Last week we saw a transition in the book of Acts.  The first 12 chapters of Acts are the Holy Spirit working through Peter and the Jerusalem church to bring the message of Jesus to Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria.  Cornelius, the gentile, is baptized in chapter 10.  Acts 11 the church is changing; processing the theology that this Jesus thing is bigger than just the Jews.  It is global.  Then in the transition of Acts 12 we found Jesus is Lord over all!  That sets the stage for the Jesus movement, to explode!

This morning we begin the last half of Acts.  Acts moves from Peter to Paul. It moves from Israel to the Empire; all the way to Rome.  Acts moves from a Jewish thing to what is now the all encompassing Christianity! 

Acts 13, as it begins this second half, is a model of how this is going to work.  The method of spreading the Jesus message changes in Acts 13. Luke shows us how Paul is going to reach the Empire.  Acts 13 and 14 is a template of how the message was spread. But I think it is more than just a model of how Paul did it.  I think Luke is showing us how to do it.  That has been the fascinating discover in our study of Luke/Acts.  Luke/Acts is written for us!

Two weeks ago I did some musing; some musing about where we have come over the last bunch of years.  I made a parallel between the transition between Jews to gentiles and our transition from only men, to women leading in our assemblies.  I thought there were some correlations.  If that was true, then perhaps, we now find ourselves in Acts 13&14.  Perhaps, we need to find our mission!  We need to know, where do we go from here?  How do we move to mission?  I think Acts 13&14 can help us with some advice about finding our way in the ministry of God. 

This is going to be a bullet sermon; not bullets from a gun, but PowerPoint bullets.  I am going to hit these two chapters and throw a bunch of ideas at you, for you to process and see if we can learn how to find our mission.  Buckle your seatbelts we are going to hyperspeed.  Let’s begin with the last 2 verses of chapter 12.

Acts 12:24-25  But the word of God continued to increase and spread.  When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark.

1) They finished one mission and were ready for the next.  They had taken the money to help the starving in Jerusalem and moved back ready to be used.  Ministries begin and ministries end.  It was successful and then it was over.  That’s good information.  Note John Mark goes with them. 

Acts 13:1-3  In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with 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."   So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

2) All mission is instigated by the Spirit.  Isn’t that fascinating?  We need to wait upon the Lord.  We need to make sure our mission is moved by the Spirit! 

3) But the irony is He moves within the community of worship, prayer and fasting.  It is instigated by the Spirit but he only moves in those who give their hearts in worship, who ask sincerely in prayer, who are willing to sacrifice to find his will!  I think this is where we need to be! 

4) The Holy Spirit moves and chooses two champions to do this mission. Then the church lays hands on them. There is an official recognition of their ministry!   This is good.  It is not haphazard it is deliberate! They are chosen and recognized! 

Acts 13:4-12 The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper. They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith.  Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said,  "You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord?  Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind, and for a time you will be unable to see the light of the sun." Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand.  When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.

5) Here we have a confrontation with evil.  Satan is going to resist any effort we make to further the kingdom.  We can’t be wishy-washy about this!  We need to expect it and deal with it and move on!   

6) We rely upon the power of the Holy Spirit, not our expertise.  Why did Sergious Paulus become a Christian?  It was the power of the Spirit.  Here is where I struggle!  I tend to think we need to have it all figured out before we start.  We need a plan. Sure, but we need to realize it is the Spirit who convicts and it is the Spirit who converts.  He is the one we must rely upon to help us deal with evil! 

Acts 13:13-16   From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem.  From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch. On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and sat down. After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the synagogue rulers sent word to them, saying, "Brothers, if you have a message of encouragement for the people, please speak."  Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand and said:

Next week I am going to come back to this sermon.  It is Paul’s first sermon.  I think it will be fun to study it in comparison to Peter and Stephen and other sermons.  For now let me make a couple more points. 

7) We keep on even if others quit.  John Mark deserted them and went home.  That is going to happen but we must continue.

8) Adapt method to meet culture.  They went into the synagogues and started preaching from where their audience was.  They took advantage of the medium.  We must use the tools that are available.  Here is where we plug in our smarts and use the methods that God has made available! 

Let me give you a sneak at next week’s sermon. 

Acts 13:37-39  But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay.  "Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses.

9) Never change the message; Jesus is the resurrected Lord.  I need an amen!  It kills me to see preachers preaching politics, and fluffy pop psychology…  We must in all our missions preach Jesus as Lord and Christ! That part can never change! More on that next week.  

Acts 13:42-44  As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath.  When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.  On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.

10) Work with the receptive.  Do what is effective.  Be willing to adapt your schedule, stay with it while it works.  What did Jesus say?  Be as innocent as doves but shrewd as snakes! 

Acts 13:44-52   On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.  When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and talked abusively against what Paul was saying.  Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: "We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.  For this is what the Lord has commanded us: "'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'"  When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.  The word of the Lord spread through the whole region.  But the Jews incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region.  So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium.  And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

11) Rejoice in persecution.  How hard is that?  We take joy in being like Jesus and keep on keeping on! 

Acts 14:8-18  In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed and called out, "Stand up on your feet!" At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.  When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, "The gods have come down to us in human form!"  Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker.  The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.  But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting:  "Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them.  In the past, he let all nations go their own way.  Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy."  Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.

12) Don’t let it go to your heads.  This is a hard one for us preachers.  Any success breeds arrogance, but not with Paul and Barnabas.  We can’t take the glory.  We give it all to God.  Here is why… 

Acts 14:19-20  Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead.  20 But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe.

13) People are fickle.  We can’t allow our motivation to be the praise of people.  We do it for the glory of God.  That is the only way we keep going.  Our dependence upon human approval is a show stopper!

Acts 14:21-28 They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God," they said.  23 Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.  After going through Pisidia, they came into Pamphylia, and when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.  From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed.  On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.  And they stayed there a long time with the disciples. 

14) Strengthen what you’ve got.  Missions come to an end.  Then it is time to consolidate and wait for the next move. 

I think we are living in Acts 13&14.  I believe we are ready for a new mission.  I believe the Spirit has granted us a time of peace and granted us new members.  He has given us new gifts.  Now it is time for us to worship, pray and fast and listen for our new mission.  So, this sermon is a challenge for us to be open to the moving of the Spirit in our congregation.