Acts 32: Reaching Those Who Don’t Know
Notes
Transcript
FCA Huddle ministry - students leading Discovery Bible Study - an intentional study of the bible led by their peers.
A student came in and was noticed as his 2nd time. As they gathered, the kids were playing a game but this kid wasn’t interested in playing. It was obvious he was upset.
Hearing the power of the Gospel in his language from some one who knew what it was like to be him.
We might think of this as evangelism… sharing our faith… but really as we will see in today’s text, its just a matter of telling a story.
Last week spoke about what it meant to answer the call to be a missionary or how we might support those who do feel God calling them to be missionaries … whether that be around the world or right here in our community - in your family - in your workplace
Some of you have shared with me ways you would like to see God use what he has given you or how he is calling you to reach new people. THANK YOU! It was quite an encouragement to hear what God is saying to you… how you want to be a part of helping others reach out… that’s for sure one of the exciting parts of following Jesus - for sure.
Regardless of how and where God might be calling us, part of that calling is to share the Good News… to actually tell people about Jesus. To give him the glory for everything good that comes out of our lives… lest folks start thinking that we are just a good-nice people from RH.
Telling people about Jesus is just one of the stories we have to tell. When you think of it as story telling, evangelism isn’t nearly as intimidating or difficult. We could all tell at least a close version of Goldilocks and the 3 bears… Cinderella… Emperor’s New Clothes… Frog Prince… Jack and the Beanstalk… we have all sorts of stories locked in our minds that we can pull out and tell. When my daughter was young, often times I’d tell her stories and she’d want to change the endings. So we’d come up with crazy endings to made up stories. It was fun.
Today we are going to see that that is really what evangelism is. Starting a story and letting other’s finish the story.
That’s what Paul does in the text today… and I’d say that’s the work of every missionary. Whether a backyard missionary or one in a foreign world.
Before we get into the text let me catch you up on where we are in the story.
Barnabas and Saul had were in Jerusalem after bringing money from Antioch for the church in Jerusalem… there was a famine remember.
MAP
Then they returned to Antioch and brought John Mark w/them.
Remained there in ministry there in Antioch… preaching and teaching
During worship one day HS tells the church to send them off again.
They go to Seleucia - sail to Cyprus-land at Salamis with John Mark
Travel across the island to Paphos - magician-blinded
Paulus comes to faith - and they sail to Perga
That’s where we pick it up in in today’s portion of text and begin to see the first story that we need to be aware of
John returns to Jerusalem for some reason
Paul then takes a journey through the mountains to get to Pisidian Antioch
13 From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem.
14 From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch. On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and sat down.
Galatians 4:13 “13 As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you.”
Mountain
13 From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem.
14 From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch. On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and sat down.
15 After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the synagogue rulers sent word to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have a message of encouragement for the people, please speak.”
16 Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand and said: “Men of Israel and you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me!
17 The God of the people of Israel chose our fathers; he made the people prosper during their stay in Egypt, with mighty power he led them out of that country,
18 he endured their conduct for about forty years in the desert,
19 he overthrew seven nations in Canaan and gave their land to his people as their inheritance.
20 All this took about 450 years. “After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet.
21 Then the people asked for a king, and he gave them Saul son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years.
22 After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’
23 “From this man’s descendants God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as he promised.
24 Before the coming of Jesus, John preached repentance and baptism to all the people of Israel.
25 As John was completing his work, he said: ‘Who do you think I am? I am not that one. No, but he is coming after me, whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’
Understand their Story
Understand their Story
We have to know their story… in order to connect it to the story of salvation
26 “Brothers, children of Abraham, and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent.
27 The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath.
28 Though they found no proper ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed.
29 When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb.
30 But God raised him from the dead,
31 and for many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to our people.
32 “We tell you the good news: What God promised our fathers
33 he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm: “ ‘You are my Son; today I have become your Father.’
34 The fact that God raised him from the dead, never to decay, is stated in these words: “ ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.’
35 So it is stated elsewhere: “ ‘You will not let your Holy One see decay.’
36 “For when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed.
37 But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay.
The story of salvation
The story of salvation
How would you explain the gospel?
God has a plan for your life...
God loves you...
Jesus loves you...
My interview with FCA… over complicating it
❤️➗➕❓
Simple…
Paul is doing a “rest of the story” to his audience. He’s saying the story ends with Jesus. And that’s what we need to do to as Christians. Once we understand their story, we pray for an opportunity to show them how their story fits into God’s story of salvation.
We get to know our context better so that we can have more opportunities to point our context to Christ as Savior.
Let me ask you… How well do you know the salvation story? Do you need to re-read the gospels this Summer?
The more we know Jesus and his story the more natural it will be to share him. We want to connect their story to the salvation story, which leads people to ask themselves… how does this impact our personal stories.
The last part of the story is where we have to let them decide how it ends.
38 “Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.
39 Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses.
40 Take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you:
41 “ ‘Look, you scoffers, wonder and perish, for I am going to do something in your days that you would never believe, even if someone told you.’”
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but what if they don’t feel like they are separated from God? What if they don’t respond?
Maybe they aren’t hearing his voice calling them.
Maybe they are caught up in hearing too many other voices.
What I want us to see though is what Paul is trying to get the Jews to see… the way they respond says a great deal
Here we have one story… two responses
42 As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath.
43 When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.
44 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.
45 When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and talked abusively against what Paul was saying.
46 Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.
47 For this is what the Lord has commanded us: “ ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.
49 The word of the Lord spread through the whole region.
50 But the Jews incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region.
51 So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium.
52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
Just to go back for a minute and point out verse 46
46 Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.
Your faith determines how the story ends.
Your faith determines how the story ends.