Be On Mission
Lessons from the 1st Century Church | A Study through the Book of Acts • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 4 viewsGod has called and set each of us apart for missional work in His kingdom which He has for ordained.
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Introduction |
For two thousand years God has called His church to Be On Mission. We have a calling and commission to share the Good News of Jesus. However, for two thousand years, as God has been calling His church to Be On Mission, that same church, has spent far too many of those years giving excuses as to why they are not Being On Mission. We must stop giving excuses. We must stop fighting what God has called us to. We must Be On Mission.
Focus Passage | Acts 13:1-5
1 Now there were prophets and teachers at Antioch, in the church that was there: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 While they were serving the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set Barnabas and Saul apart for Me for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then, when they had fasted, prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. 4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 5 When they reached Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews; and they also had John as their helper.
Outline |
Diverse Leadership (v. 1, 5)
Who are the men that God called to Be On Mission?
God purposefully brought a team together to begin the first missional movement within the Scriptures. Within this team, God reveals to us several truths to apply to one’s life about missions. The first lessons that we learn is that missions takes multiple people from multiple backgrounds with multiple talents to be most effective. As we look at these men from Antioch, we see five leaders that are multi-ethic and multi-gifted. They come from different backgrounds, different walks of life, and different socioeconomic realms. Yet, God uses them all. May we learn that we’re all different and that is a good thing. It takes all of us to be on mission. It takes all of our differences, our talents, our pasts, our hearts and desires to grow the kingdom and God designed it that way.
As we look at our text, we see two distinct gifts brought before us, Now there were prophets and teachers at Antioch, in the church that was there. If we wanted to, we could separate these five men in to two categories of service within the church, prophets and teachers. However, that’s not the intent of the text. The intent of the text is God showing us that five prophet/teachers from different backgrounds and talents were being used of God to Be On Mission. For the next few minutes, let us look at these five men and learn from them.
God called a man of encouragement with roots in the Jersualem church, Barnabas
Ministry is tough. Missions is tough. It is not for the faint at heart. It was not then, nor is it now. God knew this. Just as then, we need encouragers now. God, in his infinite wisdom provided just that, a man of encouragement. From the first time that we are introduced to Barnabas, he is known for two things:
He is known to be sacrificial supporter of the church
He is known to be an encourager
36 Now Joseph, a Levite of Cyprian birth, who was also called Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means Son of Encouragement), 37 owned a tract of land. So he sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
We not only see that God knew the church would need encouragers, He also pointed out that the church is intended to be multicultural in appearance and ministry.
God called a man of mixed culture to reach the mix of cultures before them, Simeon
As stated by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “We must face the sad fact, that at eleven o’clock, on Sunday morning when we stand sing, ‘That in Christ there is no east or west,’ we stand in the most segregated hour in America. We are segregated by our past. We are segregated by our skin color. We are segregated by our age. We are segregated by our church signs. We are segregated by our differing cultures. This is not what God intended. God intended for His church, His bride, to be a kaleidoscope. He designed His church, His bride to be duke’s mixture of ethnicities, skin colors, generations, talents, etc. As we look at Simeon, this truth comes to light. Simeon, who many scholars believe was the one who carried the cross of Jesus at His crucifixion, had a Jewish first name, Simeon, and a Latin second name, Niger (meaning dark) revealed a man of two distinct and strong cultures that were combined in one. God intends for His church to look like Heaven, mixed.
Not only does God need encouragers within His church and also people from different cultures as we go to Be On Mission within different cultures, God needs those who have a past or come from hard families and life. As we see, the next three mentioned within our text are men with pasts, failures, and rough backgrounds.
God called a man that was a foster brother to a hater of the church, Manaen
Manaen was raised up in in the court of Herod the tetrarch or already introduced as Herod Antiochus. He should should sound familiar. He successfully killed James, the brother of John, and attempted to kill Peter. The idea behind the Greek of the phrase, brought up with, within the Greek reveals a close relationship with, similar to that of a foster brother. Manaen was brought up, raised up, in a family that hated the Jewish people and wished for nothing more than this Jesus movement to end. He was a black sheep within the family for trust in Christ and following Him. He was a black sheep for Being On Mission. God not only uses those with a history and roots within the church, He not only uses those from multi-ethnic backgrounds, and those from sorted families, but he also uses those with a past.
God called a man that was a converted pharisee and former persecutor of the church, Saul
Finally, God uses those who makes mistakes and after restoring them, uses to Be On Mission.
God called a man that would grow through failures to write the first Gospel, Mark
Mark would be one who would be at the heart of a dispute between Barnabas and Paul at some point later down the road, but at this point, he is a helper. He is young, immature in the faith, and needs discipleship. Hey! That’s sounds like many within the church today. Before it’s all said and done, a man who Saul/Paul refused to work with will be asked to join with him again to Be On Mission. Do not let your age, your in experience, your failures keep you from growing in the Lord and in His kingdom work.
As we look at these five men, what are some take aways? I’m glad you asked. If you don’t care, that’s okay, because I’m going to tell you anyway.
What does the church of today take from this?
Our past does not define our present nor our future
Our past does not define our usefulness for kingdom work
Despite our past, God can and will use us for kingdom work
As look at these lessons and move forward within our text, let us be reminded of the calling that every child of God has on their life to Be On Mission. May we understand this is not a man made call, but a…
Divine Calling (v. 2-3)
2 While they were serving the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set Barnabas and Saul apart for Me for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then, when they had fasted, prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
Leadership is not a choice…it is a calling - ‘…the Holy Spirit said, Set Barnabas and Saul apart for Me for the work to which I have called them…’
Leadership is not a choice…it is a commission - ‘…laid their hands on them, they sent them away…’
Leadership is not a choice… it is a commitment - ‘…fasted, prayed…’
Are we committed to the gospel? Are we committed to evangelism? Are we committed to ministry? Are we committed to Be On Mission? God calls us all to be…
Dedicated to Missions (vv. 4-5)
4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 5 When they reached Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews; and they also had John as their helper.
These men, this first century church understood worship. They understood worship involved fasting. They understood worship involved prayer. They understood worship involved missions. In all this they understood worship involved dedication. That my dear beloved is missing today, dedication. However, if we are going to Be On Mission, we must be dedicated to missions. As with everything else, if we are going to Be On Mission, we need a strategy and what we find, within our text, is just that. The very first strategy for the church to Be On Mission. We find a three step assimilation for mission strategy. What are these three steps?
The 1st Century Church Steps to Missions
Go…Go to the people
Go…Go to the church house
Go…Go as a team
It is amazing that at the foundation of every mission strategy these same three steps are there after two-thousand years. We are to go! We are to Be On Mission.
Conclusion |
I wonder this morning, what is God calling you to do? Is calling you to accept His Son as Lord and Savior? Is God calling you to step out and Be On Mission? Is God calling you to stop looking at the past of others as a justification for your judgment of them? Is God calling you stop using your past, your family, your failures as an excuse for not being faithful to Be On Mission? What is God calling you to do?
