God’s Plan For Kingdom Expansion

Introduction

Opening Illustration

If you’ve driven down HWY 3 to Windsor recently—

I’m sure you’ve had to deal with the side affects of road construction.

They are currently working on:

15 km stretch of road (Union to Arner)

$150 million dollar cost (roughly)

Started in 2023—expected to be done 2027

Part of the gov’t’s plan for expansion/growth

This is part of a larger plan, committing $4.3 billion dollars to repair and expand provincial highways and bridges.

The goal for these projects is to:

connect communities

improve the quality of life for families, workers and small businesses

create and support jobs

reduce gridlock

improve safety

POINT

This is the gov’t’s plan to expand their kingdom.

Any town/city/province/country that wants to expand—

has to have an intentional plan for how they will accomplish that.

Main Point of Sermon

As Christians, we are a part of God’s kingdom—

and He is expanding His kingdom.

And He does have an intentional plan for how He is going to accomplish it.

This morning we’re going to see…

God’s Plan For Kingdom Expansion

God’s plan for kingdom expansion is:

Not taking over the gov’t—

Not starting a new country—

Not a big military—

THE CHURCH!

Luke 17:20–21 ESV

20 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, 21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”

Jesus wasn’t setting up a physical kingdom—

but a spiritual one.

The kingdom of God was in their midst through Jesus—

and the kingdom of God is in our midst through His Spirit.

We are Christ’s people/His Church because we’ve been born again through His Spirit—

and the Church is the means He uses to spread His kingdom around the world.

BILLBOARD

God’s Plan for Kingdom Expansion is:

Engage the City

Make Disciples

Plant a Church

This is the mission statement of the Send Network—

Church planting ministry that our convention—the CNBC—

is aligned with.

Jonah and I have been receiving training through them—

they exist to help plant churches that plant churches—everywhere for everyone.

They believe this is God’s plan for kingdom expansion—

and we are going to see that in our text this morning!

Prayer for Illumination

Transition

The first part of “God’s Plan For Kingdom Expansion” is:

1. Engage The City

Once again we see the scattered church telling others about Jesus—“gossiping the gospel”

This is the first step in building God’s kingdom—

Engaging the City—wherever they are.

EXPLAIN

Acts 11:19 ESV

19 Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews.

The disciples are continuing to spread to:

Phoenicia—the coastal region just north of Judea—trading ports of Tyre/Sidon

Cyprus—third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea—161km off the coast

Antioch—third largest city in Roman Empire—500,000 ppl or more—320km North of Sidon (Phoenicia)

The gospel is being spread “to the end of the earth!”

Speaking the word/the gospel—that…

Jesus is Lord/the way of salvation/the King who will return

Speaking the word to no one except Jews—

There were Jewish people who still hadn’t heard about Jesus.

But the message wasn’t only preached to Jews…

Acts 11:20 ESV

20 But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus.

Men of Cyprus and Cyrene—

Diaspora Jews—Jews that didn’t return after exile.

These Jews were perfect for spreading the good news to Antioch—

Greek speaking Jews who could talk with Greeks—

Acts 11:21 ESV

21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.

God was with His people as they were spreading the gospel—

leading many people to believe, and turn to the Lord!

SUMMARY

The believers were being faithful to—

“Engage the City”.

They were going about, sharing the good news of Jesus—

and God was with them—

growing His Kingdom through them.

APPLY

What you and I need to learn from these believers, is that:

a. You Have Good News to Share

These believers were fleeing persecution.

What were they being persecuted for?

Following Jesus, and telling others to follow Jesus.

And yet they’re continuing to follow Jesus and encourage others to follow Him!

They truly believed they had good news!

ILLUSTRATION—WE DON’T BELIEVE WE HAVE GOOD NEWS

Maybe you’re like me—sometimes you sense you should share with someone—not wanting to interrupt their nice day.

Point—I don’t believe I have that good of news that’s worth stopping someone!

It is good enough to interrupt someone for a few min!

If you don’t really understand or believe the good news you have,

you’re not going to share it with others!

You need to passionately pursue a deep, abiding relationship with Jesus—

one that affects your heart—your very soul—

When you daily experience the good news of Jesus in your own life—

that He is the only thing in this life that can truly satisfy—

you will long to share that good news with others!

You Have Good News to Share!

Another thing you and I need to learn from these believers, is that:

b. You Have People to Reach

Some of these believers were only speaking to Jews—

while others were reaching the Gentiles—

They reached different ppl.

You can’t reach every person all by yourself—

that’s not God’s plan for kingdom expansion…

But God has placed you in a unique place (live/work/play)—

and has gifted you and given you desires

that make you uniquely suited to reach certain people.

I’m not saying God can’t cross lines and boundaries—

what I am saying is that humanly speaking,

there are people you are more suited to reach than me.

Your history/background/skills/hobbies—

will open doors for you with people that are like you,

if you seek to be intentional.

You Have People to Reach—and

It may be different than how God calls/uses others—

but it doesn’t matter because…

c. You Have God With You

The reason the message of the gospel took root in Antioch,

was not because of the wisdom or ability of those sharing the good news—

but because God was with them!

The good news of the gospel is that you have Jesus with you wherever you go—

through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.

Trust that The Holy Spirit has uniquely gifted you—

Trust that The Holy Spirit has uniquely placed you—

Trust that The Holy Spirit will uniquely use you—

to open the eyes of those around you to their need for Christ—

so that they will turn to Him in faith—

Because You Have God With You!

SUMMARY

YOU are God’s Plan For Kingdom Expansion—

as you intentionally “Engage the City”—

the people where God has placed you.

Transition

The next part of “God’s Plan For Kingdom Expansion” is:

2. Make Disciples

The people of God have been “Engaging the City” of Antioch—

they are sharing the good news of Jesus,

and people are believing and turning to the Lord—

NOW WHAT?!?

They need to be taught how to surrender to/follow Jesus—their King!

They need to become disciples!

EXPLAIN

Acts 11:22 ESV

22 The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.

The church in Jerusalem is not removed from how the kingdom is expanding—

Not jealous that God is moving in other cities—

in fact—their excited and involved in helping those disciples grow,

by sending leaders to: MAKE DISCIPLES!

They sent Barnabas to Antioch to disciple them.

Acts 11:23 ESV

23 When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose,

Barnabas wasn’t bitter about God’s grace being extended to the Greeks in Antioch—

He was glad—He rejoiced!

Acts 11:23 ESV

and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose,

Barnabas knew that the Christian life is not an easy one—

these believers were going to experience hardship in life,

including persecution for following Jesus just like the other believers had—

So Barnabas gives them the best advice he has—

“remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose”

It’s going to be a fight to the very end—

remain committed to Jesus your Lord through it all!

Why is this Barnabas’ advice?

Acts 11:24 ESV

24 for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord.

There are lots of opinions in the world of what it means to be a good man—

but here we’re told that Barnabas was a good man—why was he good?

Because he encouraged other believers to remain committed to Jesus!

SUMMARY

Through the church of Jerusalem’s commitment to Make Disciples by sending Barnabas—

many more people were added to the Lord.

APPLY

What I want you to see from this passage is that…

a. You Need to Be Discipled

The believers have been engaging the city of Antioch with the good news of Jesus—

and many people are turning to Jesus.

The first thing the church in Jerusalem does is:

send Barnabas there—

to disciple them!

They accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour—

and now they needed someone to show them how to follow Him as Lord.

When you first gave your life to Jesus,

you probably had a lot of questions!

You needed a Barnabas in your life—

someone who could come alongside you,

and show you what it means to be a Christian.

But the thing is—

you never outgrow your need to be discipled!

Life is hard!

It’s easy to let discipline to God slip off your priority list—

It’s easy to be discouraged by difficulties and challenges that come up—

It’s easy to allow sin in your life and seek to cover it up—

It’s easy to have a desire to give up/feel like a failure—

It’s easy to allow the cares of this world take over our desire to follow Jesus no matter what—

That’s why “You Need to Be Discipled”—

You need brothers/sisters to come alongside you,

and teach you—

and encourage you to remain faithful to the Lord!

ILLUSTRATE—The need for discipleship

Me struggling with sin—longing for someone to help

Shared it with friend—bear one another’s burdens

Accountability to help overcome

SUMMARY

You need to be discipled!

This is how you grow personally—

and together with other believers.

But as a church grows—

the need for discipleship grows beyond what any one person can do,

which is why—

b. You Need to Be Discipling

Barnabas is a teacher—

and would have been able to disciple some—

But as the believers multiplied,

it would be impossible for him to disciple everyone personally.

We’re going to see shortly that he’s going to go and get Saul

to come and help him with teaching these new believers—

but even then, they couldn’t personally disciple each person.

The same is true of GNC—

there are too many people for any one person to be able to personally disciple each person.

That’s where you come in—

you need to be discipling others!

You need a Barnabas in your life—

someone who is helping you walk with Christ.

And you also need to be a Barnabas to someone else—

helping them walk with Christ.

“I don’t know enough to teach someone else!”

You only need to be one baby step in front of someone else to be able to help them.

And besides, it’s not about telling someone else what to do—

it’s about followers of Jesus coming alongside one another!

We can all learn from each other!

SUMMARY

As God expands His Kingdom through us as we engage our city with the good news of Jesus—

God will work in people’s hearts, causing them to turn to Him.

It’s our mandate to “Make Disciples”—

help others grow in their love for Jesus—

walking in obedience to His commands!

Transition

The next part of “God’s Plan For Kingdom Expansion” is:

3. Plant A Church

God’s Plan for Kingdom Expansion:

Engage the City—believers went around sharing the good news of Jesus

Make Disciples—believers are helping others faithfully follow Jesus

Plant a Church—believers form a formal group of people, committed to Jesus and one another

As people in Antioch turn to Jesus—

they eventually start a formal church—

a body of believers who can strengthen one another and grow together.

EXPLAIN

Acts 11:25–26 ESV

25 So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.

As people were being added to the Lord—

and the need for teaching and discipleship was growing—

Barnabas sought the help of Saul.

Back in Acts 9 we saw Saul’s conversion—

he was persecuting the Christians—

he was the very reason they were scattering—

But then Jesus appeared to him while on his way to arrest Christians.

Saul became a follower of Jesus—was baptized—

and began teaching that Jesus is the Son of God—the Messiah.

Saul and Barnabas must have become friends after his conversion—

When Saul wanted to join the disciples in Jerusalem,

they wouldn’t let him because they were scared of him!

But Barnabas vouched for him—

declaring his conversion and how he had preached Jesus after his conversion.

As Barnabas was helping this growing number of believers in Antioch—

he thought Saul would be a great partner in helping teach them—

so much so that he went out of his way to find him!

After bringing him to Antioch—

They spent a year there teaching many people.

It was here in Antioch that disciples earned the name:

Christians!

This was probably meant as a derogatory name—

but it stuck!

Lit. “the party of Christ” — Jesus People

OR: Christ-ones

These believers were identified as a group of people who follow Jesus—

What an honour for the followers of Jesus to be associated with Him by name!

As the church is growing through the teaching of Barnabas and Saul—

we see their love for Christ’s Church growing—

Acts 11:27–30 ESV

27 Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). 29 So the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. 30 And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.

What a beautiful picture of generosity!

The prophet Agabus, through the Spirit, tells of a great famine that is coming.

The disciples in Antioch—Greeks (non-Jewish)—

commit themselves to giving—each person as they can—

to help their “brothers” in Judea!

Speaking about this passage,

James Montgomery Boice said…

“As far as I know, this is the first charitable act of this nature in all recorded history – one race of people collecting money to help another people. No wonder they were first called Christians at Antioch.” James Montgomery Boice

SUMMARY

As people came to faith in Jesus in Antioch—

they were discipled in how to live as a follower of Christ—

and they became the true church of Jesus!

APPLY

What I want you to see from this passage is:

a. Your Unity with the ‘c’hurch

The little ‘c’ church refers to a local body of believers.

At some point along the way—

the people who turned to Jesus formed a ‘c’hurch.

A group of believers who made up a body—

and were committed to one another’s growth as Christians.

We would assume they looked much like the church that started in Jerusalem in Acts 2:42-47—

Devoted to:

Apostles’ teaching/fellowship/breaking bread/prayer

Fellowship/Community/meeting one another’s needs

Meeting together to praise God

And as they did God grew the church.

If you are a Christian,

you need to be connected to a little ‘c’hurch.

A local church is where your profession of faith is validated through baptism—

A local church is where you remember Christ’s sacrifice through worship/preaching/Lord’s Supper—

A local church is where you are discipled/can disciple others—

A local church is where you can live out obedience to Christ’s commands—

A local church is where you can gather with brothers and sisters—

who love you and care about you—

and will take care to seek to meet your needs—

while encouraging you to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose!

You are unified with the ‘c’hurch!

We need each other!

But what we also see from this passage is…

b. Your Unity with the ‘C’hurch

You are unified with the ‘c’hurch—a physical/local body of believers—

but you are also unified with the ‘C’hurch—the universal body of Christ.

The church in Antioch cared for and ministered to one another—

and yet they realized that they were also connected to the church in Judea—

which was hundreds of km away—

and also a different nationality!

Even though they probably didn’t know anyone from the church Judea—

they sacrificially gave to help them.

They realized they were one through the blood of Christ!

We are not a people to ourselves here at GNC!

We do make up a physical group of believers in Leamington—

but we do not exist for ourselves.

We need to remember that we are unified with the ‘C’hurch—

and when there are needs—we are willing to give of ourselves to help!

SUMMARY

This is:

Gods’ Plan For Kingdom Expansion!

As believers “Engage the City”—

people turn to faith in Christ—

Those people need to be discipled—

and eventually they

PLANT A CHURCH.

That church is a local expression of Christ—

and is also a part of the global body of Jesus!

Soooo…then what?!?

4. Start Over

After the church in Antioch is established—

they sent out missionaries to start the process over somewhere else!

EXPLAIN

We pick up in Acts 12:25—

we’re not skipping this section—will be talking about it next week.

It somewhat interrupts our story…

Acts 12:25–13:3 ESV

25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had completed their service, bringing with them John, whose other name was Mark. 1 Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

Under the leadership of the church in Antioch—

they are worshiping/fasting/seeking the Lord—

and the Spirit tells them to set apart Barnabas/Saul.

They fast/pray/lay their hands on them—and send them off.

This marks a dramatic shift in the book of Acts.

The first 12 chapters focussed on Peter

and the spread of the gospel in Jerusalem, Judea/Samaria, and beginning to the Gentiles.

The last 16 chapters will mostly focus on Saul’s ministry to Gentiles—to the ends of the earth.

Saul and Barnabas become the first missionaries of the church that we know of.

They are sent out from the church to—

START OVER—

to repeat the process of expanding God’s kingdom—

OVER AND OVER AND OVER…

They will go to a new place and

“Engage The City”—some people will turn to Jesus and they will—

“Make Disciples”—helping them walk in faithfulness to Jesus—and then they—

“Plant A Church”—establishing a body of believers with leaders.

This is God’s Plan For Kingdom Expansion!

Closing

Closing Illustration

A few weeks ago,

Jonah preached on the conversion of Saul.

Here was a prideful man who said he was following God’s will—

but was trying to make a name for himself—

trusting in his own works of righteousness.

But God saved him and redirected him—

to use his passion/skills/gifting to truly build God’s kingdom.

Saul realized the greatness of God—

truly understood what Jesus did for him—

and was willing to surrender his life to build JESUS’ Kingdom!

Land the Plane (Last call to action)

If you are a follower of Christ—

You have been born again—

and given new life through Him!

Now your life has now been redirected—

God intends to use your skills/gifting/abilities—

not for building your own kingdom—

but for building His kingdom!

God’s Plan for Kingdom Expansion is—YOU!

God is going to grow His kingdom through you—

Engaging the City—

Where has God placed you?

That is your mission field!

Who is God putting on your heart to share the good news of Jesus with this week?

God is going to grow His kingdom through you—

Making Disciples—

Who has God placed in your life who needs to be discipled?

There are brothers and sisters in this church who NEED YOU!

They need encouragement and help for how to walk with Jesus.

Maybe you’ve been feeling stagnant in your faith and need someone to disciple you—

Find someone that you connect well with and begin meeting together—D-Group!

We can help you get started!

Don’t walk the Christian life alone!

God is going to grow His kingdom through you—

Planting a Church—

God has placed GNC here for this season—

We are praying for discernment to potentially move to Jack Miner—

Join us in praying about this!

Wherever we are, God wants to use us as a church—together with other churches—

to be a gospel witness to those around us.

Being Sent

Maybe God is stirring your heart—

Maybe one day God will call you to send you out as the church sent out Barnabas and Saul.

Faithfully serve the church now!

Find ways to serve the church and help it grow.

Barnabas and Saul were actively serving for many years before being sent out.

Only after proving faithful to the church did they get called to go out.

Call to All

No matter how God has gifted you to build His Kingdom—

serve Him faithfully with steadfast devotion!

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 ESV

19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Point to Christ (How does the Gospel speak to this?)

Announcements

Ladies Park Meetup

Ladies, if you’re free this Wednesday, July 22, from 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m., we’d love to see you at Seacliff Park in Leamington. Whether you have kids with you or you’re coming on your own, it’s a great opportunity to enjoy the morning together and build friendships. Come on out and enjoy the fellowship!

Senior Youth Game Night

Senior Youth, join us this Friday, July 24, from 6:00–9:00 p.m. for a Game Night at 220 E County Road 14, Cottam. And if you’re going into Grade 8, you’re invited too! Bring a friend and come ready for a great night together.

Baptism & Lord’s Supper – Next Sunday

Next Sunday, July 26, we’ll celebrate baptism. We’ll be rejoicing as Chelsea Klassen, Ali Wiebe, Myles Wiebe, and Cornelius Hamm publicly declare their faith in Christ through baptism. We will also be remembering Christ’s sacrifice through the Lord’s Supper. Make plans to join us as we celebrate what God is doing to build His kingdom!

Youth Girls Pool Party

Girls, mark your calendars for Saturday, August 1, from 3:00–8:00 p.m. for our Pool Party! Supper is provided, so please sign up to help us prepare enough food. Come ready for an afternoon of fun, food, and fellowship.