The Church on a Mission

The Church on a Mission

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Acts 13:1-5

This is one of the greatest missionary passages in Scripture.

Proposition

If God is going to reach the world through His church, then we must become the kind of church He can use.

Introduction

Long before there were mission boards, mission agencies, or organized mission conferences, there was the local church at Antioch.

Acts 13 marks a major transition in the book of Acts.

But Acts 13 reminds us that missions did not begin on forgien mission field somewhere

It began in the local church.

Before Barnabas ever boarded a ship... Before Paul ever preached to the Gentiles... Before anyone crossed the Mediterranean...

There was a church that was walking with God.

If there had been no healthy church at Antioch, there would have been no first missionary journey.

The missionary movement did not originate in the mind of Paul or Barnabas.

It originated in the heart of God

was revealed by the Holy Spirit,

and was carried out through the local church.

From this point forward, the emphasis shifts from Peter's ministry among the Jews to Paul's missionary journeys among the Gentiles.

The gospel begins moving intentionally toward the uttermost parts of the earth.

Everything begins with one local church that was healthy enough for God to use.

The question for us is not merely, "Are we supporting missions?"

The greater question is,

"Are we the kind of church God delights to use?"

I want us to Notice four characteristics of this first mission minded church:

They were…

I. A Serving Church

"Now there were in the church that was at Antioch..."

Luke begins by describing the characters of the church before describing the commission of the church.

God did not first tell us what Antioch did.

He first showed us who they were.

A. They Served With Unity

Verse one lists five men.

Barnabas.

Simeon.

Lucius.

Manaen.

Saul.

Notice how different these men were.

Barnabas was a Levite from Cyprus.

Simeon was called Niger, likely indicating African descent.

Lucius (a very common name) of Cyrene from North Africa. (possible a relation to Simon of Cyrene, who helped carry the cross)

Manaen had been raised alongside Herod Antipas.( the one that killed John the Baptist)

and Saul who had been a Pharisee trained under Gamaliel.

Different backgrounds.

Different personalities.

Different experiences.

One purpose.

The Gospel unites what the world divides.

Healthy churches are not built on social class

They are built on Christ.

A. They Served With Unity

B. They Served Through Worship

”As they ministered unto the Lord..."

This phrase is remarkable.

Luke does not say they were ministering to one another.

Although they undoubtedly were.

He says they were ministering unto the Lord.

Before they sought to reach the world, they sought to please Christ.

Their service was vertical before it became horizontal.

It reminds us that ministry is not ultimately about people.

It is about Christ.

If we lose sight of Him, we eventually lose our passion for everyone else.

A church that serves Christ faithfully will naturally serve people effectively.

A. They Served With Unity

B. They Served Through Worship

C. They Served through Self-Denial

"...and fasted..."

Fasting was not a religious performance.

It was an expression of dependence upon God.

They willingly laid aside physical appetites because they desired spiritual direction.

The flesh was not controlling them.

The Spirit was.

Churches that God uses are willing to sacrifice comfort in order to know God's will.

Illustration

A compass works only when it is held still.

As long as it is constantly moving, the needle never settles.

Many churches stay so busy that they never become still enough for God to direct them.

Antioch paused long enough to minister unto the Lord.

Application

Before a church can reach the nations, it must first learn to serve each other, serve Christ and serve through self-denial.

Because we will never serve the world, if we cant serve Christ and others around us.

The church was united

They were worshipping.

they were fasting.

Then God spoke.

God gave them direction only after they were faithfully serving Him.

Second, They were…

II. A Sensitive Church

(v. 2) “The Holy Ghost said..."

Fasting in Scripture is always associated with a heart that is earnestly seeking God.

It is an outward expression of an inward hunger—a willingness to set aside legitimate physical needs in order to focus on the will of God.

The church at Antioch wasn't merely going through religious motions; they were united in seeking the Lord together.

As they ministered unto the Lord, worshiped Him, and fasted, the Holy Spirit spoke.

There is an important lesson here:

worship and service were never meant to be separated.

If we try to serve the Lord without first spending time with Him, our service soon becomes mechanical, legalistic, and centered on ourselves rather than Christ.

On the other hand, if we worship but never serve, our faith becomes passive—a form of godliness that never impacts the world around us.

The church at Antioch found the biblical balance.

Antioch didn't suddenly become sensitive to the Spirit in verse 2.

Their sensitivity was the result of what they had been doing all along in verse 1.

They had been serving the Lord, worshiping Him, fasting, and seeking His face.

It is no surprise that when God spoke, they were ready to hear Him.

A serving church will become a sensitive church.

When our hearts are occupied with Christ, our ears become attentive to His voice.

Churches that spend time ministering to the Lord are the very churches God entrusts with His mission.

A. Sensitive to the God’s Voice

They did not have to question whos voice it was, they had been talking to the Lord on a daily basis, So when God spoke, it did not catch them off guard.

They were sensitive to the voice of God.

In 1 Samuel we can see the contrast:

Samuel was busy serving in the house of God, yet he didn't immediately recognize the voice of God.

It took Eli to tell him, "If He calls again, say, Speak Lord; for thy servant heareth."

Activity is not the same as intimacy.

You can be busy around the things of God and still fail to recognize the voice of God.

Antioch wasn't merely busy—they were ministering unto the Lord.

Their fellowship with Him prepared them to recognize His voice.

Question:

If God were to speak to you through His Spirit right now, would you recognize it?

A. Sensitive to the God’s Voice

B. Sensitive to God's Choice

"Separate me Barnabas and Saul..."

God called two of their best men.

Barnabas was an encourager.

Saul was a gifted teacher.

Human reasoning would have said, “We cannot afford to lose them."

Faith said, “We cannot afford to keep what belongs to God."

Healthy churches hold everything with open hands.

There was no debate.

No hesitation.

No argument.

God spoke.

The church obeyed.

Many churches pray, “Lord, show us Your will."

But Few are prepared to obey when He does.

Illustration

Samuel answered,

"Speak; for thy servant heareth."

Isaiah answered,

"Here am I; send me."

Antioch answered by obedience.

A church cannot be mission-minded unless it is Spirit-sensitive.

So they were a serving church and a sensitive church,

Thrid, we see they were…

III. A Sending Church (v. 3)

"And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away."

The church did not merely talk about missions.

They were personally invested in missions.

They had already been giving. They sent a love gift back to the church at Jeruselem.

Notice God didn't ask them to send their leftovers.

He asked them to send two of their very best.

Churches that want to impact the world don't give God what's left over.

They give Him their best people, their best prayers, and their best resources.

They sent in three ways:

A. They Sent Through Prayer

Prayer was not an afterthought.

It was their first response.

But this is nothing new for the church.

Acts 1 shows us that they prayed when needing to select another apostle.

Acts 6 They prayed when selecting deacons

Acts 12 They prayed for Peters release.

So they knew that success was only going to come through prayer.

No missionary can accomplish God's work apart from God's power.

Prayer reaches places we never will.

A. They Sent Through Prayer

B. They Sent Through Partnership

“and laid their hands on them…”

The laying on of hands symbolized identification.

This was not an ordination, or a confirmation.

This was the church saying, “These men represent us."

They were joining into a partnership with Saul and Barnabas.

Hey, Matt, Missionaries never go alone. One, becasue you have the Holy Ghost with you and Christ says that He will never leave us or forsake us.

But Two, you have your sending church

Saul and Barnabas knew that They were carrying their sending church with them wherever they went.

Every soul won in Cyprus...

Every church planted in Galatia...

Every convert in Antioch of Pisidia...

Antioch had a part in it because they were the sending church.

Look up here church,

We may never stand in Cameroon...

We may never preach in Nevada...

We may never step onto the mission field of World Evangelism...

But through prayer and giving, God allows Victory Baptist Church to share in the joy of every soul reached through our missionaries.

They sent through Partnership

But they also sent…

C. They Sent Through Personal Sacrifice

Sending Barnabas and Saul cost Antioch something.

Not only did it cost them financially, it cost them spiritual leaders.

They gave away leaders everyone would have wanted to keep.

Can I tell you something: Real missions will always cost you.

Giving.

Praying.

Encouraging.

and Sometimes even sending our own sons and daughters.

Illustration

if a farmer holds all his seeds in the barn and never plants them, will he ever have a crop? No, because, A seed must leave the barn before it can produce a harvest.

Same goes for churches, sometimes you have to release the seeds to produce fruit.

Churches that keep every blessing to themselves never multiply.

I am all for large churches, if they are sending out missionaries and planting other like minded churches in the neighboring towns, but if you are a large church and just keep growing but never sending, all you are is the rich farmer saying lets build bigger barns. It will give you nothing in eternity.

Healthy churches are not measured by how many people they can keep.

They are measured by how many laborers they can send.

They were a serving church, a sensitive church, a sending church and lastly we see…

IV. A Soul-Winning Church (vv. 4–5)

"So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost..."

“They preached the Word of God…”

Luke tells us almost nothing about the trip.

He doesn't tell us:

how rough the sea was,

where they spent the night,

what they ate,

or how long they traveled.

But he does tell us one thing: “They preached the Word of God."

Hey, Soul winning churches send out soul winners.

A. They Followed God's Direction

They went where the Spirit led.

Mission work succeeds because God goes before His servants.

Our responsibility is obedience.

God is responsible for the results.

A. They Followed God's Direction

B. They Faithfully Declared God's Word

"They preached the word of God..."

That is the heartbeat of biblical missions.

Not entertainment.

Not politics.

Not humanitarian work alone.

Not cultural reform.

But, The Word of God.

Faith cometh by hearing.

The Gospel is still and always will be the power of God unto salvation.

A church can feed a man's body, educate his mind, and improve his circumstances, but if it never gives him the gospel, it has not fulfilled Christ's commission.

A. They Followed God's Direction

B. They Faithfully Declared God's Word

C. They Focused on Winning Souls

The objective was never to see the known world in that day.

It was never to just plant churches, though that mattered because souls mattered.

Every church planted represented people hearing the gospel.

Every sermon preached was an opportunity for someone to be saved.

Every mile traveled was motivated by eternity.

The heartbeat of missions has never changed.

People are still lost.

Christ still saves.

The gospel is still sufficient.

Illustration

A lighthouse does not exist to admire its own light.

It shines so others can safely find the shore.

The church does not exist simply to enjoy the blessings of salvation.

We exist so others may find Christ.

Application

Every ministry of Victory Baptist Church should ultimately answer one question:

How does this help us reach people with the gospel of Jesus Christ?

If it does not point people toward Christ, it has missed the heartbeat of the Great Commission.

Christ Connection

Before Barnabas and Saul were ever sent, the Father sent the greatest missionary ever to walk the face of the earth, His Son.

Jesus Christ left the glory of Heaven and entered a sin-cursed world only to be despised and rejected of men.

He came "to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10).

He preached the truth, gave His life on the cross, rose again the third day, and now sends His church into the world with the message of redemption.

The church's mission is simply the continuation of Christ's mission until He returns.

Conclusion

The church at Antioch was not extraordinary because of its size

It was extraordinary because it belonged completely to God.

God does not perserve them in the scriptures because of their buildings

or music

or attendance,

He perserves them because they were

A Serving Church that ministered unto the Lord.

A Sensitive Church that recognized the Spirit's leading.

A Sending Church that willingly released its best for the gospel.

A Soul-Winning Church that kept the preaching of God's Word at the center of its mission.

They were the godly example of what a mission minded church looks like.

They never lost the heartbeat of God.

Antioch changed the world because they understood something we must never forget.

The mission is God's.

The message is God's.

The power is God's.

The church is God's.

Our responsibility is simply to be available.

May Victory Baptist Church never lose the heartbeat of God.

May we continue to be...

A Serving Church...

A Sensitive Church...

A Sending Church...

And above all...

A Soul-Winning Church.

Because until the whole world knows, our work is not finished.