Acts 13

My time at Columbia Basin College doing ministry were some of the most memorable years of my life. I experience lots of growth, and lots of challenges during my 6 years there. The Lord taught me about leadership, sacrifice, and revealed lots of my personal weaknesses.

But one of the most memorable things the Lord taught me was how to share my faith with non-believers. When I first started going to CBC I didn’t have many friends who weren’t already christians, and sharing the gospel was very new to me.

If you knew me back then, you might know that I thought of myself a little bit like a christian super star. I thought I was the best thing that had come to campus, and through my ministry effort there I was going to reshape the schools spiritual state. But I was in for a rude awakening.

I still remember one of my first attempts to share the gospel. I was in the HUB, and there was some kind of event going on. This was in 2013, so about 10 years ago. I walked up to this guys table, he was another student about my age, maybe a little older. He was sitting alone, so I asked if I could sit with him. Some time passed in awkward silence, then I started asking him general questions about his involvement at the school. “What classes are you taking” “How long have you been going here” stuff like that. He was very nice, and answered all my questions. After another period of awkward silence I decided to go for it.

I said something like “So what do you believe about God.” He proceeded to tell me that he was Buddhist. I had a slight panic, because at the time I knew nothing about Buddhism. I struggled to find helpful questions to ask him, but the conversation wasn’t really going anywhere. Things were not lining up the way I hoped they would, but I was determined to share the gospel with this guy.

I asked him if I could share about what I believed, and he agreed to hear me out. So I shared a simple gospel presentation with him, starting in the garden and ending with Jesus’ return as the king. I was so hopeful that this guy would fall on his face and repent right in the middle of the HUB, turning from his buddhist ways and following Jesus as Lord. Unfortunately, this was not the outcome.

He didn’t really have much to say… He might have given me a “Cool story bro,” but it was far from the response I had hoped for.

At this point I could tell we are both at our awkwardness limit for this interaction… The conversation up to this point wasn’t smooth, it was more like chopping your way through the jungle with a pair of scissors. I mustered all the remaining courage I had and I said something like, “So is there any way I can persuade you to believe what I believe and not Buddhism?”

This was my last glimmer of hope, and my best attempt to evangelize him. He basically said, “Nah.”

At that point I knew I was done. I made up some kind of excuse as to why I had to leave, grabbed my backpack and speed walked away from the table.

As I said before, this was one of my first ever attempts to share my faith, at least that I can remember.

After this encounter, I was marked by a sense of failure and discouragement. I would sit with others, sometimes entire tables of people I was hoping to share the gospel with but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. This guy wasn’t rude to me, he didn’t curse at me or call me names, it was just so awkward that it shook my confidence.

As I was preparing for the text we are in today this season of ministry came to mind. For me, the early stages of learning to share the gospel were full of encounters like this. They were the moments that I learned to trust the Lord, and HIS power to save and NOT my own.

God used my first year at CBC to increase my faith in Him, and to breakdown the false confidence I had in myself.

Today’s story is going to display God’s miraculous power over salvation, and it will help us in times of need to find boldness in the right place.

It is so easy to shy away from sharing our faith when we put our trust in the wrong place, like I did during this season at CBC. We NEED this text to speak truth and life to our hearts. We need the Lord to instruct us and help us grow.

First we will pray, and ask the Lord to speak before we approach the text.

Prayer:

Father, only you can change hearts. Only you can help us receive from Your word. We are in desperate need for you to speak. Lord I ask you to change the hearts of your people. Remove the distractions and hardships that they entered this room with and help them see Your beauty. Lastly, remove my own pride and agenda. Help me to be faithful to this text and to preach Your word for what it is - perfect and complete.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

You may or may not have noticed, but we passed over the last part of Acts chapter 11. Matt left off two weeks ago in chapter 11, and I picked it up in chapter 12 last week. We are going to cover the last part of chapter 11 today because it provides valuable context to us, and we don’t want to miss anything as we go along. Honestly, the last part of chapter 11 and our text today in chapter 13 fit together seamlessly, so I will begin by reading these texts back to back. Please turn there in your bible and follow along, we are starting in Acts 11 verse 19.

Acts 11:19–30 ESV

19 Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. 20 But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. 21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. 22 The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, 24 for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. 25 So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians. 27 Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). 29 So the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. 30 And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.

Not turn to Acts chapter 13, we will read the first 12 verses:

Acts 13:1–12 ESV

1 Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend 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.

So starting back in Chapter 11 verse 19, we will go through it one section at a time. As I said a moment ago, this section in chapter 11 will provide valuable context for us.

Acts 11:19–21 ESV

We see from these first few verses that because of the persecution that arose over Stephen the believers were scattered. They were forced in some sense to flee the persecution, and because of that several new churches are started. Most notably, the church in Antioch was started as a result of this movement.

Interestingly, this is common throughout the churches history. There have been many times that wicked people have tried to stomp out christianity through persecution, and on a large scale it has always had the opposite effect. People seek to abolish Jesus’ people through persecution, and the Lord uses that to grow and advance his church.

Don’t get me wrong, the bible does warn individual christians that persecution will test their faith. Persecution is something common, so much so that we should expect it. Listen to Jesus’ words in John 15.

John 15:18–19 ESV

18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

We don’t see much of that testing in our current context, but be watchful as it is getting worse every year, especially on a global scale.

The more hidden, yet equally dangerous threat, is peaceful complacency. I have theorized for a long time that what threatens the American church the most is NOT persecution, but peaceful complacency. In this context people have the ability to claim the name of Jesus, with no subsequent action, and live a largely persecution free life through their complacency.

The Apostle Paul describes life like a race. A race that we must run every day, keeping careful watch over ourselves, for we need to finish the race by the grace of God.

1 Corinthians 9:24–27 ESV

24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

I would suggest to you that in our context peaceful complacency is far more dangerous to your soul, and we must be watchful over one another. As we will see later, the love of Christ compels us to live boldly for His name, and this will bring about hardship.

Verse 21 reinforces this point. Despite the persecution it says “a great number who believed turned to the Lord.”

Peaceful complacency and its dangers aren’t going to be the main focus of this message, but I thought it was worth mentioning because we see the positive effects of persecution so often in the book of Acts.

Pick it up in Verse 22:

Acts 11:22–24 ESV

22 The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, 24 for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord.

This is were one of our key characters enters the scene. He is a man named Barnabas, sent from Jerusalem to aid the church in Antioch. Barnabas was a good man, he receives a similar description to the one given to Stephen. He is full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. He is here in Antioch to encourage the church. They are already doing good work, but Barnabas was a leader who came to encourage them to remain steadfast through the hardships.

Acts 11:25–26 ESV

25 So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.

Barnabas leaves to go recruit Saul, who will later be called Paul, and they minister to the church in Antioch for a full year. In Antioch Jesus’ disciples are first called “Christians.” This is a super cool point. I liked it when one of the other pastors was up here, I think it might have been Adam, and he referred to the book as Acts like the churches origin story.

The fact that they are being called christians really marks the starting point for a movement. This is a movement that we are still a part of to this day! It is so cool to have this account and see the specific events that lead to us knowing Jesus today.

It is also worth noting that the term “Christian” would have carried far more negative connotations in Antioch. Unlike being a christian in America, it would have been a derogatory term used to describe a persecuted group of people.

Acts 11:27–30 ESV

27 Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). 29 So the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. 30 And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.

To end chapter 11, Paul and Barnabas hear a prophecy that predicts a famine and then deliver aid to the surrounding churches.

We will jump over chapter 12, because we covered that chapter last week. It was the story of James and Peter. James was killed and Peter was delivered from prison. We will pick it up in chapter 13 still in Antioch, as they send out Barnabas and Saul.

Acts 13:1–3 ESV

The church in Antioch was diverse, and it had become the base of operation for Paul’s ministry. Jerusalem was still the mother church, but the church in Antioch was the sending church for this missionary journey.

In verse 2 we see a really special calling from the Lord. Paul and Barnabas are in a group, and they are all fasting and praying. Then the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” The text doesn’t specify how the Holy Spirit communicated this, but the implication is that the message was clear and confirmable. It might have been an audible voice, we don’t know for sure. What we do know for sure is that there was no question that this was a specific calling from the Holy Spirit for Barnabas and Saul.

This raises an interesting question for us. The word “calling” is commonly used when we are evaluating decisions about our life or ministry. We will say things like, “Am I called to do this?” Or, “What is the Lord calling you to do.”

I’m sure that all of us are interpreting that word a little differently when we say it, but is this helpful and biblical language to use?

Credit where credit is due, I got to have an excellent conversation with a pastor friend of mine name Adam Bonus last week. He recently did an in-depth topical studying on the idea of “calling” and sent me the study to review. His study included Acts chapter 13, so it was a great help to me in understanding this topic, and many of my insights are drawn from his faithful work.

In the new testament, the word calling is rarely used to describe the kind of calling that Barnabas and Saul experienced. And when there is a calling like that, it is always confirmed by multiple witnesses or the presence of miracles.

The bible uses other categories to describe the function of ministry and sending people out to accomplish ministry tasks. I am not going to go super in-depth on the word calling itself, but we could have a more in-depth discussion about that after service if you would like.

For now, I will just list some of the things that the bible does say christians are called to. If you are a christian:

You are called to salvation by the grace of Christ, You are called to Christ-likeness, You are called to holiness, You are called “sons of the living God”, You are called into fellowship with Jesus, the Son of God, You are called to peace, You are called to freedom, You are called into the kingdom and glory of God, You are called to eternal life, You are called to suffer persecution, You are called to inherit a blessing.

These are the glorious things God has called you to!

Now none of these are callings are to specific tasks or ministry work, like Barnabas and Saul, they are all related to God’s saving grace acting in our life.

However, The bible does paint a picture of the church appointing and sending qualified people to do the work of the ministry. We see this throughout the new testament, most clearly with Elders and Deacons.

Without getting into too much detail, God sent His Son Jesus into the world, and then Jesus sent His church into the world to be his witnesses.

John 20:21 ESV

21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”

Matthew 28:19 ESV

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

It is NOT normative to experience such unquestionable direction like Barnabas and Saul, but we have been sent into the world to proclaim the name of Jesus to those around us!

Now, I am not here to be the language police. It is okay to say “We are called to make disciples.” I actually say that a lot! Because when you say “you are called” to do something Jesus commanded, you are being accurate. But we should be careful when we go beyond what scripture has instructed all christians to do and start talking about more subjective callings to specific work.

God has given you a church who can help evaluate your ministry and life choices with you, and they can help you make wise choices as a sent missionary. Throughout the new testament we see the church play a critical role in these more subjective areas. They “appoint” leaders and send out missionaries based on their qualifications. All Christians are sent, and we do not need to be too concerned about “Where” they are sent. We should lean on one another for wisdom and discernment as we try to discover the specific path the Lord has for our life.

Looking back now at verse 3:

Acts 13:1–3 ESV

Laying on of hands is seen throughout the new testament, and has been a practice throughout church history. We did this same thing when we sent Sam to Colorado just a few weeks ago! It is the churches way to commission someone and display their affirmation for sending them to do a ministry work.

Verse 4,

Acts 13:4–5 ESV

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.

So Barnabas and Saul travel to the place the Lord sent them, and they begin preaching the word to the people. It is likely that they chose to preach in the synagogues for several strategic reasons. First and foremost, it would have given priority to the jews in receiving the gospel first. These are Jewish synagogues, and the Jews are God’s chosen people. They would have also made the most capable christian converts, because they were very familiar with the scriptures already. That would mean that Jewish converts would be better candidates for leading the church, as apposed to someone coming straight out of paganism.

Preaching in the synagogues would also have been an advantage to the Gentiles, because they would have been familiar enough with the old testament to be anticipating a messiah.

But while they are preaching the word to the people, they encounter some opposition.

Acts 13:6 ESV

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.

Bar-Jesus is the first character in this short story. He was a magician, or sorcerer. This means that he was tapped into some eval power. Ironically, Bar-Jesus means “Son of Jesus.” But as you will see, he is no such thing.

Acts 13:7–8 ESV

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.

Our second character is Sergius Paulus, he was a proconsul. It says he was in intelligent man, and he had some authority. Proconsuls were governors appointed by the Roman Senate. He actually summons Barnabas and Saul to hear about the message they are preaching.

Bar-Jesus is not happy about this at all. His position of power and authority as the proconsuls right hand man would have been greatly threatened by this new gospel message. Elymas, who is also referred to as Bar-Jesus, opposes Barnabas and and Saul directly and tries to turn the proconsul away from the faith.

Acts 13:9–12 ESV

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.

In case you were ever wondering where Saul switches to Paul, this is it.

Paul rebukes Bar-Jesus immediately. He starts by saying, “you son of the devil” which is a play on his name because Bar-Jesus means son of Jesus. Through the power of the Spirit he afflicts him with temporary blindness. This display of the Spirits power is the means that God then uses to bring the proconsul to faith in Jesus.

This is a mighty act of the Lord, showing His power to save through opposition and adversity. This display of God’s power serves as a reminder to us that there is no barrier God cannot remove in the pathway of someones salvation. We should not be deterred by the people or circumstances that stand in the way of our proclamation of the gospel. Instead we should be bold, trusting that the Lord can move through any adversary.

But God’s power was on display in more than one way in this story. The obvious outward display of power was the temporary blindness that Bar-Jesus experienced. The not so visible, but equally great power, was the salvation of the proconsul. God used a display of His power to bring the proconsul to faith, but it was the Spirit’s power working simultaneously in his heart that brought Him to repentance.

Just I said in the beginning of this sermon, it can be really challenging to trust God and His power over salvation. This is the lesson the Lord taught me in my first year at CBC and He is still teaching me about it in texts like this. Jesus is powerful to save, it is not our own cunning or cleverness that leads to salvation. It is the Spirit’s work in the hearts of people.

Jesus came to earth and died to cover the sins of His people. He was a missionary God, on a mission to save us. When he died, he was barrier and was in the tomb for three days. But He didn’t stay dead, he raised to life concurring sin and death and making a way for salvation.

Right now he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and He will return to judge the people. Church, JESUS WILL RETURN TO JUDGE THE PEOPLE. There are lost and dying people in this world who WILL BE SAVED because you share the gospel with them. God has given US the role of reconciliation.

2 Corinthians 5:17–21 ESV

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

There has been some application from this text sprinkled throughout, but I want to leave you with just ONE clear piece of application here at the end.

We all lack the boldness we need to share the gospel when our boldness comes from ourselves, and not from the God we serve. {X2}

This week, I hope you will evaluate where your faith is placed. Is it in yourself, and therefore weak? Or is it in Jesus who has the power to raise the dead?

Take a practical step. I am challenging every Christian in this room to recapture their boldness and urgency by applying this text, then go out of your comfort zone and share the gospel with someone. Maybe it is someone you meet for the first time, or maybe its someone you have been planning to share the gospel with for a long time.

I intend to go out of my way this week to share the gospel with someone, because God has given me grace through this text. I encourage you to do the same, and then share the story with me. I would love to get 50 phone calls this week about God working through His people by the gospel being shared.

Lets pray…

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