’s important that we see in this example an corrective of two errors we often fall into as a church trying to set a direction for future.

First, we see the correction against individualism. One of the great things of our country is its constitutional guarantee of certain rights. But those benefits can create a twisted view of life that results in a rugged individualism that shuns any sense of community. And that often creeps into the church as well.

How many times have you heard someone say, ‘God told me to do this’? So many times you hear people claim personal guidance but it’s never with any thought to the community of the church. And you can have other Christians say, ‘You know I think you might be wrong about this’ but the person just doesn’t listen.

Sometimes, you can even go with a couple other people and show them where the Bible says they shouldn’t be doing what they say they are hearing God tell them to do. And they won’t listen because they have this idea that they are above such criticism.

And notice here – God doesn’t give his direction to just Barnabas and Saul. He reveals his will to the entirety of the church. It is the church as whole who seeks God’s face and church as a whole who sends them out as missionaries.

The other corrective we see involves institutionalism. Vaughn Roberts says, “If individualism is the individual making their decision, sensing the Lord’s will without reference to anyone else, institutionalism is the church making decisions without reference to God, without reference to the Spirit.”

Notice, the church didn’t form just a committee of some kind. They didn’t just pull out some statistics and do a study and then take a vote. Don’t get me wrong – God expects us to engage our brains, look to his Word and try to think rationally about our situation.

But we shouldn’t ever assume that we can figure it out by ourselves – we need God’s wisdom. We need him to fill us with his Spirit and give us the wisdom we need to see the direction he would have us to go. And God calls us to do that through prayer and fasting, together a church; a community of God’s people.

2. Support God’s Mission with a Spirit of Sacrifice

In order to feel the weight and impact of what’s going on here, you need to put yourself in the place of the Christians at Antioch.

The proclamation of the gospel has produced disciples of Christ. And the leaders of the church in Jerusalem sent Barnabas to encourage you. And he did – he was an incredible model of godliness, encouraging you in your walk with God and faithfulness to seek Christ and share the good news of the salvation he brings to sinners.

As a result, the gospel began spreading like a wildfire. The church was just exploding with new converts. And so Barnabas leaves for a week or two to find this guy named Saul. You didn’t know much about him except that he used to persecute Christians and now he is one.

And he comes knowing more about God and Christ than you could have imagined. He came with books and scrolls and has begun explaining the fullness of God’s word to you and you have been soaking it up. You’ve found yourself loving God more than ever, turning away from your old life of sin, and finding unbelievable joy in Christ.

You love Barnabas and Paul for their constant faithfulness to God and there willingness to remain with you and encourage you and teach you. It’s from their ministry that you are convinced that the gospel needs to be taken on to the ends of the earth.

And then, as you are praying and fasting for God to give you direction it comes and it’s, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

Can you imagine the intense mixture of joy at having the Lord give you direction and sorrow at knowing God is directing you to send away the very people you love the most. These two have been the midwife and godparents that have helped bring this infant church in Antioch into the world and helped nurture it to maturity.

What do they do? Luke says, “Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.” The Christians at Antioch gave away their very best for the sake of the gospel and the work of missions.

It reminds me of the church of Geneva in Calvin’s day. John Calvin was one of the great gifts God has given to his church over the years. He was one of the best combinations of devout Christians, brilliant theologian, caring pastor, and committed evangelist the Church has ever seen. And he was one of the leaders of the Reformation in the mid-1500’s.

Calvin was French when it was illegal to be anything but Catholic. So he was pastoring a church in Geneva. And while he was there people from all over Europe – protestant refugees – were coming to Geneva. Nevertheless, some stayed in France.

And from the archives of Geneva, we know that Calvin began corresponding with the pastors of these illegal churches. In 1555, there was reputed to have been only five underground churches in France. But in four years, by 1559, there were over 100 underground churches in France. In seven years, in 1562, there are over 2,150 underground churches in France. In seven years!

What was happening? As people came to Geneva, they were gripped by Calvin’s preaching. They were moved by his presentation of the glory of Christ and were compelled to go back and serve Christ in their homeland.

How easy it would have been for them to stay in Geneva where it was safe to be protestant! But they forsook such ease. Instead they gave their best – their all – for the sake of the gospel.

How easy it is for us to want to give God our leftovers! But example that’s we see in these young Christians in Antioch, the example God himself has preserved for us in his word, is of those who willingly give their best to God. They give sacrificially to support God’s mission to the world.

What would it look like for us to live that way? What would it mean for our checkbooks? What it would mean for how we spend our evenings? What would it mean for how we relate to our co-workers and family?

It would mean that in all these things, we would be thinking of gospel first. And making sacrifices to ensure that that saving message – the only message by which people can be made right with God – could go forward powerfully. It would mean that we would willingly give up non-essentials and preferences for the sake of others hearing of Christ.

3. Proclaim God’s Gospel in the Strength He Provides

After seeking the Lord’s direction and sacrificially supporting his mission to take the gospel to the ends of the earth, we now see these two men – Saul and Barnabas fulfilling God’s will by God’s strength.

Barnabas and Saul go to Cyprus where Barnabas grew up. And begin preaching the gospel to the Jewish people. In the process, they either take with them or pick up this young guy, John Mark who assists them. Incidentally, this is the same Mark who wrote the gospel of Mark.

And as they are preaching, a proconsul – a government leader named Sergius Paulus – hear about their preaching. And Luke says he summons Barnabas and Saul to hear what they have to say. But there is another man there – a man named Bar-Jesus who was in fact a false prophet. This man opposes the preaching of the word of God.

This man – Bar-Jesus – was clearly Jewish, his name is Jewish, but he is not orthodox in faith or practice. He is the court magician, a court wizard, and when his boss, Sergius Paulus, sends for Barnabas and Saul because he is an intelligent man and he wants to hear the word of God, Bar-Jesus did all he could to oppose and stop Sergius Paulus coming to faith.

We are not told why he is so appalled by the prospect of his boss becoming a Christian. We can guess it was a mixture of worldly and spiritual reasons. The worldly reasons are fairly obvious — his job is on the line. If his boss gets converted to Christianity what need will he have of a court magician?

But there were probably spiritual reasons behind his opposition as well. The world is always hostile to Christ and his message. We’ve seen that in Acts already and see it throughout all of the history of the church.

The church has always been opposed as it proclaims the word of God and behind that opposition is a deadly enemy — Satan, mostly unseen. Satan himself is always unseen, but his activity is mostly unseen so we don’t immediately say ‘oh, there’s Satan doing it.’

Sometimes, especially in third world countries, and on the mission field, or if we engage people whose lives are wrapped up in the occult, we will see dramatic encounters.

But usually more common for us to see Satan oppose the gospel in less dramatic ways. It could be a principle who won’t allow an after-school Christian group to meet in her school. Or perhaps like in Seattle where there is a city ordinance that basic forbids building large churches.

It could be a boss who just causes all sorts of obstacles to the Christian message. Steve Roslund was just telling me last week how in the last few weeks his boss has began increasingly rude and hostile towards him for no apparent reason.

And the truth is if we find in our own individual lives or in our church’s life, opposition to the gospel – and we will, especially as we move forward with the word of God – Satan hates that.

But Luke be encouraged by what Luke says, “But Saul, who was also called Paul [Saul was his given Jewish name, Paul his taken Gentile name as a Romans citizen – Paul], filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him [10] and said, ‘You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? [11] And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.’ Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand.”

No matter how hard Satan or the world may rage against the church and the progress of the gospel, they cannot stop it. Paul says, God is laying a straight path for the gospel from Antioch to Cyprus – from Christians across the ocean directly to Sergius. God is calling Sergius to have faith in him and he will let nothing stop that from happening.

You can imagine the electricity in the air as this man begins trying to wave away something that appears to be in his face, obstructing his vision – some waft of mist or something. Then he begins to rub his eyes to focus his eyes. And suddenly, he has his arms our groping around in horrified realization that he’s blind!

What’s even more amazing though is what we read next. Luke says, “Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.” Did you see it?

I would expect Luke to say something like, he was astonished at the power of God, at the miracle of God, at the power at work in Paul and believed. But that’s not what Luke says is it? He says very clearly that Sergius is astonished at the teaching of the Lord. What astonished him most is the message itself – the truth of the gospel.

One pastor explains, “the Spirit does not draw attention to Himself. The Spirit doesn’t draw attention to His work. He’s not operating a kind of side-show, with the word of God and the Lord Jesus and salvation over here, and then the Spirit doing His own thing over there. The Spirit’s great task is, as it where, as a matchmaker, drawing people to the Lord Jesus through His word.

Elymas was a great obstacle; he prevented Sergius Paulus from hearing that word. He was constantly speaking in his ear and saying, ‘You don’t want to believe that nonsense’, and so Elymas, by the Spirit, is put on one side, by this dramatic miracle. So once the obstacle is removed, Sergius Paulus is now free to hear the word of God.

No doubt he has been very struck and impressed by this God and what He has done and therefore he was even more attentive to the word of God, and it was the word of God that amazed him and he was converted and believed.

How do we minister in the Spirit, with his power? Simply this – proclaim his word. If we are simply faithful to proclaim Jesus, the Spirit will take care of the rest. He will remove obstacles and impart faith to sinners so that they might trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation from their sins.

Conclusion