A Mission-Focused People

Introduction

First Baptist Church of Castle Rock was formed in 1962 with the stated mission: “…to advance the kingdom of God through the propagation of the Gospel.”  It’s been popular to update older mission statements with newer words, but frankly I’ve never lead us to do this in my time here because I think those who came before us got it right.  I guess if I was going to update it all I would simply say that “First Baptist Castle Rock exists to advance the kingdom of God through the spread of the Gospel of Jesus.”  Essentially, it’s still the same statement, however.

Too often, however, these mission statements don’t truly drive the functioning of the church.  They should, but they often don’t.  It’s not intentional, of course, but it’s usually just easier to get by than to be mission-focused.

As I evaluated 2025, there is a lot to celebrate.

The youth ministry has grown faster than any youth group I’ve ever been part of.

We had eleven people go through the Pathway membership class.

We’ve seen numerous new families become part of the church.

We’ve had a couple of baptisms.

Our giving to our SBC mission offerings have outpaced churches twice our size.

We have a dedicated group of people who do a phenomenal job caring for one another.

We’ve started the process of becoming engaged with Disaster Relief.

We have a number of small groups that have formed who are adding value to people’s lives.

However, one thing that stands out to me is something that I hold myself accountable: we’ve done a lot, but I’m not sure we’ve accomplished a lot.  Or, at least as much as I wanted to.  And that is on me.  Because, too often I have lost sight of the mission: to advance the kingdom of God through the spread of the Gospel.

While it’s true that I’m trying to do a lot to live an on-mission life; ministering the to community, developing relationships with people who don’t know Jesus, supporting ministries within the church that minister to people, etc., I ultimately am responsible for keeping the church mission-focused as the pastor.

I’m not saying all this to beat myself up, or to seem like I’m mad about last year, however.  I’m saying it because I want to see even more incredible things happen within our church this year so we can do much more to advance the kingdom of God through the spread of the Gospel.

In fact, I’ve set some goals for the coming year that all pertain to this mission.  I wrote them in the format of “By December 31, 2026, I want us to…” so the goals are measurable and time-sensitive.  Five noteworthy goals that I believe are most crucial are as follows:

By December 31, 2026 I want us to have baptized at least ten people.

By December 31, 2026 I want us to develop a clear plan for equipping people for the ministry God is calling them to fulfill.

By December 31, 2026, I want us to make upgrades to the buildings to enhance people’s experience while attending our various weekly activities.

By December 31, 2026 I want us to have a clear plan for sending at least one mission team to somewhere on a short-term mission trip in the next three years.

By December 31, 2026 I want us to have recruited new deacons and launched a deacons ministry focused on caring for the needs of our church members.

Why do I feel like these are crucial? Because they are all mission-focused. Each one requires us to or will enhance our efforts in advancing the kingdom of God through the spread of the Gospel.

As I think about being mission-focused, it is appropriate that we come back to our study in Acts, focusing on the First Missionary Journey of Paul, Barnabas and their companions. In fact, I see God’s timing in this as it is a perfect section of Scripture to start a new year on as we learn some vital lessons from this first missionary team on how we can be mission-focused right here in our context today.

Body: Acts 13:13-52

Key Question: How can we be a mission-focused people in 2026?

Verses 13-14

The First Missionary Journey missionaries land on Asia Minor...(show maps)

Perga was a economically poor Roman city, in the province known as Pamphylia.

Did they evangelize Attalia or Perga? We don’t know. They were both small and might not have had a synagogue. Or Luke just didn’t record it.

John Mark abandons the missionary team...

The reason why isn’t stated, but this will become a major conflict for Paul and Barnabas when they attempt their next missionary journey together.

Homesick?

Leadership change?

Hardships were too much?

Afraid?

Paul’s theology?

We are not sure...

Missionaries go to the synagogue in Antioch in Pisidia...

One of many cities named Antioch in the ANE.

The road to Pisidian Antioch was difficult; rugged, hostile terrain, filled with robbers, to an elevation of 3600 feet.

But Pisidian Antioch had strategic value. It was a Roman colony, with good roads and trade. It also had a synagogue, so Jews were present.

Verse 15

Why are the missionaries welcomed to speak at the synagogue?

We see here a glimpse into the synagogue services throughout the Gentile world.

There would have been a reading from Scripture (I’m guessing in this case it had to do with David, because Paul references David in his message...)

Then the rulers, or leaders of the synagogue would ask someone to bring a message of encouragement (i.e. that would bring comfort them and exhort them to live lives of faithful obedience to Yahweh.)

To have Jewish men with ties to Jerusalem come to speak would have been a high honor for this synagogue in the diaspora.

Verses 16-25

Paul’s sermon begins by focusing on God’s redemptive history with Israel:

God delivers them out of Egypt...

God gives them an inheritance in Canaan...

God gives them the leaders they wanted:

The judges...

Samuel the prophet...

Saul...

David...

Now, God has given them the Promised Savior from the line of David...

Interesting that Paul points to John the Baptist as a witness. Why?

Possibly the people of this synagogue knew of John the Baptist? Or, maybe Paul had heard John preach and it stuck with him?

He wants to make it clear that John the Baptist never claimed to be the Messiah, but instead pointed to Jesus.

Verses 26-31

Paul continues:

The message of the descendants of Abraham is the message of salvation found in David’s descendant, Jesus...

The Jewish religious leaders rejected Jesus as the Messiah, just as was told they would...

The Jewish religious leaders had Jesus executed under the authority of Pilate.

But God raised Jesus from the dead and appeared to many witnesses.

Key Question: How can we be a mission-focused people in 2026?

Mission-focused people are a people of the Book.

Paul knows God’s Word. But he also knows how all of God’s Word points to the fulfillment of God’s promises found in Jesus.

His quotes are from Psalm 2:7; Isaiah 55:3; Psalm 16:10; Habakkuk 1:5

Jesus is unquestionably the central figure in all history. God’s Word, from the very beginning, tells us the story of God’s redemptive history, culminating in the person and work of Jesus.

Everything we need to know to become aware of our status as sinners, to be forgiven of our sins, live a life pleasing to God, and to have the promise of Heaven when we die is found in God’s Word, the Bible.

The Bible isn’t a textbook that will answer every question we might have...

But it answers life’s most important questions: Why am I here? What am I hear to do? Who is behind all this? Where can I find direction for life? Is there life after death?

And yet, the Bible is often called the best-selling, least read book in all the world.

Today, we have greater access at the Bible than at any time in human history...

In Ray Bradbury’s classic work, Fahrenheit 451, one of the main characters quips: “You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.” That is most definitely true of the Bible.

In fact, I would argue that the major slide in American culture is, at least in part, due to the widespread Bible illiteracy within Western culture today.

The bottom-line is this: people don’t read the Bible like they should today, and our lives, our churches, our community, and our country are feeling the negative effects of this trend.

We must dedicate ourselves to the study and application of the Bible.

If we plan on being a mission-focused people this year, then we must dedicate, or rededicate ourselves to studying the Bible and applying it to every area of our lives.

We need to do this privately...

We need to do this with other believers...

We need to do this as a church community...

Don’t miss this point: we need to study and we need to apply it to our lives.

If we aren’t applying God’s Word then we are ignoring God’s Word...

((STOP HERE THIS WEEK))

Verses 32-41

The resurrection of Jesus is central to the message of the Gospel.

It fulfills God’s promises.

Jesus isn’t dead, He’s alive!

Key Passage: “Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.”

Paul’s So What?

Those who hear should take note so they don’t miss God at work, as their forefathers so often did.

Mission-focused people have a singular message: the Gospel of Jesus.

Missionaries don’t go on a foreign mission field to see the world, experience different cultures, take in the sites, or expand their horizons. All those things are a result of going on mission, but it’s not the why. Missionaries go on the foreign mission field to tell people about Jesus. It’s their singular message.

This church wasn’t planted to help the poor, give Christians a happy place to gather with other believers, or to give people social outlets. All those things are a result of this church being planted, but not the why. This church was planted to advance the kingdom of God through the spreading of the Gospel. It’s our singular message.

But, it’s easy to lose sight of that. It’s easy for me to lose sight of that, and I live the Gospel ministry 24/7. But, the Gospel, the Good News, can simply become a heartwarming, important fact, to be believed like so many other facts.

I believe that 2+2=4. I believe that two hydrogen molecules and one oxygen molecules makes water. I believe that ice is cold. All of these are facts. But, none of these facts brings any joy to my life. None of these facts spur me towards good works. None of these facts will give me hope for my eternity. They are facts, not good news.

But, the fact that I’m a man who was hopelessly lost in my depravity, who desperately needed a Savior, and who can to know that Jesus saved me in spite of the man that I was (and still am in many ways), and has given me a new life in Him and a hope of future glory with God in Heaven...now that, beloved, is Good News that changes my life and radically effects my life! Does it change and effect yours as well?

We must make the Gospel central in our lives and church.

What does it mean to make the Gospel central to our lives and church?

We must know the Gospel, receive the Gospel and truly believe the Gospel...

We must constantly recognize that if it wasn’t for the Gospel, we’d be without hope in this life and certainly without hope in the next life...

Upon receiving the Gospel, we must constantly evaluate the impact the Gospel has on our decisions...

We must do what we can so that others will have an opportunity to know, receive and believe the Gospel...

My best illustration is my love interests before April and after I fell in love with April...

There are many women I know, but only one woman who owns the central place in my heart...and because of that, I need to do what I can to show her that I’m devoted to her by the decision I make...

When a church is full of people who make the Gospel central to our lives, then it will bleed out into our church and it’s multitude of ministries...

Verses 42-45

The initial response is positive, with even an invitation to come back and speak again.

A crowd gathers, some of whom were enemies of the message of Paul.  They begin contradicting Paul and the missionaries.

The idea of offering the Gentiles and equal share into the kingdom of God was reprehensible to the Jews...(God had a plan for the Gentiles, but not equal to that of God’s people, the Jews...)

Two interesting words here: “contradict” and “reviling”

contradict = to answer with a contrary assertion or in counter to.

Made up of a compound word “anti” meaning “against” and “lego” meaning “spoken words.” Essentially, to speak against.

Like in an argument, this is the opposing side. It can be done civilly.

reviling = to speak of in an irreverent or impious manner.

It the word translated to blaspheme. It cannot be done civilly.

So, what we see here is they cannot successfully contradict Paul’s theology, so they attack him personally...

Mission-focused people will experience both positive and negative responses to the Gospel.

My friend Kyle Restoule recently passed away at the age of 58. Kyle had as much impact on my spiritual growth as any man in the first few years of my ministry. This is interesting because I hated Kyle when I first met him.

But, overtime, my feelings towards Kyle cooled and he became a friend, a mentor, and a brother. But Kyle was also my Paul (explain...)

Being a Paul, Kyle liked to ask me challenging questions that forced me to reflect on what I believed.

One such question he asked me, after I surrendered to the ministry was...

What if it was God’s will for me to go a place that I would be used by Him, but I would be hurt? Dang. I hated that question. I still kind of hate that question!

But, I learned something important that day: if I was going to follow the call of God it wasn’t about people’s positive or negative responses. It was about faithfully fulfilling God’s call. That’s it. God will handle the results.

A constant throughout the rest of the book of Acts is going to be this: some respond to the Gospel in faith, and many respond to it with rejection, anger and even violence.

I’d love to say that has changed. It hasn’t. It’s different today in America, but it’s still there.

The majority of Christians today, however, will never really experience someone truly rejecting the Gospel because they refuse to share it with anyone because they are afraid they are going to reject the Gospel, or worse, them.

Here’s the antidote to that:

Some people will respond in faith. You don’t necessarily know in advance who that will be, just as Paul had no idea who would respond in faith when he went to Pisidian Antioch. He faithfully fulfilled his ministry and look at verse 48:

Acts 13:48 “And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.”

If Paul said no before they were able to say no, where would those Gentiles have been?

We must be willing to go to people with the Gospel, regardless of the potential negative responses to the Gospel, because some people will respond with faith.

Beloved, some will respond in faith. Many won’t. We don’t have to get angry at them over this. God doesn’t hold us accountable for someone else’s faith or lack-there-of. We are just called to go and share.

But, your a preacher. Paul was an evangelist. I’m not either of those!

Here’s my answer to that: Thank God for that! See, God doesn’t simply use theologians, gifted speakers, and career ministers to tell people the Good News. More often than not, He uses regular folks.

Do you know that I can point to five different people in this congregation right now who have shared the Gospel with as many, if not more, people on a one-on-one basis last year than I did?

They aren’t preachers or evangelists. They are just willing to share because they know that it’s not right to say no for someone else. And that there are still some that will respond in faith. It’s our calling to go find them!

Verses 46-49

This resistance causes Paul and Barnabas to shift their focus to evangelizing the Gentiles instead.

This doesn’t mean that Paul and Barnabas will never go to the Jews again. In fact, the first place they go after this is Iconium and the first place they go when in Iconium is a Jewish synagogue.

But, Paul sees an opportunity that the Holy Spirit has given him to go tell the good news to the Gentiles.

And Paul is not without biblical merit. He quotes Isaiah 49:6.

Isaiah 49:6 “he says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.””

See, for Paul, the Gospel wasn’t just for the Jews, but for everyone.

This will infuriate the Jews, but Paul stands by the fact that the Gospel is Good News for all peoples, Jews and Gentiles alike!

But don’t miss this: it was ultimately the Holy Spirit who opened this door to the Gentiles. How do I know this?

Acts 14:27 “And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.”

Paul sees that hand of the Triune God involved in this decision to evangelize the Gentiles.

The Gentiles rejoice in this good news and the word of the Lord spreads throughout the region.

Mission-focused people are sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

To be mission-focused is a calling to be led by the Holy Spirit. But what does that mean?

As Baptists, we have often been guilty of ignoring the theology of the Holy Spirit because we see what we consider excesses in various other denominations.

We are right to be cautious with all excesses, but we make a grave error to not have a robust theology of the Holy Spirit.

In part because the Holy Spirit is the Person of the Trinity who dwells with us as believers.

John 14:16–17 “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”

John 14:25–26 ““These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

Jesus tells us here that the Holy Spirit is sent per His request to us from the Father to be with us forever; He is the Helper; He is the Spirit of truth; He is our teacher; He spurs us to remember Christ Jesus teachings. There is so much more, but hopefully you get my point. As believers, the Holy Spirit constantly dwells with us.

And yet, it is possible to ignore, to stifle, and the resist the leading of the Holy Spirit.

When we do, we won’t hear from Him. He will seem distant because we’ve made Him distant.

When we live like He’s not there we shouldn’t be surprised when we can’t tell whether He’s there or not...

We must not allow anything to get in the way of hearing and responding to the call of the Holy Spirit in our lives so we can see and respond to His directions.

This is the part of the message where self-reflection is a must. See, you can fool people, but you can’t fool the Holy Spirit.

We can look 100% excellent on the outside at church on Sunday morning. But we can be far from Him on the inside.

This happens when we let the flesh, the world, and/or the devil convince us that life will be happier choosing a path different than the path the Holy Spirit would lead you to.

In the Sermon on the Mount when Jesus says that it is better to tear your eye out or cut your hand off and throw it away than to look at a woman with lustful intent, he’s not saying we should actually cut off body parts. We can still lust with one eye or one hand (in fact, we can lust with no eyes and no hands!) He’s saying that we should be willing to experience emotional pain and difficulty instead of willfully sinning. Why?

Because when we willfully sin we are tuning out God and tuning in the flesh, the world and the devil. And the more we tune God out, the less we will hear and respond to His Spirit.

On the flipside, when we do hear from the Holy Spirit, whether it be in His Word, through a sermon or Bible study, through your personal study of Scripture, through circumstances, or through that still small voice, we must be willing and ready to respond in faith.

Geoff Moore song Only A Fool...

Verses 50-52

Jews in positions of power conspire to run Paul and Barnabas out of town.

But, Paul and Barnabas “shake the dust off their feet” and continue to the next stop in their journey, Iconium.

Shaking the dust off their feet is a sign of disassociation from a community doomed to destruction. (i.e. the destruction will be so complete, that in order to remove yourself from it, you must remove even the dust of the place from yourself.)

And yet, the missionaries are rejoicing. Why?

Because the missionaries joy doesn’t come from the results of their missionary work. It comes from the opportunity to fulfill God’s call on their lives.

They seem aware at this point that they will have good days and bad days of ministry, but all days that one is allowed to fulfill his or her calling is ultimately a day to praise God for.

Mission-focused people rejoice in the opportunity to fulfill God’s call on their lives.

Have you ever stopped to thank God for the opportunities He’s given you to serve Him? I don’t think we do that enough.

I got to tell you, Youth Group nights can be hard...I’m tired, I want to watch football, I am well aware that middle school boys actually feed off of each other’s hyperactivity and become more hyper (it’s science!).

But, not once have I regretted going. It’s hard to go, but always worth it. And, after the fact I rejoice. Rejoice that we have an amazing youth leader. Rejoice that we have a great group of kids (even the middle school boys). Rejoice that over half of them have never made a profession of faith by have heard the Gospel multiple times. Rejoice that a core group keeps coming back, even though we only see a handful of them on Sunday morning. Rejoice that we have a core group of students from families that have set a firm foundation of faith that their teenagers will grow in the faith and knowledge of Christ Jesus.

We need to learn that even hard ministry is a reason to rejoice because God has a call on our lives.

We must know what God is calling us to do, busy ourselves with fulfilling that calling, and celebrate what God’s doing.

If we are going to rejoice in fulfilling His calling, we need to know a few things:

What is God calling me to do?

How can I do what God is calling me to do?

What am I seeing Him do in the people I’m ministering too?

What is God calling me to do?

God works through our ministry strengths:

Spiritual gifts...

Skills...

Passions...

Willingness...

How can I do what God is calling me to do?

Make yourself available...

Ask your pastor...(don’t wait for him to ask you!)

What needs to I see in my church?

What needs do I see in the larger community?

What am I seeing Him do in the people I’m ministering too?

Minister to others can be draining. If we are looking to fill fulfilled all the time then we will never be content. Instead, we need to start looking at what He’s doing in the lives of the people we are ministering too.

We need to take our eyes off of our personal circumstances and feelings, and fix our eyes on the people we are ministering too.

Nate...