All That God Had Done With Them
This Way: Missions in Acts • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed. And after they had passed throughout Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia.
And when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down into Attalia: And thence sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled.
And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles. And there they abode long time with the disciples.
Introduction
Introduction
The missionaries are now returning to their sending church. What has happened since they left? This morning, we will see what God has done and what God still can do.
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.
The missionaries of Acts 13 were used of God to reach many with the Gospel. We saw last week that the Holy Spirit stirred up the church at Antioch to send them out to follow the leading of God. In our passage here, they are returning to that same church. Missionaries do the same thing today, often after four years. This is called a furlough. The purpose is that God would get the glory for what He has done through His servants.
Throughout the Bible, we see the testimony of those whom God has used. The prophets were stirred up by “thus saith the Lord.” They carried the message that God had given them to the people in need of repentance. The two on the road to Emmaus had their spirit stirred in them. They heard Jesus speak and when they finally recognized Him, they ran back to the city to tell the disciples.
The testimony of God’s people is always told with the blessing and working of God. We can see on each page of our lives the many ways that God has been involved in them. As we look toward Thanksgiving, we may need to step back and praise God for what He has done. Wiersbe reminds us,
God’s providential working in our lives is both a delight and a mystery. God is constantly working with us (Mark 16:20), in us (Phil. 2:12–13), and for us (Rom. 8:28) and accomplishing His gracious purposes.
Warren W. Wiersbe
God uses those who are able to be used by Him. The Bible calls these people disciples. As we study this section, be sure to prepare your heart and your life to be used by God.
Declaration
Declaration
God wants to use those who are willing to follow Him. The missionaries returned to the churches planted and the sending church. Today, we must have courage to be faithful and usable in the plan of getting the Gospel to the world. Three aspects of God’s working in missions are seen here.
1. God Protects His Servants
1. God Protects His Servants
And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
As God is working in missions, He protects His servants. We see this in verses 20-21. Paul and Barnabas return to the cities that they had recently gone to and preached the good news.
Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city: and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe. And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch,
The primary action of the missions team was preaching the Gospel. They told everyone that Jesus had lived a perfect life, died on the cross, was buried, and God had raised Him from the dead. Only through believing in Him would they have eternal life. There is a pattern of preaching the Word by Paul and Barnabas. God blesses the preaching of the Gospel.
We know that all of us are sinners. We cannot do anything on our own to save ourselves from eternal punishment. Yet, Jesus has done all that is necessary and He offers each and every person the free gift of pardon. Will you take it? This is the Gospel message.
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
If you have never believed on Jesus for salvation, do so today. This is the most important decision of your life. It changes your eternal destiny. For such a great cause, we as Christians are called to give our lives in giving this good news to the world. Your opportunity is now and your time is today. Trust Jesus for salvation today!
We see in verse 21 that they taught as well in the city of Derbe. The two men then returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch of Pisidia. The verses just before this show us what faith they must have had in God’s protection. After healing a lame man, a mob forms to worship Paul and Barnabas. When they are told that God is the One who has healed, they are barely kept from sacrificing to the two men. Some Jews came from the other two cities and caused the mob to change to a destructive riot. We see in verses 18-19,
And with these sayings scarce restrained they the people, that they had not done sacrifice unto them. And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead.
Paul had been almost killed here in Lystra. But we see in our text that they have chosen to return to these cities. The message that they give to these believers is one learned by experience and study of the Bible. The Christian life is one of struggle and trials.
There are three points of review in verse 22. First, the two are working to cause strength in those that are now disciples. Missionaries are engaged in preparing those who have become Christians to have a firm foundation for their Christian life. Elsewhere in Acts,
And Judas and Silas, being prophets also themselves, exhorted the brethren with many words, and confirmed them.
Second, there is a focus by Paul that the believers would “continue in the faith”. They would need to move forward in their faith and following Jesus instead of staying where they were in fear of reprisals like Paul had faced. Continuing does not mean there will not be trials. Paul had trials. If we continue in the faith, we will see victories in spite of trials.
And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;
The trials of the Christian life can be faced with courage by remembering the hope of the Gospel. One day, Jesus will return and we will be with Him forever. The third focus is on a truth of the Christian life that “we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.” This is a point of eschatology in verse 22. Jesus also went through trials in the sense of suffering for sin as the Messiah. One day, we will reach the kingdom and be at physical peace. Until then, we have the promise of Jesus in trials.
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
God protects His servants. Paul and Barnabas travel back to the cities that most recently caused them great harm. Paul had been stoned and left for dead at Lystra. But, God protected them and allowed them to serve Him in encouraging the believers. God protects His servants.
There are countless stories of the ways that God has protected His servants throughout Scripture.
There is the story of Joash in 2 Kings 11. Athaliah, the queen of Judah, killed all of the royal family. But, Joash was saved and preserved to rule the kingdom when he was older.
God preserved the line of David from destruction. There are other stories like Paul being let out of the city of Damascus in a basket. Daniel was kept safe in a den of lions all night.
Does God always protect His Servants? Sometimes, He allows the to suffer for His name or even give their lives. But, all the time, God does protect His servants from many things that would cause harm. When we think that we are on our own, as believers, He is there with us and He knows all that is going on.
God protects His servants. When trials come, God has control of the situation. There will be trials but the future awaits. Today, you can have confidence that God controls the trials of your life as He does those of the missionaries.
2. God Guides His Servants
2. God Guides His Servants
And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed. And after they had passed throughout Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia. And when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down into Attalia: And thence sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled.
As Paul and Barnabas encourage the believers, God guides them to preaching the Gospel in a new city. God guides His servants in the practical and the geographical. If we will allow Him to have our hearts, God will lead us to His perfect will.
The two men are not just encouraging the churches but we see here that they are equipping them as well. The choice of pastors was by prayer with fasting. This word “elder” is one of the three names for a pastor in the New Testament. A pastor is called an “elder” and a “bishop” as well. Together, these three titles point to the various responsibilities of the pastor’s role.
Pastor - the leader in the church shepherds the flock
Elder - the leader in the church guides and preaches the Word
Bishop - the leader in the church oversees and takes the ruling leadership
Paul and Barnabas are seen in verse 23 as ordaining elders. It seems that they selected certain mature believers to lead. In other passages, we see the church voting for its leaders as well. This word “ordained” is also related to voting. Paul sent Titus to Crete for this purpose in later years. He writes,
For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee:
The pastors here are to communicate with God and follow His leading. God guides His servants. The two men then gave the people into the hand of God and trusted Him to take care of them. Letting go of those you have invested in is a hard thing for a leader to do.
Over the last several years, I have had to part with some of my best employees at work. One I had to lay off. The other left to pursue better things in a different job. In both cases, it was very hard for me to see them leave when I had trained them and invested in them.
We struggle to allow those in our life that we are leaving in the hand of God. But, we should be quick to do the opposite. There is no safer place than the hand of God. We must place those we have invested where they are under the care of the One who holds all things. There is a verse that always come to my mind when I contemplate this truth.
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
Verses 24-25 record for us the other cities that they visited. These two men continued to preach the Gospel wherever they went. God brought them to those who He knew would need to hear it. He will do the same for us.
For this God is our God for ever and ever: He will be our guide even unto death.
Finally, they returned to the city of Antioch in Syria. Luke writes that the work was fulfilled in verse 26 What they had been sent to do was now accomplished. They had followed the guiding of God to cities that needed to hear the Gospel. This is the same pattern that missionaries today follow. The men have now closed this first journey with a return to the city that they came from. The grace of God carried them out of Antioch and now back into it again.
God guides His servants. Those who need to hear the Gospel are those who He will bring us to. We will have, today, divine appointments to give the good news. Are we allowing God to guide us as He did with these missionaries? God will accomplish what He has purposed.
3. God Does Great Things with His Servants
3. God Does Great Things with His Servants
And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles. And there they abode long time with the disciples.
When the church sent Paul and Barnabas out to obey the calling of the Holy Spirit, they did not know what they were going to accomplish. We do not know what a missionary might accomplish on a foreign field. Yet, God does great things with His servants. God did the same thing through Jesus that He now does through Paul and Silas. In the Psalms, there was a promise that the foundation of faith was going to be rejected by men but established by God. The work of God is always great!
The stone which the builders refused Is become the head stone of the corner. This is the Lord’s doing; It is marvellous in our eyes.
God does great things with His servants. What are the two things that God had done? 1) God worked in them and 2) God opened the door for the Gentiles to believe.
God worked in these two men. They speak to the church gathered together and tell them about the preaching and healing. They tell them about the stoning of Paul and the opposition of the sorcerer. They repeat about those who believed the gospel. They tell them about those who were encouraged to be faithful in these pagan cities. This is the job of the missionary today to report to the churches what God has done. The key truth of God’s working is that He has promised to be present. We must allow Him to be active in the work.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
The second work of God was to open a door to allow the Gospel to reach those who were not Jewish. Before Christ, a believer in God would have to convert to Judaism. Now, the good news is that any human can respond to death of Jesus for their sin. Paul often uses this image to describe freedom for preaching the Gospel. God works in spite of opposition to open doors.
For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.
God does great things with His servants. Hear the joy of the missionary that has seen God work in a foreign land. See the joy of a believer who has led someone to the Saviour. One writer summarizes it thus,
The Acts of the Apostles Acts 14:24–28
Reviewing their experiences, Paul and Barnabas were able to see the hand of God in everything that had happened.
God does great things with His servants. He wants to use each of us. But are we going, serving, and following Him? Paul and Barnabas saw God do great things with them because they were usable. Are you willing to be used today?
Conclusion
Conclusion
God wants to use those who are willing to follow Him. The missionaries returned to the churches planted and the sending church. Today, we must have courage to be faithful and usable in the plan of getting the Gospel to the world.
The team was always preaching, encouraging, and obeying God. Character is what you do consistently. Character is what you do when no one else is looking. On their own, these missionaries were faithful to the work of God.
We want to see God work in us to send and support missionaries. This is the heart of God in giving the Holy Spirit for ability to obey the Great Commission. Are we a church that is usable for Him?
God protects His servants. But we complain when we suffer trials. We run from the hard things in life and hope for an end to suffering. Paul and Barnabas allowed God’s will to lead them even into possible suffering. Have confidence in God today and stay faithful in suffering!
Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.
God guides His servants. We must be listening and serving Him. Believer, look for the divine appointments today and give the Gospel. God wants us to be involved in the work.
God does great things with His servants. God wants to use you and me. Are we usable? Are you serving? Are you going? Are you giving? Are you willing?
Hudson Taylor is a well-known missionary to China. He was called by God to go to this country in the 19th Century. The interior of China had many people that had never heard that Jesus had died for them. There was poverty and hardship. Still, Taylor persisted.
When he returned on furloughs, he never asked for money. Instead, he believed God would supply what was needed as He always did. Instead, Taylor told the great things that God had done through his willingness to serve God.
We may never go to a mission field. We are still called to be involved in the preaching of the Gospel to the nations. One day, we will hear about the great things that God has done through His willing servants and the church that is usable by Him.
May that be our church today. What about you?
