To The Ends of The Earth

Introduction

We’ve made considerable progress into the narrative of Acts at this point, and as Noble pointed out two weeks ago, we are witnessing the transitioning events that will propel the Gospel message to the Ends of the Earth.

We’ve seen Peter minister to the the household of Cornelius, rightly gathering that the Gospel message is for all nations and that anyone who puts their faith in God shall be saved.

Peter then (in Chapter 11…which we missed...) reports back to the church the events that transpired at Cornelius’ house, explaining to the party of the circumcision the events that had occurred and (again) he rightly asserts that...

Acts 11:17–18 (ESV)

If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

We also were introduced to the Church in Antioch in Chapter 11, which had been planted by those scattered after the persecution following the stoning of Stephen.

This Church will be of great significance to our message today

It sort of serves as the bridge between the Jewish followers of Christ and the growing community of Gentile believers.

Barnabas gets sent to this new church in Antioch, gets fired up by what he sees, and goes and finds Paul.

Paul and Barnabas spend a year with the church in Antioch, teaching and a quickly growing body.

And it is here that we begin to see Christ-followers and disciples called “Christian”.

AND THEN.... Chapter 12 happens

One thing to note about the events of Chapter 12 before we move on...

Notice this pattern of deliverance preceding judgment preceding deliverance (deliverance sandwich) that occurs with Peter and Herod Agrippa...

Herod Agrippa works hard to establish his reputation and his dominance over his kingdom.

His personal motivations put him at odds with the spread of the Gospel,

He kills James, and then thinks that he can further improve his situation by executing Peter...

But that isn’t what God has planned!

God provides deliverance for Peter, asserting his dominance over the principalities and powers of the Earth

And then he strikes down Agrippa when he doesn’t disavow people calling him a God (check out the writings of Flavius Josephus, The Antiquities of the Jews)

Herod doesn’t give God the Glory, God takes him down a peg...

Actually, God takes him down like, all of the pegs!

And then the word of God multiplies greatly!

This pattern will continue to play out in successive situations throughout the remaining narrative of Acts, and reinforces this theme that God provides supernatural acts for specific purposes and the fulfillment of his long-laid plans for humanity

Keep that pattern in mind as we move into Chapter 13!

Today, we will return to the Church in Antioch,

We will discuss the interesting figures God elects to use for his mission, and the amazing ways that God guides people to where he needs them for his plan to unfold.

We will see for the first time a local Christian Church being led by God to witness to the world at large (The Origin of Global Missions)

We will see how all the events that we’ve read about up to this point in Acts, the good and the bad, the miraculous and the mundane, have all worked for the fulfillment of God’s great plan for humanity.

Let’s pray, and let’s get into it!

Paul and Barnabas Sent

Acts 13:1 (ESV)

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.

So let’s briefly break down who we have here...

We are introduced to a few characters here:

We all should know Paul and Barnabas, who are the leaders placed over this church after it shoots up

Then we have Simeon and Lucius, who are both likely from Northern Africa.

It has been asserted by some since the days of the early church that the Lucius referred to here is Luke, but there is little evidence to support this.

These two men are mostly noteworthy because they indicate the diverse composition of this new church in Antioch.

And perhaps most interestingly, we have Manaen, who is described as a lifelong friend of Herod the Tetrarch.

The Greek word used to describe their relationship here is syntrophos, which describes someone who shared the same wet nurse as a baby!

Fun side story about Herod the Tetrarch:

Herod the Tetrarch, or Herod Antipas, was the son of Herod the Great, and he was initially supposed to inherit all of his father’s kingdom.

but for some reason, Herod the Great changes his will and divides the kingdom into four among a few of his children.

And so Antipas is put out of the power he thinks he is supposed to inherit. he appeals to Caesar Augustus, but the Emperor upholds his father’s last wishes.

He probably feels like he has been cheated out of 3/4 of his kingdom...

He then goes back about his business, runs a kingdom, steals his brother’s wife, executes John the Baptist for saying that stealing his brother’s wife was kind of a messed up thing to do, plays a part in the execution of Jesus… you know, totally normal king stuff...

And then, along comes Emperor Gaius Caesar, whom you might know as Caligula, puts Agrippa in charge of portions of the kingdom..

And Herodias (Herod’s stolen wife, the one who goaded him into executed John the Baptist), convinces Herod that he should travel to Rome to plead his case as rightful King of all of his father’s holdings.

But what did Noble tell us about the relationship between Agrippa and Caligula in his message? They were buddies!

So, as you might imagine, Antipas is not made king over all his father’s territories..

He and Herodias are actually banished, and Agrippa takes control over Antipas’ territories as well.

I tell you this side story because (a) it’s kind of funny, and (b) because we can reasonably assume that the Manean we see here was witness to, and possibly a party to, the actions of Herod Antipas that we see in scripture!

He might have been around when John the Baptist’s head was delivered on a platter!

He might have been at court when Herod mocked Jesus and sent him to Pilate!

Manean may have very well been the source of Luke’s extensive discussion of Herod Antipas in his Gospel.

Isn’t it crazy to think that this guy comes to believe in Jesus and becomes a teacher and a prophet in the church of Antioch?!

This is an extremely interesting figure that we don’t hear a great deal about beyond this brief reference, but his inclusion in this list should help paint a picture of the motley assembly of believers that we can expect formed the Church at Antioch.

We already see a globalizing (although still primarily Jewish) body of Christ in this new Church in Antioch, and we will shortly see God leading them to begin his global mission in earnest.

Isn’t it so interesting to see how all the parts come together?!!?

We also see here an interesting usage of the word prophet in conjunction with teacher, which again should inform our understanding of the role of prophets as described by scripture:

Some prophecy does in fact involve the foretelling of future events by divine means

But more often, we will see the gift of prophecy involves speaking inspired words from God for the edification and direction of the body!

Let’s read on:

Acts 13:2–3 (ESV)

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.

So here we see the calling of Paul and Barnabas to the work set out for them by God.

The Greek word used for work here is ergon, and it forms a sort of bracket around the whole mission of Paul and Barnabas, appearing once here and again at the conclusion of the mission.

Bonus points to anyone who catches where that conclusion point is as we move forward!

So, the congregation positively responds to the calling of the Holy Spirit to begin the mission to the ends of the Earth and we see here an understated picture of obedience that should humble us and encourage us to follow the calling that God gives us today!

Again, I would draw your attention to the way that we see the ripple effect from the Stoning of Stephen falling perfectly into the plan of God!

The things that we see as huge setbacks could very well be unexpected components of God’s plan, and nothing can occur that will thwart him!

Barnabas and Paul on Cyprus

Acts 13:4–5 (ESV)

So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 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 Paul, Barnabas, and Mark cross over from Seleucia to Cyprus, where they begin proclaiming the Gospel.

Barnabas is a native of Cyprus, a Cypriot (we learn this in Acts 4:36)

And the Hellenists have already begun some level of witness on the island (we see this in Acts 11:19)

Acts 11:19 ESV

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.

These details might inform us of the practical reasons that Cyprus made sense to the Church in Antioch as a likely first destination for this first global mission of the church.

This verse also contains an interesting tidbit that will also continue to be a part of Paul’s strategy moving forward...

He chooses the Jewish Synagogue as a place to begin propagating the good news!

Now this might seem pretty gutsy from everything we’ve read in Acts so far

I mean, does Paul want people throw rocks at him?

It’s possible that the immediate threat level might have been decreased in these synagogues outside of Jerusalem, at least initially.

But we will see that Paul’s reputation will soon begin to precede him, and that this threat level quickly escalates!

Either way, we will continue to see Paul begin his ministry in foreign areas within Synagogues, perpetuating the process by which the Gospel initially begins to spread within Jerusalem.

This provides interesting insight into the Gentile conception of Jewish religiosity and tradition in the Roman provinces:

While Romans might rule the land and the Jewish people, they still apparently maintained a modicum of respect for Hebrew religious philosophy and their concern for their history.

So when Jewish adherents converted to a faith in Christ, their testimony and their witness meant something to the Gentiles around them!

Let’s watch this principle play out!

Acts 13:6–8 (ESV)

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. He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.

So Paul, Barnabas, and Mark travel from East to West across the whole island of Cyprus giving the Gospel, until they came to Paphos.

Here they catch the attention of the Roman Proconsul (Like a governor) Sergius Paulus, who has a Jewish “prophet” as a retainer.

We can the see relationship described here as a sort of proof of the Roman regard for the Hebrew religion.

A swindler magician is taking advantage of the Roman tendency towards superstition and divination (in conjunction with the Roman respect for Hebrew religious philosophy) to secure influence with governor of an entire Roman province!

This magician is threatened by the arrival of Paul, Barnabas, and Mark, and then attempts to sway the Proconsul from faith in Jesus.

Anyone here remember Wormtongue from The Lord of the Rings?

Elymas reminds me quite a bit of Grima Wormtongue!

And much like the scene from the Two Towers, Elymas Wormtongue is about to get taken down a peg!

Acts 13:9–10 (ESV)

But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 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?

The name Bar-Jesus, Elymas’ Hebrew name, means “son of Joshua” or “son of the Savior”, so Saul, in calling him a son of the devil, is actually employing a clever play on words that probably wouldn’t have gone unnoticed by Paulus Sergius.

But Saul doesn’t stop there!

Acts 13:11–12 (ESV)

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. Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

So again we see God tip the scales in favor of the gospel. We see:

God leading Paul, Barnabas, and Mark to the fertile ground on Cyprus (which was actually created by the Stoning of Stephen!), we see the Holy Spirit impressing the Gentile’s need for deliverance onto the hearts of his people.

We see God striking down the opposition in Elymas, who is only out for his own glory. He is perversely utilizing the reputation of the Hebrew faith for his own gain instead of the glory of God.

And then we see the beginning of another wave of deliverance beginning in the conversion of the Proconsul Sergius Paulus!

What we see here is of great historical relevance!

The Roman civilization has a long history of implementing the aspects of other cultures that they see as efficacious:

They did this with warfare

They did this with politics

They did this with religion

We can see in this scene that intelligent and thoughtful men (Like Sergius Paulus) from the Roman society had a respect for Judaism.

They saw something that worked about the Hebrew God!

Then, as scenes like this indicate, they begin to see something about Christianity that astonishes them and draws them to a faith in Jesus.

En mass, this process is slow, and we are still centuries from the macro-conversion of the Roman civilization...

But what we see occurring in the individual context here is a picture of what occurs in the cultural context of the entire Western world over the course of centuries.

My point in saying all this is that the entirety of human history, the good, the bad, and the ugly, has all worked according to God’s plan to see these people in this scene, as well as the entire civilizations to which the people belong!

Job 12:23 (ESV)

He makes nations great, and he destroys them;

he enlarges nations, and leads them away.

God’s plan not only incorporates you and me, but it incorporates the entire civilization and world in which we live!

This should encourage us!

Does the world look kind of scary and dark to you?

How do you think it looked under the Roman empire?!

God was working in the Roman Empire, with its polytheism and its blood sport and immorality...

And God is working in the world around you today!

We can trace our roots as a congregation back to this moment in Acts 13,

we can go back further and trace our roots through the centuries of oppression and exile of the Israelites,

We can go back further through the centuries of faithlessness and debauchery that led them off to Babylon...

We can trace our faith all the way back to the very moment of creation and we will find that God was always working to deliver us!

Yesterday, today, and tomorrow, we can see that:

God delights in choosing interesting and unexpected characters to see his will done here on Earth, and he has supernaturally arranged his creation so that we are in the right place at the right time to fulfill his mission.

We have always been a part of a global mission, and we can’t possibly conceive of the kind of reach our seemingly small acts of faith, kindness, and obedience can have over the course of centuries. Even our failures play into God’s hands (think about the Stoning of Stephen and how that paved the way for the very guy who took part in it to deliver the Gospel in Antioch and Cyprus)!

God’s way is always viable! When we look at our past, present, and future through the appropriate lens, we can see a world that bends to the truth imparted by God through scripture.

God’s will WILL BE DONE!

Miraculous or mundane, good or bad, all things are happening so that the GOOD God who made you can have a relationship with you!