THE HOLY SPIRIT DRIVES THE MISSION
Acts 13:1-12
CALLED TO SERVE
V:13. " 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.
2 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."
A. The Work of the Holy Spirit drives Church Missions.
1. The Holy Spirit
initiates the mission Matt 28:18-19
2. The Holy Spirit
selects people for the mission
3. The Holy Spirit
selects places for the mission.
4. The Holy Spirit
ordains those selected for the mission.
5. The Holy Spirit
works through the Church.
B. The Holy Spirit uses those who worship the Lord in prayer
and the study the Word of God.
1. The Holy Spirit
prepares people for the mission.
2. Saul had spent
17 years getting prepared for the mission.
3. Barnabas was one
of the first to accept Saul into the Church
after His
conversion.
4. It was Barnabas
who went to Tarsus and got Saul and
brought him
to Antioch .
C. Notice the Holy Spirit works according to the Word.
1. Jesus sent His
disciple out two by two.
2. The Holy Spirit
selected two for the mission.
3. The Holy Spirit
equipped Saul and Barnabas with power to
perform the
mission .
V:3-4. " So after they had fasted and prayed, they
placed their hands on them and sent them off.
4 The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit,
went down to Seleucia and sailed
from there to Cyprus ."
A. Notice it is the Church that supports the mission.
1. They prayed
with Saul and Barnabas.
2. They fasted
with Saul and Barnabas.
3. They anointed
Saul and Barnabas for the mission,
4. The Church sent
Saul and Barnabas on the mission.
B. They Fasted and prayed.
1. Fasted to
consecrate them and get them prepared for the
sacrifices
they would make.
2. The prayed to
get them in tuned with the God Head.
3. The fasted and
prayed to discern the direction of the mission.
C. Mission work requires you to move out of your comfort
zone and move
into unfamiliar
territory.
1, God often send
His disciple across open waters to get to
selected
locations.
2. It is God who protects the missionaries on
their journey.
TRAVELING TO UNFAMILIAR PLACES
V:5-6. " When they arrived at Salamis ,
they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as
their helper.
6 They traveled through the whole island until they came to
Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, "
A. God sends His disciples to places where there is fertile
ground.
1. The Church is a
transition from the Law to Grace.
2. The Jewish
synagogues were establish under the Law as a place
of worship
after the Babylonian captivity.
3. A good starting
place for the mission was in the synagogues
where the Law
was being taught.
4. The job of the
missionaries was to update the participants to
the Gospel of
Jesus Christ.
B. As the mission grows, God adds helpers.
1. God know how
many are needed in the mission at any given time.
YOUR MISSION
C. Where ever you go, you will find the devil at work.
1. There are
prophets and false prophets,
2. False prophets
oppose the Word of God.
3. False prophets
make their living and gain their fame
by masquerading
as men of God.
4. The devil disguises
himself as an angel of light.
5. The devil was present in the name of Bar-Jesus.
a. He was a
sorcerer meaning he used the art of magic to
deceive
people.
b. He was a
false prophet meaning he knew how to pervert the
Word of
God.
c. He was a
false prophet meaning he some knowledge of the word.
d. The devil
uses the perverted word to oppose the truth.
e. The devil
has many devices he uses to keep you in the dark.
6. Saul and
Barnabas travel the length of the Island .
a. God may
send you to many place befo you get to His prime
target.
b. Perhaps our
confidence in the ministry is gained through small
successes.
GOD OPENS DOORS FOR THE MISSION
V:7-8 "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.
8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means)
opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. "
A. Bar-Jesus was an Israelite.
1. Sergius Paulus
was the ruling Roman officer of the Island .
2. Bar Jesus a Jew,
had gained influence with the top officer of
the Island
with his trickery and false teaching.
3. For the Roman
proconsul to hear the truth would be the demise
of Bar-Jesus.
B. It is obvious that Gospel of Jesus Christ was being
spread through
out the Island .
1. Sergius Paulus
had heard about the teaching of Saul and Barnabas.
2. The Word has a
way of drawing people to Jesus.
3. The Word has a
way of convicting people.
4. The aim of the
devil is to prevent the conviction.
5. It is our
encounter with the devil that test our conviction to God's mission.
6. The devil is no
match for the conviction of a Godly servant.
STAND AGAINST THE DEVIL
V:9-10. '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? "
A. This may be coincidental, Saul being filled with the Holy
Spirit began using his
name of Paul.
1. When serving
the Lord, the Holy Spirit will give us the strength to stand against
the devil.
2. There are time
when you have to confront a person and let him/her know that
their
interference with work of God will not be tolerated.
3. Some people may
not be aware that their evil is transparent.
4. Selfish people
work to benefit themselves and not the good of others.
B. Perhaps the turning point in a devilish person life is to
be confronted with
truth about
themselves and the harm they are doing to the Gospel of
Jesus.
1. The name
Bar-Jesus means son of Jesus.
2. Paul could
identify with Bar-Jesus because he had been destructive to the
ministry of
Jesus Christ.
3. Paul's zeal for
destroying the ministry was turned into a zeal for promoting
the Gospel of
Jesus Christ.
4. Perhaps Paul saw
his past in Bar-Jesus.
HAVING COMPASSION IN JUDGEMENT
V.11. " 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. "
A. By the power of the Holy Spirit, Paul announced judgment
on Bar-Jesus.
1. Bar-Jesus was
blinded for a season just as Paul was blinded when he encountered
Jesus at his
conversion.
2. Paul saw his
past proud and lifted up in Bar-Jesus.
3. I believe Paul
showed compassion for Bar-Jesus setting him up for a
future
conversion to the Gospel of Jesus.
B. When serving the Lord we must learn to be tolerant of
others misbehavior.
1. We have to be
firm when correcting others, but allow room from their
recovery.
2. All have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God.
3. Our reproof
should be out of love but with respect to doing things in
descent and in
order.
C. Bar-Jesus dealt in spiritual darkness, therefore his
punishment was physical darkness.
1. Like Paul, God
had to take away his physical sight so Bar-Jesus could gain
spiritual
sight.
GOD'S AMAZING GRACE
V:12. " When the proconsul saw what had happened, he
believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord. "
A. God will insure the success of His mission.
1. When we are
obedient to God's commands, He will step in and
subdue the
opposition to His Word.
2. The proconsul
wanted to hear the Word, so God silenced the Bar-Jesus the
opposition.
3. The Word of God
will not return void.
4. Our proclaiming
the Gospel of Jesus Christ will result in conversion of
God intended
hearers.
B. Each believer is on a mission for God. Acts 13:1-12
1. Here is a
typical example of the Gospel being rejected by some
and accepted by
others.
2. Throughout the
New Testament you will find the Jewish nation rejecting
the Gospel and
Gentiles accepting the Gospel.
3. Bar-Jesus, a Jew
rejected the Gospel,
4. People hear the
same word, but interpret it differently based on their
background
,training and traditions.
5. The Roman
proconsul, a Gentile accepted the Gospel.
a. He heard the
Word preached by Paul.
b. He witness
the power and glory of God through the
blindness
of Bar-Jesus.
c. He believed
the Word and was converted.
b. He came to
know God's amazing grace.
Rev. M. Mitchell
Asst Pastor of Greater Macedonia
Baptist Church
For more lessons, follow me on facebook and visit my
blogs, revmmitchell,com and goodnewsrevmitc.blogspot.com
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