Spiritual Goals

Introduction

Paul and Barnabas have been on the move for some time now preaching the gospel in every city that they have visited.

They were moving further south east toward their home church and could have continued directly there, but instead they felt it necessary to backtrack into cities they had already visited to further strengthen the new converts they had won to the Lord.

Again we see that Paul was not merely concerned with winning converts but also with developing and discipling them to spiritual maturity.

We see the specific goals of their return to these cities in these few verses. Their intention was to:

Strengthen Their Souls

The word “confirm” here speaks of strengthening or of offering further support to.

King James Version Psalm 46

Psalm 46:1

1 God is our refuge and strength,

A very present help in trouble.

King James Version Chapter 4

Philippians 4:13

13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

God is clearly the source of strength for the believer. It was Paul and Barnabas’s desire to help the believers in these cities to draw closer to this source of strength.

Undoubtedly Paul and Barnabas would strengthen the believers by giving further instruction in the Word of God to help the believers to deepen their relationship with the Lord.

Their goal was to help them to increase in their knowledge and understanding of the Word of God and to draw closer to the Lord so that He might be a source of strength to them in the days ahead.

The strength of any believer will be in direct correlation to the depth of their relationship to the Lord. This deepening of the relationship comes through the Word of God.

If you want to become a strong Christian then you must continue to place yourself in the position to receive the teaching and preaching of the Word of God on a regular basis.

Paul and Barnabas understood their responsibility to strengthen these new believers for the fight that lay ahead for them.

You and I will need strength if we are to live the Christian life and the source of this strength is the teaching, preaching, and personal study of the Word of God which will draw us into closer relationship with the Lord.

Encourage Their Endurance

Paul and Barnabas never preached a “prosperity gospel”, they were intent on preparing these believers for the realities of life as a follower of Christ.

They knew that there would be tribulation ahead and they returned to encourage them to continue to stand stedfast in the faith.

Paul and Barnabas may have related stories of their own experiences and how they had endured much tribulation for the sake of the gospel.

No matter the strength or intensity of opposition you may be facing in the Lord’s strength you can endure. You can continue to stand firm in the faith.

There is never a good reason to quit on God or to walk away from the Lord.

Many believers allow tribulation and difficulty to push them away from Christ when what we should do is view it as an opportunity to draw closer to the Lord.

Paul and Barnabas wanted the believers to know they would surely face tribulation but that they could make it through and that on the other side of tribulations they would find the kingdom of God.

Orchestrate Their Organization

Paul and Barnabas appointed leaders in each congregation to better organize each work.

These leaders were carefully chosen and much prayer and fasting took place because they knew the influence these men would have upon the congregations.

We ought also to pray for spiritual leaders in the church.

These leaders were undoubtedly among the most spiritually mature among the new converts and would be responsible for the furtherance of the growth of the believers once Paul and Barnabas had moved on.

- qualifications - the role of the elders.

It is vitally important that every church has spiritual leaders who can take responsibility for feeding the flock and for the oversight of the ministry (making decisions that lead to the fulfilment of the mission fo the church).

These elders would also be tasked with setting themselves forth as an example for other less mature believers to follow. They would have a great responsibility and a great accountability to the Lord, but they would also have a great reward for the right exercise of the office.

This revelation of their responsibilities should motivate us to pray for them.

Ultimately Paul and Barnabas would move on but these spiritual leaders would bear the responsibility of ensuring the continued growth of the works they left behind.

Paul and Barnabas commended each of these works to the Lord ultimately recognizing that the health and strength of each was dependent upon the Lord.

They had left each work in the hands of trusted spiritual leaders who would minister and serve the people looking to the Lord for direction and instruction in doing so.

Every work was then entrusted to the Lord’s care going forward.