Three Marks of a Gospel Partnering Church
Notes
Transcript
Handout
22 Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers, 23 with the following letter: “The brothers, both the apostles and the elders, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings. 24 Since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions, 25 it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. 28 For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: 29 that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”
30 So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch, and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. 31 And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. 32 And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words. 33 And after they had spent some time, they were sent off in peace by the brothers to those who had sent them. 35 But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.
Recap of how we got to this passage.
Steps we are taking to be a gospel partnering church.
Question: Do you love Jesus?
1. A gospel partnering church sacrificially gives.
1. A gospel partnering church sacrificially gives.
A healthy church teaches people in the Word of God in such a way to send leaders out.
22 Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers, 23 with the following letter: “The brothers, both the apostles and the elders, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings.
(1) A. They sacrificially give people.
(1) A. They sacrificially give people.
The church in Jerusalem were building up leaders to send them out.
This is not a one time occurence.
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. 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. 21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. 22 The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 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, 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. 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.
We want to accomplish the same thing here.
(1) B. They sacrificially give time.
(1) B. They sacrificially give time.
Being involved in ministry takes time!
Struggle to create time in schedule for discipleship.
Journey to travel was roughly 300 miles. if you traveled 20 miles a day it would take you 15 days.
The people set aside their normal lives to go serve another church nearby.
(1) C. They sacrificially give money.
(1) C. They sacrificially give money.
Not actually mentioned in text.
The cost of going on a month long journey.
Whether they would have given a gift of money to their brothers in Antioch, someone was giving up money to make this journey happen.
The church was filled with people who were eager give back to Jesus for everything He had given them.
Is there an area of my life that I am not fully giving to Jesus?
2. A gospel partnering church seeks truth.
2. A gospel partnering church seeks truth.
24 Since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions, 25 it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth.
The church in Antioch was being told their faith was not genuine because of no circumcision, so they sent men to the Jerusalem church to find out the truth.
1 But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. 3 So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers. 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. 5 But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.”
(2) A. They seek truth through God’s revelation.
(2) A. They seek truth through God’s revelation.
When the Jerusalem church was meeting to discuss whether Circumcision was necessary, James turned everyone attention back to scripture.
13 After they finished speaking, James replied, “Brothers, listen to me. 14 Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. 15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written,
16 “ ‘After this I will return,
and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen;
I will rebuild its ruins,
and I will restore it,
17 that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord,
and all the Gentiles who are called by my name,
says the Lord, who makes these things 18 known from of old.’
19 Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God,
Referencing back to Amos 9.
Jesus talks about the fact that when you are seeking truth you should turn to His word.
31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
(2) B. They seek truth through people who knew God’s revelation.
(2) B. They seek truth through people who knew God’s revelation.
There was no new testament at this point for them to look for information, but what they did have were people who had walked with Jesus and were now leaders in the church.
6 The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. 7 And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, 9 and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. 10 Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”
Trusted men of God were sought out to make this decision under The Holy Spirits guidance.
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 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.
Jesus said The Spirit of truth would come to help believers.
I think of another time in Acts where we see believers seeking truth.
10 The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
Are we as eager to seek truth from God’s Word. To be in it daily learning more about my Lord and Savior?
3. A gospel partnering church sets aside self for unity.
3. A gospel partnering church sets aside self for unity.
28 For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: 29 that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”
(3) A. They set aside tradition.
(3) A. They set aside tradition.
There must have been new Gentile believers who were still participation in their old religions traditions. was an issue addressed multiple times. (1 Cor 8, Rom 14, 1 Cor 10)
The list was given for the Gentiles to give up for the sake of their Jewish background brothers and sisters.
Both sides were taking a step to set aside traditions for the sake of other believers. (Jews with Circumcision).
Could have taken a whole sermon to talk about setting aside traditions/ preferences for others, but we have already done that.
(3) B. They set aside sin.
(3) B. They set aside sin.
Notably, one of the items listed for the Gentiles to give up was not only a tripping point for their Jewish brothers, but an explicit sin against The God that they now devoted their life to.
The church was marked by people who were willing to give up anything to follow Jesus.
Are we as willing to give up things to follow Christ more fervently?
4. The impact of a gospel partnering church.
4. The impact of a gospel partnering church.
30 So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch, and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. 31 And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. 32 And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words. 33 And after they had spent some time, they were sent off in peace by the brothers to those who had sent them. 35 But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.
Note v34 not being there.
34 However, it seemed good to Silas to remain there.
It is not in the best manuscripts we have.
was something believed to be put in there because of v40.
40 but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord.
Not going to sideline for a long time to talk about whether or not this verse should be in the text or not.
(4) A. Gospel partnering results in celebration.
(4) A. Gospel partnering results in celebration.
Put yourself in the shoes of the Gentile believers here. Emotional rollercoaster. Questioning salvation. Persecution happening all around them. The anticipation of what the church in Jerusalem had decided had to be building over the month that they were waiting.
When the letter was read to them they could not help but celebrate! They now had conformation that their salvation was Genuine, and they didn’t have to wonder anymore.
(4) B. Gospel partnering results in encouragement.
(4) B. Gospel partnering results in encouragement.
The Antioch church was encouraged that the leading church in Jerusalem sent leaders to minister to them. That brought even more assurance that what the letter had said was true.
For Judas and Silas it wasn’t about just getting the letter to the believers in Antioch, they stuck around to bring encouragement and strength to brothers who had been led astray.
One of the things that I have taken away from my study of this passage is that the church was filled with people who understood that this life is not about themselves, and that they would often need to go out of their way to encourage and strengthen others.
Are we living in such a way that we are present enough to notice the brokenness around us and reach out to help, or are we so busy and distracted that we won’t notice when God gives us a chance to be His hands and feet.