The Church Sends Out

Acts 13:1-12 The Church Sends Out Introduction: As I remind us almost every week, Acts is the history of the earliest christians. Through Acts we find out how the church started, what they were all about, and where they got their power. For a congregation in the 21st century Acts is an incredible tool to recalibrate our hearts and minds back to the simplicity of following Jesus. This morning we come to what is now called Paul's first missionary journey. Paul (As was foretold by Jesus himself) along with Barnabas will take the message of Jesus to the Gentiles, to kings and to the Jewish people, but that all began with a congregation that was diligent to seek God's will for their lives, to listen to the Holy Spirit, and to be willing to sacrifice greatly for the sake of the Gospel. We've already talked about the uniqueness of the Church in Antioch but let me just remind you of who they were ● A church that was truly diverse in it's leadership -Multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-class ● The first truly mixed congregation in Christianity. There is clearly seen unity. - oneness of mind and heart, unity in identity, and calling - mission evidenced by the grace that Barnabas saw. ● A church who were recognized by outsiders as followers of Jesus (11:26) ● A church who worshiped, fasted and prayed (13:2-3) ● The first truly missionary church - through prayer (13:2-3) ● A church that discipled, instructed, and brought up it's members (11:26;13:1-2) ● A church who took care of the poor and the needs of others (11:27-30). ● This is clearly a unified church and yet there unity is not exclusive.. they show great concern and generosity toward other Christians and churches - sending charitable aid, which brings even greater unity to the Church as a whole. ● This congregation is a truly remarkable community and they should stand out not only in the book of Acts but to the Church throughout history of a model of what the Church is to be. I think there are some very practical and powerful lessons to be learned from this unit about Missions. 1. What Does it Mean to be Sent? 1. It was the early Christians understanding that the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ was a sending God. The one who had sent his Son into the world. 2. The concept of the Missio Dei (the mission of God) is recognition that God is a sending God and the church is a sent people. It is the most important mission in the scriptures. Jesus Christ is the embodiment of that mission; the Holy Spirit is the power of that mission; the Church is the instrument of that mission; and the culture is the context in which that mission occurs. 3. Luke essentially introduces the book of Acts with Jesus as King and lord of the nations commissioning his disciples to take the message of his lordship and salvation to the ends of the earth beginning in Jerusalem then to Judea, Samaria and the uttermost parts of the earth. In our studies in Acts we've seen how mIssion is a fundamental identity of Jesus' followers - everywhere they go the early church is talking about Jesus, sharing the message of Jesus. 1. Leslie Newbigin says, since Jesus is Lord and the new age has begun with his first advent and will culminate in his second advent "the implication will be a missionary obedience, and eschatology which doesn't issue in such obedience is a false eschatology." (If we aren't doing mission and sending out missionaries we should wonder whether we really believe in the second coming...) 2. This means that though every Christian is called to mission - to share and incarnate the message of the Gospel - God also specially anoints and calls certain individuals to this ministry whether seasonally or indefinitely. 4. What we see here in Acts 13 is just the continuation of that Mission but in a very focused sense. The Holy Spirit is the one who is sending Paul and Barnabas out on this mission - "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." And it is the church that is responding in obedience to this direction from the Holy Spirit. It's beautiful to see the Spirit and the church working in concert. I would also add that Luke seems to imply that this message from the Spirit came to those who were fasting and praying - it was not a separate thing that happened outside of the church. 1. So it is both the Spirit and the Church that are sending out Barnabas and Saul. This balance will help us from two extremes we often see in the Church. "The first tendency is toward individualism, by which a christian claims direct personal guidance by the spirit without any reference to the church. The second is the tendency to institutionalism, in which all decision making is done by the church without any reference to the Spirit. Although we have no liberty to deny the validity of personal choice, it is safe and healthy only in relation to the Spirit and the Church." -John Stott 2. There is no evidence that Saul and Barnabas volunteered for missionary service; they were sent by the Spirit through the Church. 3. This means then that it is the responsibility of every local church to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit, making time to seek the Lord and listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit, to know where God is sending, and who God is sending.. Who is God sending among us? 2. Who Goes and Who Stays? 1. Saul and Barnabas are sent - they were great influencers in the church of Antioch. An incredible asset to the ministry there. Yet it was these, most gifted and equipped members, that are sent. It was not the new convert, not the most available (As it often is in the church today)...but the most qualified and convicted...That means when the church sends out missionaries for the sake of people hearing and believing the gospel - they should feel the pain of the great loss of these individuals but simultaneously the joy of giving and investing in the kingdom of God. This is a challenge to test what we really believe about the importance of the Gospel. will we sacrifice our leadership for the sake of another country, city or people? 1. (My Dad pastored a large and fruitful church in Southern California from 1983-1996 and in September of 1996 we moved to Pastor a church of less than 30 people (that we had planted 6 months prior) in London, England. 2. Are we prepared and preparing to send our best? Are we prepared or preparing to be sent? Are we prepared or [preparing to stay and fill the void that is left? Or are we still living in spiritual immaturity -unhealthily depending on others for spirituality and strength? 1. The Whittens, The Edens - Sent out, we are partakers in the work that the Lord does through them... 3. What is the Message for which we are sent? 1. "So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews." 2. The first missionaries did exactly what others had done in the past -they just went anywhere and everywhere. If there was a local synagogue, they started there, if not, they went to the market where conversation and debates about philosophy and religion were always taking place. Barnabas and Saul went to the island of Cyprus and preached from one end of the island to the other. It says, "They proclaimed to people the Word of God" - not just the bible, not morality and ethics, not how to have a successful career or marriage, not debating creation vs. evolution - but the message of the gospel which is the good news concerning Jesus Christ. 3. This is what we preach and proclaim - this is the message for which we sacrifice and send - "Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ." or as Paul says in 1 Corinthians, "I made known to you Jesus Christ and him crucified"! 4. Though there are many things that the church does, can, and should do - we are essentially a people with a message. A message about who God is and what he has done about the state of the world and condition of mankind through the work of his son Jesus Christ. As the Church that sends we must keep this fundamental identity and message. 1. Also, Saul (Paul) and Barnabas were church planters, everywhere they went and preached the Gospel they set up churches and they believed, as is evidenced through Acts and the Epistles that the church would continue the work of the Gospel in that city and region - through proclamation and incarnational ministry of mercy love and justice. 4. Why does the church send? - Two main reasons: one in the text and the other implied. 1. True Biblical Christianity was never a message about simply making your life better, happier, or easier (Though often the things do take place) The true message of Christianity is about a great rescue -salvation - God delivering us from the darkness that we are lost in and so prone to run to. Therefore the church sends because of the darkness. Look at this character Bar-Jesus (His name means son of salvation). Luke records that "He sought to turn the Proconsul, Sergius Paulus, from the truth. This man is hearing the Gospel and this sorcerer is doing every thing in his power to undermine, and twist the truth of what Saul and Barnabas are saying. Saul (Paul) straight up calls him out - as an enemy of all righteousness, (that's justice, equity and truth (He's like worm tongue if you need a visual), full of deceit and villainy.. trying to make God's straight ways crooked. 2. See Bar-Jesus is just one example of the Messianic pretenders, those claiming salvation, deceivers, leading people astray. The days of the early church in many ways are no different than our modern times. There were other "gospels" and "salvations" being preached in those days, other offers of "the good life" and the Apostles continually warned of their destructiveness and bondage - They promised liberation but brought bondage and affliction. These false gospels must be confronted with the light of the gospel - the justice grace and freedom that are in Jesus Christ.. the darkness must be confronted.. we don't like this idea of confrontation.. but thats what we see in the book of Acts. We constantly see paul attacking the cultural idols and narratives of the cities and regions where he did ministry.. An Anglican bishop once quipped, "Everywhere Paul went they threw a riot, everywhere I go they serve me tea". The true Gospel is a confrontation with falseness, deception, darkness and the idols of the culture that hold people in bondage. 3. The gospel must go out because of the darkness - the whole reason God sent Jesus was to deliver us from the darkness.. 1. "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen." -Galatians 1:3-5 2. Deliverance form the present evil age...the messianic pretenders, the deceivers, who promise freedom, deliverance and hope, but cannot deliver. You see the light of the gloriously liberating Gospel of God's love, grace, truth and justice must go out to the ends of the earth!!! The true King must be proclaimed!! The king of love, mercy, compassion, justice and truth!! 3. As I mentioned the church is sent people, a people on mission, therefore the church continues in it's identity... the church only exist because of the Sent One - Jesus Christ. Jesus the Son of God - who in all eternity past dwelt with Father and Spirit in perfect holiness, love and harmony - was sent on a missionary journey from the Father. He left the comforts of his heavenly home to redeem the world back to God - this he did through sacrifice upon sacrifice. Through humility, weakness, brokenness...through the brutality and the shame of the cross, by being cast out so we could be brought in - He bore all our sin in his own body on the cross so that we could be forgiven, healed and brought back to God. Jesus the missionary saved your life, you've been delivered from the present darkness and have been given a glorious hope - so that if you know this you don't need to be convinced; it's the obvious next step - Jesus saved me, Jesus is the true King of this world, and the savior of humanity... how can we make him known? 4. Leslie Newbigin again, "What has been done for the whole world must be made known to the whole world, so that the whole world may be brought under obedience to the Gospel, and may be healed in the salvation which God has wrought for it." - The the sake of the Love of God given for the World. 1. How can we get that message to as many people as possible?? Who are we going to send? Who will go for us?