ACTS CHAPTER 13:1-12, “The Holy Spirit Leads To Missions”
by
1.
INTRO:
1.1.
Last week we studied about Peter
being arrested and then miraculously delivered by the angel of the Lord, and we
saw many principles concerning prayer in that study
1.2.
In out study today, the book
of Acts takes a major turn because Peter is no longer the central character in
the book, the church in
1.2.1.
We saw earlier in chapter 12
how that the first Gentile church was started in the city of Antioch, called in
that day “The Jewel of The East”, the city which was the third largest city in
the world at that time, and, now throughout the rest of the book of Acts we see
that the church in Antioch is now seen as the mother church and the hub of all
missionary work
1.2.2.
Before Jesus ascended to
heaven He gave His disciples the Great Commission in which He charged them to
go into all of the world and preach the gospel and make disciples, and really
the book of Acts is the story of how that commission was carried out
1.2.3.
When we Christians reflect
upon what the early church did in turning the world upside-down, taking the
gospel to the known world, then we must appreciate and realize also that had
not the early church been faithful to their charge in the Great Commission that
we would not be in the faith today
1.2.4.
Today in our study we are
going to look at the inner workings of this church in Antioch and see what we
can learn from how they were led, established, and used by the Lord, and how
the first missionary work was inspired by the Holy Spirit
2.
VS 13:1 - “13:1
Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was there, prophets and teachers:
Barnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen who
had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.” - There were some prophets and teachers at the
church in
2.1.
The focus of
the book of Acts from this point on is now going to be the gospel going out to
the Gentiles.
2.1.1.
Peter, the
apostles, and the church in
2.1.2.
The apostle
Paul, not Barnabas, is now the driving force behind three missionary journeys,
and we will learn all about his endeavors in missions.
2.1.2.1.We will see the fruit as well as the hardships that
befell him and those who traveled with him.
2.2.
It is in this
chapter that all of a sudden Saul is called Paul, and from then on this is the
name by which he is called.
2.3.
The church in
Antioch of Syria is now the center from which all missionary journeys are
undertaken. This church was started by
two gentile converts to Christianity, and Barnabas had originally been called
to investigate whether this work in
2.4.
We really
don’t know much about the structure and operation of the early church from the
scriptures or even from tradition, and so there are many questions that we have
regarding this, however Luke records that in this church in Antioch there were
five men who were prophets and/or teachers, and these men were the primary
leaders who were sustaining this church.
2.4.1.
Notice that there were five men who were called to be the leaders of the
church, not twelve, or any number whereby we might place some special numerical
significance.
2.4.2.
The gifts of prophesy and teaching are primary gifts necessary for the
building up of a church, and these men were gifted with these gifts.
2.4.3.
There was
certainly a primary involvement in prophetic forth-telling the word of God by
these prophets, as opposed to foretelling the future, although surely these men
were used in this manner also.
2.4.4.
I mentioned
in a previous study in chapter 11 concerning how the gift of prophesy was used
in the early church, that God has given to each Christian at least one
spiritual gift, and then we read one of the listings of the spiritual gifts
found in the New Testament. Now here in
the book of Acts we see how the Lord was working through the spiritual gifts
that He had given to His body in
2.4.4.1.I mentioned during that previous study that there was
a difference between a spiritual gift and an ‘office’ in the church, and now we
see that these five men had the spiritual gifts of prophesy and teaching,
however as leaders in the church they also had the ‘office’ of a prophet and/or
a teacher.
2.4.4.2.Notice that there was no one in the church in
2.4.4.2.1.The word ‘apostle’ means, “one sent out”, and the one
who will become an apostle is the one being sent out in this chapter, Saul
2.5.
By the Lord’s
doing, notice the great diversity in the backgrounds of these men who were the
leaders in the church:
2.5.1.
Barnabas, the
one whose name means, ‘son of encouragement’, was gifted heavily with the
spiritual gift of encouragement, and whenever we see him in the book of Acts he
is seen encouraging others.
2.5.1.1.What a tremendous gift is this gift of
encouragement. I wonder how many people
of renown and greatness in the eyes both of men and of God there are who would
not be known as such if it were not for the help of some person or persons who
greatly encouraged them in their work.
2.5.2.
Paul we know
of already. He was born and raised up in
the city of
2.5.3.
Simeon, who
was also called ‘Niger’, which is translated ‘black’, probably had had black
skin, and was also possibly of Ethiopian descent or north African descent.
2.5.3.1.Some believe that because of accounts in the New
Testament that this man is the same man who was called upon to carry Christ’s
cross when he couldn’t carry it any longer.
2.5.4.
Lucius we do
not know much about at all, except that he was a Roman from
2.5.5.
This man,
Manaen, was a step child of Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great. Herod Antipas was the one who married His
brother Phillip’s wife Herodias, and who when Herodias’ daughter Salome
performed an erotic dance before him and his drunken party promised Salome
anything that she might ask up to half of his kingdom, and she asked for the
head of John the Baptist, and thus John the Baptist was martyred.
2.6.
These five
men of very diverse backgrounds were rooted and grounded in the love of Christ,
and thus they were able to work in harmony and under the leading of the Holy
Spirit, and God made them become an effective leadership team.
2.6.1.
The church is
the only place in the world where people of every kind of background can have
their hearts all knit together in the love of God.
2.6.1.1.We have seen how the Lord was breaking down all of the
barriers that separate people in the church and purifying the love of God in
the people, however the kinds of relationships that He was building in the
churches take time to develop, and if we in the church today are constantly
hopping from church to church instead of staying put in one church, then we
will not be able to be ministered to by the church they way it can minister to
us if we will just stay put in one place.
2.6.1.1.1.When we hop around we are also saying that
relationships do not matter, however they are really the greatest things that
the Lord brings into our lives.
2.7.
Notice also
that the exact way in which any of these men were used by the Lord is not
mentioned here, and I believe that the Lord did not want it mentioned here
because God does not want to promote or glorify people nor their personalities.
2.7.1.
Sadly, many
in the church today are promoting a man.
3.
VS 13:2 - “2
And while they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said,
“Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.””
- The Holy Spirit spoke to the church as
they were ministering and fasting and told them to send out Paul and Barnabas
for missionary work
3.1.
This early
church body in
3.1.1.
They were
spending much time before the Lord in worship, and thus they were being powerfully
led by the Holy Spirit.
3.1.2.
I believe,
one of the main reasons why the Lord does not speak and lead the church today
as clearly as He did with the early church is because we have gotten away from
the sort of focused devotion and prayer life that the early church had with the
Lord.
3.2.
The church in
3.3.
There are many Christian books that are out today that deal with how to
be an effective leader in the church, and these books teach that a pastor or
leader in a church should be a visionary, dream big dreams, take risks, etc.,
however none of this happened in the early church, all they did was seek the
Lord and focus greatly on worshipping Him, and then it was the Lord who was
able to lead them in the great way that He did.
3.3.1.
There is a beautiful description of the churchs’ worship here, for it
says that they, ‘were ministering to the Lord’.
3.3.2.
We can see from this story of the Holy Spirit’s leading in this church
that the people did not even have a voice in the sending out of Saul and
Barnabas for missionary work.
3.3.3.
The leaders in the church in
3.3.4.
These church leaders didn’t organize or create any programs and they
didn’t appoint any committees.
3.3.5.
They didn’t even start a cross-cultural discovery group.
3.4.
Luke does not
record exactly how it was that the church in
3.4.1.
It is
possible but not certain that they heard an audible voice say these words to
them.
3.4.2.
It is more
probably I believe that one of the prophets received a “word from the Lord”
that Barnabas and Saul were to begin this missionary journey, and this
prophetic word was accepted by everyone as from the Lord.
3.5.
Henry
Martyn once said, “The Spirit
of Christ is the spirit of missions, and the nearer we get to Him, the more
intensely missionary we must become”.
3.6.
The work of
missions in the church today should not be a work which men approve, it should
be one where the Lord has led.
3.6.1.
As it was in
this chapter, the Lord wants to be the One who leads the church, gifts, builds
up, and calls men and women to service for Him.
3.6.2.
We ought to
seek Him in these things rather than rely upon our own wisdom or schemes.
3.6.3.
Prayer ought
also to be the prime focus of our being led by the Lord in all areas, and
especially into missions.
3.7.
We in the
body who feel called to full-time missions and ministry work should however
seek out the blessing of a church before we go out, for it is much wiser to get
the counsel of many and to go out under the umbrella of another church than to
be totally independent.
3.7.1.
Plus, when
anyone goes out into missions type of work it is of utmost importance that they
have a solid prayer base group who are constantly lifting them up to the Lord
in prayer.
4.
VS 13:3 - “3And
when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them
away.” - The church fasted and
prayed and laid hands on Paul and Barnabas as they went out on this first
missionary journey
4.1.
The church
came together, fasted again and prayed for this missionary trip and Paul and
Barnabas, then they all ‘laid their hands on them’, and sent them away.
4.2.
There were no
apostles here for the laying on of hands, just believers and a some prophets
and teachers.
4.2.1.
As we have
seen already in the book of Acts with Ananias and with the two anonymous
evangelists who preached and began the revival and church plant in Antioch, we
do not need to be a pastor or even an elder in order to used greatly by the
Lord as these ones lay hands on these men, pray for them, and dedicate them up
the Lord’s service.
5.
VS 13:4 - “4
So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to
5.1.
We see again
in this verse, that the point is made very clearly that it was the Holy Spirit,
not men, nor even a need, who sent Paul and Barnabas out on this missionary
journey.
5.2.
It is the
Holy Spirit who must gift, call, and send out people to the mission field, and
we must never get in His way.
5.3.
These ones
who had been praying and fasting and waiting upon the Lord now go out under His
leading, and we want to look at some things relative to the Lord’s leading of
them:
5.3.1.
Many people
have wrong motivations for the various ministries that they may be involved in
because they have not waited upon the Lord’s leading:
5.3.1.1.These men did not sit down and think up some grand
plans that they might be able to carry out and then decide to go out and
evangelize the world, and thus their being sent out and their guidance was not
based upon their own creativity and good ideas, for as we know these things do
not always come from the Lord.
5.3.1.2.Many
ministries are begun in the flesh not out of the leading of the Holy Spirit, and thus
their result ends up being strife and fruitlessness:
5.3.1.2.1.Some
ministries begin out of compulsion rather than the leading of the Holy Spirit, for
people get under conviction that they ought to be out witnessing and
evangelizing, for instance, and thus they go out but not under the Lord’s
leading.
5.3.1.2.2.Some people
begin ministries because of a motive of bitterness, and as Ken Ortiz points
out, those who go out for this motivation go out ‘wanting to prove others
wrong’.
5.3.1.2.3.Some
ministries begin out of selfish ambition because people want to promote themselves and be
someone in people’s lives, and ministry provides them that platform.
5.4.
5.4.1.
It had over 1 million in population.
5.4.2.
It was called, “The Happy Isle”, because it was a beautiful place with a
good climate and lifestyle.
5.4.3.
It had a pronconsulate headquarters at Paphos where the governmental
headquarters resided, and the man Sergius Paulus ruled the island as the
pronconsul.
5.5.
5.6.
The
5.7.
So, seeing that Cyprus and in particular Salamis were such big population
bases, we can see that though Saul and Barnabas went out under the leading of
the Holy Spirit that they were led to the place where the fishing for souls
might be the best.
5.7.1.
I have seen some men of late in the Calvary Chapel movement who have felt
called to plant churches, and yet they have gone to places where there is a
very small population base from which to draw, and then they wonder why they
have such a hard time trying to see a church planted.
5.7.1.1.I do realize that there have
been some exceptions that have occurred where men have gone to a small
community and the Lord has raised up a large church through them, however these
are rare exceptions where the Lord has led.
6.
VS 13:5 - “5
And when they reached
6.1.
We see all
through the book of Acts that Paul’s ministry was always to the Jew first and
then when the Jews would no longer respond to the gospel, he would take his
message to the gentiles.
6.1.1.
Going to the
Jews was usually the best place to find men and women who, if they were to
accept the call to salvation to Christ, would also tend to grow quickest in
their faith since they already had a foundation in the Word of God in their
lives, so this was a wise move as well as an inspired one.
6.2.
Luke records
that John, who is called John Mark, was their ‘helper’ during this missionary
journey.
6.2.1.
John Mark was
a relative of Barnabas.
6.2.2.
John Mark was
also the one to later write the gospel of Mark.
6.2.3.
This word for
‘helper’ is a word that meant, ‘under rower’, and it referred to the ones in
the bottom part of the ships in that day who worked the oars, and in that day
it had come also to be used to refer to those who were engaged in someone
else’s business.
6.2.3.1.John Mark was really then just available to help Paul
and Barnabas in any way that they needed help.
6.2.3.2.So many times we in the church today are desirous of
having very visible platforms for our ministries and we tend to despise the
thought of just helping out where help is needed, and thus we miss the obvious
things that the Lord puts in front of us to do, and in doing so we miss the
Lord’s blessing for us in that ministry.
6.2.3.2.1.John Mark was faithful just as a helper to Paul and Barnabas
here in the missionary journeys, and then because of his being blessed for his
faithfulness, later the Lord leads him to write a gospel.
7.
VS 13:6-7 - “6
And when they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a
certain magician, a Jewish false prophet whose name was Bar-Jesus, 7 who was
with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence. This man summoned
Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.” - When they had to Paphos on the island, and
the Roman proconsul summoned Barnabas and Saul to hear the word of God
7.1.
Paul and Barnabas had traveled the 172 miles across the island of Cyprus,
preaching the gospel as they went, and now they came to the city of Paphos, on
the west side of the island.
7.2.
Sergius
Paulus was a Roman official, ‘a man of intelligence’, and he also was a man who
sought after God. Upon hearing of the
works and words of Paul and Barnabas, he summoned them so that he might get the
chance to hear the truth of the ‘word of God’.
7.2.1.
Though a
government official, this man was also sincere and genuine in his desire to
know God and to know truth.
7.2.2.
Sergius
Paulus, being the governmental official in charge of the island, evidently had
various diviners and soothsayers that he called upon to give him guidance in the
decisions which he made.
7.3.
The name of this magician, ‘Bar Jesus’, means, “son of Joshua”, and the
name ‘Elymas’ means, “diviner or sorcerer”.
7.4.
Remember,
Peter earlier in the book of Acts found another magician, a man named Simon
Magus
7.5.
This man,
Elymas, who performed sorcery was also a ‘Jewish false prophet’.
7.5.1.
As a
‘magician’, this man was learned not only in some Biblical truth, but also of
what was known as alchemy and some of the occult, and as a ‘Jewish false
prophet’, he proclaimed himself as being a prophet of the Jewish religion,
however, he was a ‘false’ or lying and deceitful prophet.
7.5.1.1.This man was using his knowledge of the Jewish
religion to his own benefit in order influence Jews there as well as to be able
to have a sort of spiritual authority that would impress men and increase his
influence.
7.5.1.1.1.I have seen and known many people in the world that
use Christianity in a similar way, for they are into some sort of occultish
religious abberation, and yet claim that they are also Christian, and they use
some scripture which they quote, so that they can have greater authority over
the minds of people who don’t really know any better.
8.
VS 13:8-10 - “8
But Elymas the magician (for thus his name is translated) was opposing them,
seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. 9 But Saul, who was also
known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze upon him, 10 and
said, “You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you
enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight
ways of the Lord?” - Paul confronted
the magician as he was trying to turn the proconsul away from the faith
8.1.
We see here in this story of Elymas the first spiritual warfare that
comes upon Saul and Barnabas in this new missionary work that they have begun,
and we will see how Saul is led to confront this man.
8.1.1.
Anytime that a Christian begins a ministry that will have a significant
effect upon people’s lives, the Lord always allows that person to also overcome
some significant spiritual warfare.
8.1.2.
Elymas, this
magician and Jewish false prophet, was placed in the proconsul’s life by Satan,
the prince of the power of the air, in order to try to hinder him from
responding to the truth and being saved.
8.1.2.1.Sergius Paulus found himself placed between Satan and
God in a battle for his soul as Paul preached the way of salvation through
Jesus Christ to him.
8.1.2.2.Whenever a person attempts to make a stand for the
Lord and serve Him, as Sergius Paulus was considering doing, the Lord is also
going to allow Satan to tempt him and try to turn him away, for the Lord is
testing whether or not the decision was genuine.
8.2.
Notice here that the persecution that Saul and Barnabas came under from
Elymas was the result of just one fact, that Elymas saw that if Serguis Paulus
accepted Christianity and became a Christian that he would lose his livlihood.
8.2.1.
Ken Ortiz points out that all organized persecution has always and will
always be based upon not the fact that those who are opposed to it have an
intellectual disagreement or inability to understand the truth of the gospel,
but rather just because Christianity is a threat to their existence and power
base.
8.2.1.1.This was why every martyr in
the scriptures was killed, including Christ, and why every martyr is killed in
our world today.
8.3.
We in the
church today need to realize that every word from the Lord is not necessarily
going to be spoken sweetly and with a candy sweet smile. Sometimes the Lord will lead His people to
have discernment and to confront people directly for their sins.Notice here how
Paul’s rebuke of Elymas occurred, for it says that the Holy Spirit came upon
Paul and gave him immediate spiritual discernment of the real nature and
motives of this magician and false prophet, for this is the power with which
Paul confronted Elymas.
8.3.1.1.Paul tells Elymas that:
8.3.1.1.1.He is full of all deceit and
faud.
8.3.1.1.2.He is a ‘child of the devil’, or he ‘has been mentored
by the devil’
8.3.1.1.3.He is an enemy of
righteousness.
8.3.1.1.4.He would not cease to make crooked the straight ways
of the Lord.
8.3.1.1.5.In the next verse he says, ‘the hand of the Lord is
against you’.
8.3.1.1.5.1.God can be against some people.
8.4.
Paul
experienced one of those ‘manifestation’ gifts of discernment that we discussed
in one of our early studies quite awhile back, for the Holy Spirit gave him an
immediate understanding of the true nature of things.
8.5.
Paul looked
directly at Elymas, ‘fixed his gaze upon him’, and then told him what his true
character consisted of.
8.5.1.
Then, Paul
revealed the nature of the specific sins which he was committing at this time,
being a Jewish false prophet, “will you not cease to make crooked the straight
ways of the Lord?”
8.5.1.1.It has been pointed out by Barclay and others that
before Jesus died he pronounced 8 woes, but they were all pronounced not
against sinning men and women but against the Pharisees, the religious leaders
of Israel, for they were the ones who were supposed to be leading the people to
God and His kingdom but instead they were blocking people from entering into
it.
8.5.1.1.1.Jesus told the Pharisees and scribes that they were a
“brood of vipers”, and “white-washed sepulchers full of dead men’s bones”.
8.5.1.2.Paul said what he said to Elymas because Elymas was
trying to keep Sergius Paulus from the truth.
8.5.2.
There are
times when we have to come against Satan, and even men, for the souls of people
whom we care about, for we are in a life and death struggle for the souls of
people, and we must not let Satan be able to hinder a person from making it to
heaven.
9.
VS 13:11-12 - “11
“And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and
not see the sun for a time.” And immediately a mist and a darkness fell upon
him, and he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand. 12 Then
the proconsul believed when he saw what had happened, being amazed at the
teaching of the Lord.” - Paul tells
the man that he would be blind for a time, and so he was
9.1.
Being led by
the Holy Spirit, as His instrument, Paul pronounced this curse upon Elymas for
his seeking to hinder Sergius Paulus from hearing the truth. He was made to be blind ‘for a time’.
9.1.1.
Being already a blind guide of the blind, God caused Elymas to become
physically blind.
9.1.2.
We do not
know how long the Lord blinded Elymas, however the Lord’s mercy is seen in that
this condition did not last forever.
9.1.3.
The Lord does
not want to destroy the wicked, as He could have done so easily here, so this
event occurred to Elymas so that he might be brought to the place in his life
where he eventually would repent.
9.2.
When Sergius
Paulus saw firsthand the power of the Lord in causing Elymas to be blinded and
was amazed, he was then persuaded to believe in the Lord Jesus unto salvation.
9.3.
The Lord’s
power should not be underestimated nor taken for granted, for not only can He heal, He can also blind
Elymas, and, as we saw last week, he can cause Herod to be eaten by worms.
9.4.
As we study
God’s word, we see the might and power that He has, and this gives us faith to
believe and trust God. Thus, it is so
important to study the word of God.
9.5.
Origen wrote
that Elymas eventually became a Christian, however we do not know how reliable
that testimony is.