The First Missionary Journey (part 1)
Acts 13:1-12 (1-2)
September 30, 2012
Well tonight we actually enter the 2nd part of the book of Acts.
Acts is easily dividable into two sections.
• The first 12 chapters center around the Jerusalem church with Peter as the main character.
• The last 16 chapters center around the Antioch church with Paul as the main character.
So at this point Peter disappears from the scene and Paul emerges.
And this is of course a strategic and important distinction.
While Israel will forever remain God’s chosen people,
And God’s plans for them or promises to them cannot be revoked
We still understand that we have reached a period of time
Where the Gentile church takes center stage.
Paul wrote to the Romans:
Romans 11:25 “For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery — so that you will not be wise in your own estimation — that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in;”
So it stands to reason that if we are now entering the time of the Gentiles
That a Gentile church would now take center stage,
And the missionary specifically appointed to proclaim the truth to Gentiles would also take center stage.
That is certainly what occurs from here on out.
And it begins with what is often called “The First Missionary Journey”
As I told you the last couple of weeks,
We all owe a debt of gratitude to this church in Antioch.
While the Jerusalem church was almost forced into missions, this church willingly embarked upon it, and we are literally a result of their faithfulness.
So we study this church and their great mission ventures.
As we do, we not only see how missions operate and God’s continued power to grow His church, but we also are reminded of the necessary attitudes and practices to be a missionary church.
So tonight let’s look at our text, and as we do, there are 7 things I want you to see.
#1 THE CHURCH
Acts 13:1-2a
Any time you talk about missions, by definition
You have to have a conversation about the church.
If you have a mission, you must have someone on that mission.
And the church is the one who answers the call.
And of course we understand “missions” to be a broad term.
Missions reaches from a parent who teaches the gospel to their child all the way to the career missionary who lives their entire life on a foreign mission field.
But regardless of where, our mandate is the same.
Matthew 28:18-20 “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Acts 1:8 “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
John 20:21 “So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”
It is clear what God had in mind.
He wanted someone to carry His truth to a lost and dying world.
And now the task falls to us.
(It once was the mandate to Israel, they dropped the ball, it now falls to us)
It is in fact the reason we are still here.
Matthew 5:13-16 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 1nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
Philippians 2:14-15 “Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world,”
We get the idea.
The mission falls to the church.
So we actually start our conversation here by looking at the church.
“Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was there, prophets and teachers: Barnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.”
What we have there are the five leaders there in the Antioch church.
We know about Barnabas and Saul.
• Barnabas was sent there by the Jerusalem church to sort of check things out.
• Once Barnabas was convinced he went and found Saul and brought him in to help teach.
What we also learn here is that three other men had aspired to leadership
And had also begun to teach and preach.
“Simeon who was called Niger” (meaning he was a dark skinned man.)
“Lucius of Cyrene”
“Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch”
So we have some leadership here in the church
That leadership is characterized as those who preach and teach.
And this is so important.
Scripture is clear about church leadership.
We run in to words like “overseer” or “bishop” or “pastor” or “shepherd” or “elder” and we even find qualifications for such men.
One thing that is clear about them all however
Is that they all must be “able to teach”
In fact when you read the qualifications for an overseer in 1 Timothy 3, “able to teach” is the only ability based qualification.
What God wanted was men who could and would
Pass what He was saying on to the church.
• God didn’t want CEO’s
• God didn’t want General Managers
• God didn’t want proven, successful, executives
God wanted men who would listen to what He was saying
And accurately and clearly explain that to His flock.
And so when we find the leadership in Antioch,
They are “prophets and teachers”
And this church was so intent on hearing the word of God
That they had not 1, but 5 men skilled to do this.
That already tells you a great deal about the priority of this church.
They were intent upon hearing & understanding the word of God.
But that is not all that makes this church appealing.
(2) “While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting…”
This is such an important statement.
Churches can so easily get their priorities off.
If we aren’t careful we actually determine that church is about us.
People come to church with expectations of what they want,
And how they want it.
• We have what I want to sing.
• We have what I want to study.
• We have how long I want it to last.
And if anyone threatens to throw the old curveball of “change” out at us,
Then “I just don’t like that”
But those types of mentalities shouldn’t surprise us.
Church has become a place where you go to “get a blessing”
“I just want to be blessed”
Instead of doing what this church was doing
Which was “ministering to the Lord”.
Most today want God to minister to them,
They think nothing of ministering to God.
That is why I love that song we sing pretty frequently called
“Jesus, Lover of My Soul”
“It’s all about you, Jesus; and all this is for You, for Your glory and Your fame. It’s not about me, as if You should do things my way. You alone are God and I surrender to Your ways.”
It really is a forgotten aspect today.
When we come to this place it is to give to God, to minister to God,
Not to wait for God to give something to us.
In the Old Testament it was seen through the countless offerings and sacrifices presented to the Lord.
In the New Testament it is the same. (only it isn’t sheep)
Romans 12:1 “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”
See, God has already given mercy, in response to that,
We now go and “present” our bodies to Him. We give back to Him.
We bless Him.
We worship Him.
We minister to Him.
And that is what this church is doing.
“they were ministering to the Lord”
This is actually a phrase borrowed from the Old Testament
That spoke of when the priests offered the sacrifices to God.
Remember when Hannah promised to dedicate Samuel to the Lord, when she actually left him with Eli? Here is what the Scripture said.
1 Samuel 2:11 “Then Elkanah went to his home at Ramah. But the boy ministered to the LORD before Eli the priest.”
And so it is for this New Testament, Gentile church.
Their worship wasn’t about pleasing people.
Their worship wasn’t about pleasing the culture.
Their worship wasn’t about pleasing each other.
Their worship wasn’t about pleasing themselves.
It was about pleasing the Lord.
Galatians 1:10 “For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.”
AND THIS IS THE GOAL FOR THE CHURCH.
When Paul wrote to the Colossians, he said:
Colossians 1:9-10 “For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;”
On Sunday nights we pray every week for the lost, do you know why?
It pleases God.
1 Timothy 2:1-4 “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
We don’t do it because it is enjoyable to us, we do it because God likes it.
And that should be true of all our worship.
In fact, even when Paul told Timothy to preach the word, notice why:
2 Timothy 4:1-2 “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.”
Paul told Timothy to preach with a view of God and of Christ Jesus.
It is important that you and I understand
Why we are here, and why we are gathering.
• What we do is not to please ourselves, it is to please God.
• We come to give Him worship.
• We come to give Him what He desires because of all that He has given to us.
We come to minister to Him.
Well that is what this early church was doing.
“they were ministering to the Lord”
In short they were focused and tuned in.
They had a constant ear pointed toward whatever God wanted.
They were eager servants, ready to jump at His request
And give Him whatever He desired.
That furthermore explains why they were also “fasting”
As we have said many times (even again this past Wednesday night)
Fasting is not a means by which we manipulate God to answer us.
Some people think it is where we put ourselves
Through some sort of difficult and depriving set of circumstances
By which God will be more highly motivated to grant our request.
That is manipulation, and it doesn’t work on God.
Others think fasting is meant simply to show God how serious we are.
You know, if I don’t’ eat then God will know how serious I am.
But God sees the heart, He already knows how serious you are.
Fasting occurs any time the spiritual takes president over the physical.
Matthew 4:1-2 “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry.”
• Jesus wasn’t fasting to get God’s attention.
• Jesus wasn’t fasting to prove to God His commitment.
• Jesus was fasting because He was so consumed with seeking God that stopping to eat didn’t make much sense.
He was so consumed with seeking God that He wasn’t even hungry.
His mind was preoccupied with spiritual things.
Fasting then is simply an expression of a focused believer.
And that further explains to us what kind of church we have here.
Not only are they “ministering to the Lord”, but they are also “fasting”
Which indicates just how focused they are on pleasing to God.
The best servants are those who are
Preoccupied with the sound of their master’s voice.
And those who desire to be so faithful, purposely keep
From involving themselves in things that would distract them.
2 Timothy 2:4 “No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.”
That is the idea, and that is what we have occurring here.
• This church is zoned in.
• This church is focused.
• This church is listening intently that they might know how to please God.
Now, I don’t mind telling you then that it is no surprise
That this church heard God’s call for missions.
We have talked about it before,
But it always merits reminding us of the fact.
Isaiah 6:8 “Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
Those first three words are very pivotal.
“Then I heard…”
AND THAT WAS THE BEGINNING OF MISSIONS.
And we could have a similar testimony here in our church.
Do you remember our first ever mission trip?
(2005 – El Paso, Zimbabwe, Lebanon, Israel)
Do you remember when those people signed up to go?
(January, during our missions month.)
Do you remember what took place 4 months before that?
(Our Month of Stillness.)
I am not giving credit to some program for our missions involvement,
But do not minimize the fact that for a month
Many in our church devoted themselves to hearing from God,
And 4 months later we started planning mission trips.
People set their heart to give God what he wanted and they even fasted.
Not from food (from television and internet, etc.)
But as they cleared their head to fully focus on God,
God spoke and missions began.
THE POINT?
It is not a coincident that those who determine only to please God
Often times find themselves involved in missions.
FURTHERMORE YOU MUST UNDERSTAND
THEY ARE NOT FOCUSED ON MISSIONS
THEY ARE FOCUSSED ON GOD.
That is fundamental, and this is where it starts.
You can’t be a mission church by focusing only on missions.
You only become a mission church when you focus on God.
But we start here with a church that is.
The Church
#2 THE CATALYST
Acts 13:2b
“While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, they Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
And again it is very important that we understand how missions works.
Mission work does not start with the intention of man.
Mission work must be started by the Spirit of God.
Right now you can go back on the table in the foyer and pick up a information sheet about Sanyati 2013.
We have done that because in order to have an opportunity to return
We had to pencil in some dates right now.
But don’t assume for a second that means we are going no matter what.
If you notice the Sanyati slide on the big screens
Hopefully you will notice the verse that is included.
It is the verse that was laid on my heart.
Exodus 33:15-16 “Then he said to Him, “If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here. “For how then can it be known that I have found favor in Your sight, I and Your people? Is it not by Your going with us, so that we, I and Your people, may be distinguished from all the other people who are upon the face of the earth?”
James said:
James 4:13-16 “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.”
The last thing we want to do is plan all this stuff our self.
Now, is there a command to go? Yes
Is missions biblical? Yes
And so we don’t mind blocking off dates and keeping doors open
But ultimately this whole thing really is up to God.
He must be the catalyst
And He certainly was here.
This church wasn’t focused on missions,
This church was focused on God
And in their seeking, they heard God speak.
“Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
I hope you grasp the magnitude of this statement.
The church is praying, the church is seeking, the church is listening.
The church is asking, “God, what do You want?”
And God answered, “I want Barnabas and Saul”
See God had already called them out.
God had already revealed that Saul was His chosen instrument
To bear His name before the Gentiles.
God had already determined their mission.
And now when the church wanted to know what God wanted,
He said, “I want them to fulfill the work “to which I have called them.”
And so the request of God was “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul”
And so first we understand that God must be the catalyst.
He planned the trip.
He called the participants.
This church was not seeking missions, this church was seeking God.
God planned the mission trip.
We understand the catalyst.
But in this verse there is something else you need to understand,
And that is the degree of this church’s commitment to worshiping God.
GOD ASKED FOR BARNABAS AND SAUL
Now that may not seem like much to you, but think about it a moment.
This church is only about a year old.
Acts 11:25-26 “And [Barnabas] left for Tarsus to look for Saul; and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And for an entire year they met with the church and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.”
This church is young, this church is green.
They do have three other prophet/teachers in their midst,
But certainly none like Barnabas and Saul.
And now when this church asks God what they can give Him, God answers, “You can give Me Barnabas and Saul”
They are the offering that God wanted.
God asked for their two most experienced, and greatest leaders.
This was a sacrifice.
This was an offering.
This was an act of worship.
And some of you have felt that sting on a small scale,
As you have watched spouses or children or parents
Answer God’s call to go on mission.
That is what this church is asked to give.
And so worship can be a sacrifice – but this church paid it.
We are going to have to get the rest of this next time,
But we already learn a great deal about being a mission church.
We don’t want to be a church that is only seeking missions.
To some degree we could be compared to a Pharisee who would travel on land and sea just for the glory of claiming his prize.
We don’t want to be a church that is only seeking missions.
• We want to be a church that is seeking God.
• We want to be a church that desires to minister to God.
• We want to be a church that desires to give God what He wants.
• And we want to be a church that is focused in our search for those things.
And then, if we are that type of church, we are then more apt
To hear the voice of God saying, “Whom shall I send?”
And then we find out where the mission is.
So make sure in your life that you are not seeking what you want,
Or what you want to do.
Make sure you are seeking God,
And offering to give Him whatever He wants,
For that is when God is able to use the church for His glory.
