Mission Matters

Introduction

Video: Matter

What a great question for us to consider…Does it matter? Does it matter to us that there are people who have never heard the “life-giving message of Jesus Christ”.

In our circles it is unlikely that they have never heard of Jesus, but they may never have heard that Jesus is the Christ. Or they may not know how He came to restore to us the full and perfect life that God always intended for us to live. That is the Good News of the Gospel, the life-giving message, and it is the mission of the Church to share that good news with the world. It matters, because the Church the Ekklesia is the unstoppable movement of God.

Tension

So as we look into the early days of the Ekklesia we have been tracking with how this has unfolded. Just as Jesus said, His witnesses began with sharing the message with the Jews in Jerusalem, it spread to Judea and Samaria and now staring with chapter 13 the book of Acts is mostly focused on how the Gentiles outside of the Jerusalem world are responding to the Good News.

Since the original Apostles remained in Jerusalem, Luke invites us deeper into the details of the story of the Apostle Paul. His mission was to be a light to the Gentiles and last week we took a look at his sending off service and his early experiences on the Island of Cyprus. [map] They traveled from one end of the Island to the other sharing the Gospel with everyone who would listen.

Then they ended up in the capital city of Paphos and were summoned by the Pro-counsel, a man named Sergius Paulus. This man was being counseled wrongly by a Jewish false prophet and in the midst of their sharing the Gospel the Holy Spirit led Saul to to speak condemnation over this false prophet and he was left blind. This powerful sign encouraged the Pro-counsel to believe the “astonishing” message of the Gospel.

It is interesting to note that from this point forward there seems to be changes in the leadership structure of the team. “Saul” who is mostly referred to as “Paul” now - which is the Greek rendering of the Jewish name “Saul” - is presented as the forerunner of the group. Where before it was “Barnabas and Saul” we now see the Holy Spirit leading more prominently through Paul so that even the title headings read “Paul and Barnabas”. We see this in verse 13 where it says:

Acts 13:13–14a (ESV) (map)

13 Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem, (We don’t know why John left, but this act will play a significant role later in the story) 14 but they (minus John Mark) went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia.

Notice this is a different Antioch in the region of Galatia in the north rather than the one in Syria there in the East.

As they did in many of the cities that they journeyed to, they started out in the synagogue and here in Antioch Pisidia we get this terrific picture of what participation in a first century Jewish synagogue service looked like. This would be the kind of thing that Paul and Barnabas would experience through out their journey whenever they were invited to speak at the synagogue It says...

Acts 13:14b-15 (synagogue)

And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. 15 After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it. 16 So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said: “Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen.”

In typical Jewish fashion, a “ruler” of the synagogue would choose an Old Testament to read from and then ask someone to offer their reflections on the passage. They would often give preference to visitors, especially learned men like Paul.

And we are not going to read it this morning, but beginning with their shared history as Israelite slaves in Egypt, Paul eloquently teaches them from the Scriptures how Jesus is their long awaited Messiah, the Christ. The response was better than they could have expected.

The text says that the Jews “begged” them to return the following Sabath to tell them more and that many of them became followers and the team stayed that week and poured into the people, teaching them from those things that Jesus had taught and then...

Acts 13:44 ESV

44 The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.

This is a significant change for the synagogue leaders. This is not just a typical Sabbath with a couple of new visitors from out of town. The place was packed with both Jews and Gentiles gathering together to hear what Paul and Barnabas have to say.

I wonder what we would do in a situation like this? What if “almost the whole city” of Mondovi showed up one Sunday to hear the word of the Lord? Would we welcome that experience or would the commotion and crowd and the chaos of it all cause us to long for it to get back to being “Just us” on Sunday Mornings? Something for us to ask ourselves when we are consider if “It Matters”.

Because even though the Jews begged them to return the week before, this week with all these Gentiles showing up saw things a bit different...

Acts 13:45 ESV

45 But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him.

This is a pattern that is recognizable throughout their journey. They come in and speak, typically at the Synagogue, in a calm and orderly way and all is fine...but then more and more people want to hear this good news and see God move through Paul and Barnabas until things start spilling out into the world of those... other people.

So the Jews go from personally “begging” them to return to publically berating them out of jealousy. Paul was being slandered because he is “encouraging” this group of both Jews and Gentiles with the same “good news” that he shared last week to just the Jews.

But they were “On Mission” for what God had sent then for, so this opposition only emboldens them...

Acts 13:46–49 (ESV)

46 And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. 47 For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “ ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ”

48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. 49 And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region.

Remember how the Holy Spirit told the Church at Antioch to “set apart” these two for the work that he has called them to. Here they are doing exactly what the Church from the other Antioch commissioned them to do. “To be a light to the Gentiles”.

Still the Jewish leaders were not having any of that part of the Teams message...

Acts 13:49–51 (ESV)

49 And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region. 50 But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. 51 But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium.

They were driven out, but they were not defeated, they were not doubting or deflated. The next verse says.

Acts 13:52 ESV

52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

They took this joy into the next city to the East called Iconium [map] Upon arriving there they encountered a similar sequence of events. Starting now in Chapter 14

Acts 14:1 ESV

1 Now at Iconium they entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed.

It is happening again, in more ways than one...

Acts 14:2 ESV

2 But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.

So they again were first welcomed and then opposed. Still they stuck around and preached the Gospel and reasoned with the people giving them every opportunity to consider the message God has given them to share…until the opposition turned violent.

Not violent by some of today’s ridiculous standard where just opposing someones ideas are somehow considered violence. They lived in that kind of thing all the time. This was real life threatening violence.

Acts 14:5–7 ESV

5 When an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat them and to stone them, 6 they learned of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding country, 7 and there they continued to preach the gospel.

The Gospel was going forth to city and country folk alike. Then (this is great) in Lystra Paul miraculously heals a man and the people are so steeped in their pagan Greek mythology that they instantly think that these men must be “gods” come down from Mount Olympus and they start to worship them! They even start calling Barnabas “Zeus” and Paul “Hermes” because he was doing all the talking.

I kid you not. Like something right out of one of those adventure movies…the Pagan priest even comes down from the Temple of Zeus with garlands to put around their necks and a cow to sacrifice.

And even though they do everything they can to stop them, knowing how God feels about idolatry, the people insist on trying to worship them. And then, as Paul and Barnabas are trying to straighten this all out and tell these people about Jesus in a way that they might understand...who should show up but angry Jews from the previous cities. They were out for blood.

I imagine walking into town and hearing about the arrival of “Zeus” and “Hermes” didn’t settle them down much. .

Acts 14:19 (ESV)

19 But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, ...

And that was the end of the Apostle Paul…that should have been the end. The “to death” part is pretty significant aspect of the “stoning someone to death” ritual…but they

Acts 14:19b–20(ESV)

...dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. 20 But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe.

The next day! We know how brutal execution by stoning was and considering they “supposed he was dead” I don’t think they were holding back in any way...but God supernaturally intervened so that as the believers gathered around him Paul rose up and went back on mission. I bet that caused a bit of a stir in town.

What an incredible story…and the reason that I walked us through this part of the story because we can hardly understand the significance of where weare gong at the end of chapter 14 without traveling with them up to this point. Because our text for today starts in verse 21 where it says:

Acts 14:21 ESV

21 When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch,

So if I had started us out there you would have probably just heard - ok yeah...they went back to somewhere they had already been…but it wasn’t just a “somewhere” it was where they just were and it was where they were just running for their life. And the fear was justified, since Paul just got up from what should have been his last moments on earth.

This begs a question that we never would have asked without knowing the rest of the story …

What could have been so important that they would risk showing their faces in these towns again? Hadn’t they already shared the Gospel and seen some come to believe? Wasn’t that enough? Why not just move on to another area? Why risk another confrontation. Why risk giving them another shot at you? What was so important that it was worth risking going back to those cities?

The answer to that question is where we will spend the rest of our time this morning. So if you haven’t already, open your Bibles to Acts chapter 14, page 923 in the Bibles in the chairs. I am going to pray for us and then we will see what was so important to go back for.

Truth

The first reason that we see them turn back to connect with these cities is because...

1. Believers are called to reach, encourage, and teach new believers (Acts 14:21–22)

Jesus was clear that the mission of His Church was not just to make converts, it was to make Disciples, baptizing them and teaching them everything Jesus has taught us. So...

Acts 14:21–22 (ESV)

21 When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, 22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.

Remember that these guys were run out of town on the threat of death and then the leaders went after them. We don’t know exactly how all the timing went, but it is probable that the Jewish leaders came back into town reporting that they had successfully done away with those “heritics”. This would have been confusing, frustrating and even deflating news for these new believers.

So despite the risk, the team returned to encourage them with the story of God’s faithfulness despite many hardships. These new believers needed additional instructions on how to live rightly in their new identity in Christ, especially in light of the fact that they would be living in an area that hostile toward it. .

Pastor Derick Bingham new somethingof hostility. He ministered for decades at Belfast’s Crescent Church, in Belfast Northern Ireland a city known for violence, divisions and uprisings. He said it like this, but with a cool Irish Accent:

“The ministry of encouragement is open to Christians as it is to no others. Christians have a new life in Christ, an all-powerful Holy Spirit to lead them into all truth, and a Heavenly Father who will protect and bless them eternally. If any people anywhere are qualified and equipped to a ministry of positive and healthy encouragement in a desperately discouraging world, it is the Christian church.”

Or even closer to the headlines of our day is the need for encouragement for the people enduring War in the Ukraine. I read an article this week from a pastor and professor at Kyiv Theological Seminary. When asked how the Church is Shepherding people during this time he said:

“If the church is not relevant at a time of crisis, then it is not relevant in a time of peace,” he went on to explain that their church building has become a shelter, saying “During this critical moment, our church, which has about 1,000 people attending on a normal Sunday, is also a place of service. We’ve recently conducted several trainings on performing first aid. People are learning how to apply a tourniquet, stop bleeding, apply bandages, and manage airways. These lay people aren’t going to become doctors, but this has given them confidence to care for their neighbors if necessary.”

No one yet knows how the Russian invasion of Ukraine will conclude, but war always brings suffering and death. This pastor, who is a Ukrainian national, has decided to stay with his family and with his church. He is hopeful, saying “When this is over, the citizens of Kyiv will remember how Christians have responded in their time of need.”

Paul new that these New Believers were facing a difficult crisis with the religious leaders on high alert after pushing them out of town. He was not going to leave these New Believers without giving them the encouragement and teaching they needed to remain in the faith. So they went back.

Still, they could not stay at each of these Churches forever. So they were certain to do one last thing before they left...

Acts 14:23 ESV

23 And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

Our second theme is that..

2. Believers should prayerfully choose leaders and teachers for their churches (Acts 14:23–25).

If you haven’t noticed we take leadership here at Friendship Church pretty seriously. It is one of our distinctives as a Church that we prayerfully and Biblically choose our leaders and teachers.

We believe that the Church is not an organization, but that Jesus has designed His Church to be an organized organism. It is not a lifeless building nor a static system but it is the living body of Christ where Jesus is the head and we all find our place under His leadership. How could we possibly know how to function as the Church Jesus is building if we don’t meet him in prayer for every leadership decision.

One of the passages that speaks clearest on the qualifications for leaders in the Church is found in 1 Timothy 3. This book is one of Paul’s letters to Timothy, who he calls his true child in the faith. Timothy is a young Overseer whom Paul prayerfully appointed to serve in the city of Ephesus.

It turns out that Timothy is from Lystra, one of these three cities. Paul comes back to Lystra in each one of his missionary journeys, but he picks us Timothy on his second time through. Makes me wonder what Timothy saw in the leadership of the church that Paul and Barnabas prayerfully appointed, especially as he would have been something of a product of that effort.

But the mission rolls through more familiar places...

Acts 14:24–26 ESV

24 Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. 25 And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia, 26 and from there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled.

This brings us to our last map and our last theme...

3. Believers share and celebrate what God has done in and through us (Acts 14:26–28).

So this thriving Church had heard from the Holy Spirit and prayerfully sent this team out, probably more than a year and a half ago, and now they had returned and you know the story they had to tell.

Acts 14:27–28 ESV

27 And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. 28 And they remained no little time with the disciples.

They declared all that God had done…from the Pro-counsel believing to the ups and downs of great responses followed by running for their lives all the way up into the return trip where they surprised the New Believers with their encouragement and appointed elders for future growth. And this Church got to hear it all and celebrate with them.

The believers at Antioch continued to study Scripture and to grow spiritually as they waited for God’s next assignment. They demonstrated that The Church is God’s Plan for fulfilling the Great Commission—go into the world, make disciples, and teach them to obey Jesus’ commands.

1. Believers are called to reach, encourage, and teach new believers (Acts 14:21–22)

2. Believers should prayerfully choose leaders and teachers for their churches (Acts 14:23–25).

3. Believers share and celebrate what God has done in and through us (Acts 14:26–28).

Gospel Application

For each of our themes this week I used the word “Believers”, but we could just as easily put the word Church in there because the Church is the gathering of believers. But I intentionally used “Believers” because if I used the term “church” then you could all agree that “Yup, the Church should do those things…and I hope they do”

But guys, WE ARE THE CHURCH

The Church needs to be organized but it is not an organization so that we can sit back and say, “Why doesn’t the Church do something?” The Church is made up of the Believers so the better question is…what are WE doing? How are we each going to get involved in this?

And I am not just talking about going on missions trips to reach the lost, that is important but it is only one third of mission that Jesus has given us. Remember the words of our co-mission...

Matthew 28:19–20 ESV

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

We are to see them grow as teach them to do all that Jesus commanded and when we do this it will change not only them but it will change the space in between us. And the more people we see growing to be more and more like Jesus the greater the space around us more and more like God intended us to be.

This what the Church is supposed to look like and the mission of every believer is to find their place in the Ekklesia, this Unstoppable movement of God. It starts with us.

Landing

I know it has been a quote filled message today, but if you indulge me one last time, D.L. Moody the evangelist, teacher and urban ministry pioneer who founded the Moody Bible Institute once said..

“No one can sum up all that God is able to accomplish through one solitary life, wholly yielded, adjusted, and obedient to Him."—D.L.Moody

The Unstoppable movement of God is built on people like this and we are gathered together to help each other become such.

Let’s pray into that together.