For the Work Whereunto I have Called Them
This Way: Missions in Acts • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.
And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
Introduction
Introduction
The calling of missionaries is the work of the Holy Spirit. We have seen throughout Acts that the Holy Spirit must have freedom to work in and through the church. This morning, we will see God send the first official missionaries from the church at Antioch.
The mission of the church is the same mission given to the Eleven during the forty days that Jesus was on earth after His Resurrection. Jesus commissions them to take the good news of the Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus for all mankind to each and every person. We see throughout the book of Acts that those Eleven, and the others who were part of the church at Jerusalem, went everywhere preaching this gospel. In our series on missions in Acts, we will study several of these chapters to learn about missions in the local church.
Do you give to support missions? Do you have a heart for those here in Virginia, the United States, and the world that have not accepted the free gift of salvation? Evangelism comes from a heart that has been changed by accepting the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross for sin. Missions comes from that same heart that has caught the command that Jesus has given us, His church.
And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Together, we need to ask God to gives us, as a church, a desire to send and support those who are going to the lost people around the world just as we go to those here in Virginia. This is the focus of our series on “This Way” in the book of Acts.
As we look at the beginning of chapter 13, we should define the two terms based on what we learn from the Word of God. What is a missionary? Are they different from an evangelist? We can find the answers in our passage this morning.
A missionary is a person in touch with God through prayer, called by the Holy Spirit, and sent by a church to preach the Gospel. We will see this in the sending of Barnabas and Saul.
An evangelist is a person who gives the Gospel, the good news of the Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus for the removal of sin. A missionary is also an evangelist as they give the Gospel. We see this in the pattern of these two as they are sent.
We are looking this morning at the first sending of missionaries out of a local church. Today, we follow the same pattern. The heart of God is to get the good news of salvation to those who have yet to hear the truth. When Jesus was on earth, He gave one prayer request,
Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.
We will see this morning that prayer is an important part of missions. Are you praying faithfully? Are you focused on growing closer to God? God is able to use a church like that. May we be such here at Revival Baptist Church. Let’s take these definitions and use them to learn from this passage about the Work that God has for His servants.
Declaration
Declaration
God uses those who are already busy serving Him. In our passage, we see that the church listened to the Holy Spirit and sent Saul and Barnabas. Today, we must have a burden for the lost, a passion to listen to the Spirit, and a willingness to draw closer to Him as we prepare to support missionaries. There are three divisions of the Work that God uses in this passage to further the Gospel message.
1. The People God Uses
1. The People God Uses
Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
The first verse describes the people that God uses. God uses people who are “in the church” in a local area. The people God uses are those who are involved with the local church. Are you involved in your church?
We saw recently that those who had believed the Bible and received salvation by the Gospel were faithful in several ways. After the sermon at Pentecost, the church at Jerusalem was gathering together to grow in the faith. This is the image of a faithful church.
Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
In chapter 13, we are looking at another church, the church at Antioch. In the chapters since Acts 3, there has been increased persecution for the believers in Jerusalem. As a result, the Gospel has spread to other places by those who were scattered from Jerusalem. This is the way that we arrive at a group of believers in Antioch, which is north and west of Judah. Recently, the church at Antioch had sent Barnabas and Saul to bring financial help to the church at Jerusalem. They were involved in ministering to the needs of these believers. The people that God uses are already involved in serving Him.
And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch. And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judaea: Which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.
These two men have now returned to Antioch. Along the way, they are joined by John Mark. This team will be used of God in the days ahead. They don’t know the future but they are continuing to serve God.
But the word of God grew and multiplied. And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their ministry, and took with them John, whose surname was Mark.
This brings us to our passage here. The two offices here are teachers and prophets. The teacher was someone who made clear doctrine or belief. The prophets were the preachers. One dictionary explains that a prophet is “one who speaks for God.” (Louw-Nida) These were the leaders of the church. The people that God uses are spiritual leaders in their church. This is not always a position but it is always a passion. These men were passionate about getting closer to God and giving Him their praise.
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
There is another truth that we learn by looking at this list. The people that God uses are diverse but united. There is a listing hear of people from different ethnic backgrounds. They had been in different belief systems before their salvation. There was a difference of economic positions as well.
Barnabas was a Jewish man from Cyprus
Simeon was likely a black man from Africa
Lucius was from another port city on the Mediterranean coast of Africa
Manaen grew up in the family of a king and likely was wealthy
Saul was a Pharisee who had been trained by the best religious schools
God uses different people and He is not a respecter of persons. What united these men? The same thing that unites us today. We are united by the common salvation by the atonement of Jesus. We all have a common problem of sin. There is a common salvation offered by Jesus through His death on the cross and His Resurrection. Give Gospel. We can have salvation today by putting our complete faith in Jesus for salvation.
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Continuing on from verse 11, Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus in chapter 4,
For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Believer, are you someone that God could use? My desire and character must be visible in faithfully serving Him, leading others to do the same, and encouraging others to be united in the common salvation. This is the Christian life. Do you have that character? Are you a person that God will use? Each of these men was ready to serve God as we see in verse 2.
2. The Process God Uses
2. The Process God Uses
As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.
In verse 2, we see the process that God uses. God uses worship, prayer, and the working of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers. These are the same methods that God uses today.
These leaders (and likely the rest of the church) were involved in the same activities as Old Testament priests, worshipping God. The word translated “ministered” is used in the Greek Old Testament for the job of the priests as they would worship God in the Tabernacle and Temple. The New Testament teaches us that as saved people, we are all priests with direct access to God. God uses the process of worshipping and drawing closer to Him.
Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
It seems here that this word “ministered” is another way to say that they were faithfully and earnestly praying. The fasting and praying was toward the end of getting more in touch with God and bringing honor to His name. The pattern of Daniel in the Old Testament shows us that fasting and praying is always a response to the working of God. Are you praying that God would work in your life to help you grow as a believer?
In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans; In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
Seeking God involves prayer and denial of self. I need help here as I often give into what is comfortable or pleasing to myself. Yet the Bible is clear that the process that God uses is a denial of self. We see this in the life of Elijah.
And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.
Elijah was quick to speak the Word of God. But, immediately after, his life became hardship because of obeying God. The life of Elijah shows us a truth that God uses a process of self denial to prepare those who will serve Him.
And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook. And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.
As these men are worshipping God, the Holy Spirit speaks. He directly commands the church to put aside Saul and Barnabas for service. We see here that God had already called Barnabas and Saul. The process that God uses is the calling of those who will serve Him through the Holy Spirit.
I can speak from experience of this in my own life. God called me to serve Him with my life early in life. But there have been times of wilderness and self-denial that I am still living in to prepare me to be what God wants me to be. He does the same for each person that will follow Him.
Paul will later refer to this description in one of his letter. The believer is separated from the world by salvation from sin. He is separated from other Christians by a unique call of God on his life.
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,
Believer, you are a called person. Every saved person is called to serve God with everything that they have. Some will be called to a vocation in ministry. But, whatever the call, we must have a life of sacrifice.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
3. The Prayer God Uses
3. The Prayer God Uses
And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
In verse 3, we see the prayer that God uses. God uses prayer that is according to His will. The church at Antioch was careful to seek the will of God and then follow it. We saw earlier that this is Jesus’ one prayer request.
Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.
One missionary said,
Acts Acts 13:1–12
Zwemer, a scholar and missionary to Busrah, Bahrain (1891–1905), said, “The history of missions is the history of answered prayer.”
Prayer is directed to God. The church fasted and prayed about what the Holy Spirit had said. Then they sent them out to obey the calling of God. There was a partnership between the church and the missionaries. The prayer that God uses is a prayer of partnership. Here, we see that there was a desire to meet with God and get His heart and guidance on actions. One dictionary explains this word for prayer as “conversation with God”. (NIDNTTE) We should be careful to speak to and hear from God as well. The fasting was accompanied by the prayer of the people to get in touch with God. Prayer is an essential part of every area of church but here especially for sending missionaries. When Jesus selected His disciples, He spent the entire night before in prayer to the Father. Prayer is essential.
And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;
After they fasted and prayed, they laid hands on the two men. This was a sign that they were deputizing them to take the Gospel in their place. Then the church sent them out to follow their call. There was not a desire to keep them back but instead an action to send them. This was the allowing of these men to go on their sacred task with the blessing of the church. The prayer that God uses is one that is paired with obedience. The church was obedient to what God had said to Saul and Barnabas first and them second. Many year later, Paul would remind Timothy that he was still carrying out the same calling.
Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.
Prayer is an essential part of missions. John Goforth and his wife Rosalind were missionaries in the late 1800s to China. Two books tell the importance of prayer to their service.
Evangelical Dictionary of World Missions Goforth, Jonathan
Goforth’s first focus was the North Honon Province, at that time a dangerous territory for foreigners. Given Jonathan’s energetic and inspired commitment to soul-winning and to establishing a witness in new areas, the Goforths immersed themselves in the culture. Despite many setbacks and trials, including the deaths of several of their children, their first decade saw the cultivation of indigenous Bible teachers and evangelists.
The Goforths escaped with their lives during the 1900 Boxer Rebellion, although Jonathan was nearly killed. After a brief furlough in Canada they returned to China in 1901. Grief over modernism in the homeland churches and the powerlessness of the small satellite churches in China moved Jonathan to hunger and plead with God for revival. Jonathan personally witnessed the great Korean revival in 1907 and returned to China with the burning desire to see God’s spiritual blessing fall there. On a speaking tour of established churches throughout Manchuria, Jonathan’s desire was realized as the spirit of revival began to take hold.
Acts Acts 13:1–12
Biography: Jonathan Goforth. Goforth was appointed by the Canadian Presbyterian Church to start a new mission in the province of Honan, China.
We may not be called to go to another country to give the gospel. God doesn’t have that call for every person. But the entire church was involved in praying and sending these first missionaries. God uses the prayer of His people to accomplish His will. Are you praying faithfully? Prayer is an essential part of missions.
Conclusion
Conclusion
God uses those who are already busy serving Him. In our passage, we see that the church listened to the Holy Spirit and sent Saul and Barnabas. Today, we must have a burden for the lost, a passion to listen to the Spirit, and a willingness to draw closer to Him as we prepare to support missionaries.
God uses people, a process, and prayer to send missionaries. God uses people, a process, and prayer in the local church as well. I want to be someone that God can use.
How about you?
Are you a person that God can use? God uses those who are already involved in serving Him. I have in my Bible right now a card with five specific tasks that we need help with. Are you serving in the church? Serve today!
Are you involved in the process that God can use? Deny your self and listen to the Holy Spirit. The working of God is according to our willingness and invitation to Him.
Are you praying? God uses prayers that are according to His will. We must know the will of God and conform our will to Him. God’s will is that all come to salvation through His Son. This is the job of the home evangelist and the foreign missionary.
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Missions is the command of Jesus to take the good news to the ends of the earth. This is the task that Saul and Barnabas took up in this passage. May we have the same desire today. If you feel God calling you to be a missionary, say yes today. We as a church should want to be involved in sending missionaries with the Gospel to the world.
And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
