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Good morning friends walking the journey of Jesus’ church with me these 150 days of summer 2019.
Today, Tuesday May 14th we are reading Acts chapter 13.
As you perhaps know this chapter is where the global missionary cause really takes flight. You’ll recall in Acts 8 the Deacon Phillip followed the leading of the Holy Spirit to the Gaza road and met the Ethiopian official, led him to Christ and baptized him, and we presume that man returned to Ethiopia taking his new found relationship with Jesus.
Here in Acts 13 we have the first record of the Holy Spirit leading a local church to send out a ‘missionary team’ for the exclusive purpose of bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ cross-culturally to places and people where the Gospel was unknown. This launched the global missionary movement.
Please notice the leadership of the Antioch church!
* Barnabas a Levite Jew from Cyprus (Acts. 4:36)
* Simeon called “Niger” possibly from Ethiopia since many Jews lived there
* Lucius from Cyrene (remember the man forced to carry Jesus’ cross was also from Cyrene. Most scholars believe a city north Africa)
* Manaen who had been raised in boyhood as a friend of Herod Antiapas (the Herod who ordered the beheading of John the Baptist)
* Saul from Tarsus, the Rabbi who oversaw the stoning of Stephen and began the persecution of Christians in Jerusalem.
Notice, like most of us here in Florida, they were all from somewhere else!
Now think about this friends. What an eclectic group of Christians from such diverse backgrounds, and these were the “prophets & teachers”, the leaders! Do you see the Holy Spirit’s clear directive? “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Every true missionary since that day has felt that same call! In fact, EVERY true follower of Jesus is led by the Holy Spirit in their unique journey with Jesus. What has been your path?
Notice they set off from Antioch, about 300 miles north of Jerusalem, heading first to the Island of Cyprus, Barnabas’ home. Do you notice something very significant in Acts 13:8? Saul changes his name to Paul! Why?
‘Saul’ was likely the name given by his parents, after the first king of Israel, in hopes Saul would be a great Jewish leader. With this name change was ‘Paul’ identifying himself more with Gentile followers of Jesus as he took the message of Christ into the Roman Empire?
Notice also a change in leadership. It was Barnabas who first brought converted Saul to meet the Apostles in Jerusalem (Acts 9:27) and Barnabas who went to find Saul and bring him to Antioch (Acts 11:25,26) and the Holy Spirit had named the first missionary team as “Barnabas and Saul” (Acts 13:2,3). But in Acts 13:13 Paul is clearly the leader…“From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed…” God led leadership transition is a theme from Genesis all through the Bible. You’ve likely seen many leadership transitions in your lifetime, what does it look like when it is God orchestrated?
Have you ever been abandoned by a friend or partner in work or ministry? Note in Acts 13:13 John Mark abandoned Paul and Barnabas returning home to Jerusalem. We don’t know why but we do know this event was viewed very differently by Paul and Barnabas, for it was the source of their disagreement and separation in Acts 15:36-40. Years later, toward the end of his life Paul evidently had a change of heart toward Mark (2 Timothy 4:11) and asked that Mark join he and Luke. There’s an important lesson friends. Holding on to bitterness or unforgiveness is like a cancer that can ruin your life. Give it over to Jesus, forgive your offender, forgive yourself, accept God’s forgiveness and keep walking with Jesus.
Finally, may I point out one more significant thing in Acts 13? Notice verse 46. Saul/Paul and Barnabas were both fully Jewish men. Barnabas born into the privileged Levite tribe and Saul born into the tribe of Benjamin (Gal.3:5), “a Hebrew of Hebrews, a Pharisee…” so naturally as they traveled, they went into the Synagogues to preach the Gospel to their fellow Jews in a familiar environment. But repeatedly the Jews were skeptical, resistant, even opposed. So Paul and Barnabas in Acts 13:46 make a bold proclamation… they will focus their attention on bringing the Gospel to GENTILES as they travel deeper into modern day Turkey, taking the Gospel where it has never been heard!
May I invite you today… look around you, where you life, where your feet take you today. Who are the people God puts you in contact with? Do they know Jesus? Could it be God has placed you where you are so they could know the Jesus you know?
Have a great week friends, following Jesus every minute!
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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