Barnabas and Saul are Sent...

Good morning LRBC. I am excited about this morning. I believe some cool things are going to happen this morning. First of all we all get to be here together….we get to be joined by people online weather they are sick or on vacation or wherever they are, I am excited to be joined by those both physically here and emotionally here this morning. But thats not all that I am excited about this morning…No, besides this happening we have Bradley and Rachel Wells here this morning to share with us what God is calling them to do and how God is going to use them to make an eternal impact. Then we will have our business meeting as well as an amazing potluck lunch where we will all get to experience the amazing food that is part of LRBC...

So, again, welcome and it is such an honor to be able to be here in front of everyone as we turn our focus to Scripture and to what God has given us to study this morning. You know we started this short series on missions last week and we will finish that study this week. Then we will be starting a brand new series in a couple of week that I believe you will be blessed by as we take our focus back into the New Testament for our next book study this fall.

Ok, so let’s think about missions…What did we see last week as we began to think about missions? Well, we saw that nationality, doesn't matter when it comes to salvation, then we saw that no one can believe in a God that they do not know, and that no one can believe in what they have never even heard of, also no one would never hear, in order to believe, if no one ever took the time to tell them , and finally that no one will go and tell others, unless they are sent... This is a whole belief system that Paul embraced and taught to other believers when he discussed the importance of going and telling others. Finally last week I asked you to think about what your personal response would be if you were sent…Would you run and hide like Jonah, or would you step up and go like Paul did? That is the question that I asked you to consider last week.

Well, this week we are going to to look at a specific story about one of Pauls early mission opportunities. We are going to look at how he was sent and something he encountered while in the place God sent him. So, join me in reading

Acts 13:1–12 (ESV)

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. 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.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. 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. And they had John to assist them. When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

Right at the top of this passage we read about Paul and Barnabas being sent to a particular place. Well, if you caught this it is specifically Barnabas and Saul that are bing sent, but in the midst of this story we are reminded that Saul is also called Paul. Actually from this point on in the book of Acts, Paul is the term that is used when speaking about this individual. There is actually a pretty good reason for this. You see, Saul is his name, and that is a name that is more connected to the Jewish context, but when he left the Jewish world and was sent out into the Greco-Roman world it became more beneficial to be known by a name better connected to that context. Paul is simply the Roman version of his name Saul. Paul didn’t actually have his name changed, but he was confronted by Jesus on the road to Damascus. No, Paul simply began using the Roman version of his name as a way to better connect with those he is reaching. Actually a very famous quote from Paul is found in

1 Corinthians 9:19–23 (ESV)

For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all...To the Jews I became as a Jew... To those under the law I became as one under the law ... To those outside the law I became as one outside the law... To the weak I became weak... I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.—Paul

You see, Paul’s mission style was to embrace those who he was trying to reach....Anyway, while that is an amazing lesson we can learn from Paul, that is not our focus here this morning so let’s return to our original passage. We have Barnabas and Saul being sent...Now remember last week we saw that Paul said that no one would go, unless they were sent. So, here we have Barnabas and Saul being sent out from their home, from what they are comfortable with…They are being sent to go out into the world around them and confront sin with the Gospel. Also remember that we saw last week that Paul is not one who is going to be concerned about his own well being. So, we have this church at Antioch getting together to worship the Lord and pray. Now, what do you think they were praying about? Were they praying about the property disputes with their neighbor? Probably not, and while we don’t know specifically the things that were in their prayer, we can see from context what their focus likely was. You see, as a response to their prayers and fasting the Holy Spirit responded by saying,

“Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”—Holy Spirit

So clearly the Lord choose Barnabas and Saul, or Paul to be used for a specific purpose. At this point Barnabas and Saul have spent some time teaching other Christians and Saul has spent time growing as a believer himself. Now, however, something is going to change. The Holy Spirit has called for these men to be appointed to leave Antioch and begin the first of three missionary journey’s that Paul will be leading. So there is something very important that happened as part of the process of being appointed to leave and serve as missionaries. You see, the church leaders spent time worshiping through prayer and fasting as a result of this they were prepared to hear from the Holy Spirit for the appointment of something very important…something new…something different. Barnabas and Saul were to be officially sent from the church in Antioch to a new work of the Lord.

I want to let everyone here know that your church leaders regular spend time together in prayer and growth as we seek the Lord for his guidance in various church decisions. One of those decisions is the appointment of new missionaries and ministry opportunities. You see, it is important to realize that any decision that is made within the life of LRBC has been bathed with prayer and study to ensure that we are not simply doing what we want to do, but that we are doing what is in accordance with guidance from the Lord. Does that mean we get everything right, of course now, but our goal and our focus as leaders of LRBC is to keep us as a church aligned with God’s mission and not our own. One of the big ways that we focus on that is through our missionaries. We know that the missionaries we choose to support (or appoint) are going from here to further the message of the Gospel that we teach here to the places that we simply cannot go ourselves...

Well, that is not the end of the prayer however. You see, after these leaders of the church at Antioch spent time worshiping the Lord in prayer and fasting, they were guided to appoint Barnabas and Paul to go out and do the work that the Lord has called them to do. So, what did they do? The church then fasted and prayed with the laying on of hands on Barnabas and Saul as they sent them out to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Then they sent them off...

This is the same model that we follow even today as we consider new missionaries and as we consider new ministries and other decisions that need to be made as a church. There are things that we pray about and we discuss the Biblical implications and seek the Lords wisdom so that we can confidently send off those that will serve in various capacities. So, later, we as a church will have the opportunity to hear from our newest missionary that we are sending off as a church to go and accomplish what the Lord has called them to. But, before I turn the floor over to Bradley and Rachel, I would like us to see what Barnabas and Saul faced as they went out where the Lord had sent them.

You see, these men left Antioch and they sailed on to Cypress which is an island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. When they arrived on the Island at a town called Salamis, which is on the north-east side of the island, they began to teach and proclaim the Gospel in the Jewish synagogues. They continued to teach and preach the word as the crossed the entire Island. Now, you should know that the entire island of Cypress is about 150 miles long, but 60 miles wide, or approximately one third the size of the Chicago metropolitan area.

Anyway, when these men worked their way across the island teaching and preaching all the way, they came to a town called Paphos, this town was the seat of the Roman Proconsul, or in other words, the seat of the Roman government on the island. Well, as they continued to teach and preach, they came across a Jewish false prophet, who had made himself a magician. Now, something you should understand is that a magician is not like what we have today as a magician. this is not a person that has perfected the skill of illusion. No, this is a person that has reject God for the power of Satan. You will remember in Egypt when Pharoah would attempt to combat Moses and the power of God, he would call in his magicians that would preform supernatural feats using the power of Satan to combat what Moses was showing of the power of God.

Well, the Roman Proconsul wanted to hear this message that Barnabas and Saul were teaching…you will note that this is where Saul begins to use his Roman name of Paul. Well, this magician is opposing the Proconsul hearing the Gospel from Paul and Barnabas because he knows that if this Roman leader hears the Gospel and turns his heart to the Gospel that will be the end of his demonic influence and authority on the island. So, this is the real work that the Lord has called Paul to do right here. This is the beginning of many years of Paul doing all over exactly what he does in this moment.

Paul confronts evil… You see, Paul sees exactly what this Jewish magician is doing and I love what his response to this man is. Paul does not hold back what the Lord has appointed him to day. Paul also does not attempt to serve the Lord in his own strength. I love how Paul responds to this man and these actions. Look with me again at what happens here

Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.”

Paul does not attempt to hold back from the Lord what he has been appointed to do. Paul confronts this evil head on and does not back down, not becuase he is strong enough or brave enough, or smart enough (although I am not doubtful of Pauls qualifications to do this). Paul confronts evil through the power of the Holy Spirit...

Every single missionary that LRBC has chosen to financially support has a very specific purpose in what they are doing. Some of our missionaries are working with other missionaries in order to strengthen them as they confront evil. Some of our missionaries are supporting believers here at home, such as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in Forreston. Some of our missionaries are called to the front lines of evil and they are sent every single day to confront evil and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This morning I want to close our time together praying for our missionaries and what they are each called to accomplish for the Lord and that they will each remain strong and focused on the Gospel and what they have been appointed to in their various ministries.

— Pray—

Now, I want to like to introduce to you Bradley and Rachel Wells who are planning to move in order to assist those on the front lines of evil in this world. Join me in welcoming the Wells to share with us about what God has appointed them to do...

Bradley/Rachel share

Close in prayer asking for people to come up and lay hands on this family as they seek to follow the Lords guidance and timing as well rely on the Lords strength to do what they have been appointed to do.