STUDY THEME: TELLING THE LOST ABOUT JESUS. 11-18-01

“OBEDIENCE TO GOD’S CALL.” ACTS 13: TO 14:27

ACTS 13:1-3, 4-6a, 13-16, 47-48; 14:26-27.

PLEASE OPEN YOUR BIBLE TO ACTS 13.

The first two lessons of this unit on “TELLING THE LOST ABOUT JESUS”, have centered our attention on mass evangelism and personal evangelism. The lesson today is a study of the first missionary journey of the Apostle Paul. This is an extremely important message for all Christians because this is the earliest record we have of a seriously organized attempt to reach out and share the gospel with the entire world. When the Holy Spirit called and commissioned Paul and Barnabas to go out on this journey, a new era began in the history of the Christian faith. As mentioned earlier, it is the first known organized attempt to move out into the Roman Empire. Both Jews and Gentiles would be the objects of this missionary activity.

The suggested “Biblical Truth” for the lesson is that God sets apart some believers to go across geographic and cultural boundaries to tell the lost about Jesus. The suggested “Life Impact” for this lesson is to help us to be obedient to whatever God shows us to do to tell the peoples of the world the good news about Jesus.

In the secular worldview, people care for themselves, people who are closest to them, and people who are like them. Sometimes they view people from different cultures with suspicion, indifference, and disdain. Some secular-oriented people are concerned to help people who are different, but they do not believe that the good news of Jesus is what these people need.

In the biblical worldview, God is not partial to any group but loves all people and wants them to hear the good news and be saved. He calls Christians to cross barriers to share the good news with other people, regardless of cultural differences. Some Christians struggle with showing genuine love for people who are different. Often this is based on stereotyped attitudes toward various ethnic identities and people groups. Some believers have a provincial attitude that does not see beyond a limited horizon, even ignoring people within that horizon if they are different.

Many people criticize missionaries for trying to impose another culture and religion on people with their own culture and religion. They assume that one religion is as good as another, and no religion may be even better. During the days of the Roman Empire, a saying arose: “All roads lead to Rome.” In our days some people believe that “all religions lead to heaven.” Yet Jesus said “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.”

Today God calls all believers to tell the good news: and He calls some to go as missionaries to other lands. Dedicated Christians believe strongly in world missions. They pray for missionaries, give to support missionary work, and pray for the Lord to send forth workers into field “white already to harvest. Some Christians feel that God is calling them to go as missionaries---either as career missionaries or in short-term missionary work. I saw the tremendous aid the “journey-men” gave to the mission endeavor when we visited our daughter in Kenya.

In Acts 13 Luke shifted the scene from Jerusalem to Antioch in Syria and from the ministry of Peter to the ministry of Paul.

1. PLEASE READ ACTS 13: 1-3

This paragraph is a brief one, but of great importance. It may be spoken of as he watershed of the Book of Acts. We now enter upon a study of that wonderful movement, of which Paul was the central figure. In this story without any announcement or reason given, Saul’s name is changed to his Greek name Paul.

These three verses give the accounting of the beginning of the great missionary movement. In the first sentence there is the recognition of matters already considered in the previous verses: “Now there were at Antioch, in the Church.” The twelfth chapter took us back to Jerusalem, and we saw it pass out of the record of the history of the Christian Church. It is only seen once more in the course of this book, when the council was held at which the Gentiles were set free from all obligations to Judaism. In that chapter moreover, we saw the last national Jewish hostility to Christianity, centralized in Herod. In the story of the movement of the Church of God, according to her Lord’s will, toward the uttermost part of the earth, chapter twelve is an interpolation, necessary for the understanding of the whole story.

In Ch. 13 the story now resumed, takes up again to Antioch, to which we were introduced in Ch. 11. First of all we saw the initiation of the movement. After the death of Steven the believers were dispersed form Jerusalem, except the apostles. Men of Cyprus; and Cyrene came to Antioch and preached to the Greeks, turning aside from the ordinary custom of preaching only to the Jews. The Church in Jerusalem sent Barnabas to see what was going on. He was glad, and charged them to remain steadfast to the Lord. Then followed the story of its consolidation, as Barnabas sought Saul of Tarsus and brought him to Antioch, that he might share with him in the work of teaching and instructing these people.

Saul had evidently returned to his home in Tarsus after his experiences in Damascus, Arabia and Jerusalem. He was no longer a persecutor of the believers but rather was a believer awaiting direction.

The last verse of Ch. 12 reads thus, “And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their ministration, taking with them John whose surname was Mark. Paul and Barnabas had been to Jerusalem, carrying the gifts of the Antioch Church for the relief of the saints suffering in Jerusalem due to the famine in Judea. Thence they returned bringing Mark with them, From this point Antioch was the new base, the new center of the Divine operations. From it, the messengers were sent forth; to it they returned. In considering the missionary journeys of Paul, we shall see that in each case he started from Antioch, and reported there.

To this Church in Antioch, the Spirit made know His will: and in responsive cooperation this Church set free Barnabas and Saul, the messengers who were to begin that great missionary work throughout all the district.

There are three lines of consideration which demand our attention here. First, that which is central is the paragraph, the declared activity of the Spirit of God: “The Holy Spirit said, Separate Me Barnabas and Saul for the work where unto I have called them.” Secondly, the preliminary conditions that made possible this activity of the Spirit. These are revealed in the first phrase, “The Church in Antioch”; and the following description of the prophets and teachers ministering to the Lord, and fasting. Thirdly and finally, the resulting cooperation of the Church with the Spirit: “Then, when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.”

The Holy Spirit made known His will to these people, so that they had neither doubt nor uncertainty in their minds. There is a sense in which it would be perfectly accurate to say that the Church had no voice in the selection of these men. The choice was not left to the Church. The Spirit said “Separate Me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. They were called to be missionaries. Their missionary call is a specific role given to some to share Christ with the unreached peoples of the world.

The Holy Spirit called the Church into definite Activity with Himself. He called the Church to separate these men. That is, give them freedom and give them authority. The activity of the Church was to be that of submission to the Holy Spirit, not an independent activity.

We might ask, “What were the conditions under which it was possible for the Spirit of God to make His great and gracious and perfect will known? In the first verse three matters are revealed. The FIRST thing is the church. “There were at Antioch, in the Church.” The SECOND thing is that of the gifts resident in the Church, “Prophets and teachers.” The THIRD is that of the activity of the Church: “They ministered to the Lord, and fasted.”

How was the Christian Church in Antioch constituted? Certain men of Cyprus and Cyrene had preached in Antioch to these Greek men the Gospel of the Lord Christ; and these men hearing the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ had believed, and had been baptized by the Holly Ghost. That company of men and women, in living union with the living Christ by the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, constituted the Church. The activity of the Church is declared in the words, “They ministered to the Lord, and fasted.”

The Church in Antioch had not lost the art of worship. The out come of worship is always readiness to obey the Sprit when He sends us forth to work. The Church is an institution for worship; it’s members minister to the Lord, and then they are sent forth to be of service. The Holy Spirit made know His will to the assembly, probably through one spokesman, whose word produced an agreement.

When the Spirit had spoken, the work was done decently and in order. They fasted and prayed, this time for the men who were to be separated; “and they laid their hands on them.” That service was probably a commissioning service rather than an ordination service. Who laid hands on them? Probably the entire membership of the church. In this great Church every believer stands on equality with every other believer.

Then they let them go; that is they released them by caring for all other obligations, by taking responsibility for all that they would need. The Church didn’t think up the idea of Global Missions. God called the missionaries and called the Church to release them to go.

The final words in these verses is for the individual. No man can go unless the Spirit call him. Men cannot make a minister; not even the Church. He must be called of the Sprit. Unless he hears that call sounding in his soul, let him stay where he is, in his present calling. But if he hears the call, then let him remember that it is his business to go forward within the fellowship and under the guidance of the Church.

2. PLEASE READ ACTS 13: 4-6a

Following the commission service at Antioch, the two of them (Barnabas and Saul) followed the leadership of the Holy Spirit and began what we usually call the first missionary journey. Since the Holy Spirit was the one who called them Vs. 4 says He was the One who sent them out. As we follow Barnabas and Paul from Antioch in Syria we will note that Luke’s method is that of selection. Only occasional incidents are recorded and few details are given.

They traveled from Antioch to SELEUCIA from which they sailed to Cyprus, an island about 60 miles southwest of Seleucia. Seleucia was the port of Antioch, located on the Mediterranean Sea about 16 miles from Antioch. The city was a flourishing commercial city and the seat of government of Eastern Cyprus.

Arriving in Salamis, a seacoast town on the eastern shores of Cyprus, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. The third member of the missionary team was John Mark, Barnabas’ kinsman. Mark, as we know him better, was from Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Mary, and the Church in Jerusalem met in their house. When Barnabas and Saul returned to Antioch after delivering an offering from the Antioch Church, John Mark had come with them. Now we learn that John Mark had come with them on this missionary journey, and served as their helper.

The city of Salamis must have had a large Jewish population because they had several synagogues. The people who attended synagogues where orthodox Jews. Gentile proselytes who had become Jews, and God-fearers. God-fearers were Gentiles who worshipped Israel’s God but did not become full members of Judaism. The synagogues provided a logical starting point for Jewish-Christian missionaries. The missionaries and the Jews had in common a belief in the same God and in the same Scriptures. The Jews were looking for the Messiah. The Missionaries could preach Jesus as the Messiah.

After that time, the Holy Spirit led them to leave Salamis. The team traveled across the island to Paphos, some 90 miles west of Salamis. This trip took almost four days if they walked 25 miles a day. Paphos was the Roman provincial capitol, the seat of the Roman government in Cyprus, of Cyprus whose proconsul was Sergius Paulus. Possibly the missionaries preached in villages between the two cities.

3. PLEASE READ ACTS 13: 13-16

Vs. 6b-12 tell how Sergius Paulus, the Roman proconsul, was won to faith in Jesus Christ. While they were in Cyprus, a significant change in leadership took place. When they went to Cyprus, the name Barnabas was mentioned before Saul. While they were there, Luke mentions that Saul became known by his Greek name Paul. And when the missionaries left Cyprus, they were called Paul and his company. Paul continued to be the leader during the rest of that missionary journey.

This change apparently was done with the cooperation of Barnabas. This big-hearted man saw the potential of Saul from the beginning. Barnabas stood up for Saul at Jerusalem. He summoned him to help at Antioch. Now he stepped aside to allow Paul to become leader. This change, however, could have been a factor in John Mark’s decision to leave the missionary team. When they left Paphos in Cyprus Paul and his companions sailed to the coast of present day Turkey.

From there the missionaries journeyed inland about 12 miles to Perga in Pamphylia. In Perga John Mark left them and returned to Jerusalem. Luke gave no reason for Mark’s leaving. Some have suggested reasons such as (1.) the work was too hard; (2.) Mark became homesick; (3.) he resented gong farther into Gentile territory; (4.) he became sick from malaria; (5.) or he resented Paul becoming the team leader instead of Barnabas. Luke recorded how Paul refused to take Mark on the second missionary journey because Mark had deserted them in Pamphylia. As a result the team split up-Paul taking Silas and Barnabas taking Mark. Paul later, in 2 Tim. 4: 11, became reconciled to Mark and asked for him saying “he is helpful to me in my ministry.”

The missionaries journeyed over l00 miles north over the rugged and dangerous Taurus Mountains to Antioch in Pisidia. The missionaries were carrying out their mission by traveling from place to place preaching the gospel to Jews and to Gentiles. They traveled by sea and on land, covering great distances and suffering all kinds of hardships as they reached into Asia Minor with the gospel of Christ.

The missionaries followed their strategy of going first to the local synagogue. We see in Vs. 15 the reading of the law and the prophets. The rulers of the synagogue were in charge of the order of service. They apparently recognized Paul as a rabbi and said to the visitors, “If you have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.”

This must have been an opportunity Paul was praying for. He stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, “Men of Israel, you that fear God, give audience.” Notice that he addressed not only the Jews (men of Israel) but also the God fearing Gentiles (you that fear God).

As was pointed out last Sunday, many people groups or groups with distinctive cultures have not yet heard the good news. In 1998 there were 11,874 ethno-linguistic people groups in the world. Of these 3,915 are the least unevangelized or unreached people. Many of these can be reached only as people go to them with the good news of Jesus. Those who go may be career missionaries, but some may be military personnel, businessmen and businesswomen, or tourists who are in contact with people groups who have not heard the good news. Many of the people groups are in lands closed to formal missionaries; in such cases, non-missionaries become especially important. You will remember George McDow of Thailand is responsible for placing many non-missionaries in places where formal missionaries can no longer go.

4. PLEASE READ ACTS 13: 47-48

Paul’s sermon in Vs. 17-41 has much in common with Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost. The themes are that the O.T. promises are fulfilled in Christ. He was crucified but God raised Him from the dead. Through Him, forgiveness and justification are offered to those who place their faith in Him. Many of the Jews and Jewish proselytes responded positively to Paul’s message and asked him to preach again on the next Sabbath. By the, however, the hearts of many of the Jews were hardened. They were jealous of Paul’s success. Therefore they began to talk against what Paul was saying. Paul told them in Vs. 46, “It was necessary that the Word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing you put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.”

Paul then quoted Isaiah 49:6 to show God’s intention to include the gentiles and to refer to the call of Christ for missionaries to be a light that brings the offer of salvation unto the ends of the earth. The latter point is seen in Paul’s introduction of this quotation: “For so hath the Lord commanded us.” When the Lord called Paul of Tarsus, He said in Acts. 26:18 that He was sending Paul “to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness into light.”

When Jesus was presented in the temple as an infant, Simeon had quoted a similar passage as fulfilled in Jesus, in Luke 2:30-32. Jesus certainly is the light of the world. However, in Matt 5:14 Jesus said that His followers are also the light of the world. We are light in the sense of reflecting His light.

Luke recorded that when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. They had heard that God wanted Gentiles also to receive His salvation. Through faith in Jesus “Gentiles could receive forgiveness of sins.”

In their gladness, the Gentiles attending that synagogue service responded differently from the Jews. Instead of rejecting God’s Word, they honored the word of the Lord. If the Gentiles had know the hymn, they might have stood and sung the “Doxology.”

Also, Luke reported that all who were appointed for eternal life believed. Luke was still reporting on the response of the Gentiles. Many of them accepted Jesus because Gentiles as well as Jews were among those God had appointed for eternal life. In God’s purpose of grace through election, He saves, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners. His election is consistent with humans’ free agency. The Spirit of God convicted those Gentiles in Antioch, they believed on Jesus, and they were saved by the grace of God. The joyful response is similar to the Samaritans and the Ethiopian’s response after Philip preached the good news to them.

PLEASE TURN TO ACTS 14: 26-27.

5. PLEASE READ ACTS 14: 26-27

Persecution forced Paul and Barnabas to leave Antioch in Pisidia: they visited Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. They were persecuted in each place, and in Lystra Paul was stoned and left outside the city for dead. Yet Paul went back through each city on his way back to the church that had sent them out. Beginning in Cyprus they had preached the Gospel in three provinces: Cyprus, Pamphylia, and Galatia.

They arrived back in Antioch of Syria and to the Church that had recommended them to the grace of God for the work, which they fulfilled. They gathered the Church together. Then they rehearsed or reported all that God had done with them. The emphasis is on this being God’s work and them being used by Him, under the direction and in the power of God’s Spirit.

The obvious conclusion of their work was that the Lord had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles. Some fellow Jewish Christians challenged this conclusion, and in Acts 15:1-35, the Jerusalem Conference was held. The result was an endorsement by the Church of the work of Paul and Barnabas.

This lesson shows the importance of missionaries reporting on their work to the church or churches that commissioned them,. This is important so that the churches can pray for and support the work of the Missionaries. For years we had Missionaries come to this association ever 4 years to visit the churches for 5 nights. We had a different missionary each night. The meetings became so sparsely attended that this practice was discontinued. I believe it was a loss to our Churches to discontinue this practice.

God calls all believers to witness where they are and He calls some to become missionaries. He leads missionaries to cross not only geographic boundaries but also cultural barriers. God works through missionaries to fulfill His eternal purpose for all people to hear the good news. Missionaries need to report to churches on the work that God has done through them.

I am delighted that we Southern Baptists support our International Missionaries through the Cooperative Program and The Lottie Moon Christmas offering. They do not have to come home to solicit funds for their support as many other missionaries do. I am pleased that our church gives generously to the various mission emphases, provides a house for those on furlough, and have daily prayer requests from the International Mission Board and the Home Mission Board, posted in the prayer room. We also pray daily for those listed in our Open Windows magazine. The missionaries say the prayer support is just as important as the financial support.

NEXT SUNDAY FROM ACTS 17 WE LOOK AT REASONS WHY WE SHOULD TELL THE GOOD NEWS. A.V. DAUGHERTY 11-11-01

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