2022-07-03 Spirit-Filled Mission Acts 13:1-12

SPIRIT-FILLED MISSION (Acts 13:1-12) July 3, 2022 Read Acts 13:1-12 - Up until now, Jerusalem has been the center, Peter the focus, and the gospel spread randomly thru persecution. More than 15 years after Jesus instructed the apostles to go into all the world, there has been no organized, intentional effort to reach the world with the gospel. All that is about to change. The church is about to launch the first missionaries - not from Jerusalem, but Antioch - not focused on Peter, but Paul. Actually, the challenge is for all of us. Spurgeon said it simply: "Every Xn is either a missionary or an imposter." This text shows the spiritual nature of the task. I. Spiritual Submission There were 5 key leaders in Antioch - prophets and teachers -- a very diverse group. Barnabas, son of encouragement, a Jewish man from Cyprus, sent initially by the Jerusalem church - listed first, Sr. Pastor. Then Simeon, called Niger (Latin for black) - probably a Jewish man of dark complexion, perhaps African. Then Lucius of Cyrene in north Africa, probably one of the men from Cyrene and Cyprus who first brought the gospel to Gentiles in Antioch. Next is "Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch" -- Herod Antipas who beheaded John the Baptist and humiliated Jesus at his trial. Manaen grew up with Herod, perhaps foster-brother. Ironic that one helps kills Jesus, the other submits to His Lordship. Last but not least, is Saul. So there they are - a diverse. Spirit-filled group with Barnabas and Saul leading the staff! And what are they doing? Bigger and better programs?! No. They are leading their congregation in Spirit-filled worship, serving the people by preaching, teaching, praying and fasting. No wonder the HS found a ready reception when He said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work for which I have called them." That had to be a heavy message for this church. "Take your two best guys and set them apart for my service elsewhere." In a selfless act of submission, they listened and obeyed. No whining, no complaining, no objection to losing their best. Just submission. Selflessly, "they laid their hands on them and sent them off" (literally, released them). By laying hands on them, the congregation was indicating commitment to their mission as well. It was saying, "We'll miss you. But we release you to follow God's calling. And we will support you in prayer and in any way we can." Every missionary should have such congregational affirmation of God's call and the promise of faithful prayer and financial support. This is spiritual submission not just of the missionaries, but of the congregation as well. In The Great Omission, Robertson McQuilkin says the 18th century Moravians considered a support base of 4 people adequate to keep one missionary at the front. By that formula, American's 40M evangelicals could support 10M missionaries. Or take a military example. During WWII it took 15 personnel to keep one soldier at the front. By that formula, we could support almost 3M missionaries. So how many are there? Under 40,000, less than 10,000 full time. McQuilkin says, "The truth is, less than 1% of full-time Xn workers are engaged in evangelistic ministry among the unevangelized of the world." Our vision is lacking, isn't it? We're not hearing the Spirit? Are we be willing to send our best - our kids - our leaders when they are called? Piper: "You're either going, sending or disobedient." It's a question of submission. II. Spiritual Commission 4 "So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia [a seaport 16 miles from Antioch], and from there they sailed to Cyprus" -- 3rd largest island in the Mediterranean behind Sicily and Sardinia. It was regarded then like Hawaii today - the "happy isle." Why there? Barnabas was from there; it was close. And the HS led them there. So they set out and got to work. 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. Salamis was the largest city on the east side of the island, and had many Jews. As always, they went first to the synagogue. Why? The Jews knew the OT, and were fertile ground to hear that Messiah had come. They could become a beachhead. And they knew their mission - "they proclaimed the word of God." They knew the priority - to proclaim - preach - the word of God. They were heralds of good news. That's a model for all of us, whatever our career, recreations or charitable activities. The priority is the Word. The priority is to let people know God has spoken; that He sent Jesus to die to save them. A few years ago a book came out describing a model missional project -- the "Souper Bowl of Caring", a charity raising money to fight hunger. The book claims, "All [missional] elements are present, including cross-domain collaboration for tackling a huge social issue. The effort benefits others, and the participants themselves also grow by serving others." Is this a worthwhile endeavor? A thousand times yes - as a charity to address poverty. But Kevin DeYoung challenges: "This is supposed to be one of the best examples for being the missional church. Yet there is no mention of making disciples, no mention of sin or the gospel, no talk even of Christ." He rightly concludes that missional effort without any gospel misses the point. Should we feed the poor? Of course. But at some point we must ask, how helpful is it to feed someone for 40 years, and never share the gospel with them. Ours is primarily a spiritual ministry, Beloved. Otherwise we've sacrificed eternal gain for short term relief. Barnabas and Saul knew their priority - the Word. III. Spiritual Opposition After Salamis, Saul, Barnabas and John move on 100 miles SW to Paphos, the capital on the other side of the island. There they find a Roman proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man and a genuine seeker of truth, tho he was looking for it in all the wrong places. A side note. The Roman empire had 2 groups of provinces. Those conquered by the military were ruled by procurators appointed by the emperor. Other provinces, who represented no threat, were ruled by proconsuls appointed not by the emperor, but by the senate. Cyprus was conquered territory so for years critics claimed Luke was wrong in identifying Sergius Paulus as a proconsul. But Sir Wm Ramsay, the archaeologist who set out to prove Luke a fraud, then kept finding him accurate to the point he became a believer, found an inscription written in stone (stela) dating from the time of Claudius (who was emperor during this journey) indicating that early in Claudius' reign, Cyprus was shifted from the dominion of Caesar to that of the senate. The local leader was thus given the title proconsul, and another inscription from the same time indicated Quintus Sergius Paulus held that title during this time. Once again, archaeology showed the critics were wrong and the Bible right. That said, Paulus employed a magician and false prophet named Bar-Jesus. As magician, he claimed to contact the spirit world via spells and incantations. As a false prophet, he likely claimed to be able to foretell the future thru astrology, rituals or spirit contacts. He had the ear of Sergius Paulus. After Saul had presented the gospel, he was "seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith." Didn't want to lose his cushy position. Opposition to the gospel should never surprise us, "for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against he authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places" (Eph 6:12). Human are used, but the opposition begins in the spiritual realm. R. C. Sproul tells how when he first came to faith in Christ, he told his pastor, thinking, of all the people in the world, he'd be thrilled. Instead he was met with disdain. The man said, "If you believe in the resurrection of Christ, you're a damn fool." Sproul says, "It was as though a stake had been driven thru my heart." Spiritual opposition is painful. Now, it's at this point Saul begins to go by the name Paul. I grew up thinking he changed his name, but he always had both names. Growing up in a Jewish environment, he went by Saul, a Hebrew name and famous in Jewish history. But now, as his ministry to Gentiles at long last really gets off the ground, he begins to go by his Roman name - Paulus. Further, Paul now begins to take charge. Up until now it's been Barnabas and Saul (Acts 11:30; 12:25; 13:2, 7). Barnabas is older in age and in the faith. He introduced Paul to the apostles in Jerusalem, and brought him to Antioch. But by the time they leave Paphos in Acts 13:13, it is "Paul and his companions" and in Acts 10:42 - "Paul and Barnabas." Why? Bc after years of preparation (3 years in the Arabian desert; 7-8 years in obscurity in Cilicia, near Tarsus) for the task God gave him when he was first converted - "to carry my name before the Gentiles" (Acts 9:15), Paul is ready to assume leadership. He's ready spiritually as well. 9 But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him." Paul's primary asset? He's controlled by the HS. He calls out this enemy of the gospel. You "son of the devil (father of lies according to Jesus in Jn 8:44), you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy." Then, empowered by the HS, he imposes a temporary blindness to this man who is led away in defeat. Fittingly, this shyster who claimed to bring light to the proconsul is revealed for the darkness he is. Jesus is "the way, the truth, and the life." In opposing Him, this man was a force of darkness, and Paul exposed him for what he really was - not the revealer of truth, but the enemy of truth. It was a spiritual battle, which Paul addressed in the greater spiritual power available to him - the power of the HS. Today we don't typically blind people, but we are no less responsible to expose the lies that oppose God's Word. To do this, we must know the Word. II Tim 2:15: "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth." This is how we must call out and expose false teaching - by the Word. Paul says in I Cor 10:4 "4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ." We must be constantly alert to threats against the Word and increasingly able to destroy the strongholds of false human wisdom by knowing, revering, obeying and delivering the Word of God. Emily Brooker couldn't believe it when in her first class at Missouri State College of Social Work, students were divided into same-sex pairs, told to hold hands and display other homosexual behavior toward one another and write a paper on it. She refused and got a failing grade. Later she was required to write a letter endorsing a same-sex adoption bill before the state legislature. Her refusal again led to a failing grade. She was told "to leave her beliefs at the door, bc she was violating the code of social ethics by continuing the course as a Xn." She later sued the university and won. Jennifer Keeton wasn't so fortunate. In 2010, she was denied a graduate counseling degree from Augusta State U. in Georgia for expressing her biblically based anti-gay beliefs. She was told her Xn beliefs were "unethical and incompatible with the pursuit of a counseling degree." Her lawsuit was denied. But political success or failure is not the issue, Beloved. We must be ready to stand tall on the authority of God's Word whether it is against the LGBTQ agenda, abortion rights, evolutionary theory, or even religionists who deny the deity of the Son of God. Our opposition is spiritual; so our response must be in accordance with the Word of God and the power of the HS. The results from there are up to Him. This time, Paul came out on top; other times he was beaten and left for dead. But he met the opposition head-on and so must we. IV. Spiritual Transmission 12 "Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord." Note, the proconsul was astonished, not at the miracle, but at the teaching. That's why spiritual warfare requires dependence on the Word and the power of the HS. Not all will believe - but some will. Spirit-filled mission is costly. But in the end, those whom God has chosen will come to faith and we are privileged to be part of God's triumphant march thru history. However, it may look now, in the end, He wins. Conc - So, we've seen the spirit-filled mission of the first missionaries. But we are all commissioned to the cause, aren't we? When Jesus said, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations," that was for all of us. We won't all be preachers or missionaries, but we are all commissioned to get the gospel out in any way we can - going, giving, loving, sharing. Russ Busby photographed Billy Graham on many occasions and was always amazed how God used BG to bring others to himself. One student who attended a BG school of evangelism said: "I went to Philadelphia to meet a great man; I came home with no desire than to serve the gospel of a great Savior." May the example of Paul and Barnabas inspire us to no less of a mission. Let's pray. DONE 7