Island Missions, Fake News, and Truth Bombs -- Acts 13:4-12

Barnabas and Paul’s first mission trip.

Every believer is called to go but we must allow the Holy Spirit to give direction.

Paul and Barnabas started where they were most familiar.

They went to a place where they had spent a lot of time.

They used the Old Testament to point to Jesus.

They didn’t do it alone.

Barnabas and Paul get an invite to share the gospel.

Their faithfulness led to a high-profile opportunity.

How will we respond when someone wants to hear the Word of God?

Gospel mission will encounter opposition.

False teachers seek to keep the world in deception.

In a world that attempts to shout down truth at every turn, we must live completely dependent on the Holy Spirit.

While this might not be the model for how to address opposition, notice Paul’s method:

Identified the root of the deception: Satan. “You son of the devil”

Pointed out the goal of deception: keep people lost. “making crooked the straight paths of the Lord”

There will be consequences for all false teachers, whether in this life or eternally in the life to come.

Regardless of the circumstances, God’s Word will not return void.

Faithful gospel witness is a combination of us teaching what we believe and living what we teach.